Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’ve been taking life too seriously.
At first, I only wanted to take care of the members of the school.
But then, when I came to my senses, I found myself as a nobleman with a title of knight managing two territories.
Becoming a noble and gaining territories naturally brings stable income and elevates one’s status, so one might think it’s great.
But with that recognition comes a lot of annoying hassles.
Like this.
“Hello, Sir Yuren.”
“It’s been a while. How’s the trade going, Mr. Green?”
“Thanks to you, Sir Yuren, it’s flourishing.”
“Hahaha, that’s wonderful to hear.”
As per Sylvia’s request, we went to the performance hall in Irene Land to watch the “Riana Orchestra” perform.
Most of the audience for such events are nobles, so naturally, a lot of nobles gathered.
That meant, of course, it was time for social greetings.
As the manager of Irene School, both Sylvia and I had to receive all their greetings, responding until our cheekbones ached from the exercise.
“I don’t think I could ever handle that.”
“Me neither. I’m Jeeren’s apprentice.”
From the sidelines where I was greeting everyone alongside Sylvia, the voices of Master and Jeeren felt enviously distant today.
In the midst of all these greetings, the performance was about to begin, and finally, Sylvia and I could escape the hell of greetings.
Before the performance started, a dignified man with white hair climbed onto the stage.
He politely greeted us and opened his mouth.
“Esteemed nobles of the southern region, I am Olsson, the conductor of the ‘Riana Orchestra.’ It’s an honor to meet you.”
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Ah, that feeling. It’s been a while.
It reminded me of the time in my past life when I was forced to attend a musical for the team’s hobby.
“The performance of our ‘Riana Orchestra,’ boasting a long history, is a place for you to temporarily escape your daily lives and find peace of heart. Through today’s performance, I hope you can find peace, leisure, and touching moments in your hearts.”
What should I do… I already feel drowsy.
When I sensed the goddess of sleep tugging at the back of my head, I realized that if this continued, I’d likely be asleep 30 minutes into the performance while Jeeren would fall asleep about 12 minutes and 50 seconds in.
“Well then, we will start the performance now. Please give a hearty applause!”
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
I tried my best to clap painfully, stimulating my cells to chase away the sleep.
Hold on, my mind!
I have to last at least 40 minutes, or I’ll get scolded by Sylvia!!
*
11 minutes and 23 seconds after the performance began.
The “Riana Orchestra” just passed the beginning and was now starting the mid-section of their performance.
The delicate sounds of string instruments and the heart-stirring piano resonated through the hall, and the silver-haired fairy-like singer, Riana, began to sing.
Pax aeternam♫ pax in corde♫
The beautifully resonating song captivated everyone, and they listened intently.
While everyone was quietly enjoying the music, Yuren’s area was particularly silent.
“Zzz…”
“ZZzz…”
“ZZzzz…”
In just 11 minutes after the performance began, Yuren, Jeeren, and Irene all fell asleep.
At least Karen and Sylvia, who enjoyed classical music, were emotionally engaged in the performance.
Their slumbering figures caught the eyes of the singing Riana.
Lux divina♫♫ nos protegat♫
‘(There are sleepers… once again today)’
When did it start? Riana began to notice the people sleeping during the performance.
Was she not performing as well as the former Riana?
Though she thought about it and tried even harder, the number of people dozing off didn’t decrease, and eventually, she sought advice from the former Riana.
Then the former Riana said to her,
“Someday, when your frozen heart melts, it will naturally disappear.”
Riana didn’t quite understand what the former Riana meant.
While she acknowledged having a bit of a cold side, she didn’t see it as a problem.
She knew what laws and etiquette were to be kept, and understood what was necessary in relationships with people.
Wasn’t that enough?
Thinking like this, Riana recreated the performance of the 7th Riana once again today.
“Bravo!!”
“It was a beautiful performance!”
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
An hour passed and the performance ended.
Everyone stood up, clapping, showering praises, but the three asleep remained oblivious, while Karen and Sylvia felt embarrassed.
“Yuren… Yuren…!”
“Jeeren, please wake up.”
Eventually, the two could no longer hold back and delivered physical prodding to Yuren and Jeeren.
And then…
Thunk! Whack!
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
With reflex, Yuren began to clap, startling Irene out of her sleep, who then joined in clapping, and finally, Jeeren woke up in response to the clapping, as all three of them happily came to consciousness.
Sylvia and Karen, on the other hand, were left with headaches.
*
Thanks to the performance, or perhaps due to a refreshing long nap, as I exited the performance hall, I felt unusually invigorated.
The breeze felt good after so long, and not wanting to head straight home, I suggested we all go to Mr. Brown’s tavern.
