While Yuto continued cooking in the kitchen, Kaori had already taken her violin out of its case in the dining area.
She gently ran her fingers over the instrument with unmistakable affection, her expression softening as she looked down at it.
The tenderness in her eyes made it seem less like she was holding an ordinary violin and more like she was gazing at a priceless treasure.
"Eh—Kaori's violin looks really nice."
Miku sounded genuinely impressed.
As a singer who had received fairly broad musical training, she naturally knew enough about violins to judge their general quality.
She might not have possessed the expertise of a true specialist, but she could certainly distinguish fine craftsmanship from something ordinary.
"Kaori, can I take a look?"
Yuezheng Ling asked with a smile.
If Miku's knowledge of violins came from her musical education, then Yuezheng Ling's understanding came from something far deeper.
As the young lady of the Yuezheng Group, a major force in both musical instrument manufacturing and the music industry, Ling had grown up surrounded by instruments.
Since childhood, she had been taught by master craftsmen and had gradually developed a complete, systematic understanding of how instruments were constructed, maintained, and evaluated.
If anyone here could truly be called a professional, it was undoubtedly her.
"Be really careful with it, okay?"
Kaori instinctively reminded her before reluctantly handing over the violin.
Yuezheng Ling accepted it with a serious expression, and even the way she moved immediately became more careful and precise.
Her upbringing had instilled in her an instinctive respect whenever she handled an instrument.
To someone raised among craftsmen, treating an instrument carelessly was almost unthinkable.
That was one of the most basic qualities expected of anyone who truly understood their craft.
Her slender fingers gently brushed across the polished surface of the violin before she lightly tested the strings.
The casual smile on her face gradually disappeared, replaced by intense concentration.
Her long hair rested over her shoulders like smooth silk while her entire attention became focused on the instrument in her hands.
There were few things more captivating than watching someone become completely absorbed in something they genuinely loved.
Even Kaori found herself instinctively holding her breath.
After carefully examining the violin for a while, Yuezheng Ling finally relaxed and smiled.
"Mm. The craftsmanship is definitely of a very high quality. There are a few minor imperfections here and there, but overall, it is an excellent instrument."
"There aren't many instruments that earn praise from Ling, you know."
Tianyi spoke from the side.
"Her family has been making instruments for generations."
Kaori's eyes immediately widened.
"That's amazing! Then Miss Yuezheng must have seen all kinds of instruments since she was little, right?!"
She stared at Yuezheng Ling with undisguised curiosity, looking almost like a kitten that had suddenly discovered a treasure chest.
"Well, my family has always worked in the industry, so naturally I have seen quite a lot."
Yuezheng Ling scratched her cheek with a slightly embarrassed smile.
Kaori's eyes practically began to shine.
When Ling handed the violin back, Kaori immediately accepted it with both hands. The instant her fingers touched the familiar wood again, a complicated tenderness appeared in her gaze.
This violin had accompanied her for a very long time.
Together, they had witnessed countless moments.
Joy.
Sadness.
Excitement.
Loneliness.
And many memories that Kaori had never shared with anyone else.
This violin knew them all.
For her, its objective quality had long since stopped being particularly important.
"It might have a few little flaws, but as long as I can still play it, that's enough."
Kaori hugged the violin lightly against herself and smiled brilliantly.
"This violin is all I need."
Her smile was radiant, like a flower blooming beneath warm sunlight.
Yuezheng Ling looked at her for a moment before smiling and nodding.
Seeing Kaori like this reminded her of something the elders in her family had taught her many years ago.
Musical instruments could not speak, but that did not mean they were without feeling.
When an instrument belonged to someone who genuinely treasured it, the sound it produced could sometimes shine far beyond what anyone might expect from the instrument itself.
The expression Kaori wore while holding her violin was exactly the kind of expression that could only belong to someone who truly loved her instrument.
Seeing that made Yuezheng Ling feel both relieved and happy.
As someone who loved musical instruments herself, there was something genuinely heartwarming about witnessing another person cherish one with such sincerity.
"Well then, I'll play something for everyone!"
Kaori suddenly rose to her feet.
Her entire demeanor changed almost instantly, becoming spirited and overflowing with life.
Under everyone's approving and expectant gazes, she walked toward the center of the restaurant without showing even the slightest trace of nervousness or embarrassment.
The moment a violin entered her hands, Kaori seemed to become a completely different person.
