A super great writer in the second dimension

　Sanzenin Arashi is certain that Nishikino Shizuku is a typical upper-class Japanese noblewoman. She hopes her daughter can befriend powerful people, such as Sanzenin Arashi, who would naturally be her first choice.

　This is a great opportunity to strengthen your network.

　With the amazing doctor taking care of Mashiro, Sanzenin Arashi felt relieved and prepared to go out for a walk. He walked to the door of room number two, where Nishikino and her daughter lived, and knocked on the door.

　"Who is it?" Nishikino Maki's clear voice rang out.

　"It's me, Aoyama."

　There was still a hint of wariness in Nishikino Maki's purple eyes.

　Although her mother praised the man, to her, Sanzenin Arashi was just a stranger.

　He was wearing a very casual outfit, with sneakers on his feet and a gray hoodie over his clothes.

　Maki Nishikino tugged at the hem of her hoodie.

　She was also wearing a sweatshirt, with a gray and white mesh skirt that reached above her knees. Her slender legs were accentuated by gray tights, and her small feet were encased in cotton slippers. She was also carrying a small scarf, giving her a very cute appearance.

　'Matching outfits, huh?' Sanzenin Arashi thought meaningfully, and then said, 'Miss Nishikino is taking care of Mashiro, so Maki, you can just come with me for a stroll today. But I'd like to repay this favor, so it doesn't matter where we go.'

　When someone suddenly called her by her name, Maki Nishikino felt a little awkward, but since her mother had specifically told her to be friends with this person, she decided to reluctantly go along with it, since it wouldn't hurt her anyway.

　Thinking about this, Nishikino Maki pondered how she could possibly communicate with this person.

　It seems there's only music left.

　She replied, "Then, Mr. Aoyama, could you take me to the music hall? I'd like to hear you play the piano."

　After much thought, Maki Nishikino finally found music as a medium through which they could communicate.

　This kind of social interaction among celebrities and the upper class, which felt like "doing a task," left her feeling physically and mentally exhausted.

　However… she was still very curious about Sanzenin Arashi’s piano skills. Professional performance level, she would use her own eyes to confirm this 'unscientific' thing.

　Arashi Sanzenin smiled, took the keys to Hiroshi Tomita's Lamborghini from his pocket, and twirled them in the air.

　……

　Lamborghinis, while not as impressive as Aston Martins, are still considered chick magnets. You can easily strike up a conversation with any young woman on the street, and you're almost guaranteed to succeed.

　However, this car is nothing to Maki Nishikino.

　Her Steinway piano was twice as expensive as this one. It would be foolish to flaunt one's wealth in front of such a rich girl, and Sanzenin Arashi had no intention of doing so at all.

　So he didn't say a word on the way.

　It took half an hour to get from the hotel to the Municipal Concert Hall.

　Maki Nishikino wanted to find something to talk about on the way, but she didn't know how to start. She fiddled with her hair and stared at the rearview mirror the whole way.

　She was puzzled as to why Aoyama Arashi wasn't saying a word. Was there something wrong with her charm?

　This is completely unscientific...

　Judging from his enthusiastic attitude towards her yesterday, Nishikino Maki judged that... this person must have conspired with her mother. However, now that she saw the facts, she felt that this matter seemed a bit interesting.

　"We're here." Sanzenin Arashi opened the passenger door, while Nishikino Maki was still in a daze.

　"Uh? Oh, I see."

　'Couldn't you be a little gentler?' Nishikino Maki thought to herself as she took a step forward, but then a hand grabbed her wrist and slowly pulled her out.

　"Be careful, it's a bit stuffy and the ground is damp," said Sanzenin Arashi, releasing Nishikino Maki's hand and leading the way.

　The little girl was a bit unaccustomed to this sudden shift in art style.

　As she followed behind, a sense of anticipation welled up inside her—the piano was one of her few hobbies, and encountering a skilled player was like meeting a pro gamer; she couldn't wait to see their level of expertise.

