Chapter 29: Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Musician
"Smack!" "Ouch!"
The bamboo sword hit Adrian's forehead, and Artoria reprimanded, "Pay attention to blocking!"
"Smack!" "Ah!"
Another strike: "Pay attention to dodging!"
"Smack!" "Hiss~"
"Try to find an opportunity to counterattack."
...
"Big sis, you're my real sister, and I can't even defend against your two moves. I'm attacking with my head!" Adrian exclaimed in frustration. Practicing moves and actual combat were completely different. Artoria didn't intentionally go easy on him. At most, she held back a bit of strength when striking him.
As long as there was a slight mistake, the bamboo sword would immediately hit him. Only those who experienced it knew how painful it was.
"Smack!"
"Focus your mind, your movements are becoming sloppy!"
"I got it!"
Adrian woke up at six in the morning, went for a jog, returned around seven, had breakfast, rested for a bit, and started sword training at eight. He endured about two hours of beating.
From being completely bewildered and unable to block a single move, to gradually being able to block one or two strikes or dodge one or two strikes, his progress was quite rapid. Although Artoria always found opportunities to counterattack during Adrian's offensive, given the short amount of time, he was making good progress.
The reason for his rapid improvement might be because getting hit really hurt.
His forehead swelled, and there were bruises on his body. Adrian took off his shirt and applied a medicinal solution to his wounds. As for the source of the medicinal solution:
[Tom's Medicine Kit: Contains commonly used household medications and simple medical instruments like thermometers and tweezers. Tom brought the medicine kit in less than three seconds when Jerry pretended to be shot. If this isn't love, what is?]
"Sorry, Adrian. Am I being too harsh? Maybe it's too early for you to practice like this." Artoria looked at Adrian as he carefully applied the medicine, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it. A little pain will help me remember. Once I'm healed, we can continue." Adrian didn't mind taking a few hits as long as he could learn something.
The swelling on his forehead was a bit tricky. Adrian took out a small mirror from his inventory and struggled to apply the medicinal solution.
"Ouch~ It hurts…" It was difficult to do it himself. Adrian thought about asking Tom for help. Tom had plenty of experience in applying ointments and bandages.
However, Artoria spoke up first, "Let me help you."
With that, she took the tweezers and cotton balls from Adrian's hand without hesitation.
Adrian sat on a stool by the bar, and Artoria gently bent over, pushing aside his hair to apply the solution.
"Uh... thank you."
They were standing quite close, at a certain angle and distance, Artoria's delicate beauty was beyond what any animation could depict.
Adrian felt a bit overwhelmed and closed his eyes, though his ears were still burning.
The scent of the medicinal solution was expected, and the fragrance of shampoo followed suit, infiltrating his nostrils. Feeling the damp cotton ball touch his forehead, the slight sting made his eyebrows twitch.
"Done." Helping Adrian apply the medicine relieved some of Artoria's guilt. She asked expectantly, "How does it feel?"
Adrian opened his eyes, looking at her hopeful expression. He purposely moved his arm a bit, "Much better!"
Tom, who was watching the commotion while lying on the table, raised his paws and wagged his tail. He extended his paw to poke at the bruises on Adrian's waist.
"Ow~" Adrian jumped off the stool in pain, grabbing Tom's neck with both hands, shaking him back and forth while growling, "Tom~ Are you trying to kill me?"
Tom was dizzy from being shaken, and his eyes spun in circles.
Artoria watched Adrian playfully tussling with Tom, her smile radiant.
...
The tavern opened at eleven in the morning. Adrian opened the door early, removed the closed sign, and the inside of the tavern was neatly arranged. Just as Adrian had instructed, he and Tom sat at the bar, drinking tea, reading newspapers, and snacking.
They took their responsibilities seriously when it came to the tasks Adrian assigned them.
There were still some empty seats in the tavern. Adrian took out the piano he had drawn earlier. He couldn't play it himself, at most he could press random keys or slide his fingers across the keyboard.
He intended to let Tom give it a try. A piano-playing cat might attract quite a few customers: "Tom, want to give it a shot?"
After calling out, Adrian suddenly felt a bit disheartened. He had been so determined to take care of Tom, but now it seemed like Tom was the one taking care of him...
Adrian thought he might have developed a dependence on Tom.
Tom showed a slight interest, walking over to the piano and taking out a set of tools that Adrian didn't recognize. He pressed keys on the piano for a while, then twisted and turned the tools as if tuning the piano.
After a bit of adjustment, Tom was satisfied and stopped. He pointed at his own body and gestured to Adrian.
"Why does this feel so ceremonial?" Adrian asked playfully as he retrieved a tuxedo from his inventory and put it on Tom.
Once Tom was dressed in the tuxedo, his presence changed. The whole cat seemed enigmatic. He elegantly flipped the tail of his tuxedo, then sat down on the piano stool.
With the tuxedo on, Tom exuded an aura of mystery. He lightly adjusted his bowtie and began his performance.
The piano keys chimed, and a light and cheerful melody resonated in the small tavern.
Tom played Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major. Many people might not know what that was, but the third movement, known as the Turkish March, might ring a bell for some.
Adrian belonged to the type of person who didn't understand but enjoyed it. As long as it sounded good and cheerful, that was enough for him. Leaning against the bar, with his elbows resting on the table, he listened contentedly.
Artoria sat on a high stool in front of the bar, nibbled on a pastry, her eyes squinting in bliss. Her dangling feet swayed gently to the rhythm of the music.
The entire piece took just over ten minutes to play. Adrian and Artoria both felt that it ended too soon, leaving them wanting more.
At this moment, a commotion could be heard at the entrance, as if people were applauding.
"What the heck? Little Brother Adrian silently invited a musician. The music was fantastic just now; we dared not even make a sound outside!"
Goodman walked in first, then pointed behind him and said, "I brought these hooligans here to support you, just as we agreed!"
Voices of dissent came from the back: "We were planning to come here anyway. There's no need for you to bring us! Adrian, we came to support on our own!"
"Yeah, that's right!" A chorus of agreement followed as the group entered.
"Huh?" Goodman complained, "Adrian said that if you mention
my name, you get a 20% discount today. Remember what you just said; you guys came here on your own!"
A dozen burly men bowed together, "We're sorry. Goodman brought us here!"
"Welcome!" Adrian chuckled. It seemed that anyone who could play along with Goodman was quite an interesting person.
With one sentence, Adrian managed to handle a group of troublemakers. Goodman beamed, "Where's the musician from earlier?"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone