A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 209 Celia's Day (Part 2)
As she entered the office, she saw Quinn making coffee, Teacher Ningning playing with the fox in her arms, the blue sky outside the window spreading across the solid wood checkered floor, and a faint smell of smoke in the air.

"Akane~" Amamiya Nene picked up the fox and shook its front paws as a greeting.

This fox has three tails and black and white fur; it's quite cute. It's a magical animal that Lin, a sixth-grader, brought back from Sweeper Alley, but for some reason, she's keeping it here.

"Teacher Ningning, excuse me~"

Celia bowed her head. She came here to practice the piano every afternoon after school, except for Thursdays. Grindelwald was an academy for arcane mages, and few teachers were as willing to be disturbed by their students every day as Amamiya Nene. Amamiya Nene didn't mind; she was an arcane mage who loved life and was practically an endangered species. She felt that listening to a beautiful girl play the piano gave her youthful energy.

"Wangcai, sorry to bother you too~"

She greeted the furry creature that was dozing on the piano in the same way.

Is this Amamiya Nene's familiar, or a pet? Celia didn't know what Wangcai was. She had asked before, and Nene-sensei's answer was a dog—this winged silver creature clearly had nothing to do with dogs.

Wangcai ignored her, but rolled over and onto the ground, making room for the piano.

"Thank you~"

Only at the very end did she address the window and say, "Good afternoon, Mr. Quinn!"

"Oh."

The man there didn't turn around, focusing intently on brewing coffee. Since returning from the Arcane Festival half a month ago, Quinn seemed to have undergone some strange changes. Standing there, he seemed to blend into the scenery outside the window, making people subconsciously forget that he was even there.

But she couldn't ignore the fact that every time she came in, her gaze would always find that man with black hair and black eyes.

"I still have some project reports to write. You can play the chords you practiced yesterday first."

Quinn divided the brewed coffee into three portions, hers with extra milk.

"Sunny Day?"

"Yes, remember, the 'xi' of the middle major triad should be played on the black key."

“‘Mi Sheng Soxi’—I will definitely remember it.” Celia clenched her fist and encouraged herself.

"Don't say things that people can't understand!" Amamiya Nene said pitifully to Quinn, "Quinn-sensei, I want to learn piano too~"

Although she knew this was just Ningning's usual antics, the girl sitting on the piano bench couldn't help but steal glances at the two people standing and sitting on her left and right.

Teacher Ningning is so beautiful! She's elegant and mature, and her voice is so sweet. Even though she only wore light makeup, she looks like a celebrity in a magazine. I spend two hours doing my makeup in front of the mirror, like the ugly duckling trying to become a swan.
When Amamiya Nene was around, Celia always felt a little nervous. It wasn't the atmosphere or the teacher's supervision that made her nervous; Amamiya Nene was more like a gentle older sister to her than a homeroom teacher. She was just nervous about whether the man making coffee beside her would develop feelings for the swan he saw every day.

"You want to learn piano?" Quinn stopped what he was doing and said to Amamiya Nene with a smile, "Sure. But can you read sheet music?"

"They don't understand it."

Quinn's smile grew even gentler, as if coaxing a mentally challenged caregiver: "So what can you read? Liyue script?"

"How about I translate your sheet music into keyboard keys and let you try playing it in Genshin Impact?"

Although Amamiya Nene couldn't understand what he was saying, she was sure it wasn't anything nice, so she turned cold and ignored him.

When Quinn brought her coffee, Celia quickly pretended to be looking at the sheet music intently, but inexplicably felt relieved.

These two are just good friends.

Quinn only treats Amamiya Nene this way; it's a purely professional relationship—purely being a jerk.

"Thank you, Mr. Quinn."

The coffee I received was piping hot, with beautiful latte art floating on the surface. The milk foam was shaped like a swan spreading its wings, and the craftsmanship was even more exquisite than that of those coffee shops.

Celia was always a little reluctant to drink it, feeling like she was ruining a work of art, but then she remembered that Quinn had made it for her, and couldn't help but take a small sip. Mmm, a little hot, so sweet.
"Hey!! I protest, why doesn't my cup have latte art—"

"Five hundred gold pounds for each pull."

"Then I won't drink it. I want latte art! I want latte art! I want latte art!"

A child's tantrum-like voice came from the other end. Celia smiled helplessly and asked before playing the piano, "Teacher Ningning, if you don't mind that I've already had a sip, shall we have another drink?"

