“Wow, you sing really well! Where did you learn that song?”
After Claire finished singing, the original singer asked.
Well, there’s no way they’d know my answer. It’s probably a song that doesn’t exist in this world—
“On the internet!”
—Right, that’s it.
Thinking back, it had already been over a month since these two came to this world.
They must have had plenty of time to learn songs online.
Well, when I think about it, jazz is a genre that stemmed from American history, so it wouldn’t be surprising if a similar genre exists in Azernar. But judging musically, it’s probably different from the jazz in this world.
Not that I care much about it, though.
“Are your sisters with you…?”
A guy said with subtle anticipation in his voice as he looked our way, so I quickly shook my head left and right.
When I glanced over, Alice was shaking her head vigorously as well.
“Oh, that’s too bad. Thank you for the lovely song. Could you at least tell us your name?”
“I’m Claire!”
The people around us murmured a bit.
Of course, it’s only natural to be surprised that a Korean person suddenly revealed a foreign name.
But it didn’t feel like everyone was too shocked about it either.
If there was an otaku passing by, they might have thought of “Claire Fanggriffon” or “Claire Grace,” but generally speaking, they’d probably just assume she’s a naturalized Korean.
“Alright then, let’s give a round of applause for Claire, who sang beautifully!”
As the applause echoed, Claire, her face slightly flushed, ran towards us.
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Yeah!”
Ever since coming back to this world, I’ve been having my share of fun, and Alice looked comfortable too, but it seemed like Claire was enjoying this world the most.
And for that, I was really grateful.
“Did you enjoy singing?”
Even though there were character songs, there really weren’t scenes in the game where Claire sang directly. In fact, there weren’t any scenes of specific characters singing at all.
Thinking about it, that’s kind of surprising.
“I never saw anyone sing in Azernar?”
Alice asked instead of me, echoing my confusion.
“Ah, well, there was the face of nobility to consider…”
Hmm.
In Korea, there was a time when certain artistic professions were looked down upon, but I’m not too sure about Azernar.
Considering the stories of famous Western violinists or renowned conductors that have passed down through history, it can’t have been entirely looked down upon… Well, even if it’s Western-based, Azernar is different from the world we lived in.
Come to think of it, even if a noble wanted to sing, it would be quite ambiguous how they should go about it.
At least, they wouldn’t just stand on the street belting out songs. That would definitely be a matter of face.
So…
“Would you like to sing to your heart’s content?”
“Huh?”
“There’s a karaoke nearby. We’ve got plenty of time until dinner, so how about we spend some time there?”
“Oh, really?”
Claire’s face lit up. Wow, she could shine brighter than that.
I peeked to check on Alice, who just shrugged her shoulders.
It seemed she wasn’t someone who particularly enjoyed singing.
As for me, I was generally a person who turned down friends who suggested karaoke.
I wasn’t particularly good at it, didn’t enjoy the noise, and most of all, the whole ‘in-crowd’ vibe really didn’t suit me. I’d rather sit somewhere like a café and chat or go to a bar and just unwind.
But, well.
If she really wanted to sing.
Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to grant her wish just once.
*
“Sis, hurry, hurry.”
One of the first things foreigners learn when they come to Korea is probably “faster, faster,” and I think that’s accurate.
The reason I ended up holding the mic, despite not being particularly fond of singing, was because Claire had insisted.
Hmm…
If this were a formal event, I might have gotten serious about it, but the two people here weren’t my bosses—they were my sisters.
Even if I got dragged out by friends here and there, I had still sung a couple of songs to match the vibe.
It’s just—
“I’ll say this in advance: I’m not good at singing.”
“It’s fine. Not everyone sings well.”
“It’s just a gathering to have fun, so go ahead and sing your heart out.”
While Claire took it that way, Alice, who up until now had only clapped without singing, said that, and I found it incredibly annoying.
As I narrowed my eyes at her, Alice averted her gaze.
Alright.
