Then came the final cadence.

“Ready to taste defeat, Puri?” Punyu whispered, adjusting his cravat. His fingers, stubby yet impossibly swift, hovered over the keys like sleeping spiders.

Puri wiped a tear from his cheek. “And you gave me the first beat.”

The dawn light fully broke, illuminating the twin pianos. Both were intact. Neither had fallen silent.

Outside, sparrows began to sing. The curse was broken. The Rondo Duo was never about victory. It was about reaching the same impossible note together.