I'm in an exceptionally good mood.

"Ah, my Celia is so good, sweet-talking and kind-hearted—" Amamiya Nene put down the fox, ran over and hugged Celia, rubbing her head as she said, "Unlike some stinky outsider, whose mouth may be a bit sharp, but his heart is still bad."

"Tsk, doesn't it all taste the same whether there's latte art or not? That country bumpkin Ronning is so fussy. We only drink 9.9 yuan worth of drinks, why would we need latte art?"

Quinn sighed and was about to get her another cup when she heard a knock on the door.

The person outside hesitated for a moment before knocking, then, as if having made up their mind, knocked more firmly, giving the impression that they had to come in.

Ceria, who was being held by Amamiya Nene, turned cold. She knew who was knocking on the door and was surprised that they were still there. She then prepared to get up and leave.

"Sorry, it's Allison. He's here to see me. I'll go and make him leave."

Amamiya Nene already knew about this, and she always took a spectator's attitude towards the romantic entanglements between students. This wicked woman seemed to thrive on chaos: "Wow, so persistent. Why don't we let him come in and sit down?"

"No!" Celia said with a pained expression. "I've rejected him so many times already, I don't know what he saw in me."

"You need to have some confidence, honey." Amamiya Nene quickly switched to praise mode.

“I’ll go.” Quinn, carrying the cup of coffee that Amamiya Nene didn’t want, opened the door and went out. Allison’s stubborn face flashed past outside the door, but Celia didn’t even look at him and continued playing the piano.

A while later, Quinn returned with an empty cup. Allison did not follow him in, and there was no more knocking at the door.

Celia was playing the piano with her lips pursed, clearly not interested in asking Allison a single question.

"How is it?" Amamiya Nene whispered gossip.

"Ha, he asked me if I still had a chance."

You'll definitely say 'yes,' right?

The two blinked at the same time, and then simultaneously burst into a wicked low laugh.

"There's potential! I think he'll be performing in the circus, haha."

“I just asked Celia, and she said she doesn’t want to be in a relationship right now.” Amamiya Nene said, resting her chin on her hand. “Should we go and tell Baldwin to teach his students? It’s like how some syllables in a spell are silent, and you have to use some technique to pronounce them.”

"This also happens in Taymuri, for example, when a girl says 'I don't want to be in a relationship,' the word 'with you' is silent."

Quinn learned his lesson.

"And what about you?" "I don't want to be in a relationship~" Amamiya Nene said to her with a smile that was absolutely flawless.

"That's a real shame." Quinn's expression showed no regret. He started frothing the milk again and made latte art for Amamiya Nene.

"Throw that cup away." Amamiya Nene pointed to the empty teacup that Quinn had brought back. These were royal tribute porcelain pieces from the Ron family that she had brought from home. The cups made by the Ron people, who have a strong tea culture, could be displayed in art galleries.

"It's the first time using it, it's such a waste, just wash it clean."

"I don't want to touch anything a man has used." Amamiya Nene didn't dislike Allison; she just had a slight case of mysophobia.

"We're out of cups."

Give me yours.

"Ah, exploitation."

They made a green leaf latte for Amamiya Nene, and as they held their teacups, listening to the melodious piano music, they both turned their attention to Celia, who was engrossed in the piano.

One of them was a pianist from Earth, and the other was a noblewoman who had grown up attending all sorts of high-class concerts; both had a high level of musical appreciation. The girl playing the piano, however, was just a sixteen-year-old beginner, and even when playing simple chords for practice, her playing was still somewhat awkward and hesitant.

However, she always manages to attract admiring glances.

The girl had long legs, and even with the piano bench adjusted to Quinn's height, her beautiful white-stockinged legs could easily press the pedals. The slender girl and the heavy grand piano were surprisingly pleasing to the eye.

Her earnest gaze was fixed on the sheet music, her pure profile shone brightly in the twilight, her back was straight and her long hair was loose, her fair fingers clumsily but diligently searching for the right spot on the piano keys.

Youthful, hardworking, and passionate, her piano playing possesses a quality that matches her personality. It's a joyful sound that allows listeners to genuinely feel the performer's love for the piano, giving her playing a unique and distinctive character.

They were no longer carefree teenagers, but upon hearing Celia's piano music, a moment of daze flashed across their faces. Quinn remained silent, while Amamiya Nene rested her head on her arm against the desk, her smile gentle.

"What a simple tune," she murmured softly.

"That's called a chord."

"You wrote it?"

