Everyone Has Talent. If Only We Could Realize It - Volume 1 Chapter 2.6

Two Talents

The next day, the classroom for the first-year students of the Musician Department at Ryoran High School was unusually noisy.

When we entered the classroom, the buzzing clearly intensified, and curious gazes were directed our way.

The focus of those gazes wasn’t me… but rather, the person beside me. Shika, unaware of the attention from our classmates, walked through the classroom with a light step and yawned sleepily.

Glancing over, I saw Akiha sitting in the same seat as yesterday. Noticing us, she gestured for us to come over, with a pencil case and smartphone placed on two chairs, apparently reserving our seats.

Pulling along Shiika, who walked with a suspicious gait, I was greeted by Akiha’s mischievous grin.

“You did it, Rakuto. Shika’s the talk of the morning.”

“Shika? Why?”

“Because of last night’s stream, obviously.”

“Seriously?!”

My excitement surged, for better or for worse. A hot lump rose in my stomach, and I felt as if my whole body might melt into magma. Drunk on the heat, I even felt a bit nauseous.

Being the center of attention in the classroom meant we had achieved remarkable results. I understood that much in my mind and welcomed it.

However, unfortunately, I am a shut-in. Unlike Shiika, who is indifferent to others and a genius in her own right, I am exceedingly average and thus, highly sensitive to people’s gazes. Whether the attention is good or bad, physically facing it can make me feel ill.

“…Ugh.”

“You okay? You look kinda pale.”

“Ah, yeah, I’m fine. Just overwhelmed by the unexpected response.”

“See, this is why amateurs are—. Aiming to become a star someday, and you get cold feet over people’s gaze?”

“I’m not trying to become one.”

I aim to be a manager. The unsung hero behind the scenes.

More precisely, I wish to be a self-proclaimed manager. The mere thought of being employed by a talent agency sounds like a hassle; I don’t want to work.

“But to gain this much attention just from last night’s stream…”

“To suddenly increase the view count tenfold is rare.”

“Is that so?”

“Also, being incredibly cute is a big reason why everyone’s talking.”

“She’s not even wearing makeup today.”

“Zzz… Zzz…”

A glance to my side revealed Shiika, already sloppily resting her cheek on the desk, fast asleep.

Unlike during the stream, she was bare-faced. Her bangs weren’t pinned up, almost completely covering her eyes.

Although we have the tools at home, both Shiika and I lack makeup skills and motivation. Without Akiha, we can’t recreate the same look.

I’d be at a loss for words if told to look it up on my smartphone and do it myself, but it’s not something we can achieve overnight. Akiha only managed because she borrowed someone else’s knowledge; it’s impossible for makeup beginners to achieve a perfect look instantly.

Besides, at home is one thing, but at school, Shiika would probably refuse to pin up her bangs.

The myriad of noises, the bothersome sounds, become too visible.

The classmates gossip among themselves but don’t approach us.

Even in this special school’s classroom, some things remain the same, I thought cynically.

The only silver lining was that the rumors were positive.

Or so I thought—.

“Yo, Rakuto.”

There was one exception who decided to speak up.

The owner of beautiful red hair and a sweet face. The ultra-handsome playboy, Komae Noakiya.

“It seems my intuition wasn’t wrong.”

“Don’t start acting like an old-timer just because you saw potential. I didn’t do this because of your influence, you know.”

“I know. You would have found the answer on your own anyway.”

“That condescending tone is precisely why you’re irritating.”

“Haha. You’re harsh, Rakuto.”

Komae shrugged and smiled, utterly oblivious to how annoying his attitude was.

I asked, not bothering to hide my annoyance.

“So, what do you want?”

“I wanted to greet the lovely songstress.”

With a snap of a wink, Komae lowered his posture to match the height of Shika, who was asleep, and lightly tapped the desk with his finger.

“Shika-chan. Bad timing to wake you from your beauty sleep, but could you open your eyes? Or do you need a kiss to wake up?”

“Hey, hold on.”

I grabbed Komae’s shoulder and pulled him away.

What are you thinking, hitting on my sister right in front of me, I thought fiercely.

Komae retained his carefree demeanor, trying to lean closer to Shika again. I resisted, pushing back as hard as I could, but my shut-in’s thin arms couldn’t overpower him.

As we struggled in this deadlock—.

“Hmm… Huh?”

Shika stirred awake.

Slowly, with a look of great inconvenience, she lifted her face.

Seeing me and Komae up close, she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

Meeting Shika’s gaze, Komae offered a refreshing smile.

“Good morning, princess. I watched your stream last night. I heard your song too.”

“Ah, hey, Komae!”

Seizing the opportunity, Komae slipped from my grasp and leaned closer to Shika again.

He gently lifted her chin with his finger and whispered in a sweet voice.

