After school.
Five people gathered: Ryo, Shingo-kun, Kaede, Rin and Yukine.
Unfortunately, Akira couldn't join us because his schedule didn't allow it.
Come to think of it, I don't get to play with Akira very often…
I hope we can play together again sometime.
Even as I was thinking about it, we decided to go out as planned, but we had trouble deciding where to go.
"Where shall we go?"
"Well, we can't play until late at night, so it would be better to go somewhere nearby."
While each of us was thinking about where to go, Kaede had an idea.
"Oh, how about going to a karaoke?"
"Karaoke?"
"…Hmm, I think there was a karaoke place nearby."
"Hee… that sounds good! Then let's go karaoke!"
And so, thanks to Kaede's suggestion, we decided to go to karaoke.
We were led by Yukine, who knew where it was, and we arrived at the karaoke place without a problem.
"Wow… this is my first time in a karaoke place…"
"Hey, hey… I thought the same thing about the arcade, but it's too rare these days…"
Ryo said with a look of shock as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.
Then, after we checked in and went to our room, Ryo called out.
"Alright, let's sing!"
"Who will sing first?"
"Since you seem to be in a good mood, why don't you go first?"
"M-me?!"
Once the order was set, Ryo operated the device and loaded a song.
Then, some kind of intense drum music started to play.
I wonder what kind of song it is?
"Oh, this is great."
"This song is so cool!"
It seemed like everyone knew the song Ryo was going to sing.
And when the intro ended, Ryo finally started to sing.
"Wow… that's cool."
The song was intense and very cool, and it went really well with Ryo's solid singing voice.
There were also parts that sounded like rap parts, and it seemed like it would be difficult to sing, but Ryo didn't let it get to him and sang it perfectly.
And he continued singing until the end.
"Wow, Ryo is so cool!"
"This is the first time I heard you sing, but you're amazing."
"…Hmm, that was a good voice."
"Really? Hehe, thanks."
Everyone praised Ryo, who smiled a little shyly.
"Oh, it's my turn!"
When Ryo finished singing, another song started to play, and it was Kaede's turn.
The song seemed to be by a certain idol group and was up-tempo, but it also had a cute feel to it.
"Oh, so you're going to sing as an idol right away?"
"T-That's not it! I just like this song!"
Indeed, it was a perfect choice of song for Kaede, who had recently become a school idol.
When the song began, her voice resounded just as it did when she performed as a school idol, and it seemed to bring out the energy in the audience.
That must be the beauty of Kaede's voice.
I didn't know this song, but it seemed that everyone else did, and they joined in at various points.
I enjoyed it, too, clapping along to the music.
"Oh, it's so much fun to sing after such a long time!"
"You sing really well, as always, Kaede."
"R-really? Thank you."
When I told her what I thought, Kaede blushed a little.
Then, some kind of epic music started to play.
Ryo noticed the song, and his eyes lit up.
"Oh, this song… isn't it the opening of Miracron!"
"Miracron?"
When I tilted my head at the unfamiliar word, Shingo-kun, who was holding a microphone, answered.
"Y-yeah. It's the theme song of a robot anime."
"Heehh…"
I had always imagined the theme songs for robot anime to be passionate songs, and this song was no exception, with a strong sense of passion.
However, since I was excited to see how Shingo-kun, who usually has a reserved personality, would sing, he began to sing.
And unlike usual, Shingo-kun's enthusiasm grew as the song progressed, and by the end, he was singing with all his heart.
"Miracron's songs are great!"
"Y-yeah. The songs from the movie are good, too."
"Hey, then why don't you sing with me next time!"
Ryo, who usually listened to Shingo-kun's recommendations for anime, seemed to know anime songs just as well as Shingo-kun. That's amazing…
Then, the melody suddenly changed completely, and a ballad-like intro began to play.
"This is…"
"Now it's my turn."
It was Rin who took the microphone next.
Rin began to sing slowly as the song began.
"Oh…"
"Rin-chan, you're amazing…"
This was the first time I heard Rin sing, but it was amazing.
I always thought she had a cool voice, but when the song started, she sang with a very powerful yet delicate voice.
Especially the way she sang with so much feeling in the chorus was enough to make her seem like a real singer.
I don't know how to describe it, but her singing voice and the way she sings are amazing.
