Crossing over, and then being blocked by a rich JK.

Chapter 496 Their Night Talk

A light rain began to fall in Bunkyo Ward in the latter half of the night. The drizzling autumn rain moistened the originally dry ground and brought a rare touch of the coolness unique to an autumn night to the city.

"What do you think of Watanabe-san's singing?"

Listening to the pitter-patter of the rain, Ayana Amamiya, leaning against the wall of the corridor and gazing at the dark outside, was the first to start a conversation.

On a side note, she really didn't expect that she would end up keeping Jiang Tianqian company in the corridor watching the night rain in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep.

"That's an exaggeration."

Without even thinking, Eda Akane gave her answer.

She doesn't know how others judge her, but as a music lover who studied music for a while, she can tell that Watanabe is amazing.

Whether it's his highly distinctive voice, his narrative skills, or the seamless consistency he achieves after changing his tone, all of these are enough to prove one thing: Watanabe's true strength is far more than what he claims to be 'just average'.

"Humph."

Upon hearing this, the young lady of the Holy Maiden's lips curled up slightly, and she gave a soft snort.

That's her troll husband, how could he be just an ordinary guy?
but……

Don't you think he's being a bit arrogant?

She pursed her lips and muttered a complaint under her breath.

From the moment she started chatting with him, she had a strong feeling that You was good in every way, except that he was sometimes too 'modest', to the point that it made her grit her teeth.

So much so that whenever he was 'modest,' she had an urge to rush up to him and give his face a good rub.

After all, she simply couldn't bring herself to say, "My singing was just so-so, please forgive me," when everyone was showering her with praise and shouting for an encore.

That's such a charlatan! What an annoying jerk!

However, one thing is one thing, but when he sings, he does shine, so dazzlingly bright, and every time this happens, her gaze, like a moth drawn to a flame, will inevitably be fixed on him.

"Acting like a big shot? No way! I don't think Watanabe-san is arrogant at all."

Upon hearing this, Eda Akane paused for a moment, then looked at Amamiya Ayana with some confusion.

Her feelings were quite the opposite; Watanabe was so incredibly friendly that she had a vague sense of disorientation, as if the person standing on the stage was too good to be true.

After all, the talented singers she had met were all people with many flaws in private.

Some are born arrogant, some are inherently impatient, and some are even born with an air of superiority. Of course, once they are on stage, they will become the kind of person the audience likes.

To put it bluntly, comparing her to these people is an insult to Watanabe-san, but that's precisely why she respects and admires him so much.

“My choice of words was problematic.” Ayana Amamiya coughed lightly and corrected herself. “It wasn’t that he was being arrogant, but rather that he was being too humble, which made people’s teeth itch. If it sounds good, it sounds good, but he insisted on saying it was just average.”

The key point is that after he said it, he couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

This was only possible because it was in the activity room; if it were at home, she would have bitten him already!

Humility is a virtue.

Akane Eda glanced at Ayana Amamiya, and after noticing the subtle expression on the latter's face, she quickly looked away, took two steps forward, leaned on the railing with both hands, and looked out at the night sky with raindrops falling.

Under the streetlights downstairs, the swirling raindrops resembled heavy snow in winter, and the pitter-patter of the rain was incessant.

The school is unusually quiet right now.

"Qian, you've betrayed us!?"

As Ayana Amamiya watched Akane Eda's retreating figure, she asked a question, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Although she knew that Jiang Tianqian didn't have those kinds of feelings for Mr. Troll, out of caution, or perhaps to protect her food, she still had to confirm it again and again.

If it is confirmed that it is indeed true, she will take measures as soon as possible to prevent another person from sharing it.

In a sense, Ryoko's assessment of her was indeed correct; she was the most possessive of food in the family.

"Ayana-nee, what nonsense are you talking about?" Eda Akane turned around and met her gaze with a hint of helplessness. "I'm just saying what I think, and... I don't think what I said is wrong."

"When Watanabe said that, everyone laughed, which proves that his words weren't offensive, right?"

The best way to tell if someone has offended you is to see if what they say makes you uncomfortable.

