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Stroking his chin slightly, Nakagawa Nobuyuki frowned and asked back tentatively.
Well, it seems this guy really understood.
"……Um."
Ruoye Mu pursed his lips and nodded vigorously.
I understand the letter...
"Why are you still using a stool...let me do it."
Looking at Wakaba Mutsuki who was gently rolling up the hem of her skirt in front of him, Nakagawa Nobuya just shook his head and stood up without saying anything more.
Because it was to be placed in the basement, the cabinet was not very high. If the instrument case was placed on top, Nakagawa Nobuyuki's height was just right for him to reach it by stretching out his hand.
"...OK, I got it."
He felt the round touch of the plastic handle in his palm, and with a little force, Nakagawa Nobuyuki pulled the pointed octagonal instrument case down from the top of the cabinet.
The instrument case is not too heavy, just enough that you can feel the weight when you lift it with one hand, but not too heavy to hold in your hand.
"…Xin, great."
Wakaba Mutsu took the dusty instrument case from Nakagawa Nobu's hands with both hands, stared at Nakagawa Nobu, and suddenly began to praise him in a low voice.
"Is that so great... You're totally treating me like a child."
After laughing and complaining about Wakaba Mutsuki who looked like a kindergarten teacher, Nakagawa Shincai leaned against the cabinet behind him and asked casually:
"Come to think of it, putting the guitar in such a high place...does your family forbid you from playing with it?"
Actually, it makes sense if you think about it... To be able to live in a place like this, Xiao Mu's family must be quite wealthy... Plus the grand piano next to him, I guess his family must have some kind of requirements for Mu, right?
"……No."
Hearing this question, Ruo Yemu's cheerful expression suddenly dimmed, and he replied in a muffled voice:
"...Mina...wanted me to spend more time...on flower arranging and ballet...but——"
Biting his lips lightly, Ruo Yemu took a deep breath, looked at Nakagawa Nobuyuki in front of him, his lips trembling slightly, as if he wanted to say something.
"..."
However, Ruo Ye Mu stopped talking here and suddenly fell silent. He had no intention of continuing to speak and his mouth was tightly closed.
"Mina... is she Mu's sister?"
Nakagawa Nobuyuki frowned subconsciously, feeling that the name Minami sounded a little familiar... but Nakagawa Nobuyuki didn't think much about it.
If Mu called him so affectionately, he should be a peer...
However, for someone of the same generation, this kind of "superior" request still sounds a bit strange, right?
This kind of request...something like "I hope you can focus on X thing" is usually said by elders like parents, right... ?
"Yes... [Mom]."
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but Nakagawa Shin always feels that Wakaba Mu’s words “Mom” sound particularly strange and unfamiliar…
Although he didn't quite understand why he had to call his mother by her name, Nakagawa Nobuyuki really had no say in the matter. Besides, this was someone else's family affair after all, so Nakagawa Nobuyuki was tactful and didn't ask any more questions.
"That's it..."
He nodded and paused for a few seconds. Then, Nakagawa Nobuyuki coughed lightly and naturally changed the subject.
"Mu, let's try to play something first... Anyway, we need to get the guitar out first."
"……Um."
He responded softly, and it seemed that Ruo Yemu didn't want to dwell on this topic any longer.
Click, click.
The buttons of the instrument case were gently opened.
In the box, the black leather strap hanging from the guitar buckle was a little worn and cracked, and it was obvious that it had been used for a long time.
On the other side, there are a few picks that also show signs of use... Xiao Mu is very serious about this, as he has kept something like a pick that can easily disappear for this long.
"Come on, Mu... just play something first?"
After plugging the wires into the speaker on the side, Nakagawa Nobuyuki smiled slightly and picked up the guitar.
...It seems that classmate Mu has also practiced guitar for a long time?
I still remember when I was in junior high school... I sat at the entrance of the teaching building after school and played guitar with Yili. At that time, Yili's straps also looked old like this... Haha, I really can't imagine how much he has witnessed.
"…Xin, what do you want to hear?"
Touching the extremely familiar guitar panel, Ruoye Mu finally revealed a small smile and asked softly.
Although... I don't know much, but if I were to play for Xin... I wouldn't be so nervous.
"my words……"
Zhonghe Xin pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up and he took out his cell phone.
"Would you like to try this? This is a song that was recently written by Deng and composed by Shiina and me."
What we are talking about now is naturally [The Lost Star Call].
Nakagawa Nobuyuki knew that the previous Crychic was also formed by these friends of his, although he didn't know anyone when it was established... But now it's enough that he knows everyone.
Therefore, it shouldn't be a problem to just let Wakaba Mutsu, who is also a friend, play for him in private.
"Deng... and Li Xi..."
After taking Nakagawa Nobuyuki's phone, the guitar score on the glowing phone screen was reflected in Wakaba Mu's somewhat dazed eyes.
Obviously, the extremely familiar name also made Ruoye Mu fall into his own thoughts for a moment.
This guitar score was prepared by Nakagawa Nobuyuki for Aine. It not only includes a version with fingering charts, but also a version with chord charts.
Even now, Aiyin is still a little unfamiliar with chord notation. Every time she plays, she still looks at the fingering notation... But she still keeps chord notation in her bag, mainly to show others when she is playing in a band.
"...Xin, can I...try it?"
After singing softly along the melody for a few paragraphs, Ruo Yemu's small voice quietly disappeared and turned into a tentative request.
