Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: First Steps Toward a Dream (3)
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“Hey, Shirone. You still here? I thought you were done with your work.”
Rian opened the door and coughed at the rising dust. Shirone greeted his friend with a calm smile.
“What's with that look? Something good happen?”
Rian was puzzled by his friend's unusual demeanor. But what Shirone said next was even more shocking.
“Rian, give me a tour of your house.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
Rian's eyes widened. Shirone, who was always so principled and never made a careless mistake, was suddenly asking for a tour of his house.
But then he noticed the book lying next to Shirone and understood.
“You... you did it?”
“Yeah. There's nothing left to read, at least not in this library.”
Nothing left to read.
Rian wasn't a fan of books, but he could feel how cool those words were.
In that moment, Shirone looked like the very embodiment of intellect. Even the sunlight pouring through the window seemed to be blessing him.
“Wahahaha! You really did it? You rascal! You're really something else, man!”
Rian was as happy as if it were his own achievement. Of course, he expressed it in his own rough, swordsman-like way. After hugging Shirone and swinging him around for a while, he snapped his fingers as if a great idea had struck him.
“Alright! If you want to come to my house, you're always welcome! This is perfect. To celebrate you finishing your studies, I've prepared an awesome gift for you.”
“A gift, all of a sudden? I don't need one.”
“Just follow me. You're gonna love it! Puhahaha!”
Shirone felt uneasy. It was strange that Rian had a gift prepared when he'd only just learned about the celebration. Besides, the mischievous glint in his eyes and the way his smile crinkled suggested it was definitely not going to be a gift Shirone would like.
Seeing the mansion up close for the first time, its sheer size was overwhelming. He could understand why ancient people chose colossal structures to express the divinity of their gods.
“Rian, let's go in quietly. What if your family catches us?”
“What's there to worry about? Your contract is over anyway, right? Besides, my family is all out. Ah, here it is. Hurry, hurry!”
The place Rian took him to was a woman's room, filled with a sweet fragrance. Pink curtains draped over the balcony windows, and various musical instruments, including a piano, were arranged inside.
“Wait! This is your sister's room, isn't it? Let's get out of here! What are we doing going in?”
“Kekeke. Just wait a second. It should be around here somewhere.”
Rian carelessly opened and closed drawers as if it were his own room. After rummaging through a shelf at the bottom, he picked something up, let out a triumphant shout, and threw it at Shirone.
“Found it! Here, Shirone, your gift!”
Something fragrant and soft landed on Shirone's face. He held it with both hands and unfolded it, revealing a ridiculously small piece of cloth.
Shirone's puzzled face turned red. Judging by its shape and size, it was clearly his sister's underwear.
“Hey! Are you crazy? Why would you throw this at me!”
“Puhahaha! Look at you, blushing. You're seventeen now. You should be bold enough to look at a pair of panties. That's why your big bro is giving them to you as a gift.”
“Shut up! What's so bold about looking at panties?! Take them back, now!”
“Oh? He's getting worked up. Shirone's finally getting worked up!”
Rian clutched his stomach and stomped his feet, laughing. In truth, ninety percent of him wanted to tease Shirone, but ten percent was a little worried.
Having been cooped up in the library for a year and a half, his skin was pale, and his face still had a boyish look.
Shirone was too starved for knowledge. Rian figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to use some shock therapy to bring out the man within him.
But it didn't work on Shirone. He returned the panties, sighed, and launched into his usual nagging.
“When are you going to grow up? Pulling pranks like this... And it's your sister, of all people. Put it back, quickly. What are you going to do if you get caught?”
“She's a court musician, so she only comes home once or twice a year. There's no way we'll get caught. But are you sure you don't want it? Don't come crying to me later if you regret it.”
“Following you here is the biggest regret of my life! Now clean this up.”
Rian crumpled up the underwear, shoved it back in, and closed the drawer.
“Hey, she'll notice if you do it like that.”
“Her dedicated maid will tidy it up when the time comes. Anyway, it's no fun since you didn't get worked up.”
“One more time and I'm cutting ties with you.”
“Hahaha! Alright, alright. It was just a joke. Let's go to my room, anyway.”
Rian's room was at the very end of the hall. He said most of the rooms were empty, so he just picked one that was convenient for him.
Befitting a passionate swordsman, his room was filled with wooden swords, and his bookshelf was lined with books on swordsmanship.
However, there were few technical manuals; most were novels about legendary swordsmen from myths.
After sitting in the room and chatting idly for a while, the two got bored and started a card game.
They each started with the same amount of chips, but the game was over in just thirty minutes. It was a complete defeat for Rian.
Shirone asked as he raked in the chips.
“Another round?”
“No way! Dammit. Gambling is supposed to be about luck, but I must have the worst luck ever.”
“You have a habit of moving your cards outward when you get an ace. And the time you take to bet is different when you have a pair versus when you don't. Just knowing those two things is enough to beat you every time.”
Rian stared blankly, as if he'd been scammed.
“How in the world do you notice things like that?”
“Observation is surprisingly easy. You can't see things because you've already decided what you're looking for. Let go of the need to find something specific and just feel the whole picture. Then you'll be able to see it.”
“Hmm, so don't get hung up on what you want to obtain? Maybe this could help with finding my Schema, too.”
“Probably. It had a big impact on my understanding of the Spirit Zone.”
Rian repeated Shirone's words over and over. His mind tingled as if he was on the verge of understanding something, but he just couldn't grasp the core of it.
Was it because he'd been thinking so hard, which was unlike him? His body grew weary, and a wave of drowsiness washed over him. Rian stretched languidly and lay down.