As it turns out, no one felt 'uncomfortable'; in other words, Watanabe's words did not offend anyone.

She felt that Ayana was being a bit too sensitive.

"That's not wrong, but are you judging this by whether it's annoying or not?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Ayana Amamiya wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled and asked a pointed question.

Late at night, when everyone is quiet, emotions often take hold. This means that if you want to hear someone's true thoughts, it's best to start a conversation at this time.
—This is on the premise that the other party is not on guard against you.

But then again, regardless of whether you're on guard or not, as long as you can find a topic to talk about and have such an opportunity, the relationship will always change.

"Hmm...more or less."

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Tianqian gave an affirmative answer.

There are only three feelings that a sentence can evoke, or roughly speaking, only three: dislike, indifference, and liking.

In other words, as long as the latter two conditions are met, that is sufficient; or even more broadly, if only the second condition is met, that is also sufficient.

After all, no one can please everyone.

"So you think Yu is one?"

Following her train of thought, Ayana Amamiya asked a question.

At the same time, this can also be seen as a subtle confirmation of her guess.

Earlier, when Yu was singing, she had been paying attention to Qian's expression, and coincidentally, just when a subtle expression appeared between the latter's eyebrows, she caught that complex look.

“Very good, um, no, he’s a born singer.” Jiang Tianqian carefully considered her words before giving a very sincere answer, “Of all the covers I’ve heard, Watanabe-san’s ‘First Love’ is perfect.”

All I can say is that the original singer is still the original singer. Even his casual singing is of a level that other cover artists can hardly match.

Moreover, she is increasingly able to understand the feelings of those singers' die-hard fans.

That's absolutely true. Once you've heard some singers perform live, you'll scoff at those online comments that say they can only sing in the studio and their live performances are awful.

"Actually, he sang quite casually today, although it was still pleasant to listen to."

Ayana Amamiya continued to subtly probe without revealing her true intentions.

"Yes, isn't another meaning of 'being free' simply relaxation?"

When it comes to listening to and commenting on singing, Jiang Tianqian claims to have some insights.

Compared to singers who are tense on stage, she prefers singers like Watanabe, who enjoy the stage, are not nervous, and even become more relaxed with more people around.

A singer with such a strong heart is sure to have a bright future.

To put it dramatically, it will definitely be recorded in the history of the music industry.

"So who do you think he sings like?"

Ayana Amamiya followed up with a question.

This was the question she had been trying to confirm for so long.

"Jay?"

Akane Eda gave her answer without hesitation.

"Are you sure?"

Ayana Amamiya asked a question in return.

"...I was just guessing."

Jiang Tianqian paused for a moment, then gave a dry laugh.

The conversation was so natural that she lost control of her emotions and blurted out her true feelings.

At this point, all we could do was bite the bullet and try to salvage the situation.

"Is it the truth?"

Hearing Akane Eda's answer, Ayana Amamiya chuckled softly, then asked the question. As it turned out, her judgment was correct.

But why does Akane look like she's stepped on a landmine?

"..."

Jiang Tianqian pursed her red lips, a hint of hesitation appearing between her brows. In the police and gangster movies she watched, such a scene usually meant that something was going to go wrong, such as an informant being killed by a criminal.

But reality isn't a police drama; it's just that, for her right now, she really can't keep up with the conversation.

"Okay, I'm sure."

After hesitating for a long time, she finally chose to follow her heart.

Her intuition told her that if she answered truthfully, Ayana wouldn't make things difficult for her.

The next second, her judgment was confirmed.

"How did you tell?"

Ayana Amamiya was a little curious.

She was probably aware of some of the reasons, such as singing habits, vocal techniques, and the distinctiveness of her voice, but she still wanted to hear the opinions of all the bystanders.

"You have to listen to it. Watanabe's singing style is very distinctive."

Seeing that Ayana Amamiya wasn't angry, Akane Eda relaxed as well. She patted her chest gently, let out a long sigh, and then began to explain.

