Everyone Has Talent. If Only We Could Realize It - Volume 1 Chapter 4.6

Confrontation

“I didn’t understand anything.”

“…Huh?”

“I didn’t understand a thing! Tennozu-san, you completely ignored your origins. No matter how much that manager asked, all he got was ‘I found a good kid, didn’t I? Praise me, praise me!’ What’s with you guys, where were you picked up from!?”

“Ah… ahahaha, I wonder where.”

Since I had no obligation to tell them I was literally picked up in this park, I dodged the question with a wry smile.

Honestly, it was a letdown.

“Hmph. Well, it doesn’t matter. A mysterious powerhouse of unknown origins—bring it on.”

Shibuya suddenly closed the distance, grabbed my collar, and brought her face close to mine.

“Let’s have a match.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re an eyesore. If you lose, never sing Noakiya’s songs again. Got it?”

“Dueling is prohibited by law, you know.”

“As if we’d physically fight! I’m talking about a battle of midterm grades, who’s better, you or me!”

“Ah, but I’m exempt from exams.”

“Who would want to compete with you! You’re obviously dodging the question on purpose!”

“Of course, I’m dodging on purpose.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Grabbing someone by the collar and expecting a friendly response, are you serious?”

“Tch… Don’t beat around the bush. It’s infuriating.”

I knew all too well what Shibuya wanted to say.

But it wasn’t my place to agree to anything in the absence of the person concerned.

“What’s important is Shiika’s will. I can’t decide anything.”

“Hah? You’re the manager, you make all the decisions, don’t you? Don’t act like it’s none of your business now.”

“Well, it might seem like I’m leading things.”

SNS management. Deciding on activity plans. Taking care of personal matters.

Shiika leaves almost everything to me, and she generally doesn’t go against my decisions as her brother.

But we’re equals as siblings, not in a master-servant relationship.

“I’ve never chosen Shiika’s path without her consent.”

“…!”

Shibuya’s face looked shocked. Perhaps something struck a chord, she bit her lip hard and her shoulders trembled.

I wondered if I would be yelled at like Komei. I prepared myself mentally to cover my ears to protect my eardrums.

That’s when it happened.

“I’ll accept that challenge.”

A voice came from an unexpected direction.

Me, Shibuya, Nakameguro-san, we all turned towards the source of the voice in surprise.

Pale, almost colorless blue hair sparkled in the white light of the street lamp, wearing an oversized shirt and shorts, barefoot as if she had been mugged.

Ikebukuro Shiika. My sister, who was supposed to be sound asleep at home, was inexplicably there.

“Shiika… you…”

I muttered blankly. The scene was so unexpected I couldn’t find the words.

Probably, no one here.

Certainly, no one but me.

Could feel the same level of surprise.

Shiika had left home on her own volition—only I knew how improbable that was.

Perhaps she ran here, Shiika’s shoulders heaved slightly, her breathing rough.

Yet, she somehow managed to catch her breath and said.

“I wanted to hear Eri’s singing voice again, so I opened the app. I found the conversation about meeting here.”

“So, you came here. But are you serious about accepting the challenge? There’s no benefit for us.”

“I don’t really get ‘benefits.’ But—”

In the midnight glow, Shiika’s eyes shone. Shibuya froze, mesmerized by those golden gleaming eyes.

“I want Eri to realize. That voice isn’t genuine,” Shiika declared.

She thought for herself, spoke honestly about her feelings, and said it out loud.

Shiika, who had cut off all relationships with others due to being tormented in a classroom filled with vile emotions, immersing herself in solitary creative activities as the only way to engage with society.

She was taking a step forward, trying to communicate with Shibuya.

Was this growth because she had started attending school?

Or did Shiika have a message she was so eager to convey to Shibuya Erio?

—Probably both.

I didn’t know Shiika’s true intentions. What she was thinking, what she was feeling. As her brother, I could guess some things, but as an ordinary person, there were aspects I couldn’t grasp.

But whether I understood the genius’s thoughts or not, it didn’t matter.

If Shiika decided so, I would let her do as she wished with all my might. There was no need for understanding or consent. Let them laugh and call me a siscon if they want. That’s my stance as her manager.