“It seems I’ve been completely enchanted by your singing. How about it? Want to go to karaoke after school? I’d love to listen to your beautiful voice, just the two of us.”

“…”

Shika stared blankly at Komaee.

Obviously, she wasn’t captivated by him. It was the gaze of someone half asleep.

Confident in his charm, Komae wore a triumphant expression, but—.

“No. Too much trouble.”

“Okay. So, after school in the classroom… Wait, what?”

He blinked in surprise at the swift rejection.

“What did you say?”

“Troublesome. To put it politely, it’s a hassle.”

“No, I understood what “troublesome” meant, but…”

“Then what don’t you understand?”

“Uh… well, that… Geez, you got me. Haha…”

Faced with Shika’s simple questioning, Komae could only scratch his cheek and offer a strained laugh.

His playboy charm was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a comically perplexed expression at Shika’s candid refusal, which had its own odd charm.

“I’m surprised. I thought all girls would succumb to my sweet whispers.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, undefeated until just now. You’re my first loss.”

Shika let out an indifferent “Hmm,” and then softly added:

“Weird. Despite the voice of a liar.”

“…!”

For a moment, Komae looked startled.

Then, he asked:

“You’re saying I’m lying?”

“Yeah. Your voice just now was pitch black. The color when someone’s hiding something.”

“What… You perceive sound as color… Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“How can you tell lies like that?”

“Don’t know. But whenever my brother lies, it’s always that color.”

Suddenly, I felt like I’d been stabbed from the sidelines.

Indeed, Shika never falls for lies or deceit. Having lived under the same roof for years, that much was an undeniable fact to me.

If you speak a lie, she’ll definitely catch on. To deceive Shika, one must communicate without speaking or keep silent while hiding information.

With this ability, she could excel not just as a singer, but as a police officer or detective as well.

Though she’d absolutely hate that idea.

“Um… uh…”

“Komae. Komae Noakiya.”

When told his name, Shika pointed at him and said:

“Koma.”

An overly abbreviated nickname.

“Ko, Koma? Well, you can call me whatever you like but…”

“Koma isn’t trying to do something bad with his lies. But he’s hiding something.”

Shika declared firmly, her slow speech carrying a firm conviction.

“…”

Faced with her definitive statement, Komae was left speechless.

Then.

“…Pfft. Haha! You really are interesting, Shika-chan.”

He burst into laughter as if a dam had broken.

Pulling away to a reasonable distance from Shiika, he continued to laugh, holding his stomach.

After laughing for a while, Komae wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said:

“I give up, I give up. I lost, fair and square. Man, I thought I’d tease her a bit, but I ended up taking a serious counterattack.”

“Ah… I Win”

Was there a contest? Then, as the winner, I should probably be happy, right? With that kind of nonchalant V-sign directed at Komae.

“Gah…”

Komae staggered as if he’d been shot.

Turning his neck to look away from Shiika, he covered his slightly reddened face with one hand.

“It’s too much… No way, me? Getting excited over this is so middle school…”

He muttered to himself.

──So, this guy’s heart was pierced by Shika’s cuteness?

Well, that’s to be expected. It’s more outrageous that she was treated as a plain country girl until yesterday. Discovering her charm now doesn’t mean you can have her, though.

“I’m going now. See ya!”

“Bye.”

With his embarrassment reaching a boiling point, Komae quickly made his exit. Shiika, in her usual laid-back manner, waved goodbye.

She completely had him wrapped around her finger. Unaware of her own femme fatale moves, my sister is terrifying indeed.

The nature of the gazes directed at us from around the classroom seemed to change.

Shika’s words putting Komae Noakiya, considered a top student, in a state of confusion must have been an abnormal situation for the students who adored him.

Surprise, admiration, jealousy. Various emotions swirled around the classroom.

“…”

Among them, one gaze stood out, filled with intense emotion.

Noticing it, I looked over, but the owner of the gaze quickly looked away.

However, it was too late. I had clearly seen “her” glaring at Shika.

──Shibuya Erio.

The dominant force in this classroom. A woman who stands above all, disregarding everyone beneath her with her overwhelming talent… or so she should be.

But the gaze she directed at Shika was filled with jealousy, so potent it could be mistaken for hatred.

Her lips moved.

Perhaps she didn’t intend for anyone to hear, simply wanting to vent her frustration.

Just from her lip movements, I had a rough idea of what she might have said.

Maybe it’s just my twisted personality making me see it that way, but…

“Don’t mess with me, you bitch.”

That seemed to be the message.

…Just in case, I should keep an eye on Shibuya Erio.

It’s fine if my worries are unfounded. But if she starts causing trouble, I’ll have to protect Shiika from getting hurt.

After all, that’s my duty as her brother.