Or perhaps this was simply the version of herself that shone the brightest.
Her gaze slowly swept across the restaurant.
From Kanna, who was still struggling bitterly with her mathematics workbook, to Yukari, who watched her with an amused smile; from Miku and the others sitting nearby, all the way toward Yuto, who was still busy inside the kitchen.
A sweet smile rested on Kaori's lips.
She lifted the violin to her shoulder.
Her pale neck tilted slightly, allowing several strands of golden hair to fall loosely beside her face.
Then she gently rested the bow against the strings.
Slowly, she drew it across.
A beautiful melody immediately filled the restaurant.
One conversation after another gradually faded away.
Before long, everyone had fallen silent.
The sound of the violin flowed through the restaurant like a clear spring winding beneath the moonlight, quietly making its way through a sleeping forest.
Small animals rustled through the darkness before cautiously approaching the water to drink.
In the distance, grass swayed beneath a gentle evening breeze.
Somewhere among the trees, an owl gave a soft, lonely hoot.
The wind was quiet.
The moon was bright.
A distant hillside glowed beneath the moonlight, its surface covered in a cool mixture of violet and green, while countless stars glittered across the vast sky above.
Their light seemed to pour downward like an endless silver waterfall.
For that brief moment, the forest created by Kaori's music felt impossibly mysterious and beautiful.
Everyone listening gradually found themselves sinking into memories of their own.
There were always certain things buried deep within a person's heart that could suddenly return when they least expected them.
Sometimes, all they needed was the right trigger.
And music was often more than enough.
Inside the kitchen, Yuto had already begun preparing the sweet-and-sour pork.
He was currently adding the sauce.
The thick, vivid red glaze carried an irresistible aroma and a beautiful glossy sheen as he carefully spooned it over the freshly fried pork.
The sauce slowly coated each crispy piece before dripping onto the plate below.
The sound was nowhere near as clear or crisp as falling water.
Yet for some reason, each slow drop seemed to linger in the air.
Almost as though it were landing directly against the heart.
The dish was finished.
Yuto, however, made no move to carry it outside.
Right now, bringing out another plate of food somehow felt inappropriate.
The proper thing to do was simply stand there and listen.
He walked over to the kitchen doorway and lazily leaned one shoulder against the frame, allowing his gaze to settle on the girl standing beneath the warm restaurant lights.
Kaori's eyes were gently closed.
Her feet moved almost unconsciously with the rhythm, as though the music itself were guiding her into a dance.
Every subtle sway of her body seemed filled with light.
Her golden hair rose and fluttered with each movement, lively and beautiful, almost as though every strand possessed a life of its own.
Yuto watched quietly.
'She really was born to perform onstage...'
The thought naturally appeared in his mind.
Everyone ultimately walked a different path through life.
Among the countless ordinary people scattered across the world, there would always be a small handful who seemed to carry light within themselves—people who naturally drew the eyes of everyone around them whenever they stepped forward.
Some people simply seemed born to stand beneath the lights and receive applause.
Kaori was undoubtedly one of them.
Then the music began to change.
The peaceful forest slowly grew restless.
A black panther suddenly appeared beneath the moonlight, sprinting wildly through the night.
It leaped effortlessly over fallen trees and crossed deep ravines in a single bound, its agile body moving from one rock to another without ever slowing.
The moonlight caught its form only in fleeting glimpses, revealing little more than the silhouette of a creature racing through the wilderness with complete freedom.
There was no hesitation in its movements.
No restraint.
Only pure, overflowing vitality.
The panther ran with everything it possessed, its life burning so fiercely that it seemed almost like a meteor streaking across the earth.
The melody climbed higher.
Faster.
Brighter.
And at that moment, Kaori's complexion quietly began to change.
The healthy color gradually drained from her face.
Her expression tightened almost imperceptibly, and dense beads of sweat began gathering across her forehead.
Yet everyone in the restaurant had become so absorbed in the music that no one immediately noticed.
Kaori continued playing.
The melody rose toward its climax.
Higher—
Higher still—
Until—
The violin stopped abruptly.
The mysterious forest disappeared.
The glittering stars vanished.
The moonlit hillside faded away.
The black panther racing freely through the darkness ceased to exist.
And the girl standing at the center of it all...
Collapsed.
Yuto's expression changed instantly.
At that moment, something Tohru had once told him suddenly returned to his mind.
Words she had spoken so casually that day.
"She's going to die soon."
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