Chapter 99: Karaoke
The conversation with the mysterious woman Gaen Izuko didn't last too long.
After Sakurai Saki finished booking a private room at the KTV, she left right away.
[Don't forget to come find me after today, I've already written the location on the business card. Sakurai-kun~ see you tomorrow.]
She spoke lightly, her expression relaxed, as if she didn't take the vampires throwing the city into chaos seriously at all.
...
The place agreed upon with Shinomiya Kaguya today was right here.
Shirogane and Sakurai had arrived early to scout out the location in advance.
Inside the private room.
"This song, how is it?" Shirogane Miyuki began practicing his singing.
One song ended.
Sakurai Saki was on the verge of tears.
Damn it! It's only been a few days and this kid has gotten this good already.
"So good!"
ദ്ദി༼;'༎ຶ ༎ຶ༽
Today, due to the side effects of his ability, Sakurai Saki was seeing everything through a very emotional lens.
In his mind, he recalled the shock of hearing Shirogane hum for the first time last year, and the suffering of helping him with vocal training just last weekend! A single tear slid down the corner of Sakurai Saki's eye.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Shirogane Miyuki asked in a panic.
"It's nothing… Hic~" Sakurai Saki forced a smile, wiping his tears as he said, "My child has grown up."
(っ˃̣̣̥ -˂̣̣̥ς)
Shirogane Miyuki's face was full of question marks.
"Sakurai, I feel like you're imitating my dad."
"No doubt about it, I'm definitely imitating your dad." Sakurai Saki affirmed, then sighed emotionally: "Thinking back to the day you were babbling your first words, it feels like just last Sunday."
"Babbling first words is way too much! What kind of expression is that!" Shirogane Miyuki held his forehead.
"Whatever, since I called you here to sing with me, I'll accept that evaluation too." President Shirogane suddenly looked confident.
"Oh right, Sakurai, I've wanted to try singing a certain music genre for a while now!"
Sakurai Saki had a bad feeling.
Sakurai: (⊙_⊙)!!!
"Rap dayo~" Shirogane Miyuki raised his hand in a weird pose.
Shirogane: ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪
"Rap, huh?" Sakurai Saki thought about it for a second, didn't seem to be a problem, right?
"Let's do it."
"Alright! I'll rap a song for you right now!" Shirogane Miyuki picked a song.
...
Three minutes later.
Sakurai Saki collapsed on the sofa in the private room, his eyes blank, mouth agape.
"…Wanna die, wanna die, wanna die, wanna die… why, why, why?"
The music stopped.
Sakurai Saki screamed like mad: "How could it be this bad! Kora! Shirogane you tone-deaf bastard!"
"Go eat shit for me!"
"Shit! Fuxxk! WRYYYYYYYYY!!!"
┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻
If it were any other day, Sakurai Saki might've been able to hold it in, but today, with his emotions amplified by his current state, he just couldn't take it.
Trash is still trash, no matter how pretty the wrapping, no matter how good your relationship is with that pile of trash—it's still trash!
"..." Shirogane Miyuki looked at Sakurai Saki like he was on the verge of death.
Then he quietly sat down on the sofa.
He placed his hands on the long black table, resting his chin in them, starting to think about how things ended up like this.
"I… guess I really suck at rapping."
He finally realized.
Sakurai Saki got up, covering his ears tightly.
That rap felt like the guts of a sea cucumber crawling into his ears, disgusting and slimy.
"Awful! Don't rap anymore! At least don't rap today."
"Thank god you rapped for me now, otherwise, tonight the dead wouldn't be just me."
Shirogane Miyuki felt he was exaggerating, "Dead? Isn't that a bit much?"
Sakurai Saki said nothing, he just gave him a glance that clearly said: Aho ka, omae?
What do you think?
I don't know how many people would die, but right now I just want to die myself.
(◣_◢)┌∩┐
————
That evening, Sakurai Saki and Shirogane Miyuki pretended it was their first time at this place, standing in front of the KTV entrance.
"Oh, this newly opened KTV looks pretty good." Shirogane Miyuki wasn't very good at lying.
Even Fujiwara Chika standing next to him noticed.
"President, you've definitely been here before!"
Ishigami Yuu was rarely not fiddling with his phone. Since it was the first time the student council was hanging out together outside school, he didn't want to kill the vibe. In fact, Ishigami had prepared to sing two songs.
As for song selection, of course it was going to be anime music.