As I was moved by her incredible singing ability, Rin's song ended.
"…Well, I guess that's about it."
"A-amazing"
"Rin-chan, you can really sing!"
"Y-yeah, you were like a real singer!"
"…Hmm. The song and your voice went well together, it was really cool."
As everyone praised Rin one by one, she showed a rare sign of embarrassment.
"R-really? Well, it doesn't feel bad to be told that."
"Have you been doing this for a long time?"
Rin shakes her head when I ask because she is so good at it.
"No? I didn't learn anything special, but I always liked to sing."
"I see… Anyway, you were really good!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
She nodded in response to my words.
"Hey, look! The next song is starting!"
"…Hmm. My turn."
Then, the mood of the song changed again, and intense rock music began to play.
And the song was sung by… Yukine.
"O-oh… It's just as you'd expect, or maybe not quite as you'd expect…"
Ryo says.
It's true that Yukine dresses like a member of a band, but she's not really the talkative type.
That's probably why Ryo couldn't help but say that.
And when the song finally started, Yukine began to sing matter-of-factly.
Her voice was beautiful, and her pitch was perfect, but there was a huge gap between the song and her voice.
However, it wasn't that the singing voice and the song didn't match at all; I thought it was really good in its own way.
While I was listening to Yukine's unexpected singing voice, Kaede called out to me.
"By the way, did you add any songs?"
"Oh, I haven't done it yet."
"Geez! It's nice to hear everyone else's songs, but you have to sing too, Yuuya-kun!"
"Right, this is Yuuya's farewell party!"
"Speaking of which, that's right…"
"You forgot?"
Ryo couldn't help but reply to Rin's words.
Sorry, Ryo. I forgot, too.
Anyway, it seems that after Yukine, it's my turn…
Unfortunately, I don't know most of the songs.
I know the ones we sang at the school festival, but it's kind of embarrassing to sing the same songs again.
While I was worrying about this, Yukine's song was progressing, and the remaining time was running out.
Oh, the song is almost over!
Let's see, let's see… Oh, how about this?
I managed to finish selecting the songs just in time and took a deep breath.
At the same time, Yukine's song also came to an end.
"…Hmm. I'm satisfied."
"So you really like rock music, huh?"
"…I like it. If I hadn't joined the Occult Research Club, I would have joined the Light Music Club."
"T-That's a very unique choice…"
There were too many differences between the Occult Research Club and the Light Music Club.
Then Yukine tilted her head and asked.
"By the way, you seemed to be really worried about it, but what song did you choose, Yuuya?"
"Ah, the song I chose was…"
Just as I said that, the intro began to play.
And then…
"Da…Dango Brothers?!"
Yes, the song I chose was a children's song about two dango brothers with a distinctive melody and lyrics.
"No, no, no, why did you choose this song?!"
"Well, I mean, I didn't know any other songs…"
"But you chose this song?"
"Yuuya-kun, why don't you sing the song you sang at the school festival the other day!"
"Well, I thought about it, but I felt kind of embarrassed."
"Y-You're so strange, Yuuya-kun…"
"Hahaha! What a surprise!"
"Hmm… good choice."
Everyone was surprised that I chose this song, except for Yukine.
Well, I don't think it's the kind of song you'd sing at a karaoke, but it's not that bad, right?
Rin laughed even more when I started to sing along with the addictive rhythm.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! M-my stomach hurts!"
"And you sing with such a good voice…!"
"No, it's too surreal!"
"…Odango♪ Odango♪"
"I-I've never really listened to this song before…"
In fact, I don't think I would have had the chance to listen to the whole song without an opportunity like this.
To tell the truth, I didn't even know the lyrics after the second verse.
However, I can vaguely sing along with the song, so I'm relieved.
"N-not good, it's too funny…!"
"Yuuya-kun, you're really singing this…"
"The song choice, Yuuya's beautiful voice and the way he sings it all come together perfectly."
"Since we're here, let's make a video!"
When Ryo said that, everyone took out their smartphones and pointed them at me.
Ugh… being recorded like that makes me even more nervous…
For the time being, I sing more intensely to distract myself.
This made everyone laugh even more.
When I finished singing, Ryo opened his mouth, looking tired from laughing.
"Ugh… I laughed so much that I thought I was going to die…"
"Y-yeah. I got to see a surprising side of Yuuya-kun."
