Green plums cannot become lovers.

"This... After hearing this, An and Asuka thought about it and nodded slightly after confirming that they didn't have any special plans for January."

"If you don't mind, I'll be your accompaniment."

Upon hearing this, Kaori Miyazono's face lit up with joy, and she exclaimed, "Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Anwa-kun!"

“It’s okay.” An and Asuka shook their heads and smiled, “But you have to be prepared. I haven’t practiced the piano in a long time, so I might be really bad at it and might hold you back.”

"It's okay, I trust Anhe."

Kaori Miyazono didn't care at all. She had seen the boy's technique with her own eyes and it was really amazing. With such technique, even if he was rusty, he could quickly get back to his old self.

"And Anhe, you can come to my house to practice! We can even try playing together!"

"That's wonderful."

Upon hearing the girl's words, An and Asuka immediately agreed. He had been wondering how to borrow a piano from the school to get back into the swing of things, but it turned out that the girl's family had a piano, which saved him a lot of trouble.

When are you coming to my house?

"Hmm, how about this Saturday?"

"Okay, then I'll wait for you!"

Kaori Miyazono said excitedly.

On Saturday, An and Asuka arrived at the girl's house according to the address provided.

An and Asuka stood at the door and checked that the address was correct before walking to the door and pressing the doorbell.

The doorbell had barely rung when the door opened, revealing a girl's surprised and delighted face.

"Anwa-kun, you're here! Come in quickly." Kaori Miyazono grabbed Anwa Asuka's wrist without saying a word and led him into the room.

An and Asuka changed into slippers and followed the girl into the living room without looking at her. The living room was spacious, bright, and heated. The coffee table in the middle of the sofa had been replaced with a kotatsu, on which was placed a plate of oranges and a pile of orange peels.

What bothered Ling An and Fei Niao was that the walls of the girl's house, from the entrance hall to the living room, were fitted with railings similar to handrails.

Volume 1: Chapter 115 The Heartbroken Boy

An and Asuka didn't know much about Kaori Miyazono. Up until today, their conversations had been limited to ordinary daily chatter; they hadn't discussed things like family background, past events, or future plans.

However, today we have the opportunity to have a proper chat.

The two sat there by the kotatsu, eating oranges and chatting idly, seemingly forgetting their real purpose.

"Anhe, when did you start learning piano?"

Kaori Miyazono was very curious about An and Asuka's musical abilities. Judging from the boy's performance last year, he must have been studying for at least three or four years. In any case, among the peers she had met, it took at least that long to reach the boy's level.

"Hmm, fifth grade, I guess." An and Asuka thought for a moment and answered truthfully.

This answer stunned Kaori Miyazono, and it took her a while to react. She looked at the boy in front of her with disbelief, trying to find any hint of boasting on his face.

Although the boy's expression was somewhat nonchalant, his eyes remained clear, indicating that he wasn't bragging.

"You...are really amazing..."

After a while, Kaori Miyazono gave An and Asuka a thumbs-up with admiration.

He knew the boy's musical talent. Not to mention that he could write songs independently at such a young age, he was proficient in several instruments and had a remarkable talent in each one. This was a talent that not everyone could possess.

However, she underestimated the boy's talent. He was able to reach that level of performance after only one year of study. It can only be said that he was born to do this.

At that moment, the girl's admiration for the boy deepened even further.

"Don't look at me like that." Anhe Feibiao peeled a segment of orange and said, "I'm not as powerful as you think."

After swallowing the orange, she spoke softly, "I'm just an ordinary person."

After saying that, he casually put the orange in his mouth. This wasn't a humble statement, but the truth. He really wasn't as amazing as others imagined; he was just an ordinary person, like most people in this world.

He only has this kind of life because he was blessed by Lady Luck.

Hearing this, Kaori Miyazono puffed out her cheeks and said, "You really are annoying to talk to. If you're just an ordinary person, then am I an idiot?"

?氵事?另??Il侕0芭咝“......

"Hey, say something!"

Not hearing a reply from the boy, Kaori Miyazono immediately urged him on. Seeing this, Anwa Asuka couldn't help but laugh, saying, "You're the guy who defeated me twice in a row, how could you be an idiot?"

"That's more like it." Kaori Miyazono smiled broadly upon hearing this.

That's right, I defeated my opponent twice in a row, how could I be an idiot?

Seeing that the girl's mood had improved, An and Asuka asked again, "So, Miyazono-san, what made you start learning the violin?"

"This?" Kaori Miyazono paused for a moment upon hearing this, then put her index finger to her lips, revealing a bright smile, and said, "It's a secret."

"Eh? I've told you everything you wanted to know."

"Hmm, but I didn't say I had to answer you."

The girl acted shamelessly, showing no remorse whatsoever. An and Asuka, watching her cheerful demeanor, were at a loss for what to do.

Well, since it's a secret, there's nothing we can do. Their relationship hasn't reached the point where they can share secrets.

For the first time, An and Asuka discovered that they actually got along very well with the girl. It wasn't until they heard another sound at the door, indicating that the girl's parents had returned from outside, that they realized how much time had passed quietly.

"You must be Anhe."

The woman speaking had a gentle tone and a smile on her face. An and Asuka, standing opposite her, could smell the faint aroma of bread emanating from her.

An and Asuka nodded and said politely, "Yes, hello uncle and aunt."

"Yes, just like Xiaoxun said, he's a very handsome boy."

The woman looked her up and down while praising her, but her words made Kaori Miyazono, who was standing next to her, feel a little embarrassed.

"Mom, don't talk nonsense."