　"What piece is Mr. Aoyama going to play next?" Maki Nishikino asked as they walked down the corridor of the music hall.

　"It's a secret." Sanzenin Arashi gave a vague answer. "And... Maki, you can also choose your own songs, whatever they may be, but... pop music won't do, I can't handle music I haven't heard before."

　Maki Nishikino covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "What is that...? It's unclear. I won't let you talk about pop music."

　(Nani Sore Imi Wagana)

　"Even pop music is easy to play, right?" Nishikino Maki said, indicating that pop music scores are simple and compared to professional sonatas, they are as easy as a hallucination.

　"Well, since my website's video section opened recently, quite a few people have been playing instruments, mostly anime songs. The content is simple, but it's all out of love," Sanzenin Arashi casually remarked.

　Maki Nishikino glanced sideways, a 'I can't stand you' look on her face, and said, "It's this kind of unscientific stuff again. To be honest, 'love' is completely meaningless. (Ichimikaga-nee—remember this verbal tic, and don't mention it again.)"

　"I definitely have to buy a piano when I get back." Upon hearing this, Sanzenin Arashi became determined. "I'll show you what love is."

　Nishikino Maki glanced at Sanzenin Arashi, "What is this...?"

　Sanzenin Arashi smiled; judging Nishikino Maki's attitude was actually quite simple.

　If she acts arrogant towards you, it means you've become quite familiar with each other.

　But right now... she doesn't seem to have that intention yet, maintaining the elegant demeanor of a young lady.

　The best piano in the city's music hall is a Steinway grand piano, which is usually reserved for artists giving solo recitals. If you want to use it, you must submit an application three days in advance.

　Or rather, it must have a performance technique that is recognized by others, and its tone must be far superior to that of other instruments.

　As Nishikino Maki watched Sanzenin Arashi walk forward and sit in front of the harpsichord, she couldn't help but think about it herself.

　There's a saying in China, isn't there?

　Whether it's a mule or a horse, take it out for a spin and you'll know at a glance.

　..

246. Long live loving you.

　As her fingers touched the piano keys, Sanzenin Arashi was thinking about something.

　What style of music does Maki Nishikino like? He pondered for a moment, then suddenly revealed a playful expression.

　He remembered that in the first episode of the LoveLive! anime, Maki Nishikino seemed to have played a piano piece.

　The song that followed this piano piece seems to be called "Long Live Loving You".

　……

　Recalling the tune in his mind, Sanzenin Arashi began to hum softly. He needed to complete a simple musical score in his mind before he could play the song.

　A slow, gentle melody escaped his lips.

　As Nishikino Maki listened to the rough notes hummed from the mouth, something involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

　A question mark.

　She felt the melody was strangely familiar.

　She probably didn't create "Long Live Loving You" yet. The piece started as a short musical score, but it was turned into a song through the efforts of everyone in μ's.

　This song was sung in the final episode of LoveLive!, touching countless people.

　An ending is a beginning, but—long live falling in love with you, it's wonderful.

　That's probably what it means.

　This is the culmination of everyone's hard work, and it contains the emotion of shouting out even when one's voice is hoarse.

　From the moment they joined the idol club upon entering university, they went from being clueless to becoming skilled, and then worked hard towards their goal. Although they experienced many twists and turns along the way, and the team even faced the crisis of disbanding, everyone eventually came together again and walked the road to success. The flower of friendship among the girls finally bore fruit.

　Faced with such a situation, and reflecting on the process, the resulting thought is this song.

　Long live falling in love with you.

　……

　“This…” Nishikino Maki frowned.

　'What exactly is going on? Why does it feel so familiar to me?' Her mind was filled with nothing but confusion.

　It was as if something had flown over from beyond time and space, and then, like a dragonfly skimming the water, it patted her little head.

　Even though it was just a tune that Sanzenin Arashi hummed casually, it made her fall into deep thought.

