Mia, who was learning the Streep at the academy, played it at intervals to prevent her arms from dropping too much in skill.
However, she considered her skill to be purely at a hobbyist level, so she didn’t often play it in front of people.
For this reason, Mia had never played the Streep in front of Miku, who had come to the management layer.
That was also the reason why Miku had never seen a Streep when choosing an instrument at the shop.
Frankly, Kousuke rarely had the opportunity to hear Mia play the Streep, so it was natural that Miku hadn’t seen it.
Given this situation, it was decided that they would first watch Mia play the Streep, but the location became a problem.
The inn where they were staying, of course, was not equipped with wonderful soundproofing.
While there were magic tools for preventing sound leakage, it was unreasonable to expect them to be ready immediately.
As a result, they ended up listening to Mia play the Streep in a self-propelled wagon that could prevent sound from leaking to the surroundings.
By the way, the self-propelled wagon had been space-expanded in consideration of future use.
Until now, it had carried Kousuke, Kouhi, and Mitsuki, as well as their five wives and three children.
In the future, Mia would also be riding in it.
The story went that the current space would not be enough, so they decided to renovate it on short notice.
Mia’s performance was to be heard by everyone.
Naturally, Mia couldn’t hide her bewildered expression in such a situation.
“I get nervous, no matter what,” she said.
“What are you talking about? At the academy, you used to play in front of many students,” replied Floria, looking somewhat exasperated.
She reasoned that it would be fewer people compared to the academy, where students had to perform repeatedly in front of teachers and other students until they passed.
“That’s true… but playing in front of my family is completely different. You, Mother, probably remember that feeling, right?”
Mia asked if Floria didn’t feel the same when she performed dances in front of Kousuke and the others. Floria tilted her head.
“Hmm, I wonder? I might have felt that way in the past, but I feel like I haven’t felt it for some time?”
“….Haa. That’s why talented people…”
Mia’s reply was so quiet that many, including Floria, couldn’t hear it, but Kousuke, who was sitting next to her, heard it perfectly.
However, he completely agreed with Mia’s feelings, so he pretended not to hear, and patted Mia on the shoulder with a laugh.
“There, there. For now, you’re the best among us, so just play with confidence.”
“Yes. I will.”
Nodding to Kousuke’s comfort, Mia’s face became determined, and she repositioned herself with the Streep.
The purpose of Mia’s performance this time was to let Miku hear it.
Therefore, Miku was seated in the best seat, directly in front.
To her left and right were Seiya and Shia, and further out were Colette and Peach.
“Well then, I’ll play,” Mia said, and began to play the Streep.
The strings of the Streep, like piano strings, were made of metal, but their tone was very gentle.
The song Mia chose for Miku was a simple one that even a child could play.
Even so, for Miku, who was hearing the Streep for the first time, it was more impressive than any street performance she had heard in the plaza, and she listened with shining eyes.
It wasn’t just Miku; the twins sitting on either side of her were the same.
Even though they weren’t as interested in instruments as Miku, they were captivated because they could clearly hear the music as a song.
Kousuke, incidentally, thought that Mia’s performance was also wonderful, which was why it captured their attention.
The women were also listening intently to Mia’s performance, but Floria had her eyes closed, looking content.
When Mia finished playing, a unanimous applause erupted.
Hearing this, Mia’s face showed a momentary surprise, followed by a blush of embarrassment.
“Sister Mia, you’re amazing!” Miku said, clapping her hands enthusiastically and sending words to Mia.
Mia smiled in response, said “Thank you,” and stroked Miku’s head.
Seiya and Shia then offered similar impressions, and Mia patted each of their heads.
In a sense, even Kousuke, who was more accustomed to listening to music than anyone else present, found the performance wonderful, so it was even more so for the children hearing it for the first time.
In any case, Mia’s performance at that time left a great impression on Miku’s heart.
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After returning to the inn from the one-song concert, Kousuke and the others rested for the night in preparation for their journey the next day, with nothing particular planned.
The only addition to their travel plans was Miku’s Streep practice; everything else was as scheduled.
It started with learning the positions of the strings, and she would simply pluck each note with her fingers, but Miku played with a happy and satisfied smile.
Children often get bored with repetition, but Miku, Seiya, and Shia did not seem to tire of the repetitive sound.
Kousuke found this strange, but on the afternoon of Miku’s second day of practice, he noticed something.
To confirm this, he decided to communicate with her mother, Peach, via Divine Power Telepathy.
He judged it best not to let the children hear, given the content of their conversation.
“By any chance, is Miku’s charm leaking?”
Miku, who inherited more of Peach’s blood than being a succubus, naturally possessed the power of charm from birth.
She had kept this power sealed since she could walk independently, but Kousuke felt that the charm might be at play from Miku playing the Streep.
Peach, who received Kousuke’s Divine Power Telepathy, did not change her expression, but she closely observed her daughter.
Incidentally, at this point, everyone except the children had realized that the two were conversing via Divine Power Telepathy.
“….No. At least, it doesn’t seem to be the charm of a succubus.”
“A succubus…?” Kousuke noticed the subtle nuance in Peach’s reply.
“Yes. I can’t say for sure yet, but perhaps it’s the influence of Siren blood.”
“Siren… Ah, I see.” Kousuke finally remembered that Peach had Siren blood mixed in her lineage, thanks to Peach’s words.
At the same time, he thought about the reputation of Siren music (though it was basically singing).
“Is it that Miku is strongly influenced by Siren blood?” This could be inferred from Peach’s words, much like how Peach’s vampire blood manifestation was a throwback.
“Yes. But it’s not confirmed yet.”
“I see. But it certainly seems plausible.”
“I’ll confirm it when we return to the village.” Peach thought it best to have it properly confirmed by those in the village who had stronger Siren blood than Peach.
“Yes, that would be better.” Kousuke agreed.
The influence of the Siren was merely Peach’s conjecture.
Upon checking with Kouhi and Mitsuki, it seemed that there was no indiscriminate influence like Peach had experienced, so for the time being, they decided to observe the situation.
Lately, it felt like Seiya and Shia were being neglected, with all the focus on Miku…
This is just my imagination.
Anyway, how many of you remember Peach’s Siren setting? lol
For the record, the author (I) remembered it clearly.
