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Today was anything but ordinary for the Ultimate Pianist. Kaede was sitting in front of the piano, practicing a couple of famous songs she loved playing. However, Kaede was not alone. Her longtime boyfriend, Shuichi, was sitting right beside her, playing the piano with her. Together, they were playing a duet of Clair De Lune, which was, by far, their favorite song. It was the first song Kaede played Shuichi and it was the song Shuichi played for Kaede when he confessed to her. As they were both wrapping up their playing, they looked at each other with huge grins and starry eyes.
“Are you ready Shuichi?”
“More than I-I’ll ever b-be…” Shuichi stuttered, clearly still nervous for what was to come. Kaede noticed this and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the forehead. Shuichi blushed, still unable to control himself when Kaede shows him affection. As he turns towards Kaede, he finally noticed her attire. She was wearing a stylish purple dress in combination with some purple high heels and long purple gloves. Her normally straight blonde hair was now tied up in a knot with a couple of roses holding it in place. Shuichi also saw the light traces of makeup on his girlfriend that made her features stand out just a little bit more. All of this combined made her look drop-dead gorgeous. Shuichi knew he was lucky to get someone like her, who was just so perfect, by his side. Before Shuichi could start getting too deep into his thoughts again, Kaede started reassuring him again.
“It’s okay Shuichi. I’ll be right next to you, so there is nothing to worry about. I promise!”
“O-okay, okay. Got it.” Before they could get in another word in, the duo heard the orchestrator's voice over the speakers.
“Kaede to the stage please! Again, Kaede to the stage please!”
“Well, that’s my queue. Don’t worry Shuichi, you practiced for such a long time! You got this! I believe in you!” Kaede gave him another small peck on the lips before skipping away to the stage. His girlfriend started getting ready, which gave him time to think about how he got into this situation.
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“So, how was it?” Kaede asked Shuichi. The pianist just finished playing “Clair De Lune” for Shuichi. It was the first song he ever heard her play, and from the pure beauty of it, he stood dumbfounded, just looking at the wall.
“Kaede… that was... beautiful…”
“Really!?” Kaede yelled, a little bit surprised he reacted so positively.
“Yea… it was intriguing to see you play… how the keys made a different sound to combine into a perfect melody. It makes me interested to try it out.”
At this, Kaede grew ecstatic, immediately jumping off of the piano bench. She grabbed Shuichi’s hand before pulling him back to the piano.
“In that case, let me give you piano lessons! I will teach you everything I know!” Without giving him a second chance to reconsider what he signed himself for, Shuichi was already sitting on the bench with Kaede watching over him.
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The rest was history. They kept playing every day until, eventually, Shuichi confessed to Kaede. It was not entirely his own strength that allowed that to happen. Kaito practically showed the flowers and chocolates into his hands and pushed the poor detective in front of the pianist when he least expected it. Even so, he still managed to do it. After Kaede eagerly accepted his feelings, the duo started hanging out much more with each other, but they still came back to hear the music the piano produced. That is ultimately what made the two strong and what brought them together: their passion for each other and the piano.
Eventually, after another piano session, talks between the ultimates got more personal and they discussed their dreams. Shuichi’s dream was to help as many people as a detective and always find the truth, no matter what. Kaede’s was simple: make everyone around her smile using her piano. Every time Kaede played a successful concert, she thought of it as her dream being fulfilled, which is why she kept playing at concert halls so often. For a long time, Kaede was convinced that this was her dream, but after meeting Shuichi, her dream slowly altered. Eventually, after a couple of months, Kaede’s true dream became to make everyone smile… but with Shuichi by her side. The detective has become a staple to the pianist and her success, always being by her side and encouraging her more than everyone else in her life. Kaede wanted to reflect that in her music and playing.
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Kaede was getting ready to set up her solo piano concert, which would last for most of the time. However, with all of her influence and fame in the piano industry, while also being the Ultimate Pianist, Kaede managed to “convince” the orchestrator to allow one final song, which would be a “Clair De Lune” duet featuring the detective and pianist. Before then, however, Kaede would complete her normal concert, just to make sure none of Kaede’s fans got upset.
As Shuichi continued to think, a single cord of the piano ringed out, which instantly snapped him out of his own bubble. He looked towards the stage from the sidelines to see that Kaede had started playing. His attention snapped towards her. Kaede’s playing always transported Shuichi into a different world. Sometimes that world involved a setting sunset with a calm waterfall flowing in the background while other times the world involved an intense battle raging on both sides. Either way, he still adored everything Kaede played and this was no expectation.
Eventually, an hour passed with Kaede continuously playing the piano. Everyone was in awe and clapped loudly after each and every song. Kaede always looked at the audience and saw the smiles on their faces.
This is wonderful! This is a dream come true! And in a little while … Kaede looked and smiled at Shuichi, who was extremely nervous… I, no we, will fulfill it!
The song Kaede just finished was the last song of the night, but before anyone could leave, the orchestrator spoke once more.
“Alright, and for the final song, we have Kaede Akamatsu playing a duet with Shuichi Saihara!”
Everyone started to clap, which encouraged Shuichi to slowly walk towards the piano. Most people didn't know who Shuichi was at this point, but some of Kaede's long-time fans recognized him since he was always backstage with her. As Kaede looked in his direction, she could tell he was shaking. When he reached the piano bench and sat down, out of view from everyone, Kaede grabbed onto his hand and squeezed it.
“Just remember to focus on the music, not other people. Let the music take you to another world naturally. And remember, I will always be here for you, even if you mess up! And no one will make fun of you, because I'm here!” Those statements his girlfriend whispered to him gave the detective-turned-pianist the courage he needed to continue. Shuichi just smiled before giving her a light squeeze back.
“Thank you K-Kaede, you a-always know what to say to cheer me up…”
Before they could continue talking, they both put their hands on their starting positions on the piano. They both took a deep breath and looked at each other. Kaede smiled and nodded, allowing Shuichi to take the initiative in the piece. Once Shuichi played the first cord, he started to feel hooked. He kept thinking about how beautiful the music is and, when Kaede started playing as well, he thought about how much more natural it sounds with two people playing. He started to forget all the people watching him and only focused on the piano and the girl beside him. Of course, Kaede was thinking the exact same things. Before long, the couple unknowingly put their heads together, forming a heart with their ahoges. This was visible to the whole audience, and to them, it clearly showed that the music was coming from their hearts.
Sooner than later, the final chord rang out and Kaede and Shuichi looked at each other while smiling. This was the biggest smile either of them had seen from each other during their entire time knowing each other. The crowd jumped with applause and they even threw some flowers, but the duo did not care. They just stared into each other’s keys, still basking in the melody.
As the curtain began to close, Kaede moved her right hand to his cheek.
“Shuichi, thank you. Music has truly brought us even closer together and… you helped me complete my dream. This just makes me so happy, seeing everyone smile because of us.”
“Yea, I understand. It makes me happy too, s-seeing how it affected everyone in such a p-positive way. Thank you Kaede for i-including me in your dream. It is such an h-honor to be a part of a dream of s-someone as amazing as you.”
Kaede turned red, and as soon as Shuichi realized what he said, he blushed too. All the while, the audience was still there, cheering and throwing roses at the couple.
“Shuichi… I… I t-truly do love you…”
Shuichi was shocked. It was the first time Kaede seriously said that to him during their 10 months of dating. However, he knew that he had felt the same way.
“I t-truly l-love y-you too, K-Kaede. More than a-anything in the w-world.”
Still holding his cheek, Kaede kissed Shuichi on the lips before the curtain closed on the stage. Their performance may have ended, but this was just the start of the duo performing together while making the whole world smile.