Vanstein Copyright

Chapter 19 – Senior

The night view of London from the balcony was quite picturesque, enveloped by the mystical light generated by the steam fog.

While Angela and Mrs. Care were choosing desserts, Adonis and Hardy had moved to the veranda, saying they were going to smoke cigarettes.

“You truly managed to pull it off for teaching her to have the ability to play that piece.””

When Hardy drew one from his cigarette case and lit it with a match, he offered the set to Adonis. Adonis held up his hand and declined.

“Oh. She certainly possesses an excellent aptitude for it, being the daughter of Merch. What a wonderful talent.”

“Well… then, about the London Competition.”

“… There is no doubt that… I’ll be in your care again.”

Hardy released a long breath into the air above. The smoke from his cigarette shot up vigorously into the night sky and then dissipated in a puff of smoke.

“Hey, Adonis. Can I offer you one piece of advice as a senior vengeance… expert?”

“What is it?”

“Listen, don’t dwell only on vengeance. Even if your revenge is over, your life is still going to carry on.”

“… That quote, why don’t you share it with me when the whole vengeance thing is over?”

“That’s exactly why I am saying it now. You surely haven’t realized it.”

“… About what?”

“You taught Angela how to play the piano, and she practiced desperately, and today it finally paid off, right now.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re making a pretty damn impressive face, you know that?”

It was only after he mentioned this that Adonis became aware of the expression on his face, where the corners of his mouth were still lifted.

He hastily covered his face with his hands and made an effort to adjust his smirk. At his panicked reaction, Hardy broke into an unrestrained chuckle.

“That’s fine. You must have been deeply moved by that, right? That’s perfectly normal, and a natural emotion to express. So long as you don’t lose track of those things, that’s all that matters.”

After twisting the cigarette into the ashtray, Hardy stood up first and started to head back inside.

Somehow Adonis managed to settle his expression and called out to him behind his back.

“Hardy, since you claimed to be a senior vengeance expert, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

Hardy turned around with his hands outstretched.

“You missed it, that time. Why was that?”

Following a short silence, Hardy let out a brief exhale.

“You know, I don’t really understand it either. I can say I’ve brainstormed a lot of explanations after that… but none of them seemed to click. But one thing is for certain, my revenge is over.”

“As a senior, your advice is fairly unreliable, isn’t it?”

Adonis tried to tease him, but Hardy didn’t seem to mind.

“Next time, I’ll be on the sidelines. How will you end this vengeance? I’ll be by your side to watch you finish the deed.”

＊　＊　＊

“That’s strange.”

Angela muttered as she sat in the fiacre that Mrs. Care had arranged for them.

“What?”

Adonis was trying to sober up with the night breeze wafting in through the open window.

When the two men returned from the balcony, they had hit it off perfectly, and Adonis seemingly overindulged somewhat in the wine that Hardy had recommended.

“I don’t like classical music after all. I prefer the jazz and blues music I play at the bar, the kind of music the kids are familiar with because it’s more enjoyable to perform and people are happier with it.”

In Angela’s mind, the sight of old men reveling in the bar and the beaming faces of the children from her days playing at the orphanage flashed through her mind.

“But today, if it wasn’t for that classical piece, I wouldn’t have been able to satisfy everyone.”

“You are right… music genre classification means nothing. Any music that moves you from the bottom of your heart is simply a fine piece of music.”

Although Adonis creased his brow, as if he was feeling sick, the words that came back were firm.

“… Yeah.”

“I suppose, to put it a little more bluntly, it was meaningful that you played ‘Piano Solo for the Right Hand’ today. Even if I, who can already perform, were to play it, he wouldn’t have been so pleased. I believe that the performance succeeded in resonating with their hearts was because you who can’t play the piece, confronted that reality and conquered it.”

Perhaps it was the intoxication that Adonis praised Angela more eloquently than ever.

Whether or not he caught Angela’s eyes that said, “It can’t be helped,” he looked away in embarrassment before adding a final comment.

“‘… Even my heart, too.’”

This is…

Wouldn’t this work!?

In all ages and countries, a woman who is intoxicated with alcohol can be easily seduced, right? Even though I feel like our positions are a bit reversed, the details don’t really matter.

As if ashamed or uncomfortable, Angela gazed at Adonis, taking advantage of the fact that Adonis’s eyes were averted from her.

Even though his face was contorted in distortion, he still maintained the rare expression of a decent-looking man.

His defenseless collarbone was visible under the collar of his shirt with his tie loosened.

Even through his shirt, his muscular chest can be distinguished.

All of these features foreshadowed the adventurous rhapsody of love that was about to unfold.

“Angela. When the upcoming competition is over, I’ll… you…”

Adonis was suppressing his mouth. He appeared to be hesitating, trying to convey some sort of message.

“…?”

His next words did not come out smoothly. Instead, Adonis’s face grew pale.

“Eh…!? Are you okay? Adonis!? Hey, Mr. Coachman!”

After rushing to urge the coachman to halt the carriage, Adonis somehow managed to climb down from the carriage and lean against a tree.

As Angela rubbed his back, she was struck by a discovery.

A handsome man is still a handsome man even when he’s throwing up…