Chapter 87 - A Troublesome Friend

Was earning a living more important, or was art? After a long back-and-forth over their opposing views, Yu Na-gyeong listened to the two of them talk in circles and muttered in disbelief.

[You two get along surprisingly well, Team Leader. I can see why you'd consider Eugene a worthy friend.]

'What do you mean, we get along? That kid's stubborn as a mule.'

[That's exactly why. Most people would throw themselves flat the moment you glared at them, Team Leader. They wouldn't keep arguing like this.]

'What am I, a thug? Do I go around threatening people with my eyes?'

Even as Limon snapped back at her, he had to admit she had a point. Eugene was quite bold, after all.

"Oh, by the way, partner. All this talking's made me hungry again. Can I order a few more things?"

"... Yeah. Eat all you want."

... Then again, maybe Eugene wasn't bold so much as thoughtless. Watching Eugene order enough food to fill the table again and wolf it down—perhaps intending to make up for all those missed meals in one sitting—Limon clicked his tongue.

'A born artist, this one.'

[Because Eugene's used to going hungry?]

'No. Because Eugene couldn't care less what anyone thinks.'

[Being shameless is what makes someone a born artist?!]

'Not necessarily. But when everyone else stops at a red light, the ones with enough conviction to hit the gas are more likely to go down in art history.'

[That's not conviction! That's being out of your mind! Someone like that would cause a massive crash and end up in the news, not art history!]

'Hmm. It's true most of them die before they make a name for themselves.'

[Is an artist's life some kind of death match?!]

'It's similar in that they value art more than their own lives.'

Limon gave a faint chuckle. These days might be different, but until a few hundred years ago, most artists had occupied the very bottom of society and been treated little better than beggars. Those who became artists anyway fell into one of two groups: people such as nobles and priests, whose wealth and status were secure, and people who pursued art even at the risk of starving to death.

Yet only a tiny fraction of them—especially of the latter group—had left their names in history. Most had lived as though there were no tomorrow.

"So, partner, when's our next performance?"

Just like Eugene, who sat before him stuffing down food while thinking of nothing but music.

"Hmm... I was going to talk to you about that. I don't think I can perform with you for a while."

"What? Why?!"

"Something's come up."

"No way! Whatever it is, we still have to perform!"

Eugene declared it as firmly as a creditor coming to collect a debt. The insistence was so brazen that Yu Na-gyeong briefly wondered whether Limon was the one who owed money.

"Say what you like, I'm in a very difficult situation right now."

But Limon wouldn't budge. Dissolving the fragments of starlight was important, but stopping the attacks was more urgent right now. If he let the culprits run wild, there was no telling when they might inflict mass casualties on civilians, not just members of the Black Dragon Clan.

"What sort of situation?"

"It's complicated to explain."

"I'm your partner, partner. I have a right to know why you can't perform."

"Hmm. I suppose you do."

Deciding Eugene had a point, Limon gave a rough explanation of his predicament. He left out the parts about actually being Limon Aspelder, his relationship with the Seven Dragons Society, and the dangerous criminals he was struggling to stop.

A little later, Eugene blinked vacantly and asked:

"So you used to know a rule that let you cheat, but now the rule's gone and you don't know what to do?"

"Why would you sum it up like that?"

"I just repeated what you told me, partner...?"

"Oh, did you? Then yes, that's right."

Yu Na-gyeong, rather than Eugene, was the one who lost her composure at that halfhearted answer.

[Don't just say, "Oh, did you?" What kind of explanation was that?]

'I can't tell Eugene the Seven Dragons Society is under attack or reveal who I really am.'

[Even so, there's a limit! Nobody in the world would accept an explanation that ridiculously vague!]

"Okay, I get it."

[Then why is this person accepting it?!]

Yu Na-gyeong stared as though she'd seen an alien. Unable to hear her telepathy, Eugene nodded to themself, then patted Limon on the shoulder.

"Don't worry too much, partner. All it takes is one lucky break. Even if you don't know the rule, you'll get it right someday."

"If I sit around waiting for that lucky break, the company might go under first."

"You dipped into company funds too? Hmm, that is a problem."

"... What the hell are you talking about?"

Limon asked in disbelief. Eugene tilted their head at him in turn.

"Huh? Weren't you saying you went to a casino, lost your money, and now you're too busy paying off your debts to perform with me?"

"How did you get that from anything I said?"

"Well, getting all excited because you think you've found a foolproof system, betting everything you own, going broke, then looking for a new system—that's what gamblers and stock traders do, isn't it?"

[Bwahahahaha!]

'... You think that's funny?'

[Of course I do! Calling you a gambler, Team Leader! I guess you really do have to live a long time to see everything.]

'You're already dead.'

[Hey, no fair hitting me with facts.]

'Would you rather I hit you on the head?'

Despite that little misunderstanding, Eugene grasped the situation somewhat better after Limon explained further, then cocked their head.

"Hmm. I don't know what you're talking about, but I get that you've got a headache, partner."

