“I felt you were a little stiff. You’re relying too much on your superficial techniques. You should train your core more. I’ll give you sixty points this time, but please do your best in the future.”
“Th-thank you, Mr. Oomuta!”
After giving her dance and vocal performance, the female student exited the stage, bowed low, and left after receiving her evaluation card from the judges.
It was my first time seeing a midterm exam in progress, and now I knew how it worked.
When their turn was called, a student would go to the center of the stage and show off their ability. Any method was acceptable. Students who needed instruments were allowed to bring them. And by applying in advance to the sound technicians waiting in the auditorium, they could even perform to prerecorded music. The screen could also be lowered to display video clips or other presentation materials.
Once their presentation was over, they would leave the stage and approach the judging panel. Then, after listening to a few of the judges’ comments, they would receive a card with a score on it and leave the auditorium.
It seemed one had to achieve three hundred points, a hundred from each judge, in order for it to be considered amazing. But a hundred apparently wasn’t even the highest score you could get. The jazz violinist Ebina even gave one student 115 points.
In other words, if two contestants showed a clear difference in ability, it was unlikely for them to tie at three hundred points.
One way or another, either Erio or Shiika would come out on top.
A single girl stepped onstage without letting the slightest bit of stress show on her face.
Erio Shibuya.
Do people with talent attract people just by being there? Her appearance onstage was exceptional compared to any student so far. Just adjusting the height of the mic stand and doing some final warm-ups for her voice, she looked incredibly beautiful.
Was it her clothing style? Her posture? She had that hidden X factor. Just by existing, she attracted attention with a power akin to the force of nature. A natural disaster, like a tornado, perhaps.
With her gray-dyed hair and pink underlay, her earrings, her choker—the adornments that covered her entire body—she seemed to radiate “I am a supernatural being. I am different from you” energy.
No other student was so aware of how they came across.
I appreciated that now.
Since I sent the virtual singer Seeker out into the world, along with Shiika herself, I knew the pressure that came with having many eyes upon you. So I could understand it.
Erio Shibuya believes that looks are all you need.
But she doesn’t mean it literally.
She had the “look” of a star named Erio Shibuya.
The Erio Shibuya “look” was the important thing.
Like a walking billboard for her act, perhaps.
She must have been nervous. For her, this was a decisive battle, with something important at stake.
She must have had butterflies. She was performing in front of industry leaders who’d achieved the results she was aiming for.
She must have been anxious. Onstage, anything could happen. One mistake could ruin everything you’ve built. There’s no guarantee it would all go according to plan.
She must have been feeling all these emotions.
But so what if she was?
As long as she had the right look…was wearing the Erio Shibuya persona…then all she had to do next was sing.
It was because of her dedication to that persona, her affinity for it, that she was able to command such an impressive presence.
“Well then, please begin.”
“Yes. Music, please.”
Music started playing in the auditorium, and Erio nodded to the rhythm. Then…
Sound surged like a rising storm.
Starting with a unique low-pitched intro, her voice quickly transitioned into a high-pitched tone. Her singing voice, which freely changed from high to low to match the intense guitar and drums, overwhelmed the auditorium.
Just listening to it made me shiver from the intensity of the sound, and I broke out in a sweat, like I was doing a mild cardio exercise.
“Whoa! Even my bone marrow is vibrating!”
“Her voice… It’s soul-piercing. Oh, it’s so impactful! I could get addicted!”
“Ah, this is quite amazing.”
The three judges were also overwhelmed by Erio’s exceptional singing voice. The students, who had gathered in the auditorium with various thoughts in mind, had their wicked opinions and distractions blown away—and had no choice but to listen with admiration.
Chest voice, falsetto, mix, whistle voice. She used them all freely.
With a vocal range of six octaves as a weapon, singing up-tempo Japanese rock with a high degree of difficulty, Erio resembled Lu Bu, warlord of the Three Kingdoms, charging into battle on his faithful steed, Chi Tu.
This was truly the gem in the crown of Erio Shibuya’s singing technique.
