Anime Heart

Chapter Seventy-Eight is about to begin

Because of Keiko's intervention, Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryota Watari were unable to start an argument, but Kousei Arima looked at Tsubaki Sawabe with some uncertainty.

Could it be that I've really been infected with Tsubaki's idiotic trait?

Why is there no piano when I want to practice playing a duet with Kaori Miyazono?!

Seeing Kousei Arima's frustrated expression, Kaoru Miyazono smiled and said, "Don't worry, there's absolutely no need for practice or any kind of adjustment! Just play according to your own feelings, and only by playing according to your own feelings can you keep up with me."

"This performance is simply to fulfill a long-held wish of mine. Oh, and also to pull you out of the abyss, so the result doesn't matter, as long as you enjoy yourself!"

The girl's words deeply touched Arima Kousei.

Of course, if she hadn't been holding hands with Arima Kento when she said those words, she might have felt even more deeply, perhaps even moved beyond words.

Recalling the girl's previous performance, Arima Kousei chose to believe her and nodded, saying, "I understand! I'll do my best then!"

The six chatted for a while longer, and then it was time to eat. Since they didn't need to practice, they didn't have to rush. They found a restaurant and prepared to enjoy their lunch.

As he ate the delicate but small portions of Japanese food, Arima Kento was somewhat moved, realizing that this was his first time eating Japanese food!

He couldn't afford to eat in his past life, but in this life he travels all over the world and has all sorts of delicious food. He still doesn't care much about Japanese food.

Now he suddenly discovered that Japanese food was surprisingly delicious, especially authentic sashimi, sushi, and the like.

Of course, he would definitely refuse that kind of female body banquet.

After having a hearty meal and drinks, they headed to the competition venue. It was already past 1 p.m., and the competition would start at 2 p.m., much earlier than last time.

When they arrived at the venue, they found that many people had arrived earlier than them, including adults and children. It seems that this competition is quite important for many violinists.

Remembering what his aunt had said before, that she wanted to come and see the two performers, Yu Ma Xian Dong took out his phone and dialed his aunt's number.

This was agreed upon beforehand; we were notified before the competition started, and Haruko Arima was sure to come and watch.

And who knows, she might even be able to get Arima Shiki to come along!

"Um, Xian Dong, why don't you stay in the audience and watch from there?" When it was time to enter, Kaoru Miyazono suddenly became a little shy. "Only contestants and staff are allowed to enter and exit backstage, so we'll have to separate for a bit."

Arima Kento immediately understood what the girl meant. Although he also really didn't want to be separated from Miyazono Kaori, since he had come to participate in someone else's competition, following the rules was the most basic requirement.

"Don't worry about that!" Arima Kento reached out and patted the girl's head, smiling as he said, "There's nothing we can do about it. I'm not a child anymore, so just enjoy your performance!"

"Also, Kousei, you'd better step up your game! Otherwise, I'll be too embarrassed to admit I have a brother like you. So, good luck!"

The others cheered for Arima Kousei and Miyazono Kaori. Arima Kenjiro took the girl's hand and led her to the entrance of the passage, handing her the violin in his other hand.

Then, Arima Kento let go of the other person's hand and said, "Good luck!"

After saying that, he reached out and cupped Kaori Miyazono's face in his hands, ignoring the stares of others, and gently kissed her forehead.

"Go forth, young lady, with the buff I bestow upon you!"

With a flushed face, Miyazono Kaoru dashed into the passageway, and Arima Kousei quickly followed.

He had naturally seen what had just happened, and although he had made up his mind, he was still somewhat upset.

However, thinking about the determination I made before, I think everything will end after this!

Watching the two disappear at the end of the corridor, the four turned and left. Instead of going directly into the hall to wait for the show to begin, they stayed near the entrance.

Since Haruko Arima hasn't arrived yet, we can't just leave her here!

The four waited and chatted, and finally, just as the competition was about to begin, Haruko Arima arrived late.

