episode_0009

When I reached the piano, it suddenly felt enormous.

‘I really am small, huh.’

Even sitting on the bench in front of the piano was a struggle.

—Hnggh.

I hopped up lightly to sit, but even when I stretched my legs, I couldn’t reach the pedals.

‘Difficulty level just went up a notch.’

“Phew…”

A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘Can I really do this?’

Well. I’m not sure.

This is my first time performing it live.

Of course, I already knew the answer.

‘I have to.’

It wasn’t about whether I could—

It was about whether I had to.

This moment was about proving something to my parents.

What their child wanted to do,

What I was learning in the Magic Tower,

Whether continuing my studies would be worth it.

‘I have to prove it.’

Haven’t I done this all my life in my past life as a performer?

I focused my mind and began pressing the keys.

The piece I was playing was 12 Variations in C Major on “Ah, vous dirai-je, maman.”

Or, by its more familiar name—Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

Originally based on the melody of a French chanson, Ah, vous dirai-je, maman,

This piece was touched by the hands of Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, a prodigy nicknamed the “miracle of music.”

I pressed each key carefully, channeling magic into them.

‘Focus.’

From this moment on, not a single mistake could be allowed.

This song may seem simple, but once your fingers tangle, there’s no going back.

And right now, I wasn’t just playing the piano.

‘I’m layering magic into the performance.’

By infusing the notes with magic, I amplified the emotions of those listening.

‘I never thought I’d be doing this in a live performance so soon.’

Honestly, I was still at the stage of theorizing—I thought practical application was far off.

But the moment of proof arrived much faster than I expected.

And because of that, I was dying.

Playing the piano in this tiny body, carefully blending magic into each note—

And it wasn’t as simple as just mixing in magic.

Soft notes required a delicate touch,

Strong notes demanded power.

In short, the difficulty of controlling dynamics had multiplied.

And that wasn’t all.

Since my feet couldn’t reach the pedals, I had to press them using magic.

‘I’m really gonna die…!’

But I couldn’t stop now.

‘I have to show them.’

The kind of world I wanted to see.

The kind of world I wanted to create.

The kind of person… I wanted to become.

‘The reason I chose this song.’

The original lyrics of Ah! vous dirai-je, maman, the chanson and nursery rhyme that Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star is based on, go like this:

Ah! I shall tell you, Mama, What is troubling me. Papa wants me to reason Like a grown-up, properly. But I say that candy Is better than reason, you see.

In short, it’s about a child telling their mother, “I’d rather have candy than reason,” in response to their father’s demand to be more mature.

In a way, it wasn’t entirely unrelated to my current situation.

Parents who wished I wouldn’t practice magic,

And me, who had to use magic for my dreams.

‘Well, it’s not a perfect fit, but…’

And above all, there was one big reason I chose this song.

Because this was the first piece I ever played on the piano.

The excitement of sitting in front of the piano for the first time.

The wonder of carefully pressing each key, just as I wanted.

The joy of completing my first variation.

I wanted to show them—all of these memories.

—Ding-ding, ding-ding. Ding-ding, ding-ding. Ding-ding, ding-ding. Ding-ding, ding-ding.

Before I knew it, the performance was already racing toward the third variation.

Sweat poured down my entire body, but I didn’t stop playing.

‘At least half.’

Even if playing all 12 variations was impossible,

I wanted them to hear at least half.

As I played with the utmost concentration,

A strange sensation enveloped my body.

‘What’s this?’

The cause was the magic.

‘The magic… is reacting to the music.’

Before, I had been adjusting the magic to match the notes.

But now, the magic was changing on its own, amplifying in response to my playing.

Me controlling the magic, and the magic controlling me—a rare spectacle.

Lost in the moment, I finally finished the sixth variation.

—Ding-ding-ding, ring~.

‘I’m completely spent.’

It had been a while since I’d played such a long, physically demanding piece.

“Phew, phew…”

As I wiped the sweat from my forehead, gasping for breath, I suddenly remembered my parents.

‘Oh no.’

I cautiously turned to look at them—

And was met with an unexpected sight.

‘Huh?’

Both my mother and father were crying, tears streaming down their faces.

They were crying so much that their handkerchiefs were thoroughly soaked.

“Sniff… Honey, our Serena…” “Sniff… My dear…”

‘Oh?’

My father, holding my sobbing mother, was also in tears.

It was heartwarming, but for me, it was just bewildering.

‘Why are they crying?’

Was my performance that moving?

Ahem.

I hopped down from the piano and ran toward them.

—Pitter-patter.

—

At first, when Serena sat at the piano, Ella hadn’t thought much of it.

She just found her daughter adorable.

‘Does our daughter know how to play the piano?’

She shouldn’t have ever seen one before.

When did she pick up such a charming skill?

Or was she just curious and wanted to try?

‘If only she’d take an interest in piano and quit magic…’

Yes. Maybe I should take her to the church choir.

