The Sad Violin

Torchlight Energy Faculty, music district.

Wuling strolled through the teaching building.

After Aimisi learned that he had no classes that afternoon, she had insisted he come pick her up.

What else could Wuling do? She was his little sister, so of course he would dote on her.

The walk over was a bit of a hassle, though. He had heard the academy was planning to put public bicycles around campus, but he didn't know if it was true.

Strangely enough, Wuling hadn't seen a single person since entering the building. In fact, he had barely heard a sound.

How strange. Classes were almost over, so why was nobody here?

As he walked, Wuling suddenly heard music coming from not far ahead. Listening closely, he thought it sounded a little like a violin.

The place Aimisi had told him about seemed to be at the end of the fourth floor. Could that be her in there? But she shouldn't know how to play the violin.

Puzzled, Wuling headed toward it. No matter what, he had better see for himself.

The closer he got to the classroom at the end, the clearer the violin became.

When he reached it, the classroom door was slightly ajar. Wuling couldn't see anything through the gap, so he pushed it open and walked in.

Inside, the rows of desks and chairs were empty, with no one sitting at them. Only a long gray-haired girl stood alone on the platform.

Her hair was tied in two thick braids, and she wore a pure white dress that gave her an elegant air.

The girl on the platform didn't seem to notice anyone had entered. She continued playing with her eyes lowered.

Seeing this, Wuling didn't think it appropriate to disturb her, so he found a nearby seat and decided to wait until she finished playing.

The girl was playing a cheerful piece. Although Wuling didn't know what it was, he could just about tell that much from the melody.

But as he listened, Wuling didn't know why, but he sensed a trace of almost imperceptible sadness in the cheerful tune.

Wuling frowned slightly, his body unconsciously leaning back against the chair.

The whole piece was clearly light and lively, its notes like spots of light bouncing about on a spring day, meant to be full of carefree vitality. Yet there was no escaping that hint of melancholy hidden in the gaps of the melody.

It was as though someone were forcing a smile while carrying an unspoken burden in their heart, letting it quietly escape, bit by bit, through the strings.

He sat quietly without making a sound, his gaze resting on the figure on the platform.

Her long gray hair was woven into two full braids that hung over the shoulders of her white dress. The girl's back was perfectly straight, but the fingertips holding the bow showed a faint, almost imperceptible tension.

Her eyelashes were lowered, concealing the emotion in her eyes, while the fringe over her forehead hid her expression. She devoted all her attention to the brown violin in her hands.

There was no other noise in the empty classroom. The music echoed between the four white walls, and in the vast room, there was only her playing and one uninvited listener below the platform.

After an unknown amount of time, the final note slowly sounded.

The bow gently left the strings, and the lingering sound slowly faded into the air.

The girl remained frozen in that position for a few seconds. Her shoulders slumped ever so slightly for an instant, and the cheerfulness she had sustained in the melody faded along with the music.

She slowly raised her head and finally noticed that she wasn't alone in the classroom.

Her gray pupil suddenly contracted.

She instinctively hugged the violin closer and took a small half-step back. A flash of startled panic passed over her cool, distant face.

"When... did you come in?"

Only when she raised her head did Wuling notice that, for some reason, her right eye was wrapped in layers of bandages.

The girl's voice was soft, with a hint of panic at having been discovered.

Wuling straightened in his seat but didn't stand up immediately. He kept his tone gentle, afraid of startling her.

"Sorry, the door wasn't fully shut. You were playing when I pushed it open and came in, and I didn't want to interrupt, so I sat here and listened to the end."

He paused, his gaze passing over the girl's well-maintained violin.

"I came here to pick someone up. My sister told me she was in this classroom on the fourth floor. Her name is Aimisi. Have you seen her?"

At that, the girl's tense nerves relaxed a little, though she remained wary.

She carefully held the violin against her side, her braids swaying gently as she tilted her head.

Sunlight slanted in through the high windows and fell on the hem of her pure white dress, spreading a soft golden edge over it.

"This classroom has been abandoned."

She explained softly.

"That whole teaching building has been abandoned. Hardly anyone ever comes here. If your sister is in the music department too, she should be in the building next door. You may have come to the wrong place."

"Ah, so that's how it is."

Wuling nodded, the question in his mind finally answered. No wonder the whole floor was so quiet, with hardly a soul in sight. It turned out the place had been abandoned.

Still, this was strange. How many times had he gotten lost in the past few days? Wuling remembered that his sense of direction hadn't been this bad before. He must have caught it from spending too much time with Calcharo. Yes, that had to be it.

"Thank you. I won't disturb you any longer, then. Goodbye."

After thanking her, Wuling prepared to get up and leave.

"Wait."

Just as he was about to reach the door, the gray-haired girl suddenly spoke, gently calling him back.

Wuling stopped, his hand still resting on the cold doorknob, and slowly turned around.

The girl was still standing on the raised platform, not having taken a single step forward.

She held the brown violin tightly in her arms. Her bandaged right eye was completely covered, leaving only her left eye, its gray pupil as clear as glass, staring straight at him.

"What did you think of... just now?"

Her voice was soft and a little uncertain, concealing even a trace of apprehension she hadn't noticed herself.

Wuling was slightly taken aback, then immediately understood what she meant.

He didn't answer right away. After a brief silence, he weighed his words, not wanting to broach it too abruptly.

"I can't speak to the music theory, and I don't know what the piece is called." Wuling kept his voice calm and gentle.

"But while I was listening, I could tell that the person playing didn't seem all that happy."

When his words fell, the classroom fell silent.

The girl lowered her eyes, her fingers tightening further around the violin, her knuckles turning slightly white.

For a long time, she said nothing. In the spacious old classroom, all that remained was the faint sound of wind outside, brushing gently against the glass.

"Thank you."

The girl suddenly thanked him for no apparent reason.

The two words were so soft they almost seemed to melt into the air, slowly echoing through the empty old classroom.

Her head was lowered, her long fringe covering most of her face, so no one could tell what her expression was. Only her arms, wrapped around the violin, remained taut.

"You're welcome."