This was the first time Ardan had heard this piece of music, but for some reason, the moment Invincible—who was now almost certainly her daughter—handed her the violin for the duet, she took it as if guided by an unseen force and began to play along with Kitano's piano.
What surprised Ardan and the others even more was that, for this piece that no one but Kitano and Invincible knew, her violin accompaniment was at first a bit lost. But when Kitano noticed this and quietly slowed down his playing, her accompaniment began to sync up with his piano at a speed everyone could perceive...
And in less than a minute, her violin and his piano had perfectly merged into one. No one would have thought that this was their first time playing this piece together, or even the first time this piece had been performed in this playthrough.
Even the performers themselves, Kitano and Ardan, were belatedly surprised by all of this. Especially Kitano; he was very clear that the Ardan of this playthrough had no memory of their past. Otherwise, with their former relationship, she would never pretend it was their first time meeting—that wasn't their way of expressing affection.
And combined with the various peculiarities of this playthrough, the residual affection that many horse girls showed him from previous playthroughs, all of this made Kitano begin to imagine a possibility.
—In this playthrough, could his former charges possibly regain their past memories?
Other than that, he couldn't explain how Ardan, who should have been hearing this piece for the first time, had caught on to the rhythm so quickly. At the very least, she must have had some kind of sense of it, remembering something about their past.
And at this thought, his mood shifted from initial surprise to an unconcealable joy. But he still forced himself to suppress his emotions and concentrate wholeheartedly on the keys before him.
If... this music can really awaken the memory of the one I love...
Then let this music convey for him the love he is unwilling to part with.
The falling of the keys became a bit more forceful. And whether it was a psychological effect or his strong desire being truly expressed, the piano's sound seemed to strike at everyone's heart, making everyone present feel a pang.
It wasn't painful, but it was heart-wrenching, sad, yet moving, as if their souls had been touched... everything was just right.
"Why do I feel... even though I don't understand it, my heart feels so heavy... Is this a piece about love?"
Tokai Teio, who was watching from the side, unconsciously placed a hand on her faintly aching chest. And as she tried to dispel her overly sentimental mood to avoid crying, her gaze was fixed on Invincible beside her.
She saw that Invincible, who in her impression had never shown a trace of weakness despite losing nine out of ten duels with her, was now looking at the perfectly matched pair, who looked like a match made in heaven, with tears streaming down her face.
...Eh? Why... does my heart hurt even more? For some reason, watching the silently weeping Invincible, Teio only felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if something that should have belonged to her... had been brutally torn away.
The Invincible who had never been crushed by external pressure, from the day both her parents passed away, she had never shed another tear. Her resilience made many people think that nothing could shake her heart... only one thing could.
That was the taste of "happiness," which she had never experienced.
And at this moment, she felt that all of this was very close to her... the "love" she had dreamed of countless times, longed for... seemed to be finally within reach!
And not far away, Mejiro Palmer's always-perfect smile showed a slight waver. Because when her gaze fell on the near-perfect coordination between him and Ardan, and the tearful Invincible not far away, she knew... everything she had guessed before seemed to have been verified.
Her younger sister absolutely had an incredibly intimate relationship with him in a past life. And even Invincible, this descendant of the Mejiro family who had come from nowhere, was very likely their product.
And from the feelings he poured into the piano, his deep affection and focus... and her own sister, who still did not know the truth, but was cooperating almost perfectly... Palmer knew that she no longer had to worry about their future life together.
But... why is it? She was the one who had designed all of this, who had taken the initiative to verify her guess.
Why was it that now that she had the answer, she, as the older sister, couldn't feel happy at all?
Finally, in the midst of Palmer's inner struggle, without realizing it, with the last gentle note from him and Ardan, the piece had ended. However, everything in the hall was still so quiet, no one was willing to break this peace.
Or rather... everyone was afraid to disturb this couple who had played this incredibly moving piece—at least at this moment, in the eyes of almost everyone, this was their relationship.
"Ardan-san?"
And at this moment, after the piece was over, Kitano seemed to have heard a faint sob from behind her. He almost reflexively got up and walked carefully towards her.
And until his hands touched her shoulders, under his hopeful gaze, he also subconsciously swallowed, his voice much softer as he asked in a low voice:
"Are you... okay?"
"...I'm fine, Trainer Kitano. It's just... I got a little emotional."