"Hi! My dear Xian Dong! I'm here!" Haruko Arima hugged Xian Dong's neck and then greeted the others after washing her face.

"Auntie, I can't breathe!"

After being released, Arima Kento took a few deep breaths to calm down. Then he saw his father, Arima Shiki, as well as Taneda Risa, and of course his younger sister, Arima Ayako.

Seeing Arima Kento's somewhat puzzled expression, Arima Haruko explained, "Since it's a competition between Kousei and your girlfriend, how could your dad not come? They're all here to cheer you on."

"Thank you, Dad!" Arima Sento said.

Arima Shiki stepped forward, flicked him on the forehead, and said, "Hurry up and take us to the stands, the match is about to start!"

"Tch, your brother has been here for competitions before, how could you forget where the audience seats are? You're such a bad dad!" Arima Kento complained.

"Stop talking nonsense, believe me or not I'll freeze your bank card!"

"Ha, the match is about to start! Let's hurry and watch it!"

A large group of people entered the competition hall, found the best spot, sat down in a row, and waited for the competition to begin.

Backstage at this moment, Arima Kousei finally showed his fear.

Having not performed on stage for three years, he had almost forgotten the exhilarating feeling of being on stage.

But now that feeling is back, and he's about to be overwhelmed by it.

Kaori Miyazono noticed something was off about Kousei Arima. Although she was clear about her own feelings, Kousei Arima still held a significant place in her heart.

At the very least, you need both idols and friends.

Well, if I marry Arima Kento in the future, Arima Kousei will also be my oni-san!

"Kousei! May I call you that?" Kaori Miyazono pulled Kousei Arima, who was looking down, up and said, "The match is about to start. If you keep acting like this, we might as well just withdraw!"

"But I'm not willing to give up. We've already come this far, and I'm not willing to quit now! I'm sure you wouldn't be either!"

"Besides, I heard from Xian Dong that you had decided to try to move on, right? Since we are all unwilling to accept this, and you also have a reason to perform, how can you continue in this state?"

"Come on! I'll allow you to put your arm around my shoulder and come in with me! We can definitely play music that moves everyone, we definitely can!"

"Because we are all lucky ones watched over by the god of music, let's not let down all those who have high expectations for us!"

Chapter Seventy-Nine was a successful performance.

"Next up is audience favorite Kaori Miyazono and her accompanist Kousei Arima! Please remain quiet and enjoy the ambiance created by classical music!"

Kaori Miyazono's appearance order was still in the middle position. Several people had already come up before her. Ma Xiandong naturally couldn't tell their skill level, but he knew that these people's skill level was higher than the average level of the people in the last competition.

At least, the performances of these people didn't make him sleepy.

Upon hearing the host's words, Ma Xiandong immediately perked up. It was time for his girlfriend to come on stage, and also for his brother to make a comeback. This was the moment to see if he could pull himself together.

Following the host's gesture, Kaori Miyazono, dressed in a stunning gown, appeared step by step in the center of the stage. Perhaps she wasn't the most beautiful, but at that moment she was the focus of everyone's attention.

"Hmm, Xiao Xun really suits evening gowns. I should get her a few when I have the chance!"

Standing in the center of the stage, Kaori Miyazono glanced behind her, then waved slightly, and Kousei Arima appeared.

Wearing the same formal attire, his slightly insecure demeanor made him less dazzling than Kaori Miyazono. However, he received just as much attention as Kaori Miyazono.

Because, as Kousei Arima has always stood at the pinnacle of his peers, he has won first place in every competition he has participated in, except for the one he voluntarily withdrew from three years ago.

Seeing Kousei Arima reminded many children of the fear they had felt when they were dominated by him.

"Hey, isn't that Arima Kousei? He's actually playing the piano again! I never expected that!"

"Yeah, yeah! With the most unique contestant and this 'human metronome,' this performance is sure to be a lot of fun!"

