“The wind that passed between the two of us
Carried a hint of loneliness from somewhere.
The sky after we cried,
Was incredibly clear and transparent.”
...
The prelude was very short, less than a second.
And this part had almost no accompaniment, equivalent to an a cappella.
The moment Lu Jue's voice sounded, everyone instantly got goosebumps.
He started too quickly, and they hadn't reacted.
But they quickly immersed themselves in Lu Jue's lazy and gentle voice.
Lu Jue's vocal tone was excellent; when he sang, it was as if an elder was earnestly speaking into your ear.
Although his singing technique might have been a bit lacking, it did not overshadow his talent.
Below the stage, Tokai Teio, Special Week, and Haru Urara swayed their bodies from side to side like flowers in the wind, following the rhythm of the song.
Seiun Sky propped her head with both hands, her eyes almost curving into an arc. The parts that weren't closed were entirely filled with Lu Jue's figure.
Only Silence Suzuka broke free from the song.
She deliberated between the water cup on the table and Lu Jue on the stage, finally making her decision.
She couldn't lose to Seiun Sky!
What the other person had done, she had to do too!
Silence Suzuka slowly shifted her hips, one hand extending out like a lurking snake, slowly reaching until it wrapped around Lu Jue's water cup.
She watched the expressions of the others out of the corner of her eye, and after confirming that no one was paying attention, she poured some of the water from Lu Jue's cup into her own.
After doing all this, she didn't feel the relief of having escaped a disaster; instead, her heart beat faster and faster—little Silence Suzuka was flustered inside.
Silence Suzuka, oh Silence Suzuka, what on earth are you doing...
Silence Suzuka became a little more sober, and at the same time, she once again fell into a difficult and awkward situation.
What Seiun Sky could do casually was still too difficult for her.
“Clap, clap, clap—”
A round of applause pulled Silence Suzuka's soul back.
When she looked at the stage, the music abruptly stopped, and Lu Jue's performance had just ended.
She picked up the watermelon and threw away the pumpkin... The key was that she hadn't even eaten this watermelon!
Lu Jue had no idea about Silence Suzuka's little schemes.
He cleared his throat and said, “This song is called 'It's Nothing Much,' and although it has nothing to do with the lyrics, I still want to use the song title to hope that everyone can maintain an optimistic attitude no matter what setbacks they encounter in the future.”
“Trainer, sing another one! Xiao Te still wants to hear it,” Uralala shouted.
Special Week felt a bit strange, and she shyly echoed, “If possible, I really would like to hear more.”
“No more singing, I really don't know many songs,” Lu Jue waved his hand, refusing.
Haru Urara wouldn't let Lu Jue off, “Sing another one, Xiao Te will do anything~”
“Yes, I'll do anything...” The slow-witted Special Week only just reacted, pressing her hands against her skirt, her face turning bright red, “Uralala-chan, what are you saying!?”
What did she mean by she would do anything... Clearly, Uralala wanted to hear it too. Hmm, it should be both of them together.
“Speaking of which, Teacher Lu Jue really has the demeanor of a star. Why did he choose to become a Trainer?”
Among those present, only Tokai Teio referred to Lu Jue as “Teacher.”
The others, hearing this, also turned their gaze towards Lu Jue.
“Why did I become a Trainer...?”
Of course, there was a reason.
It was just difficult for Lu Jue to say it out loud.
“Is it because I'm very interested in riding horses?”
“Ri-ri-ri-riding...” Special Week's mouth hung open, and steam was already rising from the top of her head. Her mind also began to conjure up an absurd and comical image.
“Oh~ So Trainer likes to ride Uma Musume~” Seiun Sky's tone was very playful.
Lu Jue was stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted, and was instantly speechless, “What I meant was actually training Uma Musume, not riding...”
Eh, he probably shouldn't speak too definitively.
“Ah... So it's training Uma Musume.” Special Week found it hard to hide the embarrassment on her face, lowering her head to look for a crack in the ground to crawl into.
“What else could it be...?”
Lu Jue realized that these little Uma Musume seemed to know quite a lot, even “Special Week” could think of certain things.
Much could be seen from Nimble Beret earlier.
Of course, there were some exceptions.
“Xiao Te, Trainer, what are you two talking about?” Haru Urara blinked her bright, watery eyes, looking around with a curious expression.
“Nothing, nothing, Uralala, don't ask anymore!” Special Week pounced on Uralala, covering her mouth with her hands.
Lu Jue smiled and said nothing more, but returned to his seat, “Alright, you all go sing again, there are no more songs.”
As he spoke, he picked up the water cup on the table and took a full mouthful, “Silence Suzuka, what's wrong?”
Lu Jue blinked, looking at Silence Suzuka's outstretched hand suspended in front of her chest.
“Nothing...” Silence Suzuka withdrew her hand and sat down obediently.
Just now, Lu Jue had picked up the wrong cup; he drank from hers.
The turn of events was completely unexpected for her.
Forget it, I still won't tell Lu Jue-jun... Anyway, he already drank it, it's not like I can make him spit it out.
The words echoing in her heart carried helplessness, used to cover up a deeper, small sense of delight.
...
After singing for the full karaoke session, everyone got up and left.
“Where to next, dinner!?” Uralala suggested. After singing for so long, her stomach had been rumbling for ages.
“I'll go back to school first, so I won't join you,” Tokai Teio felt that she was an outsider after all, so she wouldn't get involved.
“Don't be like that, Emperor-chan, we're going to Trainer's house for dinner, his cooking is so delicious!” Haru Urara gripped Tokai Teio's wrist.
“This...” Tokai Teio was clearly tempted.
This also showed the effectiveness of Ms. Kusa's promotion.
“Uralala, not today, it's too sudden, and there are so many people, there won't be enough time to prepare ingredients,” Lu Jue said.
“Thank you, Uralala, but you see Teacher Lu has already said so, let's make plans for next time.”
“Alright...”
Lu Jue sighed, still unable to bear the dejected expression on Haru Urara's face, “Alright, Xiao Te's celebration banquet hasn't been held yet, has it? We can invite Emperor-chan then, it'll also be a thank you for this special training.”
“Is that okay?” Tokai Teio was still a bit reserved.
Before Lu Jue could answer, the re-energized Uralala had already made the decision for Lu Jue, “Yes, Trainer's cooking is delicious, I love it!”
“Exactly, just say yes!” Special Week also stepped forward to persuade him.
Lu Jue showed a doting smile, “Uralala, so you just like to eat my cooking, is that it?”
“Of course not, I like Trainer a lot too, hehe~”
Uralala's casual remark, however, revealed a key point.
Special Week's expression froze, and Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky also seemed to be moved, deep in thought.