Tuning Contest

Seeing her eyes glitter upon the sight of the piano, Ren was a little happy as well. He had heard about the incident with Sebek and had been worried that her condition would worsen, but it turns out that she was quite all right in the end!

Even the bandage that had been around her head was no longer there! Knowing this relieved him quite a bit.

"Welcome- Oh?"

They looked up to find Jade walking into the lounge. Jade looked to her in surprise, "I didn't think there would be two guests today..."

"I hope it isn't any trouble." Ren said hesitantly, "This is Lotus. We've become friends during the first week of school."

"Good evening, Jade!" Lotus waved her hand with a wide smile.

"You know each other?" Ren asked her curiously.

Lotus nodded her head, "It was during the finals incident. The supervisor and Grim were dragged into the situation and I was there to witness it during that time. then, we properly met when they stayed over at Ramshackle dorms. It was quite fun!"

Jade chuckled and nodded his head in agreement, "Yes. It has been a while since I've talked with someone about tea like this. That reminds me. Your advice regarding the chrysanthemum tea was rather interesting and a hit for those who had a picky palette."

Lotus laughed, "Well, it is a type of tea that even children enjoy having. Oh, but you should keep that a secret or it may affect their mood if they heard that."

"If it's for children, then they might feel nostalgic, correct?" Jade wore a sly smile as he said rather reasonably, "Then, there can't be any problems for them to know that its a type of tea that even children can enjoy."

Hearing their chatter, Ren chuckled in amusement, "It sounds like the two of you got a long really well, then. I was on my way here when I bumped into Lotus. When I told him about the piano, he really wanted to come and see it as well."

Lotus nodded her head, "I've never seen a piano up close before! I've usually seen them on television and books. So, this sounds like fun!"

"Is that so?" Jade said curiously looking to the bundle in her arms, "Then, tha-?"

"Is that Lotus?"

They glanced over to the owner of the voice and found that it was Azul with Floyd following behind. A person in a gray jumpsuit had already left the private room that Azul used as an office. Lotus turned to Azul and smiled wide, "Good evening, Azul!"

"Ah, is it already that time?" Azul looked to his watch in surprise, "So, it's already evening. Well, good evening. I thought that I only invited one person here today..."

Ren nodded his head nervously, "Hello, Azul. I ran into Lotus in the Hall of Mirrors. When he heard about the piano, he wanted to see it as well."

"It looks like Lotus has never seen a piano in the flesh before." Jade confirmed with a look of amusement.

"Well, that's all right." Azul shrugged, "I really just need someone willing to test out the tune of the piano with us."

As he said this, the worker returned removing his cap to his belt and said with a wide smile, "That's right. Normally, we would just use a tuning fork and all that. The trips to bring the instrument over would've costed more and, being a school, Night Raven College and Royal Sword Academy probably doesn't have the finance to pay for additional materials."

"Don't we have instruments in school to help with the tuning?" Lotus questioned them curiously.

"We do..." Azul sighed in dismay, "However, without the staff, no one is allowed into the classroom or even have possession of the key."

"Seriously?" Lotus sighed in disappointment, "They can't even hand the key over to you for one break?"

"No matter how much we're trusted by the teachers, we are still students and children in their eyes, Lotus." Ren chided her with a small exasperated smile, "In this case, it was most likely the best decision to make or else what are we to do if there was an accident during their absence?"

"I guess that makes sense..." Lotus grumbled in dismay, "But, why bring Ren here?"

"Because Ren's sense of music is good and he's able to detect the correct pitch for each note on the piano perfectly." Azul explained bluntly pushing his glasses back in place.

"I see. So, Ren knows how to play the piano?" Lotus looked to him in awe.

Slightly embarrassed with the attention, Ren blushed slightly, "Well, I was taught to play the piano since I was little. I'm not very good at it, though, but, if it's for some tuning, I may be of some help..."

