ENDA Episode 133→ The time when ENDA faced stage fright (Part 2)

After surviving my rocky debut recital, I assumed I’d never again lead a solo performance. Yet here I was, back on stage for the Valentine’s Anime Recital, this time tackling a beloved TV-size ending theme: 1 minute and 40 seconds of pure emotion and nostalgia.

Learning from my first run, I doubled down on practice, logging extra hours at home and on a small electric keyboard in case I faced another.

Recital day arrived in a new auditorium with its own traditional piano. That was a relief,  until that familiar knot formed in my chest and I heard the whisper, “What if you mess up again?”

I remembered something a singer once told me: “If your heart pounds like that, it only means you’re alive.” Then came the moment. I stepped into the spotlight and positioned myself at the keys.

The music began smoothly… until the fear of a mistake crept in. The next notes felt slippery, and I could almost hear my fingers hesitate. So I did what any anime pianist would do when the mind blanks: I stopped trying to remember and started feeling.

My hands flowed on instinct rather than memory, carrying me to the final chord, and before I knew it, the auditorium erupted in applause.

The melody had reached them. Though my stage fright isn’t gone, this felt like the true beginning of many more performances to come.

But that’s for another episode….

The journey continues…