I paid off the debt for the most beautiful sisters in the school, and then they barged into my house where I live alone. “Please go back home; you don’t need to repay the favor.” “No way.” “We don’t want to~☆”

“Kamishiro-san, we’re thinking of going to karaoke, just the girls this time. Wanna come?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s a girls-only gathering!”

“Um, I’m very honored to be invited, but I have chores and various other things to do, so…”

“Aww, figures.”

Karen declines her classmates’ invitation.

It’s a familiar scene.

Naturally, Seiichiro saw it happen.

(Hmm… That girl, too.)

Back at home, Seiichiro meets up with Karen, who had returned before him.

By the way, Erika is out for a study session. Apparently, she is so crunched for time that she is studying in a library to avoid any distractions.

“Hey, Karen.”

“Yes? Oh, would you like some tea? I’ll prepare some tea and snacks. Go wash your hands.”

“I already did. No, that’s not what I meant.”

Seiichiro speaks while standing near the entrance of the living room.

Sensing that Seiichiro is trying to bring up a difficult subject, Karen turns to face him directly.

“You turned down an invitation to go to karaoke with the girls today, right? If you’re worried about money or something, don’t be. Why not just go?”

Seiichiro seems slightly uncomfortable as he says this, aware that he’s being “meddlesome.”

However, he continues without averting his gaze.

“You often tell me about improving our lifestyle, right? Then why don’t you go and live a normal school life as well? You know what I mean?”

Karen listens silently and then slowly responds.

“I understand what you’re trying to say, Seiichiro. Thank you, as always. But, I still can’t go… it might be too much for someone like me.”

“No, that’s not what—”

“It’s not just that. It’s more like, well, that too but mainly—”

“Mainly?”

Karen’s voice gradually grows softer.

“I’ve never been to karaoke, and it makes me nervous, you know?”

“Is that your reason!?”

Seiichiro’s voice rises unintentionally.

“Because, you have to sing in front of people! It’s not even a music class, and I’ve never had that kind of experience. I don’t even know how to behave in such a place with friends.”

“Seriously… Why are you so bold at times and so delicate at others?”

It’s hard to believe that this is the same girl who boldly walked into a man’s home by herself.

“You don’t have to be good at singing in karaoke. Just go and sing however you like.”

“Exactly, karaoke is all about enjoying singing. Well, I usually go alone, though!”

“Woah!? Ms. Higashi!?”

Suddenly, Ms. Higashi, a lawyer, appears behind Seiichiro.

It seems she used her spare key to enter.

“Ms. Higashi, what brings you here today?”

“Hello, Kamishiro-san. I was nearby for work and thought I’d stop by. Thought we’d have some coffee.”

“This isn’t a café, you know?”

“I’ll make coffee right now. I received a sample of drip bags while shopping the other day.”

“Oh, thanks. Black is fine?”

“Hey, don’t ignore the homeowner!”

Complaining but eventually helping Karen, Seiichiro starts preparing coffee. Higashi takes a seat and watches them.

“Oh, the snacks are on the top shelf. I need a chair to—”

“It’s fine, I’ll get it. Just be careful with the boiling water, okay?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Watching the two interact so naturally, Higashi mutters impressively.

“…You two have the atmosphere of a couple already.”

Clang. Karen drops an empty cup.

“Ah! I’m sorry!”

“Don’t pick it up with your bare hands. It’s dangerous. I’ll go get a broom and dustpan from the corridor.”

“Yes, I’m sorry. I’ll get a bag ready.”

Watching them move around, Higashi mutters again.

“…Or should I say, you’re already like a newlywed couple.”

“Would you just shut up!?”

Seiichiro shouts, unable to bear it after seeing Karen almost trip because of Higashi’s comment.

“So, why were you talking about karaoke?”

Finally, with coffee brewed for everyone, the three sit down to talk.

“Well, Karen here says she’s never been to karaoke and is scared to go with friends.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“That’s not something to be embarrassed about. …Well then, let’s go now.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

“We’re here…”

“This is a karaoke room…”

Shortly after finishing their coffee, the three find themselves at a karaoke place, courtesy of Higashi’s car.

“Alright, I’m going to sing. We don’t have much time, so let’s get going!”

Higashi already has a microphone in her hand.

In addition, he’s entering the song with one hand.

“Higashi-san, do you like karaoke?”

“Ah, well, yeah. Singing to relieve stress during busy times as a lawyer is pretty good. I used to get dragged along a lot too…”

“You guys will understand how I feel about screaming in karaoke after you try taking the bar exam! First song’s gonna be from me!”

Higashi quickly selects a song and immediately starts singing.

The loud volume fills the not-so-spacious room, making Karen flinch.

For the record, Higashi is standing while singing, so Seiichiro and Karen are sitting across a table from each other.

“What song is this? It’s a really cool track.”

“Ah, it’s an anime song. From an old anime’s opening.”

The conversation has to be almost whispered due to the loud volume.

