Overloaded With Attributes Chapter 28
Good-bye... Good-bye...
After everyone ordered their drinks, the first one to grab the mic was Tiara-chan.
"Holy crap... Tiara-chan is an amazing singer. I just thought she was a quiet, kid-like girl but how can she sing with that kind of sexy voice and expression?"
"R-Really...?" Atena muttered. "To me she just looks like she's standing completely still, holding the mic, not moving a muscle."
"Are your eyes just decorations?!" I'm not a lolicon but the Tiara-chan I'm seeing right now I could 'do it'!... No, wait, she's my classmate, so she's not a 'loli' anyway. And, I mean... her performance is incredible... but the song choice... It's some artist I've never heard of, singing a song I don't know. It was a little hard to get into.
Next up, Shizuka-san.
"What is this feeling... like I'm being slowly cornered... like I'm being suffocated with a silk cloth"
"I think I've heard this song" said Shouko, "but... isn't this supposed to be an upbeat 'idol' song? Why... why do I feel such... 'dread'?"
And the entire time she's singing she's staring right at me. Without blinking. It's terrifying.
After that, we fell into a rotation: Tiara, then Atena, then Shouko. You know... watching a "little girl" (who is my age) sing her heart out is really heartwarming!! Well "heartwarming" except There's not a single song here that I know. I mean, it's obvious, but no matter what I search for none of the artists I know exist.
"(Yuu-kun's turn)"
"Ah... yeah. I want to. But I don't know any of these songs and there are, like no male singers"
"Kashiwagi-sama, it's not that 'there are none'" Shouko explained.
"It's that 'a male with the eccentricity to be interested in the entertainment world' has never existed." Seriously?! The men in this world are that passive?!
"So... if I became a singer or an actor would I get, like tons of attention?"
"Just becoming an 'Explorer' will get you attention from the entire world, not just Japan."
"What about a 'model'? Or 'cosplayer'? Or a 'photobook'?"
"Bookstores would be demolished, There would be riots, panic-buying, It would be chaos."
That actually sounds kind of fun.
"(Yuu-kun you're not singing?)" Tiara's sad little voice pierced right through my stupid fantasy. Looking up at me all sad-eyed, that's cheating. I feel so guilty like I'm bullying a small child. This girl she knows how to use her "power"
"I-It's not that I don't want to sing! I just don't know the songs! But okay this is embarrassing, but if a capella is okay"
"Yuugiri-kun, you can do that?! We don't need 'music'! My only purpose is to hear 'your voice' and therefore 'a capella' is the 'optimal solution'—"
"You are frightening Kashiwagi-sama, please refrain from lipsync."
"My apologies. I got 'a little' carried away."
Was that "a little"?
So the song I chose was a slightly nostalgic love song, "Love Story, Suddenly!" by Kazumasu Oda, the vocalist of the super-famous group "be-cause." Yeah! The one from the legendary CD jacket, where he's doing the 'Boston Crab' pose!
"♪" As a little "prank," I gently took Shouko-san's hand, looked her in the eyes and sang the entire song. Okay... this is way more embarrassing than I thought.
"Hey... it was quiet while I was singing but no one's reacting... Is this bullying?" I mean, I'm not asking for praise... No, wait, I AM! I sang! I at least want some applause! Or "That was amazing!" or "You're so cool!" or "Take me now!" I need validation!
"Hah?! Eh? What... what's happening to my body?! While you were looking at me... parts of me felt... 'warm'... 'fuzzy'... 'tingly'... And... listening to your voice... my body... my soul... was 'enveloped in pleasure'... And I was 'looking down at myself' It's like time restarted".
Wait... Shouko-san was that "astral projection"?!
"Wh-wh-what... was that?!" Atena shrieked. "That's not fair! Why... why did you sing only for 'that old hag'?! Holding her hand that's cheating, isn't it?!"
"F... fufu... Ah... ahhhhh..." Shizuka was... elsewhere. "Right in front of me... my 'beloved'... singing that song to another woman... Is... is this... what they call... NTR...?"
"(Never heard it but good song) (Yuu-kun's 'original'? Should be 'released' nationwide)"
Okay... so... "positive reception"? I guess? And now the three girls are "rock-paper-scissoring" What is... Oh. I get it. The 'winner' gets to sit next to me while I sing. This this is definitely the part where Shouko would normally "intervene"
"Kashiwagi-sama Unfortunately 'Shouko' is currently 'jelly-legged'"
Her eyes are 'glazed over' So... yeah.
The first winner was Tiara-chan. To match her, I picked an upbeat song. The OP from the game "Doki Doki☆Memory Days"!
"(The song is good, very good, But it doesn't make my heart pound like the first one) (In fact hyper Yuu-kun is kind of gross)" ...A total bomb.
Okay. Reset. Next, Atena! To avoid another failure I'm going with Heavy Metal! "Mansion of the Automata" by 'New Century'!
"Um. Yeah. That exists I guess? But I kinda wanted the first song"
Huh? I thought this would match her personality. Maybe "love songs" are just "better"?
Okay. Next, Shizuka. I'll go with "Next to You" by Hideaki Tokugawa!
"F... fufufu... Yes I am always next to you. I Shizuka, I am in front of your house right now looking at your window"
Okay. Note to self: Do not tell her where I live.
And back to Shouko-san. Same as before. "be-cause." I'll hit her with "Is it Okay?"
"Kashiwagi-sama... I'm sorry. I... I don't think I can stand up today"
"SEE?!" Atena yelled,
"That's... that's what I'm talking about! I want one of those!"
Tiara-chan requested "(Sad song next)" so I gave her "Good-bye" by "be-cause." Halfway through I got "a doctor's-stop" (a forced stop). Or rather, they all burst into tears.
"K-Kashiwagi-sama... please..." Shouko-san sobbed. "Just imagining you being gone, the terror... my heart is breaking"
"W-Wait... are you a demon?!" Atena accused me. "An ogre?! To sing that song with that much emotion... That's the kind of song you never let a single girl listen to! People will actually die!"
"U... uuu... WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" (Shizuka)
"(Tiara was wrong... This is too much... The tears won't stop)"
It took an hour to calm Shizuka-san down from her catatonic state. Comforting a regressed, beautiful classmate. What kind of "reward"... ahem... "punishment" is this?! Okay, it's late. Last song, for Atena.
"Yeah. It's a very good song, Makes you think, But I told you didn't I? I wanted 'a love song'. This epic-themed song is not what I want."
So, for the real finale I finished them off with "Song of the Sentinel" by "Sayu-samashi"!
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