‘Will you … be my teacher?’

‘Um,’ Ms Kitajima responded, tilting her head. Her eyes looked pleased. ‘Of course. This is a school, after all. I’ll help you with your schoolwork.’

HOLED UP IN HER ROOM in the castle, Fuka opened a textbook, and got down to the homework Ms Kitajima had set her. She was sure she could catch up with the next grade’s level of work pretty soon.

Without her mother or anyone else around, she could concentrate on her studies in peace and quiet.

Not once did she touch the piano in her room in the castle again.

Until February – the last day of the month.

When she got to the castle, no one else was there. Hers was the only mirror shining, and Fuka suddenly wondered, Was it today that the castle was going to close for ever?

‘Wolf Queen!’ she called out, uneasy, but the Wolf Queen didn’t appear. This was a first.

She walked along the hallway to her room, where she had a sudden urge to play the piano.

She opened the lid, rested her fingers on the keys, and began to play. The notes rang out beautifully, and she knew the piano had been perfectly tuned.

Feeling the keys under her fingers, she became totally immersed.

She could concentrate and listen to the sounds she was making.

She loved the stillness. This feels so good, she thought.

She didn’t notice, until she had stopped, that someone was standing in the doorway listening.

The door was open, and there stood Aki.

‘You startled me.’

Aki’s eyes were wide. ‘Sorry to come in without asking. But Fuka – you’re so good!’

‘Um. Yeah. Well—’

‘You’re a musical genius, aren’t you?’

‘Not exactly.’

The term should have stabbed at her, but when Aki said it, she gave a wry smile.

‘Hey!’ Aki said. ‘What’s this? A textbook? I thought you were staying cooped up in your room a lot. Have you been studying?’

‘Yeah …’ Fuka glanced at the pens lined up on her desk. ‘Studying is low-risk.’

Why’s that?’

‘Instead of investing everything in one talent, this is a slow and steady way to grow, the most certain way.’ She hoped it didn’t sound false. ‘Someone told me if I do it, it will never turn out to be a waste.’

Aki was usually irritable, edgy, but with just the two of them in the castle today, Fuka felt strangely more relaxed with her.

She told her the whole story – about the competitions, about schoolwork, about her mother and about Ms Kitajima. And how they all led her to pick up her studies again.

‘Maybe I’ll try that, too … studying,’ Aki murmured.

Fuka nodded. ‘You should. Let’s do it together.’

I NEVER WANT TO FORGET what happened here.

I never want to forget the time I spent with everyone.

I made my own decision. I stopped feeling anxious.

I’m so happy to have met them all: Kokoro, Aki, Subaru, Ureshino, Masamune and Rion.