Chương 49: Vol. 2 - Playdate

ISABELLA NIGHTFALL'S POV: Brother and Big Sis took leave today to play with us. Sophie literally got down on her knees and begged them both, taking the chance to hold Brother's hand, which Kaori immediately flicked off.

"You need to be on beat," Brother said calmly. That sentence felt familiar, like Ace had once told me the same thing before.

"One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three. Follow the beat of the music. Look out for the beat of the drums, and that should be your rhythm." After that, he stopped the music and paced around the room, observing our stances.

"Lift your arms higher," He told me strictly.

"Sophie, straighten your legs." He said flatly before walking towards the speaker.

"Are you not going to help me straighten my legs?" Sophie asked him. Brother paused and stared at her incredulously.

"No? It's your legs, no?" Despite how cold Brother was being, I could hear how fast Sophie's heart was beating. Brother played the music again.

"Look at yourself in the mirror," He instructed. We did as we were told.

"Correct your own mistakes. I'm going up. Remember my advice." Brother got bored. After all, it was Sophie who dragged him here. From the corner of my eye, I could see Sophie frowning slightly. The playful boldness she had shown earlier—dropping to her knees and dramatically begging Brother to teach us—had softened into something more subdued. The music continued to pulse through the dance room, but without his steady counting, the space felt larger, almost emptier.

The mirrors reflected not just our movements, but our hesitation. Sophie shifted her weight and glanced toward the staircase where Brother had disappeared.

"Is he always that… blunt?" she asked, trying to sound casual and failing slightly. I adjusted my posture and reset my stance before answering.

"He doesn't sugarcoat things. If your legs aren't straight, he'll tell you they aren't straight." I glanced at her reflection and smiled faintly.

"He thinks helping too much makes people dependent." Sophie stared at herself in the mirror, her hands resting on her hips.

"I didn't want him to do everything for me. I just thought…" She trailed off, her ears turning pink.

"Never mind." Before I could respond, the soft click of heels echoed from the doorway. Big Sis stepped into the room with her usual composed elegance, arms loosely crossed as she leaned against the wall. Unlike Brother's cold precision, Big Sis carried a teasing warmth in her gaze, though it could turn sharp in an instant.

"He's testing you," she said smoothly.

"If he adjusts you once, you'll wait for him to adjust you every time." Sophie straightened immediately.

"I wouldn't!" Big Sis raised a brow, amused.

"Wouldn't you?" There was no mockery in her tone, just a quiet challenge. Brother re-entered a moment later, as if summoned by the tension itself. He walked back toward the speaker without looking at either of us, his movements calm and deliberate.

"Again from the top," he said, pressing play. The music started. We moved into position, watching ourselves in the mirror as instructed. This time, I paid closer attention—not just to my own lines, but to Sophie's timing. She tended to move a fraction too early, as though she was chasing the beat rather than letting it land. When the drums struck, I deliberately waited half a breath before stepping into the motion, exaggerating the delay just enough for her to notice. She caught on. Her next extension was cleaner.

Her knees steadied instead of bending in anticipation. Her arms lifted higher, though still not as high as Brother would prefer.

"Good," Big Sis murmured from the side, almost to herself. Brother didn't speak at first. He paced slowly behind us, observing our reflections instead of our backs. The silence was heavier than any scolding would have been. Finally, he stepped closer to Sophie—but not close enough to touch her.

"Your balance improves when you trust your centre," he said evenly.

"You anticipate impact because you don't believe you can hold yourself." Sophie blinked at the mirror, processing that.

"So… I should just… commit?"

"Yes." No elaboration. No encouragement. Just the answer. We ran the sequence again. This time, Sophie planted her foot with more certainty. Her leg straightened fully, her posture lengthened, and when the count reached three, she didn't rush. She hit it cleanly. The difference was obvious. Even Brother paused.

"Better," he said. Sophie's face lit up despite the simplicity of the word. Big Sis walked forward, then gently nudged Sophie's shoulder into a more aligned position.

"Lift from here," she said, tapping just beneath her ribs.

