I'll post an extra chapter every 300 Power Stones. Good luck with that!
Goal for the next extra chapter: 0/300
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After choosing the song she wanted to sing, Miu stepped into the "special" recording room and put on the headphones. I spoke to her through the microphone in front of me.
"Can you hear me?"
The moment she heard my voice, her eyes widened.
She nodded, so I continued, "The instrumental will start playing in a second. Don't take it too seriously. Just sing like we're at karaoke or something." I smiled at her through the glass.
Miu nodded again, and I started the instrumental.
She closed her eyes and began singing along to the rhythm of the song.
I could hear her voice clearly.
And...
*'She's terrible.'*
She has talent when it comes to writing, but singing? Not a chance. She might improve a little if she took some lessons, but her voice just isn't suited for singing. At least not this kind of melodic song.
I kept smiling the entire time.
I pretended everything was fine.
Meanwhile, my ears were being tortured by her singing.
I don't mean to be rude, but that's just the reality.
*'She simply doesn't have a talent for this. There's nothing that can be done about it. Not everyone is talented at all kinds of things like I am. I was blessed with an overpowered system.'*
The song finally came to an end.
Miu opened her eyes and looked at me expectantly. Her eyes sparkled as if they were saying, *"I definitely did great. Kyo's going to praise me so much!"*
She left the recording booth and asked,
"So... how was I?"
I don't like lying, so I got straight to the point.
"I'm sorry, but you were terrible."
"Eh..."
The smile disappeared from Miu's face. She was visibly shocked.
"But it's okay, you know? Not everyone has talent for this kind of thing. Besides, you can train your voice and improve, alright?"
"I knew I wasn't talented at this, but... that still hurt. Can I hear the recording?"
"You'd better not."
"I want to hear it!"
Letting out a sigh, I agreed.
I played the recording through the studio's high-quality speakers. As the song went on, Miu's expression grew darker and darker.
But after a while...
She started laughing.
"Hahahaha! It really is awful! Hahahaha!"
She laughed so hard that tears began streaming down her face.
"I knew my singing was bad, but it's so bad I can't stop laughing! I'm sorry for making you listen to something like that."
"Hahaha, don't worry about it."
Seeing her laugh like that made me feel relieved.
####
Since we'd entered the studio, nearly twenty minutes had passed. Before we left, I even played "Idol" on the keyboard for Miu.
After listening to me, she said,
"I didn't know you could play that well."
Then we left the studio and headed to my office.
As soon as we opened the door, I stopped outside and said,
"I'll let you get some rest now. If you're not sleepy yet, you can use my computer or watch TV to pass the time."
After saying that, I turned to leave.
But Miu suddenly grabbed my hand.
She adjusted her glasses and looked away.
"Could you stay with me a little longer? We could play something together again."
Hearing those words, I didn't know what to say.
If I go into that room with her...
Something more might happen.
The atmosphere had suddenly changed.
But even so...
"Alright."
I squeezed her hand.
I walked into the room with Miu and closed the door behind us.
We sat down together on the small couch, and I let Miu choose a game.
Surprisingly, she picked a soccer game.
She doesn't like watching soccer, but she says playing it is fun.
It's strange, but who am I to judge?
As we played, time flew by.
We weren't exactly keeping our voices or our laughter down, yet my mother never came to check on us.
Before I realized it, it was already two in the morning.
I glanced over at Miu.
She was obviously exhausted.
She could barely keep her eyes open.
I was a little sleepy too, since I'd gotten used to going to bed early over the past few days.
But I was much less sleepy than she was.
"Miu, it's time to sleep. Here, give me that."
I took the controller from her hands and placed it on the floor.
"Come on, I'll take you to bed."
"What time is it?" she asked, her words slightly slurred.
"It's already two in the morning."
"Ah... And I have to wake up at six for school."
"You're not going to make it to school tomorrow. Just give up on that idea. I'll ask my mom to talk to the principal. They're very close."
"I understand. Thank you, Kyo."
Miu struggled to her feet and leaned against me.
Staggering slightly, she threw herself onto the double bed.
She looked almost drunk, which was honestly a little funny.
I chuckled before covering her with the blanket my mother had left on the bed.
It was a much nicer blanket than the one I normally used whenever I slept in here.
With her eyes only half open, Miu murmured,
"It smells like you..."
"..."
I didn't say anything.
I was too surprised by what she'd just said.
Miu took a deep breath.
"Huff~~~"
"Alright... I think I'd better head back to my room now."
But Miu wouldn't let me.
"Kyo... stay with me until I fall asleep."
"Until you fall asleep?"
"Yeah... Stay with me."
I looked into her face, and our eyes met.
Miu wasn't wearing her glasses, making her look even more beautiful than usual.
We stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds before I finally answered.
"Alright."
Miu then lifted the blanket and scooted over to one side.
"Come on... Lie down here with me."
What...?
What's gotten into her?
Is it because she's so sleepy?
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