Chapter 23
Sunlight slanted through the window, spilling over the floor, the piano keys, and Edith’s face, making her look bright yet cool. Soft piano notes trickled from her fingertips.
At first, Kerrie barely registered it. The piano playing sounded amateurish and rough. She wondered if she should ask Edith to use study time for practice, and whether her homeroom teacher would even approve.
But as her thoughts wandered, the awkward melody smoothed out, growing steady.
Since the first two sections belonged to Hallie, Edith had just played it casually. But when her part came, she leaned in, closed her eyes, and fully immersed herself in the music.
Kerrie felt it shift–the tune swelled like a blazing fire, drawing two hearts closer. For a moment, she could almost see love in its purest, brightest form.
The music quickened, like a girl’s racing pulse, soaring high before softening into a warm, joyous flow that filled the music
hall.
Silence followed, and every student stared, stunned.
Between Kerrie’s skepticism and Hallie’s flawless performance, no one had expected much from Edith. But this was amazing; even though her technique wasn’t as sharp as Hallie’s, the music pulled them in, making them feel the quiet beauty of love beneath the notes.
[The Host’s piano piece has earned sincere praise from over ten people. Reward: Intermediate Piano Skill.]
The System’s robotic voice snapped Edith out of her musical zone. She hadn’t thought her impromptu attempt would earn so much recognition. Even more surprisingly, the System had just awarded her an intermediate piano level, equivalent to a solid 7-8 grade skill.
“Alright, go back to practicing those dance steps.” Kerrie clapped, dismissed the others, and walked over to Edith.
Her fingers glided across the keys as she coached, “The second section starts with a steady bass line–keep your fingers flowing. You hesitated a bit there, so you’ll need to work on that.
“And for this next measure, you should use arpeggios to climb continuously. For the bass, hit those chords, and when the melody peaks, throw in some chromatic scales.”
th had learned these terms as a kid but mostly forgotten them. Oddly enough, they clicked now, and with Kerrie’s Lance, her hands moved smoothly over the keys.
That’s it, Kerrie smiled. “Now try the second section again, just like I showed you.”
Für Elise filled the music hall once more,
Kerrie rested against the piano stand, eyes half–shut, soaking in the music. She’d coached tons of students, but Edith was different–a supposed intermediate player who somehow nailed the piece’s emotional core in a way that blew her away.
If Kerrie played Für Elise, she’d totally nail it technically. But she knew deep down she couldn’t capture its true emotional depth. For piano, technique might be the foundation, but feeling was the heart of it.
She couldn’t help thinking, ‘Hallie’s got the technical chops, while Edith’s got the musical soul. Put them together, and they could totally revolutionize piano performance!
‘No–wait! Kerrie’s eyes snapped open. “This girl claimed to be at Level 3, but her technique is way beyond that—more like a
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8:19 pm SDD
Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Sunlight slanted through the window, spilling over the floor, the piano keys, and Edith’s face, making her look bright yet cool. Soft piano notes trickled from her fingertips.
At first, Kerrie barely registered it. The piano playing sounded amateurish and rough. She wondered if she should ask Edith to use study time for practice, and whether her homeroom teacher would even approve.
But as her thoughts wandered, the awkward melody smoothed out, growing steady.
Since the first two sections belonged to Hallie, Edith had just played it casually. But when her part came, she leaned in. closed her eyes, and fully immersed herself in the music.
Kerrie felt it shift–the tune swelled like a blazing fire, drawing two hearts closer. For a moment, she could almost see love in its purest, brightest form.
The music quickened, like a girl’s racing pulse, soaring high before softening into a warm, joyous flow that filled the music hall
Silence followed, and every student stared, stunned.
Between Kerrie’s skepticism and Hallie’s flawless performance, no one had expected much from Edith. But this was amazing: even though her technique wasn’t as sharp as Hallie’s, the music pulled them in, making them feel the quiet beauty of love beneath the notes.
[The Host’s piano piece has earned sincere praise from over ten people. Reward: Intermediate Piano Skill]
The System’s robotic voice snapped Edith out of her musical zone. She hadn’t thought her impromptu attempt would earn so much recognition. Even more surprisingly, the System had just awarded her an intermediate piano level equivalent to a solid 7-8 grade skill.
