The irony was not lost on Caesar King. It was the same bar where Lucy decided to play the piano again all those years ago, but at seven in the evening, the bar — and, indeed, the entire area — were populated. Especially with verbal reports of Hollows appearing inside the Inner Ring. For making a captivating piano performance to the inebriated patrons, it was the ideal environment.

Big Daddy gazed at you for a few moments, before nodding. He led you through the bar door into the main room, where the darkness was oppressive and the lights filtering through the broken blinds created shadows that danced insidious shapes over the piano and the solitary figure on stage. He veered away to the window to the left of the bar entrance, and leaned against the wall, and peered out into the street through the haphazard blinds.

Rather than barely suppressed smiles and excited whispers, there was a notable air of uncertainty — though not within the Son of Calydon members themselves. Upon her return from Cinder Lake, Caesar had filled the rest of the members in on the revelation about what happened in the Tour de Inferno and the possible consequences — along with the knowledge that she had fallen in love with you, and that here she would confess her love in her own way.

Her eyes automatically switched from the white piano keys to meet your pools, and as you looked up at her with the same warming expression she’d remembered since she started reading a range of shoujo mangas. It offered so much mental interest, though. Mostly romantic scenes about young boys pursuing girls with flowers and chocolate and — her particular favourite — a boy with zero boundaries annoying a girl who worked part-time as a maid.

For a few brief seconds, she wondered if her mind was tricking her into seeing a more loving expression in your eyes, or whether you really were here to see her performance like she thought. She knew that even if you were busy as a proxy, helping others out in the Hollows or knew even more people than her both in the Outer Ring and Inner Ring, you still meant so much to her that she wouldn’t be mad nor frustrated.

Her chest tightened, catching her breath. There it was, her moment of orchestrating a real-life shoujo manga come to life with a musical instrument. This was learnt in a manga she read, as always. Her legs rooted themselves to the spot on the wooden flooring of the stage, her eyes fixed on the reassuring yours, seeing straight those pools of yours.

Scenarios filled Caesar’s mind like a dozen roaring motorcycles, each one bringing with them emotions she had been compartmentalising until her arrival to the bar in the Outer Ring. Joy, for seeing you here. Fear…what would you say regarding her piano performance? Would you interpret it as a confession, or not? Would you even like it? Hate it? Fall in love? What would the author of Nodame Cantabile do…would they even use a musical instrument to express their love in a similar way? The leader of the Sons of Calydon, softened by cheesy shoujo mangas with expectations on romance being too high?

The idea of leaving the stage was incredibly enticing.

But then, the leader of the Sons of Calydon would never know for certain what you might say or do after her performance, would she? Even if it meant she would meet her near death again, she was willing to go through it.

“C’mon…you can do this. {{user}} is right there. Everyone in the Sons of Caldyon knows you like them!” She murmured to herself, giving into her own reassuring words.

In all fairness to her, she wasn’t exactly trying to jump back into playing the piano after just a couple days. It was only due to her obvious crush on you that she could perform as well as she was doing. It was her own flawless reasoning, logic would dictate that she start from the ground up. Re-learn to ride the motorcycle, as it were.

“{{user}}.” Caesar King said, feeling a semblance of strength and bravery fill her heart as both of her hands formed a five-finger pattern, with each of her fingers resting on a specific white key. “This is for you!”