"If you collapse your core, your legs will follow. Dancing isn't about limbs. It's about control." Sophie nodded earnestly, absorbing every word. I watched the three of them through the mirror—Brother calm and exacting, Big Sis elegant and sharp, Sophie flustered but determined—and felt something warm settle in my chest. It didn't feel like a lesson anymore. It felt like… guidance. Brother's gaze shifted to me next.

"Ella." I met his eyes in the reflection.

"Yes?"

"You rely on instinct when you're confident," he said.

"It works now. But if the rhythm changes unexpectedly, will you still control it?" The question lingered longer than it should have. It wasn't just about dance. I held his gaze steadily.

"I will." For a brief moment, something unreadable flickered across his expression—approval, perhaps, or quiet acknowledgement—before his usual composure returned.

"Then show me." The music began again, filling the dance room with steady drums and bright melody. This time, I let the beat settle deeply before moving. My arms rose with intention, my steps landed exactly on count, and when the tempo shifted slightly midway through the track, I adjusted without hesitation. I didn't chase the rhythm. I commanded it. When the song ended, the room fell into a softer silence. Sophie was breathing harder than before but smiling brightly. Big Sis gave a small nod, clearly satisfied.

Brother stood near the speaker, arms folded, watching us through the mirror.

"This is enough for now, take a ten-minute break," he said at last.

"Improvement requires rest." Sophie looked like she wanted to protest, but wisely held back. As we took sips of water, she leaned closer to me and whispered, "Your family is terrifying." I laughed quietly.

"You're the one who begged them to teach us." She glanced toward Brother, who was now discussing something quietly with Big Sis, then back at me.

"Worth it," she admitted under her breath. And as I watched them—Big Sis composed and graceful, Brother calm and unreadable—I felt grateful, grateful that I have the two of them in this life. ~~~~~~~~~~ From the corner of my eye, I could see Sophie frowning slightly, her reflection stiff and uncertain in the mirror. The music kept looping, the same cheerful pop track that felt far too bright for how tense the room had become.

Big Sis leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, watching us with an unreadable expression, though I could tell she was resisting the urge to interfere. She always did that—letting Brother take the lead for things like this, even if his methods were cold. Claire, who had been sitting on the floor with her tablet propped against her knees, suddenly looked up.

"Wait," she said, pushing her glasses up as her fingers flew across the screen.

"This choreography—it's similar to the one used in that trainee evaluation video from last year. The judges didn't just look at synchronisation. They were watching breathing control and how early the dancer anticipated the beat." She scooted closer to us, turning the screen so Sophie and I could see.

"See here? The lead dancer moves half a count earlier, but it looks on beat because the body has already prepared itself. Sophie blinked, then leaned in, her earlier frustration giving way to focus.

"So I'm not late… I'm unprepared?" she murmured. Claire nodded eagerly, clearly happy to be useful, and began explaining how posture affected timing, how tension in the knees delayed movement by a fraction of a second. I tried it again, adjusting my stance the way Claire suggested, and suddenly the rhythm felt different—lighter, almost obvious. Sophie followed, biting her lip in concentration as she mirrored the changes. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

That was when the music stopped. Brother had returned without us noticing. He stood behind us now, eyes fixed not on our feet, but on the mirror—on Sophie. The room felt colder somehow, the silence stretching just a little too long. Big Sis straightened immediately, sensing the shift.

"So that's it," Brother said at last, his voice calm but no longer bored. He walked closer, stopping just behind Sophie.

"You're counting the beat because you're afraid of missing it. You're dancing like someone who's scared of being wrong." Sophie stiffened, her hands clenching at her sides.

"You've been practising alone, haven't you? Late at night. Replaying performances. Memorising instead of listening." Sophie's breath hitched. She didn't turn around, but her reflection clearly showed the answer. Brother exhaled softly, almost like a sigh.

"You want to be an idol so badly that you're treating dance like an exam," he continued.

"That's the secret you didn't realise you were showing. Judges see that instantly." He stepped back and reached for the speaker again.

"Forget the counts. Forget being perfect. Listen to the drums as I said—but this time, trust yourself to move before you think." For a moment, no one spoke. Claire hugged her tablet to her chest, eyes wide, while Big Sis watched Sophie carefully, her expression softening. Sophie nodded once, slowly, wiping at her eyes before squaring her shoulders.

