บท 13: Discovering Hidden Talents
"STOP!"
Cain plugged his ears as Fifi screamed. It was the first time he had heard her raise her voice, and in contrast to her calm demeanor, she could really scream.
"What? You're hurting my ears," Cain growled.
"You're the one who's hurting my ears! Just what in the world are you doing?"
"Singing," Cain answered nonchalantly.
"S-singing?" Fifi felt an indescribable dread that slowly boiled in the pit of her stomach until it reached her heart and crushed her spirit. "Y-you . . . don't tell me that you . . . you're tone-deaf!"
[NOTE: A tone-deaf person is someone who has difficulty or inability to perceive pitch accurately, making it hard for them to sing in tune or recognize differences in musical notes. This condition is also known as amusia. It means they can't distinguish between different pitches and often sing off-key, making their musical perception and performance sound unpleasant to others.]
"Huh?" Cain raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who asked me to sing."
[NEW Skill Acquired!]
[SINGING LV. 1!]
"Oh. I've acquired a skill," Cain said. "So this is how it works. I just have to try once, and it appears in my list of skills."
"Don't be so happy!" Fifi reprimanded. "What's so good about a singing skill at level one?!"
Fifi lamented. She thought everything would be smooth sailing because of Cain's handsome face, but could it be that he's like the majority of the population here? All appearance with no real talent?
"What's wrong with level one?" Cain asked, unperturbed. "At least I acquired the skill."
Fifi rubbed her temples. "It's a very low level, meaning you have to start from the very basics."
"Come to think of it. How do you increase these skills?" Cain asked, tapping at his skills on the screen.
"You have to practice and do it repeatedly for it to increase," Fifi explained with a lack of enthusiasm.
"I see." Cain looked at his clenched fist. That means that even his fighting skills will increase, right?
"Why do I get the feeling that your grin is about increasing your fighting skills rather than your singing skill?"
"Now that we've established that I'm not a great singer, maybe we could move on to something else?" Cain changed the topic. The task to find his hidden talent was still on his daily list, and he needed those idol points to increase his stat.
Fifi paused, her enthusiasm returning somewhat. "That's right. There are still other talents, not just singing! Let's try something else. Do you know how to dance?"
Cain scratched his neck and stood up. Instead of answering, he started to practice his everyday fighting routine.
He launched into a back jab, his body pivoting as his fist cut through the air, striking an imaginary target with a swift, controlled motion.
Transitioning seamlessly, he followed with a back kick. His body twisted effortlessly, his leg extending in a powerful arc, the motion sharp and fluid. The kick landed with the force of a battering ram, yet executed with the grace of a dancer.
Cain then moved into a twirling kick. He spun on his heel, his entire form a blur of motion, and his leg sliced through the air like a whip. The kick ended in a poised stance, his muscles coiled and ready, his eyes sharp and focused.
"W-wait . . . w-what kind of dance is this?" Fifi muttered. "B-but . . . I can't take my eyes away from it." She mumbled like she was in a trance.
Each pose was a blend of strength and agility, showcasing Cain's combat skills while hinting at the rhythm and grace necessary for an idol.
[NEW Skill! Dancing LV. 10]
"Level 10?" Cain paused for a moment. "Not bad considering that I don't even dance."
Fifi shook her head and snapped out of her trance. It was only level 10, but she was captivated by it. She couldn't say it was at the level of a professional dancer, but it was impressive enough to grab an audience's attention.
"Be glad that your DEX and CONS are high," Fifi said. "At least this means that with a trainer, you can easily learn dance moves. But I can't say that it's the level of dance passable to be an idol. "
Cain didn't want to think about dancing. Wiggling his body on stage was far out of his image as a gangster leader.
"Still, this isn't my hidden talent. I still didn't receive the +5 idol points," Cain said to Fifi, showing her the task on his screen.
|| Daily Tasks ||
Identify your hidden talent. +5 Idol Points
|| END ||
"The night is still young. Maybe your talent is playing a musical instrument or acting?" Fifi said and immediately retracted her words. "Though I doubt it since you're tone-deaf. You couldn't possibly play an instrument."
Cain nodded with a straight face. "That's right."
"Don't just agree with it," Fifi lamented.
"I don't know how to act or play an instrument," Cain said, thinking. "Maybe if I saw one playing . . ." He recalled that his members play a guitar, but he didn't give it much thought then.
"You don't even have a guitar in here," Fifi deadpanned.
Cain stood and went to the door. He opened it and yelled, "Someone get me a guitar right now!"
Within seconds, the gang members scrambled to their feet and found a guitar for Cain. They had guitars and drums downstairs because some of the gang members liked to play. They had a lot of free time.
"B-boss . . . what do you need a guitar for?"
Cain's answer came with a hard glare, followed by the loud bang of the door.
Joker and Bones exchanged a look.
"What's gotten into Cain?" Joker asked. "Did he hit his head or something? Don't tell me that he's going to break that guitar. That cost a lot too, even if it's only secondhand."
Bones laughed. "Ohohohoho. Maybe he's going to learn to play it."
"Cain? Playing?"
There was silence for a moment before they burst out laughing.
"That guy couldn't even sing the alphabet," Joker laughed. "He's tone-deaf. How could he play if he doesn't know the tunes?"
"He's probably confiscating that guitar. You know how he hates it when we play downstairs."
Everyone laughed again.
Joker got up. "Alright, we're wasting time here. Let's go out and have some fun!"
"Yeah!"
"But what about the boss?"
"Don't worry about him." Joker waved his hand dismissively. "If he's shutting himself up in his room, then he's probably doing something important that he doesn't want anyone to disturb him."
". . . Masturbating?"
Silence hung heavy in the air before they all laughed again.
Joker and Bones exchanged knowing looks before they sighed. If only Cain was indeed into those things, they'd be really happy.
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