“I don’t know about what happened before, but this time, with only the background tone of the song changed, it’s very obvious. If you ask any of Jay’s serious fans, they will be able to tell the difference.”

As for audiophiles, they can tell the difference even from just half a segment.

"Is it that obvious?"

The young lady frowned and asked a question she already knew the answer to.

"Actually, it's not that obvious. But as you said, Ayana-nee, Watanabe-san also admitted that he used to sing in Kamakura." Eda Akane paused. "Plus, there's the voice Yuki-nee used when she hummed a song before, so it's really easy to guess."

If she had to say, she made a guess when Yuki was humming a song.

After all, Yuki's voice, which is equally mysterious and distinctive, is the kind that if ten people were to sing a song, hers would be your first choice.

"So this means we've been completely exposed?"

Upon hearing this, Ayana Amamiya shrugged helplessly.

The answer was both unexpected and not entirely unexpected.

Her initial judgment was that Qian had figured it out, but not entirely by ear; rather, she relied on known information, half guessing and half verifying.

"I never intended to say anything inappropriate."

Jiang Tianqian turned around and raised her hand to show her stance.

She's not the kind of person who talks a big game; she wouldn't go around telling everyone she knows something.

"Now that you know all this, what are your thoughts?"

Ayana Amamiya raised her eyebrows and looked thoughtfully at Akane Eda.

As I said before, she already had the answer in her heart, but she wanted to hear Jiang Tianqian say it herself.

"I want an autograph."

Jiang Tianqian lowered her voice and said this somewhat shyly.

If possible, she would like to ask for two more.

"..."

No, why are you so honest, kid?!
"And then, I won't say anything out of line," Jiang Tianqian repeated. "You've all taken such good care of me, I won't be ungrateful."

She's the kind of person who, if someone is kind to her, will be twice as kind to them in return.

"what about others?"

The young lady rubbed her nose helplessly. To be honest, her answer was indeed correct.

Since this question has been answered so smoothly, the next question should also be able to be answered in the same way.

"you mean?"

"study."

Yu had told her about this, and she had kept it in mind.

After all, this is a bond between the Holy Maiden and the Troll. They will remember what the other cares about and do their best to accomplish it.

“Well…” Jiang Tianqian turned her head, raised her hand and brushed against the rain-soaked railing. The cold touch made her thoughts jump. “I don’t want to drift aimlessly anymore. I want to study hard and get into this university.”

The atmosphere here was completely different from anything she had experienced before, much better than she had imagined. She liked it more and wanted to fit in than the environment in junior high school.

To put it somewhat sentimentally, she has developed a certain sense of belonging here.

"Have you made up your mind?"

Just to be on the safe side, Ayana Amamiya still asked a question.

"Yes."

"Then I wish you success, and I will do my best to help you."

That means that Yu's worries can be put to rest for now.

Thinking of this, she smiled from the bottom of her heart.

"Thank you, Amamiya-nee!"

Jiang Tianqian lowered her head and said something rather shyly.

"No need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, just thank You."

Ayana Amamiya shook her head, her gaze passing over Akane Eda's back and landing on the boundless rainy night.

The rain shows no sign of stopping. Although the weather forecast says tomorrow will be sunny, will this rain really stop?

If it doesn't stop, the school festival can still be held, but it will probably be much less lively.

"Amamiya, sister?"

Just as the young lady was lost in thought, Jiang Tianqian suddenly turned her head and looked at her.

"uh-huh?"

Ayana Amamiya subconsciously raised her eyebrows and met her gaze.

The way you spoke just now sounded like a female lead in a TV drama.

"what?"

"She's the kind of woman who plays a supportive wife—independent, elegant, beautiful, and decisive."

This is what she means.

"……Thanks."

Ayana Amamiya paused for half a second, then tucked her black hair behind her ear and turned her head away.

The darkness concealed the slight upturn of her lips, as well as her joyful mood.

To be more specific, what Akane said was that as the mistress of the Watanabe family, she was qualified and excellent.

"Oh, right."

Suddenly, Jiang Tianqian remembered something.

"how?"

"My mom said she wants to come here tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)