Chapter 145: The Power of Music

“That was wonderful, Sakuraile! To think my granddaughter had such talent!” “Wah!?”

After finishing our performance and returning our instruments to the waiting room, I came back to the venue, only to be suddenly lifted high into the air by Grandfather as if he were giving me an “upsy-daisy”. Too exhausted to even feel like resisting, I just let myself dangle there mid-air, leaving myself at his mercy.

“Father! You’re making Sakura-chan dizzy!” “O-Oh, my apologies.”

Thanks to Mother’s sharp reprimand, I returned to solid ground. Ugh, my head is spinning a bit.

“It was a truly great performance. You all worked so hard.” “Umu. It was a very good performance. I found myself completely drawn into it.”

We received words of praise from Father and His Majesty the Emperor. Bianca, Ritsu, and Estelle bowed their heads in humble gratitude.

“Young lady, please have some water.” “A-Ah, thank you.”

I tilted back the cup Arisa-san brought me and chugged the cold water in one go. Khaaa! It’s over! After finishing a big job, I’ve gotten hungry. I want to eat a little something. I grabbed an onigiri (rice ball) set out in the venue with my bare hands and took a big bite. I guess people didn’t know how they were supposed to eat onigiri, because quite a few were left over. Even though they’re delicious. As if demonstrating that it’s perfectly fine to eat them with your hands, I munched away on the onigiri. Hm, the filling is okaka (bonito flakes) and cheese. The salty okaka seasoned with soy sauce and the rich, creamy cheese match perfectly with the rice. So good! As I was smacking my lips over the onigiri, a small hand reached out from the side, and one onigiri disappeared.

“Ehehe. I’ve gotten hungry too.”

Estelle stuffed her cheeks with an onigiri just like me. Drawn in by this, Bianca also reached out and began eating one in the same way. Ritsu alone hesitated to eat as a maid, but with my encouragement and permission from her superior, Arisa-san, she finally decided to take a bite. Seeing how we were eating, the other guests also began to reach out for the onigiri little by little.

“Delicious…” “It has a faint sweetness and is quite filling.” “The fillings are all different, this is interesting.”

