บท 73: I Just Want a Single Ending [73]
Singing!
"It's just the two of us at karaoke, so we've gotta do a duet, right?"
Chihaya Anon, holding the song selection tablet, glanced up after picking a song.
"A duet, huh…" Saku hesitated.
Noticing his reaction, Anon asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"It's just that I don't listen to music often, so there aren't many songs I actually know."
Since he already wasn't a great singer, asking him to sing a song he hadn't heard before was a bit much.
"I told you, even if you're completely off, I won't mind at all," Anon assured him with a smile. "Having fun is the most important part."
"Alright."
With that reassurance, Saku gave in.
Singing a song with a friend should be fine.
But if she tried to get him to sing a love song… then he'd need to stay on guard.
Anon looked back at the tablet. "How about sumimi's Here, the World? You've probably heard it, right?"
"No, never."
Saku shook his head.
From the title, it didn't sound like a love song.
"Really? Are you sure? It's been all over the screens outside—you'd at least recognize it, wouldn't you?"
With that, Anon hit play.
"That's them!"
Saku looked at the screen, seeing two girls standing side by side.
The blonde girl on the left had a guitar slung across her back, while the brunette on the right was waving at the camera.
Being an idol duo, they were both incredibly pretty.
Especially the blonde.
The video displayed their names as well:
The blonde was named Uika, and the other girl was Mana.
"So? You recognize it now?" Anon asked as the song began to play.
"It does sound familiar."
Just like she'd said, Saku realized he'd heard this song playing on outdoor screens before.
It looked like the two were pretty popular.
"Alright, let's go with this one, then," Anon said, assigning their parts. "I'll sing Mana's part, and you take Uika's. How's that?"
Since Mana's lines were longer, she assigned the shorter parts to Saku to make it easier for him.
"Could I listen to the whole song first?"
He wanted to be absolutely sure that Here, the World wasn't a love song.
Song titles weren't like light novel titles that gave away the entire plot at a glance.
"Of course."
Anon had no objections.
---
After listening to it once, Saku finally felt reassured.
It wasn't a love song.
Some of the lyrics were a bit ambiguous, but considering it was an idol song, it wasn't anything to worry about.
"All set."
He picked up a microphone and gave Anon a nod.
"Great."
Anon hit replay and grabbed a mic as well.
With the music kicking in, they started singing together.
"Here, the world!" Connect with me(A new song born from my heartbeat)
"Here, the world!" The future's so bright
…
…
Truth be told, this was the first time Saku had sung a duet with a girl.
Even though it wasn't a love song, there was still an undeniable hint of closeness in the air.
Especially with the way their eyes met occasionally while singing—it made the atmosphere in the room strangely intense.
"With you, bless the world!"
(Together, let's bless this world!)
With that final line, their duet finally came to an end.
For some reason, Anon's cheeks were flushed after they finished singing together.
Saku, on the other hand, was still mulling over the lyrics.
As he'd suspected, some of those lines were indeed a bit… interesting.
Setting down her microphone, Anon turned to him, "You were really good! I wouldn't have guessed you're 'bad at singing' at all."
"It's just because I had fewer lines, and I'd heard it before, so I could manage," Saku explained.
"In that case, let's do another one."
Anon picked up the song tablet again.
"I think we should stick to singing separately," Saku said, shaking his head. "I only knew this one well enough to manage, but I don't know many other songs, so I'd just hold you back."
"Oh, fine."
Seeing his determination, Anon gave up on the idea of another duet.
Saku breathed a sigh of relief.
One duet was enough—anything more, and the atmosphere between them would start feeling way too intimate.
For the rest of the time, they sang separately.
Anon took the mic most of the time, with Saku only occasionally singing a song he knew.
After all, his song list was quite limited.
---
Once their karaoke session wrapped up, Saku walked Anon to the station before heading home himself.
Reflecting on everything that had happened at karaoke, he stretched his arms overhead.
To be honest, he'd never really faced any setbacks in his life.
Good looks, high grades, strong learning abilities, a popular Instagram account, plus the system and his powers.
Even with his parents gone, they'd left him a sizable inheritance.
This was his life.
So, Saku was perfectly satisfied with the way things were.
Barring any surprises, his future was bound to be smooth sailing.
After all, the "single" ending had already been pretty much written.
Once he got home, Saku decided to message Takamatsu Tomori.
Since the band wasn't practicing tomorrow, he figured he'd invite her out.
After reading so many books about astronomy lately, it was time to put that knowledge to use.
After all, relationships don't grow closer on their own—he needed to make an effort.
Saku: Are you free tomorrow? Want to go to the planetarium together?
That was the message he sent.
Soon enough, Tomori replied.
Tomori: Sure.
Tomori: Can you pick the time and place?
Saku had the whole day free, but he wasn't sure about her schedule.
Tomori: How about meeting at the aquarium entrance at ten?
Seeing her message, Saku felt a bit taken aback.
The aquarium?
Weren't they going to see the stars at the planetarium?
Or did she want to visit the aquarium first?
Saku: Do you want to check out the aquarium first, and then go to the planetarium?
Tomori: Yes, can we do both?
Saku: Of course.
Naturally, he had no reason to say no to a request like that.
---
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!
If you wish to support me or read ahead here's a link! [patreon.com/WiseTL]
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