Chapter 83: Results, Returning Home, and Comfort (II)

"But more than just money, I wanted that sense of accomplishment. Imagine that - the title of the best pianist in the world belonging to a thirteen-year-old. And not just any other thirteen-year-old. Me." Fuutarou's raised his hands towards the ceiling as his eyes matched Shouko's comforting brown eyes, "That honor. That personal glory. I had the talent, but I knew it wasn't enough. So I worked hard."

"Even before meeting you, I had practiced the piano every day. At first, it started as a hobby to get rid of my boredom from the boring classroom. Slowly, it started to grow on me, and I started loving it more and more."

"The classical songs passed down from generations of great musicians before us, the pop songs that motivate us, the instrumentals that comfort and soothe us. New songs that haven't been composed, new ways of playing, new ideas and creations that I had just by simply living my life."

"I practiced hard. I practiced smart."

"Yet...I still couldn't get my goal."

Fuutarou's words had been strong throughout the entire speech, but it was so feebly weak at the end. It seemed...stuck in his throat.

Currently, Fuutarou was not the confident boy she had known the first time they met.

Fuutarou was not the caring boy she knew who took care of everyone around him.

Fuutarou was not the playful boy she knew every time he teased her.

Fuutarou was not the gentle boy she knew every time he pampered her.

Fuutarou was not the serious boy she recognized when he played in competitions.

Fuutarou was not the mature boy she knew whenever he tried to shoulder responsibilities that a child shouldn't be shouldering at his age.

"What should I do, Shouko?" His previously melodic voice turned hoarse as if he was desperately trying to hold it back in, "What should I do?"

His expressions now made him seem weak. Defeated. Vulnerable.

Usually, people do not get so down after a mere defeat. Even the weakest of the wills tried at least twice before giving up and breaking down. So, why did a person like Fuutarou, who was known to have a firm will, break down so easily tonight?

He was an adult. A person who was supposed to know the harshness of life, society, and defeats.

But just not reaching the top 3 made him this way...

Fuutarou's current expression only showed up once ever in this lifetime - when his mother was dying. Only once.

Now, it had resurfaced for the second time, and Shouko, who had never witnessed this before, quickly fell into distress.

Shouko only knew Fuutarou from everything he had done. In fact, it could be said that Shouko knew Fuutarou quite well and maybe even better than he knew himself.

But tonight...

Still, Shouko didn't panic for long; she knew what she had to do.

Her actions were ever so gentle as her gaze softened even further. The only light source - the moon - shined into the room from the sole window only served to enhance Shouko's silhouette from Fuutarou's point of view.

Originally, Fuutarou was portrayed as someone invincible, someone who was always positive. He was basically the embodiment of hope, faith, and positivity in Shouko's mind. The unfallen; the one who would never fall and forever support her world.

Knowing that Fuutarou had such a weak side did not only make her look down on Fuutarou, but it only served to make Shouko love him more. Humans were born with imperfections. But it's the way we see those imperfections that differentiate those who treat life as something precious or something filthy.

"There, there..." Shouko was not a mum. She neither had the body and figure, the experience, nor the temperament of a mother. But her love for Fuutarou could easily be compared with his own parents'.

They say childhood love was childish and innocent. If you say it harshly, it would be naive and stupid and something that wouldn't last. But thinking positively, childhood love could easily be one of the best feelings a child would ever get in their life.

Sure, that childhood romance doesn't always last, but these are some of the strongest, most exciting emotions a child will ever feel. Never ridicule, make fun of, or otherwise show disrespect with references to "puppy love" or "you'll get over it". Sometimes, childhood love might run a lot deeper than an adult relationship, and the repercussion might cut deeper than a knife could ever do.

"I neither have the talent to make music nor do I have the right to choose your future path. I cannot answer that question." Shouko shook her head regretfully, "But what I can do, is to stay beside you wherever you are, wherever you go. Whatever you feel is right, I'll support you. When you feel happy, I'll feel happy with you. When you feel angry, I'll calm you down. When you feel sad like now..."

Shouko bent down, and her lips touched his. It was but a small peck, but Shouko had to use all her willpower to keep her embarrassment from showing, though she wasn't doing a very good job.

"I'll kiss you and cheer you up." Shouko didn't back too far, and they could still feel each other breaths' on their skin as they breathed.

"You don't have to push yourself. You don't have to do extra things. All you have to do is to be you."

"I'll always be there for you, like how you are always there for me."

"Even if I can't do anything to help you, I'll still be standing beside you, cheering you on with everything I have."

"Even if the whole world decides to shun you, I will be by your side. So why are you thinking so much about a competition? I know money is essential for us. I know fame and glory are important to you. But remember, you're only my age. You're a one-of-a-kind man that can be replaced by nobody."

"You had gotten the fourth place, but is it really that bad? All you have to do is try again next year. If you still fail to achieve your goal, then the following year. Is it not your forte to not give up after only trying it once?"

But before Fuutarou could reply to her words, Shouko's index finger was placed on Fuutarou's lips, "Let me finish first. But if you want to give up and just live an utterly peaceful life, I wouldn't mind it either. A wife of a farmer, a wife of a politician, a wife of the best pianist in the world...I don't care about the title if I'm the wife of you..."

Shouko has never displayed such bold words before. Usually, she would only make a bold statement before flushing back to embarrassment and refraining to say anything further.

Usually, Shouko was the weak one in their relationship. But now, Shouko was the support that Fuutarou needed.

Fuutarou didn't speak; his eyes were closed just as a single tear dropped.

The room returned to its original silence and calm, with the only thing rustling being Fuutarou's hair. Shouko caressed it a little longer before gently shifting her position.

