Everyone Has Talent. If Only We Could Realize It - Volume 1 Chapter 4.5

Confrontation

That night──.

At 10 p.m., in my own room at our house.

I had just finished chatting with my gaming buddy, Zeke-san, and turned off my PC.

“Maybe it’s about time to head to bed…”

I chuckled at myself for saying that, a bit of self-mockery in my tone. It seemed school life had really gotten to me, feeling ready for bed before the clock even struck midnight.

Back when I was a shut-in, this time was just the start of my day. Shiika, too, used to be a habitual night owl, but now there’s not a peep from the room next door. She’s probably already tucked into her futon, asleep.

“…Oh?”

My smartphone, which had been charging by my pillow, vibrated.

Looking at the screen, it was a notification for a DM.

However, it wasn’t addressed to my account.

It was a DM sent to the Ikebukuro Shiika’s Ichihachi Live account, which is linked to my smartphone.

Shiika has no interest in interacting with others and finds it too bothersome, so she has left all DM checking and replying up to me. It’s been that way since our WAYTUBE days, and the same goes for the Ichihachi Live account we started after enrolling at Ryōran High School.

“Eh?”

I let out a voice involuntarily at the sender’s name.

Shibuya Erio.

“What does she want with Shiika?”

I opened the message with caution. Recalling this morning’s interaction, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be about anything good.

What if it’s some aggressive message? That’s what I was thinking, but──.

“Can we meet now? I have something important to talk about.”

The message was unexpected.

“What for? It’s already late, can’t we talk at school?”

With too little information, I responded with a question.

The reply came quickly.

“I don’t want to talk somewhere crowded. I’m already at the station closest to where you live, so if you tell me the place, I can head there right away.”

How does she know where I live?

“I was told by Akiha. Under the condition of doing a collaboration stream.”

Bribed!? To think they would sell us out so easily, swayed by Shibuya’s fame, what unfaithful guys!

“They didn’t give out the address, but said the nearest station was barely okay.”

“Well, that much is…”

It’s not for Akiha to decide whether it’s barely okay or not, but well, at this point, I guess the finer details don’t matter.

Come to think of it, Akiha was worrying about how to get through the midterm exams. Maybe she’s planning to set up a collaboration before the exams and clear it with a presentation like, “I was diligently building relations with a top-class singer as a composer!”

If she didn’t leak the address, then maybe I’ll let it slide for now. She did clean the room, after all.

But I was still pondering what to do.

Offering up his own time to make contact like this in the middle of the night, it couldn’t be for anything proper. However, if there was some intent behind it, I at least wanted to know the gist of it. It’d be the worst if I ignored it and some troublesome incident was unfolding without my knowledge.

I won’t take Shiika with me. I’ll meet Shibuya alone and gauge her intentions. That’s probably the best course of action.

“Understood. Come to the park I’ll specify now.”

After sending that reply, I changed out of my room clothes into a more suitable parka.

Taking a glance at Shiika’s room door and confirming there were no signs of her, I whispered, “I’ll be back soon,” and left the house.

＊

The night at the children’s park had a strange atmosphere.

Although I hadn’t noticed during the day, the park, with only a single slide in the center, seemed surreal. However, the outdoor lighting seemed plentiful, lighting up the grounds brightly despite the starless night.

Vending machines and public toilets, which I hadn’t paid attention to during the day, stood out thanks to the lit lights.

It looked like a place where delinquents would gather. I wanted to get home as quickly as possible before getting tangled in some weird incident.

A car stopped in front of the park entrance. It was quite a luxury car. I felt like I had seen a similar scene when I last came to this park. I wondered which was more expensive, this car or Tennozu Kei’s. (tln : President & CEO of Tennozu Entertainment Co., Ltd. , President & CEO of One-Eight Live Co., Ltd.)

The person who got out of the passenger seat was Shibuya Erio. She was in casual clothes, not her uniform. Even in her uniform, she had a sense of style, but her casual attire was on another level. I wouldn’t even know where to buy clothes like hers.

As she approached me, standing in front of the slide, Shibuya snorted.

“I figured it would be something like this.”

“Huh. You expected Shiika herself wouldn’t come?”

“Of course. You’re her so-called manager and even got enrolled together as a special case. If you didn’t show up at a time like this, you’d just be a creepy brother complex guy.”

“So the real business was with me, huh. You have something you can’t talk about at school with me… Huh!? Don’t tell me it’s a confession of love…!?”

“Like that would ever happen! Gross! The idea alone is the worst!”

“Ugh… you didn’t have to be that harsh…”

My heart took a hit from her merciless words. Being clearly rejected by the genius singer’s voice had an incredible impact.

“……so, you’re not alone, huh? Came with your boyfriend or something?”

I asked, spitefully, upon noticing the man who had just gotten out of the driver’s seat.

Shibuya replied with an exasperated look.

“That’s the manager. He only accompanies me for lessons and pickups.”

“Lessons till this late… You’re already doing something similar at school.”

“If just attending school satisfied you, then that’s probably fine. I’m just different, that’s all.”

She said it as if it were the most natural thing, but I thought the amount of practice was abnormal.

I couldn’t help but sense a kind of obsession, a determination not to lose to any other singer, even in death.

“But a manager, huh… I see, because you’re set for a major debut…”

“Good evening.”

Responding to my gaze and murmur, the suit-clad man standing behind Shibuya bowed.

He stepped forward, offering his business card with both hands.

“I’m Shinpei Nakameguro from Queen Smile. I manage Shibuya Erio.”

“Ah, thank you very much…”

While taking the business card, I examined his face.

A tall man wearing glasses. He seemed to be in his late twenties or early thirties. His soft voice and polite demeanor gave off a gentle image. However, as a manager and part of the entertainment industry, his sharply styled hair was clearly the work of a professional hairstylist, showing he wasn’t just a simple, diligent man but also a capable businessman.

“Ikebukuro Rakuto-san, right? I’ve heard a lot about you from President Tennozu.”

“Ah, you’re friends with that old man… Kei-sama, huh! Wow, the world is small, isn’t it!”

“Ah, no, no. It would be presumptuous to call someone like him a friend. Our president would scold me for being too forward.”

Scratching his cheek in embarrassment, Nakameguro-san continued.

“The world is vast, but the industry is surprisingly small. If you hold a drinking party where friends of friends are also welcome, you can surprisingly reach some big names. And so, well, due to Shibuya’s whim, we were able to create an opportunity to speak with President Tennozu…”

“A whim, what? Gathering information is part of a manager’s job, right?”

“It’s not included in the job description, you know…? But it’s too late to say anything now, I guess.”

A look of resignation appeared on Nakameguro-san’s face. It seemed Shibuya’s stubbornness had caused him quite a bit of trouble.

“Anyway. Suddenly appearing in the high school division and acting as you please, I had you investigated to see what kind of people you are. And then──”

“!”

I instinctively tensed up. My mind raced, considering what to do with the two before me.

If Tennozu Kei had leaked that Shiika’s true identity was V-SINGER “Seeker”, then I would have to see Shibuya Erio as a clear “enemy”. If they planned to use it for blackmail or bullying, I was ready to confront them accordingly.

Well, what will it be?