She sang flawlessly until the end, and when the music finally faded from the speakers, a kind of anxiety sprang up in my heart. It wasn’t just me; I was sure. This was a phenomenon that everyone else was experiencing simultaneously.
The contrast between the roar of the music and the sudden silence was vast, and I mourned the lack of sound.
After a short delay, applause erupted like heavy rain.
In just five minutes or less, Erio Shibuya had the power to get people addicted to her voice.
This was at a professional level. This was top-notch.
Having proved herself, Erio Shibuya smiled, her face sweaty. She turned toward Shiika, who was waiting for her turn, with a triumphant gaze.
How was that? What, no more sassy comments?
That was what her eyes were saying.
“So moving! Absolutely superb! You’re number one! Have a hundred and twenty points!”
Touyo Oomuta welcomed Erio as she exited the stage, his jaw working around a mouthful of peanuts with the shells still on.
“Your passionate singing voice is wonderful. If I had a flower like you in my life, maybe even I could find happiness… One hundred and thirty points.”
Hamako Ebina praised Erio’s talent with an enraptured look on her face.
“Thank you.”
Shibuya bowed with a confident expression as she received her evaluation cards from the judges.
Focusing on one of the cards, Erio stiffened.
“Um… Excuse me, Mr. Kushiro.”
“Yes, here you are.”
Waving a gloved hand, Reiri Kushiro smiled brightly.
Her eyes scrutinizing his face, Erio said:
“You…you meant to give me ninety points?”
“Is there a problem? It’s the highest score I gave today, and I think I’m evaluating your ability properly. The other two can easily give over a hundred points, but my motto is: If it’s not a hundred percent perfect, I won’t give a hundred points.”
“Could you give me some advice on what I was lacking?”
“No. And I don’t think you should ask.”
“Huh?”
“I wouldn’t want you to take my opinion to heart and change yourself unnecessarily. You’ve got plenty of talent. You could make it as a pro. Isn’t that enough?”
“Oh… Right. Well. I understand. If you say so.”
Shibuya still seemed to want to say something but withdrew instead.
She didn’t leave the auditorium, though. Instead, she leaned against the wall and remained, looking up at the stage. It seemed she intended to keep an eye on Shiika’s exam in order to confirm the results of their little challenge.
Touyo Oomuta gave her 120 points. Hamako Ebina gave her 130 points. Reiri Kushiro gave her ninety points. Erio Shibuya’s total score was 340 points.
Come on, Shiika. Can you surpass that incredible score?
I could hear someone gasp. Fired up by Erio’s performance, everyone’s hearts were pounding in anticipation for more excellent music. The bar had been raised for Shiika.
Give it to them, Shiika. Melt all their brains. Helplessly addicted to aural pleasure, Shiika was the focus of the audience now.
Yet…
“What is she, some sort of amateur?”
“Sloppy clothes. And her bangs are too long; you can’t even see her face. What a pathetic display.”
“Right after Erio Shibuya… What a letdown!”
Voices of disappointment begin to rise from the surrounding students, and a smoldering, negative atmosphere began to spread through the auditorium, as if one audience member after another picked up the melody and continued the round.
Of course. Compared to Erio, who exuded a special aura just by standing onstage, Shiika looked like a normal high school girl who just woke up after falling asleep in her uniform.
Her uniform, sloppy and untucked, her hair a bird’s nest.
It was Shiika Ikebukuro in her purest form.
She’d been evaluated on the internet many times as a Vsinger, but Shiika had never performed onstage in person. She had no experience to draw from. She had never given any thought as to how to charm the audience as “Shiika Ikebukuro.”
There was no way she could reach the level of Erio Shibuya.
The expressions of the judges also seemed somewhat flat. There was not even a shred of anticipation in their eyes, as there had been when they stared at Erio.
“Well then, please begin.”
“Hmm… Music, okay.”
Shiika waved her hand lightly to cue the music.
A song started playing in the auditorium. Shiika opened her mouth just a little.
Then…
Everyone in the auditorium…
Yes, the judges and Erio Shibuya, too…
They all opened their eyes wide, fixated on Shiika.