After tidying up the Music Club’s Activity Room, Yuu Suzuki officially started his music lesson.
【Music Theory (Beginner): 30% → 45%. Reach 100% to upgrade to Proficient.】
Faced with the girl’s tireless explanations, plus the System’s confirmation prompt, Yuu Suzuki felt a bit reassured.
This meant he was practicing in the right direction.
In his previous studies, he’d even experienced the issue of going the wrong way and having his progress go backward.
That had really scared him.
Fortunately, once this System’s progress reached the maximum level, it meant he would possess this skill forever, and wouldn’t forget it even if he didn’t use it for a long time.
Still, Yuu Suzuki was quite curious about this somewhat mysterious System of his.
He’d used it for several years now, but the System really only ever introduced skills and explained progress.
What did this have to do with getting a girlfriend? Was there really no hidden content that he didn’t know about?
“Hey, are you listening?”
Aoi Hasegawa’s voice snapped Yuu Suzuki out of his thoughts.
He looked up to find her staring at him with a face full of dissatisfaction.
“Of course I’m listening,” Yuu Suzuki hurriedly said. “Senpai, you were just talking about the relationship between whole notes and half notes, right?”
“Hmph, at least you’re paying some attention.” Aoi Hasegawa nodded in satisfaction and continued, “Note values are the very foundation of Music Theory. No matter what instrument you want to learn in the future, you have to master these.”
She picked up the Violin at her side and demonstrated a scale.
“Speaking of which, I haven’t asked what you want to learn yet. It’s very important to pick the instrument that suits you best.”
Yuu Suzuki glanced at Amane Jinguu’s skill list and, after a moment of thought, decided to start with the Cello:
“The Cello, I think it suits me pretty well.”
No sooner had he spoken than he was met with Aoi Hasegawa’s skeptical gaze.
She looked at Yuu Suzuki suspiciously, her eyes full of doubt.
“Cello? Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Yuu Suzuki nodded. “I’m tall, so… it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“Well, that’s true…” Aoi Hasegawa sized him up. “The Cello does require a good height and arm span. And your fingers are quite long—physically, you really are suited for it.”
She paused, her expression growing a little complicated:
“But can you really stick with it? The Cello isn’t easy at all.”
“I’ve never worried about whether I can stick with it, I’m only worried you can’t teach.”
“What do you mean, are you questioning my skills?”
Clearly, Yuu Suzuki had provoked Aoi Hasegawa again. She stood up, walked to the corner of the Activity Room, and dragged out a rather old-looking Cello from the cabinet.
Struggling a bit, she hugged the Cello and stood it up before her, resting the neck on her left shoulder.
Her actions were a little clumsy, clearly less practiced with this instrument than the Violin.
And it was obvious that her small stature and this large instrument made quite an odd combination.
Yuu Suzuki couldn’t help wanting to laugh, but reason told him that if he laughed now, he’d definitely be kicked out of the Activity Room.
“What are you looking at!” Aoi Hasegawa noticed his gaze and blushed. “So what if I’m short, it doesn’t matter!”
“I didn’t say anything.” Yuu Suzuki quickly waved his hands.
“Hmph.” Aoi Hasegawa adjusted her posture, trying hard to look professional.
To Yuu Suzuki, her determined effort looked especially cute.
Aoi Hasegawa took a deep breath and picked up the bow. A rich, low tone quickly echoed in the Activity Room.
She drew the bow as she explained:
“The Cello’s range is two octaves lower than the Violin, with a deep, full sound. See, this is the C String, the lowest one…”
As she spoke, Aoi Hasegawa tried to demonstrate the timbre of each string.
Yuu Suzuki memorized it in his mind, and the System’s progress bar for Cello (Beginner) began to increase.
【Cello (Beginner): 0% → 2%. Reach 100% to upgrade to Proficient.】
But just as he was thinking, a sudden screeching sound tore through the air, forcing Yuu Suzuki to cover his ears.
Aoi Hasegawa’s face instantly turned red.
“Ahem, ahem!” She quickly stopped. “T-That was just a mistake! It doesn’t mean I’m not skilled!”
“Senpai…”
“I just… just haven’t played in a while!” Aoi Hasegawa insisted. “Give me a bit to adjust, I can play it just fine!”
“Really?”
“Re… really! What’s with that look! Here, you try. Let’s see if you’ve learned anything!”
Aoi Hasegawa immediately turned the topic to him. Yuu Suzuki shrugged, took the instrument, and gave it a try.
An even more piercing sound came out.
Soon, he was greeted with Aoi Hasegawa’s ridicule:
“See? It’s like sawing wood. Yuu, you’re hopeless.”
“How can you find a sense of accomplishment bullying a beginner…”
Yuu Suzuki retorted, but Aoi Hasegawa didn’t reply. She quickly slipped into teacher mode, walked behind Yuu Suzuki, and gently adjusted his wrist:
“Don’t tense your arm so much! The Cello relies on wrist strength, not swinging your whole arm. If you practice like that for ten minutes, you’ll be sore.”
They kept practicing until nightfall:
“It’s getting late now. You should head home.”
As she spoke, Aoi Hasegawa began putting the Cello away, her movements still a bit awkward and clumsy.
Watching her, Yuu Suzuki couldn’t help but smile inside.
He glanced out the window. It was already night, and he really should head home or risk missing the last train.
“Alright then, I’ll come for lessons again tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to be so diligent, you know…”
Aoi Hasegawa muttered quietly, but Yuu Suzuki pretended not to hear.
He didn’t want her to let her guard down.
After Yuu Suzuki left the Activity Room, he took the train back to his apartment. After washing up and getting ready for bed, his phone rang. The caller was 【Shirakaba Café】.
That was the place where he usually worked part-time.
Yuu Suzuki answered, and the Manager, Shiraishi’s, voice was as cheerful as ever.
“Hey, is this Yuu-kun? Do you have time this weekend?”
“Manager Shiraishi, I’ve been really busy lately. No time.”
“Triple pay.”
“What time should I be there?”
Laughter rang out from the other end:
“Haha, I knew you’d say yes! Just come in at seven in the morning. It’ll be easy, just a few more customers than usual since it’s the weekend.”
“Got it.” Yuu Suzuki replied. “Is there anything else?”
“Hmm… actually, I do have another favor to ask.” Shiraishi’s voice suddenly became a bit hesitant.
“What is it?”
“I’ll be out that day, so only my daughter will be at the café. Please look after her, Yuu-kun.”
“Aren’t you worried I’ll…”
Yuu Suzuki was just about to joke, but Shiraishi hung up right away.
“That old man…”
He shook his head, recalling how Manager doted on his daughter. There probably wouldn’t be any trouble.
“Hope everything goes smoothly.”