At that point a member of the restaurant staff appeared in the hall. ‘Is it all right if we start getting things ready in here? We don’t mind if you continue playing.’

‘Yes, please go ahead,’ I said.

I was glad we’d come early. Glad that she’d had time to try out the piano.

Several of the waiting staff appeared and began rearranging the tables. Kazune, unperturbed by the commotion around her, played on.

‘Mr Yanagi let her choose all the pieces, too,’ Yuni whispered to me. ‘The two of us talked it over a lot, wondering what sort of music would be appropriate for a wedding reception.’

‘I’m sure it’ll be perfect,’ I said, and Yuni nodded. The second piece was baroque in style, an upbeat, fast-moving yet gentle piece. This wasn’t a solo performance or competition entry, but music to add a touch of colour to Mr Yanagi’s wedding reception. Gentle, pleasant pieces were just the thing, I reckoned. Just as I was thinking how great it all sounded, it happened.

What the—? I suddenly thought. I looked at the piano and at Kazune. She was still playing, a serene expression on her face. Beyond her, the staff were spreading pale pink cloths on the tables. Nothing about the piano or Kazune had changed over the last few minutes.

But something was bothering me. The sound was different – more muffled and less clear than before.

‘Excuse me,’ someone said from behind us. I turned to see another waiter passing by, arms full of tablecloths. I stood a little further away from the piano. Activity was picking up around the room. Kazune seemed to be playing just the same as before, but something had definitely shifted.

Was she holding back out of consideration for the restaurant which was now so busy? The sound was no longer reaching out. Before the fine vibrations had time to reach my ears, they were falling apart and scattering along the floor.

I approached the piano to check things out, but drew to a halt. There was no change to Kazune’s playing. It was definitely the piano – the sound had no oomph to it and wasn’t projecting. And what’s more, the sound kept changing with each step as I drew closer to the piano. ‘Excuse me. I need to check something.’

Kazune had finished, and turned to face me, hands in her lap.

‘Did you change how you were playing, from the way you were in the beginning?’ I asked, and she shook her head.

‘Do you feel like the sound has changed?’

She gave a slight nod. ‘All of a sudden it doesn’t sing like it did before.’

She looked behind me and I followed her gaze. Yuni was at the back of the hall. She motioned her sister to play one more time.

Something wasn’t right.