...This song not only has everyone from Crychic, but also Shin... It's really, really great...
After receiving a smiling nod from Nakagawa Nobuyuki, Wakaba Mutsu, who had just come to his senses, gently pressed his green pick on the steel strings.
"…If there are lyrics…I believe, I can sing it…"
After saying these words slowly, Ruoye Mu looked at Nakagawa Nobuyuki in front of him and gently plucked the steel strings.
The melody that belongs to Nakagawa Nobuyuki and everyone is flowing out like water at this moment.
...Let's discuss rationally, does this count as a lost star calling this song [MyGO] (迷子, which means "lost")?
...so cold.
While chatting and laughing, Nakagawa Nobuyuki was once again embarrassed by a terrible joke he came up with in his mind.
...No, I have to tell Xiaomu later to calm him down.
291
Chapter 291: Xin’s butt is cold?
Normally, only Ruo Yemu would come to the basement. Even the servants at home would rarely come to clean the furniture here. The only place to sit was the small round chair that had been worn out by people.
But it’s not a big problem, at least the floor and stairwell are relatively clean.
The sound of the guitar slowly faded away and the song ended.
"..."
Looking at Nakagawa Nobu who was sitting cross-legged on the floor and looking at him with delight, Ruoye Mu gently rubbed the pick between his fingers and asked softly:
"...on the ground, sitting...isn't it uncomfortable?"
As soon as the question was asked, Nakagawa Nobuyuki was at a loss as to how to answer it.
...No, shouldn't I be asking myself how well I play the piano now?
"It's actually not bad... except that my butt is a little cold."
However, since Ruoye Mu asked this, although he felt a little strange, Nakagawa Nobuyuki still answered.
"……Oh."
He nodded as if he understood, and then Ruo Yemu gently supported himself on the chair with one hand. With a little effort, he also sat on the floor like Nakagawa Nobuyuki.
However, compared to Nakagawa Nobuyuki's rather casual cross-legged sitting posture, Wakaba Mu's sitting posture was a very regular kneeling posture... and the guitar was still hanging in front of him, which looked strange no matter how you looked at it.
"What is this for..."
Looking at Wakaba Mutsu who was kneeling silently on the floor in front of him, Nakagawa Nobuyuki twitched his brows. He didn't know what to say about Wakaba Mutsu who suddenly did something that ordinary people couldn't understand.
"Because Shin was also sitting on the ground..."
Ruoye Mu slightly adjusted his sitting posture, frowned slightly, and seemed to be a little uncomfortable. He replied in a low voice with a calm face.
"Alright, alright... let's get up first. How uncomfortable must it be to kneel on this tile floor?"
Nakagawa Nobuyuki could immediately tell that it would be uncomfortable to sit like this. Although he didn't know what to say, he still propped himself up with a speechless face and helped Ruoye Mu up without saying a word.
"Oh……"
Holding the arm that Nakagawa Nobuyuki stretched out, hugging the guitar in his arms tightly, and pursing his lips gently, Ruoye Mu slowly stood up along with Nakagawa Nobuyuki.
"Look...it's only been a short while and my knees are already red...don't copy me in everything - it doesn't hurt, does it?"
Nakagawa Nobuyuki half-squatted and looked at Wakaba Mutsu's knees which had turned red. He tapped Wakaba Mutsu's head and complained speechlessly.
"……got used to."
His brows drooped slightly, and Ruo Yemu replied in a muffled voice.
"...When learning flower arrangement, you often need to sit... like this."
Yes.
Flower arrangement itself can only be regarded as a relatively visible component in [ikebana] at best... What is really important are a lot of additional elements such as manners, conversation, etc. - the same is true for actions.
Kneeling like this is certainly not very comfortable, so there are cushions on the tatami for kneeling, just to make the knees more comfortable.
However, when learning flower arrangement, I was often asked by the flower arrangement teacher to "comprehend" certain "elegant works" for a long time... Even with a cushion, it was not necessarily more comfortable.
If you sway your body because you are uncomfortable sitting, you will definitely be criticized for having "indecent manners".
...Even Miss Mitake who took classes with Wakaba Mutsu, even though she was the daughter of a flower arrangement master, could only hold on.
Compared to all this, it’s nothing to just kneel on the floor for a short while. I’ve really gotten used to it.
Perhaps the only thing that Wakaba Mu was not used to was Nakagawa Shin's unconscious concern.
At least, no one has ever asked Ruoye Mu whether his knees became red or painful after kneeling like this.
"..."
No... If Xin cares about me so much, I should also care about Xin.
But, how can I do this…?
Thinking of this, Ruo Yemu stared closely at Nakagawa Nobuyuki who was held tightly in his hand, his brain working rapidly.
...Yes.
Just now...what Xin said.
"……letter."
If Ye Mu's hand had not yet left Nakagawa Nobuyuki, he just happened to gently tug on Nakagawa Nobuyuki's sleeve.
"what happened?"
Nakagawa Nobuyuki, who had just been secretly complaining about flower arrangement in his heart, of course felt Wakaba Mutsuki's action and turned to look at Wakaba Mutsuki who had a calm face.
"Xin, do you want to go to bed?"
Nakagawa Nobu: "?"
Nakagawa Nobuyuki, who seemed to suspect that he had heard something wrong, suddenly frowned and looked at Wakaba Mutsu who had an innocent face beside him.