　The melody of the notes was so fitting; Maki Nishikino felt that this song directly touched her soul. Whether it was the aesthetic sense or the delicate rhythm, it perfectly matched her own thoughts, logic, and everything else.

　She couldn't help but hum along.

　Maki Nishikino didn't know the melody of the song, but as soon as she started singing, she followed Sanzenin Arashi's tune and hummed the song intermittently.

　Sanzenin Arashi was humming when he heard an elegant tone in his ear. A smile appeared on his lips, and he suddenly stopped.

　"Uh……"

　The leading tone suddenly disappeared, and Nishikino Maki froze, opening her eyes to look at Sanzenin Arashi, and couldn't help but ask, "Why, why did you stop humming?"

　Sanzenin Arashi smiled and said slowly, "Did you feel the love?"

　“…” Nishikino Maki was stunned for a moment, and then her face turned slightly red.

　Sanzenin Arashi pursed her lips; she was about to act all tsundere.

　It seems I've succeeded.

　“How could something as unscientific as love exist in this world? Are you stupid?” Maki Nishikino said with a sidelong glance.

　Sanzenin Arashi smiled.

　He looked at Nishikino Maki: "But your expression just now clearly showed that you felt love, didn't you?"

　"Huh...? How could such a thing be possible?" Nishikino Maki pouted and retorted.

　Sanzenin Arashi tapped the piano keys, producing a sharp sound, and said, "What if? Haven't you thought about it?"

　“Don’t talk to me about ‘what if’.” Maki Nishikino narrowed her eyes slightly. “The concept of ‘what if’ doesn’t exist.”

　“Maki, you really like denying possibilities.” Sanzenin Arashi smiled.

　"How long-winded!" Nishikino Maki rubbed her hair and glared at her. "I've already said, I don't believe in this stuff."

　She clearly didn't want to argue about this issue, but because Sanzenin Arashi suddenly stopped humming, she felt very uncomfortable and started arguing about it.

　"Seriously, what is love anyway? It's so inexplicable."

　Sanzenin Arashi said, "It's a feeling that makes you like someone for no reason; it's that sudden feeling."

　When Nishikino Maki heard this, she was genuinely stunned for a moment. She recalled the sensation she had just experienced and instinctively gave it a positive assessment.

　"Would you like to hear the whole piece? I can play it on the piano." Sanzenin Arashi tapped the keys.

　After hearing three short chirps, Nishikino Maki nodded reluctantly. "There's really no other way. Just listen. Even if this thing is obviously fake, we have to confirm it with our ears."

　Nishikino Maki may look like a rich young lady, but Sanzenin Arashi knows she's a bit of a tsundere.

　She's not arrogant, but when she's being coquettish, she's incredibly charming!

　For example, right now, her face is slightly flushed, and she doesn't admit to those things, so she denies them all at once.

　However, she never acts arrogantly towards strangers; the person who makes her act arrogantly must be someone she truly respects.

　It seemed that the song she had just heard made her subconsciously acknowledge Sanzenin Arashi.

　She herself was unaware that such a thing had happened.

　With fingers on the piano keys, a smooth rhythm emerged.

　That strange feeling came back again.

　Although Nishikino Maki didn't want to admit it, her heart had begun to waver.

　Where exactly have I heard this tune before?

　I can't remember... I really can't remember.

　The music gradually reached its climax as Sanzenin Arashi performed it.

　As the song "Long Live Loving You" came to an end, all other expressions on Maki Nishikino's face disappeared, leaving only a look of listening intently.

　"Teacher Aoyama, what's the name of this piece of music? Could you tell me?"

　After listening, she said this, and her way of addressing Sanzenin Arashi changed without her realizing it.

　Sanzenin Arashi smiled. "What, you want to learn?"

　Maki Nishikino nodded.

　“Then I’ll teach you,” said Sanzenin Arashi.