Chapter 314 - Fairy Waltz
The intensely flowing comment section gradually settled down… and finally stopped.
It was filled with small super chats, which was scary…
Good work.
"Good work..."
The chaotic state was still ongoing, but at least the live stream was over, so I took a breather.
I sat down in the grass and watched the Fairies and Urisks still dancing.
They seemed to be having fun, so it would be a shame to stop them.
"Woof."
Lupi settled between my cross-legged feet, and I gently stroked her, feeling soothed.
Leda and Roy also lay down on either side, watching the fairies enjoy themselves.
"Ah, at times like this..."
At times like this?
"I wish I could play this."
What I took out from my inventory was the flute Argenta-san had sent.
It was apparently called an Ancient Kagurabue Flute, truly an instrument fit for a festival...
"Yeah."
That's right. You just got SP, why don't you acquire a music skill?
Mion seemed quite enthusiastic…
Indeed, I had just received SP from the Guardian reward.
"Guess I'll look for it..."
I do have a longing to be able to play a musical instrument.
However, in the real world, the hurdle to being able to play normally is incredibly high.
I opened the menu and searched the skill list… music? Performance?
"[Performance] skill. Is this it?"
It required 4 SP to acquire and was uncommon. Not ordinary, but a rarity that meant a fair number of people could use it, right?
"I don't know, really. Are there even many instruments in this world to begin with?"
In typical RPGs, maybe just flutes and drums? And then string instruments like harps or lutes are common, but those feel like they'd be advanced and specialized skills.
Shall I look it up?
"No, it's fine. I'll take it."
Ah, are you not overexerting yourself?
"No, no, I'm not. I do wish I could play, but in real life, it's embarrassing, so I'll practice here."
Being clumsy is unavoidable at this point, but in-game, I wondered if I could play well with skill assist.
Leave it to me!
Ah, right…
No, I'm not sure how I'd learn, but oh well.
"Alright, then, click."
I gained 3 from being a guardian, then lost 4 by taking the [Performance] skill, leaving me with 14 SP. I'm definitely on the side of having too much, aren't I?
Oh, I'll Appraise the flute again, just in case…
[Ancient Kagurabue Flute]
*A transverse flute used for performing kagura dedicated to rituals.
[Holy Magic] +1, [Performance] +1*
"Oh, lucky. It has [Performance] +1."
What exactly does a [Performance] skill bonus do?
…It certainly is a mystery.
For combat skills, it means increased damage dealt or faster movement, right?
For production skills, it makes the crafting process easier or improves the quality of the finished product.
Music doesn't leave a tangible form and fades away on the spot, so what would a level bonus for that be?
"For now, I'll give it a try. I should at least be able to make a sound."
Then, how do you hold this kagurabue? Just as I thought that, the skill assist instructed me on how to hold it.
So it's similar to a flute after all… It feels embarrassing to be seen like this.
After finishing positioning, I suddenly realized. If I'm going to play… what song?
A beginner couldn't possibly play a song from memory… maybe just that ramen song? Even then, I have no idea which notes are which, but just then,
[Activate Performance Assist?]
That prompt appeared.
Let's try it.
"U-uh, yeah."
At this point, I felt like it could just play on its own.
It might be faster to learn it by doing.
"On."
When I replied, there was a brief pause, and then,
Ancient Folk Song [Fairy Waltz] has been selected.
It seemed to choose the song based on the surrounding situation? It's probably doing some kind of AI analysis, but that's amazing.
While I was thinking that, the skill assist prompted me to start playing.
The feeling was entirely like a rhythm game, where I had to move my fingers and blow according to the skill assist.
Loo~loo~loo~♪ Loo-loo~♪
Oh! It seems to be playing! But I'm too busy moving my fingers and blowing, it's so hard!
That's amazing!
Perhaps hearing the performance, the Fairies and Urisks rushed over and started dancing.
It felt very much like it, but I was so engrossed in playing!
Somehow, after finishing one song? Without any mistakes, I completed the full combo, and then,
[Performance skill has leveled up!]
Oh, yeah, 1 to 2 is quick, right?
Shou-kun, you were perfect!
"Haha, but, this is super tiring..."
It felt like a rhythm game, but the assist telling my virtual body to move my fingers was intense, and I could barely keep up by focusing and following it.
It was good that the chosen song was a slow, beginner-friendly one, but I bet the difficulty of the songs chosen will increase as I level up…
Support magic?
Yata-sensei's point was something I also thought about; it's usually expected that these things apply buffs or debuffs.
In IRO, I feel like they become arts, so maybe it's tied to raising the skill level?
I could have Mion look into this, but if I'm performing and applying buffs or debuffs, then who would be the vanguard?
"Well, as for performing, I think it's fine for the main purpose to be interacting with the fairies. Once I raise my level a bit more and can play various songs, I'd like to play for the Selkies too."
That's nice!
Right.
I'll practice it when I have some spare time…
[Update History]
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