Chapter 52: Devastating News!

As they tumbled together in a burst of laughter, the instrumental accompaniment of Lemon continued to play in the room.

Having missed the beginning, and with everyone caught up in the playful commotion, Ryuichi Sugawara did not immediately join in, choosing instead to simply watch them play.

I must admit, watching girls play around is quite entertaining.

After a short while, Yuki Takanashi’s inner shyness finally subsided amidst the cheerful laughter.

"Ah, what a shame! I finally set a new high score, but I forgot to take a picture. A score of 97 is really hard to get."

Yuki Takanashi flopped down right beside Ryuichi Sugawara, chugged the remaining half of her lemonade, and let out a sigh.

"It doesn't matter if you didn't take a picture. Just sing it again in a bit," Ryuichi Sugawara said with a smile, unperturbed by how naturally she had settled in next to him.

After all this time, he had also recovered from his earlier racing heartbeat.

"How could it not matter? Singing depends entirely on one's state, Sugawara-san. Who knows if I'll be able to capture the exact same feeling if I sing it again?"

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Yuki Takanashi was quite displeased.

"I only meant that if you sing it again, I'll still be there to help you out."

Realizing from her fierce reaction that she felt genuine regret over the missed opportunity, Ryuichi Sugawara decisively defended himself.

"Oh... sorry."

Learning the reason behind his words, Yuki Takanashi realized she had overreacted, and a wave of guilt inevitably welled up inside her.

Just as they were talking, Aine Ishiguro called out from not far away:

"Sugawara-san, Sugawara-san."

"Yes."

Hearing the call, Ryuichi Sugawara looked up.

"The previous Lemon accompaniment has finished. Shall I queue up Lemon for you again? Or were you planning to sing later?"

Aine Ishiguro asked, shaking the remote control in her hand.

"Let's do it now."

Faced with the question, Ryuichi Sugawara made his choice without a moment's hesitation.

It should have been his turn to sing earlier, but everyone had been too excited by Yuki Takanashi's new record, causing them to miss the window. Besides, singing sooner or later amounted to the same thing, and singing earlier meant he would have more time later to chat with Yuki Takanashi, provide emotional value, and harvest some heart-flutter points.

"I was waiting for those exact words."

Although Aine Ishiguro didn't want to interrupt his one-on-one time with Yuki, she was even more eager to test Ryuichi Sugawara's vocal prowess.

Perhaps Sugawara-san had already displayed his formidable skills during the chorus of Gurenge, but that was merely the tip of the iceberg and far from enough to satisfy everyone's curiosity.

"Wait a moment, I'll be right back."

Seeing her operating the remote control, Ryuichi Sugawara smiled and greeted Yuki Takanashi beside him before standing up.

[Yuki Takanashi's heart beats faster, heart-flutter value +1]

Stepping away from the seating area, Ryuichi Sugawara noticed the notification and felt a slight sense of surprise, realizing just how low the defense stats of this blonde gal really were.

"..."

Yuki Takanashi remained silent. She was well aware of her racing pulse, yet she could not fathom why a single sentence like that had made her heart beat so wildly.

It was probably because of Ryuichi Sugawara's attitude—as if returning to her side was the most natural thing in the world.

"Good luck!"

As he set off, the other three girls in the private room grew excited and expectant.

Not only them, but Yuki Takanashi was also filled with anticipation.

Because she knew full well that in the bio of his Twitter account, "Constellations," Ryuichi Sugawara had tagged himself with [Can sing].

This tag sat right alongside [Can play electric guitar], and if she wasn't mistaken, his vocal skills had to be exceptionally high.

Amidst the expectant gazes of everyone, Ryuichi Sugawara rose, picked up the microphone from the table, walked over to the standing area, and looked at the song title displayed on the screen.

Lemon

...

Waiting for the countdown on the screen to hit zero, Ryuichi Sugawara brought the microphone to his lips, took a deep breath, and began to sing:

"If all of this is nothing more than a dream, how wonderful that would be..."

"Still today, I can meet you within my dreams..."

"Like reclaiming something I had long forgotten, gently brushing away the dust blanketing my memories..."

Ethereal yet brimming with power, a ghostly yet captivating voice resonated through the private room like a gentle spring breeze sweeping across a tranquil field.

"It sounds amazing!"

In an instant, Yuki Takanashi's mind was sent drifting, and she felt a tingling sensation down to her ears.

"This is way too good!"

The three girls exchanged glances, shock evident on one another's faces.

Given the earlier group chorus of Gurenge, they had already realized that Ryuichi Sugawara could sing, and perhaps even possessed professional vocal techniques like nasal resonance.

Yet, even with certain expectations already in mind, the moment Ryuichi Sugawara opened his mouth, they were still utterly blown away.

In that fleeting second, they even suffered from an illusion—as if the karaoke machine had malfunctioned and was playing the original studio track instead, specifically a live version of the original!

Because they simply couldn't comprehend how Ryuichi Sugawara managed to produce a voice so breathtakingly gorgeous, sounding precisely like the original singer.

Unawares, all four girls were completely entranced, as if they were attending a live concert.

"Even now, you remain my light..."

Even as Ryuichi Sugawara delivered the final lyrics, they remained immersed in the moment, gazing at his singing figure and listening to his enchanting voice.

It wasn't until the song ended and the scoring system's result flashed on the screen that they finally snapped back to reality.

"Ninety-nine points?!"

Seeing the score on the screen, Aine Ishiguro gasped in utter disbelief.

"Are you serious?"

Hearing that terrifying number, Yuki Takanashi, who had still been dazedly staring at Ryuichi Sugawara, abruptly snapped out of her trance.

———

At Takeya High School, though dismissal was at 4:10 PM, the campus remained lively.

Not only had the students not yet left, but many of the teachers lingered as well.

As is well known, the reason Japanese teachers are deeply respected and enjoy high social status and special treatment is not merely because they impart knowledge, but also because of their dedication and professional ethics.

At that moment, a middle-school-aged male teacher stepped into the staff room. After casting a few covert glances at a female beauty teacher clad in black silk stockings, he refrained from striking up a conversation and instead walked over to another desk.

"Mutou, do you really still have the leisure to sit here enjoying the air conditioning?"

"Hattori, what's that supposed to mean?"

Ryosuke Mutou, the homeroom teacher of Class 3-1 who had been hard at work hunched over his desk, looked up in puzzlement at the remark.

"Judging by that reaction, you really haven't heard yet."

Seeing him maintain his unbothered demeanor, Kenji Hattori immediately chuckled and teased.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"Your most prized student went off to hang out with the gal quartet."

"Isn't that just a rumor? Sure, they were walking behind Sugawara-kun and even boarded the same train carriage, but they kept a considerable distance. It was purely a coincidence."

Realizing that his colleague had gone out of his way just to bring this up, Ryosuke Mutou was utterly speechless.

"Tsk tsk tsk, yesterday it might have been a rumor, but this time it's the real deal... Just as school let out, plenty of students reported seeing your precious student, Ryuichi Sugawara, heading out with the gal quartet at the school gates. To verify whether it was true or false, I even made a special trip to the security monitor room, and sure enough, they really left together."

Kenji Hattori wagged a finger from side to side in a "no-no" gesture as he laid out the situation for him.

"Huh?"

Ryosuke Mutou was dumbfounded.

"Huh?"

Tsukimi Yamabuki, who had been hard at work at her desk inside the office, heard this abrupt piece of bad news and was similarly dumbfounded as she spun her head around to look.