Chapter Volume 5, The Angel Falls Five: Friendly Act; Merciless Deception (1/2)

Volume 5, The Angel Falls Chapter Five: Friendly Act; Merciless Deception

Translator: clrfction (proofread by Arcedemius & Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia)

“Whooooo! Singing is so much fun! Melody, can you accept singing jobs for me?”

…What? You want to be a singer on top of modeling?

Ah Ye, have you forgotten that you still have a role as a hero? You’d be stretching yourself too thin if you’re a singer too!

“Can’t you?” Ah Ye’s head drooped, and he looked terribly disappointed.

Well, yes, of course! You can always count on your double DSII and the amazing ability to only sleep two hours every day, so it’ll work… Ah!

Dammit. Why can’t I deny Ah Ye anything when he makes that face… I wouldn’t even complain if it’s a younger sister, but younger brothers being this cute is cheating!

I think I’m beginning to understand why the Sun Emperor heeds Ah Ye’s every whim.

Thank goodness Luo Lun isn’t this cute, or else I’d be wrapped around his finger. Bless… yet I feel a little like I’m missing out, dammit!

I was in the kitchen preparing ingredients for dinner when Mr. Bramble walked in suddenly. This was truly a rare occurrence because usually only Dell came to the kitchen. He would always want to rush in first to see what there was to eat later.

I was just about to inquire when Mr. Bramble asked bluntly, “Did something happen at the club last night?”

I was a little surprised and answered quickly, “Nothing happened. The mood was great at the club, and the young master had a wonderful time.”

This time it was Mr. Bramble’s turn to look confused. He seemed like he had not expected such an answer, and he asked again dubiously to confirm, “Nothing at all?”

“Yes, nothing at all.” I went on to ask him instead, “Has something happened?”

Mr. Bramble said with a frown, “There was a case last night, so we notified the young master as usual, yet he told us, ‘Tell DSII to go.’”

“Is that a problem?” I was a little lost as I asked, “The young master was having fun for once, so perhaps he did not want to be interrupted. If the case was not too severe, it is not too strange for DSII to go in the young master’s place, is it?”

“It is strange!” Mr. Bramble said while shaking his head, “The young master rarely lets DSII go out as Dark Sun, so DSII usually only does modeling. If something happened in the middle of a shoot, Ji Luo Chu is one of our own anyway, so they would even stop and take care of the case together.”

“The young master insists on being Dark Sun himself?” That is hardly surprising.

Mr. Bramble shook his head. “No, it’s just DSII doesn’t react too well in changeable events, so the decisions he makes can be bad… or good.”

Is there anything wrong with making good decisions? I was confused.

Mr. Bramble explained further, “DSII makes decisions that would benefit Dark Sun the most. For example, in the case where the young master became known as the Grim Reaper, if DSII had been in that situation, he would never have killed the criminal as a threat, because that would be negative for Dark Sun’s reputation.”

So that is the case. Most beneficial for Dark Sun, but not necessarily for the people?

“But nothing happened at all last night. Perhaps the young master was having too much fun.”

“Really? I even called Briar over…” Mr. Bramble muttered to himself, but stopped when he noticed me looking. He cleared his throat and explained, “Her school’s summer tutoring just ended, so I let her come over to play for a few days. She’s in middle school now, so she needs to spend more time on studies, right?”

“Of course,” I replied with a smile, “but Briar is not a child one needs to worry too much about. She is a good child.”

Mr. Bramble retorted as soon as I finished my sentence, “She has a long way to go!” Although he said that, his face was full of pride.

At this time, the doorbell suddenly rang, so I hurried to open the door. A stranger stood outside with a slip and said, “Please sign to receive.”

Is he a delivery man? But I have not ordered anything, and he is not the person who usually delivers blood. Is he mistaken? I hurriedly asked, “May I ask what is being delivered?”

The man looked at me bemusedly and said, “I’m from the instrument emporium, and I’m here to deliver a piano. I’ve also brought a tuner to tune the piano for you.”

Piano? I quickly replied, “Could there be a mistake? I have not ordered a piano.”

“I don’t think so? The person who ordered it is…” he checked the sheet, “An Xiang Ye. Is that correct?”

The young master actually ordered a piano?

“Is there a mistake?” The emporium employee began to get nervous too and fired off a string of questions, “This is the right address, isn’t it? The piano’s already paid for, so it’s not like there’s more money to pay… You’re not going to return it, are you?”

I quickly answered, “No, that is not the case. I was mistaken. Please bring the piano in.”

I had some trouble on deciding where to even put the piano, but fortunately, there was some space in the living room, where the piano could be placed while leaving just enough room for walking. The room just looked a little crowded with the new addition.

The workers peeled away layers of packaging outside before the appearance of the piano was finally revealed. It was black, but a certain glint seemed to shine in the black. It almost looked like a…

“Night Sky,” a worker said proudly. “There are only ninety nine Night Sky pianos in the world. Even our store only managed to procure two. The other one was sold off long ago! If you had visited maybe two days later, you probably would never have seen it. Isn’t it beautiful?”

