A minute ago…
Conan had just finished singing a song and was feeling a little lighter. In the past, at places like this, his microphone would always be snatched away before he could even get past a few words. But today, for some reason, the others seemed to think he was just a little kid and didn't shut him down.
It wasn't until after he finished singing that Conan realized something was off in the KTV box.
The atmosphere had completely changed. Everyone else was frozen, staring at their seats like stone statues, and nobody clapped for him after his performance.
Conan put down the microphone, feeling a little guilty, and slunk back to his seat, all while energetic music played in the background.
The room was dark, and when Conan walked over to the sofa, he remembered Suzuki Sonoko had taken his seat. But as he got closer, he realized something was even more off—there was something alive in the box.
Jangxia Tongzhi, who had not clapped, hadn't turned to stone either. He was just calmly sitting there, munching on melon seeds.
Conan, a little embarrassed, asked, "Does it sound good?"
Jangxia didn't respond. He didn't even look at him.
Conan, feeling more uneasy, reached out to pat him and get his attention, but before his hand could even touch Jangxia, a swift arm knocked it away.
Conan was instantly horrified. Was Jangxia actually attacking him? His first instinct was to shout for help from Ran.
…But, it was fine. Jangxia had only swiped his hand away without really hitting him. After a moment, he recognized Conan and let go.
Conan pulled himself up from the sofa, rubbing his face, and glancing sideways at Jangxia.
Something felt wrong. Jangxia's reaction had been too strange—he hadn't responded at all to Conan's voice. But his words had been loud enough to be heard over the music, so why hadn't Jangxia heard him?
Conan's mind suddenly went pale as he remembered something.
Jangxia must be…
Deafened by my singing?
Now that he thought about it, that actually made sense. His singing could have broken some sort of lower limit in human hearing, triggering Jangxia's self-protection mechanism.
Conan felt his stomach turn at the thought. If this were the case, he'd have to explain to his parents why "Kudou Shinichi" was now a little kid and how he was going to pay for Jangxia's hospital bills.
The horror of it all made him break out in a cold sweat.
Trying to calm himself, Conan half-heartedly suggested, "Why don't you go to the hospital first?"
Jangxia: "?"
As they were talking, the others finally came out of their frozen states.
Kimura Tatsuya, who had been motionless, drunkenly slurred, "Hospital? If you're going, remember to bring Yamada along." He pointed to one of the big guys. "Take him to get his IQ tested. He can't do anything without me. Useless."
He slapped the big guy on the back with mockery. "Go sing! Pick a song that fits your level!"
The room fell cold at his words.
But not everyone was upset. Xiaobai, however, was thrilled. It looked over at Tatsuya and then at Terahara Mari, tugged at the hem of Jangxia's clothes, and seemed eager to move.
Jangxia glanced down at Xiaobai. "Are you the matchmaker now, ready to explode with excitement?"
He hadn't even shown Xiaobai the drama with Tatsuya and Terahara, but Xiaobai clearly sensed something was going on. Was Xiaobai now some kind of "crush detector"?
That was useful. It could serve as a CP detector in the future. If he had to deal with someone difficult, just find out who they liked and use them as a hostage...
Xiaobai's back was chilled as it sat up straight, scanning the room.
Jangxia straightened his face, patting Xiaobai as if nothing was happening.
In the meantime, Jangxia decided to follow Xiaobai's lead this time and let it try out the "forced confession" skill. After all, he had to understand one thing. The green pepper-flavored murderous aura, as unpleasant as it was, was still special.
At least the green pepper flavor could feed a ghost, while he could eat other flavors himself.
…
Kimura Tatsuya, having mocked everyone else, was nearly ready to leave the band. He thought using this strategy to point out his bandmates' flaws would teach them some self-reliance. But of course, the main target of his ridicule was Terahara Mari.
Just as it seemed the party was winding down, Tatsuya heard a familiar intro—"Blood-Red Venus."
This was one of his own songs, which he'd performed countless times in concerts.
Feeling a sudden surge of energy, Tatsuya walked up to the small stage in the box, threw off his jacket in a dramatic fashion, and began singing and dancing like he was at a concert.
Terahara Mari stood at the door, looking at the scene with complex emotions.
She had planned to poison Tatsuya Kimura. The deadly potassium cyanide was smeared on the elbow of his jacket.
She had also ordered a bunch of rice balls and sushi earlier, so when Tatsuya ate, he'd unknowingly ingest the poison. Her plan was to make it look like a suicide.
This would be his final song—"Blood-Red Venus."
But as the interlude played, Terahara made an excuse to step outside and take a phone call. She needed to reduce suspicion about the poisoning and also needed to get away before she couldn't resist stopping the plan.
Kimura Tatsuya immediately noticed her movement.
He had just started the interlude, so there were no lyrics. Seeing Terahara leave, Tatsuya became a little angry and was about to shout, "Ugly b****, you don't even deserve to hear my song!"
But as he opened his mouth, what came out instead was, "Mari! I love you!!"
Jangxia: "…"
He glanced down at Xiaobai, which was clapping with excitement beside him.
…Maybe Xiaobai watched too many cheesy, brainless romance dramas. He'd have to make sure it watched something more exciting in the future—maybe something with a bit more flair for confession.
This I love you line was just so old-fashioned.
But surprisingly, it was effective.
Mari's heart skipped a beat, and she froze in place.
Everyone else in the box was equally stunned.
Even Tatsuya, in the midst of his drunken stupor, blushed deeply.
He had never expected to spill his feelings like that. He must have been too drunk.
He tried to regain control, thinking of mocking her as he had intended, but instead, his mouth just kept going.
"I've liked you for years! I invited you to be my manager because I saw you all the time, and I like everything about you!"
Tatsuya's face flushed a mix of red and white as he heard his own words.
"I didn't expect you to get plastic surgery because of me," he continued. "I didn't want you to change for me. Every time I see your face now, I regret it. If I had confessed earlier, you wouldn't have had to sacrifice your appearance. I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at myself…"
Realization hit Tatsuya, and he suddenly grabbed his mouth.
…What am I saying?!
Mari, standing there, froze. The potassium cyanide was still on his hands.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 15/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS*
Glossary:
CP: Short for coupling.