[Akashimaki Zero]

On the second day of the piano competition, Nanaya and Akaji agreed to meet in Tokyo.

When Akaji asks if he wants to be with him, Nanaya instantly understands where he's going.

"I've been waiting." Nanaya gasped slightly and walked up to Akaji.

In fact, she was not late, on the contrary, she arrived ten minutes early, and when she arrived at the agreed place, she found that the other party seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

"Let's go." Akaji turned and walked towards the entrance of the hospital.

The hospital will always be a place full of oppression. The pungent smell of disinfectant water, the pure white single tone, and the cries and complaints came and went. Even if you are not sick or painless, once you enter, you will feel very uncomfortable.

This is where life meets death. Every moment a new life comes, and an old life dies. There are also diseases and accidents......

Seven Nights hates going to the hospital because this place is the place where there are the most spirits. Some of them wandered helplessly and blankly in the corridors, while others stayed with their families, weeping bitterly with them. As far as the eye can see, there is no one who is not full of resentment and grief.

She tried her best not to squint behind Akaji, and got on the elevator directly, but her heart was as heavy as her face.

She followed Akaji all the way to the door of a VIP ward.

"Would you like to go in and have a look?" Akaji turned his head and asked softly.

"It's good to be here." Nanaya sighed and looked inside through the glass door of the hospital room.

On the hospital bed lay a girl she couldn't be more familiar with, with fair skin, closed eyes, and an oxygen mask she was carrying......

It's like the sleeping beauty in a fairy tale, falling into an infinite coma, as if she can sleep peacefully until the end of the day.

"I'll take good care of her." Akaji's gentle voice came from his ears, and it made people want to cry for a while.

"Then please, Zheng." Qiye clutched his chest, and an indescribable love suddenly surged in his heart.

Is she hoping that the other person will wake up soon, or is she praying that the other person will never wake up?

Maybe she doesn't know the answer herself.

[Akaji Roll I]

As soon as Seijuro Akaji walked out of the Go teacher's house, he was picked up by the driver and went to the piano teacher's house.

It may sound like a surprise to others at the dense schedule, but for him, he is used to the days when classes follow one another.

If you want to reach the peak, you must endure its pain; If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight.

As an only son of a famous family, you must be aware. As he grew older, he became more aware of what the surname "Akaji" stood for and the responsibilities he would have in the future.

He received the best education in the world from an early age, enjoyed the exquisite life brought by a famous family, and was bound to fulfill his obligations.

His piano teacher was Japan's leading pianist, Hiroko Seto, and everyone who had been exposed to classical music admired her talent. What is even more surprising is that this well-known pianist turned out to be a beautiful woman at a young age.

Akaji pushed open the door and saw Hiroko Seto waving at him with a smile.

"Xiao Zheng, you're finally here."

"Good day, Mr. Seto." Akaji greeted her politely.

"I said, Xiao Zheng really doesn't look like a child at all," Seto Hongko helplessly helped her forehead, "Seven nights are the same, and you look like a little adult all day long." ”

"Maybe it's because Mr. Seto doesn't look like an adult, that's why I think so."

A young and clear female voice came from behind the piano, and then a girl walked out with a smile on her face.

"Seven nights! Do you dare to say it again!? Hiroko Seto twitched the corners of her mouth, as if sensing that her voice was too loud and slightly rude, and quickly coughed a few times, dressing up in front of her two best students.

Akaji looked at the girl with a face full of pleasure, and such a relaxed atmosphere, and his heart couldn't help but brighten.

In fact, he also felt the same way. Seto-sensei is indeed a mature and elegant female figure in front of outsiders, but after getting acquainted with it, he realizes that sometimes teachers are more childish than them.

The first time I heard the name of Nanaya was in the mouth of Seto-sensei. He remembered that she had raised her eyebrows and mentioned another outstanding student and told him that the two of them were definitely among her most gifted students.

