Chapter 105: Housewarming Party ②

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Translator: Soafp

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“Yaaay~!”

Together with Nodoka, Airi, and Yui, I brought Kokoa-san to a karaoke place.

Apparently, this was Kokoa-san’s first time ever doing karaoke.

“So, what do you think of my skills!?”

A huge 98 appeared on the screen.

As expected of a rapidly rising idol.

Not only was she a great singer, but she instantly raised everyone’s energy too.

But…

Nodoka loudly protested.

“Isn’t it cheating to sing your own song!?”

“Then Nodoka-san should sing her own song too!”

“Like I have one of those!!”

The fact that we were casually hanging out in the same karaoke room as an idol whose own songs were available in karaoke machines…

Even now, it felt like an absurd situation.

The intro of the next song began playing.

“Ah, it’s my turn.”

Nodoka stood up and grabbed the microphone.

The song was one of the hottest hits at the moment, boosted by its drama tie-in.

But one thing surprised me.

“Nodoka, you’ve been to karaoke before?”

“O-Of course I have! I’m a gyaru, after all!”

She’s still pushing that image, huh?

I’d honestly assumed she’d never been to karaoke either, just like Kokoa-san.

Maybe she’d come with her family before.

Yui quietly explained.

“Actually, Nodoka has come with me and some other girls before. But she got so nervous that she never sang a single song. She said she liked listening more than singing.”

“Y-Yui!? Why would you tell him that!?”

“Huh? I thought Ren would like hearing it. Ren likes hearing stories about your introvert moments.”

“Aren’t both of you being mean!?”

“Nodoka, your song.”

“Eek!”

Prompted by me, Nodoka hurriedly turned her attention back to the lyrics.

I see now.

…Nodoka is tone-deaf.

Still, she managed to keep the rhythm well enough.

Her score ended up being 74.

“W-Well!?”

Nodoka put her hands on her hips proudly.

Wait.

Does she seriously think she sang well?

Airi answered first.

“You sounded like a cat.”

“Senpai, is that a compliment or an insult!?”

“Nodoka-san is Ren-kun’s cat, so I meant it suited her.”

“H-Hmph… I suppose that’s true! What about you two?”

Nodoka looked at me and Yui.

“Huh? Ah, yeah… Y-You were really good. As expected of Nodoka.”

“Right!?”

Yui smiled awkwardly.

…That’s definitely her expression when she’s lying.

“S-So, Ren? What did you think?”

There was no way I could tell the truth.

I was just about to tell a kind lie like Yui had—

When suddenly—

“Nodoka-san, you’re really tone-deaf!”

Kokoa-san burst out laughing while clutching her stomach.

Nodoka’s face instantly turned bright red.

Come on, Kokoa-san.

Why is it only at times like these that you can’t read the room?

“I’ve never seen someone miss the very first note that badly!”

“Uuu…”

“And it was hilarious how you couldn’t handle the high notes near the end and kept dropping lower and lower!”

“Kokoa-san, Nodoka’s HP is already at zero. Please spare her. Come on, Nodoka-chan, over here.”

“Uuu…”

Nodoka crawled between my legs and clung to me.

I gently patted her head.

Airi chuckled.

“See? Just like a cat.”

“Senpai, that’s what you meant!?”

Well, cats aren’t exactly known for being good singers.

Though they’re not known for being tone-deaf either.

Airi scooted closer beside me.

Pressing her chest casually against my arm, she whispered into my ear.

“Hey master, could you teach me how to use the song selector?”

“…There’s no way a pickup line like that exists.”

“It might. At karaoke mixers, for example.”

“No way. Anyone who comes to karaoke for a mixer already knows how to use the machine. Wait, is this your first time at karaoke, Airi?”

Airi giggled.

“I’ve been to karaoke before. Just not as a customer.”

“…”

So she’d only been there as an employee.

As I struggled to respond, I noticed something that didn’t add up.

“Then you obviously know how to use the selector.”

“Oh, Ren-kun. Do you really think a girl asking for help means she actually doesn’t know?”

“…Is that what this is?”

“Exactly.”

So it’s like the reverse version of “I don’t have LINE.”

“Ah, my turn.”

This time Yui picked up the microphone.

Her song choice was a legendary anime opening everyone knew.