"Hey, Azul?" Floyd called out lazily as he sat on the cushioned seats, "Are you sure that this guy can tune without an instrument or tuning fork? Isn't tuning without them really difficult?"

"It really is difficult." The worker said with a nod in confirmation, "It's said that few people in this field can tune an instrument without a tool. Only professionals with experience in this line of work don't need to use a tuning fork or instrument. If this fellow can do so, then it'll be-"

"Would you like to test it out?" Lotus questioned curiously looking over to Floyd with a wide smile on her face.

"Huh?" Floyd looked up to her in confusion.

"Would you like to see if Ren can do it without an instrument? Pinpoint the correct sound of notes without anything but his ears?" Lotus clarified with a wide smile, "It'd sound like a fun game! Winner gets a bag of candy from Mister S's Shop!"

"Really?" Floyd looked to her with an expression of amusement, "All right, then. Let's bet!"

"This is interesting..." Jade smirked in amusement, "It looks like Lotus already knows what Floyd likes. Though, I believe Azul isn't wrong here..."

"It's fine." Azul shrugged his shoulders and sighed, "I wanted to see how far Ren can recognize a piano's tune. Besides, Lotus has already caught Floyd's attention with free candies, anyway."

"There are 88 keys on a piano, I believe?" Lotus turned to the worker who nodded his head and she smiled, "How many do you think he can gues correctly, Floyd-senpai?"

"Hm..." Floyd grumbled as he counted the keys, "Thirty-four...? Nah, Let's go with fifty-one."

Azul and Jade saw that the guy was counting the center set of notes along with the sets on both sides and the edge of the mouth twitched. This guy was scouted by Azul, who usually have a keen sense for talent, but Floyd actually thought little of the guy Azul picked this time?

"Fifty-one is your final bet?" Lotus wore a sly smile on her face when he said this.

"Yup." Floyd nodded his head with a smile on his face, "But, Angler fish... How are you going to prove that the notes are correct?"

Jade hummed in thought when he heard this, "We can have Azul play the piano to test it..."

"I could give that method a try." Azul nodded his head, "This worker and I discussed that and came to this idea..."

"Or we can use an instrument." Lotus suggested with a mischevious smirk on her face.

"Hah?"

They looked to her in confusion when she said this.

"Hey, Anglerfish. Did you forget that the music room's door is locked?" Floyd said with a frown of disappointment. How could she have forgotten something like this?

It was then that Azul's and Jade's mind clicked that Azul's eyes widen in bewilderment and cried out, "Wait! Don't tell me... That bundle is..."

"A keyboard piano?" Jade finished in surprise.

Lotus chuckled lightly and shook her head, "Remember? I've never seen a real piano before. So, how can I know how to play a piano? However, you're right that this is an instrument. However, I don't know if the worker here accepts using this type of instrument..."

Carefully with steady hands, she unfurled the cloth surrounding the bundle revealing a large wooden rectangular shape with many strings strung across it. It was made from large curved wooden boards and many bridges running across the width of the board vertically. On both sides were elegantly carved lotuses and birds. The wood was painted with black lacquer and there were also foldable leg attachment carefully fitted underneath the frame. That's all there was to it.

"What is this?" Azul stared at the instrument in bewilderment and glanced over to the worker only to be shocked by the ecstatic look on his face!

Upon seeing this instrument, the man was surprised and excited! He carefully questioned Lotus nervously with bated breath, "May I take a closer look and test it, sir?"

"You may." She responded in confusion towards his reaction.

The worker walked over to the instrument that Lotus had placed on the foldable leg attachements carefully. Since they were two separate pieces, he was worried that one move may knock it off the support.

"Sir, what is this instrument?" Jade questioned curiously seeing that the man's eyes shown with delight just by plucking a string.

The sound reverbated in the room echoing from the walls bringing a shake into their chest and surprising them. With a satisfied smile, the man nodded his head, "This instrument... It's a Gu Zheng."