“Drinks!? I’m definitely in!… if Karen gives her approval.”
“I’m good too! My apprentice!!”
Seeing Jeeren’s excited expression, Karen sighed as if giving in.
“Well, if the Master wants to, and today’s a special day, it’s fine. But only up to three drinks.”
“Awesome!!”
“Sylvia, it’s okay for me too, right?”
“Tomorrow’s schedule is clear, so it should be fine. Let’s go. To the tavern!”
We made our way to Mr. Brown’s tavern after a long while.
Mr. Brown’s tavern had become the largest tavern in all of Irene Land.
Of course, the game area was buzzing with people, and the tavern was still filled with patrons enjoying their evenings.
“We’re here, Mr. Brown!”
“Oooo!!! Well, well, who do we have here!!!! Our treasure, Yuren, isn’t it!!!! Hahahahaha!!!!!”
We received a warm welcome from Mr. Brown, and as we took our seats in the central area, we happily clinked our beers for the first time in ages.
As the drinks started flowing, Sylvia leaned in and asked, “Yuren, how was the performance?… Only the parts you remember, though.”
“Umm… it wasn’t bad.”
It wasn’t a lie.
The performance itself wasn’t bad.
Beautiful playing and a gorgeous voice; it was truly a performance worthy of being painted.
But there was something… an indescribable emptiness lingering.
At that moment, Jeeren, feeling cheerful from the drinks, chimed in, “I preferred the song my brother sang back in the day over that performance.”
I almost choked when suddenly asked to sing by the two eager individuals.
W-wait, here!?
“Sing… sing, you say?”
“That one! You know, the one my brother sings that goes ‘Doo-doo, clap!’”
“Oh, that one…”
Back in our poor days, there was a pop song that we’d sing during a party after finally getting some income, even if our situation was still tough.
I was embarrassed because of my pride, but Master said,
“I feel the same. My apprentice, can you sing it again after so long?”
“Looks like I have no choice; let’s do it.”
“Yuren, you sing too? And what’s ‘Doo-doo-clap’?”
“It’s a thing. Just follow my lead, Ms. Sylvia.”
Doo⬊Doo⬊Clap⬈!
Doo⬊Doo⬊Clap⬈!!
As Master and Jeeren stomped their feet and kept the beat, Sylvia and Karen followed along, and the nostalgic rhythm of the legendary song began to form, capturing everyone’s attention.
Then I started to sing.
“Buddy, you’re♫ a boy, makin’♫ big noise playin’♫ in the street♫”
I sang the legendary hit [King]’s We Will We Will Rock You, the only pop song I could remember, and people began to focus on us.
“What’s that?”
“Is it a performance?”
At first, the tavern patrons looked bewildered, but they gradually started to follow the rhythm.
Doo⬊Doo⬊Clap⬈!
Doo⬊Doo⬊Clap⬈!
The vibe heated up, and I belted out the climax of the song.
“We will, we will rock you!! Everyone together!”
[“We will, we will rock you!!!”]
No need for me to explain as the tavern exploded with the sound of the chorus.
The performance I started spread like wildfire, turning the tavern into a concert hall.
While modern pop music didn’t exist in this other world, there were certainly bard songs and local folk songs passed down through singing.
“Lost dwarf in the breeze, oh how it feels♫ not just anyone but an elf lass♫♫”
Like folk songs, the lyrics were quite cheeky.
Listening to these tunes brought back joyful moments reminiscent of the lively arcade days.
What I wished for was something a bit more modern…
“Next game, this one!!”
I suddenly thought of the next game we should develop!
I can’t believe I almost forgot about this game!!
It was time to let loose and surrender to the beat.
*
Riana had a small hobby.
It was to quietly sip alone at taverns in the towns or cities where she attended performances, concealing her face and observing the locals as her form of enjoyment.
However, the sudden beat intruded upon her quiet enjoyment.
Doo⬊Doo⬊Clap⬈!
Doo⬊Doo⬊Clap⬈!!
‘(What’s that? This noisy sound?)’
At first, she found the disturbance quite annoying.
But as she listened more, she began to immerse herself in the rhythm and the song.
“Buddy, you’re♫ a boy, makin’♫ big noise playin’♫ in the street♫”
It wasn’t the best singing.
It was a tune that could easily be called a local folk song often heard in taverns.
But it had an indescribable charm to it.
Caught up in the rhythm, she found herself…
“We will, we will rock you!! Everyone together!”
[“We will, we will rock you!!!”]
Before she knew it, she was singing along.
Feeling a passionate fire beating in her heart, she was surprised at herself for joining in the song.
And her eyes turned toward the silver-haired man who started this song.
She wanted to know more about him.