Sometimes he came a little early, and she hadn't finished the class yet, so he sat on the sofa with the sound of the piano, reading a book while waiting for her to finish the lesson.

With years of learning experience, he felt from the bottom of his heart that her skills could indeed serve as the teacher's "excellent".

How does she compare to herself? The answer to this question is unknown, but for the first time, an object in his heart that he wants to compare himself to.

The girl's black eyes are bright and clear, her dark hair hangs down to her waist, she always has a gentle smile, and she doesn't talk much or less, and she is a little more demure than her peers.

Every time we met, she would always raise a faint smile and greet him politely and gently.

In this way, the two became acquainted, and it was not until later that they accidentally bumped into each other in other different courses, and they realized that many of their courses invited a teacher.

According to the other party's surname, Akaji quickly realized that this girl was in the same situation as himself. They are all from famous families, and after learning that they are the same disciples, I always feel that the distance between the two has shortened a lot. Now their relationship can say a few more words and make a few funny jokes than others, but that's all.

"Actually, I have something I want to tell you today." Hiroko Seto said solemnly about her purpose today.

"Teacher, do you want me to participate in the East Japan Piano Competition with Akaji-kun?" Qiye tilted his head and asked softly.

"That's right," Hiroko Seto nodded, "but I'm going abroad for a while next week, so I want you to be able to push each other during my absence." ”

After listening to her speech, Akaji and Nanaya were obviously stunned, and then looked at each other in unison.

"As for the method of supervision, it is up to you to discuss, you two are my best students, I should have trusted your own abilities, but the onlookers are always better able to hear what is wrong." And when the two proud people compete with each other, they are bound to work harder. Hiroko Seto thought unkindly.

So after some discussion, the two children decided to practice at Akaji's house.

This is probably the first time since he was a child that a classmate came to Seijuro Akaji's house as a guest, and although he seemed unimpressed on the surface, there was still a trace of expectation in his heart. He told his mother about the matter, and she answered in the affirmative.

"Anri's daughter." Shiori Akaji muttered.

"Is it my mother's friend?" Akaji couldn't help but be a little curious.

"Yes, we were college classmates, so we were very good at the beginning." Shiori Akaji narrowed her eyes and smiled softly, as if she was immersed in a fond memory for a moment, but then her face darkened again.

Akaji was silent, he had vaguely heard the name Anri, and the other party seemed to have ......

On the day of Qiye's visit, everything went on as usual. Akaji finished basic training and shooting practice in the morning, and after lunch, he began to practice the violin.

To be honest, he personally prefers the violin to the piano. The piano, as the king of musical instruments, is a compulsory course for introductory music learning, so he has been practicing since childhood.

By the time he arrived at the door on Seven Nights, he had just finished playing Mendelssohn's Concerto in E minor. Hearing the girl's conversation with her mother, he packed up his things and went downstairs.

"Akaji-kun, good day." Nanaya smiled and bowed to him.

He bowed his head to her. After some greetings, he led her upstairs to the piano room.

"I think we can plan it." Akaji took out the sheet music and spoke lightly.

"That's what I mean." Qiye nodded in agreement.

If you keep standing next to the other person while playing, it will not only make the player extremely embarrassed, but also the viewer will have nothing to do, which is really a waste of time. Therefore, after discussion, the two decided to take turns for one hour each, and then use the last ten minutes of the hour as an investigation, which can be regarded as a "heart-to-heart exchange" that Seto-sensei said.

The old man's exact words were: "Have a heart-to-heart exchange with the beautiful sound of the piano, young girl!" ”

Although Akaji and Nanaya didn't react much on their faces, they were a little speechless in their hearts.

So while playing Seven Nights, Akaji went back to his room and started doing other things, and recently he was reading "Imperial Studies" by heart, and although he didn't understand many of the things in the book, he believed that he could get a lot out of it.

With Akaji's consent, Seven Nights went to the study to choose a famous book to read while Akaji was playing.

