Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 9

A Little Love Song

Not long after, Akizuki finished her performance.

“89 points, impressive! Starting off with such a high score, how are we supposed to compete?” Shiina exclaimed with a troubled expression when she saw the score.

“I still couldn’t break 90 points?” Akizuki put down the microphone, feeling somewhat proud as she listened to Shiina’s complaints.

“Kozuki and Hinata, 174 points.”

Although Shiina was shouting loudly, she was also keeping track of the scores.

Seeing this scene, Matsushita praised them.

“With this score, we’re basically securing the top two positions.”

Akizuki, with one hand on her hip and the other holding the microphone, shook her head and looked towards Kurosawa.

“That’s hard to say. Ai’s group has always been strong, and Yuki sings really well. I just don’t know how good her boyfriend is.”

Unlike usual, today there was an additional presence, Kurosawa Hikaru. Until the competition ended, the outcome was uncertain.

“Kurosawa, can you sing?”

Shiina stood up, walked to the open Karaoke screen, took the microphone, and asked with a playful smile.

“I rarely sing, I only learned it in music class.”

Kurosawa neither confirmed nor denied but explained his situation.

That was the truth; singing was something he rarely did. The reason he could remember “Little Love Song” was thanks to a Japanese drama he had seen in his past life, where he found it quite catchy.

Hearing this response, Shiina immediately gained confidence, giving a mischievous smile.

“Then get ready for your punishment.”

What she most wanted to see now was Ichinose and Kurosawa, this beautiful couple, doing embarrassing things.

Seeing her so lively and cheerful, Kurosawa also politely smiled.

“You’re still smiling.” Faced with this dilemma, Ichinose, seeing him still smiling, suddenly became embarrassed.

This guy, could it be that even though he says he won’t sell himself, deep down, he’s actually looking forward to the punishments?

On the side, Matsushita, seeing their reactions, although she couldn’t hear what was said, could feel that Ichinose lacked confidence.

Realizing this, Matsushita said to her boyfriend, “Be more ambitious. With the previous three groups of people, we’ve always been at the bottom, and with Yuki’s group added this time, I don’t want to be last.”

“I can handle a fight, but I’m really not good at singing.” Yamamoto held her in his arms, feeling helpless about his girlfriend’s request.

“Think about the special training we did before. Do you want to lose to that bookworm?” Matsushita didn’t care about anything else.

“Alright.” Yamamoto, stimulated by her words, felt a surge of competitiveness.

Indeed, how could he lose to a bookworm? If he couldn’t beat him in academics, he had to surpass him in other aspects, right?

Soon, Shiina and her boyfriend Sato finished singing, scoring 91 and 88 points respectively. Their total score of 179 points put them at the top.

“Fantastic! Mua!”

After her boyfriend finished singing, Shiina ran up, hugged him, and gave him a deep kiss, standing on her tiptoes.

Next up was Matsushita and her boyfriend.

Matsushita sang a cute and adorable song, quite suitable for her style, earning a solid 90 points.

Her boyfriend Yamamoto chose a more passionate song with bold lyrics and beats, securing 78 points. With a total of 168 points, they ranked third, practically receiving their impending punishment already.

“It’s my turn.”

After six songs, it was finally time for her own performance. Ichinose stood up.

“Go for it.”

Seeing her gearing up, Kurosawa also cheered her on.

Ichinose’s steps were light and agile, resembling a dance. She ran to the front of the screen, took the microphone handed over by Yamamoto, and turned around.

Ichinose looked at everyone in their seats, then gazed at Kurosawa. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak.

“This is one of my favorite songs. Every time I hear it, I think of Hikaru-kun. Because you don’t really like noisy places like karaoke, I never had a chance to sing it for you before. Today, I can finally dedicate this song to you.”

“Hush~”

“Isn’t this too cheesy?”

As soon as she spoke, the crowd erupted into cheers, teasing comments, and laughter, all directed at Kurosawa.

Facing everyone’s gaze, Kurosawa just grinned, revealing his neatly aligned, white teeth.

At that moment, the prelude started with two drum beats.

The beat was charming and wonderful, it sounded quite cheerful.

Ichinose’s right hand, adorned with colorful nail art, gripped the microphone. Her left hand lightly tapped on her leg to the beat. Then, after taking a deep breath, her cherry-red lips slightly parted, and a sweet and gentle voice began to sing.

“In a vast world on a blue planet, one of just many in a vast universe

I send tiny little feelings of love to you on a tiny little island

I meet you, then some time goes by

I pour my heart into more and more letters

Before long we really resonate with each other

It’s intense at times between us, heartbreaking at others

My sweet song rings out far and wide, and changes the world”

Singing this song, Ichinose’s gaze remained on Kurosawa.

She sang this song with great dedication, expressing both emotion and skill. Perhaps her vocal style was not exactly like the original, but this love song, unique to her, echoed throughout the room.

For those who loved karaoke, this love song was universally known; it was impossible that someone hadn’t heard it before.

However, when paired with the initial introduction, this rendition of “Little Love Song” filled Ichinose’s singing with infectious emotions.

It was more than just singing, it was like she was telling a sweet story full of beautiful memories.

No one spoke, afraid of disturbing her.

Seeing this scene, Kurosawa just smiled, his eyes filled with indulgence.

In this moment, even Matsushita, who harbored doubts and jealousy, let go of her biases and began to envy the affection between the two.

In everyone’s eyes, they appeared to be a couple who had been dating for two years.

As the last sentence fell, “Little Love Song” came to an end.

“Clap, clap, clap, clap!”

As the music accompaniment gradually faded with the end of the song, Akiyuki led the applause, and others followed suit.

Facing the applause from everyone, Ichinose smiled happily, then turned around to check the scores.

“93 points! Yuki, you broke the record this time. It seems having your boyfriend present made you perform exceptionally well.”

Akiyuki also saw the score, stood up, and congratulated her with a smile.

Shiina immediately ran over, hugged Ichinose, and praised her without reservation.

“You were so good and cute!”

“You were so impressive, like a professional singer.”

“You could even perform on the streets.”

The guys were also supportive.

“That was too much.”

At this moment, Shiina noticed something popping up in the upper left corner of the screen and was surprised.

“Wow, the next song is still ‘Little Love Song’… Kurosawa, are you going to sing this one too?”

Kurosawa stood up, adjusted his clothes, and nodded.

“Yes.”