If she’s exposed to hymns, she might even become a priestess someday.

Anything would be better than a mage.

Mages are too dangerous.

—That’s what she had been thinking.

But when Serena began to play,

Everything changed.

—Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

‘Not a hymn?’

A simple yet cheerful opening.

Quite different from the solemn, serene hymns she was used to.

A melody and performance she had never heard before.

And yet—

‘It’s lovely.’

The unfamiliar tune sounded incredibly sweet to her ears.

The performance, evoking the illusion of twinkling stars, completely enchanted Ella.

‘It’s truly beautiful.’

She genuinely thought it was a beautiful piece.

Of course, she also suspected Serena was using magic.

‘My emotions are swaying more than usual.’

But she assumed it was simply because the music itself was so good.

How much time had passed?

Suddenly, she pulled her gaze away from the tiny stars conjured by the music and looked ahead.

There,

A small girl sat before a piano much larger than herself, drenched in sweat as she continued to play.

‘Ah…’

Even as beads of sweat dripped onto her white dress, the girl pressed the keys with all her might.

That desperate figure seemed to be shouting at her.

‘I still have to do magic.’

—It said.

‘I see.’

She had known,

But hadn’t wanted to admit it—

She had been overprotecting her daughter.

‘I was trying to cage this shining star.’

A star so dazzlingly beautiful that she wanted to keep it close—now, it was crying out.

I want to shine even brighter in a wider world.

Now, she found herself wanting to see it too.

Just how far this little star could shine.

How deep into the world’s darkness its light could reach.

‘Even if it blinds me.’

She wanted to see this star in full bloom.

Even if it meant sending it away from her world.

‘Ah.’

Once that thought took hold, tears spilled from her eyes.

She hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief, but the floodgates had opened.

—Sniffle, sob.

“Really, crying like a fool at my age…”

As she tried to swallow her tears,

—Squeeze.

Her husband, who had quietly approached, wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

“Dear…”

“Don’t cry so much, Ella.”

The rare sight of her husband speaking formally and calling her by name was unbearably tender.

His gentleness only made her cry harder, burying her face in his chest.

“Darling. Serena. Our Serena… Sob.”

“Yeah, our Serena. She’s so beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Sniff…! Really, really… so beautiful…”

Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her husband’s face as well.

How many tears had the couple shed?

The little star, having finished her long performance, came running toward them.

“Mom, Dad~!”

Ella spread her arms and hugged Serena tightly.

—Squeeze.

“Our daughter, you’re so beautiful. Really.”

“Really? Hehe.”

“Yeah. Really.”

Serena fidgeted, looking like she had something to say.

“Mom, um…”

“Yeah. It’s okay.”

“Huh?”

Ella, having beaten her to the punch, smiled and ruffled Serena’s hair.

“I can’t keep my daughter locked in my world forever.”

“Ah…!”

“You want to keep learning magic at the Tower, right?”

Serena’s eyes widened, then softened.

“Yeah…”

“Alright. Study hard, our daughter.”

Overjoyed at the permission, Serena nearly jumped for happiness.

After bouncing around excitedly, she hugged her mother again and shouted.

“Mom, you’re the best!!”

“Yeah, yeah. And you don’t have to visit every month anymore.”

“Eh, really?”

“Really. I’ve decided not to worry so much anymore.”

Seeing the quiet resolve in Ella’s eyes, Serena nodded slightly.

—Nod.

“But I still hope our daughter doesn’t get hurt.”

“I’ll be careful, hehe.”

“Good. By the way, when did you learn piano? You were amazing.”

“Ah! Um, well—books! I read it in a book before!”

“You learned to play like that just from a book?”

Ella narrowed her eyes slightly after a moment of thought.

“Serena. You…!”

“Gulp…”

“You’re a genius! There’s nothing our daughter can’t do!”

“Eek!”

Serena broke into a cold sweat internally.

‘Thank goodness Mom’s a doting parent…!’

For this moment, at least, she was grateful for her mother’s blind adoration.

“Well then, sweetheart. It’s cold—should we head inside?”

“Mm! Oh, I should go to Dad too.”

Sliding out of her mother’s arms, Serena ran toward her father this time.

—Pitter-patter.

Or rather, she tried to run.

—Halt.

As if remembering something, she stopped mid-step and turned back to Ella.

—Pitter-patter.

Looking like she had something to say, Serena leaned in close to her mother’s ear.

Ella bent down to listen.

“Yeah? What is it, sweetheart?”

“Mom…”

Serena’s tiny lips parted.

“Don’t think you’re caging me in your world.”

With sparkling eyes,

She spoke in the most serious voice she had ever used.

“To me, you are my world.”

“…!”

Leaving her wide-eyed mother behind,

This time, Serena really did run off toward her father.

—Pitter-patter.

Ella, staring at her retreating figure for a long moment, murmured to herself.

“Really… an angel.”

The little star she had seen today,

Shone brighter in the night sky than any Milky Way she had ever seen.