One Man Band System

Eric waited quietly, tapping his fingers against the body of the guitar. Thomas thought about it for a moment before naming a classic, well-known country track: "Take Me Home, Country Roads." The second the title left Thomas’s mouth, a holographic screen popped up right in front of Eric’s face, displaying the sheet music along with the full lyrics.

"Thwang."

Eric immediately launched into the song, starting with the unique fingerpicking of the guitar intro while keeping time by tapping his foot on the floor. His body swayed slightly and his expression turned serious as he sang, putting his absolute all into the performance.

"Country roads, take me home. To the place I belong..."

Instantly, everyone listening began to sway gently, their faces lighting up as they lost themselves in the music. Thomas looked thrilled, taking off his cowboy hat and grooving along, while Emma sat next to Eric, rocking side to side and singing along with him.

"Tling... tling... twang."

A little over three minutes later, the song came to an end.

"Clap... clap... clap."

The entire room burst into enthusiastic applause. Eric simply bowed his head out of respect, resting his hand on the guitar strings. He then glanced over at the text on the screen, which had already changed.

[Second objective completed.]

[Third objective: Duet with Emma on the organ to perform a classical piece for the unborn baby.]

Eric immediately turned to Emma and leaned in close to her ear to whisper.

"Emma, you know how to play the organ, right? It’s just like a piano," Eric whispered.

"Yeah... I can, why?" Emma asked, turning her head to find Eric’s face right next to hers.

"Let’s do a duet... a song for the baby. Any ideas? Just something you already know," Eric asked.

"Hmm... probably Für Elise by Beethoven... do you know that one?" Emma asked.

The holographic screen instantly flashed the sheet music for the song Emma had mentioned, and Eric nodded right away. With that settled, Emma stood up and repositioned herself to face the organ, while Eric stood up beside her.

Emma lifted the lid and turned the instrument on. The entire room fell dead silent. Emma began to play the melody, and Eric quickly joined in on the guitar, providing the main rhythm.

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise, including Thomas, Martha, Caleb, and Avery, who was cradling her baby bump. They were all completely spellbound watching the two play a duet that was incredibly synchronized, flawless, and deeply moving.

After nearly three minutes, they finally finished. This time, however, nobody clapped right away; the audience was simply too stunned to move. Finally,

"Clap... clap... clap,"

Caleb was the first to break the silence by applauding, and everyone else quickly joined in. Thomas stepped forward and threw his arm around Eric’s shoulders as Eric stood there holding his guitar.

"You are truly something else. Not just country music, you can play classical too? Absolutely incredible, I am thoroughly impressed," Thomas said, patting Eric on the back and giving him a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, sir," Eric replied, pushing up his glasses.

"Man, you’re amazing. You couldn’t even play the guitar before, and after a year of not seeing each other, you suddenly turn into a celebrity. I’m proud of you, I’m glad you’re my cousin," Caleb said, standing in front of Eric with a massive grin.

"Hey... I wasn’t up here alone, she was amazing too," Eric said, pulling Emma close as she stood beside him and wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Yeah, absolutely, she was fantastic too, hahaha! Come on, let’s go grab some food. I’m going to serve you guys some of my reserved brisket," Thomas replied, guiding Eric and Emma toward the backyard.

"Sounds good, sir," Eric said.

Eric unstrapped the guitar and hung it back up on the wall, then he and Emma headed to the backyard, flanked by Caleb and Avery as they followed Thomas. While they were walking, the text on the holographic screen shifted once more.

[Third objective completed.]

[Reward: Piano skill (max), Pass Copied Skills to Others Card x1 stored in system inventory, $65,000.00 received.]

Noticing a brand-new item in his system inventory, Eric held down on it to pull up the description.

[Pass Copied Skills to Others Card: Transfers a copied musical skill to another person, instantly allowing them to play the chosen instrument. How to use: hold the card, write the skill down using your mind, and hand the card to the target recipient.]

After reading the item description, Eric knitted his brows. Then, his mind flashed to Priya, Chloe, Heidi, and Monica, who were back at his place right now teaching Laura how to play the drums. A smile spread across Eric’s face.

"This means I can use this item on Laura so she can play the drums just like me... perfect, I’ll give it to her as soon as I get home," Eric thought to himself.

"Hey... what are you smiling to yourself for?" Emma asked, walking beside Eric and catching the look on his face.

"Oh... nothing," Eric replied, glancing at Emma. "Wait a second... should I give it to Emma instead... but... she’s not even in the band... nah, better not," Eric thought to himself.

After that, they all gathered around the grill. Thomas lifted the lid and pulled out a massive piece of meat wrapped in charred aluminum foil. The moment he unwrapped it, the mouthwatering aroma hit Eric and Emma, instantly making their stomachs growl.

Thomas sliced off a few pieces of the brisket, loaded them onto some bread, topped it with melted cheese to make a sandwich, and then placed it on a plate, cutting it in half.

He then handed two plates with the sandwiches to Eric and Emma, who were practically drooling over the food, even though they still tried to act polite.

"Dig in! If you want seconds, just let me know," Thomas said, giving them a wink and a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, sir," Emma replied, her eyes locked onto the two sandwich halves on her plate.

"Oh, dear... why did you give them that out here? Come on inside,"

Before they could even take a bite, Martha pulled the two of them back indoors, leading them over to a table and gesturing for them to sit down. Martha then started running back and forth, bringing out mac and cheese, roasted turkey, and coleslaw, while Avery followed with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.

Just like that, the table next to the organ was transformed into a private restaurant setup just for them.

"Um... thank you, ma’am, Avery," Eric said.

"Don’t worry about it... you guys performed for us, so you must be starving. Time to eat! If it’s not enough, just say the word and I’ll grab more," Avery said cheerfully.

"Absolutely... go on, eat up," Martha added, continuing to set plates down on the table.

After a moment, Eric looked around for Caleb. He then turned to Avery, who was sitting nearby, cradling her baby bump.

"Where did Caleb go?" Eric asked.

Avery went quiet, her expression turning serious. She glanced toward the front door before looking back at Eric.

"Um... a special guest just arrived out front," Avery said.

"Huh... a special guest?" Emma asked.

"His younger sister," Avery answered, keeping her eyes fixed on Eric.

Hearing that, Eric immediately set his sandwich back down on the plate, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood up. Avery tried to stop him, but it was too late; Eric was already walking toward the front. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Emma jumped up and rushed after him, knowing exactly what Eric was dealing with. Peeking through the window out toward the porch, Eric could see Caleb talking to Jade near the driveway.

Jade was carrying a gift, and behind her was a car with a guy who looked to be around 19 or 20 years old, leaning against the vehicle with his arms crossed over his chest, someone Eric didn’t recognize at all.

"What is she doing here? I hope Caleb didn’t tell her I was here," Eric thought to himself.

Emma stopped right next to Eric, joining him in peeking outside to see what was happening out front as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

"So that’s your cousin?" Emma asked.

"Yeah... I had no idea she was invited too. If I’d known, we wouldn’t have come," Eric whispered back.

"Come on... don’t be like that. Just leave it to your cousin Caleb. Trust him," Emma replied.

"Yeah... I know," Eric said.

They kept watching. Out front, Caleb accepted the gift from Jade and seemed to keep the conversation going. Then, Jade introduced the guy next to her, slipping her arm through his as she presented him to Caleb. From the window, Eric and Emma could see Caleb shaking hands with the stranger.