Listening to the comments from those around him, Arima Kento looked at the two people bowing on the stage with some concern. However, when he thought about his girlfriend's amazing performance and his brother Arima Kousei's performance which had returned to normal, he felt that this might be another feast for the eyes and ears.

As everyone eagerly awaited the sparks that would fly between the two performers on stage, the performance officially began.

The sound of the piano rang out first, but everyone noticed one thing: why was it played so differently from the previous players?

"This isn't the same piece of music!" one of the judges said quietly. When he turned around, he saw the chief judge, Kazama, trying his best to hold back something.

"What are they doing! Did they bring the wrong sheet music? This isn't the piece required for the competition; it's Kreisler's 'Love's Melancholy'! They just changed the piece like that; what do they think this place is?!"

"No, absolutely not! This is ignoring the competition rules!"

Once the violin started playing, even someone who doesn't understand music could tell that the two people on stage were not playing the same piece as the previous ones.

However, for some reason, although the referee was furious, he did not stop the game but let it continue.

However, when he caught a glimpse of a man in black standing quietly beside his father, Arima Shiki, Arima Kento almost understood that this must be his father's doing!

Although it wasn't the same song, Kaori Miyazono's musical buff was still fully unleashed, even inspiring Kousei Arima to unleash his own 'domain'.

Arima Kento and other attentive listeners witnessed some scenes once again.

A blonde girl was jumping, running and playing around on the lake shore, while a boy was half-submerged in the water, struggling and moving forward step by step with difficulty.

The two were walking side by side when the girl suddenly seemed to spot the boy in the water. She called out to him and others, as if trying to save the boy from drowning.

One person appeared behind the boy and pushed him a step, then another person appeared and pushed him again. This continued, with the boy slowly approaching the shore.

Finally, the boy began to exert his strength, and with the help of the girl on the shore, he finally stepped onto the shore step by step. Although he was still dripping wet, he was truly standing on the shore.

At this moment, the sound of the violin gradually faded into the background, and the girl's figure slowly disappeared, leaving only the boy on the shore.

Just when the boy seemed incredibly lonely, a pair of hands appeared and embraced him; it was a woman called 'Mother'.

The sound of the piano gradually softened, like a mother caressing her child, or like a lullaby to lull someone to sleep.

The entire piece gradually came to an end in this rhythm.

The violin sounded again, playing a fierce duet with the piano, and at this point it was impossible to distinguish which instrument was accompanying which.

Amidst the somewhat glamorous and chaotic scene, the last note of the piano and the final strum of the violin bring this version of "Love's Sorrow," which is no longer the original, to an end.

"As expected, how could Arima Kousei only be an accompanist!" "Both of them are performers, undoubtedly geniuses! Only they could have performed this piece like this!"

The crowd erupted in cheers once again!

Looking at the cheering crowd below and Kousei Arima's satisfied and happy expression, Kaori Miyazono knew that she had achieved her goal for this trip.

Although my decision to change the music on the spot was a bit rash, I didn't do anything wrong, and all my wishes have come true!

The thought of Arima Kento watching her from below made Kaori Miyazono want to find him. She was so happy and wanted to share it with him!

But why is my world starting to tilt?! Oh, Xian Dong is here! But I'm a little sleepy!

"Kaoru! What's wrong with you! Don't scare me!" Arima Kento rushed onto the stage, grabbed Kaoru Miyazono who was about to fall, and kept calling out to the girl who was about to close her eyes.

Just as the performance was about to end, Arima Kento noticed something was wrong. Kaori Miyazono's steps were unsteady, as if she was about to fall at any moment.

He got up and prepared to go to the edge of the stage to catch Kaori Miyazono, and then he saw Kaori Miyazono about to fall.

"Don't worry, Xian Dong! Take her out first, I have a plan!" Haruko Arima called out to the anxious Xian Dong and directed him.

Following his aunt's instructions, Arima Kento carried Miyazono Kaori out of the concert hall, out of the clubhouse, and sat down in a relatively quiet place.