Chapter 81

Just as they stepped out of the stairwell, Tanaka Yuzuko and Higuchi Kanako,

suddenly heard a pleasant melody of the piano,

which led them forward.

.....

The restaurant was slightly dim, with soft lighting illuminating the central stage, highlighting the pure black piano and the performer sitting beside it.

The pure black piano seemed to want to envelop the pianist in black, shielding him from the outside world, but a touch of pure white always stubbornly peeked out, drawing people's attention to the performer.

With his tousled hair, fair and handsome face, and white shirt, Nagayama Naoki sat on the piano stool,

his sleeves rolled up, revealing his elbows, his long fingers skillfully dancing on the piano keys,

producing a series of beautiful notes,

the melodious tune flowing out like a stream in the mountains, flowing through the heart,

the rhythm of his fingertips seemed to transport people to the splendid fireworks of Tokyo, enjoying the most brilliant and beautiful moments of summer,

then gently bidding farewell, leaving a faint sense of reluctance and regret in the heart.

Under the light, Naoki's expression was unclear, but the emotions in his music could be heard:

joy, the delight of seeing beautiful things;

sorrow, the sadness of realizing that all things have an end.

The two beautiful women stood quietly at the door, watching this scene as if it were a painting, even slowing their breathing, afraid to disturb the performance.

.....

The piano melody gradually slowed, the notes one by one fading away,

Naoki, who had stopped playing, let out a light breath, the emotions accumulated for the evening finally released,

the lingering music finally ceased, his mind cleared.

Lifting his head, he saw Yuzuko and Kanako standing at the door,

a smile appeared on his elegant and handsome face,

"You're here~"

.....

It was like a sudden gust of wind,

striking the hearts of Yuzuko and Kanako,

as if they had heard a declaration of first love,

for a moment, their minds were slightly dizzy, and their hearts began to beat rapidly.

.....

The restaurant erupted in applause, the guests expressing their admiration for Naoki, who had to stand up and bow to the audience.

Turning around, he saw the two standing motionless at the door, thinking they hadn't heard him,

so he walked over to them, waving again,

"Yuzuko-san, Kanako-san, I'm over here."

Yuzuko, being more experienced, quickly composed herself and responded,

"Naoki-san, you arrived first~"

"Hey, I've been here for a while. Our seats are by the window." He led the two to their seats.

Only after sitting down did Naoki have the chance to see their expressions,

even though it was just a late-night snack, Yuzuko and Kanako had applied light makeup, with a touch of blush, looking charming and lovely.

Naoki noticed that Kanako seemed a bit distracted and smiled, "Kanako-san, what's wrong? You look like you're in a daze~"

Kanako's blush deepened when she saw Naoki's smile, but she still didn't speak.

Yuzuko, seeing this, couldn't help but sigh, still not recovered?

"Naoki-san."

Just as she was wondering why Kanako wasn't speaking, Naoki turned to Yuzuko,

"Um? Yuzuko-san?"

Yuzuko's heart skipped a beat at the sight of his handsome face, but she managed to calm down with a deep breath,

"Naoki-san, can you please stop smiling for a moment?"

???

Naoki was full of question marks: "Uh, what's wrong?"

Seeing Naoki's puzzled expression, Yuzuko blurted out, "Naoki-san, you've never been in love, right?"

???

What's going on? Why the sudden heartache? What does it matter if he's been in love or not?

Naoki was bewildered: "Well... why do you ask? I haven't, actually."

Naoki's previous life wasn't that of a handsome man, so he didn't understand the power of a handsome face,

and in this life, he hadn't tried it yet, nor did he understand the charm of this body.

He didn't realize the power of his smile in certain situations.

Seeing the slightly recovered Kanako, Yuzuko sighed, looking at the somewhat at a loss Naoki, he's going to charm so many young girls in the future!

If it weren't for the 7-year age gap!!! I might have...

"In any case, try to control your smile for now."

???

Although a bit strange, Naoki still put on a serious face,

"Since Yuzuko-san insists, I'll do it for now." He said with a helpless tone, "Let's order something. What would you like?"

Yuzuko suddenly realized that the restrained and handsome Naoki suited her even more,

oh no, she couldn't look anymore.

"You choose..." she added, "No alcohol!"

If she drank a little more, who knows what might happen later.

Seeing the two acting strangely, Naoki casually ordered some cold snacks and iced juice.

.....

The food was ready, and the server quickly brought it over,

as they ate the snacks, the atmosphere among the three began to normalize, and Kanako finally spoke,

"Naoki-san, what was the piece you played earlier? I don't think I've heard it before~"

"Ah, that was a piece I just composed, called 'In the Night When Fireworks Flicker.'" Naoki replied,

Yuzuko added, "It describes a fireworks festival? It fits the farewell fireworks tonight, and it's very beautiful~"

"Ha ha, Yuzuko-san has a good sense. It's about tonight's summer farewell fireworks, different from the fireworks in July and August, there's always a faint sense of regret and sadness when saying goodbye." Naoki added.

"Eh? So Naoki-san composed another piece?" Kanako asked, "Just now?"

"Well, to be a bit boastful, but I did write it after seeing the summer farewell fireworks." Naoki's face was getting thicker, anyway, the future author wouldn't find him.

"Eh?!" Yuzuko was surprised, "From the end of the fireworks to when we met at the pool, it was less than an hour. Naoki-san composed a song in such a short time?"

"Hmm? An hour?" Kanako repeated the question, like a child confirming.

"Well, I rely a lot on inspiration when I create. When inspiration strikes, time isn't that important."

Hearing the confirmation, Kanako remembered what Ido Shuichi often said,

"Naoki-san, you really are a genius!"

"Kanako-san, don't flatter me, I'll blush~"

.....

Actually, he wouldn't,

Naoki's face was almost impervious to praise,

how could a few compliments make him blush.