“…By the way, Tiffy, you’re not just playing around, right? You’re practicing properly at home, right? You do have talent, but piano requires significant practice. If you don’t diligently practice the basics, you won’t improve, you know?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. I don’t dislike practicing the basics.”
“As long as that’s the case…”
“But… I actually prefer arrangements more than practicing the basics.”
“Hey!”
Seeing Tiffy in front of her, Touri couldn’t help but nag. The teacher intervened.
“Alright, alright, Touri-chan. Tiffy-chan is doing proper basic practice too. You can tell from listening to her playing. So don’t worry.”
“…If the teacher says so, then it’s fine.”
“However, well… I can’t deny that there are many playful aspects…”
“Heheh.”
“Hey!”
Becoming concerned, Touri leaned in closer to Tiffy and gave her a piece of her mind.
“Hey! Are you okay? Are you really practicing diligently? Are you putting in a lot of effort, even if it’s tough, sitting in front of the piano for long hours? Don’t let it all go to waste just because you find it bothersome or it doesn’t suit your style or for some boring reason!”
“I haven’t really gone through any tough times, and I haven’t been putting in much effort either…”
“Whoa, seriously!?”
Touri grabbed Tiffy’s shoulders and shook her back and forth violently in the heat of passion. Tiffy’s body rocked back and forth. The teacher panicked and tried to stop her. However, without any shame, Tiffy spoke up to Touri.
“I haven’t been working hard or making any big efforts.”
“Grr…!”
“…But when I’m playing the piano, before I know it, night has fallen.”
“Eh…?”
When Tiffy spoke those words, Touri stopped shaking her shoulders. She lowered her hands from Tiffy’s shoulders and let her arms dangle limply.
“Haah…”
“…………”
Touri let out a big sigh.
“…As I thought, you’re my rival.”
“I’m honored.”
“I wonder if that’s praise…?”
Touri put her hand to her forehead. She had lowered her shoulders looking extremely tired, and Tiffy tilted her head, not understanding people’s subtle emotions, wondering why she was showing such a worn-out appearance.
From an outsider’s view, there was absolutely no reason. But certainly, Touri was conscious of Tiffy.
“Touri! Touri! What about me!? Am I your rival!?”
“Sorry, Yuki…I’m afraid not…”
“How cruel!”
The thick clouds continued to cover the sky, but still not a drop of rain fell.
*****
“Tiffy, just quit piano already.”
It was when night had fallen and stars were starting to appear. In a private room at a hotel restaurant, while Tiffy was happily enjoying a meal with her family, she was suddenly told that.
That day, Tiffy had gone with her family to visit her grandparents’ house and play. It was her mother’s parents’ home, and her grandfather Shiro worked as a director for a company called ‘Clemence Magitech’ that researched and developed medical magic tools. Because of that, her grandparents’ house was large, and whenever Tiffy and her siblings went there, it gave them a bit of an excursion feeling.
Originally, a man named Govan had served as a director for this company, and his son Shiro entered the same company as his father, supported the company, and later became a director himself. It wasn’t simply nepotism – Shiro’s daughter Sophie and her husband Costas did not join the company either. Shiro had risen to director through his own abilities.
That day, Shiro had happily played with his grandson and granddaughters. Tiffy’s grandmother Lillian was a grandmother who, while a little strict and scary for Tiffy, often baked sweets.
When evening came, Shiro said he had work and headed off to the company, so Lillian and the whole family who were there went out to eat together. They went to the restaurant of a hotel Lillian and Shiro often used. It was a treat for Tiffy and the others, so they changed into slightly nicer clothes and headed excitedly to the restaurant.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
The braised beef in red wine was superb, and Tiffy was stuffing her cheeks with it, letting the juice drip down her face, when Lillian broached the subject of Tiffy’s middle school entrance exams. Tiffy was in 6th grade elementary right now. Lillian, who valued academics, started lecturing Tiffy to study more and brought up the subject.
“Tiffy, you should just quit piano already.”
Tiffy’s hand came to a complete stop. But not just her – her parents Costas and Sophie also stopped their hands and opened their eyes wide.
“Mother, that’s…”
Tiffy’s father Costas cut in from the side in a low, heavy voice. But Lillian went on talking without minding him.
“There’s nothing strange about it, is there? This child hasn’t produced any major results in competitions. And the middle school entrance exams are coming up. So rather than wasting time on pointless things, she should concentrate on studying – that would be best, wouldn’t it?”
“Mother!”
The one who shouted loudly was Tiffy’s mother, Sophie. Just that one word contained tremendous anger.
“Tiffy does piano because she loves it! Don’t say something so awful like it’s a waste of time!”
“What are you saying! Is there anything more important than entrance exams!? This is for her future! She should neatly quit anything useless for the future and devote that time to studying!”
