Kaori arrived at her teacher's place early in the morning for her lesson. She loved the violin and was filled with passion for it.
Because she had been sickly since childhood, her family did not pressure her to achieve top grades in her studies. This gave her more time to pursue what she truly wanted to do.
And what did she want to do? Naturally, it was to learn the violin.
Perhaps because of her poor health, fate showed her some favor. She was fortunate enough to study under a violin master, and the violin master was very fond of her.
The teacher felt this girl resembled her younger self, brimming with love for music.
In reality, Kaori was indeed very diligent and hardworking. She came to her teacher's place to practice almost every day, to the point that her regular schoolwork suffered.
But this didn't really matter. Since she was often ill and hospitalized, she missed many classes anyway. Missing a few more now made little difference.
Today, she came as usual to practice. She typically practiced until evening before returning home, and her teacher was very patient. The teacher simply appreciated diligent students.
Unfortunately, around noon, the teacher suddenly received a phone call inviting her to hold a performance.
This in itself wasn't unusual. The teacher was a master-level violinist, so receiving invitations was perfectly normal.
The problem was, Kaori was shocked to learn that the other party demanded the teacher arrive at the concert hall and be ready within thirty minutes.
'This... this was simply impossible.'
Kaori felt angry. This not only disrupted her daily learning routine but was also an unreasonable demand placed on her teacher.
She initially believed her teacher would refuse, but surprisingly, the teacher agreed.
Since the teacher agreed, she had to accept it. Fortunately, her teacher was considerate and allowed her to come along.
Listening to the teacher perform wasn't an everyday opportunity. So, Kaori was still quite moved.
When she entered the seating area of the concert hall, she was stunned to find it already filled with people, all dressed in black suits… bodyguards, men and women. With over a thousand people in black seated there, who wouldn't feel intimidated?
Kaori glanced timidly towards her teacher nearby. The teacher nodded at her, signaling that it was alright.
She looked at the seats and noticed four empty ones in the very front row. Just as she started to move towards them, she found a black-clad figure had already stood up and blocked her path.
The bodyguard didn't speak, merely pointing with an indifferent expression towards the empty seats further back.
The meaning was clear: find a seat in the back.
Kaori naturally didn't dare to object. She hurried to the back and found a seat next to a female bodyguard.
She thought about asking the woman beside her, but seeing her stern face, she decided against it and kept quiet.
She didn't know how much time had passed when the rear door of the concert hall opened and four people walked in.
The next moment, Kaori heard a slightly surprised female voice.
Another calm voice explained from the side.
"The situation hasn't been very stable lately. In a confined space like this that's difficult to evacuate quickly, I believed having more security would be safer. I took the initiative on this matter. I hope you understand, Ojou-sama."
Another cheerful, laughing voice chimed in, "That's right! Last time I was walking home alone, my father's political opponent nearly had me kidnapped. Luckily, Yusei-kun saved me."
Finally, the first voice who had spoken replied with a hint of resignation: "Very well."
Yusei remained silent. Upon entering and seeing the place filled with people in black suits, he had already grasped the general situation.
From Hayasaka's words just now, he could also understand the gist.
'Probably, this so-called 'coincidental' violin performance was also Kaguya's arranged 'coincidence', right? Using the immense influence of the Shinoomiya Family, finding a violin master was simplicity itself.'
'And Kaguya, who had done all this... for what? For my offhand comment that I 'knew a little violin'.'
Yusei was not foolish enough to miss the obvious implication in such a clear situation. He now understood Kaguya's feelings.
He sighed inwardly, feeling a mix of secret pleasure and confusion.
Kaguya was very beautiful, her family was extremely wealthy, and she herself was exceptionally talented. Apart from a somewhat difficult personality, she was outstanding in every way.
But the question was, why would Kaguya fall for him? This wasn't about Yusei lacking self-esteem, and there was a reason for it.
Actually, from the very beginning, his relationship with Kaguya had been more like that of rivals.
During their first meeting, his superior Kendo skills had dealt a significant blow to Kaguya's pride.
Afterwards, he was well aware that Kaguya viewed him as a rival.
So, based on his understanding of Kaguya, her falling for him was actually a very unlikely scenario.
He believed that towards Kaguya, he hadn't offered the deep vows he gave to Asuna, nor sweet words, not even a life-saving favor.
There was nothing. All there was, was occasional guidance in swordsmanship.
'Could that alone make her like me?'
'Just how outstanding would I have to be, to unintentionally make an iceberg like Kaguya develop feelings for me?'
Naturally, Yusei felt extremely pleased inside. He looked at Kaguya's petite form, his gaze softening considerably.
Hesitating for a moment, Yusei looked seriously at Kaguya.
Kaguya, in turn, felt his gaze. Meeting those pure, clear eyes, her heart trembled.
With her sharp mind, she quickly pieced together the situation. She inwardly panicked. She had been so focused on talking with Hayasaka earlier that she had forgotten this crucial detail.
'What kind of public performance has a concert hall full of black-suited bodyguards? Anyone could see this was a private event, and one arranged at the last minute.'
'Now Yusei-kun must have realized, must know that I had orchestrated all this for him.'
This made Kaguya feel nervous, apprehensive, but also a flicker of anticipation.
'Now he knows my feelings... how will he respond?'
Kaguya's red eyes lacked their usual calm and detachment. Now they looked at Yusei filled with nervousness and shyness, as if waiting for something.
Yusei saw her delicate face and nervous expression, his heart stirring, further confirming his suspicion.
In that moment, he still remembered he had a wife and a daughter.
But... if a girl expresses her feelings to you so clearly, and you don't respond, aren't you just a scoundrel?
Did she need to shout directly into his ear, 'Kazami Yusei, I like you!' for it to count?
As a man, Yusei felt he should be the one to respond first.