Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 165 Queen
Standing on the second floor, Shanxia Xiu listened to the piano music in the hall, which sounded different from the previous few days, and was completely stunned.

As the manager of this restaurant, he didn't actually know anything about music, but just listening to Hojo Suzune's performance gave him goosebumps all over.

Some music can move even a layman's soul. It's like how you may not have studied aesthetics, know the golden ratio of the human body, understand clothing matching, or know what temperament is, but when you see a stunningly beautiful woman on the street, you will stop and genuinely think she is beautiful.

The piece played by Hojo Suzune is of that standard.

Yamashita Hide subconsciously glanced at the other guests in the restaurant and found that their expressions were no different from his own.

A thought struck him; he felt he had discovered a business opportunity.

So before Hojo Suzune had finished playing, she quickly ran downstairs and went to the pianist Yasuda Kazuto's side.

"Yasuda-kun, who is this little girl?"

"..."

Kazuto Yasuda seemed not to have heard him, his gaze still fixed on the girl sitting at the piano playing.

Seeing this, Yamashita Hide frowned, reached out and nudged Yasuda Kazuto, and asked again:

Who is this little girl?

Yasuda Kazuto finally snapped out of his daze, turned to look at Yamashita Hide, pondered the other's question, and opened his mouth to say:

"Ah, she is... a guest..."

"guest?"

Yamashita Hide raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He had originally thought it was a friend of Yasuda Kazuto, or perhaps a sister or niece. After all, he had only ever seen such a guest request to play a piece, and play it quite well, on TV and in videos. This was just a common restaurant marketing tactic.

However, a guest is a guest. Yamashita Hide quickly adjusted his mindset, looked at the young man's back, thought for a moment, and asked:
"Yasuda-kun, what do you think of her skill level compared to yours?"

Upon hearing this, Yasuda Kazuto felt a chill run down his spine. Looking at Yamashita Hide's eyes, he felt that his job was in jeopardy.

He really wanted to say that he wasn't bad either...

But that would be insulting to one's intelligence. Just by looking at the reactions of the other guests, it's clear that I'm not on the same level as her.

So he sighed, shook his head, and said with a wry smile:
"Manager Yamashita is incomparable."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

Is there such a big difference?

Hearing what the other person said, Yamashita Hide was a little surprised. He knew that Yasuda Kazuto was not the kind of shy, introverted person who always liked to say humble things.

On the contrary, he was quite proud at heart. When we met, he immediately showed off his Grade 23 piano certificate and all the piano awards he had won since childhood, and asked for an hourly wage of 10,000.

The price is the same as that of a high-end restaurant, and he confidently assured that as long as the food is not bad enough, he will definitely retain some customers.

But now, facing this little girl who looks like a middle school student, he actually says there's no comparison. Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?

After a pause, Yamashita Hide couldn't help but ask again:

What grade do you think she is in piano?

Hearing his obviously amateurish words, Yasuda Kazuto found it amusing.

"This isn't about levels. Levels are just for ordinary people. For geniuses, level twenty-three is merely the entry threshold..."

"I can play this piece fluently too, but the key difference lies in the details and the soul..."

As Yasuda was talking, he suddenly didn't want to continue. The difference between a top-level amateur pianist and a professional lies in whether they can give a piece of music a new life through their personalized interpretation. This is not something that can be achieved simply by working hard. He felt that the slender little girl sitting in front of him at the piano was very likely already at a professional level.

The ability to easily do things that ordinary people cannot is true talent.

Talent can be categorized into different levels; those with top-tier talent are called geniuses.

Originally, Hojo Suzune told him that it was her friend's birthday and she wanted to play a song for her friend herself. She even played a short piece skillfully to show that it was no problem. He thought that since she was cute, there shouldn't be any problem since she had the courage to come up. Moreover, she might be able to liven up the atmosphere. Based on these thoughts, he agreed to let her play.

But to my surprise, the other party came to "challenge" me, and now I'm almost losing my job.

But... given her level, she probably wouldn't be interested in this job, right?

Yamashita Hide was unaware of the bitter feelings that Yasuda Kazuto was experiencing. He only thought that if he invited this girl over, the restaurant's monthly revenue might double.

If we promote it online again...

Seeing the surrounding customers all raising their phones to record videos, Yamashita Hide sensed a business opportunity.

With that in mind, he waited until Hojo Suzune finished playing before immediately going up to her, ready to have a proper talk with her.

However, to everyone's surprise, after the other person finished playing, they walked straight back to their original spot.

Yamashita Hide, without bothering to comfort Yasuda Kazuto beside him, quickly caught up with him.

…………

With just one song, Hojo Suzune captured the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

To be honest, this piece of music is not suitable for performing during a leisurely and relaxing time like a meal.

It should resonate in venues that can hold thousands of people, constantly cleansing the hearts of the audience and bringing awe time and time again.

She should be dressed in a magnificent gown, sitting elegantly at an expensive piano on a glittering stage, like a movie heroine, bathed in bright spotlights, enjoying the adoring gazes of her fans, raising her slender, smooth fingers to play beautiful notes.

However, Hojo Suzune didn't really care whether the audience was eating or whether the performance was in a restaurant or a music venue.

The reason I chose this piece of music was simply to get the spotlight on me.

In a movie, no one pays attention to what the passersby behind the main character are thinking or doing; the camera will only focus on the main character.

In Hojo Suzune's view, this is the protagonist's power to suppress passersby.

She didn't know who the person sitting opposite Takahashi Mio was.