It is indeed beautiful. I opened the lid and slid my fingers across the keys, and a string of melodic notes bounced off. Even though it did need some tuning, the tone was exceptional. This piano probably cost a pretty penny. Does the young master want to learn how to play the piano?

A worker said, “We will tune the piano now.”

“No need. Do you have the tuning instruments?”

From a large, cardboard box to the side, he hurried to take out two wooden boxes of the same style as the piano, one large and one small, and said, “Yes. Night Sky comes with a complete set of tools for tuning and maintenance. They are all right here, but the tuning process must be left to tuning specialists, and customers who have bought Night Sky receive two free tuning sessions every year for the first two years!”

I smiled and said, “I have a license for tuning pianos.”

Even though the license was procured one hundred years ago and has probably long expired, my technique should still be intact.

The worker from the instrument emporium understood and nodded. “I see. In that case, I won’t take up any more of your time. If there are any problems with the piano, please feel free to call.”

“Thank you.”

After seeing them out, I turned to see Mr. Bramble standing before the piano. He said, “Briar can play the piano too, so we have one at home. If you know how to tune it, you should tune ours someday!”

“No problem.”

“I’ll go back up now to the rooftop.”

“Please take your time.”

After finishing up preparations for dinner, I began to work on tuning the piano. The young master might want to play it after he returns home, so I must tune it as soon as possible. However, I had not done tuning in quite a while, so the steps felt unfamiliar. Fortunately I still remembered the steps clearly, so proceeding step by step did not leave much room for error.

Even though there were many electrical devices that could accelerate the tuning process, I rarely used them. They might tune the pitch more accurately, but there is always something missing…How to put it? According to Sadina, the pianos I tune always produce a heavier tone, and feel warm and steady to play on.

Just like you as a person, always making people feel reassured…You strangely reassuring vampire!

After completing the tuning, I sat down in front of the piano and pressed down on individual keys to confirm the accuracy of the pitch. It sounds about right, so the first rough tuning is complete. A few days later, the wires will loosen a little, and I will tune it again then.

I pressed the keys. Once. Twice. This clear tone is Sadina’s voice, a younger her. I pressed the keys again. Once. Twice. The pitch became lower, just like how Sadina aged from young to old…I placed my hands on the piano, and my fingers flew over the keys. The notes were quick and rushed, pouring out like water.

A rushed prelude ended, the tune slowed down, and I opened my mouth to sing lightly,

“Under the sun, you come to me while smiling brightly,

In the heat, I raise my hand inevitably,

Between the fingers, I see your face clearly,

Tell me please, how can I resist loving thee?

To step forward and touch your face, no matter how the sun may scorch me,

To hold out my hands and feel your pity, time and age reveal our differences,

I part my lips to declare my love, even though I know there is no future.

Between the fingers, I see your face clearly,

Tell me please, how can I resist loving thee?

To step forward into a doomed future, streaks of blood hint at imminent darkness,

To embrace sunshine despite the burning, an unchanging face recounts eternity,

I wished once possessing could deceive sorrow, even though I know there is no future.

Between the fingers, I see your face clearly,

Tell me please, how can I resist loving thee?

I….

Took a step forward then took a step back,

hoping someone could bring you happiness.”

Sadina, were you happy?

After I left, after you finally married him, after you had children…

Footsteps?

I turned around. “Sadina? Is that you?” Yet as soon as I said that, I realized it could not possibly be Sadina. Has the young master returned?

The person walked into the living room, but she was a stranger. She was… Right! The drummer from Aurora! She was not wearing her heavy snow kingdom makeup, so I did not recognize her sooner. Fortunately, she had distinct features, with a heart-shaped face and phoenix eyes, giving her a classical feel, so I was able to remember.

She looked straight at me, so I stood up quickly and said with a smile, “Please excuse my nonsense. Is there anything I can help you with?” How did she get in? Did I forget to close the door?

She smiled and said, “If that was nonsense, then I’ll really need to hide and refuse visitors.”

As she was talking, she reached up to her head and pulled, yanking off her head of white hair. It was actually a wig, and her real hair turned out to be the complete opposite: short and black.

“Sorry, the wig was getting itchy.”

I shook my head to indicate that I did not mind, and she asked curiously, “The emotion you’ve put into the song makes me think the lyrics are based off of past experience. Am I right?”

I nodded and asked the more important question, “I am sorry to be blunt, but how did you come in?”

“Ah Ye gave me the keys and told me to come up first. He went to give someone else a ride.”

As she said so, she even shook the keys in her hand. They were indeed the young master’s keys. There was even the key for DSII as a motorcycle, though the young master rarely used it, as DSII would often start himself up before the young master could even insert the key into the ignition.

“He also told me to tell you that there will be a lot of people over for dinner tonight! Poseidynne and Briar are both coming, so he said to please prepare extra food.”