"Of course not, it was copied from another world."

"Ha, I thought you were so talented."

"Being able to write it down after hearing it is also a talent," Quinn said dismissively.

"Are there lyrics?"

"You won't understand."

"It feels like it would be a very youthful term."

"Heh, uncles and aunties of our age shouldn't be thinking about their youth anymore."

After Quinn finished speaking casually, he did not receive a rebuttal from Amamiya Nene as usual. He glanced at her and saw her resting her head on her arm, her dark eyes looking somewhat forlorn.

Quinn then remembered.

When she was Celia's age, her father became a tombstone that buried nothing, and the whole world forgot about him.

The girl didn't choose to enjoy her youth, not because she was willful, but because she was more sensible than anyone else; she wanted to find her family.

Everyone says she has a bad personality and no one wants her. But Quinn still remembers the amazement she felt when she first saw Amamiya Nene. If that girl had wanted to, her youth could have been as stunning as her mother's, captivating the entire Southern Continent, instead of being a reclusive teacher in this castle.

"Has the date for our next descent into the abyss been set?"

“If Celia’s physical exam goes smoothly, it should be scheduled for Saturday.” Amamiya Nene looked up: “Why? Is she already at Sequence Seven?”

Quinn said, "Let's go, let's go to Shenyang Street and catch your dad."

"Heh, are you feeling guilty about your wickedness?" Amamiya Nene reverted to her usual mischievous self, covering her mouth with one hand and feigning sarcasm, "You still have a conscience inside you?"

Quinn did not answer. Celia had just finished playing the song and turned back expectantly to look at him, waiting for his comments.

"Not quite right, the rhythm in the later parts is half a beat too fast, and overall it's not smooth enough." Encouraging as he may be, when it comes to academics and piano, Quinn always shows the strict side he had when he was teaching seriously, just like when he was a private tutor.

"Then I'll practice one more time."

Celia didn't say anything discouraging, or act coquettishly like she did when Quinn criticized her in her dream. She simply flipped back to the sheet music and planned to play it again.

"I'll do it. You watch carefully."

Celia was startled. Quinn had appeared behind her without her noticing, pulled his hands out of his pockets, and then pressed them on the piano keys over her.

The familiar piano music flowed out in an unfamiliar form, and those large, well-defined hands seemed to dance on the keys. Celia, who was being held as if by Quinn, was a little nervous on the piano bench. They were too close!
But soon, her tension turned into astonishment. She looked up at Quinn's serious face; this was the first time she had ever heard Quinn sing.

"The little yellow flower of the story, has been drifting since the year I was born; the swings of my childhood, swaying with my memories to this day. Re~So~So~Si~"

Compared to Quinn's superb piano skills, his singing was truly lacking. It was merely at an average level; he could barely keep the pitch right, and his voice wasn't particularly beautiful, thus wasting the accompaniment.

But
What beautiful words!
Celia can understand it.

That was the language of Taumuran, Jay Chou's classic songs being hummed softly in this quiet office in a way that people in another world could understand.

"I can't see it."

Will you wait or leave?

Once upon a time, there was someone who loved you for a long time, but unfortunately, the wind gradually blew the distance between you two far away.

Celia stared blankly at Quinn, her heart filled with a flustered emotion. It wasn't shyness or anything else that was hard to talk about, but warmth and an overflowing sense of peace.

It wasn't until halfway through the song that Celia remembered something and turned to look at Amamiya Nene. She found that the large sofa chair had turned halfway around, and Nene-sensei wasn't looking at Quinn at all. Instead, she had her feet together on the chair, as if she was gazing at the vast clouds and mirror lake outside the window.

What?
They didn't care at all what Quinn was doing. She smiled at her own overthinking. Although Quinn was good to Celia, Amamiya Nene's appearance and family background were ultimately too far removed from theirs; why would she be interested in him?
Time flew by. After Quinn finished playing the piece and corrected Celia's technique, he went to his desk to pour himself a glass of water to soothe his throat, which had been sore from singing.

"You said that 'Singer' didn't invite me to compete on the charts. Is it because Ma Jiaqi is avoiding my limelight, or is it because kings don't meet kings?"

It's rare for her to show off her talent, and I thought Amamiya Nene would say something sarcastic like, "It's so beautiful, if you sing a few more lines, the ancient gods will be summoned." But to my surprise, she picked up her handbag and didn't even look at Quinn.

"Wangcai, let's go home after get off work."

(End of this chapter)