Author Note: Disclaimer, I know almost nothing about piano or Japanese universities. My music experience is in viola and I attended an American college. Some research has been done for this chapter, but there are still likely inaccuracies. This one will be split into two parts.

If Rinko broke it down, her new school wasn't much larger than Hanasakigawa had been. It had more classrooms, which were spread out over a much larger space. There were more students as well, most of whom walked from room to room with large and small instruments in tow. The students all wore their regular clothes, rather than uniforms.

So many people, so many strange faces. There was a sea of people everywhere she went.

Rinko wasn't fooling anyone, not even herself. This school was completely different and way scarier.

She opened the map on her phone again, triple checking that she was at the right building. Today was the first day of class, and going to the wrong classroom would be mortifying.

Rinko consulted with Sayo over the weekend about this map. Her friend had verified the accuracy of it, reassuring Rinko that it could be trusted. Sayo even circled the buildings either of them had class in. She was on campus today too, attending classes on the opposite end of campus.

In front of Rinko stood a large building, one with multiple floors. It too provided an intimidating obstacle. Students were coming in and out, one every few seconds or so. They walked past Rinko without sparing her a glance.

The name of the building matched Rinko's destination on the map, so she put her phone away, took a deep breath, and entered the building. Once inside, she looked at the arrows on the wall to find the correct room.

One flight of stairs and a left turn later, and Rinko was at the classroom. Her electric keyboard, which she had carried all this way, felt heavy on her back as she stepped inside.

The room was larger than she had expected, with largely empty space. Chairs were set up a few feet apart from each other. They all faced one side of the room, where a desk and chalkboard were located. A few large cabinets lined the same wall.

Some of the chairs were already occupied by people Rinko assumed were students. They each had piano cases as well.

When another student cleared their throat behind her, Rinko cast her eyes quickly towards the ground. She hadn't meant to linger in the door, hadn't meant to stand out.

Rinko quickly claimed a seat near the middle of the room, taking care to look towards the front once she did. A woman sat at the desk in the front of the room. She appeared to be in her 30's, with shoulder length black hair and glasses on her face. There were a couple papers on the desk, which she was reading.

Around Rinko, a few quiet conversations were being held. It seemed like some of the students already knew each other. The noise level in the room increased slightly as more students filed in.

As the time ticked past the designated start, the woman at the desk took off her reading classes and rose to her feet. She was dressed professionally, in a pencil skirt and blouse. She cast her eyes around the room, skipping right over Rinko as she did.

"Good morning." The woman turned to write something on the board, which appeared to be her name. "My name is Professor Nakamura, it is a pleasure to meet you." She set the chalk down and stepped back towards her desk. "In this class you will start your professional career." Nakamura's voice was clear and crisp, easily carrying throughout the room. Rinko's eyes were locked on her, as she easily demanded the attention of the class.

Nakamura leaned down to open one of the desk drawers, pulling out a stack of paper. She walked to the front row of students and instructed them to take one and pass the rest back.

"This is the syllabus. Read it, know it, remember it. There will not be any exceptions." After a minute the papers came back to Rinko, so she took one and continued passing them on. The syllabus was about ten pieces of paper stapled together, all full of text. "Take a few minutes to look through it." Nakamura said once all of the papers had been distributed.

Rinko did as she was told, carefully reading the document. It listed a number of techniques and songs she'd be required to master for the course, as well as a performance requirement. There was a zero tolerance policy for late work and only one absence was permitted from class for the whole semester. Students were also advised to bring their own keyboard to class.

Rinko wondered what would happen to students who didn't meet the requirements. The very thought nearly made her tremble, as she suspected they were kicked out of the program.

A few minutes later, when Rinko was nearing the end of the document, Nakamura requested the class' attention. "Make sure not to lose the syllabus." She said, mouth set in a firm line. She waited for the students to put the papers away before continuing. "Now, we're not going to do traditional introductions. Instead, you are going to introduce yourself through your music."

That grabbed Rinko's interest. Sure, she'd improved at public speaking over the last year, but she had always expressed herself much more clearly with the piano. Nakamura again leaned down to take some papers out of the desk.

"You can choose between these three pieces." She said, holding up the papers. "I'll leave them on the table. You have two days to prepare your performance. On Thursday, when we meet for our next class, you'll perform. Sign up for a time slot when you choose your piece." Nakamura looked around the room. "Any questions?'

Rinko shook her head, even though Nakamura wasn't looking at her. Nobody raised their hand.

"Great, keyboards are in the cabinet if you need one. Pick a song, sign up for a time slot, and start practicing." Nakamura clapped her hands together, signaling for them to begin.

Suddenly, it felt like everything was moving at once. Where all had been still, there was now a flurry of motion. Around Rinko, students were flashing by towards the front.

Rinko stayed in her seat for a moment, gathering her courage to join them. It wasn't until the last one had passed that she rose to her feet. She glanced to the right side of the room, and her eyes locked with Nakamura's. The professor had a neutral expression, her eyes unreadable.

Rinko's face felt warm as she quickly stepped forward to join the line, jerking her head to face forward. Since she had been slow to get up, she would have to wait a while to choose her piece. That was fine, she could wait.

One by one students returned to their seats, pulling out their pianos and starting to work. Rinko listened to the ones nearby as she moved closer to the front.

When she reached the desk, she examined the three choices carefully. They were all from songs on the syllabus, which made sense. After a moment of deliberation Rinko picked up Beethoven's Sonata in E flat Major, Op. 7. The printout was light, it seemed to just be the first movement.

She stepped to the sign up sheet next, where there was only one open time slot remaining. Rinko added her name to it, and then returned to her seat.

