Chapter 376: Severed |
...
The sudden battle that erupted and ended in a flash had clearly taken place in the sky, without the slightest aftermath affecting the ground. Yet, after the fight concluded, the overgrown weeds in the courtyard of the abandoned school had almost entirely withered away.
And right there, resting atop those withered weeds, were two objects: an intact blackboard and a dilapidated yet functional piano—even its piano stool was completely undamaged.
Hoshino Gen and Asaba Shinichi had found these items in the ruins of the collapsed school building after Tsuchimikado Haruki departed.
The two men stood side by side in front of the two objects that exuded a dense, eerie ghostly aura. Hoshino Gen spoke in a calm tone, "Isn't the professional competence of your Special Affairs Group a bit too lacking? With such glaring ghostly aura drifting around here... If this is what counts as an 'already resolved supernatural incident,' then I suggest your Special Affairs Group just disband on the spot."
Asaba Shinichi pushed up his sunglasses, a piece of foxtail grass he had plucked from who-knew-where clamped between his teeth. "Ha, you're right. When I get back, I'll have a word with the old masters up top and tell them to just disband us."
With that said, he gestured toward the piano and blackboard resting on the ground and chuckled. "One for each of us. Which one do you want?"
Hoshino Gen shot him a glance and walked straight toward the piano. "I do not have anyone I miss, but I do have a wish I want fulfilled."
Asaba Shinichi let out a snort of laughter. "You're actually pretty funny sometimes."
The two turned around to see a familiar Aston Martin driving up and parking right behind them.
Sasaki Ayane stepped out from the driver's seat, while Hoshino Rin climbed out of the back seats, holding Tamamo-no-Mae in her arms.
Hoshino Gen asked in mild surprise, "Didn't I tell you guys to go back first?"
Then, without waiting for an answer, he shook his head. "Never mind. You're right on time."
Originally, he had planned to dismantle the piano to see exactly how the thing fulfilled wishes. However, since his idol sister who had true instrument mastery was here, they could try figuring out the proper way to activate this artifact.
He sat right on the piano stool and beckoned to Hoshino Rin. "Come here."
Hoshino Rin blinked and walked over, slightly confused. Before she could even ask, Hoshino Gen questioned her, "The first movement of the Moonlight Sonata, can you play it?"
Hoshino Rin paused for a moment, seemingly surprised that her brother would ask such a question. But then, she could not help but show a proud little expression. "Of course I can! I can even play Islamei..."
"Play it for me." Hoshino Gen interrupted her incoming boast with a calm tone. "Don't touch the piano yourself. Cover my hands with your fingers and control me like a marionette to play the entire first movement of the Moonlight Sonata."
"Huh?" Hoshino Rin opened her mouth in disbelief. "How am I supposed to do that?"
As soon as her voice fell, she felt her body enveloped by an invisible, gentle force. She was then pulled to stand behind Hoshino Gen, her hands lifting without her control to rest directly on top of his hands, which were already resting on the keys. When the force vanished, she found that her ten fingers were perfectly aligned with her brother's!
'Alright, I really shouldn't doubt my brother's words...'
After a brief moment of internal reflection, she spoke up once more. "Do we start now?"
Hoshino Gen gave a nod. "Begin."
...
A soft and sorrowful melody once again flowed from the old piano. The night had completely swallowed the sky above, leaving neither moon nor stars visible. Instead, thick dark clouds had gathered, signaling that it would rain tonight.
The wind sweeping across the withered grass carried a slight chill, mingling with the notes of the sonata and drifting far off into the distance.
The abandoned school, the dried weeds, the ancient piano... It was an eerie scene, accompanied by an ethereal melody.
Asaba Shinichi stood with his arms crossed, chewing on his piece of grass. His shadow had already dragged in the blackboard that Hoshino Gen had left behind. He had no intention of dealing with the cursed item here. This thing was still useful; he could bring it back to show off to the rest of the group, letting them see just how beautifully this supernatural incident had been resolved.
Tamamo-no-Mae stood beside the piano, watching Hoshino Rin guide Hoshino Gen through the performance. She blinked her beautiful, large eyes from time to time, her gaze filled with curiosity.
Sasaki Ayane was also observing quietly. Truth be told, she also possessed instrument mastery when it came to the piano...
When the lingering echo of the final note finally faded away, Hoshino Rin let out a long breath. Sensing that her hands were no longer stuck to her brother's, she consciously pulled away and took a step back. "Is this okay?"
Hoshino Gen did not answer. He was waiting for the piano to react, but nothing happened.
He raised an eyebrow and turned back to Hoshino Rin. "Are you absolutely sure you didn't play a wrong note? Or accidentally press the wrong key?"
"Of course I didn't!" Hearing her expertise being questioned, even by her brother, made Hoshino Rin a little anxious. She pouted, exclaiming, "Unless my memory is completely messed up, there is absolutely no way I hit the wrong key! What we just played was the most standard first movement of the Moonlight Sonata!"
The instant her words ended, Hoshino Gen suddenly felt his body stiffen slightly. An emotionless voice abruptly echoed within his mind. "Do you have a wish?"
"What is your wish?"
"I can grant your wish."
"It only requires a tiny, insignificant price..."
"Your soul, in exchange..."
Hoshino Gen's left eye uncontrollably lit up with a faint crimson glow. Simultaneously, a lazy female voice rang out, causing his eyelids to twitch.
"A wish?"
"How interesting..."
Hoshino Gen felt a sharp, piercing pain in his brain, followed by his vision plunging into complete and utter darkness.
"..."
Without any warning, his figure vanished entirely. One second he was sitting on the piano stool looking at Hoshino Rin, and the next, he was just gone.
Even at the exact moment he disappeared, the dilapidated piano—the one that had remained untouched even as the entire school building collapsed into ruins—shattered into a pile of scrap wood.
"Brother!?" Hoshino Rin cried out instinctively.
Sasaki Ayane also widened her eyes slightly, her mouth falling open in shock.
Even Asaba Shinichi was stunned for a moment. He scratched his head in bewilderment. "What the hell is this guy playing at?"
He turned his head to look at Tamamo-no-Mae. "Little one, can you sense where Hoshino went?"
Tamamo-no-Mae kept her head down and did not utter a single word.
"Hey, little one?"
Tamamo-no-Mae lifted her head. For the first time, unprecedented fear was etched across her exquisite, cute little face. Her voice trembled with a faint, tearful voice. "I... I can't feel him. A-Gen... A-Gen has disappeared..."
"We all saw that." Asaba Shinichi frowned and pointed at the piano stool. "He vanished right there."
Tamamo-no-Mae shook her head, tears already rolling down her cheeks like a broken string of pearls. "My contract with A-Gen has been severed!"