Chapter 22 – Teacher Scores

The air in the Hall of Feedback was thick with anticipation, the kind that made even footsteps feel too loud.

Lyra walked at the front of the group, flanked by her bandmates, each of them still glowing faintly from the aftershocks of their performance. It had been barely half an hour since they left the stage, yet everything already felt different. People bowed their heads slightly when they passed. Some whispered, eyes wide. Even the trees along the floating crystal pathway seemed to sway a little more musically.

They entered the circular chamber, where the five core professors of the University of Resonance awaited them. It was a sanctum, wrapped in arching tones of silver and violet glass, the ceiling a rotating display of musical constellations—each one said to represent the soul of a band who had once reached the mythical 5000 MP mark.

Lyra had never stood in front of such power before.

Professor Aria, wrapped in flowing robes the color of wine, offered a soft, almost motherly smile as they approached. "Soul Sync," she said, her voice velvet. "Please stand in the center."

They obeyed. VIVA floated to Lyra's shoulder, gently humming, its screen blinking with delicate patterns.

The professors sat in a half-circle—each one so different, yet together forming the essence of musical mastery.

Aria stepped forward first. "Your performance… was breathtaking in its honesty. It lacked polish, yes, but it moved me. Lyra, your vulnerability is a gift. You didn't just sing—you invited us to feel. And that is the core of musical emotion."

She lifted her hand, and a glowing staff materialized in her palm. A ring of golden light spun above it.

"80 Music Points. From me."

Lyra blinked. Rin gasped softly. Even Kai let his lips twitch upward.

Then came Professor Strumm. The tall, angular man with salt-and-pepper hair and calloused hands. His guitar was strapped across his back even here, like a warrior's blade.

"You showed growth, Soul Sync," he said, eyes narrowing at Kai in particular. "Kai, that solo had depth I hadn't seen from you before. And the synergy—raw, yes—but there. The guitar walked beside the voice instead of ahead of it. That matters."

He reached into his coat and pulled out a glowing pick. It dissolved into sparks.

"70 Music Points. From me."

The ring above them now pulsed with two colors.

Next came Professor Echo—barefoot, wild-eyed, her hair streaked with pastel. She giggled as she skipped forward, swirling her flute between her fingers.

"You played like a dream that wasn't ready to wake up," she said, almost too fast. "Chaotic, strange, but strangely clear! The synth touches, ooh, spicy! And Lyra's vocals—like cracked porcelain singing lullabies. I liked it."

She tossed a glowing music note into the air. It burst into confetti and wind chimes.

"60 Music Points!"

Yuu's fingers flexed slightly at his side, almost as if to catch the note.

Fourth came Professor Reson. His suit was exact, his expression sharper than his metronome-ticking pocket watch. He didn't smile. He rarely did.

"Timing. Harmony. Arrangement. You were... not perfect. But close. Impressively close for a new band," he said, inspecting a small slate covered in glimmering waveforms. "Your transitions were tight. Rhythmic control: above expectations. Emotional modulation: excellent. I expected noise. I heard structure."

He tapped his slate once.

"75 Music Points."

Rin exhaled slowly, like she'd been holding that breath for years.

Finally, Professor Cadence, who had observed them in secret during their earlier jam. She wore a simple black blazer, her hair pinned in a sharp twist. Unlike the others, she spoke very little.

But when she did, her words rang like bells.

"Your originality is your strength," she said. "Do not lose it chasing perfection. You are imperfect—and therefore, worth watching."

She stepped forward, a small, glass orb forming between her fingers.

"65 Music Points. Use them wisely."

The orb floated up to the ring of light above, and with it, the full score flashed in the air:

Total: 350 Music Points.

The chamber erupted in a soft chorus of harmonics as the score locked into their band's crest. It was now part of them. Soul Sync.

Lyra couldn't stop the tears this time. But they weren't from pain or grief.

They were from being seen.

The professors nodded, some smiling, some stoic. The ceremony ended with a simple phrase from Professor Aria:

"You have begun."

As they exited the hall, the bandmates didn't speak right away.

Then Rin suddenly whooped, throwing her arms around Lyra, spinning her.

Kai chuckled—actually chuckled—and said, "Not bad."

Yuu offered a single word: "Progress."

VIVA floated up beside her, voice warm. "350 MP. That's nearly 10% of your goal… from one song."

Lyra looked up at the night sky and saw their score inscribed in the stars above the university.

For the first time, she didn't feel like a visitor.

She felt like she belonged.

END OF CHAPTER 22