"Was it really that surprising?"
"It's surprising, too! Why did you choose that song?"
"Well, I didn't know any other songs…"
"Still, it was a great song choice."
"…Good choice."
As I thought, it looked like only Yukine complimented my song choice.
Now that I'd finished singing, the first round was over, but the karaoke had just begun.
As soon as the next song started to play, Ryo grabbed the microphone and stood up.
"Okay then, Shingo! Let's sing together this time!"
"H-huh? I wonder if I can sing it…"
"Don't worry, don't worry! You know the song, right?"
"Well, sort of."
The second round started with Shingo-kun and Ryo, and as everyone sang one after the other, I made everyone laugh by singing songs from the school festival and other nursery rhymes.
And so my farewell party went by happily.
＊＊＊
Time flew by, and it was the day before I was to leave for my study abroad.
As I was getting ready to go abroad, Lexia-san and the others rushed into my room.
"Yuuya-sama!"
"Eh? Oh, Lexia-san. What is it?"
"I'm going to help you prepare for your study abroad!"
"Eh?"
While I was surprised by the unexpected words, Lexia-san had somehow managed to enter the room.
"So, Luna, you're in too!"
"Eh? Eh?"
"Yuuya, give up. Once she's decided to do something, she never stops."
"N-no, I know that, but…"
Luna, who had been called by Lexia-san, also came into my room.
"Yuuya-sama, are you going with such a small one? Let's get a bigger one!"
"Lexia, Yuuya isn't going out to play… I mean, where did you get that bag?"
Then, from somewhere, Lexia-san took out what looked like a huge backpack.
It was so big that it must have taken up half of my room.
Lexia-san looked confused when Luna pointed it out to her.
"What? I bought it for when I'll need it."
"When will you need it, you're royalty!"
"Well, who cares about the details! As long as it's this big, you can carry anything in it, right?"
"Well, that's true, but I don't really need a bag that big…"
Even if I were to pack a week's worth of clothes, it wouldn't fill half of the bag Lexia-san had prepared.
Or rather…
"Besides, I have an Item Box, so I don't need a bag that big…"
"Oh…"
That's right. I have the Item Box skill, so it would be easier to put everything I need to take with me there.
Well, I can't use my skills that often when I'm studying abroad, so of course I'll put the things I need in my bag…
"So I don't really need any help preparing for studying abroad."
When I told her this, Lexia-san's cheeks puffed up.
"Mmm… I thought I could help you, Yuuya-sama…"
"Well, you just have to give up."
Luna said this, but Lexia-san couldn't seem to give up and started looking around.
"Oh, how about this then?!"
"Eh?"
"Wait a minute!"
Lexia-san said, then ran out of my room.
And after a short while, she came back, holding Night and the others.
"Yuuya-sama! Why don't you take Night and the others with you?"
"Woof!?"
"Fugoo?"
"Pii?"
"Meow."
Night was surprised by the sudden turn of events.
Akatsuki and the others looked puzzled and tilted their heads in wonder.
"Lexia-san, what exactly is going on here…?"
"Sometimes you want to be healed when you study abroad, right? That's why you should take Night and the others with you!"
"What kind of thought process is that?"
"Woof…"
Luna interjected immediately, but Lexia-san didn't stop.
"There's no other way! I really want to go with you, but I can't, so I'll send Night and the others instead!"
"No, no, no, I don't understand what you mean!?"
Like Luna said, I didn't understand either.
"Ah… well, I can't take Night and the others with me after all…"
"Eh? Even if Night can't come, Akatsuki can make himself small at will, so it should be okay, right?"
"Buhi?"
"It's true that Akatsuki can change his size thanks to the size change pills he took a long time ago, but… I don't think that's the problem, you know…"
"Then what are you going there for?"
"To study, of course!"
Lexia-san, don't you think you're confused about studying abroad with a trip or something?
W-well, I can't say that I don't feel that way a little, but my main purpose is to study.
"Well… I appreciate the sentiment, but if I need anything or if I want to come back, I can always use my transfer magic to come back…"
"Oh… that reminds me…"
"…So Yuuya doesn't need to prepare anything, right?"
For some reason, Luna was shocked.
And so, although dissatisfied, my preparations for studying abroad were successfully completed.