"Again," she said quietly. Brother pressed play. The music swelled into the chorus, bright and unapologetic, and Sophie stepped forward without waiting for permission from the beat. She didn't count. She didn't hesitate. Her arms lifted naturally, not stiff and overextended like before, but carried by momentum. Her turn landed clean—not because she forced it to, but because her body had already decided to move. In the mirror, I saw it clearly: the tension in her shoulders had melted.

Her reflection no longer looked like a student trying to impress a judge. It looked like someone was performing. Claire slowly lowered her tablet, almost reverently, as if she were watching something fragile take shape.

"Her delay dropped," she murmured, half to herself.

"She's not reacting to the beat anymore… she's anticipating it. There's less micro-freeze in her knees." Her analytical tone was still there, but her eyes were shining. Big Sis uncrossed her arms. That alone said enough. Sophie hit the final pose a fraction of a second before the drum snapped into silence. Perfect. The room fell quiet except for the fading echo of the speakers. Brother didn't clap. He never did. But his gaze softened—barely. I could tell even through his blindfold.

"Better," he said simply. Sophie turned around slowly, as if afraid the moment would disappear if she moved too fast.

"That… felt different," she admitted, her voice smaller now—not insecure, just honest.

"It should," Brother replied.

"You stopped trying to be correct." Claire pushed herself up from the floor and walked closer, scrolling quickly through something on her screen.

"There's more," she said, suddenly energised.

"When Sophie relaxed, Isabella adjusted subconsciously to match her spacing. Your shoulder alignment shifted three centimetres inward." She looked at me, eyes sharp behind her glasses.

"You synchronise naturally." Big Sis's gaze flicked to me immediately. Brother noticed too. I hadn't even realised I'd adjusted.

"I didn't think," I mumbled.

"That's the problem," Brother replied, though there was no harshness in it.

"You don't think. You influence." The word lingered. Claire's breath caught slightly.

"Resonance," she whispered, almost reverently.

"It's not just performance presence. Its relational synchronisation. When Isabella moves with intent, others unconsciously align to her tempo." Sophie looked between us, confused but intrigued.

"Wait… so when I danced better, it wasn't just me?"

"It was you," Big Sis said calmly.

"But she amplified it." The room felt different now—not tense, not cold. Aware. Brother stepped toward the mirror, standing behind us all.

"Again," he said, but this time his voice wasn't teasing. It was measuring.

"Both of you. Claire, observe." Claire nodded immediately, clutching her tablet like a researcher who had just stumbled upon proof of a long-theorised phenomenon. The music began once more. This time, Sophie didn't dance alone. And I didn't lead consciously. But somewhere between the second verse and the pre-chorus, something aligned. Our steps fell into the same breath. Our turns mirrored each other without forcing it. Even the air felt synchronised—as if the room itself had adjusted its pulse.

Claire stopped typing. Big Sis stopped leaning. Brother didn't interrupt. When the song ended, none of us moved right away. Sophie slowly looked at me through the mirror, eyes wide, not scared. Excited.

"We felt like a unit," she said. Claire nodded, voice quieter now.

"That's how idol groups captivate crowds. Not perfection. Cohesion." Brother folded his arms.

"And cohesion begins with someone who doesn't chase the beat… but becomes it." His gaze met mine in the reflection.

"Don't abuse that." It wasn't a warning. It was an acknowledgement. Big Sis finally smiled faintly.

"Seems this playdate turned into training." Sophie let out a shaky laugh, wiping the last trace of tears from earlier.

"Then… let's keep going." Claire straightened with renewed determination.

"I'll adjust the choreography to test controlled synchronisation. If we can trigger it intentionally, we can refine it." Brother walked toward the door again, pausing only briefly.

"You have one hour," he said calmly.

"Use it properly." Claire stood very still for a moment after Brother left, as though something inside her had quietly shifted into place. Then, without another word, she knelt and began tapping rapidly on her tablet. The familiar analytical gleam returned to her eyes, but this time it was different—it wasn't detached observation. It was an intention.

"Alright," she said, pushing herself to her feet.