So-called "black history"—once exposed, it's no longer "black history." Anyway, everyone in the student council already knew he was an otaku, Ishigami Yuu couldn't care less.
That was the level of a god who has abandoned all worldly concerns.
"I used to do part-time work nearby, saw it a few times, but never went in," Shirogane Miyuki explained.
Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly lost all interest in karaoke. Originally, she had organized this karaoke session to play matchmaker for Hayasaka Ai and Sakurai Saki, but it seemed the two had already gotten together yesterday.
She didn't know why Hayasaka Ai was so cheerful today. Even though she was currently disguised as Herthaka-kun, she still wore a visible smile on her face, like someone who had just eaten candy.
Following her gaze, Kaguya found Hayasaka Ai staring at Sakurai Saki.
'Now that she has a boyfriend, will Hayasaka become distant from me…' Kaguya was worrying about that.
Kaguya: (つ╥﹏╥)つ (✿˶ ˘ ³˘)ˆᵕ ˆ˶)
Hayasaka Ai normally acted very straightforwardly — to put it bluntly, she revolved around Shinomiya Kaguya.
She was like the Earth, always orbiting Shinomiya Kaguya — her Sun.
And now, her Sun had gained someone new.
"So Herthaka-kun is actually the butler in Shinomiya-san's household?" Sakurai Saki asked.
Even though he already knew, he deliberately posed the question again.
Hayasaka Ai answered: "Yes, Sakurai-san, I've served Kaguya-sama for a long time."
At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to rush over and hug Sakurai Saki.
Because this was their first meeting after officially becoming a couple.
Unfortunately, since Fujiwara Chika was present, she couldn't reveal her identity.
Originally, Hayasaka Ai had planned to show up as a gyaru, but the unpredictable [variable F] — Fujiwara Chika — kept interfering, preventing her from separating out.
But that wasn't the main reason.
The final reason Hayasaka Ai gave up the gyaru identity was actually because she felt a bit guilty toward Fujiwara Chika.
'But still… I really want to hug him~'
(っ˶ ˘ ᵕ˘)ˆᵕ ˆ˶ς)
As a young girl madly in love, in Hayasaka Ai's eyes, there was only her boyfriend.
If she didn't seize the chance to get close today, the Golden Week holiday would be void of any opportunities.
In the next few days, guests would be visiting the house, and as a maid, Hayasaka Ai would be very busy. Golden Week might be a break for Shinomiya Kaguya, but it wasn't a break for her.
...
After booking the private room.
Everyone ordered a few snacks.
It was now 7 PM.
Fujiwara Chika was the first to sing a song. As a musical genius, she was probably the best singer in the student council.
"Hehe~ Saki-kun~ how was it?" Chika cheerfully asked as she sat back down next to Sakurai Saki.
At the moment, the seating arrangement was: Shirogane and Ishigami sitting next to each other.
To Sakurai Saki's left was Chika; to his right were Hasaka-kun and Shinomiya Kaguya.
Fujiwara Chika glanced at the box of takoyaki on the table. She picked it up and gently skewered one with a toothpick.
Then she turned to Sakurai Saki and said — "Aa~"
By reflex, Sakurai Saki opened his mouth, and a piece was fed in.
"Tasty?" After feeding him successfully, Chika asked happily.
Unaware of the relationship between Sakurai Saki and Hayasaka Ai, Chika thought this was a good chance to help bring them closer.
Meanwhile, Hayasaka Ai — now officially the girlfriend — watched the scene of them feeding each other, clenched her fists tightly, and felt her head turn green with jealousy.
But she couldn't speak up to stop it.
Because right now, she was Herthaka, not Hayasaka Ai.
"Want another one?" Chika-chan said as she skewered another takoyaki ball.
Sakurai Saki swallowed it whole again.
Next to them, Hayasaka Ai's gaze looked like it could kill.
Hayasaka: <(ꐦㅍ _ㅍ)>
"What's wrong? Herthaka-kun, are you hungry?" Today, due to the side effects of his superpower, Sakurai Saki had become extremely emotionally sensitive and very considerate of others.
As he spoke, he picked up a clean toothpick, skewered a piece from the box, supported it with his hand underneath, and held it out toward Hayasaka Ai.
"A~" Sakurai Saki prompted gently.
Ai-chan pressed her lips together, feeling a bit shy.
A few seconds later, she slowly lowered her head and opened her mouth.
"…It's delicious," she whispered softly with her head bowed.
"That's good, then."
An invisible battlefield had been unintentionally defused by Sakurai Saki.