And hence, looking at the two from where he’s standing and singing…

“You two! Just because the lyrics of this song are about deciding who to kiss, doesn’t mean you can get all lovey-dovey while I’m happily singing!”

“Lovey-dov—!?”

“Just shut up and keep singing!”

Though it’s a nitpick, it did look like they were flirting from Higashi’s perspective.

Once Higashi finishes singing, the mic is handed to Karen.

“Am I going to sing?”

“That’s why we came, isn’t it? Just sing, no one else is listening.”

“Ah, okay… then.”

Karen tells them the song she wants, and Seiichiro inputs it. (It seems to be an older pop song that she’s heard her mother listen to.)

Higashi is sulking in a corner of the room, still recovering from the ‘damage’ of seeing his junior flirting in front of him.

“~~~~♪”

Karen’s singing is rather bashful, probably because she’s not used to hearing her own voice through the mic.

But her voice is crystal-clear and beautiful, making her awkward singing oddly endearing.

“…………”

“You’re not planning to let her go to a karaoke place with boys like this, are you?”

Whispered Higashi, who had come close without Seiichiro noticing.

“The next karaoke outing will be a girls-only gathering. …Well, if there are boys, I’ll accompany them.”

“That sounds wise. Newlyweds?”

“I’ll slap you, you know?”

Unaware of this conversation, Karen finishes singing and lets out a sigh of relief.

Higashi claps, and Seiichiro stands up.

“Where are you going?”

“Huh? I was going to get some drinks from the drink bar. I’ll bring some for everyone; what would you like?”

“Just sit down and sing, Seiichiro-kun. I’ll get the drinks.”

“Eh? But—”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

“Ah… okay…”

Reluctantly handed the mic, he hesitantly enters the song.

“Ah, ah.” Checking his voice, Seiichiro catches Karen staring at him intently.

“It’s strange, seeing you sing for the first time, even though I see you so often.”

“It’s hard to sing when you’re staring at me like that. Well, it’s fine, I guess.”

Seiichiro starts singing while comfortably seated.

His singing voice…

“………………..”

“How is it? Not bad, right? Seiichiro-kun’s singing.”

“–!?”

Karen was so engrossed in listening that she didn’t notice Azuma, who had gone to get a drink, had sat down right next to her.

“W-well, yes. It’s good. It’s like his usual voice but different, giving off a different atmosphere. It’s, um, cool, I guess.”

“Hehehe, I thought so.”

In the past, when Azuma had dragged Seiichiro to karaoke to relieve stress, initially it was only Azuma who sang. But when he forcefully made Seiichiro sing too, he realized Seiichiro had an unexpectedly good voice. “With this voice, you should try singing songs like this!” he said, and trained him in various songs.

That’s the backstory.

Azuma figured it would help Seiichiro feel more comfortable singing karaoke with friends in the future. Maybe it could even help him appeal to girls? It was sort of parental meddling on his part. (Though mostly it was his own taste).

“So that’s what you sound like when you sing, Seiichiro-kun…”

Watching Karen’s profile, Azuma nods to himself with a satisfied expression, thinking his effort in training Seiichiro was not in vain.

In the end, the karaoke session ended with Azuma’s unstoppable desire to sing mostly anime songs.

However, it seemed that Karen had mostly overcome her unfamiliarity and fear of karaoke.

“Whaaat!? You went to karaoke!? That’s not fair, I wanna go too!”

Upon returning home, the two are accosted by Erika.

Well, from Erika’s perspective, it makes sense she’d react this way since they went to karaoke while she was studying.

“Yes, next time let’s go as a threesome: me, Erika, and Seiichiro-kun.”

“Yup, let’s go!”

“Seriously? Well, fine. Just karaoke, I guess. But Karen, did you finally decide to attend girls-only karaoke events?”

In response to Seiichiro’s question, Karen slowly nods.

“Yes. I can’t go all the time, but occasionally is fine. I’ve been constantly turning down invitations, which isn’t nice.”

“Alright, just go and have fun without overthinking it.”

“That’s right, Sis. Just enjoy when it’s girls-only.”

The word ‘girls-only’ seems to trigger a reaction in Seiichiro.

“But hey, if there are guys involved, make sure to let me know. Seems kind of risky.”

“That’s right, Sis! Don’t just go if there are guys!”

“Understood. I won’t go in that case.”

“In that case, what?”

“In that case, what, Sis?”

Karen closes in on Seiichiro, and with a tone as if biting off each word–

“Make sure to invite me too if you ever go to karaoke where there are girls. Absolutely.”

“…Huh? Oh, okay?”

— she says that.

Perhaps because her words were so forceful, Seiichiro couldn’t say what he usually would have: “As if that’s ever going to happen.”

“I want to learn more songs before we go to karaoke as a threesome.”

“If that’s the case, you can borrow songs from Sei-onii-san’s playlist.”

Both sisters leave to acquire more songs.

“…Did Karen really get that into karaoke?”

Left alone, Seiichiro was contemplating something entirely different.