First Performance

The back room was filled with neatly arranged instruments.

Lady Anatia had said they were all her personal belongings, but… this really drove home the financial power of a ducal house.

I could afford one or two, but the sheer number was on another level.

"I'll go with violin, I think. String instruments are what I play best."

"What should I choose…?"

"Azu-sama, I've never even seen these before. I'm at a total loss."

"Me neither. Will they break if I touch them?"

Azu and Orleans seemed overwhelmed by the collection. They examined everything with cautious curiosity.

"Don't worry. Handle them gently and they won't break easily. Why don't we carry them into the music room and try making some sounds? Pick whichever one you like."

"If you say so…"

Perhaps because this was so different from her usual element, Azu was flustered.

She'd been so dependable lately that it was easy to forget, but early on, this was exactly how she'd been.

"Hmm. What should I do… Oh, I've actually played this one a little before. I'll go with this."

Elza picked up a trumpet.

It seemed she had some experience.

Alexia, meanwhile, walked straight to the piano without a moment's hesitation.

"Actually, I took piano lessons as a child. Father figured I should have at least one ladylike skill, and he went out of his way to arrange it for me. But some time later our finances worsened, and I ended up buried in knightly duties…"

Alexia pressed a single key. A note rang out.

She listened to it with a wistful expression.

Her past as a noble. I'd heard about being pushed around by her Imperial patron house, but there had been peaceful times too, it seemed.

"Oh my! You can play piano? How exciting. Piano, violin, and trumpet. This is shaping up quite nicely, wouldn't you say? What about the rest of you? Truly, anything is fine."

"Easy for you to say… I practically grew up alongside hidden weapons."

Finn rubbed her cheek as she scanned the room.

Telling someone to pick "anything" was easier said than done in this situation. Choosing the wrong instrument would mean a lot of unnecessary suffering.

"Uh… this one looks easy enough. I'll take it."

Finn chose a flute.

It was small and probably looked simple to handle.

If I remembered right, you covered the holes with your fingers and blew air into it to produce sound.

With Finn's dexterity, she'd get the hang of it in no time.

She certainly looked the part.

When I told her so honestly, she said being complimented before she'd even played a note didn't make her happy.

Compliments were trickier than they seemed.

"I'll take this one. I'm sure I can't go wrong with it."

Orleans had been trying out the instruments that had been brought in, and she'd taken a liking to the xylophone.

You held a mallet and struck it to produce sound. The simplicity was clearly what won her over.

"Orleans, was it? The mallet suits you wonderfully. If we have percussion too, this is really coming together into a proper ensemble."

"Orleans-chan already decided?! Umm, what should I do, Master…?"

"That's for you to decide, Azu."

"Please don't abandon me like that."

I could have chosen for her, but I wanted to respect Azu's independence.

She'd tried everything at least once, but nothing had clicked.

"If you're unsure, how about a string instrument? I can teach those best, and having two of us on strings is perfectly fine. Something manageable would be… a harp, I think."

Lady Anatia selected a small harp. It looked just the right size in Azu's hands.

"Azu, try plucking here."

"Um, here?"

Azu placed her finger where she was told and plucked the harp string.

"Ah! It made a sound!"

"See? I'll teach you properly, so don't worry. Now then, instruments are decided. Let's put the rest back."

Everyone except Lady Anatia carried the remaining instruments back.

She tried to help, but when I told her we'd be in trouble if she got hurt, she relented.

Once everything was put away, Lady Anatia stepped to the front and turned to face us.

She gave a series of directions and rearranged their positions.

Chairs were set up, and with six of them lined up, it actually looked like something.

They were still rough around the edges, but even as they were now, they'd probably draw a crowd if they set up in a plaza.

"There. That should do it. We'll fine-tune things as we play. The arrangement matters a lot since the sounds overlap."

It seemed she'd been working out the ideal positioning.

There was a proper reason behind it all.

"Since this is the first time, let's just try making some sounds. Don't overthink it. Just give it a go."

Lady Anatia began playing her violin first.

Then Alexia joined in, matching her tempo on the piano.

Lady Anatia was expected to be good, and Alexia, who'd seemed confident, was impressive as well.

So far, so good.

Elza played the trumpet.

Compared to the other two, her mistakes were more noticeable, but it wasn't bad.

Once the remaining three joined in, however… it was pure discord.

Orleans on xylophone was passable, but Azu and Finn were off-key and making frequent mistakes.

The ones playing knew it better than anyone.

Azu's face had gone pale, a crease was starting to form between Finn's brows, and Orleans's expression had gone blank as she mechanically moved her mallet.

"Okay, let's stop there."

The performance halted at Lady Anatia's signal.

A clear divide had formed between those who could play and those who couldn't.

It had been pretty rough… but I believed Azu and the others wouldn't stay that way.

They were competitive, after all. Both Azu and Finn.

"This was your very first time playing, so being bad at it is perfectly normal. Making mistakes when you're not used to it is completely expected, so please don't let it get to you! Practice will make you better. It's just like the training you all do. Let's make sure Yohane-san gets to hear a proper performance."

"I know that, so just hurry up and teach us. We're short on time, right?"

"My. Seems the pep talk wasn't necessary after all."

I watched as Lady Anatia began teaching Azu and the others the basics.

It was a strange feeling.

This suited them far better than adventuring.