Everyone Has Talent. If Only We Could Realize It - Volume 1 Chapter 3.4

Collaboration

“This song is going to be a hit.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. A song that makes you want to come up with choreography will attract the students from the Dance Department. If things go well, it could even be picked up by those with overwhelming influence on One-Eight Live.”

“Overwhelming influence… like celebrities or famous live streamers?”

“Idiot, no, not like that. It’d be nice if it reached them too, but what I’m talking about is──”

Akiha paused for a moment before continuing.

“Regular users.”

“Regular…?”

“Yeah. Just your average high school or college girls. The real deal, normal people who aren’t students at Ryouran High School.”

“Do they even have that kind of influence?”

“They do. In fact, the most viral pattern on One-Eight Live is exactly that. When it explosively becomes popular among those normal folks, that’s when it’s the strongest.”

According to Akiha, that’s the biggest difference between WAYTUBE and One-Eight Live.

One-Eight Live consists of extremely small communities where ordinary streamers gather a very small number of fans. And there are as many of these streamers and communities as there are stars in the sky.

WAYTUBE used to be a platform made up of countless amateurs too, but with its growing recognition and the entry of big companies, viewership has become concentrated among a few powerful influencers. There isn’t a mechanism where a trend among amateurs leads to a chain reaction of popularity.

After saying that, Akiha glanced sideways at Shiika.

“Well, it’s up to Shiika, though.”

“That’s true. …No matter how good the song is, if Shiika says no, then it’s a no-go.”

As Akiha and I watched, Shiika was…

Clearly entering the second loop of the song, listening intently.

“Hmm, hmm, hmm.”

She started humming in her unique, somewhat indistinct way.

As if getting the melody to stick to her tongue. As if tuning herself as an instrument.

After a while, Shiika nodded, “Yeah,” and opened her eyes.

“I can do it. I like this song.”

“Really!?”

“Yeah. …Hey, brother. What kind of songs has Koma been making up to now?”

“Komae? Honestly, I’m not sure. If he’s been providing songs for Shibuya, then… uh.”

I checked on my smartphone right there.

Shibuya not only had a One-Eight Live account but also a WAYTUBE account, and trial listens of her past songs were uploaded there. All of them had Nokia (Komae Noakiya’s stage name) listed as the composer.

I quickly checked the first few seconds of each song lined up there, also taking in the vibe from their thumbnails.

There were multiple genres among the songs. However, even among those seemingly disparate tracks, I could find a commonality.

“Kind of… like they’re difficult songs?”

Songs that assume Shibuya’s incredible vocal range and even demand advanced techniques.

To put it negatively, there’s a violent intention to assault with one’s own talent.

Of course, that in itself isn’t a bad thing.

A dictator sometimes captivates the masses.

The imposition of forceful, even violent, talent creates a kind of charisma, enchanting a large number of fans──there probably isn’t a song more suited to thrust the talent of Shibuya Elio in your face.

“As expected.”

At my simple observation, Shiika seemed convinced.

“Koma has been bound by a limited type of sound until now. So──”

So, this song is. Referring to the song for Shiika we just listened to.

“He wanted to try this kind of song too. That feeling is really embedded in it.”

“For Komae too, it’s a new challenge, then.”

“Probably.”

A song provided by a talented powerhouse trying to break out of his shell for a partner different from the one he’d teamed up with since middle school. Shiika held this creation, made with such an intention, carefully in her heart with respect.

“With this song, I can also… see a new ‘picture.'”

“Then we have no choice but to do it.”

Because that’s precisely why Shiika continues her singing activities.

Shiika sees “colors” in sounds.

And she sees “pictures” in songs.

To touch wonderful worlds never seen before, she has been spinning sounds in a narrow, dark room, staying shut away.

I thought encountering new “pictures” would be rare and it would be a long, long journey.

But never did I imagine that, by returning to a classroom I never wanted to step foot in again, and in just about a month or so, I would find it so easily.

Really, you can’t predict at all what will turn out to be a plus in this world.

After that──.

We spent half a day recording Shiika’s part, and with Akiha’s input, we decided on the details for the song’s release and live stream.

The destined track, Ikebukuro Shiika’s first original song as a student of Ryoulan High School, “Study Party Candy,” was released in full force and was also featured in Akiha’s information compilation broadcast. Its fate was…

[View Count] 1,206,990 [Likes] 50,111 [Tipping Amount] 285,000 yen

It was Ikebukuro Shiika’s first song to surpass one million views, with the number of subscribers also reaching the milestone of 10,000.

Although it doesn’t match Shibuya Erio’s numbers, for a girl student once scorned as a country bumpkin, the figures were astounding.

Shiika’s popularity in the classroom was set to soar.

For better or for worse.