“Alright, go back to practicing those dance steps.” Kerrie clapped, dismissed the others, and walked over to Edith.
Her fingers glided across the keys as she coached. “The second section starts with a steady bass line–keep your fingers flowing. You hesitated a bit there, so you’ll need to work on that.
And for this next measure, you should use arpeggios to climb continuously. For the bass, hit those chords, and when the melody peaks, throw in some chromatic scales.”
Je had learned these terms as a kid but mostly forgotten them. Oddly enough, they clicked now, and with Kerrie’s place her hands moved smoothly over the keys.
That’s it Kerrie smiled. “Now try the second section again, just like I showed you.”
Für Elise filled the music hall once more.
Kere rested against the piano stand, eyes half–shut, soaking in the music. She’d coached tons of students, but Edith was different–a supposed intermediate player who somehow nailed the piece’s emotional core in a way that blew her away.
If Kerrie played Fur Elise, she’d totally nail it technically. But she knew deep down she couldn’t capture its true emotional depth. For piano, technique might be the foundation, but feeling was the heart of it.
She couldn’t help thinking, Hallie’s got the technical chops, while Edith’s got the musical soul. Put them together, and they could totally revolutionize piano performance
No–wait! Kerrie’s eyes snapped open. This girl claimed to be at Level 3, but her technique is way beyond that–more like a
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8:19 pm SDD
pm;
Chapter 23
Level 7 at least.
Just minutes ago, Edith’s playing was stilted. A few pointers, and she’d leaped forward. Kerrie studied Edith, a glinted something unreadable flickering in her eyes.
[Host has received sincere praise. Reward: Charm +1.]
[Host has received sincere praise. Reward: Leg Length +1.]
11
The System kept chiming as Edith played, and she let out a faint sigh, casting a helpless glance at Kerne Earlier, the teacher had brushed her off, even been sharp with her–so why was she quietly impressed now, enough to trigger these rewarde
Edith slipped back to class just as afternoon lessons began. Skipping her usual nap left her looking a little tired.
Hallie noticed, her smirk growing. Everyone knew Kerrie was a hardcore piano instructor who’d torn apart tons of students in the music program–she’d even made one quit. Hallie bet Edith, with her Level skills, must’ve gotten an earful
Noreen snickered. “This is just the start. I’ll make her miserable, and yet she won’t be able to say a thing”
Edith ignored them, spending the afternoon plowing through three test papers, nailing nearly perfect scores. The System’s cash rewards pushed her balance past 16 thousand.
System: [New mission: A proper heiress knows how to enjoy shopping. Host, spend your entire card balance]
Edith stared, baffled. She’d slaved over those tests to save up over 16 grand, but now she had to blow it all. What was worse, she didn’t even want to shop.
But harder missions meant higher stakes–and far bigger rewards. Edith hesitated for a few seconds, then resolved to spend every last cent
Before evening study hall, she hopped on a bus to Sunspire’s largest luxury mall. She wandered through the shops until something caught her eye: a sleek jet–black fountain pen with a gold nib.
When she was a kid, she’d had one like that. But the year her mom passed away, the pen went missing. After that, she was shipped off to a poor town, with no chance to ever find the pen again.
wasn’t buying the pen for herself. Instead, she planned to give it to Larry as a thank–you gift.
oood evening, miss, the salesclerk smiled. This pen was $16,660, now discounted to $16,000. Would you like to pay with PayPal or a credit card?
Edith handed over her bank card.
After buying the pen, she still had over $1,000 left. She headed to a stationery store and picked out reference books for herself, Zachary, and Joseph. The books were pricey, over $30 each. She grabbed about thirty, wiping out the rest of her
balance.
System: [Mission complete. A qualified heiress always has her own little stash. Reward: ten times the amount spent, refunded to Host’s account.]
Edith’s eyes widened. She pulled out her phone–sure enough, her card balance now read over 150 thousand. More missions like this, please, she thought.
But as someone who’d seen her share of ups and downs, Edith quickly composed herself. She gathered her purchases and headed back to school.
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8:19 pm SDD.
Chapter 23
Since she didn’t have evening study hall, she took the books straight to the study room Larry was already there, waiting
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