The Kalemomo Anthology - Kalemomo Week 2024

Chapter 2: Talents combined (Teaching)

So, for this prompt I'm going with the Mairimashita Human AU! As you know, Kalego's name here is Nabeshima Keigo, but because some characters don't have an official human name, I decided to put some for this fic:

- Morax Momonoki will be Momo Murata.
- Naberius Narnia will be Nabeshima Natsu.

Enjoy it!

"All honest work is dignified, but not all dignified work is paid."

Keigo never paid attention to that phrase that his brother told him when he was choosing what he was going to do for his future. When he told him that he was going to become a musician, Natsu told him that he should think about it carefully. Days later, he asked him again what he was going to do for a living, and he told him the same answer. He was going to develop his skills on the instruments he had, ensuring his future in the world of music.

His future was already predetermined since he was born; he was going to be a person who followed the path of art in the family. His options were clear: he was between being a professional academy teacher or being a musician to maintain the honor of the Nabeshima in the art world. The decision was his.

Natsu knew that if Keigo chose the role of teacher, he was already guaranteed good payment and a great position in the art of teaching because his previous generations were known for being strict and high-level teachers. His brother had many job opportunities due to his family history, but he was greatly surprised when he leaned towards music. It didn't have many advantages in the matter of money, nor in the matter of popularity. It was choosing a suicidal path, and Keigo knew it, having the idea that many of the Nabeshima had leaned towards other areas that were sustainable.

However, Keigo was firm in his decisions, saying that money was something secondary that could be covered, and sometime later, he became a professional musician.

After finishing his studies, he decided to move to another part of the city to start his professional life. From time to time, he played small concerts and sometimes conducted orchestras, building a small reputation in the field of music. He earned regular money, money that was used for his instruments and to survive in his independent life. He got his small house where the sound of the piano and violin was the daily bread within those four walls. He didn't have a life of luxury like the rest of his family, but he loved what he did. He took a great liking to his art.

But there came a moment where his brother's words bounced around in his head again. A financial crisis managed to affect the world market, leading to a recession that caused many assets to devalue, including his own money. The few things he bought that he considered luxuries were more difficult to obtain, and the money he earned at small concerts was very little for him. Within days, he was short of food and extremely saving money. It was there that he learned that being a professional musician didn't mean that he was going to always have money, knowing that the market left the arts aside. He hated his brother, but he was right.

He could easily return home and ask for temporary accommodation or a small family loan to support himself. But he knew that, if he did that, he would hurt his own pride and many of his relatives would scold him for his waste of time on music. And the last thing Keigo wanted was to argue with someone in his family about his decisions.

He needed money urgently, so he made the dumbest decision of his life. He would become a private music teacher.

The reason he hadn't chosen to be a teacher years ago was because the students made him angry. He hated that they were inconsiderate and didn't consider the teachings that someone could give them. He remembered the time he had the opportunity to teach a piano class to high school students, having the worst experience because of students who didn't pay attention to him and who in the end made him angry, to the point that he made one student cry.