[Usually we'd call that giving up on thinking—squawk!]

"Good. That's all you need to know."

Limon had pushed a whole cherry tomato into Yu Na-gyeong's beak. It was hard to go into detail anyway, and he had no desire whatsoever to trouble himself explaining more to Eugene when they'd at least accepted the gist of it.

"But partner, is that rule really gone?"

"What do you mean?"

That was why Limon looked unimpressed by Eugene's question out of nowhere.

"Lots of music has a messy rhythm. But no matter how messy it is, if you listen closely, you can feel the rhythm."

"Now I understand you even less."

"Don't think. Feel!"

"What are you, that Seven Dragons Society master who was famous as a movie star?"

"Hmmm..."

Perhaps finding it difficult to explain in words, Eugene spent a moment racking their brain. Then, as though struck by a good idea, they broke into a bright smile and held something out to Limon.

"... Why are you giving me this?"

"You didn't bring an instrument today, partner."

"No, I mean why are you handing me your guitar?"

"Just take it. Then you'll see."

Limon hesitated, then took the unusually heavy guitar. He knew that if he didn't, Eugene would stand there holding it out for hours.

But he soon realized his mistake.

Eugene sprang to their feet the moment they handed over the guitar. That sudden move, those slightly parted lips, and above all that smile told Limon what Eugene was planning.

"Hey, don't tell me you're—?!"

But he realized it too late. Before he could hurriedly stop Eugene, they had already let out the breath they'd drawn.

"Aren't you hungry?"

... As a song that rang clear through the restaurant.

Every head turned at once. From the servers bustling about with trays to the diners enjoying their meals together, even the owner yawning at the counter—everyone stared dumbfounded at the song bursting out in the middle of the restaurant.

But Eugene didn't stop. Whether they failed to notice the stares or were enjoying them, they simply kept singing with a cheerful smile spread across their face.

"I want some sweet pie."

"I want some warm soup."

"It's food for my soul."

'... Oh, damn it.'

Limon dragged a hand down his face. Even Yu Na-gyeong acknowledged how shameless he was, but right now he could hardly bear the embarrassment.

Eugene suddenly bursting into enthusiastic song in the middle of a restaurant? He could have shrugged that off. The problem was the song itself.

[What is this awful song?!]

'You hear it too?'

[Of course I do! I'm a bird with ears, you know!]

Eugene was still inexperienced, of course. Unless Limon was there to support them, their technical shortcomings stood out so much when they sang alone that their greatest strength—the emotion in their music—rarely came through.

But even allowing for that, the song Eugene was singing now was a complete mess, almost painful to hear. Pitch, rhythm, timing—everything was all over the place.

[But Eugene could sing pretty well before! Why are they suddenly singing so carelessly?]

'It's not carelessness. They're trying to do everything at once.'

[What's the difference?!]

'They're not deliberately making a mess of it. It's a mess because they're composing the music and writing the lyrics as they sing.'

[... They're doing what???]

For a moment, Yu Na-gyeong looked as if she'd been hit by a slingshot. Then Limon's meaning sank in, and her beak fell wide open.

[Wait, you mean they're making this up on the spot?]

'Yeah.'

[It's not a song they wrote beforehand?]

'Would the melody be jumping around like this if it were?'

Finally understanding why Eugene's song sounded so dreadful, Yu Na-gyeong asked in utter disbelief:

[But why? Did they suddenly get an uncontrollable burst of creative inspiration?]

'They want me to follow along.'

[What???]

Yu Na-gyeong stared at him, stunned. Limon offered no further explanation. He only gazed at Eugene, who was singing away happily, then sighed and gripped the guitar they'd handed him.

[Uh... wait.]

[Team Leader? What are you planning to do?]

[You're not serious, are you? You said they're making this up as they go. That means there isn't even any sheet music!]

Yu Na-gyeong seemed to have realized something at last, and her questions came out in alarm. She had a point.

Limon's ability to reproduce any performance after seeing it just once was astounding. But it was a feat possible only because of a Sword Master's Hypersenses and physical abilities.

Playing along with a song he wasn't merely hearing for the first time, but one being composed in real time, disregarding chords, rhythm, and everything else? Yu Na-gyeong couldn't begin to understand how he would do it.

'Oh, for crying out loud.'

In truth, Limon felt the same way. His experience as a musician was so limited that he had no idea how to accompany this improvised song.

But he couldn't bring himself to take his hands off the guitar. Eugene kept singing steadfastly through everyone's baffled, uneasy stares, looking certain that Limon would follow along. The sight left him no choice.

'Well, I've done nothing but rack my brain lately. Playing along for a bit to clear my head wouldn't hurt.'

When no good ideas came, a change of pace was one way forward. Feeling a little bitter, a little incredulous, and a little amused, Limon finally plucked a guitar string.

DING

Yu Na-gyeong's jaw dropped, along with those of everyone else who had been watching Eugene in disbelief.