“Don’t mess around! Ever since long ago, you’ve been entrance exams, entrance exams, entrance exams…! I somehow turned out okay, but…to your grandchild too! And trying to take away something Tiffy loves!”
“You’ve been grumbling since long ago! Do you still not understand how tough society is!?”
As mother and grandmother yelled at each other, the children Rymar and Corona became frightened. They shrank down small despite not being the ones scolded, lowering their hands under the table. It was impossible to keep eating in this situation. Seeing his children’s fear, Costas felt his chest tighten painfully. Then he spoke up.
“…Mother, with that argument, hobbies and club activities that don’t seem directly useful for the future would become meaningless. Isn’t that strange?”
“It goes without saying studying is more important than club activities!”
“…………”
Costas frowned and changed direction.
“Tiffy is properly studying for her exams. She goes to cram school to get into the same school as her friends, and I also have a teacher friend tutor her in her studies. Is that still no good?”
“It’s not enough. I’m telling you to devote the time spent on piano to studying too!”
“That’s enough! This is pointless!”
The ones constantly shouting angrily were Sophie and Lillian. Perhaps the alcohol was also a factor. Their faces were red and heated.
“She’s been doing piano for years and years now, and still hasn’t won first place in a competition even once…she has no talent! There’s no point continuing something fruitless any further! Tiffy! Just quit piano already!”
“What are you saying, Mother!? Do you have any idea how hard this child has diligently practiced every day!? Apologize to Tiffy!”
“No way!”
Lillian slammed the table loudly.
“If you can’t win first place in the next competition, I want you to quit piano immediately! Understand!? I won’t allow you to keep doing useless things indefinitely!”
As Lillian shouted that, Sophie gnashed her teeth, turning bright red in the face. The children were completely frightened, and even Costas, who rarely got angry, had an expression like he was biting down on a bitter bug.
However…
Tiffy alone just kept munching away at the braised beef in red wine.
“I’m sorry, Tiffy…”
It was in the car on the way home after the meal. Costas, who hadn’t drunk during the meal, was driving, and Sophie, sitting next to Tiffy, stroked her daughter’s head as she apologized.
“Don’t worry about what Grandma said, okay…? You can keep doing piano…”
“That’s right, Tiffy. We’ll somehow persuade Grandma, so don’t worry about anything,” said Costas, also speaking to his daughter while driving. Both of them thought this was the parents’ responsibility, and that they had to settle things by getting Tiffy’s father Shiro involved no matter what.
“It’s okay.”
But Tiffy alone didn’t seem perturbed. As she watched the night scenery passing by the car window, she muttered vacantly. From inside the car, the night lights looked like streaking lines.
“There’s no problem.”
“No problem…Tiffy, are you confident about that?”
The condition her grandmother Lillian had set was for Tiffy to win first place in the next competition. That competition was a regional one connected to the national competition, and of course Touri, who had results, would participate too. And more than anything, Tiffy had never gotten first place even once before.
“That’s not it.”
Tiffy said.
“…Even if I’m told I can’t, I can just do it secretly.”
“…………”
Hearing her daughter’s words, Sophie was dumbfounded. Costas was also surprised, eyes wide open as he drove. Her brother Rymar in the front passenger seat was about to yell “Huhhh!?” at his little sister’s forceful assertion, but it was drowned out by his mother’s laughter.
“Ahaha! …You’re right, Tiffy!”
“See?”
“Yes, yes. You just do that. Don’t worry about anything, okay…”
Sophie hugged her daughter close and squeezed her head. More than Tiffy’s argument itself, Sophie was just relieved that her daughter didn’t seem deeply hurt.
“You can relax, okay…”
“…………”
She slowly, gently stroked her daughter’s head. The car gently rocked, carrying the family cradled through the night city like a cradle.
One day at piano lessons.
“What is this!?”
The first to react indignantly was red-haired Touri. Tiffy had casually talked about the condition for the competition as if just chatting during her piano lesson. Yuki and Kasumi were also puckering their lips angrily, but the one most intensely angry was Touri, who had dedicated herself to the piano.
“Piano is a waste of time!? Quit if you can’t win the competition!? What is that!? Unbelievable!”
“Now now…”
“Not now now! This kind of tyranny can’t be allowed!”
Touri shouted angrily, greatly shaking her long red hair. Breathing roughly through her nose, she yelled loudly, startling those around her.
“I do think it’s a bit tyrannical.”
“We must thoroughly oppose this!”
Yuki and Kasumi also felt the situation was unreasonable. Yuki clenched her hands in front of her chest, taking a fighting stance. She was raring to fight.
“Now now. Everyone, it’s not that big a deal, so…” said Tiffy.
“It is a big deal! Insulting music…there’s no need to obey such a grandmother!”
“Rebel! That has a nice ring to it!”
Yuki reacted enthusiastically, eyes shining.
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated.
Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 3-10+ additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