It only took a minute to set up her music stand and keyboard, and then she was ready to start practicing this piece. Rinko was familiar with the song, but hadn't performed it before. To learn it well enough in a couple days would be a challenge.

Rinko made sure the volume was low on her keyboard, and then she started to play. As she did, she could no longer hear the sounds of other pianos around her.

There was only her and the music.

Nakamura was walking around the room, stopping here and there to listen to the pianists. Rinko didn't pay her any mind. What mattered was the performance, her chance to introduce herself properly.

She would make sure to be ready.

Rinko stood in the hallway outside of the classroom, ignoring how sweaty her hands felt. She had come a few minutes early for her time slot, not wanting to be late. She still checked the map once to make extra sure she was in the right place. It was easier to find the second time.

The last couple days had been dedicated to preparing, when she didn't have her other classes. Rinko even had to skip a Roselia practice to rehearse, since this was important for her schoolwork. She didn't feel ready to perform the song, but she almost never did.

Rinko could hear the sound of a piano from inside the room, playing the same piece she'd chosen. They sounded good, and even though this wasn't a competition the sound was only making Rinko more nervous.

After the pianist finished, there were a few minutes of silence. The walls were too thick to hear what was being said inside the room.

When the other student emerged from the classroom, they walked past Rinko without a word. She only watched them go for a moment, before turning towards the open door.

Nakamura was standing there, smiling a half smile today. "Come on in." She said, gesturing towards the door.

She didn't have to wait any longer. Rinko followed Nakamura into the classroom and closed the door behind her.

The classroom looked different than it had earlier in the week, with almost all of the chairs put away. Only one was set up now, right in the center of the room.

"Go ahead and set your keyboard up." Nakamura instructed, crossing the room to sit at the desk. Rinko moved to comply.

Once she had her keyboard and music stand set up, Rinko prepared to play. She stretched her fingers and double checked her notes in the music. She steadied her wavering confidence, taking a steadying breath like she had practiced. When she was ready, she looked over at Nakamura.

The professor had been waiting patiently, watching how Rinko set up her instrument. "Begin when you're ready." She said, bringing her hands up to place them on the desk.

Rinko nodded once, and then focused on the music.

She placed her hands on the keyboard, inhaled, and began to play.

The music flowed from her fingers, echoing through the room. The tempo was fast, and the piece carried with it a frenetic energy. Beethoven always had a way of amazing her.

Rinko played through each phrase, the keys practically gliding under her fingers.

When Rinko played like this, even with an audience, she felt like her whole body was in tune with the music. The rhythm swept through her, as she moved through the parts of the piece.

As Rinko finished the movement, playing the last note strongly, she finally looked back at Nakamura. The professor hadn't moved from her desk. She was writing something on a piece of paper, but she looked up as Rinko finished.

"You have extensive performance experience, correct?" Nakamura asked as she rose to her feet.

"I-I play in a band, yes." Rinko replied softly, bringing her hands together.

Nakamura walked around the desk to approach her. "It shows in your posture." She stopped next to Rinko, looking at the marks she had made on the music. "And your sound."

"I see…" Rinko wasn't sure what to say to that.

Now Nakamura turned back towards Rinko, the small smile on her face amplifying Rinko's nerves. "It's a rock band, isn't it?"

Rinko's eyes widened with surprise. "It is." She nodded, wondering how Nakamura had guessed that. Was she familiar with Roselia's music?

"You play with such heavy hands, gave it away." Nakamura reached for the music, picking up one of the pages. "See here," she pointed at one passage, "this phrase should be light, with occasional heavier contrast. You played it heavier than it should be, which lessens the effect."

Had Rinko been doing that? She hadn't noticed. "I'll mark it." She picked up her pencil from the music stand and took the paper to write the direction in.

Nakamura shook her head. "It's not just this passage. You play consistently heavier than the piece calls for."

Rinko's heart, which wasn't the strongest in the best of times, felt like it was going to fall through the floor. She had already failed her first test, for something she hadn't even realized she was doing.

"I-I'm sorry." Rinko bowed her head forward, grimacing. She knew this was a bad idea, but she had enrolled anyway. The treacherous voice in her head, the one telling her to give up and to retreat, echoed in her mind.

"There's nothing to apologize for." Nakamura's words surprised Rinko, causing her to snap her head back up. "This wasn't a test. It was your self-introduction, and now I know you." As Rinko breathed in deeply, it felt like the tightness in her chest had loosened.

Nakamura stepped away and back towards her desk. "I have a task for you." She said as she sat back down. Rinko's palms were sweating again this was all way to stressful. "Think about my feedback and reconsider the spirit of the piece. Come to my office hours on Saturday to perform it again. I'll be downstairs in room 104 from 12:00 to 4:00."

Rinko jotted that down on her paper, in the corner so it wasn't near the music. "Yes professor… I'll be there." She again bowed her head, this time in respect.

Nakamura then told her she could pack up, and that she would see her Saturday. Rinko put her keyboard and stand away quickly, so she could leave.

Her mind was racing, full of her mistakes.

She needed to go practice, to be prepared for her second attempt.

In addition, there was a lot she needed to think about.

End Note: Sources for this chapter because I needed some references. The first movement of the piano video is the song Rinko played:

Kendall, Phillip. "The 10 most common surnames in Japan (and their meanings)" Japan Today, 28 Aug. 2013, /category/features/lifestyle/the-10-most-common-surnames-in-japan-and-their-meanings

"Levels of Attainment" University of West Florida, /media/university-of-west-florida/colleges/cassh/departments/music/pdfs/Levels-of-Attainment-Keyboards-(2).pdf

"Beethoven - Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 7 (Richard Goode)" Youtube, Uploaded by MrPalika123 on 25 May 2012, /TjaTwyHnDDA