Chapter 453: Angel Beats
"Just so you know, this will be the last one," Hachiman declared.
The audience, as if answering a teacher's question in unison, responded loudly, "Okay!"
Amused by their enthusiasm, Hachiman shook his head with a smile. He returned to the piano and started to think about what piece to play next. The crowd fell silent, not wanting to disrupt his thought process.
After a moment of contemplation, Hachiman seemed to have made up his mind. He gestured for Meguri Shiromeguri to come over.
"Is there something you need, Hachiman?" she asked as she hurried to his side.
"Could you please bring me a set of wireless microphones and an earpiece?" Hachiman requested with a smile.
Meguri's eyes lit up, realizing that Hachiman was planning to sing while playing. "Sure, leave it to me!"
She quickly ran backstage and returned with the wireless equipment. "Here you go, Hikigaya-san."
"Thanks, Shiromeguri-senpai," Hachiman said, as he began to put on the equipment.
Seeing this, Yukino had a hunch about his plan. "Is Hachiman going to sing while playing the piano?"
"Really? Hikki is going to sing?" Yui exclaimed, her face showing a mix of surprise and delight. "That's awesome! I've never heard Hikki sing before."
Yumiko, standing nearby, also felt a sense of anticipation. She had never heard Hachiman sing either.
On stage, Hachiman had finished setting up the equipment. He took a deep breath and placed his fingers on the piano keys. The next moment, the piano resonated with a melody as fluid and enchanting as a flowing stream. The audience was instantly captivated by the beautiful sound.
As the melody filled the air, Hachiman began to sing:
"Each time, waking up to the morning sun,
Tightening my tie,
I hesitantly step into the classroom,
Taking a confident step forward.
In that everyday life, caressed by the gentle breeze,
It seems I've heard,
It seems I've felt,
My hands now tremble uncontrollably..."
The melodious song, carried by the tiny microphone at his mouth, echoed throughout the entire gymnasium.
The enchanting melody of Hachiman's song captivated the hearts of the girls in the audience. They never expected his voice to be so beautiful.
Even Komachi, his own sister, stood there with wide eyes and her mouth slightly agape.
"Who am I? And who's that on stage? This has to be fake. How can my Onii-chan's singing sound this good?!"
As someone who had spent the most time with Hachiman, Komachi was utterly astonished by her brother today.
Sure, she knew about his cooking and kendo skills; he had at least practiced those before.
But piano and singing? She had never seen him practice these, nor even heard him mention them. Yet, the reality was undeniable. The melodic piano and captivating vocals were indeed coming from her brother.
She had no choice but to accept this astonishing reality.
Alright then...
Komachi decided to stop questioning and just enjoy the performance.
...
The entire venue fell silent, with only the melodious piano and Hachiman's enchanting voice filling the air. Everyone was lost in the music, and in their minds, the white suit Hachiman wore seemed to sprout angelic wings.
Of course, not everyone was completely lost in the moment. Some quickly took out their phones to record the performance. Others went a step further, launching live streams to broadcast the event.
As more and more people joined the live stream, the comment section exploded with reactions.
"Is this real? How can it sound this good? Am I hallucinating?"
"It's not just a hallucination. I swear I saw wings sprouting from the back of the guy playing the piano."
"Wait a minute, isn't this some high school's cultural festival? So, you're telling me this guy playing the piano and singing at the same time is a high school student?!"
"No way, a high schooler with piano skills like this? Then what was the point of practicing piano for over thirty years?!"
I have to admit, even though it's both piano playing, the way he and I play is clearly two different instruments.
This piano skill is probably on par with some famous pianists, right?
[...]
At Totsuki Academy,
Having just returned home after completing today's classes, Erina received a notification on her phone.
[Shocking, there's actually a genius teenager at a high school cultural festival who's comparable to a piano master—click to enter the live stream.]
With a curious mindset, Erina clicked on the notification and jumped into the live stream of Hachiman's piano performance.
Listening to the melodious piano and captivating singing from her phone, Erina nodded.
"Well, it's really nice to listen to. Can someone play the piano like this really be a genius?"
However, as the camera zoomed in, when she saw the performer's face, the girl couldn't help but widen her eyes and exclaimed.
"What? Hachiman? Really?"
"What? Hachiman-kun? Where?"
Hearing Erina's exclamation, Alice, who had just entered the room, rushed over and snatched her phone, then saw Hachiman playing the piano on the screen.
"It's really Hachiman-kun. He looks so cool in that suit. Is he playing the piano? And singing too? It sounds so good."
Listening to the piano and song coming from the phone, Alice excitedly spoke.
At this moment, Erina snatched the phone back. "What are you doing, Alice? Give me back my phone."
"No, I want to watch Hachiman's performance."
Of course, Alice refused to give up and tried to grab the phone again.
"Okay, okay, stop fighting. Let's watch it together."
Unable to do anything about it, seeing Alice trying to grab the phone again, Erkna had to compromise and placed her phone on the living room table.
And so, the two sisters stared fixedly at the live stream on the screen.
After confirming multiple times, Erina finally believed that the person playing the piano and singing was indeed Hachiman.
"This guy, he actually knows how to play the piano, and he sings so well too. Could these be his hobbies?"
Thinking about this, Erina's expression couldn't help but become strange.
Even though she knew about Hachiman's Hero identity, there was still something suspicious in the girl's heart.
Even if you're a Hero, isn't this cheating a bit too much?
And there you have it, while the Hero masters combat skills, on your end...
Cooking, light novels, piano...
Wow, those are all just everyday skills, huh?
Are you the legendary domestic type Hero?
On the other side, Alice has already turned into a loyal fan of Hachiman.
"Hachiman-kun is really amazing. Not only is he good at cooking, but now he can also play the piano and sing. I'm absolutely in love with him."
Hearing her sister's words, Erina rolled her eyes.
"Alice, could you please show some restraint?"
"Tch, Erina always has to act so prim and proper."
Alice also rolled her eyes at Erina and then ignored her, focusing wholeheartedly on the live stream.
Seeing her sister's reaction, Erina felt a bit annoyed, but she also tuned into the live stream because the piano and singing were just too beautiful!
---
Beautiful things are always fleeting; even a long song has its end.
As the melody slowed down, the singing gradually faded away.
Soon, as Hachiman struck the last note on the piano keys, this captivating performance officially came to an end.
Even though the piano and singing had stopped, the audience still couldn't snap out of it.
After a full minute, someone finally came to their senses and burst into enthusiastic applause for Hachiman on stage.
With one person starting, others joined in, and soon, thunderous applause filled the entire gymnasium.
As the host, Meguri, and the executive committee chairperson, Minami took the stage again, it marked the official close of this cultural festival.
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