♪♪♪
DEAR Mashiro,
Thanks for the origami. The rotary valves on the horn definitely seem difficult to recreate. But I was shocked by how insanely high quality it is. The maid I told you about in my last letter was practically jumping with joy over the new additions to the collection. She even asked if she could take a picture of them to show her husband later, but I told her not until I got permission from the creator. If you’re okay with it, I hope you can give her permission.
I’m no good at coming up with interesting things to write about either.
Midori came over during spring break and dragged me all over the place like a madwoman. When I told her about your competition, she became enthusiastic about going to see you play in person. Please let her know the details once the dates are set.
It’s spring here now, so the park I often go to is colored with lots of flowers.
April 24th is Easter, and it seems like a special day in Germany. Father was thrilled that he gets the day off from work. He said he’s inviting my stepmother over from Japan just to throw a house party. Frankly, I’m not up for it, but he asked me to put on a cello performance. Midori told me she “refused with gumption.” She’s my stepmother’s niece, but they have a horrible relationship and are always at each other’s throats, so I’m grateful she’s not coming.
Sorry this is about the only thing I can talk about.
I’ll try looking around for the books you recommended and see if I can get a hold of them over here. It seems like fun to have friends you can chat about the same books with.
Your closing line was the correct German phrase. I’ll use it too.
Herzliche Grüße
Sou Shiroyama
April
✦ ✦ ✦
♪♪♪
MY once a month letter exchange with Mashiro ended up continuing for three whole years. Though I knew there was no way the conscientious and kindhearted Mashiro would ever stop replying to me, I just couldn’t be the one to cut off contact with her. Her kind letters became my emotional support.
I’d learned from a text message from Kou that Mashiro had passed the competition’s preliminary round. It was beyond frustrating that I was so far away, I couldn’t even congratulate her when it mattered.
Midori called me all excited after she’d received a similar text from Kou’s sister. There wasn’t much of a time difference between England and Germany, so Midori always called me the moment she had something she wanted to talk about. She blabbed on and on without letting me get a word in, and then suddenly hung up once she had her fill. That used to tick me off in the past, but it didn’t bother me anymore now that the majority of her conversations revolved around Mashiro.
“I plan on going to Japan during summer break! Come with me, Sou. I hope you don’t plan on staying cooped up at home all break like you did last year. It’s ridiculous for you not to enjoy our rare vacation time!”
“Leave me be. I won’t return to Japan. I plan on participating in a summer program, so I won’t be at home either.”
“Hmph. Uncle is ever the workaholic, I hear. He should at least spend his summer vacation with his only son. Well, whatever. I’ll just go with my brother. I’m so looking forward to seeing Mashiro again! Bye!”
I wanted to tell her not to bother Mashiro, but she suddenly hung up the phone like usual. I’m of the belief that the word “overbearing” exists solely for Midori’s use.
A year and a half to go.
I had no intention of returning to Japan until the day I returned to Seio for good.
✦ ✦ ✦
*Heroine’s Results*
Target Character: Sou Shiroyama
Event: Love Letters
*CLEAR*
✦ ✦ ✦
♪♪♪
SADIA Francesca ended up not participating in the summer seminar. Her schedule couldn’t fit everything in.
Miss Ayumi caught wind of that news faster than anyone else and asked me again, “What do you want to do?”
“I’ll pass,” I said, shaking my head.
Receiving direct guidance from members of the judging committee on what points to watch out for when performing the selection pieces was an amazing opportunity that would be hard to come by, but the venue was a good hour away, and the participation fee was so outrageous it made me wonder if this was really for a junior music competition.
I loved classical music and the piano. But I was often left thinking that pursuing this path was reaching beyond my station, having been raised in a normal middle-class family.
Miss Ayumi seemed to have seen through me deciding to pass on the seminar as a result of it not weighing up to the costs. She carefully studied my face and put her hand to her cheek. “You have been like this since the day we met, Mashiro.”
“Like what, Miss Ayumi?” I asked with a blank look.
Miss Ayumi took my hand and led me to the couch. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a strong sense of purpose. However, in a sense, I think it’s very scary to make your choices based solely on whether it’s necessary or not, or if you should do it or not.”
I couldn’t wrap my head around what she was saying at first. But the fact she was deeply worried about me came across.
“Anyone who has their heart set on pursuing any of the performing arts professionally can’t take it on with halfhearted dedication. In that regard, your wholehearted devotion is a virtue. But why don’t you try broadening your horizons some more? Those things you disregard as worthless at a glance have a way of broadening our horizons as people and by extension, our performances.”
“Um…are you telling me that I will gain necessary experience if I take the seminar?” I timidly ventured, scared that I had made the wrong choice by passing on it.
She answered me with a somber smile. “No, I’m not. Passing on the seminar doesn’t pose much of a problem for you.” Miss Ayumi reached out with her slender arm and gently stroked the top of my head. “I wonder if you will be able to break out of your shell someday if you experience a love that makes everything else in the world feel meaningless.”
“WHAT?! No, thanks.”
I’ve had my fill of love for the time being, thank you.
I slapped my hands over my mouth to stop from accidentally letting my real thoughts slip out. I was the girl who once ruined her dear sister’s true love. The bitter memory of crushing her relationship with Tomoi crawled its way up the back of my throat in the form of a hard lump. I couldn’t answer right away if someone asked me if my feelings for him were really love. How I wish that I’d torn their relationship apart because of burning love and passion for him instead of out of shallow stubbornness and ugly jealousy.
But that’s not what happened. I had been a shallow child. And I knew that side of me hadn’t changed yet.
Miss Ayumi saw me suddenly fall silent and changed topics in a cheery voice. “In that case, you won’t mind if I continue to look over the songs you will be playing until the quarterfinals in September, yes?”
“Of course! Please do!”
Nothing would make me happier than to undertake Miss Ayumi’s Spartan training lessons.
The lessons would prevent me from having to think too much. It would push back those haunting thoughts surrounding the mystery of why this world resembled Hear My Heart and why only Kon and I had any memory of a past life. All the thoughts about what Kon was hiding from me and why she seemed to be suffering now—I didn’t have to think about any of it while I was playing the piano.
Perhaps that’s the reason why I became so engrossed and devoted to playing. Not that I would continue playing if I didn’t actually love it too. The music world wasn’t generous enough to allow people with half-baked feelings to aim for the top.
Get a hold of yourself! I took several deep breaths and gave myself a small pep talk.
Everything from my feelings to my thoughts affirmed that I was really here. Humans had nothing more than that to prove they actually existed in any world. And the me that was here chose the music path, so I had to continue down this road giving it my all.
That was the only path, right?