From the edge of the bed she sat, she shifted towards Fuutarou's pillow, doing so while carrying Fuutarou's head on her lap. She could tell that Fuutarou was thinking, and she didn't want to disturb him in his decision-making.

Now, their current position was basically their sleeping position. Shouko tucked Fuutarou in like how she tucked her little sisters into bed before snuggling into the blanket beside her loved one.

"Aren't you a little too old to be sleeping together?"

"I'm never too old to sleep beside someone I love. So? Have you decided?"

Fuutarou's eyes opened, and the previous weakness he had shown was now gone.

"Yep. Thanks to your words..." Fuutarou turned sideways and faced Shouko, "I've already decided. But instead of playing for others, from now on, I'll only play for myself. I realized my own faults."

He had gotten too arrogant after coming to this world. Sure, he might not brag or antagonize everyone around him by being a bitch, but he was undeniably arrogant. Fuutarou thought he would be able to do everything a person could do and everything a person couldn't do with the help of a system.

Academic?

Sports?

Music and art?

The system made him think he was far beyond his peers. He aimed for the brightest stars, only to achieve the moon. It would have been an accomplishment to anyone else but not him.

Now, thanks to Shouko's words, he knew what he was doing wrong this entire time.

The truth was, his initial goal of living a simple life surrounded by his family was almost replaced by wanting glory and money. It wasn't wrong to aim for these things, but it was wrong to prioritize it over his family.

Why compare with those high-class adults who have worked hard for two to three decades?

Why compare with other geniuses when all he had was a system?

No one forced him to do so, not even the system. Fuutarou made a mental note to himself.

"From now on, I'll prioritize all of you."

"I'm glad."

"Thank you, Shou-chan. You really are my lucky star."

"I didn't do much. All I did was say my true feelings. Now that you've cleared your mind, you can sleep peacefully now."

"Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we've slept together, huh?"

"It was about 3 years ago if I didn't misremem-"

Fuutarou merely smiled as he placed his arms around Shouko's shoulders, hugging her close to his body, causing her to stop whatever she was about to say and blush.

They were so close to each other that they could literally smell the shampoo they used from the other party.

"Good night."

Clear that he didn't want to drag on the night any longer, Shouko greeted back as her eyes closed with a content smile, "Good night."

She had accomplished everything she needed to accomplish that night and even earned some additional benefits.

But just as their breathing stabilized, unknown to everyone, Fuutarou's eyes lit up in surprise as the familiar screen appeared in front of him.

[Quest: Attain First place in the piano competition (Part 2) Completed. Rewards are being issued...]

∞ 3rd POV ∞

"It seems like we don't have to do anything, dear." Hanako smiled at her husband as she peeked through the slight creak of her son's door and witnessed what had happened inside.

"You're right. Shouko has been the perfect daughter for us and the perfect wifey for Fuutarou." Isanari spoke after shutting the door quietly, "Still, Shouko is a little too sneaky, isn't she?"

Hanako merely chuckled at her husband's words. Shouko being a little sneaky wasn't a problem at all. In fact, it might even be a good thing when it comes to handling the rest of Fuutarou's other future girls.

After all, being too innocent would just allow her to be taken advantage of.

It wasn't apparent to the younger girls, but Fuutarou's mental was out of sorts ever since he came back, as though he was thinking deeply about something big.

They got worried when they laid eyes on him, but they didn't show it on their faces and decided to go out and have a party instead, hoping it would cheer him up and help out with whatever problems he was currently facing.

It did help, albeit slightly. So Hanako and Isanari had planned to talk to Fuutarou before going to sleep, but it seems their daughter-in-law was already one step ahead of them.

"Shouko has an overwhelming advantage when it comes to our son's love-life. I feel a bit sorry for Kaori now." Isanari commented as they made their way back to their bedroom.

"Let's not meddle too much in Fuu-chan's love life. After all, he would be the one marrying the girls, not us." Hanako replied before turning towards her husband just as they reached the door to their room, "Speaking of Kaori, what are you going to do with Yaeko?"

Hearing his wife's words, Isanari was slightly stunned.

"What about her?"

"Are you not going to take her in? You know about her affairs already."

"You want me to take her in?"

Hanako didn't reply.

"See?" Isanari replied as he rubbed his wife's head, a rare cute action of affection for his wife that he hasn't done for her in a long time after they had their last twins, "Besides, we don't have to get married or to fall in love to be family - we're already family no matter what you say. If you want to give her love, then urge your son to give her more grandbabies."

Hanako merely smiled.

Harem was a good thing nowadays to increase the population of boys. But sometimes, girls just want to have their man all to themselves.

Hanako was no exception, and knowing her husband's loyalty and dedication, she was simply delightful.

Hanako went to bed with a serene peace of mind. The night fell, and soon, the next day arrived.

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A/N: I initially wanted these two chapters to be one chapter, but I realized that I would just be rushing and lowering the quality instead. I have also been neglecting some of the familial interactions, so I decided to humanize those characters more.

This is probably my favorite chapter so far. Maybe except for their kiss scenes.

I also thought of making Shouko a yandere right here right now by adding the words "I'll be yours forever, and you'll be mine forever", but I'll leave it for another fanfic that will make everyone yanderes~. More spoilers in the future!

Also, if you're wondering if Fuutarou is gonna lose anymore in the future, he won't. This sort of drama only works once. Romance has several ways of writing, after all~

If you want to support me or/and want chapters in advance, link:

https://www.patréon.com/spirits_everywhere. We are currently 8 chapters ahead~ It is the best time to get the most out of your money after all~