"As expected, there aren't really any songs I know how to sing."
Holding the tablet for selecting songs, Mio Shirai looked at the dazzling array of titles on the screen and let out a helpless sigh.
Even though she'd been in this world for a while now, she still didn't have a very deep grasp of its music.
On top of that, she'd been busy drawing and writing earlier, so her original plan to port over songs from her old world had been put on hold for the time being.
Still, it was a bit better than the time she'd gone to sing with Mashiro Shiina. At least over this stretch, she'd come across a few songs she'd heard before crossing over, the kind she'd pick up just from having them on in the background while she worked.
Watching Mio look so glum, Yui Yuigahama, who'd already sung several songs, came over and asked, "Mio, you still haven't picked a song?"
Mio set the song machine down on the table and said, "I've picked one. It's just that I don't know many songs, and I rarely sing, so if I do a bad job, you absolutely can't laugh at me, okay?"
"Don't worry, I absolutely won't laugh." Yui patted her own chest, then added a little guiltily, "Unless I can't help it."
Honestly Mio had only said that offhandedly. As a former actress before crossing over, she was hardly the type to get embarrassed over something like this.
What's more, her singing was something she could vouch for.
Soon enough, it was Mio's song's turn.
"Like a Fool (Baka Mitai)?"
Looking at the song title displayed on the screen, Yumiko Miura blinked beside her. This was a song she'd never heard before, but from the intro alone you could tell it was dripping with Showa-era flavor.
Then she looked at Mio's fresh, youthful face and felt like the girl and the song didn't match at all!
Normally, shouldn't a girl Mio's age be singing sweet, romantic love songs? That kind of song felt like it'd suit Mio better.
Noticing the eyes on her, Mio cleared her throat, then started singing as she read the lyrics.
This was a song she'd grown familiar with back before crossing over, while playing a certain game. On top of that, the song had later become a viral meme, so you could say she knew it inside out.
She also knew the song didn't quite match her image, but for the sake of lightening the mood, she'd picked it anyway.
Mio's clear, sweet voice paired with this thoroughly Showa-flavored song actually sounded pretty good, yet somehow it just felt off.
It wasn't until Mio finished singing that Yui couldn't help blurting out, "Mio, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Earlier, when Mio had told her not to laugh, she'd assumed Mio just sang badly. It was only after the girl opened her mouth that she realized the true meaning of "don't laugh."
"No way. I just happened to know this song." Mio gave Yui a sweet smile.
Equally exasperated were the rest of them, and Yumiko, who'd been wanting to hear Mio sing all this time.
She'd just pricked up her ears full of anticipation, and nearly couldn't keep a straight face.
Thankfully, the next few songs Mio sang were all perfectly normal in style.
Paired with that clear, sweet voice of hers, they were honestly a pleasure to listen to.
Though Mio only knew those few songs, the riajuu crew had plenty of people, so with everyone singing a few apiece, the time flew by.
Yui had originally been hoping to do a duet with Mio, but she later realized that Mio seemed to only know that handful of songs. Even when she handed her the mic, Mio just lip-synced. You could tell she really didn't know the others.
Yui couldn't wrap her head around it. Mio sang so beautifully, so why did she only know those few songs?
For a voice like Mio's, it was a complete waste.
It looked like she'd have to take Mio out to sing more often from now on.
She just didn't want to see Mio's voice go to waste like this. It absolutely had nothing to do with wanting to go on dates or spend time alone together or anything like that.
By the time everyone left the karaoke place, night had already fallen.
After a quick discussion, the riajuu crew decided to grab dinner together before heading their separate ways home.
Over the meal, the conversation naturally turned to everyone's plans for the break.
"As for me, I'll probably have to make a trip back to my hometown. I figure I won't be back until after New Year's, so you might not see me for a while. Be sure not to miss me too much." Tobe kept the mood lively with his usual over-the-top tone.
"Don't worry, nobody's going to miss you," Hayama said jokingly.
"I figured someone would say that, but I never imagined it'd be you." Tobe clutched his chest, looking like he'd taken a critical hit.
When nobody paid him any attention, though, he cleared his throat a couple of times, put on a face like nothing had happened, and asked, "So, Hayato, you got any plans for the break?"
As he said it, Tobe instinctively shot a glance at Yumiko.
It was common knowledge that Yumiko had a thing for Hayato Hayama, so the riajuu crew would now and then give them a little push, like Tobe was doing right now.
Normally, this would be the moment Yumiko perked up her ears to hear Hayama's answer.
But this time, for some reason, Tobe noticed that Yumiko wasn't really listening carefully to Hayama's reply at all. Instead, her gaze was fixed on Mio.
Come to think of it, she'd been letting her eyes drift over to Mio a lot lately too.
It felt a little like back when the riajuu crew had first come together. Back then, Yumiko had been the one whose gaze kept drifting over to Hayama.
Could it be...
A possibility suddenly surfaced in Tobe's mind, but he quickly dismissed the ridiculous thought. No matter how you sliced it, there was no way the relationship between Yumiko and Mio could be that kind of thing.
After all, the two of them were both girls.
Still, if the two of them did end up together, that seemed like it wouldn't be half bad. Two pretty girls getting cozy together; just imagining it was a real feast for the eyes.
Pretty soon, Tobe felt like something had gone wrong with his train of thought. He had good reason to suspect he'd been hanging around Ebina Hina too much. Otherwise how could he possibly come up with such a ridiculous idea?
By the time he snapped back to his senses, Hayama had already finished laying out his break plans.
And Tobe hadn't caught a single word of it.
Though even if he had, it wouldn't have had anything to do with him.
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