And now, this would be his final tribute—to the unknown girl who had somehow helped him complete the final piece of the puzzle within himself.
"Whoever you are, real or not … I hope you find happiness with the one you love," he thought.
He didn't introduce the piece. Didn't even look up.
His hand hover above the key, then he play.
Duncan Laurance - Arcade
"♫♫♪♬♩ ♫♫♪♬♩ ♫♫♪♬♩"
The first gentle notes drifted from the piano.
A ripple of murmurs stirred through the hall.
"He can play piano too?" someone whispered.
"Wait… is this an original?"
"I've never heard this piece before," said one of the judges, leaning in.
Then, Eishi sang.
His voice, low and aching, blended with the piano in a haunting harmony.
"♬♩ A broken heart is all that's left..."
"♬♩ I'm still fixing all the cracks."
The words slipped into the silence like a confession, raw and intimate. The crowd stilled again, as if afraid even to breathe.
A girl in the front row gasped softly, her hand covering her mouth.
Another whispered, "He's singing now…?"
Issei blinked, stunned. "What can't he do…?"
Sona Sitri's eyes widened just a fraction. Her heart gave a quiet thud at the unexpected turn—his voice wasn't just good. It was sincere, almost trembling.
Then Eishi continued, his voice steady yet aching with every word:
"♬♩ I'm still fixing all the cracks"
"♬♩ Lost a couple of pieces when "
"♬♩ I carried it, carried it, carried it home"
"♫♪♬ I'm afraid of all I am"
"♪♬ My mind feels like a foreign land"
"♪♬ Silence ringing inside my head"
"♪♬ Please, carry me, carry me, carry me home…"
The final line lingered in the air like a whispered prayer.
A hush fell again—deeper, heavier.
His mother's hand trembled as it rose to cover her mouth, her eyes already brimming with tears.To her, every word felt like a confession, like a secret pain he had wrapped in silence for far too long.He had never spoken about the struggle. About the weight. The breaking. The fear.But now—here he was, baring his soul in front of strangers… through a song only a broken heart could sing.
A sob escaped her lips—not loud, but raw.She pressed her other hand to her chest, as if holding her heart together.
Onstage, Eishi's voice trembled with haunting clarity:
"♬♩ I spent all of the love I've saved"
"♪♬ We were always a losing game"
"♪♬ Small-town boy in a big arcade"
"♬♩ I got addicted to a losing game"
Then—he sang.
"♬♩ Oooooh, oooooh—!"
It wasn't just a note.It was a raw, remorseful scream torn from the depths of his chest—grief and guilt, hope and heartbreak, everything he'd buried and bled for, now exploding into sound.
The microphone trembled slightly from the force of his voice.
The auditorium reeled.
Some students flinched.Others stared, wide-eyed, mouths slightly agape.A girl in the second row clasped her hands to her chest, as if to keep her own emotions from spilling.
Rias had stopped breathing.Her eyes flicked toward the judge's table—then to Kazuma Tenjou, whose fingers now gripped the armrest so tightly his knuckles had gone pale.
"Call Kazuma to see me after this," she said coldly, her eyes narrowing."I want a word with him."
"Yes Buchou!" Kiba said.
"♬♩ All I know, all I know"
"♬♩ Loving you is a losing game..."
Tsubaki, ever composed, turned her face away—just enough to discreetly wipe a tear. Even Issei, usually so loud and unfiltered, sat completely still, his mouth slightly open.
Then Tsubaki whispered, "He really is… special."
Sona nodded slowly. "Yes… he is."
Tsubaki's voice dropped softer, thoughtful. "I wonder who managed to capture his heart."
Sona turned her head sharply. "What do you mean by that?"
Tsubaki met her gaze with calm clarity. "The lyrics, Kaichou. To me, it feels like he's singing about someone he loved… but who didn't love him back. Or maybe… couldn't."
Sona's brows drew together.
Tsubaki continued, gently, "And that violin piece he played earlier—Chaconne by Bach. Didn't you mention it was written after Bach lost his wife? Grief embedded into every note."
Sona's eyes narrowed.
Is that what this is about? she wondered. Her heart gave a strange, irritated twitch—an emotion she didn't quite recognize, or maybe didn't want to.
Still, she couldn't take her eyes off him.
Up there, under the spotlight, Eishi was radiant.Not just talented—dazzling.And somehow… distant. Like the more he opened up, the farther away he seemed.
Sona Sitri's gaze remained fixed, unblinking.
Sona clenched her hands in her lap.
She wanted to hear more.
The lyrics.
The raw, unspoken truth hidden in his voice.
On stage, Eishi remained unaware of the storm his voice stirred in hearts across the room.
He simply continued.
