Thirty minutes later, Saki’s birthday celebration continues. We ate, drank, and sang in turns, focusing more on our enjoyment than continuing to be cautious about Nina and Mami. Tadano and Ogawa were doing the jobs I relegated to them. They accommodated the two, enough for them to only occasionally turn their attention to us.
I mean, they’re not that bad all things considered. While getting the two idiots’ attention was high in their priority, they didn’t forget that it was a celebration for their Saki-senpai. They participated more in contributing to the jovial mood in the room.
Uh. Although we would prefer more if they just focus on making the two idiots uncomfortable, there’s no way to voice that out, right?
Besides, my girls were also not that desperate to steal my attention. We’re here more to celebrate, after all. And just being here with me was enough for them to enjoy the occasion.
Soon, Arisa stepped up to the front and got the mic as the melody of a rather lively song started filling up the room.
It’s her turn to sing. And instead of singing while remaining seated like most people do, the playful girl winked at me before standing up at the front to do a dance number along with it.
It’s not that much of a surprise for me. The girl already told me about her preference when singing in karaoke. She’s the type who would always enliven the mood even at the expense of getting a bit of embarrassment from the way she did it.
This time, the girl picked a pop song that is kind of popular on the internet nowadays. It was accompanied by a dance.
Arisa even picked a dance song that was kind of popular on the internet. Though I’d never seen her dance before, her movements, especially the sway of her hips were mesmerizing at best. On top of that, her singing voice was also clear, turning our heads to watch her.
Moreover, when she reached the chorus, it elicited much applause from everyone.
She joyfully jived into the music, bringing the jovial mood in the room up a notch. And while others would say that what she did was nothing extraordinary and it’s normal behavior for those who frequented this place, just the fact that she was enjoying it fully made it so special.
“Nanami, Saki-chan, I’ll borrow Ruki for a bit.”
When the interlude of the song arrived, the girl turned around and her playful eyes fixated on me. Without waiting for the two girls’ response, Arisa already closed the distance and pulled me out of my seat to join her at the front for the second half of the song.
Obviously, if we were at any other location, this would gather suspicion from those unaware. But this was a karaoke place and with the mood hyped up like this, rather than call out Arisa for kidnapping me to the front, the girls were more excited about what they were going to see next.
And that’s the same for Nina and Mami.
“Whoa! Go Onoda-senpai! Show us how you move!” That’s Nina reacting to what just happened. She’s even whistling as she cheered for me.
“Kazuo-senpai, let’s do that too!” Then there’s Mami, not foregoing the chance to suggest the same thing.
Well, there’s no time for me to respond to them because I’ve only gotten a few seconds before the second verse of the song arrived.
Arisa’s voice began to fill the room again and whether I was good at it or not, I started moving alongside her.
Of course, I was terrible at it. I’ve never danced to the song before. But with the same playfulness as earlier stuck close to me. She guided me while enjoying this stolen chance that she grabbed.
“Hold me, Ruki,” Arisa whispered halfway through when she moved in front of me.
Without questioning whether it was fine or not, my arms naturally moved, holding her like she asked. The girl placed her hand on top of mine and guided me more until the song finished.
The cheering behind us grew louder, especially from Mami and Nina. However, I could sense the heated gazes stabbing through my back from the direction of my girls.
Surely enough, I could already imagine my fate when I returned to my seat. This dance with Arisa was just the prelude and there’s more to come...
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Another thirty minutes passed and we’re now on our last half hour.
Despite the cold air being blown by the air conditioner, I could feel the heat in my body as sweat dripped from my forehead.
Just like I thought, upon returning to my seat, I continued to be requested by my girls, joining them at the front. And regardless of whether it was a song that included a dance or not, no one missed the chance to invite me.
And as their diligent boyfriend, I didn’t reject anyone.
Hana sang an old song, something we both listened to back when we were still together. And since it was her first time singing in karaoke, she handed me the mic halfway through and had me finish it while enjoying being held by me.
Maaya, on the other hand, didn’t call me to the front. However, she had me sit next to her before taking my lap. According to her, rather than being embarrassed by singing, she’s offsetting it with the embarrassment brought about by sitting on my lap.
She announced that loudly that Mami and Nina found it more hilarious than suspicious. And of course, they also took that and asked the two idiots if they could do the same. Too bad though, they got rejected.
They’re not having a good time.
Anyway, the most surprising thing was Umi. I thought she’d just remain a bystander, watching everything happen before her eyes. However, Arisa managed to convince her to pick a song she would sing.
And now that her turn arrived, Umi immediately searched for my figure and looked at me with pleading eyes.
Even though she didn’t ask me verbally, it was a clear invitation to join her.
What else could I do? I approached and sat next to her.
The song she picked wasn’t foreign to me. It’s Yue’s song and we’re going to duet with it. It’s not the girl’s most recent song. That’s not out yet for the karaoke. It’s one of her old songs that narrated more of her heartbreak and longing for me.
Really, it’s a good thing that I’ve started listening to all of her songs. Thanks to that, my voice didn’t come out broken or out of tune, making Umi more comfortable singing with me.
When we finished it, everyone gave us a round of applause. Mami and Nina were even praising their friend as though she just did an unbelievable thing.
After handing the mic to the one singing next, Umi turned to face me and expressed her gratitude and admiration.
“Thank you, senpai... Your voice is beautiful.”
Even with the room being dark, the blush on her face either from embarrassment or joy was very apparent.
I nodded at her and patted her head before humbly replying, “Is it now? I’m glad we didn’t mess it up. Your voice is beautiful too. I think Asahi will be proud if she heard you sing her song.”
“Eh? I could never... dream of meeting her. But thank you. I’m glad I joined Mami and Nina today.” Umi raised her head and gave me her best smile.
Somehow, her cuteness blew away even the guilt I was feeling for her. Rather than focus on making up for what I did to her cousin, I was now more inclined to make this day memorable for her on its own.
Well, maybe when there’s a chance, and if it’s fine for Yue, I would bring her to meet her two avid fans. They’ll be starstruck.
After handing the mic to the next one to sing; Nina, I returned to my seat.
Almost immediately, Nami and Saki didn’t waste a moment to hug my arms, locking me in place.
Then, after giving my neck a peck, the two girls whispered as their hands dropped on my lap.
“Ruu, it’s about time we enjoy this occasion a little bit more, right?”
“Stay here with us, Ruki. It’s our turn.”
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