Chapter 127

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**In the Recording Studio. (3)**

“~♪”

“Wow…”

“So, how was it?”

I’m not exactly sure how we got here, but I found myself enthusiastically clapping for Nozomi-san as she finished singing.

She was really good.

I wasn’t doubting her or anything, but I never expected her to sing _this_ well.

She’s a real talent.

“You were amazing!”

“Hehe, thank you…!”

As I clapped, she turned her head shyly in different directions, clearly flustered.

It was such a contrast from her earlier, confident singing—it created this big gap in impression.

The opposite of Toya, really.

Toya would raise her chin proudly like “praise me!” after singing, but Nozomi-san was just bashful.

“It’s been a while since I last sang, so I’m glad it went well…”

“Hmm… then, should I sing too?”

“O-only if you want to!”

I wasn’t sure how well I’d do, but—maybe it’d be easier to sing in front of someone who didn’t know me that well.

I cleared my throat confidently, and Nozomi-san’s expression turned calm and focused.

Just like when she sang—she gets really serious about music.

That part of her might actually be a little similar to Toya.

“A long time from no— _cough, cough!!_”

“A-are you okay?!”

Well, for how confident I started, my song didn’t go well at all.

Honestly, it was so bad you could fairly ask, “Was that even supposed to be a song?”

AI Natsu had sung this before and done a great job, so… I guess I’d been hoping I might manage something similar.

Even my children’s songs had gone okay, so I’d gotten my hopes up.

“Cough… huff…”

“S-should we go to a hospital?”

“I’m fine.”

I’d sort of expected this might happen. The real problem was just that it started sooner than I thought.

Either way, there was no way I’d improve in just a day or two.

Even if I could keep rhythm, my pitch and vocal strength were still all over the place.

I’d expected it, sure—but things just _never_ go the way I want them to.

“Are you not feeling well?”

“It’s just a bit of asthma…”

I mean, I’ve got more than just that going on, but yeah.

I tried to calm both a worried Nozomi-san and my spasming lungs at the same time.

Ugh… I thought I was doing better, but I guess not.

As I held my chest and tried to catch my breath, a cup of water quietly appeared next to me.

“Thank you…”

“Take your time.”

_Gulp, gulp._ Slowly, the water level in the cup dropped.

Since I’d just had a coughing fit, I couldn’t chug it—which was a little frustrating—but it still helped soothe my throat.

Once I’d emptied the cup, a heavy silence settled between us.

I felt awkward because I’d forced myself to sing even though I knew what would happen, and Nozomi-san seemed to think it was her fault I’d tried.

“You didn’t sing just because of me… right?”

“It wasn’t because of you, Nozomi-san. I sang because I wanted to.”

If I had to compare it to something… she was like a bystander who just happened to be at the scene of an accident.

As I tried to reassure the still-flustered Nozomi-san, I fell into thought.

Could I really improve if I kept trying like this?

I didn’t even need to sing an entire song.

If I could just sing _one_ clean phrase, I could stitch those pieces together into something whole.

But I couldn’t even manage that one phrase—and ended up looking pathetic…

“…So lame, seriously.”

Then again, nothing in my life ever really went the way I wanted.

I’d gotten lucky and things turned out okay so far, but if not for that, I probably would’ve lived a pretty miserable life.

I let out a sigh and lowered my head. My mind felt hot, and it wouldn’t be long before the tears came.

Sorry, Toya. I wanted to surprise you, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

I didn’t want to cry in front of Nozomi-san, so I pressed my fingers to the corners of my eyes to hold back the tears.

‘Okay, calm down, calm down… This isn’t something to cry over.’

Too emotional, Han Yeoreum.

I forced myself to breathe, straightened up, and put on a neutral face.

There, just shifting my mindset a little helped.

“U-um… but you kept rhythm well! Pitch and vocal power are things you can improve with practice!”

“….”

“L-let’s do our best together! I’ll help you however I can!”

Nozomi-san clenched her fists like she was trying to pep me up, but I shook my head.

Sorry, Nozomi-san, but I know my own condition best.

I wasn’t giving up entirely—but at the very least, I couldn’t sing properly _right now_.

Unless my health improved significantly or I built more stamina, I wasn’t going to get anywhere.

So… maybe it was time to stop for now.

This was kind of a spur-of-the-moment idea anyway, and no one would blame me for putting it on hold.

“Still… you like singing, don’t you?”

“…I do, but…”

“I want to help. I mean, I kind of ran away into an office job, so I don’t know how good a teacher I’d be, but I’ll do my best!”

“Ah…”

She took my hand as she said that, and I let out a small sigh.

That familiar warmth, that familiar look in her eyes.

But this time, it was from a different height.

She knelt down so that she could meet my eyes while I was sitting in a chair.

She looked more desperate than the person who was supposedly about to give up—and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Pfft… Hahaha!”

“Huh? Did I say something weird?”

“You just looked way more desperate than I was, so it’s hard to give up when you look at me like that.”

“…Sorry?”

I motioned for her to stand up, worried her outfit would get dirty from the floor.

A new employee probably doesn’t have many spare suits, so she should keep the ones she has clean.

As I laughed softly while watching her stand, she reached over and gently wiped my eye.

That startled me more than I expected.

“Don’t cry, Ichinose-san. I’m sure you can do it.”

“Wait… I was crying?”

“Huh? Weren’t you? There’s a teardrop right he—”

“J-just count it as a yawn!”

I didn’t think I had cried, but I guess a little had slipped out.

Ugh, how embarrassing… Crying over _this_?!

I gave her a look, silently begging her to let it go, and she finally nodded in understanding.

Whew… At least I was feeling better now.

Even I noticed that I sometimes acted like a child.

At my age, acting like this… Maybe I’ve just been living too comfortably lately.

“Well then, I look forward to working with you. So, teacher?”

“Guh…”

“What is it?”

I looked up and gave her a big smile, and she instantly clamped her hands over her mouth.

Like she’d just seen something she wasn’t supposed to.

I blinked, confused, as she frantically looked around to avoid eye contact.

Was it really that shocking?

“You… you’re just too cute!”

“….”

“…Was that rude?”

“…It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

It wasn’t really a complex or anything—I just wasn’t used to being called cute.

But I’ve heard it so much now that it barely phases me.

From listeners, community comments, people on the street, coworkers, and even Toya—_everyone_ has said it at least once.

I still can’t say I _enjoy_ being called cute, but when I think of it as Koyuki being called cute, it kind of makes me feel good.

After all, we do share the same body.

“By the way… is it really okay? I mean, I spent time with you today because it was my day off, but normally I have work, so it might be hard to make time until after I’m done for the day…”

“Ah, right…”

I’d gotten so used to being around Nozomi-san these past couple of days that I forgot she was actually a working adult.

And I know how important rest is when you’re working full-time, so I couldn’t really ask her to come see me after work either.

I didn’t want her to lose her precious downtime because of me.

Although… it’s not like there’s _no_ solution.

‘If she doesn’t have time to teach me because of work… then I just need to _make_ teaching me part of her job.’

And with that sudden thought, a brilliant idea formed in my head.