“What… what do you… What do you know about me!!”

Shibuya roared in anger.

She let go of me and surged towards Shiika as if to attack.

“O, calm down Erio-chan!”

Nakameguro-san frantically restrained her to prevent it.

“Violence is bad!”

“I know that! But this girl… she insulted me! My efforts, the things I’ve built up, trying to take them away with an ignorant face…!”

Even restrained by an adult man, Shibuya struggled with enough force to break free, her emotions exploding.

Was it the peak of her emotions? The corners of her eyes seemed slightly wet.

“I’m pissed, annoyed, frustrated, pissed! I’ll definitely… make you regret this!!”

“I understand your frustration. Yes, I truly do.”

“Then don’t stop me! You know as a manager, how much resolve I’ve put into fighting in this world. In a society of survival of the fittest, how much time and sacrifice I’ve paid to obtain this singing voice!”

“I understand. I do but—”

“Then if you understand, don’t stop me! How can you forgive her for calling my singing voice creepy!? Unforgivable. Isn’t it!? Right!!”

“However, if you lose it here, you lose. The efforts of Erio-chan will surely reach those with the right eyes!”

Nakameguro-san desperately tried to calm Shibuya.

A debut singer involved in a violent incident would be the worst scandal. The manager wouldn’t get off easily either. A salary cut from the company would be the least of concerns, depending on the company’s expectations of Shibuya, it could even lead to being forced to resign. It’s no wonder he was desperate.

In response to the agitated Shibuya, Shiika spoke without changing her expression.

“If I win, try singing in the voice I suggest. I want to collaborate… with that Eri.”

“What!? After all this, you’re still talking nonsense!?”

“It’s not nonsense. I want to do it. Also, it’s better for Eri too.”

“…!”

Shibuya stopped moving instantly. Her eyebrows were still furrowed, and her breathing was rough, still in a state of excitement. However, the confrontation with Shiika, who unflinchingly communicated her feelings, might have slightly cooled Shibuya’s fiery anger.

With a particularly strong gnash of teeth, Shibuya finally took a deep breath to calm down.

The tension visibly left her body.

“You’re after my numbers, right? Easy to understand, fine. I’m calm now, let go.”

“…Yes.”

When Shibuya spoke calmly, Nakameguro-san slowly released his hold, still wary.

Fixing her disheveled clothes, Shibuya faced Shiika.

“Fine. If you win, I’ll do a collab or whatever you want. But if I win, never sing Noakiya’s songs again. And delete the archives too.”

“Okay. Understood,” Shiika accepted without hesitation.

The collab with Noakiya was the most popular to date, and many of the 10,000 subscribers came because of him. If the archive was deleted and there were no more collabs with Noakiya, it could lead to strange rumors and dampen the momentum.

But, I’ll worry about that when the time comes. Since Shiika said she’d take the challenge, there’s no turning back now.

“You’ve got guts. I’ll mess up that poker face of yours.”

Leaving those words for Shiika, Shibuya turned on her heel.

She walked towards the park’s exit, followed by Nakameguro-san.

Just before getting into the car parked at the entrance, Shibuya turned around as if she remembered something she had forgotten, and with a challenging look, she said.

“Bring a handkerchief on the day. So you can wipe your tears when you’re humiliated in front of the judges, okay?”

With that, she disappeared into the car.

Nakameguro-san also bowed to us before getting into the driver’s seat and starting the engine.

Watching the car disappear into the darkness of the night, I let out a soft sigh.

“Let’s go home too.”

“Yeah. …Achoo!”

“You get out in the middle of the night dressed like that… Please, just don’t catch a cold.”

“Piggyback. My feet hurt.”

“If only you’d worn shoes from the start.”

Sighing, I obediently offered my back. I felt my sister’s excessively light weight and the warmth of her body temperature at the same time.

Shiika’s bare feet, sticking out around my waist, had been scraped all over from walking on the asphalt. Seeing that, I felt a bit happy.

Because it was the result of her trying to take action, albeit clumsily.

Going out on her own, accepting a challenge on her own.

Doing things she never would have attempted before.

Just the fact of that made me so happy I could cry.