Chapter 52: I Really Am a Genius

I reached out, wanting to pull away the blanket Sho Utei had wrapped over her head, but she held onto it so tightly that I couldn’t budge it no matter how hard I pulled. Leaning down beside her, I laughed and said, "Are you going to hide under there for the rest of your life?"

"Put your clothes on first, or I’m not coming out!" Sho Utei’s muffled voice came from under the blanket.

She was actually pretty cute, making conditions with me at a time like this. I patted the blanket and said, "I’m dressed. Let me take you to eat some breakfast!"

Hearing me say I was dressed, she peeked out secretly from under the blanket. Even though I was only wearing a pair of boxers, at least I had something covering me up, so she finally felt safe enough to uncover her head and sit on the edge of the bed. As she tidied her messy hair, she panted heavily. Perhaps from being wrapped under the blanket for so long, her face was flushed a lovely red, making her look indescribably captivating.

Calming her mood slightly, she suddenly realized I was staring at her without blinking. Dodging my gaze, she asked with a hint of petulance, "What are you looking at? Stop looking at me like that!"

Her words made me blush, and I coughed several times to cover my embarrassment. Pretending not to care, I said, "If you can’t stand it, you can leave right now!" With that, I stood up, put on a shirt, and walked toward the dorm door.

Opening the door, I looked back to find her still sitting dazed on the edge of the bed. Shaking my head, I called out, "What are you daydreaming about? Aren’t you eating breakfast?"

Sho Utei quickly nodded, following me out of the dorm. Walking one behind the other, we arrived at the cafeteria downstairs. I ordered a random assortment of breakfast foods and started digging in ravenously. I was truly starving, and seeing all this delicious breakfast, I forgot about everything else, sweeping through the food on the table like a hurricane.

Just as I swallowed the last bite of a steamed bun, a delicate, slender hand held out a small plate to me. On the plate were two more steamed buns. Looking up, I saw Sho Utei holding out the plate, gesturing for me to eat them. I took the plate, set it on the table, laid my chopsticks down, and stared right at her.

"What do you actually want? You don’t really plan on following me around for the rest of your life, do you?" I asked.

Forcing a composed front, Sho Utei picked up a bit of side dish with her chopsticks, delicately popped it into her mouth, and swallowed like a proper young lady before speaking: "I just want to learn music from you! Once you agree to teach me, I’ll stop following you around!"

"Anything except that is fine, but that’s a hard no!"

"Why won’t you teach me? Don’t be so stingy! Worst-case scenario, I’ll pay you tuition—will that work?" Sho Utei set down her chopsticks and started talking about compensation.

"No matter how much you pay, I won’t teach you. You’d better find someone else!"

Sho Utei’s eyes turned red, and she asked sorrowfully, "Why won’t you teach me? No one plays better than you!"

"Why are you so set on learning music? Wouldn’t it be better to learn something else? Like needlework or calligraphy—those suit you very well too!"

"What do you know?" Sho Utei looked out the cafeteria window at the sun hanging high in the sky, her eyes glazing over. "Ever since I was three years old, my mother started teaching me music and playing instruments. But back then I was lazy and only wanted to play. I couldn’t sit still, and I played poorly, which disappointed my mother greatly. Yet she never blamed me; she just kept shaking her head and telling me to practice hard!"

"Your mother taught you? Then you can just have her continue teaching you!"

Hearing me say this, tears welled up and streamed down Sho Utei’s cheeks. She shook her head and said, "I can’t... I’ll never have the chance to hear my mother play again. She passed away when I was five years old. From that moment on, I started practicing music like crazy. I wanted to play a piece for my mother using the world’s highest level of performance, but you..." Speaking up to this point, she couldn’t hold back her sobbing.

So that’s how it was. Seeing her tears fall like rain, my heart truly ached for her. As much as I wanted to help her, I knew my own half-baked skills would only embarrass me if exposed, and I couldn’t tell her about the Goddess Bracelet. For a moment, I really didn’t know what to do.

