Performance Failure! Lack of Emotion?

Music Club.

The club members were taking turns performing their own pieces, while the others welcomed the students who had come to visit.

The moment Shinomiya and Kushida entered, an upperclassman came up to greet them.

"Are you two interested in music? We have pretty much all the common instruments here!" the upperclassman introduced enthusiastically.

"Hello, senpai. I studied piano for a few years. Do you have one here?" Shinomiya asked politely.

Kushida looked at Shinomiya in surprise. This guy actually had manners?

It wasn't really Kushida's fault. Shinomiya was normally the type who couldn't care less about anyone else and simply did whatever he wanted.

Back when he was in class, Shinomiya had been just another unnoticed face. But after getting to know him, she discovered that he looked down on everyone equally.

Naturally, the upperclassman knew nothing about that. He only thought this underclassman was polite and interested in music, so he warmly invited Shinomiya.

"We happen to have a piano here. If you join the club, you can come practice whenever you like."

As he spoke, he led Shinomiya to the piano room.

Only then did Shinomiya realize how large the Music Club was. This entire row of classrooms had been prepared for the various instruments.

When they entered the piano room, the walls were all covered in soundproofing material.

In the center of the room stood a black nine-foot grand piano. Its lacquered surface had been polished like a mirror, and it was spotlessly maintained.

It was a Steinway.

Advanced Nurturing really did have the resources.

Shinomiya walked over and ran his fingers across the keys.

"May I try it?"

After saying that, Shinomiya looked at the upperclassman.

"Of course!"

The upperclassman stepped forward and opened the piano lid, gesturing for Shinomiya to play.

Shinomiya smiled faintly and sat down. His posture was straight and elegant; just from the way he carried himself, it was obvious that he knew what he was doing.

Watching Shinomiya like this, Kushida felt as if she were seeing him for the first time. The Shinomiya she knew had never seemed interested in anything. She hadn't expected him to be able to play the piano.

Shinomiya's fingertips landed lightly on the black and white keys, as nimble as sprites alighting upon flowers, and a beautiful, flowing melody emerged.

The high notes rang out clear and bright, adorned with dazzling technique, while the low notes were rich and powerful, grand and imposing.

Fast and slow rhythms intertwined, rising and falling in waves.

When the piece ended, its lingering notes seemed to hang in the air.

Kushida knew nothing about music, but even she could tell that he had played incredibly well.

The upperclassman was clearly someone who knew his stuff.

"You're amazing, underclassman! You could probably win a prize if you entered a competition.

"That performance was as precise as a textbook. I've never heard such a textbook-perfect rendition before!"

The upperclassman praised him from the bottom of his heart.

Shinomiya nodded politely in thanks.

Kushida also exclaimed, "Shinomiya, that was really amazing! I had no idea you could play the piano!"

Shinomiya smiled faintly, clearly in a good mood.

He knew he was outstanding, but it still felt good to be praised.

Why had he never noticed that before?

"Senpai, can I continue?" Shinomiya asked.

The upperclassman was more than happy to let him, gesturing for Shinomiya to go on.

He had already decided to recruit Shinomiya into the Music Club. He couldn't let talent like this slip away.

This time, Shinomiya planned to try out his new ability—pouring emotion into music. It was an experience he had never had before.

His emotions were far richer than they had been in the past. He would use this piece to express his joy.

He settled into position and raised his arms. Just as his fingertips were about to fall—

Shinomiya froze.

"Huh... why don't I know how to play?

That's what my talent told me!"

Shinomiya forced himself to begin playing. It was still the same as before, a performance devoid of emotion.

Shinomiya started to panic.

"It must be that my emotions are wrong. I'll play with this anxious feeling instead!"

He grew increasingly anxious, yet his hands did not falter in the slightest, playing according to the rhythm he remembered.

"How could this happen?

I've changed, haven't I?"

Shiomiya's expression turned bewildered and pained, the color in his eyes gradually fading away.

The piano keys were still black and white, yet they had lost their luster.

"Why?

I can clearly feel all kinds of emotions, but I just can't play them.

Can even the system's talents fail?

Could these emotions and feelings be... fake?"

Just then, a voice suddenly echoed in Shiomiya's mind.

"Honestly... this is boring to death."

Shiomiya's performance continued.

"This is...?

That voice is... mine?"

Coming back to his senses, Shiomiya began to ponder those words.

"It does... seem pretty boring..."

Whether it was completing system missions or gaining new talents, everything that had happened these past few days had merely been entertainment to Shiomiya Yo.

The kind he would forget after a day had passed.

Whenever Shiomiya closed his eyes to sleep, that sense of boredom would spread through his subconscious.

"So... that's how it is."

"Have I really not changed at all?"

Shiomiya gave a self-mocking smile. He would express this sense of boredom.

Shiomiya's performance began to change. The tempo slowed, the music turning hollow as that emptiness spread outward.

Kushida and the upperclassman beside him clearly felt the shift in the piece. That sense of emptiness reached straight into their souls.

Shiomiya was still angry that he could only play such boring music, and the world in his eyes grew ever grayer.

Thinking back on it now, his usual emotions were like stones tossed into a lake, stirring ripples before returning to stillness. They had never made any impact on Shiomiya's heart.

His playing was nearing its end. The hollow, helpless emotion infected Kushida and the upperclassman, making both their hearts clench.

Kushida in particular felt a suffocating tightness in her chest.

"Yo... why does your playing sound so sad?"

The final note fell, and Shiomiya's hands came to a stop, but the turmoil in his heart had yet to settle.

In just a few short minutes, Shiomiya's life had taken a massive turn. It stemmed from understanding himself.

"Realizing who you really are is such a hard thing to accept!"

Shiomiya recalled his past life. His hollow heart was like a black hole devouring everything, and even his memories of the past were gradually fading.

His body was completely beyond his control. Two clear tears slid down his cheeks.

Still unable to recover from the music's effects, the upperclassman could not help but sigh. "Underclassman... your performance is truly unforgettable."

Kushida had also been affected by Shiomiya's performance, but when she saw his still, somewhat lonely back as he sat before the piano, she could not help but speak up.

"Shiomiya, are you alright?"

Shiomiya's perception of the outside world had become hazy. Hearing Kushida's voice, he instinctively turned toward her.

Seeing the tears still on Shiomiya's face and the vacant look in his eyes, Kushida's heart tightened.

"He's having an episode, isn't he?"

The sadness she had felt because of Shiomiya's performance was swiftly swept away, replaced by worry and nervousness.

She slowly approached Shiomiya.

Shiomiya saw the only person with color in this gray world, and instinctively wanted to draw closer.

The tears in his eyes streamed down even harder. In the end, all he could do was choke out a question.

"Kikyo, what should I do?"