Chapter 578

Completion of the Traditional Instruments
After another week of practice, I was now rehearsing while wearing an old furisode.
Since I planned to dance in a furisode during the actual performance, I needed to get used to it.

“My lady, so you were here.”

While I was practicing in the dance room, Modalphas arrived.
Was it something urgent?

“Oh, Modalphas. What is it?”

“We have finished recreating the instruments. I would like you to confirm what kind of instruments they are.”

Oh wow, they actually managed to reproduce them with only that little information!
I had to go see what they looked like.

The recreation work had been carried out in one of the workshop rooms.
Since I was a craftswoman myself, several such workrooms had been set up within the mansion.
And there, placed inside, were without a doubt the very instruments I remembered.

“You actually managed to recreate them from just that sketch.”

“For the military, if we are given a diagram that clear, reproduction is no trouble at all. However—”

“However?”

“To be perfectly frank, we have no idea how they are meant to be played. The string instruments, for example—we thought they would be plucked with the fingers, but apparently they require some kind of tool, which has us stumped.”

Ah, right… that part.

What should I do about this?

“For now, let’s have three people on flutes play in time with my movements. The koto and biwa can follow along with the rhythm of those. I’ve more or less got the dance down, so let’s start getting used to the music as well.”

“Understood. In that case, I’ll bring the people who will actually be playing on the day of the performance. Please wait in the dance room, my lady.”

I thought maybe we’d leave the instruments here, but he said it was fine—they’d be carried over by the performers anyway.
So I obediently returned to the dance hall and continued my final checks of the dance.
A few minutes later, Modalphas came back with the musicians.
Quite a varied group.

“My lady, was there a problem?”

“No, nothing at all. First, I’ll show you the dance. Then, each of you should imagine how best to match the music to it.”

It was a bit of an unreasonable request, but there was no helping it.
I cleared my mind of distractions and began to dance.
Whenever I performed the kagura dance, it always felt like my awareness expanded outward.
What was that feeling, I wondered?

“… Yes. That’s the end. How was it, everyone?”

“It was amazing! Like watching a heavenly maiden descend!”

“Yeah! There was a mysterious grace to it I’d never imagine from Lady Lily’s usual self!”

After that, they kept praising my dance at length.
But the real point was whether they could match music to it—would that work out?

“Enough of that, all of you. You each have your image for how to play, yes?”

“Yes! We’re ready!”

“We’ll match it on the first try!”

“Good. Very well. My lady, may we ask you to dance once more?”

“Eh? Ah, sure.”

Just as I started to dance again, uncertain, the sound of flutes began.
As I moved in time with their tones, my body flowed naturally with the rhythm.
The koto and biwa joined in, and somehow, incredibly, they managed to pull it all together on the first try.

… Aren’t my household staff a little too capable!?

What do you think about this chapter?