Standing up, I walked over to her side and began unbuttoning my shirt. Having just undone two buttons, I heard Sho Utei ask in panic, "What are you doing?"

"Well, you’re crying, and there are no tissues around to wipe your tears, so I have to use my shirt!" I said, putting on a matter-of-fact tone, though my hands stopped moving.

Sho Utei stared at me with her mouth slightly open, frozen for a long moment before bursting into a giggle. Covering her mouth with one hand, she used the other to beat against my chest, scolding me through her tears, "I hate you!"

I smiled, catching her hands that kept hitting me, and comforted her softly: "In truth, every parent loves their child deeply. I’ve heard you play the piano, and it’s really fantastic. I can tell you’ve given a lot for this, and I can imagine how much hardship a five-year-old girl had to endure to reach your level. But you’ve got it wrong. I’m certain your mother wouldn’t want her daughter undergoing such harsh ordeals through the scorching summer and freezing winter. What would hurt her most is seeing your young heart carrying a burden and suffering it shouldn’t have to bear. How many childhoods does a person get? I’m sure your mother wouldn’t want you to waste a happy, carefree childhood on instrument strings for her sake, right?"

My words left Sho Utei stunned. She asked in confusion, "Was I wrong to hold such a small wish of playing a song for my mother?"

I shook my head and said, "No, there’s nothing wrong with that. What’s wrong is your obsession with using the ’world’s highest level.’ What even is the highest level? Can you tell me?"

Sho Utei lowered her head and fell into deep thought. After a long while, she raised her head and said, "I think... the highest level must be a performance that can infuse one’s true emotions into the music!"

"Then do you miss your mother?"

"Of course I do! I dream about her every single night!"

"Then go use the piano to tell your mother about that longing—wouldn’t that be a performance of the highest level?" I said, looking at her with a smile.

The dimness in Sho Utei’s eyes suddenly burst into brilliant light. She stood up, clenched her fists, and laughed aloud: "That’s right! How on earth did I not think of that? No matter how poorly I play, as long as I perform with emotion, it will be the most beautiful piece in the world! My mother will definitely feel my heart—this is amazing!"

Overjoyed, Sho Utei leaped up and threw herself into my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her body pressed tightly against mine, her towering peaks squeezing firmly against my chest. Looking at me happily, her eyes were filled with gratitude: "Fuitsu, even though you kept saying you wouldn’t teach me, I know you were guiding me to understand the true essence of music. Thank you, Fuitsu! I’m going back right now to play for my mother, and I’ll introduce you to her. Fuitsu, you really are a good person!"

With that, she lightly tiptoed, and her ruby lips pressed onto mine without warning.

I was startled by her sudden action. Her inexperienced movements bumped my lips, causing a sharp pain—it was obvious she had zero experience in this department. Placing my hands gently on her waist, I began applying the kissing techniques I had learned from Shin Garei onto her. Gently sucking on her lips, I used the tip of my tongue to nudge open her teeth, venturing inside to capture her shyly dodging little tongue. I kissed her until she was gasping for air before finally letting her go.

Sho Utei clutched her rapidly heaving chest, cast a coy glance at me, and murmured softly, "I’ll come back to find you again!" With that, she turned and ran out of the cafeteria.

Touching my lips as I watched her receding figure, a slight smile floated to the corners of my mouth. Even though she initiated it at first, I really couldn’t help kissing her back afterward, and it actually felt pretty amazing. Turns out unripened fruit tastes great too!

I’m a fucking genius! A load of nonsense I pulled out of my ass actually scored me a girl’s first kiss! This is the most satisfying thing I’ve done since I was born! Thinking of this, the corners of my mouth tugged upward even further.

"She’s already gone, what are you still staring at? Smiling so licentiously—you must be plotting something filthy!" A disdainful voice rang out in my ear.

Turning my head to look, my heart turned completely cold!