And Ardan, who didn't know why she was crying, after wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, couldn't help but show a smile. It was a smile from the bottom of her heart. She looked up at him, and the Ardan who had been worried about the distance between them a moment ago was now looking at the man in front of her with great composure, her eyes incredibly gentle.
"This piece is called 'For River,' right?"
"A gift for a stream... I think the stream should be a name, and this piece is a piece composed by the person who deeply loves the stream for his stream, right?"
"Yes." And hearing her answer like this, the glimmer of hope in his eyes also dissipated... However, he was not disappointed by this expected result. On the contrary, he maintained his patience and, in the gentlest way, little by little, awakened this "Sleeping Beauty" in front of him.
"This piece is a gift for the stream I love deeply."
"I hope that one day in the future, she can return to my side. At that time, I can give this piece to her again."
"...Is that so?"
And his almost-confession-level words also made Ardan unable to help but lower her head. She only felt her heart pounding, as if it was about to jump out of her chest in the next moment. She also vaguely sensed that his "stream" had a hidden meaning...
Ardan admitted that the moment she finished playing this piece with him, the touch and happiness she felt in her heart... for a moment, she even wished time would stop, that she could stay in this second forever.
But... she didn't understand where this almost-overflowing happiness in her heart came from. Why... would she feel an unprecedented satisfaction for everything that had happened tonight?
And more importantly... would this happiness, which had come from nowhere, leave her again?
"...Well then, I wish you well, Trainer Kitano."
"I hope that one day, you can find that stream that belongs only to you."
In the end, the conflicted Ardan chose to suppress the surging feelings in her heart. She showed him a beautiful smile, and after a slight curtsy, she finally broke free from his hands, which were not using much force, and slowly left the scene.
Behind her, his mood at this moment was also rarely a little wistful... He wanted to reach out and grab this "stream" of his in front of him, but in the end, he also let go of his hands without a trace, hiding these memories and beautiful things that only he knew back in the bottom of his heart.
"...You're quite mushy. If you like her, why don't you just go after her?"
And at this moment, a familiar voice sounded in his ear again. A moment later, he saw Nakayama Festa, Gold Ship, and Invincible all walk to his side. And Festa, while saying this, her expression did not change at all, and there was even a hint of seriousness in her tone as she suggested to him:
"I thought your relationship with her wasn't normal before, but I didn't expect it to have developed to this point."
"How could that be... I can only say that I'm probably better at one-sided love."
And faced with Festa's teasing and dissatisfied words, he, who had swallowed all his thoughts alone, also gently stroked her hair. He knew that his first attempt had ended in failure. Ardan had not been able to recall everything as he had wished. She... was ultimately not his "stream."
But it didn't matter. He was willing to wait. What he lacked most was perhaps time, but for the "love" he had been pursuing, hoping to fill the void within, he was willing to wait no matter how long.
And... he had not forgotten that by his side, these horse girls, like him, were all waiting for "love" to fill the void in their hearts. They were now the ones he needed to pay attention to first... he had not yet reached the point where he could stop and enjoy the present.
And quietly, after Ardan left, Invincible, who had a disappointed look on her face just like him, after seeing him still force himself to be cheerful and refocus all his energy on his charges, after a long silence, a faint smile appeared on her face, and she murmured in a voice only she could hear:
"I'm starting to understand... why Mom liked you."
...
"Palmer."
"Grandmother..." And being called back to her senses by the Mejiro family head behind her, Mejiro Palmer, for some reason, her gaze was a little evasive as she lowered her head to her. She was suddenly a little worried that her loss of control had been seen by her, and a sense of guilt suddenly enveloped her.
But it was clear that the family head had no time to care about her state now. After a deep look at her, she finally showed a smile and said, word by word:
"I'm going to have a talk with Ardan. You come too, Palmer."
"Yes..."
Kitano Ryuichi, it seems you are really "as famous as your reputation"... a trainer who can even conquer the horse girls of the Gold Family, an existence with a mysterious past and abilities. Did you even hold our Mejiro family's treasure in the palm of your hand once?
But if... you can really give that child happiness... The Mejiro family head had quietly made a decision in her heart. Such a trainer could not be buried in the Gold Family or any other family.
In this life, he must be a trainer of the Mejiro family. And now, whether this could be decided, could only depend on what their pearl in the palm thought.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (330 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (130 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (140 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (330 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (160 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (170 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (90 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (130 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (140 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (140 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (140 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (110 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (120 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (70 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.