The next day.
Inside the music classroom, Anida and Kisho sat facing each other. Placed between them was the guqin that Kisho had swindled… ahem, won from Anida.
"Alright, listen carefully."
Kisho pointed at the strings and explained:
"The guqin originally had only five strings, called 'gong,' 'shang,' 'jue,' 'zhi,' and 'yu.' Later, two more were added — 'wen' and 'wu' — and that's how it became a seven-string instrument."
Anida listened with an extremely serious expression.
"Gong, shang, jue, clear jue, zhi, yu, altered gong — they correspond to do, re, mi in numbered musical notation—"
Before Kisho could finish speaking, the door to the music classroom was lightly knocked on, then pushed open.
The person who walked in caused Kisho's entire body to tense up in an instant.
He slowly placed his hand behind his back, waiting only for the moment when the string in his heart snapped — so that he could draw his weapon at the same time.
The person entering first greeted Anida, then shifted his gaze to the other person in the room. His pupils shrank abruptly.
"...Eh?" Anida looked at the newcomer. Seeing his strange expression, she asked in confusion,
"Teacher Wood, do you know Noah Barton?"
This person was none other than the owner of Whale Manor: Arlens Wood.
"..."
Arlens Wood stared at Kisho for a long time without saying a word.
"Teacher Wood?" Anida called his name again. Seeing that he still did not respond, the displeasure of being ignored made her stand up and say heavily, "Teacher Wood!"
"No."
"It's just that the young lady doesn't usually bring people here," Arlens Wood adjusted his expression and showed a perfectly appropriate smile. "It felt a bit strange, that's all."
Kisho: "..."
He did not relax his guard because of Arlens Wood's words.
This person… why is he still alive?
Kisho recalled that on the night at Whale Manor, the one who played Sonata of Darkness · Piano Version was his great-grandfather, not him. Moreover, when this man arranged for him to stay at the Whale Manor guesthouse, it was quite a long time before the concert took place.
Thinking about it this way… it was likely that before the concert targeting musicians even began, Arlens had already left Whale Manor.
The one who killed those musicians was his great-grandfather, acting under Arlens's name. So as long as he left the manor on some pretext and appeared elsewhere, he wouldn't need to take responsibility for the musicians who disappeared because of the concert.
But that night, after the Phantom Troupe visited Whale Manor, it was completely destroyed inside and out.
So now, Arlens Wood was not only homeless, but also had to explain why Whale Manor was destroyed after his departure.
If he couldn't provide proof that someone else was responsible for destroying the manor, then he would be even less able to explain the whereabouts of the musicians who vanished inside it.
Was that why he came to Lashan Mountain…?
To seek protection from a mafia boss?
After all… this person also seemed to be a Music Hunter. The status of a "Hunter" was itself sufficient bargaining capital to seek shelter.
While thinking, Kisho focused intently on Arlens Wood's expression.
Arlens Wood withdrew his gaze from Kisho, glanced at the utterly bewildered Anida, and signaled with his eyes that there were others present — whatever needed to be said could be discussed later.
That's right, there were still other people here.
Kisho gave an almost imperceptible nod. Talking later was fine.
Between him and this man — who had tricked people into entering the castle and used others as nourishment — there had to be a conclusion.
...
Kisho silently took [Fixed Anchor] and sat off to the side, waiting for Arlens Wood to finish Anida's piano lesson.
He pricked up his ears and listened to the man's teaching. This was also his first time attending a piano lesson guided by someone else.
Although this man was also scum, his teaching ability was still passable. At the very least, for Kisho — who was only "somewhat familiar" with this field — listening to these basics did not feel boring.
...One hour later...
"That will be all for today. Next, please practice on your own, young lady."
Arlens Wood smiled faintly and said slowly to Anida, who was seated on the piano bench.
Anida nodded and began practicing her finger techniques by herself.
"Are you also interested in the piano?"
Arlens stood up and spoke to Kisho, who was sitting on the floor. His tone was like that of a hired tutor showing concern for a household servant who also liked studying.
This was a perfectly natural way of inviting Kisho to go talk with him.
Kisho raised his head to look at him, then slowly stood up.
"Yeah, that's right."
He smiled.
"I'm very interested."
For some reason, Arlens Wood felt a chill rise in his heart when the boy smiled.
It had only been a few months since they last met, but this boy had become even more dangerous than before.
"Since that's the case, how about we go outside and chat?"
Arlens forced a smile and glanced at Anida.
"The young lady is practicing. We shouldn't disturb her."
Kisho nodded. "Alright, let's talk outside the door."
...
The two of them came out the door one after the other.
Perhaps out of trust in Kisho, the spacious room outside the piano classroom — hung full of instruments — was completely empty.
Still uneasy, Kisho expanded his En and checked the windows and doors again.
When his En swept over Arlens, Arlens's expression changed slightly.
This boy's Nen—
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
It wasn't just Kisho who had wondered why he was still alive. Arlens had also been thinking about how this boy had survived his great-grandfather.
After that incident, he returned to Whale Manor to investigate in secret.
Whale Manor had been completely burned down. Because the music room was underground, it was preserved relatively intact — everyone present had become undead. From this point of view, his great-grandfather should have succeeded.
So who exactly killed him? And who was capable of slaughtering everyone in the manor, top to bottom, without leaving a single survivor in one night?
"...So?" Kisho looked at him and spoke first.
"One question each," Arlens's gaze turned slightly cold as he looked at Kisho. "There are many things I want answers to from you. I assume you're the same."
Kisho leaned back against the wall and met his gaze without avoiding it.
"Fine — but I ask first."
Arlens Wood: "..."
In the next instant, their Nen collided — violent yet restrained. Arlens Wood stepped back half a pace without leaving a trace, staring at Kisho with an ugly expression.
This boy's Nen…
"...Go ahead and ask," he said after a moment of silence, forced to give in.
"Sonata of Darkness is not limited to a piano solo."
Kisho stared at him and asked,
"What other versions are there?"
In this one-question-each format, asking something that could be answered with yes or no would be a huge loss.
So instead of asking "Are there other versions?" Kisho directly asked "What other versions are there." No matter what, he would get a satisfactory answer — as long as the man in front of him wasn't lying.
"...Sonata of Darkness, known as the Prelude of the Demon King — besides the piano piece, there are also versions for violin, flute, and harp."
Arlens said slowly.
"My turn — how did you survive that night?"
Countless thoughts flashed through Kisho's mind.
He paused, then said softly,
"Do you know… the Phantom Troupe?"
He didn't want to explain why he survived, nor did he want to expose his Nen ability. Since that was the case, he had no choice but to—
Shift the blame.
"The Phantom Troupe?!"
Hearing those words, Arlens's breathing hitched.
"...You mean..." His throat moved, and he involuntarily swallowed, as if he had heard something too terrifying.
"That night, the ones who broke into Whale Manor, killed everyone, and stole all the collections… were the Troupe…?"
Kisho met his gaze and gave a light nod.