Chapter 612
Even if it's unintentional, it's still best to avoid it as much as possible.
"So, we're meeting here again at this time tomorrow?" Esther asked, tilting her head to confirm.
"Yes!" he nodded firmly.
"Huh? So that means we can eat this delicious food again tomorrow? That's great!" The most excited of all was Justin, who had been eating non-stop since they started.
"That's great, Katerina!"
"Ah, yes. That's wonderful, Lord Justin... But have you prepared the gift?"
"Ah... where are the design drawings?"
"Ms. Okura isn't a designer, so she might not be able to work with Desu."
"Waaah..."
She frowned, racking her brains to figure out what to give as a gift.
To not freeload... the Lagrange Family wouldn't do such a thing...
"That's a real problem," another blonde girl nodded in agreement naturally.
He raised an eyebrow, realizing he had almost forgotten about her...
This girl, who has hardly made a presence out of the public eye so far, is none other than Shiina Mashiro. Since she only meets Esther and Ashiri every noon, she rarely offers her opinions.
Of course, the bigger factor was that the food tonight was so delicious that she'd been eating like Justin all this time.
Even now, a small dollop of white cream still lingers on the corner of her mouth.
He took a tissue and casually wiped her face—but unexpectedly, several pairs of eyes saw through him instantly.
"..."
What are you doing? You're just wiping the mouth of a child who can't take care of themselves.
After most people had showcased their talents, Sakurakoji Talent was not spared either, and he was unanimously eliminated from the competition.
"You're abusing the chefs! I'm going to get revenge! I'll poison your food tomorrow!" Sakurakoji Talent muttered resentfully.
Okura Rumin smiled and lightly chopped him in the face, "Preparing to commit an act that threatens the health of others constitutes the crimes of illegally placing dangerous items and intentional injury."
Verdict: Add one more program.
This sentence is a bit too lenient and adorable... Looking at this stunningly beautiful woman in front of me, if it weren't for the crowd, I really wanted to kiss her.
If he really drugged us, wouldn't today's party be... cough um~ he's not that kind of person.
He obediently accepted his "sister's" punishment and walked to the instrument shaped like a keyboard. It wasn't a grand Piano, but Keyboard.
Although many people think these two are similar, they are actually quite different.
Piano produces sound physically by striking the strings with hammers, while the Keyboard produces purely electronic sounds, capable of playing a wide variety of digitally sampled sounds and even mimicking the sounds of other instruments.
It has more keys than Piano (88 keys), and the Piano feel heavier. Therefore, some people might look down on it and think it's just a toy, especially for professionals like Rumin.
However, Keyboard are really useful in pop music, and they're also convenient to carry around.
He turned on the power, did some simple adjustments, and realized that none of the people from earlier had used the Keyboard.
"The first song, 'Blooming in the Mud,' please listen--"
Without any hesitation, ethereal sound effects immediately followed, drifting and blending, before a light and airy human voice:
"けたが Filter できなくて(A broken heart cannot be filtered)"
"はそっとれてゆく(tears quietly dry up)"
"もう grain も れなくて(Not a drop can flow out anymore)"
"It's so funny that it's ridiculous"
"..."
Although the original singer was a woman, he didn't need to deliberately switch to Ogura Asahi's voice. There was no way around it; his androgynous voice was what it was—it was innate.
On the contrary, if he were to squeeze in the vocal cords, he might not be able to sing that heart-wrenching scream properly.
However, singing this song at a birthday party was a bit out of place; it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, so he put it as the first song.
Chapter 554 Essential Birthday Activities and Presentations
After he finished singing, the rest of the people in the music room were stunned into silence by his "shouting and screaming".
After a while, Okura Rumin frowned and asked, "It's nice to listen to... what song is this?"
"The original songs I wrote for the musicians at my company haven't been released yet," Sakurakoji Talent explained.
"Ah, I see." She seemed to understand and breathed a sigh of relief. "So you wanted to sing your own original song. I thought something had happened..."
His "deeply affectionate outing" just now seemed to have surprised her a bit; she had thought he had encountered some troubles recently.
If that's the case, she'll have to fulfill her responsibility as an older sister and comfort him.
"Mr. Talent can also compose music and write lyrics?! That's wonderful! I love it!"
"Miss Sakuri, please don't give my brother that scheming look, okay?"
"Ugh~ What's this brother-obsessed guy saying? He's clearly a brother himself..."
"!!!"
Okura Rumin abandoned her ladylike demeanor and stepped forward to lock her throat, preventing her from uttering a single sound.
"Gurgle... I'm going to die... Let go, Rumin-san... I was wrong..." Yōkadō Sakuri rolled her eyes, revealing a terrible expression as if she was about to go to heaven.
This is just too bad, it's like... what kind of heaven are you trying to go to?
He sighed, deciding not to watch the fight between the women, who he wasn't even sure were pretty, and went to the speakers nearby, turning on the existing audio source.
For the second song, he didn't need to do anything himself, because there was a ready-made audio source.
"Next up is the second song, titled 'BLACK SHOUT'!"
That's right, it's Roselia's song. As the boss, it's perfectly reasonable for him to have the background music recorded by his employees, right?
