“A long time ago, in a certain town, there was a pianist named Thorpe.”

“Thorpe was a gifted pianist who lived on the outskirts of his town, and you could always hear the melodious sounds of a piano emanating from his place of lodging.”

Oh wow...!
Tsukasa's so good at playing the piano!

Yes, he is!
I'd heard that he could play, but not this well.

Rui! Rui!
Doesn't this make Tsukasa a perfect fit for Thorpe?

Yes...
He certainly won't have any problems when it comes to playing the piano...

“But Thorpe had a rather grave failing. Whenever he tried to perform in front of others, he wasn't able to play to the best of his abilities...”

“Thorpe would audition for his town's band many times, but fail every time due to not being able to perform when it matters most.”

“Having nowhere else to go, Thorpe began playing the piano at a local tavern that was so run down that it hardly ever received any visitors. A place where no one would hear him play.”

“*Sigh*
If only I could join a big band and play music with them...”

“I know. In times like this, it's always nice to look at the stars...”

“They're so beautiful...”

(Hmm...)

(Thorpe looks up towards the stars because he feels stuck in terms of achieving his goals... He seems to have trouble facing reality because he lacks initiative...)

...

(I see...
So this is what Rui was worried about.)

“As Thorpe sits and stares at the distant stars...”

“Well, if it isn't Thorpe.
Is this where you're playing your piano these days?”

“Wait, you're the leader of that band...! It's been so long. What are you doing in a place like this?”

“Some of the band and I are here to have some drinks... I see that your love for playing the piano hasn't faded.”

“No, it hasn't...
But I'm still not able to perform when it really counts...”

“You'd be more than welcome to play in my band if only you managed to overcome that... Oh, I know!”

“A big contest is going to be taking place in town soon. Why don't you enter into it?”

“Huh?”

“Wouldn't playing in front of a big crowd like that give you a big boost of courage? If you manage to win, my band may be willing to welcome you in as a new member.”

“What...?!”

“Anyway, we'll be looking forward to your performance.”

“If I win... I'll get to join them...?”

“I'm probably never going to get another chance to join a band like this again... I have to enter!”

“Thorpe began practicing like there was no tomorrow.”

“However, no matter how much he practiced, Thorpe still couldn't play well even during his mock rehearsal in front of the others boarding with him.”

“With only ten days left until the contest, an absolutely exhausted Thorpe received some special visitors.”

“That piano sounds so wonderful♪”

“Yes, it really does!”

“Huh? Squirrels...?”

“Hey, Mr. Pianist!
Can you play a song for us?”

“We want to learn how to dance to a song for this party we'll be attending soon.”

“A pair of squirrel sisters from a nearby forest had come to visit. As cute as they were, to Thorpe, they only got in the way of him practicing.”

“I don't care about your party!
I'm busy! Leave me alone!”

“Please, just one song!”

“We really want you to play it for us!”

“Ugh... Fine, I'll play it!
But you need to go after it's over.”

“Oh wow! This is a great song!
But don't you think you're playing a bit too fast?”

“Yeah, she's right!
We'd have to dance and twirl so fast just to keep up!”

“Enough!
If all you're going to do is complain, I'm not going to play for you!”

“The squirrels danced and twirled as best they could, but before they went home, they asked Thorpe to slow things down next time.”

“Thorpe let out a deep sigh.
However, to his dismay, the squirrels had told their animal friends about him and they all came to visit the next day.”

“Hello, Mr. Pianist.
Can you play a nice song that'll help me and my friends from the farm fall asleep?”

“Mr. Pianist! I got separated from my friends! Can you play a fun song that'll let them know that I'm here?”

“Mr. Pianist, my little brother and sister are sick. Can you play a song that'll make them feel better?”

“*Sob*
My tummy hurts...”

“*Sob*
My head hurts...”

“Alright, fine...!
But in return, you have to leave after I'm done playing!”

“They're finally gone. I can practice in peace now...”

“But there might not be any point now since the contest is tomorrow.”

“*Sigh*
I only have half a day left...”

“The stars... They're so beautiful...”

“And so, the day of the contest had arrived.”

“Thorpe was worried sick about not getting to rehearse in front of others, but he desperately played as best he could. As a result...”

“Huh...?”

“That was magnificent, Thorpe!”

“How did you practice to get this good? Could it be that you found someone to listen to you play?”

“*Gasp*”

“That's right. Thorpe learned how to play in front of others because his animal friends came to listen each day.”

“As the crowd called for an encore, Thorpe decided to play his favorite song to thank all the animals for what they did.”

“Outside of the venue, the animals heard his performance and nodded in thanks for giving them another wonderful song... The end.”

Is about how it goes...

So many animals!
That sounds like a lot of fun♪

Alright, Rui!
What did you think of my performance? I personally thought there was nothing wrong!

Especially when I played the piano!
It should be smooth sailing with me at the helm!

Yeah, Tsukasa, seeing you on the piano was so cool! Especially when you went all ba-da-da-da-dum!

Yeah, despite everything that was said beforehand, you'll probably be fine with a bit of practice...

No...
We shouldn't be so hasty.

What?! Why?!

I agree that there was nothing seriously wrong on the surface, but...

You're just not fit for this role, Tsukasa...

Not fit...?