“Nothing else to do, let's take a nap. I'm dead tired from running a hundred laps this morning.”
“Go ahead and sleep. I'll read for a bit.”
“Yeah.”
The moment his head hit the pillow, Rian was fast asleep. Shirone chuckled at his carefree friend and picked up a novel. After reading nothing but difficult history books, he lost track of time reading the adventure story.
When Rian still hadn't woken up after an hour, Shirone closed the book and tidied up the room. He figured it would be best to leave before sunset, when the mansion would get noisy.
As he walked down the hallway, he heard the sound of a piano.
Shirone stopped in his tracks, stunned. Having grown up only in the mountains, a musical score filled with a composer's inspiration shook his heart in a way different from magic.
The sound was coming from Rian's sister's room. Drawn by it, Shirone moved unconsciously and saw Rian's sister for the first time.
A woman with a face as pure as the morning dew and blue hair that flowed down like waves was playing the piano.
It was the second daughter of the Ogent family, Ogent Reina.
The melody Reina played was nothing short of heavenly. While not the youngest, she was a prodigy whose skills were recognized at the age of nineteen, earning her a place in the royal court, so Shirone's assessment was not an exaggeration.
The harmonies building layer by layer. The rush of those harmonies. And the variations. Shirone's mind moved along with Reina's fingertips, like a marionette tied to the melody.
Only after the performance ended did Shirone realize where he was. Perhaps he had been moved for too long. By the time he came to his senses, Reina had already turned to look at him and was waving.
“Hello? How was it, my piano sonata?”
He had read about them in books, but this was the first time he'd heard one. Shirone didn't dare offer an opinion on Reina's performance.
“You can come closer and watch. I haven't seen you before. Are you one of the new butlers?”
“Yes. I was in charge of cataloging the library. Though I've finished now.”
“Aha! I've heard about you. You must be very smart. Cataloging isn't a job just anyone can do.”
Was it because she was an artist? Her words and actions weren't the least bit authoritarian; instead, they were filled with consideration.
For the first time, Shirone envied Rian for having a sister. Then, the vulgar crime he had unwillingly committed came to mind. His cheeks burned as the image of what he'd seen overlapped with Reina's face.
“Ugh!”
“Are you not feeling well? Why is your face like that?”
“N-No, I'm fine.”
Shirone entered the room awkwardly. They say the most perfect lie is one that deceives even yourself. Shirone hypnotized himself into believing he'd seen nothing and changed the subject.
“This is what you call sheet music, right?”
“Hm? Yes, that's right. It's the third movement of Schreinmann's piano sonata, 'In the Darkness.' Have you ever played the piano?”
“No, never.”
“Really? Sit here. I'll teach you. It's not a difficult piece.”
Shirone found himself liking her gentle and affectionate nature. Of course, he was also bewildered, since Rian had told him she was a foul-tempered witch.
Shirone paid close attention to the fingering she taught him and pressed the first chord. Then, haltingly, he moved to connect it to the second chord.
“Wow! You have a very quick eye. For a first-timer, your sight-reading is excellent.”
Playing a musical score for the first time is called sight-reading. It requires technical talent more than emotional expression, and it was safe to say that someone skilled at sight-reading was a fast thinker.
Shirone felt good about Reina's compliment. But he soon forgot his impression of her and became completely absorbed in the piano. It was an unstoppable curiosity.
“Excuse me...”
“Yes?”
“Could you please play it one more time?”
In that moment, Reina discovered Shirone's unique disposition. The idea that artists love talent is a lie made up by critics. In reality, artists love passion.
“Alright. Then listen carefully.”
Reina performed an encore of 'In the Darkness.' Even to Shirone's untrained ear, the performance was far more delicate than the first time. It was the power of her Schema. Her nervous system, which understood her own body, was twice as sensitive as an ordinary person's.
When the performance ended, Reina turned her head with a satisfied look. But Shirone remained lost in thought, his face as expressionless as someone who had heard nothing at all.
“May I try?”
“Hm? Oh, sure.”
“Please bear with me, even if it's hard to listen to.”
“Huhu, of course. Everyone's like that when they first start.”
Shirone's hands gently settled on the keyboard. Just as she was thinking his posture was quite good, his fingers began to strike the keys.
As an unrecognizable melody began to play, Reina gave a troubled smile. But as he entered the middle section, she started to listen intently, as if she'd realized something.
*'What is this kid? What is he trying to do?'*
All the notes were off. It was completely wrong. But surprisingly...
It was perfectly similar.
It was hard to explain, but it was true. Shirone clearly lacked the technical skill to play from the sheet music.
But aside from the technical aspects, he was imitating everything about her, as if he had become Reina herself.
This wasn't a performance for an audience. In this boy's mind, there was only the piano.
*'A little more. Just a little closer.'*
Shirone desperately tried to penetrate the music. As he maintained the tempo, the pace of the development became too fast. With his sight-reading ability, he couldn't hit the correct notes.
He compressed his focus, which was jumping from second to second. His entranced mind began to be drawn into the Spirit Zone.
Reina swallowed hard. Pleasant chords were occasionally slipping in between the dissonant ones.
And finally, during the 'dudududu!' rising climax, his playing matched the sheet music perfectly for exactly 1.7 seconds.
Reina felt a thrill and held her breath. Shirone maintained that state as he moved into the authentic cadence.
He hit the tonic, then raised both hands and struck the dominant like a bolt of lightning. Then, he pressed down on the final tonic with the greatest passion of his life.
Kwoooooooooong.
The harmonies that had carried over from four minutes prior dissolved into seven notes, spreading an infinite, lingering resonance.