My Childhood Friend, who became a National Idol, moved next door to my Run-down Apartment [Dropped] - Chapter 14 - Entertaining my Childhood Friend!

“Kazu-kun, can you play the piano?”

“Yeah, I can manage. I have a piano at home, so I play sometimes.”

“That sounds fun!”

I think we had this conversation when Mitsuki visited my house for the first time.

My parents were often away on nationwide concert tours, leaving the house empty.

After coming back from elementary school, my routine was to head straight to my piano teacher for lessons. But that day, the lesson was canceled due to my teacher’s busy schedule, leaving me with nothing to do.

So, I ended up telling Mitsuki about it at school, and she said with enthusiasm, “Then, can I come to your house?”

And that’s how the current situation happened.

The first thing Mitsuki noticed when she entered my house was the piano. She was very curious about the upright piano sitting in the corner of the living room.

“What’s this sheet of music?”

“Hmm? It’s musical notes and Italian words. It tells you how to play.”

“Then, can you play something? Decode it from this secret language?”

Mitsuki’s eyes sparkled with excitement. I had no idea what was so interesting about it.

For me, playing the piano meant just playing, showing it to my teacher, and then redoing it if I failed. If my teacher put a checkmark on it, I would move on to the next challenging piece. It was all about showing my parents, who came back from concerts, that I was practicing diligently.

The piano was merely a means of communication for me.

“Okay, then! How about playing this one? What does it say?”

“‘Für Elise.’ It’s a piece by Beethoven, for Elise.”

“Oh, that one! The girl with her hair wrapped up in the picture in the music room!”

“You’re not wrong, but…”

Mitsuki sat next to me. Normally, no one would sit right next to me when I played the piano. I was usually pushed to the edge of the chair, and my teacher always told me to sit comfortably. I couldn’t take the music sheet from Mitsuki as she looked at it and the keyboard alternately with her eyes shining.

I didn’t have much confidence in playing the piece exactly as the music sheet instructed since I hadn’t memorized fermatas and mezzo-pianos and other musical symbols perfectly.

But still…

“It looks exciting!”

Mitsuki’s black hair tied in a ponytail wagged like a puppy’s tail. She sat so close that I could reach out and touch her. If not for this occasion, I might never have had such an opportunity. Despite being more nervous than in any concert or performance in front of others…

☆☆☆☆☆☆

“At that time, I played the best I ever had.”

I played the first notes on the electronic piano. Unlike the upright piano, the sound on the electronic piano was lighter, and the keystrokes were a bit weak.

The difference from back then when we were kids was that neither of us had the music sheet.

Yet, we both had every note of that music engraved in our minds.

‘Für Elise.’ It’s said to be a short piece Beethoven wrote for someone he had feelings for at that time. Although it could be a goal for beginners starting to play the piano, the more emotion you put into it, the more it overflows with feelings.

From the poignant sounds of the prologue emerges a growing affection. It gradually becomes bigger, but eventually returns to its original state. However, when the feelings are understood, it suddenly transforms into a bright and lively melody.

“It sounds like so much fun!”

Next to me, Mitsuki swayed her body, humming along with the main melody of the piano. Every time her ponytail floated across my vision, I couldn’t help but feel a bit dizzy with the pleasant scent.

She seemed to enjoy it herself, following the music with excitement.

As the performance entered its climax, various sounds reminiscent of cries of pain and dark echoes emerged when the feelings didn’t get through.

“Ohhhh…”

Mitsuki’s narrowed eyebrows showed a solemn expression as she gazed at the keys. Mitsuki often showed joy and happiness in front of me, making this subtly sad expression quite rare.

Within the short three-minute performance, I could see Mitsuki’s happy, sad, and somewhat disappointed expressions ten or twenty times.

That alone was enjoyable.

I pressed the keys as if they were disappearing in the end.

At the same time, I couldn’t help but want to check Mitsuki’s expression.

“Ehehe~.”

When I removed my hands from the keys, I met Mitsuki’s beaming smile which blinded me for a moment.

“As expected, Kazu-kun plays the piano beautifully.”

“—!!”

Honestly, at this moment, when I saw her carefree smile, a memory nearly surfaced in my mind, but…!

“…Are you okay, Kazu-kun? Do you have a fever?”

“N-No, it’s just that I haven’t played in a while. Don’t worry about it!”

I couldn’t say out loud that I was embarrassed about being so captivated by Mitsuki’s profile which was intently gazing at the piano…

Whether she knew it or not, Mitsuki leaned closer to me with a curious expression.

“Hey, Kazu-kun. How did you play the part where the tune changes? You know, where you go back and forth between the black and white keys. It was amazing!”

“Uh, well… that part is—”

The three years of being afraid to touch the piano disappeared in an instant.

Well, if I had to complain a little…

—I wanted Mitsuki to listen to me play on a better piano, in a proper setting, with all my heart.

And thus, I began to think of such grand things.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

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TL : Zenon#4120