We arrived at the Karaoke bar, two blocks from the station. Kei goes to the reception table to book a room for us. We’re six in total, so there must be a room enough to accommodate us.

We also contribute in the payment of the room service and goes inside the room. “Let’s go pick our song!” right the time we went inside, Shirasawa dashes to the couch and sits, following Kobayashi.

They grabbed the tablet at the center of the table and starts dragging the screen. “Hey, you two aren’t kids. Don’t get too excited.” Haruki interjects and sits opposite from them.

I follow Haruki, together with Kei and Sakura beside me. Wait, I feel there’s something wrong with this sequence? I stopped for a moment and looks beside me. Sakura then meets my eyes, as she looks at me quizzically.

“You go ahead first?” I asked.

Sakura shrugs her shoulders and pass ahead of me, sitting beside Haruki. This is how it is…Since Haruki is interested in her, and Kei with me… huh?

Now that I realized, this is unbalance. Haruki with Sakura, Shirasawa with Kobayash, Kei and me—No! This is wrong!

“What’s the matter, Kira?” Kei asked me as she sits, leaving a space for me to occupy. Wait, why am I here with the heroine?! This is wrong! While the two girls are choosing their songs, Haruki decides to take an order in our room.

“Guys, what do you like to order?”

“Nachos and chili con carne!” Kobayashi answered. “Fries with cheese for me!” Shirasawa chided. Kei choose the same with Shirasawa, while Sakura ordered Hawaiian style pizza.

“What’s yours, Kira?” Haruki asked.

Honestly, I only eat these kinds of foods on occasion, so… I don’t particularly have an idea what to choose. “Well, what you want to get, Haruki. I’ll go with it.”

Haruki then nods at me and asked the front desk about our orders, together with the drinks. “Alright! I choose the first song!” Shirasawa giddily giggles as she holds the microphone.

Onto the screen is the name: DYSTOPIA — Sizuk feat. AliA (The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World Opening)

The intro of the song played. She stands at the podium, facing us. “Get ready, everyone!”

Her voice echoing throughout the mic. Each line delivered to the song waves like a ripple through her voice. She got the rhythm and timing, and the tempo. I got captured by the way how she wholeheartedly sings.

Shirasawa made dance moves, like an idol performing on the crowd. Kobayashi, holding the maracas both her hands, shaking like a light sticks while watching Shirasawa. Her eyes locked to the girl; seemed she’s really awed to the performance.

The next song inserted: MONOCHROME — Choucho (Arianhood theme from the game: Memento Mori)

After Shirasawa, she passes the mic to Kobayashi. Like what the first person did, she does the same as well. However, Kobayashi seemed reluctant to stand with the crowd. She shows timidness.

Well I understand that. Showing the embarrassing part of your skill to everyone is unbearable. “Go, go! Kobayashi! You can do it!” Haruki cheerfully shouted.

That made Kobayashi feel flustered to sing the song, but she still did. Everyone, including me, cheered to her as she sings. Her voice is good, but not that good enough to be a singer.

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After a moment, the next song inserted: HIKARE INOCHI — Kitri (Miss Komi Can’t Communicate Ending)

“Whose song is that?” I asked.

“That’s mine.” beside me, Kei answered as she gets the mic from Kobayashi. As always, like the previous performers, Kei stands as well in the podium facing us.

“Go senior!” Haruki cheered while shaking the tambourine off his hands. The girls does the same. “Yeah, because this song is for you, Kira.”

Huh?

I got froze from what she said. The whole group turns their face to me. Kobayashi shows bafflement, Shirasawa grimaced, Haruki widely smiles, and Sakura mockingly grins at me.

Hey! Don’t you look at me like that!?

Why did she say it? It’s for me? Huh?

By the time the intro begins, Kei tooks a deep breath and smiles. The first verse of the song flows gently, as she sings it. The looks everyone has for me diverts to the one who sings in front of us.

Right now, I see Kei brimming with passion as she gazes at me. I don’t know why…. my heart starts to flutter as I watch her sing. She’s pretty, and that’s a given, but right now, the glimpse of her looks seemed beyond the word pretty relies.

A few minutes and the song ends.

I still got in awe after she sings. Going back to her place, Kei gets her handkerchief and wipes the sweat off her face. “Did I do great, Kira?”

“Huh?”

“I sang a song. Did I do great?”

That question baffled me. I don’t know what to answer. “Senior, I didn’t know you are a good singer!” cracking the silence, Kobayashi praises Kei. Shirasawa interjects in between as Kei bashfully thanked the two.

Yeah, she’s really a good singer, alright. And it really caught me off guard.

***

An hour passed.

Our time’s almost got up. Everyone, except me… performed. I didn’t picked any song, but I badly want to sing. My voice isn’t that good, or bad. Just imagine a nail scratching on the board.

“Hey, isn’t it fair that Kira didn’t sing?”

“Yeah. He doesn’t even pick a song either.”

The two girls, Kobayashi and Shirasawa chimed together to question what I did. Sakura and Haruki, as well as Kei turns to look at me. “Don’t you want to sing, Kira?”

“Huh? Uhm…” I mumbled.

“What—getting embarrassed, are we?” Shirasawa mockingly replied as she uncannily grins at me. This girl.

“You don’t need to get embarrassed here. We won’t make fun of you, dude!” Haruki interjects. “Yeah, we want to see Kira, the Great to step in the stage!” Sakura added, wearing a wide smirk.

Come on, these people are totally assholes!

“No, my voice isn’t that good. Your ears might bleed if you hear me sing!” I tried to make an excuse to get away from the embarrassment.

“Don’t be a killjoy. Come on, pick a song!” handing the tablet, Kobayashi cheerfully confronts me. “We won’t make any funny comments to you.”

I doubt that. But they are persistent. They don’t seem to stop pestering me until I give in. So…

”All right! I will pick a song!” I answered, grunted and swipes the screen to find a song.

There’s this song that I really love to listen to. I believe it is also here.

Picking the song, the screen appeared to play the melody. “Oh, it’s a duet song.” Sakura mumbled.

The group look at each other and me. I don’t know why I even picked the song either.

“Let’s sing it together, Kira.”

“Huh?” I asked. Kei grabbed my wrist as she pulled me up from my seat. Dragging me from the podium, we stand side by side as the intro starts to play.

FUTARIGOTO — TRUE & Minori Chihara (Violet Evergarden Insert Song)

“You will be at the first two stanza, I will be on the second one.” Kei commanded me. She also seemed to know this song.

“Ah, okay…” I answered.

As we finished talking, the song starts to play. Each strum of the guitar and keys played in the piano reverberated through me. I left the rhythm and beat with the lyrics as it naturally flows.

But what caught me off is when Kei turns at me as she looks directly into my eyes.

> Kakinarabete wa kiete yuku sekai wa naniiro darou

>

> (What color is the world where things disappear as they are written down?)

>

> Ima donna kotoba wo uta wo kimi ni tsutaeyou

>

> (Right now what words, what songs, should I convey to you?)

>

>  

That part captures me, as Kei locked her eyes with mine. Those eyes truly conveyed what has been she said that day. The time I knew to myself that it isn’t just only but words.

Behind the gaze, the way how she approach me… and the things we did together for the short time.

I realized, Kei really is in love with me.