Chapter 4: The Karaoke Catastrophe and a Neighborly Revelation

“Hee hee, hee hee hee, hee hee hee hee hee.”

“Um, Student Lan, could you perhaps stop laughing like that?”

It was practically a demon’s low murmur, genuinely terrifying.

“Because I simply can’t help myself, Student! Zhao!~”

“Uwah!!?~~”

Say what you will, but could you please stop kicking?

It’s going to break! It’s truly going to break!

For some unknown reason, the group, who were supposed to continue their joyful arcade trip, abruptly found themselves crammed into a narrow karaoke room, a completely enclosed space once the sole entrance and exit were shut.

It seemed no one had considered just how threatening this singing game could be to members of the Dark Faction.

Currently, Makino Kaede was singing joyfully, supported by Nina’s rhythmic clapping.

The childhood sweethearts, meanwhile, were operating the song selector, taking the opportunity to openly display their affection and flash their love.

Thanks to this, the Young Miss, whose eyes had already lost their sparkle upon their reunion, finally seized the chance to unleash an extremely covert and unrestrained retaliation on the equally dull-eyed bystander, fueled by the rage that had soared to its peak after witnessing the enduring sight of their intertwined hands.

Let us temporarily set aside certain facts.

‘Why are we so eager to harm each other?’ (TL Note: A common idiom, ‘Xiang Jian He Tai Ji,’ used humorously to express dismay when people who should be allies are fighting amongst themselves.)

“What’s wrong, Qiuqiu? Hmm? You don’t look so good. Is it too stuffy? Do we need to turn on the ventilation fan?”

“No, it’s nothing. I actually just accidentally kicked the table leg. I’ll be fine in a bit.”

‘Thanks for your concern, but could you perhaps move back about fifty centimeters? Otherwise, I’m definitely going to kick it a second time, you know.’

“Oh, really? Haha, Qiuqiu, you truly are quite clumsy.”

“Yes, I can be quite careless sometimes. Ah, Nina, it’s your turn next, isn’t it? It’s coming right up.”

“Oh~ it really is. Well then, you’d better just swallow it whole and listen to me sing!” (TL Note: ‘Hulun Tunzao’ literally means ‘swallowing dates whole,’ implying listening without fully processing or enjoying, here used humorously.)

“Mm, one, eek? Stop!”

“Hmm?… Heh heh, Qiuqiu, you really are quite strange sometimes, aren’t you? Ah! It’s my turn.”

“Mm-hmm, I’ll listen carefully.”

Only then did Nina, with a brilliant smile, temporarily step away, high-fiving Makino Kaede as they passed the baton.

Makino Kaede, seemingly quite satisfied with her performance, sat down nearby, picked up the drink she had casually placed on the table earlier, and fanned her cheek with her free hand while sipping.

Thus, the salvation I had hoped for was clearly not coming.

“Student Zhao, it seems I must admit I misjudged you. You’re actually the type of playboy who pretends to be a little lamb, aren’t you? That’s it, isn’t it!”

“Student Lan, setting aside the fact that I’m the victim here, shouldn’t you be thinking of a way to stop those childhood sweethearts right now?”

‘Just by the atmosphere alone, you should know what kind of situation you’re about to face, yet you’re not anxious at all?’

“Huh? You must have lost your mind! Nina, who’s as innocent and cute as an angel, is holding hands! I haven’t even gotten to enjoy that, and you dare to complain?!”

“I never said that!”

“But that’s exactly what you just—ah, she’s looking this way!”

Nina, whose spirits were soaring as she entered the chorus, suddenly turned around, striking an incredibly cute pose as she continued to sing, while also forming a ‘V’ sign with her free hand and adding a very playful wink.

Immediately after, she raised her left hand high, swaying gently with her entire body, synchronized with the simple left-and-right steps she took to the beat.

“Quick, clap along!”

“Oh, oh.”

I quickly followed the rhythm, clumsily clapping along, only then realizing it was actually an anime ending theme.

‘So, even gyarus (TL Note: A Japanese slang term for a type of fashionable young woman, often associated with pop culture) don’t just sing pop songs, huh.’

“May our hearts intertwine~”

“Transforming into countless stars~”

“Treasured in our night sky~”

Moreover, Nina’s singing voice was simply heavenly, easily professional-grade.

Even the attention of the PDA-flashing couple was completely drawn to her.

It was as if they had stumbled into an impromptu concert that was bound to be a smash hit.

“As for those childhood sweethearts, I don’t need you to remind me what’s going to happen. If I had a way, I would have rushed over to stop them long ago, okay?”

“Oh… could you please just listen quietly for now? You wouldn’t want to miss such a beautiful singing voice, would you?”

‘This was an ultra-close live performance that, with a little more polish, would surely be impossible to get tickets for.’

‘Missing even a single section just now would have been an incalculable loss.’

‘Besides, the next song is the one you requested, so you can certainly figure out a solution before then.’

“Huh? Hmm… that’s actually hard to refute.”

Likely having thought of the same thing, the Young Miss merely grumbled softly before immersing herself in the captivating singing.

Time seemed to pass in the snap of a finger.

When Nina, beaming, slowly caught her breath while clutching her chest, the other five people in the room were momentarily unable to snap out of their daze.

“…Huh? Did Nina sing badly?”

“Eh? How could that be! She sang wonderfully! We were all too engrossed, weren’t we, Student Lan!”

I quickly reminded her and clapped vigorously.

“Hm? Mm-hmm! Nina, you sang absolutely fantastically!”

The Young Miss, snapping back to reality, quickly joined in the applause.

“Oh, Nina, that was amazing.”

Student Bai followed closely, dragging Li Pengcheng along to clap.

