New Experience in Rian's Home

Rian was not fond of reading, but even he could tell how cool those words were.

'For real?'

It felt like a symbol of intellect, and even the sunlight streaming through the window seemed to enhance the moment.

"Hahaha! Did you really do it? You bastard! You're amazing, man!"

Rian celebrated as if it were his own achievement.

Of course, it was the rough way of a swordsman, and Shirone, who was caught in his embrace, felt dizzy.

"Ugh! I'm getting dizzy!"

Even after breaking free, Shirone spun in circles on the floor, and Rian watched him with a quiet gaze.

'He's incredible.'

Now, he felt like he understood Shirone.

Knowing who he was, his origins or status no longer mattered.

And he felt grateful.

'Honestly, I would have been disappointed if he had only seen me as the heir's son.'

Rian readily agreed.

"Alright! If you want to come to my house, you're always welcome! Besides, my family isn't home right now!"

It didn't really matter, but it would be much more comfortable for Shirone this way.

When Shirone arrived at the mansion, he was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the building up close.

'It's huge.'

He could now understand why ancient people built grand structures to honor the gods.

"Come on in!"

But Rian, who ate and slept here daily, was too lazy to even open the door properly and just pushed it open with his shoulder.

Shirone asked with a worried expression.

"Rian, what if we get caught?"

"What are you worried about? The library relocation is done, so there's no contract binding you anymore. Plus, my family won't be back until evening. Just come in already."

As they climbed the stairs to the second floor, numerous rooms lined the corridor.

Walking to the very end, Shirone glimpsed the rooms of Rian's family members.

As expected of their household, there were no extravagant decorations, but the interior had an unusual amount of pink.

Instead of swords and shields, the room was filled with pianos and unknown musical instruments.

'It must be the eldest daughter's room. I remember hearing she was a musician.'

There were more than enough rooms to choose from, but Rian insisted on the very last one.

Shirone felt like he had caught a glimpse of the isolation Rian felt within his own family.

"This is my room."

True to his passionate swordsman nature, his room was piled with wooden swords, and even his bookshelf was filled with books about swordsmanship.

But there were no technical manuals—most were novels about myths and legends.

'I always wanted to visit his room at least once.'

Because he considered Rian a friend.

They say a person's room reflects their personality, and this one certainly matched expectations.

'He really has no interest in decorating.'

For someone like Rian, who was always covered in dust from training, this room seemed to serve no purpose other than sleep.

With nothing particular to do, they chatted for a while before playing a card game out of boredom.

They each started with the same amount of chips.

But the game was over in just thirty minutes.

Rian lost completely.

Shirone gathered up the chips and asked, "One more round?"

"No way! Damn it. Gambling is all about luck anyway, and I must have the worst luck ever."

Shirone stacked the chips neatly. "I think you have a habit of moving your cards outward when you get an Ace. Also, you take different amounts of time to bet depending on whether you have a pair or not. When you have a pair, you calculate your chances, but when you don't, you tend to give up. That time difference makes it obvious. Just knowing these two things was enough for me to win."

Rian looked dumbfounded, as if he had been swindled.

"How do you even notice things like that?"

"Observation works best when you're not obsessed with finding something. If you focus too much on details, you'll miss the bigger picture. Instead of trying to read your opponent, just take in everything about them. Something will stand out."

Rian rested his chin on his hand.

"So, don't obsess over what you want to see? That might even help with finding the Schema."

"Probably. I also applied this when understanding the Spirit Zone."

"Hmm. Don't obsess..."

Rian repeated Shirone's words.

His mind tingled as if he was close to understanding something, but he couldn't quite grasp the core idea.

"Ugh."

Thinking too much was tiring. Drowsiness washed over him.

"Forget it. Let's just nap for a bit. I ran a hundred laps this morning, and I'm exhausted."

"Go ahead and sleep. I'll read a book."

"Yeah, yeah."

Rian fell asleep the moment his head hit the bed.

Seeing his carefree friend, Shirone chuckled and took out a novel.

'Battle with the Serpent Queen.'

After struggling with difficult history books, a thrilling adventure story made time fly by.

Rian, however, seemed to have a different approach, as certain key sentences were underlined.

-'The Serpent Queen's weakness is her head.'

"Haha."

Nothing particularly exciting had happened, but just being at his friend's house made him happy.

An hour passed.

Rian was still asleep, so Shirone put away his book and tidied up the room.

'Rian said his family would return in the evening.'

Once the sun set, the mansion would become lively, so it was best to leave soon.

As he walked down the corridor, he heard the sound of a piano from one of the rooms.

For someone who had grown up in the mountains, the inspired notes of a composer moved him more deeply than thunder.

'Amazing.'

Drawn by the sound, Shirone found himself in front of Rian's sister's room.

'That must be Reina.'

A woman with flowing blue hair played the piano, her music sounding almost divine.

She wasn't the youngest prodigy, but being a court musician at nineteen was still an impressive feat.

The harmonies built up layer by layer, escalating and blending together in beautiful variations.

Shirone was utterly entranced, as if his very soul was moving along with Reina's fingertips.

Only when the performance ended did he finally realize where he was.

Perhaps he had been lost in the moment for too long, as Reina noticed him and smiled, waving.

"Hey there! How was my piano sonata?"

How was it?

Shirone had read about music in books, but hearing it with his own ears was an entirely different experience.

"Uh, well..."

Before he could find the right words, Reina patted the piano bench and said, "Come closer and watch. But you're a new face. Are you one of the servants?"

Before he could respond, a loud, grumbling voice from the hallway shattered the moment.

"Ugh, would you just shut up, you damned witch?"