Under the expectant gazes of Emi Igawa and the other café patrons, Eriri's fingers began to dance swiftly across the piano keys, and a lively stream of notes filled the air.
The familiar melody caused Emi's eyes to widen in astonishment.
"This is... Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3—the third movement!"
As someone who had long aspired to be a professional pianist, Emi had practiced countless famous piano compositions—ranging from simple to exceptionally difficult.
Among them, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 was one of the hardest pieces she had ever attempted. Even now, she couldn't play it flawlessly.
She never imagined Eriri would perform this piece—and not just any part of it, but the most technically demanding movement.
Closing her eyes, Emi listened attentively, her face gradually losing composure as the performance continued. A powerful wave of emotion rose from deep within her heart.
At that moment, she felt as though she wasn't sitting in a café listening to a random girl play, but rather attending a live performance by a world-class pianist.
"Who is she? How could someone like this exist without the world knowing...?"
As she gazed at the radiant figure seated at the piano, Emi could hardly believe her eyes.
With such godlike skill, Eriri should have been a global phenomenon—a name spoken in awe by every musician. Emi wouldn't have doubted it even if someone told her this girl was the greatest pianist alive.
Yet she had never once heard of her.
Compared to the girl on stage, the impact Arima Kousei had once given her now seemed utterly insignificant.
Back then, she had believed that one day she could surpass Kousei in competition. But as she listened to Eriri play, she realized she didn't even have the desire to challenge her.
They weren't on the same level—they weren't even in the same dimension.
Kaori Miyazono was just as stunned. Her wide, unblinking eyes remained fixed on Eriri's glowing figure as her heart surged with indescribable emotion.
The other customers familiar with piano music wore similar expressions of awe, while those without musical knowledge could only tell that the performance was breathtakingly beautiful, even if they couldn't comprehend its difficulty.
After more than ten minutes, the performance finally came to an end.
However, Eriri didn't immediately stand up. Instead, after a few seconds of silence, her fingers once again began to move across the keys.
This time, it wasn't a famous classical piece—but an original composition, an improvisation entirely her own.
Although the technical difficulty of this piece was far lower than Rachmaninoff's concerto, its emotional depth far surpassed it.
As Eriri played, everyone in the café—even those who knew nothing about music—could feel the heaviness in their hearts being gently lifted away, as though her music was cleansing their souls.
For a moment, they felt as if their very spirits had been elevated to a higher plane.
Emi Igawa, too, found her heart changing. Her long-standing feelings of rivalry and longing toward Arima Kousei vanished without a trace. Even when she thought of him now, there was no turmoil left inside her.
Kaori Miyazono felt something similar—her lingering attachment to Kousei completely dissolved.
Had she heard this song earlier, she might have still avoided him instinctively if they met again in the future.
But now, in her heart, Kousei had become nothing more than a familiar stranger.
Even if they met again at school, she would see him only as another classmate, nothing more.
Twenty minutes passed in what felt like seconds, and Eriri's original piece finally came to an end.
She didn't plan to continue playing.
Unlike Emi, however, she didn't bow to the audience as she left the stage. Instead, she simply stood and walked down from the platform.
Even so, the café erupted into thunderous applause, and every gaze fixed upon her carried pure admiration and reverence.
As Eriri passed by Emi Igawa's seat, she didn't greet the girl—an insignificant side character from the original story.
But that didn't mean Emi would let her go without saying something.
"Excuse me!"
As Eriri walked past, Emi couldn't hold back any longer and called out to her.
Hearing the voice, Eriri stopped and turned her head slightly, offering a polite, calm smile.
"Is there something you need?" she asked softly.
Seeing that dazzling smile again, Emi's cheeks flushed bright red. She quickly averted her gaze, unable to meet Eriri's eyes directly. But after taking a deep breath, she mustered her courage and looked up again.
"Could you... tell me your name?"
"Of course," Eriri replied lightly. "Listen carefully—my name is Eriri Spencer Sawamura."
After introducing herself, she smiled once more, then turned and walked away without another word.
Soon, she was back at Kaori Miyazono's side.
"Eriri-nee, that was incredible!" Kaori exclaimed, immediately grabbing onto Eriri's arm, her eyes sparkling with pure admiration.
"Eriri-nee, could we... maybe perform together someday?" Kaori asked eagerly, but before Eriri could even answer, she shook her head frantically and corrected herself.
"No, no, that's impossible. I'm nowhere near good enough yet. I don't deserve to share the stage with you."
Her tone grew firm as she clenched her fists with renewed determination. "No! I'll practice even harder from now on. Someday, I'll be good enough to match your piano!"
Seeing the fire in Kaori's eyes, Eriri smiled and reached out to gently pat her head.
"Then make sure you work hard, alright? I'll be waiting for the day you invite me to perform with you."
"Mm-hmm!" Kaori nodded eagerly, her face glowing with resolve.
At that moment, a brand-new dream began to form in her heart.
Not the dream of playing for Arima Kousei... but of one day standing on stage beside Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
A few minutes later, the two left the café under the admiring gazes of every customer inside.
...
On a bustling shopping street, Kaori walked arm-in-arm with Eriri, her small face beaming with joy as they strolled along together.
