The Chat Group's notification sounded in her mind. Touma Kazusa watched as a warm halo, seemingly formed from countless tiny points of melodic light, slowly merged into her body. A sensation that felt both innate and newly awakened quietly spread through her heart.
She blankly raised her hand. Her fingers were slender and long, her knuckles distinct. These were hands born for the piano.
Was her talent related to music?
For her, aside from her mother and those complicated yet precious relationships, the most important thing in life was probably the piano.
Those sharply contrasted black-and-white keys, those flowing melodies, were the ark through which she expressed herself and sheltered her emotions. They were another language through which she communicated with the world, and her most loyal companion in loneliness.
The talent called "Heart of Melody" seemed to exist solely to confirm the inseparable bond between her and the piano.
Without much hesitation, and even with a trace of barely perceptible eagerness, Touma Kazusa stood and walked toward the familiar grand piano in the music room.
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the spotless glass windows and fell across the polished lacquered surface, reflecting a gentle glow.
She gently lifted the piano lid, her fingertips brushing over the cool keys. An unprecedented sense of familiarity and intimacy surged through her heart, as if this piano were an extension of her limbs, a direct passage for her inner voice.
She sat down. Rather than choosing any complicated etude or dazzling showpiece, she merely placed her fingers casually on the keys, closed her eyes, and allowed the usually chaotic emotions stirred by the talent of "Heart of Melody" to flow out naturally.
At first, there were only a few simple notes, carrying a touch of testing and a touch of cool detachment, like the