24 : The Fighting Spirit of the Fine Family 25: Part No.
24 : The Fighting Spirit of the Fine Family Part No.
24
The Fighting Spirit of the Fine Family
Inside a large white room filled with a vast array of musical instruments—from a violin, a viola, a cello, a piano, and a flute to an innumerable classical instrument—those things clearly reflected how wealthy their owner was.
In the center of the room stood a young woman who played the violin in enjoyment.
Her face was as beautiful as a Greek statue.
She closed her eyes in contentment.
The corner of her mouth was lifted, she smiled happily as her long, light-colored hair swayed with her movements.
To the naked eye, the scene before them was no different from the scene of a goddess of music playing a melody to relieve sorrows of living beings.
However, in reality, one could not judge things solely by sight.
As long as one wasn’t deaf, the music she played would definitely enter their ears.
The song played by the young woman in front was so horrible that one couldn’t bear listening to it.
The violin, which normally sounded beautiful, instead emitted crack, dry, and unbearable grating noises.
It was because her skill in controlling hand pressure was not good enough, causing the bow to brush across the violin with too much pressure.
Besides, she pressed on the wrong positions for the notes, and there were many other mistakes that caused the performance in front to be utterly damaged without any doubt.
“Can you stop playing already?
The sound is so awful that I can’t bear hearing it.”
A young boy who was in the same room blurted out.
He had been watching his half-older sister play the violin for nearly an hour, and the more he watched, the more he felt like the performance of the one before him was a bomb destroying his little ears.
“Shut up, Raf!
I asked you to play for me, but you refused, so I’m just going to keep practicing.”
The young woman’s face twisted when she heard the words she didn’t like from her younger brother.
The one with a beautiful face turned to bare her teeth at him before returning her focus to her violin.
“I told you, I’m practicing the cello.
I don’t have time!”
The boy also frowned.
He was also dissatisfied by how her older sister intruded into his personal space since morning.
“It’s just one simple song!
I’ve even bought you loads of sheet music without complaining.
Don’t act like an ungrateful child.”
Alicia Fine stubbornly insisted, shamelessly trying to use every excuse to persuade him.
“Bought it for me?
You’re the one who wants to hear those songs, and when you can’t play them yourself, you dump them on me.
You’re the ungrateful one.
I’ve been playing beautiful music for you almost every day.
Show a little gratitude.” Upon hearing that, Raphael Fine was pissed, he quickly retorted.
“What did you say!?
You little brat!
I work my ass out to do the streaming to earn money for others.
But look at everyone in the house!
The middle sibling turned into a brute, and the youngest turned into a music nerd who does nothing but play music all day!
I’m the unluckiest person in the world.
Sob!”
When the other party attacked her with accurate words, Alicia pulled out her great move: she collapsed onto the floor and began to cry on the spot!
Raphael, seeing this, breathed out in disdain.
“Sorry, I’m not Big Brother Jacquel.
Do you think that’ll make me do as you wish?
And who exactly is the one earning money?
The money you make from streaming each month is lesser than what Grandpa and Grandma give us.
Don’t exaggerate so much.”
He didn’t just said that but also picked at his ear, clearly expressing that one couldn’t trust his older sister’s words.
Alicia gritted her teeth when she saw that the other party knew her trick.
She never thought that this kid could be this irritating.
She was frustrated, thinking why couldn’t this kid be as easily tricked as her other little brother.
That deadpan-faced kid—if the request wasn’t unmanageable, he would always go along with whatever she asked.
But this little devil in front of her was tougher than anyone!
Around their grandfather, he acted clingy, causing her to be pushed into the background.
The grandfather had no idea that his true self was a demon!
“You haven’t even heard the song yet,” Alicia still insisted shamelessly.
“I don’t need to listen to know it’s from that G Clef channel again.
I’m telling you, I’m not interested in songs from that channel.
Those simple, basic songs are a waste of time if one were to seriously play them.” However, Raphael was still uninterested.
Why wouldn’t Raphael know that his older sister was a die-hard fan of the new streamer channel like G Clef?
This matter greatly surprised him.
Other than drawing, he had never seen his older sister show interest in anything else.
But one day, out of nowhere, his mischievous big sister burst into his space and told him that she’d found an interesting streamer’s channel called “G Clef.” She said he was a highly talented streamer of the music category.
Since it was the music category that he liked, he watched the past clips.
