After the two painfully out-of-tune recorder groups had finished their performance, it was finally Miura and her group's turn. She, Junko, and Zeka had all chosen the violin.
The three of them had been playing violin since kindergarten and often perford together during school festivals in elentary school. For them, a simple ensemble like this was no challenge at all.
Yuigahama listened with rapt attention.
"Yuki, what piece is this?" she whispered.
Yukinoshita answered softly while listening attentively,
"It's the Violin Concerto in A Minor. One of Vivaldi's lesser-known works full of Baroque flavor, and a rare hidden gem among his compositions."
Yuigahama didn't quite understand what Baroque style ant, or who Vivaldi was. But what she did understand was how incredibly cool Yukinoshita looked when she explained everything with such confidence.
Miura and the others continued their performance. The chemistry between them was palpable. Especially with a beginner-friendly piece like the A Minor Concerto, their seamless cooperation made it feel like second nature.
The tempo was tight, every note struck with precision. The lody they produced was crisp, clean, and utterly delightful.
Particularly Miura.
Though the piece itself wasn't difficult, it was clear that she had talent and a strong foundation in technique. You couldn't help but admit: the girl admired by so many at Sōbu High really did have a hand in everything, and managed to do most of it well.
After the performance ended, Miura walked directly toward Yukinoshita.
…Huh?
Yukinoshita wasn't the most emotionally intuitive person, but even she wasn't dense enough to miss the smug glint in Miura's eyes. At last, she managed to decode the not-so-subtle look from the usually prideful girl.
Yukinoshita gave a slight nod.
"Your performance was excellent."
She wasn't flattering her Miura had played exceptionally well.
Only then did Miura let out a quiet "hmph," and despite trying to press her lips into a pout, a hint of a smile still peeked through as she returned to her seat.
After a few more groups of varying skill levels, it was finally Yukinoshita and Yuigahama's turn.
The eyes of nearly the entire class subtly shifted toward them.
After all, they were two of the most beautiful girls in school well-known, and hard to ignore.
Yuigahama was whispering to herself, trying to self-hypnotize:
"I'm not nervous, I'm not nervous, I'm not nervous…"
She'd never really been nervous before, no matter how underprepared she was but this ti was different. This ti, she was performing with Yukinoshita.
Yukinoshita had that "looks-smart-and-is-smart" kind of face that just scread "prodigy," while she… did not. If she ssed up and dragged Yukinoshita down with her, wouldn't that be totally unforgivable?
Yukinoshita glanced down at her.
"Don't be nervous. I'll play sothing first, and then you can just play whatever cos to you."
"Wait whatever?"
"Whatever."
Yukinoshita's overwhelming confidence was infectious. Being beside soone who seed capable of doing absolutely anything… made Yuigahama feel like maybe she could do it too.
And so she just started playing really, just playing random notes. But to her surprise, Yukinoshita would instantly pick up on her improvisation and weave a lody around it.
Her offhand randomness, combined with Yukinoshita's effortless responses, created sothing unexpectedly beautiful. Amid the seemingly chaotic notes, a strange but wonderful harmony erged.
Yuigahama couldn't help but smile as she played, rembering an old episode of Tom and Jerry the one where Tom the blue cat and Jerry the mouse play a duet on the piano.
Was Yukinoshita the cat… or the mouse?
As that silly thought ran through her head, Yuigahama chuckled quietly to herself while continuing to play.
"Miura, your ensemble was excellent, as always. I've praised your group many tis before," the teacher said after all the performances were finished. "But staying in your comfort zone won't help you grow. Next ti, try challenging yourselves with sothing more difficult. You're definitely capable of it."
Both Miura's group and Yukinoshita's were specially comnded by the teacher.
"Your performance was chaotic and freeform, but also full of spirit. Lively and unique I was very impressed. The highest score for this class goes to your group and Miura's."
Three "very"s in a row. The teacher couldn't have made it clearer Yukinoshita and Yuigahama had made a strong impression.
After the final chord faded, Yuigahama who had been nervously biting her lip throughout the whole performance finally broke into a smile.
"Yay!"
Shuchiin Academy.
Maki Shijo sat by the window, sighing again.
It was break ti, and her friend Nagisa Kashiwagi had once again run off to the student council, supposedly to seek advice about her love life.
Not that Maki wanted to criticize an upperclassman but really, asking soone like Fujiwara-senpai for help with romance…
Honestly, it would be better to just break up.
It was ridiculous. She was the romantic rival, and she was still the one stuck worrying about their relationship issues.
Maki Shijo… your life is a tragedy.
As she wallowed in her irritation, her phone buzzed with a new notification.
She glanced around the classroom. Everyone was chatting quietly among themselves. Confident that no one was paying her any attention, she picked up her phone.
The ssage was from Miss Katori.
Ever since clinging to the coattails of the famous Shijo family heiress, this Miss Katori had smoothly shifted her services and promptly received her first commission.
—Investigate Yukinoshita Yukino's current marital status.
Maki had to admit Miss Katori was scarily talented at this kind of thing. In just two days, she had compiled a thoroughly detailed report and sent it over.
As Maki read through it, her frown deepened.
The Yukinoshita family had risen during Japan's postwar economic boom typical of many industrial families of that era. But like many others, they'd faced decades of decline once that golden age ended.
It wasn't until the current matriarch back then, still just "Miss Yukinoshita" took the reins that things turned around. She not only stabilized the crumbling situation, but also married into the family and, together with her husband, restructured their business model. They expanded both politically and economically.
Step by step, they clawed their way to becoming the most prominent family in the region.
But now, after years of rapid expansion, the Yukinoshita family was likely hitting another ceiling. Whispers of tight cash flow had already started spreading within elite circles. Bank executives all over town were probably losing sleep over it.
At a ti like this, marrying into a more stable family could definitely reassure the financial sector.
Maki tapped her fingers lightly on her desk.
She'd seen enough arranged marriages to know exactly how these things worked. Even the four great financial conglorates that ruled Japan were tangled up in webs of marriage alliances and blood ties. Marriage was treated like a commodity openly traded and assigned a price tag.
But still…
Maki didn't want Yukinoshita to beco another victim of that depressing fate.
Of course, this wasn't about helping Yukinoshita, no way. It was just that she had already made herself a promise:
Next ti they t, she wouldn't embarrass herself again. She would prove just how amazing she really was!
That's all this was about!
No more wild ideas!!
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