Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 76 A Swan Song (Thanks to Hebby, the Alliance Leader!)
The clear, almost mournful singing voice was like an echo from heaven, cleansing the soul and seemingly leading everyone's spirit to a place of utmost holiness.

Mio Takahashi stared blankly at the girl on the stage. No matter how jealous or resentful she had been before, her soul was completely conquered at this moment.

The beautiful singing filled her with sorrow, and tears welled up in her eyes without her noticing.

She felt as if she had returned to the time when she first admired Hojo Shione...

In contrast, Shiratori Seiya didn't have many particular emotions. He stroked his chin, staring thoughtfully at the sparkling girl on the stage.

That's progress.

To be honest, I should indeed make progress. After all, more than half a year has passed. If I haven't made any progress at all, then I need to reflect on whether Xiyin wasn't working hard enough before, or if the system's S-level talent assessment was wrong.

It turns out that separating was a good thing for both of them.

Although the songs are of different styles, Hojo Shione is now clearly able to skillfully switch between cheerful and deep vocal tones, which is a tremendous improvement.

Moreover, the attention to detail and the portrayal of the rise and fall of emotions are also very well done.

The song selection today is quite interesting. Are they planning to play two new songs at the beginning and one at the end...?

As he expected, the second song was a track that had been released previously.

As he was listening, he suddenly felt his left sleeve being tugged. He instinctively turned his head to look at Hojo Suzune and found her staring at him expectantly.

"what happened?"

Seeing the question forming on his lips, Hojo Suzune lifted her little bottom and whispered in his ear:
"Kiyo, I also want to be like my older sister..."

After saying that, she sat back down and looked at Shiratori Seiya with anticipation in her eyes.

Shiratori Seiya smiled and squinted his eyes, saying:

"Don't worry, with Lingyin's talent, as long as she perseveres, she will definitely succeed."

I mean, when can you write music for me?

If you were to write it for me, I'm sure I wouldn't be any worse than her...

Hojo Suzune opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to explain more clearly, but Shiratori Seiya turned his head back to look at the center of the stage, so she had to give up.

She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then felt that Shiratori Seiya was so smart that he must know what she meant. Saying this was obviously equivalent to a rejection.

Her delicate brows furrowed as she listened to her older sister's song on stage, and Hojo Suzune felt a sudden urge to cry...
-
In the stage technology room, after watching Hojo Shione perform four songs, Yasukawa Akira, the manager of the talent agency, finally felt relieved.

Hojo Shione is just too young, both in terms of her actual age and the time she debuted.

He was initially worried that his lack of experience and nervousness might cause problems, but now it seems that he was overthinking it.

Generally speaking, if there are no problems after the first three songs, it means that the singer has entered the zone, and the rest will basically be a natural progression.

He let out a long sigh, a smile spreading across his face, and turned to his manager, Fukada Touna, with a sigh:

"It seems that after this, Ms. Hojo is really going to become famous. I really didn't expect her to have such a strong ability to control the situation at such a young age..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he saw tears welling up in Fukada Touna's eyes, and she let out a heavy sigh:
"Actually, Xiyin has always worked very hard. Ever since Teacher A decided to retire, she has been under a lot of pressure, she..."

As Fukada Touna spoke, she seemed to think of something and felt a lump in her throat, unable to speak for a moment.

Seeing this, Akira Yasukawa patted her arm reassuringly, then looked at Yayoi Aoki, who had been sent by the record company, and asked with a smile:

"Ms. Aoki, do you think Ms. Hojo's album has a chance to make it into the top ten of this year's sales charts?"

Compared to Fukada Touna, Aoki Yayoi was noticeably calmer. Although she was also somewhat moved, upon hearing the other's words, she adjusted her glasses, pondered for a moment, and said:

"There shouldn't be any problem. Based on the current popularity, there have already been 100,000 pre-orders. If we add in the subsequent promotions..."

"Manager! It seems like Ms. Hojo is in trouble!" Aoki Yayoi's words were suddenly interrupted by the staff's urgent voice, followed by a series of extremely jarring sounds from the monitor.

'Ho ho! Squeak!!'

Everyone's heart skipped a beat.

Akira Yasukawa's smile vanished, and he immediately turned to look at the monitor screen.

However, the next moment, he involuntarily opened his mouth wide and stared wide-eyed, like a dead fish.

"How can it be……"

Aoki Yayoi was the first to react and quickly said:
"Logistics, security..."

…………

After the intermission, the melody that suddenly started playing on stage was somewhat unexpected for Shiratori Seiya.

He had thought that "Riding on the Back of a Silver Dragon" would be the final song, but he didn't expect to start singing it after the intermission.

Is it to warm up the crowd again after halftime?

Hearing the overwhelming cheers from the crowd, Shiratori Seiya felt a sense of doubt.

However, when Hojo Shione sang the first line, his heart tightened and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

Something is wrong.

Others may not have heard this song, but he knows its pitch curves.

From the very first line, Hojo Shione was off-key.

Moreover, it wasn't just a problem with the melody; he could clearly hear an uncontrollable tremor in Hojo Shione's voice.

If it was heavenly music before, it's like sand rubbing against leaves now.

The voice went off-key, the tone became hoarse...

Mio Takahashi and Suzune Hojo, who were standing nearby, also clearly noticed something was wrong. The three of them exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion.

At first, the audience didn't notice anything wrong and just thought that was how the song was supposed to be. However, as the melody of the song continued to rise, the singer's voice couldn't match the melody, and everyone finally realized that something was wrong.

The scene was quiet for a moment, then a murmur of discussion arose.

Suddenly, when the chorus was sung, a strange sound came through the microphone and pierced through the speakers from all directions of the venue.

A whooshing sound, like a bellows, penetrates the eardrums.

On stage, Hojo Shione's slender body trembled incessantly.

She seemed to be trying her best to make a sound, bending over forcefully.

'Ho ho ho! Squeak!!'

A sound like the cawing of crows echoed in the air above the scene.

Finally, as if she had used up her last bit of strength, she knelt on one knee with her head down, her lips parted, but no sound came out of her throat, leaving only a thin chorus and a soaring melody playing out solo.

Suddenly, she raised her face, her tear-filled eyes looking in a certain direction.

Kiyo, I want you to keep a close eye on me.

……
-
(End of this chapter)