[You push open the classroom door, and see a handsome boy with short black hair. He holds a violin, his bowing posture graceful. The sunset pours in through the window, and behind him it seems as if a pair of golden wings have appeared.]
[A sudden breeze enters through the half-open door, making him slowly open his eyes and look at you.]
Huh?
Why is it Kitahara-kun…
Aren't you supposed to be the piano genius who loves playing piano?
Why are you suddenly practicing violin?
Though Kita had heard that violin often performs with piano, asking piano to fill the missing range so the music becomes more harmonious, she still wondered…
Is this kind of cross-instrument study really useful?
[You ask Toru Kitahara why he is here playing violin. In the face of your doubts, he quickly replies that he likes practicing in this classroom because of its location.]
[At dusk, outside its windows, there are always many students leaving school in groups, radiating youthful energy.]
That's it?
No, wait. That reason is too strange, isn't it?
So Kitahara-kun is this eccentric?
Even more unique than Ryo-senpai.
[Seeing your confusion, Toru doesn't blame you. He doesn't even mention the fact that you suddenly barged in and interrupted his playing.]
Sorry about that.
I was just curious.
[Soon, Toru asks for your opinion on his impromptu performance.]
That piece just now… was improvised?
Listening through the simulator, Kita had been amazed by his playing!
She didn't even know how to describe it. It was simply, incredibly beautiful.
[You honestly tell him how you felt about the piece. Toru presses a hand to his chin, lost in thought.]
[Then he wonders aloud why, after school, you didn't go to Shimokitazawa to practice guitar, and instead came to this music room.]
Because you lured me here, obviously…
[You explain about the siren's song. Toru modestly denies it, saying he is nowhere near a siren's level, but thanks you for the compliment. Kindness attribute +3]
Attribute?
This simulator is pretty complex.
For some reason, Kita felt as if she were playing a dating sim instead of a friendship game.
This isn't about making friends at all…
It feels more like getting a boyfriend.
[Toru puts down the violin and tells you that, as his first violin listener, you may make any reasonable request, and he will try to fulfill it. You say: ]
[1. I want to win first place in the Chopin International Piano Competition! Please help me, Kitahara-kun, I'll do anything.]
[2. I like you. Please marry me! Let's have 11 children!]
[3. I want to hear you play the piano.]
[4. Simulate it myself.]
This is tough…
The first is tempting. If Kitahara-kun agrees, her piano skills would soar.
The second one… being bold in the simulation and doing what you wouldn't dare in reality is part of the fun.
The third, in real life, Kita would definitely choose. Among all the options, it was the one with the highest emotional intelligence, easing them closer step by step.
The fourth… if she understood correctly, that meant personally entering the simulation world?
Better choose the first one.
In a simulation, you have to be aggressive!
[You share your dreams and struggles with Toru. After a few seconds of thought, he agrees to your request. In truth, his violin skills have already reached a plateau, hard to improve in the short term, so he thinks there's no harm in teaching you piano.]
Option success.
This simulation's goal is now officially set: first place at the Chopin Competition.
[There are four years until the next Chopin. Toru is confident, saying that with enough talent, he can easily help you reach your dream.]
Kita hugged her pillow tightly, excitement rushing through her.
When she took first place in the competition, what would Ryo-senpai think of her?
Even if it was only a simulation, she was already looking forward to it.
[You and Toru Kitahara have successfully become friends.]
[The following month~]
[Every week after school, Toru accompanies you in the music room. He even obtained permission from a teacher to use the piano. As the top student in Shuka High, his grades allow him to act freely and recklessly; few teachers dare oppose him.]
[During evening practice, you sometimes wonder why Kitahara-kun always gazes at the sky, and why he chose such a remote classroom, just to watch students leaving.]
[In your eyes, he seems like a fragile, transparent bubble, savoring life in the last moments before bursting…]
[One day, you meet again in the music room.]
[You have triggered a special event.]
[Would you like to enter?]
…Enter.
Kita's consciousness quickly faded from reality.
◇
Summer.
At dusk on the baseball field, the crack of the bat striking the ball echoed, followed by cheers that spread across Shuka High's sky.
The violin's sound gradually fell silent. Toru lowered his bow.
Feeling a faint ache in his abdomen, he pulled back his gaze from the distance.
Visiting the hospital once every month… it wasn't a pleasant experience.
"That was beautiful."
Kita stepped closer to him, praising, "Kitahara-kun, you really are amazing."
It was her first time entering a special event, and after hearing such a perfect performance with her own ears, she couldn't help but be captivated by his skill.
"The road is long, I'm still far away," Toru said. At best, he was at a professional level. Still far away indeed.
But to Kita, that was already extraordinary.
She was starting to turn into his fangirl.
"Kitahara-kun, please teach me piano next."
"No problem…"
Toru nodded. "Kita, your talent really is something. To have improved this much in just half a month… no wonder you said you wanted to take first in the Chopin Competition."
So it hadn't been boasting. He had underestimated Kita.
"Of course. I'm a genius, after all."
Using borrowed talent to show off in front of its original owner, Kita felt a little guilty.
But that was fine. She could shamelessly enjoy it.
"Come here."
Toru sat down at the piano bench, beckoning her over.
The two sat shoulder to shoulder, playing together.
"Looks like you've already grasped most of what I taught yesterday. From here, it's just practice."
Toru wasn't afraid of teaching a student so well that the master starved.
After all, this was only a simulation. He could afford to give her everything.
"Thank you."
Seeing her bow so earnestly, Toru chuckled. "No need."
Kita glanced at his striking, otherworldly face, then quickly looked away.
She thought she understood now why Hitori Gotoh had fallen for Kitahara-kun. This man truly had charm.
Not just in looks. His personality was wonderful too.
"Kitahara-kun, why do you always look at the sky when you play violin? This classroom is so far out of the way."
Toru rubbed at the corner of his eye, his voice tinged with sadness. "Because the clouds are beautiful… they remind me of my grandmother, who passed away long ago. Her hair was the same gray-white."
"…I, I'm sorry," Kita apologized quickly.
But after observing closely, she realized something was off, Kitahara wasn't crying at all…
Why?
"Sorry, sorry, that was a lie."
He clarified immediately.
Wiping at the tears that had come from laughing, Toru explained,
"The truth is, this was the only key the school would lend me. And besides, looking at the clouds clears my mind, letting me play better."
"All of it was fake?"
Take it back… this guy's personality is awful.
"Of course."
"I believed you completely!"
Kita complained in frustration.
What a liar. An even bigger trickster than Ryo-senpai.
◇
[That day, after being deceived by Toru Kitahara once, you decided that from now on, no matter what he said, you would never believe him again.]
[Even if, one day, he were to tell you that he had a terminal illness, you would never believe a single word from his mouth.]
[Unfortunately, in the following days, naive as you were, you still let him trick you several more times.]
[You have marked this grudge.]