Chapter 3.
The Commotion at the Entrance Ceremony
And so, the entrance ceremony was held in the gymnasium.
But this junior high school’s gymnasium was a little different from the ordinary kind.
Because the headquarters of a musical instrument manufacturer—famous for its pianos—was located in the town, when the gymnasium was rebuilt, funding came both from the company and the community. Together, they constructed a multipurpose hall befitting a “city of music,” one that could also be used by local residents.
It normally served as the school’s gymnasium, but in the evenings or during holidays, it was designed to host concerts, plays, and other cultural events for the community.
Equipped with the latest acoustic systems, the floor was large enough for four basketball courts, and three thousand spectators could be seated around it. In fact, the town’s symphony orchestra even used it as their base of operations.
“Woooah! What an amazing gymnasium!”
Reiko exclaimed in an excited voice, looking around curiously.
Indeed, unlike an ordinary steel-frame gym, this one also functioned as a music hall.
But while Reiko admired the building, Manami’s attention was drawn not to the beauty of the hall, but to the piano music coming from the stage.
“Rei, that piano is amazing. Who could be playing it…?”
“Yeah, they’re not bad…”
“But the piano sounds strange. Almost like someone is striking glass…”
Manami felt something mysterious, unfamiliar not only in the performance but in the instrument itself.
“You’re right. There’s no muddiness in the strings, and the attack is way too sharp. Is it… an electronic piano?”
Reiko quickly thought of the trendy computer-based electronic instruments that had recently become popular.
But Manami shook her head.
“No, it’s too alive for that. Those aren’t sounds from speakers!”
“Then what could it be? Hey, let’s check it out later.”
“Yeah!”
By now, the girls’ hearts were more interested in the mysterious piano than the entrance ceremony itself.
The ceremony ended about forty minutes later.
And just as the new students began to file out, that same piano started playing again.
While their classmates followed the flow toward the classrooms, Manami and Reiko slipped in the opposite direction, hurrying toward the stage.
The closer they came, the more powerful the sound grew, stirring their hearts.
The piano sat on a circular stage, three steps higher than the floor, radiating an overwhelming presence.
“This teacher is incredibly good!”
Manami whispered to Reiko.
When all the new students had exited, the performance ended.
“Teacher, may I play too?”
Manami suddenly called out, childishly, toward the stage.
The young teacher—handsome, about thirty years old—turned and looked down at them.
“Oh, new students? Come on up!”
Smiling warmly, he beckoned the girls closer.
Eagerly, they climbed the stairs onto the circular stage.
“Wow… it’s huge! Isn’t this much bigger than a concert grand piano?”
Manami spoke casually, as though to an old friend.
“You’ve got a good eye. This is probably the largest piano in the world,” the teacher said with the same friendliness, stepping aside so she could sit.
“Teacher, this piano has more than eighty-eight keys!”
“Right. It’s a bit of a novelty—there are ninety-six keys. Not really practical, though. The extra ones mostly act as resonance strings.”
The teacher explained proudly.
“Can I try it?”
“Of course!”
Manami nervously touched the keys.
As she pressed them to begin her specialty, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, she was stunned.
The keys gave almost no resistance at all—like striking empty air.
Yet despite that, the volume and brilliance of the sound were two, three times that of a normal piano.
Instinctively, Manami firmed her stomach and relaxed her upper body. Then, gently, almost as if whispering to the instrument, she began to play.
“I’m impressed… I never thought someone could play it so beautifully…”
The teacher looked at her in admiration.
But it wasn’t only him.
Parents who were heading toward the classrooms, hearing the performance, thought the ceremony was still continuing, and began returning to the hall. Even the other teachers, mistaking it for part of the program, listened in silence.
The bustle stopped. The hall was enveloped in the moonlight pouring from Manami’s music.
Her notes conjured the vision of the schoolyard’s cherry trees, now in full bloom, blossoming inside the hall.
Nighttime cherry blossoms under moonlight.
A spring wind blew like a storm, scattering petals in a snow of flowers.
And the moonlight guided that storm of petals, making them shimmer and dance.
The first to notice the change in atmosphere was Reiko.
“This is bad. The teachers are all watching…” she whispered, but Manami was already completely immersed in the piano.
The young teacher placed a reassuring hand on Reiko’s shoulder. She could only wait in nervous sweat for the first movement to end.
At last, Manami struck the final chord. The teacher immediately gave her a round of applause.
Following his lead, the other teachers clapped. Then the parents joined in.
Soon the hall was filled with waves of applause. Surprised and flustered, Manami stood up timidly.
“This is… not good,” she muttered, glancing at Reiko.
Reiko’s face was stiff with tension.
But Manami calmly bowed politely to the teacher, then turned and bowed to the other faculty as well.
Suddenly, she grabbed Reiko’s hand, and together they dashed for the exit through the still-resounding applause.
“Ami, wait up!” Reiko stumbled as she chased her.
After they left, the master of ceremonies, bewildered, picked up the microphone:
“With that, the ceremony is concluded. Parents, please proceed to the classrooms…”
And thus ended Manami’s very first encounter with the Ceramic Piano.
By the time they reached their classroom, the homeroom teacher was already inside, explaining the schedule for the new term.
Manami and Reiko tried to slip quietly to their seats from the back, passing through the crowd of parents.
“Hey, you two! Where were you on your very first day?”
“Uh-oh…”
It was only natural they’d be noticed, and immediately the whole class stared.
Manami, embarrassed, mumbled,
“The restroom…”
The class burst out laughing.
“What kind of restroom takes that long?” the teacher scolded.
Manami, shrugging it off, brightened up and said,
“Teacher, girls have all sorts of reasons, you know!”
Not only the students but even the parents laughed at that.
The teacher sighed.
“Fine, just take your seats.”
Soon, the orientation ended. As the girls turned to leave, they noticed Eijirō and Fumie watching from the hallway.
“Uh-oh…”
At the same time, Reiko spotted her parents with a video camera.
Both girls walked over, looking guilty.
“What were you thinking, pulling stunts on your very first day!”
Reiko’s father scolded harshly.
“Aw, come on, isn’t it better to have a lively daughter?” Reiko countered.
Meanwhile, Manami faced her grandparents.
“You really came! You didn’t say a word about it.”
“Well, we hesitated… but I’m glad we did. We got to see your unexpected shining moment.”
“N-no, that was just… the teacher begged me to play, so I couldn’t refuse!”
“It was a fine performance,” they said warmly.
“Right? I thought that piano sounded strange from the start. And when I played it, I was shocked—its keys were so light, like they stuck to my fingers, yet the sound was two or three times louder than normal. I’ve never experienced a piano like that. It didn’t even feel of this world…”
Manami grew excited as she spoke.
“I wish Shunnosuke and Mari could have seen it too…”
Eijirō muttered softly, glancing at Fumie, who smiled gently.
Until today, Manami had never played piano at any school music event. This was her very first time performing before such a huge audience.
“Well then… let’s head home,” she said, walking ahead.
“Thank you for coming…” she whispered, back still turned.
“We’ll be checking in more often from now on. Looks like we’ll have plenty to look forward to,” her grandfather replied.
At those words, Manami spun around.
“I told you, I’m usually a proper, well-behaved young lady!”
Her words carried no conviction at all.
“Ami, let’s go home together!” Reiko called, running up to grab her hand.
“Your grandparents are already heading out!”
The two girls dashed away, almost as if fleeing.
“They’re only going to get harder to handle…” Reiko’s father grumbled to Eijirō.
“No, no, they’re still children. I think we have much to look forward to,” Eijirō said happily, watching the two running off with a smile.
