A young, feminine voice entered their ears. “Grandma, I’m home. Ugh, I got chased by weirdos earlier, and I had to run around making sure they weren’t following me.” There was the sound of shoes being taken off and placed on the floor, which was then followed by the sound of a closing door. “Don’t worry, I bought the eggs. I didn’t forget it this time.”

  “We have guests today, Aoede! Come and say hello!” Syrinx exclaimed in the direction of the living room.

  Footsteps were heard arriving inside the living room, which was next to the dining room. “Is it adventurers-”

  The trio widened their eyes at the Felmier girl, who also just turned her head in their direction. A keyboard hanging off the back of a black hoodie, no tail stemming from her hip, and a basket of eggs in her hands.

  She and Ryder promptly pointed at each other with surprise.

  “It’s you!”

  “It’s the weirdos!”

  Aoede turned to her grandmother. “Grandma, these are the weirdos that chased after me for no reason earlier! Why are they here?!”

  “It’s not for no reason. We wanted to ask where you learned to play the song that you did, but you immediately bolted away,” the human retorted.

  “Because you’re weirdo strangers! Stranger danger!”

  “Now, now. Be nice, Aoede. You’re going to be helping this group of adventurers break the Knight’s curse!” The old woman smiled at her granddaughter before turning to the trio. “My granddaughter here had memorized all the songs that were on the sheets a week ago, which was why I was willing to sell them. I didn’t want to, but after my injury, I couldn’t work anymore. The money the gentlemen offered is more than enough to support her until her adulthood, so I couldn’t refuse.”

  “I… see.” Ryder exchanged a look with Brown and Findir.

  “Why should I help them?” The girl crossed her arm. “They’re weirdos. Besides, these adventurers never know which sheet to look for! Once I go to Alin and Elisha’s house, I-”

  “If that’s the case, young Aoede, then what’re these?” The musician smirked and showed her the two music sheets he had on him.

  The girl’s eyes widened before snatching the sheets from his hand and read the title above the first row of musical notes. When she finished, she raised her head and stared at Findir. “How do you know?! My grandma’s the only one that is supposed to know what it sounds like!”

  “That’s because the Drag’n Rider came from the same place as yer grandmother’s father!” His smirk became more smug.

  “I-I don’t believe it! You’re just making it up! He’s making it up, right, Grandma?” She turned to look at the old woman again and saw a stunned expression on her face. “Grandma?”

  “...Aoede, dear, can you play the sheets for me?” There was a suppressed anticipation in Syrinx’s voice.

  The girl nodded with delay before placing the keyboard and the basket on the table. Findir helpfully pointed out which one she should play first, to which she replied with a stuck-out tongue. She read through the sheets placed on the table first before rigidly playing it out. The old woman took a deep breath when she heard the first few notes. Tears formed at the edge of her eyes as the song continued until the end of the second sheet before Aoede matched it with her knowledge of the last part. The true end didn’t sound abrupt, and the song was officially assembled.

  “It has been so, so long since I listened to this song.” Syrinx’s hands started trembling as a single tear streamed down her cheek. “If only Thalia and Aria were still here…” There was only the sound of her soft sniffling left in the room as the girl comforted her.

  A solemn few minutes later, Syrinx wiped away her tears and peered at the trio. "My granddaughter will teach you the last part of the song."

  “Thank you. Findir,” Ryder turned to his friend. “I’ll be counting on you. Master the last part as fast as you can.”

  The yellow-ear nodded. “Ya can count on me, Ryder!”

  “What?! No way! I’m going to be the one that plays the song!" Aoede then faced her grandmother with a pout. "You always said I’m going to be the one that saves Attis from his curse, so I will be the one that does it!” The girl stomped her feet.

  Ryder stretched his hand out. “Listen, little girl-”

  “I’m not a little girl! I’m a cool hero that’ll lay the Onyx Knight to rest, become the best pianist in this entire city, and get everyone’s respect! I’m not going to listen to anything you say unless it’s you agreeing to take me instead of this yellow clown!” She snarled at Findir.

  The cat-man was about to bark back, but his friend pressed him down. “I may be strong, but I never expect anything to go smoothly when it comes to a request like this. For starters, what if you get scared or stressed out and forget what notes to play? What if nothing happens after you finish playing the song? What if you can’t run fast enough away when I need you to? My friend here may not be a fighter, but he’s at least an adult. And, as a traveling musician, there’s no doubt he had picked up skills that would make it easier for me to help him stay alive.”

  “I’m not like other girls who get scared easily! I’m a hero, and I can definitely run faster than you!” Pointing at the rider, Aoede then turned to her grandmother. “Tell them I can do it, Grandma!”

  There was a touch of pity, worry, and hesitation sprinkled over Syrinx’s expression as she glanced back and forth between her granddaughter and Ryder twice. Then, after letting out a small sigh, she asked the rider, “Can you give her a chance, Mr. Ryder? Perhaps you can test her to see if she’s capable. If she isn’t, then I’ll make her teach your companion the last part.”

  Ryder pinched his nose bridge and groaned. “Fine. Since you’ve already proven you’re pretty agile, I’ll give you one test. You’re going to play a song, any song, perfectly, while I stare at you. If you can do it, then I’ll let you come with me. Got it?”

  “Ha! I’m not scared of you at all! Do you-” Her sentence was cut off as a chill ran down her spine. When she peeked at the rider, she saw him glaring at her with his draconic eyes. Her body started to shake.

  “Play the song now. Or are you too scared to move?”

  “N-No!” She gritted her teeth, slapped her cheeks, and started playing with trembling hands. Her claws were gently scraping the surface of the keys, but she kept on playing like it was a casual practice. The tempo of the song was a little slower than it should be, and sweat was running down her body, but she didn’t miss any notes and finished the song near flawlessly.

  “Impressive,” Brown complimented.

  When the rider retracted his draconic eyes, Aoede heaved like she just resurfaced from a pool after staying submerged for minutes. She was still catching her breath as she grinned victoriously at him.

  “Goddammit… Fine, you pass the test. I can’t believe a little girl can endure that kind of pressure.” Ryder waved his hand and drank his beverage.

  The girl weakly held onto the last empty chair and slumped on it. As she recovered her stamina, she took off her hoodie and revealed the color of her hair and fur to be green. “Did you see that, Grandma… I’m going to be a hero…”

  Ryder widened his eyes while Findir had no idea why.

  “And I’m so proud of you, deary. Do you want some water? Snacks?” Syrinx was beaming as she patted her granddaughter’s back.

  “I’m fine… I’ll be in my room to practice…” The girl stood up, hung the keyboard on her back, and picked up the sheets. As she dragged herself past the dining room, she muttered, “I’ll master the song by tonight… I’m going to be the hero tomorrow… Gonna be a hero…”

  Once the human heard the sound of a door closing, he peered at the old woman, who seemed to have already known what he was going to say, and spoke. “Green fur and no tail. Like Cybele.”