Chapter 09
TABUKI KEIJU’S MOTHER loved the piano. This was why she married Tabuki’s father, a pianist. However, not long after Tabuki was born, the two of them separated.
“That man was no good for me. He had no talent at all. Keiju, you would never betray your mother, would you?” she would often say to him around the time of the divorce. As she stroked her young son’s head, running her hands through his soft, supple hair, Tabuki would always nod.
Once, Tabuki’s mother gave him a new friend as a gift. It was a darling little bird. By his mother’s logic, a human friend would only get in the way of his music lessons, so a bird was just right instead. This did not especially bother Tabuki, nor did he think it was strange.
The little bird lived in a round bird cage on a dedicated stand, next to the grand piano Tabuki practiced on.
The young Tabuki lifted the heavy lid of the piano, noisily plunking at the keys, and as his legs were not yet long enough to reach the pedals, he either simply pushed them up against the piano or swung them, just enjoying the sounds.
Whenever he played the piano, he and the little bird were always together.
“Keiju. Your mother loves people with talent.” Whenever Tabuki poured himself into the piano, his mother would always give him a warm embrace. Enough time passed that his feet now properly reached the pedals, and he could read sheet music as well. He practiced for hours every day, and performed in numerous competitions. His eyes began to weaken from staring at scores for too long, which necessitated his getting glasses, but that sort of trifling thing did not bother him.
His shelves were lined with various trophies, and countless framed awards hung from the walls.
Not long after, Tabuki’s mother remarried an up-and-coming composer. Tabuki was a bit puzzled by this new father and this new surname—“Tabuki”—that he was supposed to use from now on, but his mother was elated for the three of them to start their lives together, even smiling and telling Tabuki, “We’ll have your father teach you all sorts of things about music.” As it turned out, his father was a good man who knew much about music.
Eventually, a second son was born to the Tabuki household. Tabuki was thrilled to welcome this little one into the world, and even introduced him to his little bird. It filled him with such joy to be gripped at by those tiny hands, to stroke the baby hair that just started to sprout from his head, a feeling like they truly had become brothers. Though he had no human friends yet, his little brother would be his friend as well, after his little bird.
Every day, his little brother wailed and ate and played, all to the tune of the music his stepfather played or the sounds of Tabuki on the piano. The Tabuki household was a lively one, overflowing with all manner of beautiful sounds. However, it did not take long before Tabuki’s brother, who was supposed to be his friend, grew into a threat.
The toy piano his mother bought for his brother was wooden and painted white, with its own little legs. His brother would sit in front of it, handling it as recklessly as he did his other toys. One day, however, Tabuki watched his brother striking the keys of the toy piano, and his breath hitched. He looked as though he was only making random sounds, but within seconds it approached something resembling a tune, at length growing into a real melody.
Tabuki, clutching his thick piano instruction book, was stunned to hear the music his brother was playing, the sounds wild but unmistakably taking form. Everything that had taken Tabuki years to accomplish, his brother could suddenly do effortlessly, without even any clue what he was doing.
Tabuki was distraught. There was no doubting his brother was a genius. At the very least, he was probably already on a level that Tabuki himself would never reach, no matter how much he practiced.
His mother loved people with talent. So far, Tabuki was the only one who knew about this, but what would happen if his mother were to find out? She would probably spend all her time mooning over his genius little brother.
Tabuki increased his practice time, playing the piano single-mindedly. He spent countless hours sitting at the piano, his only friend the little bird at his side. Even still, his brother inevitably grew older, his talent becoming apparent as he left Tabuki in the dust.
“Keiju, you know I only like things that are the best. You may as well burn those second-place certificates.” This was not a suggestion, but a statement of fact. This was her declaration that anything below first place was meaningless to her.
With his second place and lower trophies and certificates gone, Tabuki had very little left with which he could prove his existence to his mother.
Crestfallen, Tabuki watched his little brother happily playing his toy piano. By now, it was a perfect melody. It reverberated throughout the room, pleasant to the ear, smooth as silk.
Tabuki was embarrassed that he was jealous of his own brother, but as much as he hated that dark feeling, he could not bury it away. One day, the child would steal all of their mother’s love and attention away from him. One day, Tabuki would be thrown away and burned up, just like his unworthy certificates.
Tabuki could do nothing but practice with all his heart.