He scanned the faces of everyone present with expectation and emotion, and slowly began to speak amidst the dark, classical prelude:
"Even in the darkest night, we fight."
"えずに(now I am no longer afraid)"
"The path I believe in, running"
"Misaki jin も う (Go forward without hesitation!)"
"..."
The winding yet relentless rhythm, the dark melody paired with bright lyrics, the supportive harmonies from the band members, and the harmonious interplay between drums, Keyboard, and strings...
What he meant was—the rock and roll (of life) is just awesome!
As the music ended and the party drew to a close, the young people gradually dispersed and returned to their homes only after the no-noisy hours stipulated in the Ten no Yashiro resident contract.
Aoyama Nanami and Koto Satsuki helped clean up the half-finished mess, wiping dishes, washing dishes, sorting trash... fulfilling their official duties as maids.
Sakurakoji Talent is to stay and talk to the last guest who leaves.
"Thank you, Mr. Talent." Esther bowed to him in the hallway outside the door. "I had a really great time tonight."
"I was initially quite nervous about coming to an unfamiliar place, but now I can say with certainty that it's wonderful to be here!"
"Don't be so formal, just call me as usual." He waved his hand, his gaze unreadable, as if to say, "You don't need to be so grateful; I also took advantage of your birthday party..."
"Um..." She cleared her throat, her expression a little awkward, "Anyway, thank you so much, Talent! Thank you for the banquet you prepared for me!"
"I'll be there for Rumin-san's birthday party tomorrow too!"
"Okay, goodnight~"
"Okay, goodnight~ It looks like I'll be able to draw some really great design drafts today."
"That's true. If you don't draw well, I'll double your workload."
"Eh~~~ How could this happen!"
"..."
"..."
"The elevator's here? Why isn't it moving?" He asked, puzzled, looking at her standing stiffly in front of the elevator doors.
"No, actually!" Esther seemed to have mustered her courage, suddenly turning halfway around to face him directly. "Mr. Talent! I, I..."
Sakurakoji Talent nodded knowingly, his eyes seeming to say, "This isn't your fault": "Yeah, I know I'm popular..."
"Can I take the rest of the cake with me?"
"Eh..."
"I was so happy just now! I was so busy watching your show that I didn't eat much! Now I feel a little hungry again..." She rubbed her flat stomach with a dejected expression, making a soft moan.
"Ah! And the food you made! Make sure to include any leftovers!"
"..." Sakurakoji Talent's eyes lost their sparkle, and he looked at her as if she were a "pig."
There must be only one kind of animal that likes to eat leftovers, right?
No other answers will be accepted!
He didn't answer, and silently walked back to the apartment. A little while later, he came back carrying a half-eaten cake and a bag of leftover scraps.
In her other hand was a stack of sliced small cakes.
Upon seeing the sumptuous meal, Esther's turquoise eyes lit up. "Thank you~ chuckles..."
"How could this happen~" the pig grunted, then feigned modesty, saying, "Actually, I don't really want to eat it right now~ You don't need to cut it up for me now..."
Splat!
When two soft things collide, the softer one will eventually break.
After she accepted the half-cake with Hands, Sakurakoji Talent, without any expression, covered her delicate face with the small piece of cake, making it completely unrecognizable.
Cream, bread, blonde hair, and icy skin were all mixed together, each a tempting and exquisite item on its own, but at this moment, only a mess could describe it.
Seeing this comical scene, he finally burst into laughter. "Happy Birthday, Esther!"
"Of course, a birthday celebration wouldn't be complete without this activity, right?"
Okura Rumin and the others are well-mannered young ladies who wouldn't do something like harming others under the guise of a birthday celebration, and Ginjo Shunsin and the others wouldn't dare to act rashly—but he's different.
He has the right identity and stance, the right malice and the right motive... He would feel guilty if he didn't do it!
The woman in golden robes stood frozen in place, completely unprepared for this ordeal at the very end. But after hearing his explanation, it didn't seem like retaliation.
"Pfft~" She exhaled the bread that was blocking her mouth and nose, opened her breathing space, and began to move around.
First, she licked the cream from her lips, revealing a blissful and gentle expression, before starting to complain, "How awful~ They actually attacked me when I wasn't on guard... sobs
She feigned two sobs and stepped into the elevator. "Next time it's Talent's birthday, I'm definitely going to get my revenge!"
Although she can be a bit silly at times, she has a very broad mind and won't get angry with others over such trivial matters.
Even if the other person wasn't him, even if she wasn't a noblewoman, the outcome wouldn't change.
"Hmph~ I won't give you that chance, okay?"
"I'm so sticky with Talent, I'm going to complain to Rumin-san and Ms. Ashiri."
"..." Is your tattling even serious?
"You must record every single word exactly, okay? I trust your character, noble and proud Esther ~" he added, still not entirely at ease.
"Huh?" With a confused look, she heard the elevator doors slowly close.
The following day was the third day of Hanasakigawa's midterm exams.
To avoid not having time to make it today, Sakurakoji Talent used the Sakura Mansion's kitchen early in the morning and spent two or three hours making a cake for Okura Rumin that was about the same size as Esther's.
He only had his old man make two, since even if they were in the freezer, leaving them for too long would definitely affect the taste and the freshness of the ingredients.