However, he was disappointed when he found that most of the songs were those that were easily played, with nothing worth exploring.
“If you keep speaking badly of the god, I’ll cancel all the sheet music for next time,” Alicia threatened him before he could act.
“…”Raphael quickly shut his mouth when his weakness was brought up.
For a music nerd like Raphael, this was a sad matter.
He had nowhere near the connections his older sister did when it came to acquiring classical sheet music in Earth’s version.
Alicia’s status as a top-level streamer granted her extensive ties within the streamer community, and being an independent streamer also earned her the trust of the government authorities.
She had easy access to the Earth Civilization Preservation Division like it was a walk in the park.
Whenever ancient artifacts from Earth were discovered, Alicia was among the first to be invited to review them.
Therefore, she was the first person in the galaxy who had the right to buy “sheet music.”
“So, what will you do?” Alicia lifted her chin as she asked further like a superior one.
“And… what do you want?” In the end, the younger brother had to surrender, following his big sister’s wish.
When the older sister heard it, she smiled satisfyingly.
“It’s an activity that G Clef channel recently organized.
You have to play a specific song.
For the first song, if you’re one of the first three to complete it, you win a prize immediately.
For the second song, five winners will be selected at random.”
“Play a song?
So that’s why you came to me.”
Raphael wasn’t stupid.
He could now guess what his older sister wanted.
She wanted him to enter the event to win a prize, which she’d then claim as her own once he won!
There were tons of cunning tricks she used with him, yet she called him a little brother?!
Raphael glanced at her with disdain.
“Well, if not you, then who else?
Should I ask Jay to do it?” Alicia retorted.
“Uhm… Big Brother Jacquel?…
Probably not a good idea…”
Raphael paused when he heard the name of the dangerous person.
This older brother of his always carried a terrifying aura.
Even though he had never harmed anyone, it gave quite a terrifying feeling.
Thus, he didn’t usually be with this older brother of his.
In contrast, his older sister Alicia was completely unaffected by that unsettling atmosphere.
Having taken care of them ever since they could remember, it could be said that she was like a real mother to them.
Therefore, even Big Brother Jacquel, known as the “Ice Man,” had to be cautious with his expressions around his big sister on certain matters.
“Raf, let’s watch a clip of the god’s performance first.
There’re songs of Beethoven that you like.”
Alicia beckoned her little brother to sit beside her, adjusting her holographic screen.
“Beethoven?
What pieces did he played?” Raphael asked as he sat down, starting to have a bit of interest.
“There’s Für Elise and Moonlight Sonata.
But the pieces for the activity are Moonlight Sonata and Cohen’s Hallelujah,” Alicia replied.
“I know the first one, but I’ve never heard of the second.
Is that really a Beethoven piece?”
Raphael was skeptical.
Being the big music nerd, he was familiar with every classical piece discovered so far.
Beethoven was one of the most well-preserved composers from Earth, but in all the surviving pieces, none was named Moonlight Sonata.
Had his big sister been duped again?
“I don’t know.
But when I listened to it, it felt like Beethoven’s music.”
Especially the final movement, which conveyed Beethoven’s signature fierceness so clearly, Alicia thought to herself.
“So, which piece do you want me to play?”
Raphael had no intention to ask further.
He had no interest in the channel from the start, so whether the piece was truly Beethoven’s or not didn’t concern him.
His job was just to finish playing it.
“Huh?
Don’t you want to listen first?” Alicia was tired of her little brother’s towering ego.
“No need.
Just play it and get it over with will be enough, right?” Raphael shrugged.
“…” The older sibling stared at that annoying demeanor, a cunning plan popping up in her mind.
“Which one do you want me to play?
Do you want me to play both?” Raphael pressed on.
“No need.
You only need to play one.
Hallelujah is simple, even if you play it, you still have to compete with others, so you better play Moonlight Sonata.
Quickly succeed it.
To win the prize, you have to be the first three to be able to play it.”
Without having to think, Alicia smiled sweetly as she answered her little brother’s question.
It caused the one who was looking at her couldn’t help getting goosebumps.
“Moonlight Sonata, huh?
How many days do I have?” Raphael asked with confidence.
Alicia laughed.
“There’s no set deadline, but the sooner, the better.
How about tomorrow?” She challenged.
“Tomorrow?
I can finish it tonight,” Raphael replied.
“Good to see you so confident.
