Funinna, please let me steal your heart!

"—And tonight, the title of King/Queen of the Keyboard will fall upon the most dazzling person!"

"It's time to start the party!"

Fu Ningna, speaking enthusiastically and exaggeratedly from the audience, drew continuous applause from the audience.

The host on stage: "..............."

Or perhaps we could let Lady Funina take on the role of host.

After an awkward laugh, the host picked up where Funina left off.

"As Lady Funina said, the audience's applause and the judges' approval will determine the champion of this keyboard competition. Who will win? Let's wait and see."

"First..."

Funina plopped back into her seat, trying to suppress a yawn.

Claurind muttered, "A concert, huh...."

"Just don't hypnotize me, I don't have high hopes," Funina said casually, revealing her equally high standards in music.

"And actually, this is more like a show or an assessment... If I were to host it, it would be more lavish and interesting, what a pity." Fu Ningna propped her chin on her hand.

For example, the judges would turn their backs to the audience and, upon hearing a good performance, would press the button with an "Oh!?"

Then he spun around in his chair.

She's already thought of a name: "I Am a Pianist"!

"After all, you and Miss Luna are preparing for a performance."

"Even if there weren't any plans to co-star with her, I might not have been the organizer. Speaking of which, Luna should be quite capable in film, right?"

“Perhaps,” Claurind nodded.

Funina laughed and said, "Then next time I'll ask her to take pictures."

What should I shoot?

She thought casually as she listened to the performances, which were sometimes passionate, sometimes melodious and sad, and sometimes light and moving.

"8 points!"

"9 points!"

I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

The judges gave their scores.

What is Fu Ningna's rating?

"Not bad," she nodded.

God doesn't need to be scored.

The contestant bowed in gratitude.

"Then the last piece is Miss Sally's 'To Alice, Who Swings Alone in Wonderland'."

"It's this song?" Fu Ningna became interested: "This one is quite difficult."

The audience members started whispering among themselves.

"Wasn't Sally's arm broken?"

"Does that mean you're cured? Or was it forced upon you? Please spare me..."

"If you want to fulfill your dreams, don't do it here."

There was a lot of discussion.

“...I remember her hand was broken,” Clarind said softly.

"Is that right?"

"Although it's just hearsay, it must be true. But not only did she come here, she also has to play such a difficult piece..."

Either they have fully recovered and are full of confidence;

Either they are like moths drawn to a flame, courting their own demise;

Success brings rewards and praise, while failure leads to being reduced to a clown... After all, choosing a difficult piece of music is itself a sign of confidence.

No one will respect someone who is all confidence but no ability.

Funina became even more interested upon hearing this.

"Isn't this interesting? It's interesting whether you win or lose." Funina shifted her posture and stared at the curtain.

She wanted to see what this Sally was really like.

Then, a woman with long, flowing hair walked onto the stage.

.....Um?

Admittedly, this person's features and appearance are nothing like the phantom thief White Cat that Funina remembered, but how should I put it, I should say it's his aura?

In short, she could vaguely sense that this person was somewhat like the phantom thief, White Cat.

But it's probably just my imagination.

Luna, disguised as Sally, slowly walked up to the judges and bowed slightly.

Her gaze passed over the judges and the audience, landing on the subtle expressions on Navia and Sally's faces, and she smiled slightly.

At the same time, she felt another intense gaze.

Following his gaze, Luna was slightly taken aback.

Sitting there was Lynette. Not only that, but also Linnie, Fimini, and—

Arecino: "................."

Their eyes met, and a hint of surprise flashed in Luna's eyes.

But she quickly concealed it in her eyes. She turned around, walked to the keyboard, and gently ran her fingertips over its smooth surface, a smile appearing on her lips.

Luna gently sat down and raised her hands.

Then press it.

Funina's eyes suddenly widened: "This music..."

85: A filial daughter who strives to please her father

Can't go wrong.

The person sitting there playing the instrument was not Sally, but Luna.

Lynette would never mistake it, just as she recognized the phantom thief white cat as Luna.

No matter what form or appearance Luna takes, she can always detect and recognize her.

Perhaps she doesn't understand Luna well enough.

But you can definitely recognize Luna.

But what is she doing? Pretending to be someone else to perform on stage? She doesn't need to do that.

...I can't understand it.

Lynette's ears drooped.

Honestly, I can't understand it.

Linni noticed his sister's behavior and immediately understood everything. He looked at Arecino, but received only a soft reply in return.

"Shh." Arecino put her index finger to her lips.

Listen quietly to the child's performance.

This is the most important thing to do.

However, this music... Arecino closed her eyes. The music was beautiful and melodious, but what evoked even more in her was—memories of the past.

..........................

Many years ago.

“Father, none of us fell behind on this mission.” Young Linni’s face showed a hint of fatigue, but even more so, relief and satisfaction.

The Fireplace House is hardly a place where one can spend a peaceful childhood and a lifetime.

However, its members are all orphans from all over the world, without fathers or mothers.

Without a fireplace, they might have died on a winter morning, or collapsed in a nobleman's house, becoming caged animals.

The fireplace house gave them a new life.

The price to pay is that it comes with danger.

Every operation carries the risk of casualties, either from gunfire or from falling into raging torrents while trying to escape.

It is also possible that they suffered serious injuries and quietly faced death at home.

This sounds cruel, but for them, such cruelty is necessary.

No child believes that a happy life is a gift from heaven, nor do they believe that they can enjoy the warmth of the fireplace at home without doing anything.

After all, those who allow them to do this are usually the ones who will devour them until there are no bones left.

Arecino remained serious and merely nodded slightly at Linni's report.

"well done."

But they won't hesitate to give affirmation.

"However, Luna is injured..."

"A battle ensued?"

"Yes. She caught the enemy's weapon with her bare hands. Although she was wearing protective gear, she was still injured," Linni said indignantly. As the captain, he shouldn't have let his comrade get hurt.

Luna is the most capable and the most outstanding among the children.