“I’m not making this up.” Upon hearing this, the woman’s smile deepened. “It was exactly what you told us before.”

"I don't!"

"Okay, okay, you didn't."

Seeing that her daughter was about to lose her temper, the woman immediately complied, but her words sounded like she was trying to cover something up.

An and Asuka listened to the conversation between the mother and daughter from the side. He could tell that the girl had mentioned him to her parents quite a few times.

After the mother and daughter stopped arguing, the man on the other side stepped forward with a smile and handed the item in his hand to the girl.

"Alright, Xiao Xun, your violin has been properly maintained. Go and try it out."

"Thank you, Dad."

"Anhe, let's go."

Upon seeing her violin, Kaori Miyazono immediately reached out and took it. Then, in the blink of an eye, she grabbed An and Asuka's hands and ran towards her music room, seemingly wanting to escape from there.

I chatted with the girl for a long time without mentioning the ensemble; it turned out the violin was being serviced.

An and Asuka watched the girl's retreating figure, feeling somewhat helpless. He had said that time was clearly of the essence, so why was she taking such a leisurely pace?

The girl's music room wasn't large, and the decor was simple, with a piano placed in the corner of the room.

"Alright, give it a try now."

Kaori Miyazono led An and Asuka to the piano, then let go of their hands and began tuning her own violin.

The piano in front of me is somewhat old; the wooden body has lost its luster and become dull, but it is not dilapidated overall, only bearing the marks of time.

An and Asuka stroked the piano's case, feeling a slight stiffness in their touch. Then, they pressed a key, and a crisp sound immediately echoed in the small practice room.

That sounds great.

The sound seemed to ignite An and Asuka's passion, and he sat down on the piano bench and began to play.

The notes he played had no rhythm whatsoever, and were even somewhat chaotic; they were simply an expression of his emotions.

He's been busy lately, and it seems he's trying to release the pent-up fatigue in this way.

Kaori Miyazono, watching the boy's haphazard playing, gently closed her eyes and listened quietly.

She firmly believed that music could reflect a person's inner world.

This young man seems very weary inside.

Volume 1: Chapter 116 The Girl's Heart's Desire

"It sounds beautiful, it sounds beautiful."

As the music stopped, the girl clapped happily. Seeing this, An and Asuka couldn't help but laugh and say, "What's so good about it? It was all just me playing nonsense."

"I think it sounds good, that's all that matters."

"Thank you so much."

He was quite pleased to hear the girl praising him so highly. He then said to the girl, "Shall we begin our duet now?"

"If you think it's okay, then it's fine."

"Let's begin then. Show me the piece you're going to play."

"it is good."

Kaori Miyazono handed over the sheet music, and An and Asuka took it and looked at it.

Contrary to his expectations, the piece the girl gave him was neither a timeless classic nor a contemporary masterpiece, but rather a seemingly ordinary piece. He racked his brains but couldn't recall who the composer of this piece was.

It's not that it's terrible, but it's not as good as I imagined either. It's like a song that you can get for a few hundred thousand yen on the market.

An and Asuka thought for a moment, then looked up at the girl's somewhat nervous face, and finally came to a conclusion.

"You didn't write this piece yourself, did you?"

Kaori Miyazono was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then gave an embarrassed smile and said, "Hehe, you found out about that."

Then, that hint of shyness transformed into confidence. "How was it? I think my writing was pretty good!"

"Hmm...not bad."

"Oh, you don't have to be so accommodating to me." Sensing the hesitation in the boy's tone, Kaori Miyazono said nonchalantly, "Just tell me what you really think. I'm not that petty, and I won't cry when I hear someone criticize me."

"Alright then." Upon hearing this, An and Asuka no longer cared about the girl's feelings and said truthfully, "This piece is very ordinary."

"..."

"Hey, don't you ever cry?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl's face fell, and An and Asuka quickly stopped her. Indeed, girls' hearts are hard to fathom.

"That's true, but this is a piece I've prepared carefully for a long time, so it's natural to feel bad if people say it's not good."

Kaori Miyazono sniffed, patted her cheeks, and quickly pulled herself out of her slump.

"Okay, I'm fine now." She looked at An and Asuka, a bright smile returning to her face.

"You bastard..." In such a short time, the girl changed her appearance so quickly that An and Asuka were almost stunned.

Remembering the girl's usual cheerful personality, he assumed that what he had just seen was her being silly.

"So why compose your own music? Aren't there plenty of existing ones?"

An and Asuka returned to their initial question, one that he couldn't understand: with so many beautiful and meaningful songs available, why would the girl bother to write a new one herself? It seemed like a waste of time and energy.

"I can't do anything about it," Kaori Miyazono replied with a troubled look. "It's what the organizers require."

"The rules of this competition are that all contestants must use their own original music, otherwise they cannot participate, so I put a lot of effort into writing this song."

"It's just very ordinary..."

"What kind of strange rule is this?"

An and Asuka ignored the girl's quiet mutterings at the end, and were instead very curious about the rules of the competition.

"I heard that the organizers are tired of traditional music," the girl said uncertainly, sharing a rumor she'd heard from who-knows-where.

"But if it were me, I would definitely want to hear something new, since it's the same old music every year, and I'm tired of it."

When An and Asuka heard the girl's words, they didn't know what to say. The rumor the girl mentioned sounded outrageous, but it wasn't impossible.

While studying music, he also made a point of watching some competitions. And indeed, as the girl said, in the past ten years or so, certain pieces have appeared far too frequently in violin competitions, almost every year.

More importantly, the same piece of music was performed by more than one contestant.

Perhaps the organizers really want to break this deadlock.