She always picked it as her first song.

(Come to think of it, that’s the song I sang the first time we came to karaoke together.)

Back in elementary school.

The first time the two of us came to karaoke alone.

Neither of us knew what to sing.

Neither of us knew how to use the selector.

We just sat there confused.

Eventually I’d figured out how the machine worked and sang first to show her how it was done.

And the song I’d chosen back then was this anime song.

(…So that habit has survived all this time.)

Maybe that’s what being childhood friends is.

I was feeling oddly sentimental when—

Airi suddenly whispered:

“By the way, Ren-kun. Interested in doing naughty things in a karaoke room?”

“That came completely out of nowhere.”

“While working there, I learned about a few rooms where the security cameras are basically decorations.”

Nodoka, who was sitting in my arms, perked up immediately.

“I-I might actually be a little interested.”

“…Wait, seriously?”

“T-The thrill of maybe getting caught sounds kind of exciting…”

“Nodoka-san really is a pervert.”

“You’re the one who brought it up in the first place, senpai!”

“Of course I’m a masochistic pervert. I openly admit it. So you should admit it too.”

“Ugh…”

This time the tips of Nodoka’s ears turned red for a completely different reason.

Honestly, maybe because her first experience happened while Yui was filming, Nodoka was gradually awakening some very strange tastes.

“Oh? So Nodoka-san is a pervert!”

“Fweh!? K-Kokoa-san! Since when were you listening!?”

“Who knows~?”

Kokoa-san grinned mischievously.

Still, she seemed much more cheerful than before.

And that alone was a relief.

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We left the karaoke place.

My throat was completely hoarse from singing so much.

Kokoa-san stretched dramatically.

“Ahh, that was so much fun! Let’s come again sometime, Ren-sama!”

“Huh? Again?”

“Why do you sound so reluctant!? This is a private concert by an active idol, you know!? I  might seriously become a yandere at this rate!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Besides, strictly speaking, it wasn’t even a private concert.”

Nodoka, Airi, and Yui had all been there too.

Kokoa-san raised one finger to her lips.

“If Ren-sama wants it, I can totally do a real one-on-one concert~”

“If Kokoa-san pays for all the food too, I might consider it.”

“Why am I the one doing the begging here!? Aren’t idols supposed to be the ones people beg!?”

Joking around, we headed to the arcade next.

There was a photo booth inside, and since Kokoa-san said she’d never even been to an arcade before, we decided to enjoy some games too.

“O-Ohhh! So this is an arcade!”

Just as expected, Kokoa-san’s eyes sparkled the moment she stepped inside.

In a way, she was like a sheltered rich girl.

A flower raised in a greenhouse.

The kind of girl who naturally made you want to protect her from bad adults.

“I want to try this!”

“The claw machine?”

“Yes! That cat plushie is so cute!”

Kokoa-san immediately inserted some coins.

Her movements were those of a complete beginner.

At first, the claw didn’t even brush against the plushie.

After four or five tries, though, she at least managed to pat the cat’s head.

“I-It’s hard…”

“Well, everyone’s like that at first. Just don’t get too carried away.”

Otherwise, you end up creating a luxury plushie that costs dozens of times more than its actual value.

“My turn to shine!”

“Oh? Nodoka-san! Show us what you’ve got.”

“Until middle school, claw machines were my only hobby!”

Come to think of it, there were several stuffed animals in Nodoka’s room.

Not many, but maybe she’d kept only her favorites.

Nodoka loosened her fingers and reached for a coin.

At that moment—

“Eep!”

“Oh, sorry.”

A large man passing by bumped into Nodoka’s back.

She stumbled forward.

“You okay?”

I immediately grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

The aisle here was pretty narrow, so I figured it couldn’t be helped—

Then—

“M-Miyo-chan…!”

“Huh?”

“What?”

The large man who had bumped into Nodoka was Nagasawa-senpai.

No, seriously?

Why of all places would we run into him here?

This arcade was near our apartment building and pretty far from school.

While I stood there stunned, Nodoka’s face rapidly turned pale.

“KYAAAAAAAHHHHH!! He touched me! That piece of trash touched me!! S-Somebody help meee!! I’m being contaminated by garbageeeee!!”

Nodoka instantly fell into a full-blown panic again.