I know, right? Feast your tastebuds on the soul food of my Japan. The party is in full swing, but Pamela-sensei’s band’s performance is coming up next. In the end, she never told us what they were going to play. She said they’d perform about three songs, but… I do have a few songs in mind that I vaguely suspect it might be, though. As I was looking forward to the performance, Pamela-sensei and what were likely her fellow court musicians eventually appeared carrying instruments. Wait, there’s a lot of them!? When you say “band,” isn’t it usually three to five people, or maybe seven at most? No matter how you look at it, there are over ten people here!? Well, I guess there are bands with large numbers of members back on Earth too, but still! The instruments are quite varied, too. The guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums are the same as ours, but there are also people holding brass instruments like trumpets and trombones. I wonder if that saxophone is the one sold at the instrument store? There’s a violin, a cello, and even something like a conga. It truly feels like a small orchestra. Pamela-sensei readied her guitar connected to the amp and let out a single Gyaaaan! strum. With just that, the eyes of the venue gathered on her. And then, that characteristic intro was spun from her guitar. So she went with that after all. The song is Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”. The song that triggered Pamela-sensei’s fascination with the guitar. I guess she couldn’t leave this one out. As if chasing the guitar, the drums started keeping the rhythm. And then, Pamela-sensei’s singing with a rough, wild voice echoed from the microphone. I’m not that good at English myself so I can’t say for sure, but it sounds like she’s pronouncing it better than I can. Well, even if her pronunciation is off, no one here knows English so they wouldn’t understand anyway. Far from just being perfect, it seemed they had added various arrangements to the performance. You could call it an otherworldly version of “Johnny B. Goode”. The invited guests, who were initially bewildered by the intense beat, eventually started swaying their bodies to the rhythm. It was so good it instinctively made me want to start dancing enthusiastically too. If I had my guitar and was up there, I might have even busted out a duck walk. That’s how amazing Pamela-sensei’s performance was. Normally, when she’s playing the violin, Sensei has more of a dignified and neat image, but when she’s strumming the guitar, she’s just purely and simply cool. The guitar during the interlude is electrifying. Is this really the performance of someone who hasn’t even been playing the guitar for a year? She’s a genius, right? She was a genius. As the teachers finished their performance, giving off the feeling of a full-power sprint right to the end, the venue erupted in overwhelming applause. It’s louder than ours was. I’m a little jealous. Taking a brief breath, they seem to be going straight into the second song. The guitar and drums pounded out an intense beat. Eh? This song is… At the exact moment the performance paused for a split second, I instinctively joined in with the teachers, shouting the interjection “Hey Hey Hey!”. I know this song too. It’s an anime song my dad in my previous life often sang at karaoke. I’m pretty sure it’s the theme song for “2”. It certainly is an upbeat, rock-style song, but! Why the Legend of the End-of-the-Century Savior!? Pamela-sensei’s singing voice echoed through the party venue. There’s some English in it, but as expected, everyone seems clueless about the meaning of the Japanese lyrics too. The sound of the guitar echoed as if dominating the venue, and its swells washed over us. At the chorus, a backing chorus from the older ladies in the back who had put down their brass instruments came in. This song has been arranged too… How should I describe it, the sound is just so thick…! You could say it has incredible impact, or that it resonates right in your bones…! The performance is intense, too. Hair flying wildly, giving off the feeling that she’s playing with her entire body. Looking like she’s having the time of her life. Perhaps influenced by that heat, towards the end, even the invited guests started making motions like thrusting their fists into the air. As it reached the finale, Pamela-sensei’s guitar solo was unbelievable. Her left hand’s movements are already so fast I can’t even comprehend them… Towards the very end, everyone was shouting “Hey Hey Hey!” together. It’s exactly like a live music club. As the performance ended, along with the applause, I even heard someone’s war cry. “Who is that!?” I wondered and looked over, and it was Grandfather. You’re way too excited! Before the invited guests’ excitement could cool down, they moved on to the third song. It’s up-tempo, but a bit more subdued than before…? The drums and congas are beating out a pleasant rhythm. This song is… Suddenly, the brass section (horns) all at once began to play a characteristic “Para-para-para!” melody. It’s the masterpiece “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, known as the heavyweights of soul & funk. Pamela-sensei’s soulful singing voice reached my ears. Seriously, where is she producing that voice from… She’s a completely different person from usual. The string section (strings) joined in as well, showing off an ensemble just like a real orchestra. The bright melody and light rhythm put us in a joyful mood, and before we realized it, everyone was naturally moving their bodies. By the time it hit the all-member chorus at the hook, the venue was already boiling over with excitement. Rather than just swaying their bodies, everyone was completely dancing. It’s as lively as a dance hall. Father and Mother, Grandfather and Grandmother, His Majesty the Emperor, Elliott, Jean, and Leon too—whether their movements were big or small, everyone was dancing happily. I found myself swaying and dancing too. This is insane. It’s so fun! I took Estelle’s hand next to me, and we started dancing together. Not just us, but Pamela-sensei and the band were all playing with smiles on their faces too. Music… music really is wonderful, isn’t it! Even without understanding the meaning of the lyrics, everyone was humming along and dancing with smiles. This might be what they call a “groove”. An elation that felt like the entire venue had become one with the rhythm. I could be certain that, for this moment at least, everyone was in a happy space. Amidst the swirling vortex of enthusiasm, the performance that seemed like it could go on forever reached its climax and ended abruptly. For a split second, the reaction of the invited guests stopped, but the next moment, cheers and applause that sounded like an explosion echoed throughout the venue. I also clapped with all my might, clap clap clap. What an amazing performance! The best! Bravo! As the sweat-drenched teachers gave a small bow, thunderous applause erupted once again. Waving their hands lightly in response, the teachers cleared off the stage.

“That was an amazing performance!” “It was a song I’ve never even heard before!” “I wonder if even I could play that instrument…”

Even with the teachers gone, the heat in the venue didn’t cool down. Everyone was trembling from the shock they just received.

“Hey, hey! Let’s do that too!” “Ehh…?” “Jean gets influenced so easily…”

Apparently influenced right away, Jean was talking to Elliott and Leon about forming a band. A boys’ three-piece band, I wonder? Elliott on guitar, Jean on drums, and Leon on bass, maybe.

“Is it possible to recreate those instrument-like things with magic tools?” “I believe it is possible, but it will require considerable development costs, you know?” “I don’t mind. That will surely become the centerpiece of our country. Let’s blow the minds of the other countries. Our country will be at the cutting edge of the music world as well.”

Behind me, the adults are scheming (?) something or other. Just selling instruments at my store doesn’t have any permanence, after all. I wonder if they can recreate things like electric guitars and keyboards with magic tools? If they make full use of the enchantment magic and engraving magic I learned in class, is it not impossible? By some chance, the music of Earth might spread throughout this world. And then, people influenced by it, like Pamela-sensei, will go on to create the new music of this world. I quietly wished that such a day would come someday.