“Shuji told me everything.
I'm sure you're all very tired after flying over here from Japan.”

Oh, I got a part of that!
Shuji's... Your brother, right, Toya?

Yes, and he also mentioned our long flight from Japan.

Which means this guy is...?

Yes, I imagine this is the person my brother asked to help us.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Toya Aoyagi. Thank you very much for helping me and my friends this evening.”

“Toya! I like your name.”

(He seems very friendly.)

(He appears to be around the same age as Dad. Also, why does he seem so familiar...?)

“Oh, where are my manners?”

“My name is Lloyd Hopper.
I'm a professor here at this school.”

Lloyd Hopper...?

Where have I heard that name before...?

*Gasp*

Umm... Someone with the same name wrote the score for a movie called “Jazz Cat”, and even performed in it...

What...?!
That's that one that won a bunch of big movie awards in the past, right?!

Now I remember. One of the songs from that movie became so popular that it was played everywhere you went.

“Oh, are you all familiar with that film?”

“Yes.
It was shown in Japan, and has been a popular picture ever since.”

“Hehe. I'm glad to hear it.
My friends in Japan have never shared their thoughts with me.”

“That's unfortunate to hear...”

(Lloyd Hopper is one of the most famous jazz pianists in the world.)

(Aside from music for movies, one of his albums also gained quite a lot of acclaim for arranging famous classical pieces with modern jazz techniques.)

“I'd heard that famous musicians teach at the New York Academy of Music, but I wasn't expecting to meet one here.”

“And how do we thank you for coming here yourself like this...?”

“Haha. Don't worry about any of that! Also, you should all consider yourselves very lucky.”

“Very lucky?”

Yes. Actually, I haven't explained what's going on yet.

Tonight, we won't be going to a hotel.
We'll be staying at one of the academy's dorms.

What...?!

I was wondering why we were meeting up in front of the gate...

W-Wait, that might be okay for Aoyagi since his brother goes here... But is it really okay for the rest of us?

We're complete outsiders, you know? Not like we have family members attending here.

Apparently, that won't be a problem.

This school allows tourists to stay in certain dorm rooms whenever they're not being occupied.

Some are open at the moment after the student occupants moved out recently. We'll be allowed to stay free of charge given that we agree to clean them.

I see. That means our timing couldn't have been better.

And all we have to do is clean them? Deal!

(I definitely wasn't expecting to end up visiting the New York Academy of Music like this...)

“...”

“You really look just like him, Toya.”

“Him...? Are you referring to Shuji?”

“No, you two do share some similarities.”

“But I was trying to say how...”

“You really remind me of Harumichi when he was younger.”

Wait, he just said Harumichi, right? Isn't that your dad?

Yes...

Does this mean he and your dad are friends, Aoyagi?

I don't actually know...
I wonder if they've worked together at some point in time.

(However...)

(The way he's speaking tells me he's more than just a colleague.)

“Hm? Did I say something funny just now?”

“N-No, it's not that...”

“Mr. Lloyd, are you and Toya's dad...?”

No, what was that word?! It's on the tip of my tongue!

“Are you and my dad acquaintances?”

“Yes, I'm a graduate of this academy!
And Harumichi was my classmate.”

“Your classmate...?”

“Yes, but only for six months.”

“While attending a music school in Vienna, he had the chance to study here as an exchange student.”