On the helicopter, Jason Carter was speechless when he heard the system prompt.His attitude toward Tanya Covell had been so cold today, yet her favorability had still broken past 80 in a single day.
He had called the helicopter because he didn't want to drive in traffic, and since he had already acquired the aircraft, he figured it was time to use it. But the second purpose was also clear: it would massively boost favorability.
He had long anticipated that the Grand Hotel along with the helicopter would sharply increase the materialistic Tanya Covell's affection score.
But for it to jump directly past 80… even he hadn't expected it.
He opened the system and checked Tanya's updated status bar:
Name: Tanya
Age: 21
Looks: 8.3
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 101 lbs
Favorability: 0 → 82
Ex-boyfriends: 2
STDs: None
Jason already had no real interest in Tanya, and seeing Ex-boyfriends: 2 made him even less inclined.
Tanya's "league" was too low; she couldn't provide much emotional value. Even if she lowered herself temporarily to get close to him, it would only be short-lived. Her earlier demand that he open the car door showed clearly what kind of trouble she would bring. That "princess syndrome" would likely flare up constantly.
Such a girl was troublesome even as a casual lover — and even then, she might not be worth the effort.
Her favorability had already crossed 80, and raising it further would be difficult. There was no need to deliberately meet her again.
Just as the helicopter landed, a message from Tanya popped up:
Tanya:"Jason, are you free tomorrow or the day after? I'll be staying in River City for a few days. Can you be my tour guide? Lucas is too annoying, I don't want him showing me around."
She even added a cute emoji at the end.
She still hadn't rid herself of that princess-like superiority. Even the cute tone carried a sense that she thought she was doing him a favor by letting him accompany her.
Mentioning Lucas was clearly intentional too — a way to imply she had other men pursuing her, and she was "choosing" Jason over them.
But she didn't realize this act only made Jason like her less.
Jason: "No time."
A short, direct reply. No explanation. No extra words. He was too lazy to bother.
Right then, another message arrived — this one from Ava Summers.
Ava Summers:"Jason, I heard you want to learn piano and even bought a Steinway so a classmate could teach you. Tomorrow and the day after, I'll be at the Harmony Piano Arts Studio for an exchange session. If you're interested, you can drop by. My friends and I can teach you for free."
Jason Carter was a bit puzzled."How did you know I bought a Steinway piano?"
Ava Summers replied,"Don't forget I'm from the Conservatory of Music. Coming to Riverdale University District isn't just for fun, but also for musical exchange. There's a Riverdale University Town piano circle, and some people from your school are in it. I accidentally learned about it during an exchange."
Jason instantly understood. So that was it.
Jason felt that Ava didn't have feelings for him, and her favorability wasn't high. Her invitation was probably just out of kindness, or maybe she felt indebted for dinner, the amusement park, and the hotel he arranged today and wanted to repay him.
However, Jason was genuinely interested in her invitation. He already liked the piano, and after being busy increasing favorability points recently, it was time to relax a bit.
Mia would also teach him piano, but she originally didn't want to. She only agreed because he bought the Steinway. Ava's active invitation was completely different.
Going just to have fun was nice, and if it also increased favorability, even better.
So Jason replied,"I should be free tomorrow and the day after. Then I'll trouble you for your guidance, Senior."
—
The next morning, Jason rode his Trek bicycle to the Harmony Piano Arts Classroom. It was very close, right inside the University Town.
Harmony Piano Manufacturing is an old American company founded in 1990, headquartered in Houston. It established private teaching studios across the country and now has hundreds of campuses across 30 states. The one in Riverdale University Town is also directly run by Harmony Piano Company.
Moreover, this piano studio was right next to Riverdale Conservatory of Music, and was said to have a partnership with them.
In a short while, Jason arrived. He casually parked his bicycle and walked inside.
He found that this piano studio was far larger than typical private studios, filled wall-to-wall with Harmony pianos.
Ava was sitting at a piano, playing, with several girls watching. Jason approached, and Ava immediately wanted to stop and greet him.
Jason waved his hand, saying,"Senior, please continue. I'm completely absorbed."
Ava smiled slightly and continued playing. After a moment, seeing Jason's appreciative expression, she fully immersed herself.
Jason wasn't flattering her — it truly sounded beautiful. He wasn't a professional and couldn't tell whether Ava's skill was higher than Mia's. As for pitch accuracy, he was even less qualified to comment.
But for some reason, Ava's playing felt softer and more comfortable — like a gentle drizzle, moistening everything quietly.
Artistically speaking, it felt like he could hear emotions in the music, drawing him in without realizing.
The other girls' eyes lit up when they saw Jason, whispering among themselves. Grace, the short-haired girl who had been at the hometown gathering with Ava yesterday, quietly explained who he was.
When the piece ended, Jason couldn't help applauding:"Senior, I finally understand what heavenly music means."
Ava laughed sweetly."You're exaggerating, aren't you? If it were really heavenly music, I wouldn't be facing unemployment after graduation. Come try—let me see how far you've learned."
Ava stood up and moved aside. Jason sat down without hesitation and played Nocturne.
He didn't play it perfectly, but not a single wrong key. His increased attribute points allowed him full control of his fingers.
Ava was surprised."You only started learning three months ago? Your learning speed is way too fast. You're basically a piano prodigy — it's a pity you didn't study this professionally."
Jason said,"I just have flexible fingers; I don't really have musical talent. It's good for cultivating temperament, but probably not suitable as a profession."
"If you say you don't have musical talent, then very few people do. Learning this much in three months is enough to discourage many music majors. And I have a hunch you go out a lot, so you probably spend very little time practicing," Ava said with a smile, seeing right through him.
The music-major girls around them were all a little jealous. His entry speed was several times faster than theirs when they first started.
Next, Ava personally taught Jason. If Jason, as a non-professional, couldn't judge the differences in their performance skills, he could absolutely judge that Ava's teaching was ten thousand times better than Mia's.
She was patient, gentle, and extremely good at guiding from the learner's point of view — her tone soft, almost like a kindergarten teacher.
Jason temporarily stopped thinking about increasing favorability points and focused entirely on learning. This kind of relaxed, immersive feeling was very enjoyable.
However, as Ava watched Jason progress, she grew more and more shocked. Her eyes shimmered with a strange light, and her favorability rose naturally.
Ava Summers: Favorability +5
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