Music Contest: Third Part

Majeta Königskrone, Germanys contestant for the world stage, it was said that she was a one in a 100 years music prodigy, she was a girl that had talent and was a hard worker on top of that, each day she practiced her mastered pieces, each day she would try to learn a new one, each day she would try to be a better self than she was yesterday. Each day she would work hard to prove her parents that she was someone, each day she challenged herself to prove something. Today was just like any other day for her.

"Miss Majeta, it's almost your turn to play."

Her butler appeared, informing her that the context would continue, Majeta smiled, it will just be another victory for her, regional, country, continental, she crushed all three of them, nobody could stand up to her skill, even now on the world stage Majeta only had easy victories, now finally the brackets started, the rounds of 16 started and her opponent was just some girl from the backwater country japan, Majeta was sure she would win, win and crush the competition again.

She stood up with confidence, smiling at her assured victory.

"Mother, father, look at me! I am sure I am the right person to be the heir of the company!"

She walked onto the stage and started to play, she was assured of her victory, she was in top condition today, today was just another day for her.

Moments later Majeta found herself on the floor with a crushing defeat, she was frustrated, she lost, she just barely lost, her honor was hurt, but there was a way to safe it! To declare the girl that defeated her as her rival, yes, a rival, there was nothing wrong in losing to a rival, it would mean she would just try harder to surpass her as fast as possible, before throwing her away again. Yes, Majetta would declare that girl as her rival and nobody would stop her.

She stood up to try to call out to the girl, but then she suddenly heard it.

"And little Akane? How was Majeta Königkrone, she surely was a difficult opponent, after all she is Germanys music prodigy."

"Are you kidding me teacher Salieri? That girl barely made me use my 29%, I am sure the me from about one year ago, on the country level competition could defeat her, she barely made me break a sweat, she is at best at the level of Anastasia Yerokhin, maybe a tidbit stronger than her, but that was it."

She couldn't believe what she heard just now, 29%? Country level competition? One year ago? Only a bit stronger than that Russian girl Yerokhin? Majeta couldn't believe what she just heard, she really couldn't. 'That surely must be a lie' or 'do not try to act tough backwater girl' thoughts like that ran through her head, but there was that doubt, that doubt that she wasn't flaunting at all, that everything she said was the honest truth, she fell on her knees again, she lost her confidence.

"Maybe I should retire from the music scene."

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Welcome back our dear watcher, we are just back in time to..."

Akane yawned, she currently was sewing her new outfit she was planning to perform in, she really had nothing better to do, she really couldn't dive down without her instrument, so she was here, sewing with her big aunty. And the opponents were a disappointment the quarter-finalist was even weaker than that Majeta girl!

"Akane! You really are talented in everything, your sewing skills are on the level of a spider if they had the dexterity of humans, I can't even believe you are doing the fabric yourself!"

"Can you please continue to work on my gold buttons, I want to finish the outfit before the finale."

"Hai, hai, Akane, you really are a hard worker, aren't you?"

"It's just the right thing to do your best, after all I don't want to be called a weak willed person if I just halfassed things I had the excuse of not trying my best, but when do you want to try your best if you can complain about something that you chose not to try your best at? My policy is to try my best at everything, but not forget to be flexible, if there is another, better way I'll try to find it."

"Well, then what about your outfit? I am sure you could buy some good fabric for money."

Akane shook her head.

"It wouldn't be MY outfit if I didn't work on it from beginning to end."

"You talk as if you got the silk personally and colored it yourself."

Akane just smiled mysteriously, making Akasuki give her a look of disbelief.

"Who knows."

She then stood up and started to dress herself.

"Well, big aunty Akasuki, it's morning again, we should go to the stage, before we arrive too late."

Akane just silently walked out of the room, letting her aunt process the information.

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well teacher Salieri, who is going to be my opponent today?"

"It is I!"

Akane turned around, she used echolocation to identify the source of the voice. It was a girl that apparently had four arms.

"Teacher Salieri?"

"Yes, young Akane."

"Aren't I competing with too much girls?"

"No, Akane, it just feels like it, because most of the pianists that left an impression on you were female, but in truth if we go by the count, you defeated more boys than girls."

Akane thought for a moment.

"So, you are telling me that despite the fact that there were more males in the competitions, that none of them were as talented as the few females I battled."

"If you want to say it like that, then you can."

"Hey! Don't just ignore me!"

"Sorry, just had to clarify something. So, you are going to be my next opponent, why do you look at me like that, to clarify it, I might be blind, but I don't cheat."

"What! I never accused you of that, or do you want to imply that I am cheating through defamation of your name?"

"Yes, I would be pretty disappointed if one of the finalists cheated."

"You too? In my opinion a contest should be always won upon honesty!"

"That's quite the foolish way of thinking, I mean in competition like this something like using unfair methods is not so important, but what when your life is threatened, what if the life of your family is threatened, the live of your loved ones."