“Yes, although it’s not the first time I’ve heard it, I still couldn’t help but get completely absorbed.”

Makino Kaede, on the other hand, was much calmer.

‘Right, you two probably team up to have fun here often.’

At that moment, Li Pengcheng, after lightly clapping his hands twice, suddenly stopped, curled his right index finger and thumb, and blew a whistle directly, making the entire room hum and vibrate through the speakers.

‘There’s no need to be so overly excited; at least consider other people’s feelings a little.’

However, this also somewhat eased the atmosphere.

The Young Miss, however, suddenly leaned closer.

“I’ll give you fifty yuan. Come up with a solution quickly before I finish singing.”

‘So generous?’

Incidentally, setting aside casual clothes and necessary stationery, plus occasional extra weekend expenses, a monthly allowance of three hundred yuan should be a perfectly normal amount for an ordinary high school student.

‘At least, it was for me.’

“Just leave it to… huh?”

However, before my words could even finish, the scene already playing on the screen and the prelude emanating from the speakers indicated that an unexpected event had already occurred.

“My apologies, Xinyue, I accidentally pinned (TL Note: ‘Zhiding’ refers to ‘pinning’ or ‘sticking to the top’ of a playlist or queue) this song just now. Could you please wait a moment?”

“I’m so sorry, Student Lan, this song is actually very short, and I’m not very familiar with it. Please don’t laugh.”

“It’s fine, you two just go ahead and sing.”

Faced with the established fact, the Young Miss could only offer a stiff smile and play along.

‘However, that wasn’t the problem at all!’

‘Whether or not they deliberately snuck their song to the top, an act that could be called ‘heretical’ (TL Note: ‘Xiedao’ refers to an unorthodox or unconventional method, often with a mischievous or devious connotation), was practically negligible in the current situation!’

“What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with this song?”

The Young Miss finally realized something.

“You must have continued reading my book, right?”

“Eh? N-no way!”

‘Never mind that you already exposed yourself in the clubroom; I only bought that to collect it. I’ve already finished reading the digital version, you know.’

‘So—’

“Young Miss, this is the song mentioned in that book.”

“Eh?”

“The one Anna and the Prince sang together…”

“Ah?… Ah?!”

As the Young Miss was utterly stunned, the performance, reminiscent of a stage play, had already begun, accompanied by the exchanged glances and unspoken communication between the childhood sweethearts.

Indeed, the Young Miss, who had no prior exposure to this genre, likely couldn’t have imagined that this song, while an old-school (TL Note: ‘Guzhao Zuopin’ refers to an older, classic work, often from an earlier era of media) movie insert, had remained a permanent fixture in karaoke playlists because it was perfectly suited for couples to flaunt their affection.

Although the reason this couple chose this particular song was unknown, as they weren’t even familiar with the lyrics and were simply humming along to the original singer’s rhythm.

In short, it wouldn’t be long before the Young Miss heard the two lines that would surely push her to her breaking point.

“Will you marry me?”

“I do!~”

Those two actually went through with it.

It was from this moment onward that I officially labeled them the ‘Idiot Couple.’

****

The exact transition time was unclear, but in any case, by the time the dazed Young Miss finally snapped back to reality, expressed with a forced smile and teary eyes that she was about to miss her curfew, and then, using a rather flimsy excuse, dragged the bystander along with her as they fled outdoors as if in a panic, the sky had already turned a dusky yellow.

However, the girl merely stared blankly at the sky in front of the store for a while before silently heading towards the subway station.

Unable to shake off my concern, I could only follow her on and off the subway, accompanying her quietly the entire way.

Constantly observing her expression, I even momentarily overlooked the familiar surroundings as the sky grew darker.

It wasn’t until I passed my own front door that I suddenly realized this Young Miss was about to walk through the gate of the house right next to mine.

“Why did it turn out like this?”

“…What are you talking about?”

The girl turned her head, her voice slightly hoarse.

“Oh, so the house next door is yours.”

Only after seeing the nameplate did the Young Miss curl her lips into a self-mocking smile.

“What a coincidence, this residential area was developed by my family. To save trouble, I just picked a random empty house.”

‘There’s no way it’s such a coincidence, is there?’

‘Although it was true that the original residents next door had moved out a month ago and a ‘House for Sale’ sign had been put up, and at that time, we were no different from strangers to each other, so by all accounts, it should have been a genuine coincidence.’

“But you’re a genuine Young Miss, aren’t you? Why would you disregard a luxurious residence with servants and insist on living in this kind of commoner’s house?”

‘Are you truly trying to experience life, or has your family’s financial chain run into problems?’

‘Could that be it?’

“In that case, I should thank you for seeing me home. Have a good dream.”

The Young Miss gave a stiff, slight bow, like a walking corpse, and then walked straight into the yard.

“Eh? Wait a moment!”

‘I almost forgot, it’s already this late, and this Young Miss hasn’t eaten anything.’

‘And in the completely dark house, there was probably no one inside.’

‘It can’t be true, can it? Is this person actually living alone?’

‘Are her parents really that at ease?’

‘Or, will many black-suited bodyguards suddenly jump out from the shadows later, stuff the bystander who dared to call out to their Young Miss into an equally dark car, and then transport them to some unknown beach?’

“What are you thinking so wildly about? I already told you, this is a society governed by law!”

‘Don’t just use mind-reading, a forbidden skill, without permission!’

“But you’re a girl living alone; it’s still very unsafe, isn’t it?”

The Young Miss magically produced a black object, and its tip emitted an electric spark.

“In just three seconds, I can help you call emergency services, you know.”

“…Since you’re carrying dangerous items, perhaps you’d consider coming to my place for a simple meal?”

Zzzzt—zzzzt—crackle!

“Hey!!”