Kara-Oh-No!

Haru yawned as the bell chimed for the end of classes. Waking up an hour early and sweating first thing in the morning had taken a toll on him. He half expected to get snide remarks and rumors of favoritism for suddenly joining midseason, but the soccer team had welcomed him regardless.

If there were any doubts before, Haru quickly dispelled them after blocking every single shot that so much as whiffed the blades of grass around the penalty area. Daichi hadn’t been lying to butter him up. Haru’s skills were appreciated.

But because of all that, he half wondered if class was another dream. The conspicuous absence of someone was his only saving grace. The other half of his brain was spent contemplating how to approach the issue with Grace.

I feel like an isekai protagonist dealing with memory lapse or some shit.

At this point, Haru was willing to grasp straws to explain her existence. Especially with his friends noticing his strange behavior, he had to be a bit more careful how he went about it.

Fortunately, he was given a pass for today. Due to his valiant efforts in defending the goal, Koichi and Daichi took one look at the sorry aftermath and let him off.

Haru slinked out of his seat, determined to make the most of total freedom. Grabbing his bag, a sudden rush of energy came to him as he bolted for the exit, an idea in mind.

#####

“A room for one? That’ll be 1500 yen per hour.”

Haru quickly paid and chose one. Fortunately, they were soundproof, any telling signs of his voice muffled by the walls. He sorely needed a safe space for release.

Minutes later…

“Sunao ni I LOVE YOU! Todoke you kitto YOU LOVE ME!~~”

Haru belted out in front of a karaoke machine, pumping his fists left and right with the rhythm. It would have been a sight to see for the outwardly stoic Haru, reserved elsewhere aside from the sanctity of his bedroom.

But somehow, simply pulling up videos on the internet to sing along to didn’t vibe with him. He needed the microphone, the crappy surround sound, and the scent of disinfectant lingering in the room.

It was nice that they had an all-you-can-drink bar as well.

Singing the final notes, Haru ended his performance with one leg propped up on the table, back arched, and spirit fingers with his free hand. The screen faded to black and a giant score of ‘90’ appeared, not quite peak but adequate in his mind.

His entire day of pondering had led to an impromptu karaoke session as a shoddy attempt to connect with a certain trait of Grace – her music ability.

Granted, singing dumb pop songs was nowhere close to the piano music that Grace played, but he had no idea what that song was, or even if it existed in reality. All he could do was fill himself with the vibe of a pop star and hope that a flag would trigger.

That song of hers was telling him something. It was his only clue. He would force that flag out into the open even if he had to snap it in half by force.

“Phew, maybe I’ll grab a drink.”

He went out of his room and suddenly bumped into a short girl with glasses, who strangely giggled as he hastily apologized and slipped by. He grabbed some juice from the dispenser, chugging the first glass before refilling it for later.

“Hello, again,” a perky voice called out to him.

Haru spun around in a flash and spotted Kasumi. Instantly, he wanted to scream.

“Oh, come on. Do you hate seeing me that much?”

“No, of course not. Y-You just surprised me, that’s all!” Haru sweated bullets.

“Hmmmm? How suspicious. When Megu told me that you were in the hallway, I had to come and see. But now, you reek of secrets.”

“Friend?” Haru thought back and his jaw dropped. “Oh, Miss BL? Dammit, I didn’t notice at all!”

“How rude. That’s my friend you’re talking about here. But I guess I can forgive it if you spill. What shameful songs does Mr. Adventurous Oddball fancy?”

Haru hated being backed into a corner, but he knew just as well how to fight back.

“Well, how about you come join me in my room? I can regale you in the soothing grind of nails upon chalkboard that is my voice.”

“Yeah, sure. I’m curious.”

Damn it.

“Let’s hear it, buddy. I’ll even add to the disaster zone.”

Shit balls.

Haru shouldn’t have expected for a real girl to behave how he imagined. That was the first mistake, one that seemed utterly irreparable. Kasumi pulled him toward that self-dug grave, heading to the one room that he had left open. Second mistake.

Ugh. If that’s the case, I’ll just have to pick something metal!

“AH GAH BOOGA WAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!~~~”

A duet of screams echoed within the room, heard faintly from the hallway despite the soundproofing. Rather than back down, Kasumi had upped the ante.

Haru was head banging and jumping across the couches as he desperately tried to scare off Kasumi. But apparently, she wasn’t having it. Her high-pitched screeches were arrows that penetrated the joints of his armor.

When the song finally ended, the two of them collapsed back on the couches, in a heap.

Kasumi was the first to burst out laughing. A hearty, snorting laugh that made Haru question her sanity. But then, he let out a cackle too.

“Wha, hahaha, what possessed your, haha, throat?!”

Somehow, Haru found himself enjoying it. Kasumi had betrayed any expectations he held for her. They had come crashing down like walls made of glass. Kasumi fought to stifle her laughter before replying.

“I mean, isn’t it kind of dumb to be struck dumb by a dummy?”

“Wait, are you calling me a dummy?”

“No, I’m talking to the spirits living in the walls, of course, I mean you, doofus!”

“Okay, that’s it! I’m going in for round 2!” Haru reached for the remote, only to be stopped by Kasumi’s hand.

“Please, wait. I think I pulled something,” she said with her head down, “if we sing like that again, I’ll probably die,” before laughing again.

Haru backed away, if only to display the bare minimum amount of kindness. He felt the need to be a gentleman, as they were alone in a room. But then, he had a thought.

“Hey, what kind of songs do you like, actually?”

Kasumi’s giggling stopped at Haru’s change in tone. Thinking for a moment, she answered.

“Jpop. Boy bands. Pretty standard stuff. Probably boring to someone like you. Shall we sing one together next?”

“Hmm, it’s a long shot, but do you happen to know this song?” Haru asked, batting away the suggestion. He hummed a few bars of Grace’s song. Kasumi just stared at him blankly.

“Either, I’ve never heard it before, or you’re really just that bad.”

“Oh, shut it. Sounds fine to me.”

“Why are you asking me anyways? Isn’t Motoyama-san a better person to ask?”

Eh? I totally forgot to check with Koichi! I really am an idiot!

Haru smacked himself. And here he was, on a wild goose chase and dueling banshees.

“Anyways, we still have time left on the clock. Pick up your mic, Haru-kun!”

Haru robotically accepted it from her. He simply had to. Otherwise, she would be spouting favors once again. As the screen popped up with the next song, Haru was just about to relent to a melody made for normies. Except-

“Wait, BPS?! How am I supposed to sing to that?! It’s not even in Japanese!”

“There’s furigana for a reason. No excuses!”

#####

That evening, Haru was met with a jubilant Grace, rolling on the ground at his attire. His hair was slicked back, gobs of makeup created a perfect face, and a gaudy suit clung to his body, like he was a rack of shounen to invoke drool.

“Balls! I knew this would happen!”

“Well, I think it looks rather nice on you.”

“Like hell you do! Next thing you’ll say is that you’re the giggle fairy too!”

Grace touched him on the shoulder, gliding past him as her outfit morphed into a fancy evening gown. Shimmering jewelry rattled lightly, and a touch of makeup drew out her natural beauty. She looked ready to go out to town, hit some fancy shindigs, and escape into the night.

“A rendezvous in the sky, just like always. Shall we?”

Haru watched as Grace waved her hand, the blue skies shifting to twilight. A beam of moonlight came down, revealing a stairway of clouds.

“Very well, my lady.” Haru offered his elbow with playful exaggeration. He could be a gentleman when the occasion asked for it.