It's just that the plan can't keep up with the changes. During the second round of exchange, Shiori Akaji smiled and pushed open the door of the piano room.

"Seijuro, let's rest in the living room."

"No need mother, I ......" However, the words of refusal were swallowed up by his mother's gentle watery smile, and Akaji had to nod and follow his mother downstairs.

He saw Qiye sitting upright on the sofa, holding a book in his hand, and he could see that he was fascinated.

"Nanaya really likes to read," Shiori Akaji covered her mouth and smiled, placing the prepared Japanese sweets on the table, and looked up and asked, "Are you used to drinking matcha?" ”

"Yes," Qiye nodded, seeing that the other party was going to make tea, he hurriedly got up, "Aunt Shiori, why don't I help you go clubbing?" ”

"Then how can you bother the guests?"

"It's not bothersome, I like to make these at home," Nanaya smiled, "And I didn't bring any gifts with me when I visited today, so I'm a little sorry." ”

"It's too much of an outstatement for you to say that." Shiori Akaji smiled dumbly, but then allowed her to volunteer.

Although Akaji, who was sitting on the side, did not say a word, he was paying attention to the interaction between his mother and the girl throughout the whole process. After watching the girls clean their hands, they began to offer tea.

I saw her gently holding the tea whisk, her fingers twisting around her wrist, and the tea soup in the tea bowl became more and more flowers.

Akaji knew a little about the tea ceremony, but he didn't delve into it, and his mother, who was skilled in tea ceremony, prepared it for him. But theoretically, he knew that the key point of using the tea whisk was the control of the strength of the wrist, and the weak blow or the excessive water injection were not conducive to the tea soup. From Qiye's skillful movements just now, as well as the tea soup pan flower Cheng dù, he could see that the other party should have refined the tea ceremony.

"That's amazing." Shiori Akaji watched the whole process from the sidelines, and couldn't help but admire the seven nights that had prepared the qiē in an orderly manner.

So what was supposed to be practice time turned into refreshment time.

Akaji originally had some objections to this, but was hit back by a look from his mother: "Seijuro, you must know how to combine work and rest." You have to learn to enjoy life, and tasting tea and refreshments is one of the great pleasant things in life. ”

Akaji nodded, then picked up a piece of refreshment, put it in his mouth, and then unhurriedly picked up the matcha on the side and took a sip elegantly, the bitterness diluting the sweetness.

Mother was right, sitting on the sofa on this sunny afternoon, eating the refreshments made by my mother, drinking the matcha tea made by my classmates, and listening to their warm conversations, it was really the best time of my life.

Until much later, Akaji would remember that sunny afternoon, but unfortunately the two of them were no longer by his side.

"In other words, are my mother and Aunt Shiori college classmates?" Nanaya's eyes widened.

"Yes, and we had a good relationship." Shiori said with a soft smile.

"That's good......" Nanaya muttered.

Seeing the girl's confused expression, Shiori hurriedly changed the topic: "Come and play often in the seventh night, I like the tea you make." ”

"Well, because of Seto-sensei's orders, I have to be disturbed for this time." Seven nights bowed slightly.

"I'm glad you're here, how can you be considered an interruption?" Shiori Akaji tapped her on the shoulder in amusement, "You're just too polite." ”

Akaji picked up the book on the table and glanced at the words on the cover, it was Keigo Higashino's "Anxiety Relief Grocery Store".

I thought she loved reading typical Japanese novels like Yasunari Kawabata, but I didn't expect to be reading weird genres.

He flipped through the book quietly, partly looking at the contents of the book, and partly listening to what his mother was talking about.

Although there is a certain age gap, Shiori Akaji can still chat with Nanaya, who is much younger than her, and is obviously a woman with very high emotional intelligence.

From tea ceremony, flower arrangement, to cooking, to piano...... Finally, I even talked about basketball. (The rest of the part, please support the genuine, the author code words are not easy!) ）