Everyone Has Talent. If Only We Could Realize It - Volume 1 Chapter 5.1

All-Direction Lost Child Catalog

All-Direction Lost Child Catalog

“This is big, big, big trouble. Something unbelievable has happened, so I’m rolling the camera in a hurry! The person who’s come to visit my house, where I always shoot, is that dangerous individual everyone knows from the comments section clamoring for a collaboration! Finally, that person is going to appear on our channel! Wow, this is insane! I’m getting pumped!”

In the smartphone screen, Akihabara Mana, with her usual plain black hair, is speaking with high energy.

Though we’re girlfriends who see each other almost every day, she looks different on the stream.

Or is it because it’s a collab with a celebrity?

“And so, today we have Shibuya Erio-san with us! Come on, everyone, give a round of applause! Let’s be polite!”

“Hello, Shibuya Erio here. Wow, there are so many people. This is a popular broadcast!”

“No, no, we’re just small-timers… Wait, what’s with this concurrent viewership!? Ten times… no, a hundred times usual!? Oh, ho, whoa! This is the power of Erio! This is crazy!”

Akihabara’s face turns red with excitement at the highest viewer count in her channel’s history. If this were a manga, there’d be ¥ symbols in her eyes.

Watching this video, I, with a smile, spoke to the real-life Akihabara Mana before me.

“Looks like you’re having fun, huh, Akihabara?”

“Ah, ahaha…”

It’s mid-term exam period, a weekday lunchtime. The location is Ryōran High School’s cafeteria. The three of us—me, Shiika, and Akihabara—are luxuriously using a four-seater table at the corner.

Akihabara had ordered a calorie-packed grilled meat lunch. The beautifully adorned kalbi and loin on her plate were now completely transferred to mine and Shiika’s plates.

It was Akihabara’s transparent attempt at atonement.

The crime, of course, was about leaking the nearest station to my house to Shibuya.

I didn’t immediately get angry but let her off the hook for a while, but Akihabara didn’t confess until the day of the collab with Shibuya. So today, I decided it was the perfect time to hold her accountable.

“Sorry, okay? Can you just forgive me already, huh?”

“Well, nothing really happened, and I’m not going to say you have to make it up to me.”

“Really? Then──”

“But I won’t forgive you. I won’t dislike you, but that’s separate from the fact that what you did was out of line. I’ll make sure that fact is well engraved in you.”

“Have I… perhaps let the worst kind of person get a hold of my weakness…?”

“Did you say something? Remember, if you’re going to badmouth, say it loud enough to hear.”

“Sir! Nothing at all, sir!”

“Your response is too good, it’s almost not trustworthy… Well, whatever. Eat up.”

“Thanks! Bon appétit!”

Once I gave her permission, Akihabara dove into the rice soaked in meat sauce like a dog.

“Really, this girl…” While I’m astounded, I also restart my lunch. The apology meat spreads a rich sweetness across my tongue.

“Wow, this is good.”

“Meat… it’s been a while… yummy…!”

Shiika also bites into the meat with sparkling eyes.

It’s been a while since we had a good meal.

Since entering May, the numbers for our streams have improved, and we’ve started to see some earnings, but the end of the month—our next payout date—is still far away. We can’t be careless until we see how much is actually transferred. Splurging is out of the question.

Hoping this taste becomes a daily occurrence next month, I chewed on the meat.

“Hmm?”

While eating and watching Akihabara and Shibuya’s collab stream, I noticed something.

There was a weird person in the comments section.

“Shibuya Erio is trash that only sells because of her youth and looks. Her skill is below amateur. She has no talent.”

“Apparently, she’s debuting from a major label by licking the shoes of some big shot.”

“Is it true she harasses potential rivals’ streams with multiple accounts?”

They were all written in separate comments but from the same account.

“Hey, doesn’t this seem off?”

I showed Akihabara my smartphone screen with the comments section.

After shoveling in a bite of brown rice, Akihabara looked at the screen.

“Not really? Just typical hate comments, isn’t it?”

“Here. ‘Debuting from a major label’—that’s unreleased info, right?”

“Well, yeah, but considering Shibuya Erio’s track record, anyone could guess that. There were rumors on the net that she’s already managed by a major label because her MVs are so good.”

“I see…”

“What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing, just thought maybe these hate comments are written by someone closer than we think.”

“Well, sure. Heck, I’ve written hate comments before.”

“What?”

I was dumbfounded by her brazen confession.

Without a hint of shame, Akihabara continued.

“Just a bit during middle school. Back then, a bully claimed a song created by a bullied kid was their own and announced it. I didn’t like it, so I doggedly stuck to them online.”

Akihabara laughed as if it were a tale of valor, but then her expression suddenly turned blank.

“Being unable to stop bullying in the classroom outright, it’s just hypocrisy, or rather, it’s nothing but self-satisfaction without any real impact. So, I don’t do it anymore.”

“I see… Like a bandit taking down a thief, kind of a dark hero vibe.”

“Stop calling me a bandit. I’m just hopping on the bandwagon, not doing anything bad. If you’re going to be mean, give back the meat!”

“Nope.”

I quickly dodged Akihabara’s reaching chopsticks and moved the plate away.

“Ugh… Well, anyway. In a competitive industry and the distorted microcosm of a classroom, there are loads of people wanting to take down Shibuya Erio. It’s more natural to assume, based on what we hear in class, that there are definitely people writing hate comments.”

“That makes sense.”

That means, someone close might also be writing hate comments on Shiika’s streams.

Whoever it is, we’ll find out soon enough.

And when that time comes, I’ll deal with them quietly and surely. That was my resolve.

“By the way, how’s Shiika doing with her mid-term exams? Isn’t she competing against Shibuya Erio?”

Suddenly, Akihabara changed the subject.

I answered.

“Yeah, the main event is tomorrow.”

“What song are you going with?”

“A ‘Sang it’… Planning to cover an original song from a certain net singer.”

“Really? Even though you got a new song from Komae, you’re not using that?”

“Seems so.”

“Seems so, what does that mean?”

“Can’t be helped. It’s what Shiika wants. I don’t get her reasoning either.”

I glanced at Shiika beside me.

“Yummy, yummy.”

She was happily munching on the meat, just like always.

But tomorrow’s mid-term exam will undoubtedly be a special day for Shiika too.

Because what she plans to sing tomorrow is.

The first original song of the net singer──V-SINGER “Seeker”.

Singing her own song herself means she’s willing to take the risk of revealing her identity.

I don’t know what’s driving Shiika to do this, but since she’s made up her mind, all I can do is silently respect her decision.