It had been about ten minutes since they left the café when a small family of three passed by them.
"Daddy, Mommy, where are we going to eat?"
"To that family restaurant up ahead. You can have your favorite kid's meal again."
"Yay~!"
Since Eriri and Kaori were walking at a leisurely pace, the family quickly overtook them and continued down the street.
But when Kaori overheard their conversation, her steps froze.
"Oh no!" she gasped.
When she had left the hospital earlier, Kaori hadn't told her parents.
Caught up in the excitement of her "date" with Eriri—and distracted by everything happening in the chat group—she had completely forgotten about them.
Now, realizing the time, panic filled her face. It was already 12:30 PM—right when her parents usually brought her lunch at the hospital.
Quickly, she pulled out her phone. The screen lit up with dozens of missed calls.
The earliest one had been from fifteen minutes ago, and the latest—just seconds earlier.
Because her phone had been set to silent mode, she hadn't noticed any of them.
Seeing Kaori's anxious expression, Eriri said nothing. She simply smiled softly, watching the scene unfold.
She had expected this to happen all along but saw no reason to warn Kaori beforehand.
It wasn't as if anything serious would happen, after all.
Just as Kaori was about to call back, her phone began ringing again.
The caller's name flashed across the screen, and she immediately hit the answer button.
Before she could even speak, a voice filled with panic came through the other end of the line.
"Kaori, where are you right now? Why haven't you been answering your phone? And why did the hospital say there's no record of your admission—"
"Wait, Dad, hold on a second!"
Hearing her father's anxious voice pouring endlessly through the receiver, Kaori finally couldn't take it anymore and raised her voice to cut him off.
Once she was sure he'd quieted down, she spoke again.
"Dad, don't worry! I'm out shopping with a friend right now—and my illness is completely cured!"
"Kaori, please don't joke about that. Tell me where you are. I'm coming to get you right now."
Her father clearly didn't believe her.
After all, Kaori had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and just that morning, she'd still been bedridden. The idea that she could suddenly be cured was simply impossible—unless something supernatural had occurred.
But of course, he dismissed that as absurd. To him, Kaori was simply teasing him.
"I'm not joking, Dad. Are you still at the hospital?"
"Yes. But when I went to your ward, it was gone. The doctors said there's no record of your hospitalization. What's going on?"
Hearing that, Kaori blinked in surprise, then glanced toward Eriri—realizing immediately that this was, without question, her doing.
"Don't worry about it. Just head home for now. I'll be back after hanging out with my friend, and I'll explain everything then."
"Oh, and don't worry about lunch—we already ate together. Talk to you later~"
Before her father could respond, Kaori pulled the phone from her ear and pressed the hang-up button.
Just before the call disconnected, she caught a faint sound—her father asking if the "friend" she mentioned was a boy or a girl.
Kaori didn't pay it any mind. She planned to tell her parents everything soon anyway.
If possible, she even wanted to invite Eriri over to their house.
...
After ending the call, Kaori's anxiety melted away, replaced once again by the cheerful glow she'd had before. Together, she and Eriri continued wandering through the streets.
Before long, they arrived at an amusement park and spent several hours there, laughing and playing.
It had been ages since Kaori had last visited such a place. Ever since her illness, the idea of going to an amusement park had been just a dream. Now that she was healthy again, she wanted to enjoy every moment to the fullest.
Later, they even stopped by a self-service photo booth and took several pictures together.
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was already past four in the afternoon.
"Eriri-nee, why don't you come home with me? I want to introduce you to my parents."
As they prepared to part ways, Kaori looked up at Eriri with a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
"Not today. I'll come by tomorrow instead," Eriri said, smiling softly as she reached out to gently pat Kaori's head.
Over time, Eriri's affectionate gestures—patting her head, pinching her cheeks—had become second nature between them. At this point, Kaori almost expected them. If Eriri didn't do it, she'd probably find it strange.
Hearing Eriri's refusal made Kaori's expression fall for a brief moment, but when she heard that Eriri would visit again tomorrow, her disappointment was quickly replaced with anticipation.
"Alright, I'll be heading off now. When you get home, make sure to use your points to strengthen yourself. I expect you to be a Transcendent by the time I see you tomorrow."
Eriri withdrew her hand from Kaori's head and gave her cheeks a light, playful squeeze.
Then, a dimensional rift opened behind her, slowly expanding forward. Without hesitation, Eriri stepped into the portal, her body vanishing into the shimmering light.
Within moments, both she and the portal were gone.
Even though the street wasn't empty, not a single passerby seemed to notice either the portal or Eriri's disappearance.
Kaori stood frozen, staring at the spot where Eriri had vanished, her mind blank. After about ten seconds, she finally exhaled softly and turned toward home.
...
Meanwhile, at the Miyazono residence, Kaori's parents had already closed up their bakery for the day. Both of them sat anxiously inside, waiting for their daughter to return.
If not for the brief phone call they'd managed to have with her earlier, they probably would've already called the police and begun searching the entire city.
Even though Kaori had assured them she was fine—and her voice had sounded bright and full of energy—they still couldn't bring themselves to relax.
—
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