Just hearing what she said was enough to make him angry. 'Is he a rich kid? Mio? Does he even need a girlfriend?'

'No wonder you were attracted to him, Mio. If it were me, I'd want to be his girlfriend too…'

Hojo Suzune could naturally tell that these were words spoken by several people to tease Takahashi Mio.

Before coming to Tokyo, she might have scoffed and even joined them in laughing at Mio Takahashi, at the awful friends she had made, and at how she made a fool of herself in front of everyone.

However, after hearing her sister's words and hearing these sarcastic remarks, Hojo Suzune felt a nameless fire ignite in the void in her heart.

'Kiyoshi's love is purposeful...'

Those who can win Kiyozai's love are all people with extraordinary talent in a certain field.

'I didn't say you were inferior to Suzune, it's just that I don't know why Seiya didn't choose you...'

Yes, he himself felt that Takahashi Mio was not good enough for him, but he still chose her anyway.

If Kiyoya is right, then it means I am indeed inferior to her.

Since you can't even compare to her, what right do you scum have to mock Takahashi Mio for being Kiyoya's girlfriend?

Hojo Suzune was still somewhat angry with Takahashi Mio.

So what if you're two-timing? At least you were chosen by Kiyoya...

They didn't even have the chance to be chosen.

You've already accepted Kiyoya's love, so what are you still hesitating about?

If it were me, I wouldn't just tear their mouths apart, I'd at least throw a glass of water in their face to wake them up.

Hojo Suzune originally thought that Takahashi Mio, that green tea bitch and gold-digging fox, must have used some shameless methods to seduce Kiyoya, and that's why she was trying so hard to disgust her.

But now, if it really is Kiyoya who has chosen her...

Mio Takahashi is one with Seiya.

For this reason, Hojo Suzune had nowhere to vent her grievances and resentment. Now that Matsushita Yuzuki had stepped forward, she simply decided to take out her anger on a few people.

Of course, she wasn't stupid. If she ran over without thinking, the other side had more people and more power. Not only would she not be able to make them bow down, but she would also be treated like a stray dog ​​and kicked around like Mio Takahashi.

They might even be asked to leave the restaurant for deliberately causing trouble, which would make them lose face completely.

To instill fear in someone, you either need social status and power, or you need to create a certain atmosphere.

Since you don't have an overwhelming aura, create your own stage and use the momentum of having the whole audience focused on you to completely crush your opponent.

As for whether such an effect could be achieved, Hojo Suzune felt that while it wasn't a sure thing, victory was certainly within her grasp, as the pianist's playing level was roughly the same as hers a year ago.

If we were to rank people by seniority, he should be the one calling himself "teacher."

She is never stage-frightened, as if she was born to be on stage, and it is normal for her to win applause.

The applause that people are giving him, the atmosphere that surrounds him, is enough to deal with Matsushita Yuzuki.

And just as Hojo Suzune had imagined, the applause that filled the air created a strong magnetic field around her.

The overwhelming force pressed down on Matsushita Yuzuki, making it hard for her to breathe.

Hojo Suzune extended her index finger, pointing it directly at Matsushita Yuzuki, her bright, pretty face showing anger:

"I'm not even worthy of being Kiyoya's girlfriend, who do you think you are?"

Although she was dressed as an ordinary girl, far less conspicuous than Mio Takahashi's attire, she looked more like a queen than the latter.

Matsushita Yuzuki opened her mouth, her eyes glazed over, and a sense of fear and timidity welled up inside her.

The aura emanating from Hojo Suzune was so overwhelming that she could hardly breathe, her throat felt dry, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Not only her, but the others were also stunned by her aura and speechless. When Hojo Suzune's sharp gaze swept across their faces, they all lowered their heads like quails.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Fortunately, someone soon broke the awkward atmosphere.

"This lady..."

When Yamashita Hide arrived at Hojo Suzune's side, he was about to say something when he noticed that the atmosphere among them seemed a bit awkward.

Hojo Suzune wasn't deaf. Seeing the way the people bowed their heads to her, half of her anger subsided.

She noticed Mio Takahashi looking at her with a complicated expression, and felt quite satisfied.

Then he turned to look at Yamashita Hide and asked softly:
"what happened?"

"My name is Yamashita Hideaki, and I am the manager here. Your performance just now was absolutely wonderful. To thank you for your patronage, on behalf of Asoin, I will treat you and your friend to a meal. However... I have a few things I would like to discuss with you..."

Hojo Suzune blinked her watery eyes, as if she had thought of something. A smile played on her lips as she glanced at the girls at the table and looked at Yamashita Hidetoshi:
"You're too kind. Please tell me what it is."

"Here's the thing, would you be interested..."

"..."

Yamashita Hide directly expressed his desire to hire Hojo Suzune as the restaurant's resident pianist, even offering her 15,000 yen per hour. After Hojo Suzune refused, he reluctantly offered 20,000 yen per hour if she only came twice a week, but she ultimately declined.

She had no grudge against Yasuda Kazuto, so she naturally had no interest in taking his job. Besides, with her piano skills, she might be able to meet Seiya more often.

However, Hojo Suzune did not notice that when Yamashita Hide offered 15,000 yen and then 20,000 yen per hour, Takahashi Mio, who had been standing next to her, had her eyes shining.

That's a wage of 20,000 per hour!

If I could play the piano myself, I would have agreed on her behalf!
Looking at the little boy in front of her, Mio Takahashi had a complicated expression.

How come everyone who learns piano makes so much money?
……
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(End of this chapter)