After I sing, I’ll have to force the mic onto Alice.
Thinking about what song to sing, I decided to just go with the one I had listened to the most.
…The opening song from the previous game in the Chronicles of Aetherna.
I had been diligently listening to it on streaming sites.
I couldn’t memorize the lyrics, but since the karaoke machine would display them, it shouldn’t be too difficult. The melody was embedded in my mind, so I figured it would be fine.
With that half-hearted resolve to just sing a casual song, I chose it and began.
Claire and Alice looked enlightened.
Hmm.
I didn’t expect to feel the vibes of my otaku friends during karaoke, but there was a strange exhilaration in finding similar souls.
…Is it okay that I’m turning the daughters of a baron and a princess—one who might become an emperor in the future—into otakus? Should I make them figure collectors too?
…
Well, it’s too late now to worry about that.
I decided to stop thinking and raised the mic.
Taking a big breath, I sang the first verse—
—Huh?
“What? Woah, sis, you’re good!”
“It’s not even something to be embarrassed about, is it?”
Claire and Alice both reacted like that.
And indeed, it was so.
While I was singing, I was hitting some pretty high notes without missing a beat. It felt as natural as if I had been doing it forever.
Oh.
I see now.
In games, they often pick voice actors who can sing reasonably well for character voices. You know, to sell character songs.
Of course, some make their identity from being terrible at singing, or if that doesn’t work, they might just process it mechanically or focus on narration and rhythm rather than the music itself.
But it seems the voice actress who played Sylvia must have been a good singer.
As the song continued, Claire and Alice cheered for me, and I managed to sing the entire song flawlessly.
“……”
“Sis?”
“What’s up?”
But as I sank into my thoughts after ending the song, Claire and Alice looked at me with slight worry and asked that.
“Alice.”
“Yes?”
“How about you sing one song?”
“Eh?”
As I suddenly handed over the mic, Alice looked a bit flustered.
“Is there a song you’ve heard since coming here?”
“Um, yeah, there are some, but… why all of a sudden?”
“I have something in mind.”
That’s right, I had ‘something’ in mind.
“……Huh?”
Alice tilted her head curiously, but when I maintained a serious expression with all my might, she took the mic looking very skeptical.
The song Alice sang was probably one of the latest hits going around these days.
And she sang well.
Just as you would expect from a character associated with character songs.
Oh, I got it.
So, theoretically speaking, the three of us could sing well enough to release an ‘album’ without feeling embarrassed.
There’s something we could definitely use here.
Of course, I’m not planning on using it immediately.
Recording isn’t something you can take lightly. Especially singing on a broadcast is completely different from making a separate video.
Trying to use the mic we’re using now would be a bit tricky, in terms of sound quality and environment.
Plus the video has to look decent after recording the song as well.
And most importantly, songs have copyrights, which means we can’t monetize cover songs. It could serve as promotion and create a buzz, but it won’t pay off right away.
“What are you thinking with that sneaky expression?”
Alice asked me after finishing her song.
I was completely expressionless, though, right?
But I guess it was just Alice being able to read me.
“Nothing at all.”
“……It doesn’t sound like it’s nothing.”
Alice said that but soon sighed deeply and shook her head.
“Well, you’ve never really hidden anything from us, so…”
One day, I might tell them. But for now, I want to avoid any expectations then not go through with it.
Doing a broadcast turned out to be quite fun. More ideas kept coming to me.
“Well then, shall we head out for dinner soon? How about some hamburger steak?”
With my suggestion, Claire beamed and Alice couldn’t help but grin at her as we headed out for a meal.
Dinner was delicious. During the ride back, we had a great time. It was indeed a fulfilling day.
And—
“…Are we really going to do it in the end?”
“If we don’t use it on the broadcast, it’ll be such a waste, won’t it? We only get one chance to unwrap the product, right?”
“……”
Sure, holding a figure box while laughing seems pretty otaku in many ways, but I felt like they wouldn’t understand, so I just let it slide.
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