His eyes half-lidded, voice trembling yet unwavering, he sang.
"♬♩ How many pennies in the slot?"
"♬♩ Giving us up, didn't take a lot"
"♬♩ I saw the end 'fore it begun "
"♬♩ Still I carried, I carried, I carried on"
"♬♩ Ooooooh, oooooh"
"♬♩ All I know, all I know"
"♬♩ Loving you is a losing game"
"♬♩ Ooooh, oooooh…"
He let the note stretch—not just sung, but cried—a broken, remorseful scream that echoed off the concert hall walls.
"♬♩ All I know, all I know"
"♬♩ Loving you is a losing game"
"♬♩ I don't need your games, game over"
"♬♩ Get me off this roller-coaster"
"♬♩ Oooooh, oooooooh"
"♬♩ All I know, all I know"
"♬♩ Loving you is a losing game"
"♬♩ Ooooooh, ooooooooh"
Emotion.Every living being feels it—anger, joy, sorrow, despair. Even demons are bound to it.Wrath, pride, sloth, lust… even envy.They're still feelings. Still emotions.And to be able to stir grief—pure, aching grief—in everyone who hears his song…
"He's extraordinary," Sona said softly, a rare smile tugging at her lips.
"♬♩ All I know, all I know "
"♬♩ Loving you is a losing game"
"♫♫♪♬♩ ♫♫♪♬♩ ♫♫♪♬♩"
The final note faded into silence.
One second.Two seconds.Three.
Still—no reaction.Eishi remained seated, head bowed, eyes shut, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.He had poured everything—his pain, his memories, his soul—into this performance.
And yet… nothing.
'Did they not like it?'That thought crept into his mind, sharp and sudden.
His fingers twitched.
Four seconds.Five—
Clap—
Then another.And another.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
A wave.
It hit all at once.The hall exploded with thunderous applause.
Eishi's eyes flew open.
He looked up——and saw them.
The entire crowd was on their feet.His mother stood with tears streaming down her face, clapping with trembling hands.
Issei, Kiba, Rias… even stoic Tsubaki and Sona—everyone was standing.Sona's hands clapped firmly.
Even the judges had risen, some wiping their eyes discreetly, others applauding with genuine awe.
A sigh of relief washed over him, heavy and cathartic.I… I did it.
He let the feeling settle—just for a moment—before he stood, slowly, facing them all.
The applause grew louder.Cheers erupted from the back.
"That was insane!""Eishi! That was the best performance I've seen in my life!""Encore!!""You legend, man!!"
Eishi smiled softly, humbled.
He placed a hand gently across his chest, then touched his shoulder—A silent gesture of gratitude, of memory, of closure.
And then…
he bowed.
A deep, honest bow.To them.To the moment.
The curtain began to fall——and with it, the final breath of the boy who once thought he'd never play again.
____________________________________________________________
Tenjou Kazuma's Pov
His jaw clenched.
Before, this had all been a game—a chance to humiliate some arrogant kid over a meaningless bet. He hadn't cared much about the bet. Talent was everywhere; he could always find another.
But now?
After witnessing it all—The violin.
The piano. The singing.
He wanted it.
That brilliance. That raw, unshaped potential.
Violinist, pianist, vocalist…
A one-man symphony.
He wanted to claim it.
To own it.
To bend it to his will.
"Eishi Lucivar…"
He gritted his teeth behind a twisted grin.
"Doesn't matter if you win here or not. I still have the final say in the scholarship selection.
You'll work under me… Even if it's the last damn thing I do."
He chuckled to himself, a low, sadistic laugh curling out of his throat.
But then—
"Mr. Kazuma."
A voice interrupted.
He turned sharply, annoyed.A younger student stood before him, identifiable by his school uniform—clean, crisp, definitely first year.
Kazuma snapped, "What is it, kid? Can't you see I'm busy?"
The student only smiled… a little too politely.
"Our club president would like a word with you."
Kazuma blinked, brows raising with irritation."Club president? What club?"
The boy didn't flinch.
"The Occult Research Club," he said."My master—Rias Gremory—has summoned you."
Kazuma froze.
Eyes widened.Blood drained from his face for a moment."...Rias-sama?"
His thoughts spun.
Rias Gremory herself?!
Wait… this might be even better!
A grin crept back onto his face, predatory.
Perfect. I'll tell her everything—about that brat humiliating me, insulting the Gremory name.She'll be furious. She'll help me put him in his place—maybe even force a contract out of him!He chuckled darkly again.
"Very well," Kazuma said, straightening his collar, feigning calm.
"Lead the way."
The boy nodded and turned.
And as Kazuma followed, he had no idea…
That Rias Gremory's version of justice was very different from his.