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The Garage

HotaruPhew...

NagiGood work, Hotaru. That was incredible.

HotaruOh, Nagi-san! I didn't realize you were here.

NagiYeah, I just got here. That song... Your fingers were amazing. Was it classical?

HotaruYes! It's by Liszt. The intricate fingerwork and rhythms make it good practice...

NagiHaha. I couldn't make heads or tails of that melody. Did you play it in competitions?

HotaruN-No! It really isn't the kind of piece you'd play in a competition!

HotaruIt's just well-known for being incredibly difficult... I learned it because I wanted to make my mother and my teacher happy.

NagiOh, what was it again? "Angel of the Music World"? Houka told me. You were amazing, right, Hotaru?

HotaruAh... Um...

NagiWhen did you start playing piano?

HotaruI don't remember exactly... I think I was about five.

HotaruI loved making everyone smile when I played well. I'd play every day, so absorbed that I'd lose track of time.

NagiLose track of time, huh...

Nagi(I've never experienced anything like that.)

Nagi(I never have... and I probably never will.)

NagiYou're amazing, Hotaru. When I was five, I was always just playing with Mahoro.

HotaruOh... You two are childhood friends, right?

NagiYeah. Around the time we started elementary school, Kanata moved here. Then she sort of joined us.

NagiBefore that, Mahoro was always the wild one. Just because she was a year older, she kept dragging me around.

NagiMagical-girl make-believe, playing dolls... I feel like she made me do all sorts of things.

HotaruHehe. It sounds like fun.

NagiIt wasn't all fun. She made me cry every so often.

HotaruMahoro-san made you cry?

NagiYeah. At Curry Night, for instance... Oh.

NagiCurry Night is something Mahoro's family has been doing forever. It's just a get-together where we eat curry.

HotaruHm...? That sounds quite peaceful, at least.

NagiIt was. Until Mahoro, thinking she was being helpful, started giving me seconds.

NagiThey just kept coming, one after another... Like some endless noodle challenge. I couldn't possibly eat that much, and I burst into tears.

HotaruAhaha... That does sound like a lot.

NagiSeriously. My sister rescued me that time, though...

HotaruOh! You have an older sister, Nagi-san?

NagiOh... Yeah. She's in college now, so I hardly see her anymore.

HotaruThat's nice. I don't have any siblings or childhood friends, so hearing about it makes me feel warm inside.

HotaruThat sort of bond sounds so lovely!

Nagi!

NagiThanks... And sorry. I interrupted your practice.

HotaruNot at all! I was just about to take a break.

NagiI see...

Nagi(Lovely, huh...)

Nagi(For someone who can't even truly face Mahoro... or Sis...)

Nagi(Do I really deserve to hear her say that?)