The girl pulled (one) of her hands back, looking like her fun was just ruined.

"You ruined it. You ruined our possible moment."

Akane just chuckled.

"I am Seigi Akane, for a fair fight."

"I am Emilia Brun, nice to meet you, for a fair fight."

Both girls didn't need to say anything, they knew they were going to go all out on each other.

"Hope you won't lose, just because I can play a duet."

"Hope you will be able to coordinate your four hands."

Both chuckled, both felt excited.

"I think it's my turn now, watch me play and be impressed."

"I will, I have high expectations!"

Emilia walked on stage and started to play.

(Gensou no Kekkai / Necrofantasia, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHEiY0rOQ2k)

Akane immediately liked what Emilia did, not just because she liked her personally, but because of the piece she started to play, a piece from a video game, something outside of the classic, and performed outstanding with it, making it up to the semifinals, Akane respected people who had the guts to do that, enough guts to do something cringe worthy and do it so seriously that everyone else had to respect it.

Emilia played a version of Necrofantasia from the project Touhou, it really sounded different when you tried to perform something with multiple layers of instruments just on the piano, it was only possible because of her four arms, and it sounded really beautiful, Akane respected her opponent, she was the first one that really tried to put feelings into her piece, true genuine feelings, it was just sad that the choice of her music and her feelings didn't perfectly match, she would have either needed to rework the piece, or she needed to change the feelings she needed to portray.

Both were difficult, Necrofantasia was the theme of the big mastermind of Gensokyo, and as such she should have portrayed it as such to give the piece justice, she needed to portray cunning, elegance, strength and the desperate need for entertainment, that is what she needed to portray, instead her version now tried to portray innocent confidence, joy, fun, happiness and competitiveness.

She played the theme very good, but not perfect, that was Akanes' assessment of her, but that didn't change the fact that she played very well, better than everyone she faced off before, even her teacher Salieri, even if by that it was only by a close margin.

Emilia finished her piece and walked off the stage again. She approached Akane and stretched her hand out, Akane grabbed it and started shaking it.

"That was an impressive display, you played Necrofantasia from Touhou, right? I respect you for that, you played it incredibly well, but I think you made a minor mistake, I hope you don't feel offended by that, but I will show you how a piece from Touhou should be truly portrayed!"

Emilia just smiled back, before she wrapped all of her hands around Akanes'.

"Please do, but before that can you give me an autograph, I am a big fan!"

Akane was surprised by the action of the girl, but quickly accepted it, she signed her dress before she walked on the stage, Emilia was apparently very happy about that, even though it could be counted as Akane destroying someone's dress.

She walked onto the stage and prepared herself before playing, she would follow Emilia suit and play a Touhou theme.

(Septette for the Dead Princess, Lunar Nights remix, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9amo7UbHjM)

The introduction of the theme was a proud one, it slowly hyped the audience up, making them want to hear the main part of the piece, they waited for a massive drop, but it never came, the piece just continued to play at teh same volume, it was just a big cut from the main melody.

Playing this made the audience think they were in the presence of someone of prestige, of someone with importance, they felt like they were in the presence of a princess, being granted with an audience with the princess, for a moment they felt like they would engage with an elegant princess that would be polite and proper, they were wrong, they looked at the princess and saw how she turned haughty, arrogant, proud. The blood of the audience boiled, but they couldn't hate the princess, she just had a certain charisma, making it impossible for them to go against her.

The audience felt like they were talking to her, but only with difficulty, as their hearts always jumped a beat up when they did a mistake, this audience felt like an emotional rollercoaster for them. And they didn't start to hate the princess for her behavior, instead they started to like her more and more, that was their opinion of the princess.

Sometimes during the audience with her, she would be polite and respectful, sometimes haughty and arrogant, and sometimes wise and intelligent, for the audience it felt like the princess brought them in, in her mansion as her servant, at first they hated her, but they gradually got to know her after a while, turning loyal to her.

The Septette for the Dead Princess felt like that for them.

And then Akane was finished with the piece. At first was silence in the hall, as the audience needed to understand what just happened, after the moment of silence followed a deafening round of applause and Emilia remembered again why she was a fan of Akane.

"And that is how you play a Touhou piece, I hope next time you would match Yukaris' character better."

And so, she walked away from the stage, hurrying to her room to complete her uniform.

------------------------------------------------------------------

In her hotel room:

"Akane, I am happy that you returned to me, to invite me to your room, but what do you want to do with me?"

Akane was silent, making Emilia extremely nervous, she didn't know why, but her heart started to beat really high, she started to blush really fiercely, being extremely nervous.

"Here we are, my room!"

Emilia gulped one time, what could she want to do with her?

Akane opened the door and showed her uniform.

"Help me prepare it! At this rate I won't be able to finish this in two days, so I need help, you have four arms, so that should help tremendously!"

Emilia was happy giving her idol a helping hand, but somehow, she couldn't help but feel disappointed...