Your Lie In April: Across The Multiverse

YLIA x Multiverse Episode 19: Honor Begins At Home

Episode 19: Honor Begins At Home

Nagi controlled her breath, hitting the piano keys with a gentle lilt as she approached the end of the passage. Beethoven's Fur Elise was no slouch, sure, but she was a trained pianist; she could handle this.

"Come on, the Alberti bass part is coming up next. Focus. Breathe..."

Her hands obeyed her for once! The first two measures were executed flawlessly...

And then the sweat on her fingertips caused them to slip yet again as they ascended the black keys.

"Ugh, come on!" Nagi shouted, slamming her fist on the keys in frustration. She took deep breaths in and out, willing the anger to go away. The faint scent of Febreze sprayed by Nagi's mother just an hour ago still hung in the air of her home's practice room. The gray walls hardly matched the lively classical repertoire that the young pianist had been rehearsing day in and day out, but thankfully the sliding door on the right opened up into a quaint back porch. The trampoline in the backyard was looking awfully tempting right now, and Nagi was about to rise from the piano bench until she heard a familiar voice.

"You're sounding a lot better!" her brother complimented, creaking open the door and walking into the room.

Nagi stared at the keys, wanting to say a dozen irritated words. It'd been five whole days since her resentment towards her brother's excuses had boiled over, and only now he was saying something?

"Thanks," Nagi muttered instead, arms crossed and face red from her cranky mood.

"Here," Takeshi said, sitting down on the piano bench to the left of his younger sister. "There's a simple little technique that'll help you out a lot. Watch."

Nagi reluctantly turned her head to watch, seeing her older brother's very large hand play the same passage she'd just stumbled on, only this time without tripping over itself.

"Your fingers are clawed like a cat when you play," Takeshi instructed. "Just relax them and spread them out a bit more. Now come on, try it."

Nagi raised her hands to the piano in a more halfhearted manner, adjusting her fingers to be more splayed out like her brother had described. Playing the passage for what must've been the sixtieth time today, she found that the simple correction did indeed aid her execution.

"Thanks," she mumbled under her breath, still refusing to look her brother in the eye.

"Hey," Takeshi said again, his voice more compassionate this time. "What's the matter, Nagi? Please tell me."

"It's fine," Nagi cut him off, staring at her stocking feet. "Don't worry about it."

"We both know that there's something more behind those words, sis," Takeshi smiled, ruffling his sister's frizzy blonde hair. "You can say what's on your mind."

Nagi said nothing, her arms having returned to their former crossed position across her chest.

"Alrighty then, I'll just cut to the chase," Takeshi shrugged. "I'm sorry I haven't made time to listen to you play lately."

"No kidding!" Nagi finally blurted out. Then she was filled with regret. "I'm sorry, I—,"

"No Nagi," Takeshi insisted, putting his arm around her shoulders. "You just wanted some feedback on your playing. I didn't make time to give you that. And for that I am sorry."