Just master it done quickly, then.” Alicia smiled as she patted her younger brother’s shoulder lightly in encouragement.
“Your big sister must head out to buy some stuff for the next stream.
Little Brother, you focus on your practice, okay?
Fighting!”
“…” Raphael nodded.
In his mind, he couldn’t help feeling that something was off.
Why was Big Sister in such a strangely good mood?
Before he could ask, his mischievous big sister was already leaving the room with no burden.
In the room, there was only the youngest one of the family, who stood still with the video file and sheet music she had sent to his ID Watch.
Raphael sighed upon seeing it.
His older sister was always like this—demanding on the surface, but whenever anything happened, she was the first to make sacrifices for her little brothers.
He loved and respected the big sister before his more than anyone else.
“Moonlight Sonata, huh…”
Raphael mumbled as he looked at the first page of the sheet music.
It wasn’t difficult at all, and even his big sister could play this song.
So why did she choose to come to him for help?
The young man wondered.
The tall, slender teenager looked at the sheet music on the holographic screen as he thought, then walked over to the piano to find some answers.
The young man placed his slender fingers gently on the keyboard and began to carefully play, little by little.
The calm, relaxing melody of Moonlight Sonata filled the room.
A small smile appeared at the corner of Raphael’s lips as he felt a new feeling from this charming melody.
He was starting to like this piece.
Even though he wasn’t too fond of the streamer, G Clef, Raphael couldn’t help admitting that this song was beautifully crafted.
Its melody drew Raphael into a tranquil emotional state.
It was the beauty of a night which was rarely encountered.
When he finished it, he was surprised once again.
Raphael found that the notes of the second movement gave a distinctly different feeling from the first movement.
It was slightly more difficult, but for him who lived and breathed music, this level of difficulty was trivial.
…!!!
Of course, Raphael’s confidence lasted shorter than five minutes.
When the second movement ended and the third began, the sight before him made his eyes widen in shock.
Raphael stared blankly at the rows of notes with widened eyes, taking almost a full minute to regain his composure.
He quickly looked at the notes before him as he rubbed his eyes repeatedly.
Shit!
Are these notes or something else!?
Without waiting, the young man quickly clicked into the upload system to clearly watch how the owner of this piece like G Clef played it with his own eyes.
If he could only see these notes, there was no way he would believe that anyone could play this song!
What appeared before him got him goosebumps, as if he had seen a ghost.
Besides, other than Big Brother Jacquel, this was the first time someone could make him feel this chill!
The clips on the holographic screen revealed slender hands that fluidly pressed the fingers onto the keyboard.
They quickly and intensely moved across it.
The moment G Clef pounded on the last note, it made Raphael feel the shortness of his breath.
This had to be Beethoven’s work!
Raphael was convinced.
The angry undertones in the melody—so characteristic of Beethoven—felt like a hammer relentlessly pounding his head.
The young man swallowed a big gulp of saliva, and the doubts he had about G Clef vanished in an instant.
It wasn’t that Raphael’s finger speed was inferior to the other party’s, but the performance that shook people to their core was not something just anyone could easily achieve.
Raphael pressed his lips tightly together as he recalled the first memory when he heard about G Clef.
He recalled how much he had insulted the other party.
He complained that G Clef only played easy pieces, played just to gain popularity, and couldn’t beat the classical pieces in his own collection.
But now, those thoughts had completely disappeared.
He now understood why his older sister liked G Clef so much.
The reason was that this person truly deserved her admiration.
Raphael genuinely acknowledged the other party’s talent.
Yet admiration was one thing.
His current issue was the promise he had made to his big sister!
Having blurted out that he would master Moonlight Sonata by “tomorrow,” such a strong announcement was akin to placing his neck under a guillotine.
Raphael’s face was covered with tears.
He shouldn’t have quickly followed his big sister’s plan.
He should have trusted his own instinct from the start, which was already good.
The young man lamented, looking hopelessly at the sheet music before him.
Although he could play the piano, it wasn’t his main instrument!
Raphael longed to walk away from this place and go to sleep in his room to calm his mind.
Facing the mistake before him was too severe.
Raphael couldn’t laugh or cry.
He was desperate to throw in the towel!
Yet, the strong fighting spirit of the Fine family made him grind his teeth and push forward.
When a Fine made a promise, they must fulfill it to the very end!
With that thought in mind, the young man bitterly practiced the third movement of Moonlight Sonata over and over throughout the night…