"If resonance is triggered by anticipatory movement and shared breath timing, then we adjust the choreography to force that condition." She walked toward the centre of the room and positioned herself where Sophie had been earlier.

"The current sequence isolates you both too much. Too many individual turns. We need cross-pattern movement." Sophie blinked.

"Cross-pattern?" Claire nodded and set the music to play from the pre-chorus.

"Instead of mirroring side to side, you'll cut diagonally past each other. But you won't look at one another. You'll look forward. Trust peripheral awareness." Before either of us could respond, Claire stepped into position herself. And then she demonstrated. She moved with a precision that stunned the air out of the room. Every step landed exactly on the micro-beat she had described earlier. Her arms didn't simply lift—they carved through space with calculated grace.

The diagonal cross she proposed flowed seamlessly into a half-turn pivot, and instead of snapping into the next pose, she softened into it, letting the movement breathe before the beat caught up. It wasn't flashy. It was controlled. Technical. Beautiful. Sophie's mouth fell open. I forgot to blink. Even Big Sis straightened from the wall, her arms slowly uncrossing as she watched Claire finish the sequence with a clean stop, chin slightly lifted, hair swaying gently around her shoulders. The music faded.

Claire adjusted her glasses instinctively.

"See?" she said, slightly breathless but trying to sound composed.

"By cutting the diagonal earlier, you create shared spatial awareness. That forces subconscious synchronisation. It increases cohesion probability by at least forty per cent." Sophie grabbed her arm.

"Why are you not in the Entertainment Club?" Claire froze.

"I—I'm not performer material," she replied quickly, pushing her glasses up again.

"I prefer observing."

"That wasn't observing," I said quietly.

"That was performing." Claire's cheeks flushed pink.

"That was just a demonstration." Big Sis walked forward slowly, circling Claire once like she was appraising a sculpture. Claire stiffened under the scrutiny.

"Posture is excellent," Big Sis murmured.

"Lines are clean. Shoulders naturally balanced." She reached up without warning and gently removed Claire's glasses. Claire gasped softly.

"Big Sis—""Hold still." With her other hand, Big Sis stepped behind Claire and untied the low band securing her hair. Soft chestnut waves spilt down past her shoulders, catching the light from the mirrored walls. Without the glasses, her eyes seemed larger, brighter. Less hidden. Sophie made a strangled noise. I understood why. Claire looked… stunning. Not in an overwhelming way. Not dramatic. But refined. Elegant. Striking in a way that had been concealed under layers of self-minimisation.

"There," Big Sis said calmly, stepping back.

"Your visuals only need refinement. Stop hiding behind accessories." Claire stood frozen, fingers twitching at her sides.

"I can't see clearly," she whispered.

"You don't need to," Big Sis replied.

"You feel clearly." Sophie practically bounced.

"Claire, you have to join the club with us! We'd be unstoppable!" Claire looked at me then, uncertain. I smiled.

"You already move as if you belong on stage." For a second, she hesitated. Then she walked to the centre of the room again.

"Fine," she said softly.

"But if I'm doing this, we optimise everything." She reset the music. This time, the three of us took formation. Claire counted us in—not rigidly, but with quiet confidence. We began the adjusted choreography, crossing diagonally exactly as she had demonstrated. The first pass felt tentative, but when Claire reached for the half-turn pivot, I matched her breath instinctively. Sophie followed half a second later, and suddenly the formation tightened. Our spacing is aligned. Our transitions are smoothed.

When we hit the chorus, Claire moved between us seamlessly, her earlier restraint gone. Without her glasses, without her hair tied back, she didn't look like an observer analysing data. She looked like an idol in rehearsal. From the doorway, Brother leaned against the frame, arms crossed. His expression was as unreadable as ever. Cold. Composed. But there was the faintest curve at the corner of his mouth. Amused. Big Sis noticed it too and smirked slightly.

"You're enjoying this."

"I'm evaluating," Brother replied flatly.

"Sure you are." Inside the dance room, the three of us hit the final pose together—breathing in sync, shoulders aligned, eyes forward. No one corrected us. No one stopped the music early. And for the first time, it didn't feel like practice. It felt like the beginning of something