Inside a private KTV room.
The four of them—Arthur and the others—didn't rush to pick songs.
After ordering food and drinks, Arthur picked up the song selector, glanced at Shinomiya Kaguya, Fujiwara Chika, and Manabe Nao, then smiled as he asked:
"Who wants to go first?"
"You guys go ahead." Manabe Nao gave up the chance.
"You two sing," Shinomiya Kaguya said calmly, clearly not planning on singing.
She was here only to take part in the group activity.
Arthur's gaze swept past Shinomiya Kaguya and landed on Fujiwara Chika. He shook the remote in his hand:
"Secretary Fujiwara?"
"Eh, me?"
Fujiwara Chika pointed at herself.
Then, grinning, she said, "I don't mind going first, but since it's the president treating us, shouldn't the president start?"
"Me first, huh."
Arthur arched a brow and smiled. "I could, but if I go first, I'm afraid I'll put too much pressure on you all."
"I'll go last."
He wasn't bragging.
Before, his singing skills were just average. That was before.
Now, he had Singing Mastery.
His level was no worse than that of a professional singer.
In fact, he might even surpass most of them.
"Oh! That good?"
Fujiwara Chika widened her eyes, a trace of suspicion in her gaze.
Shinomiya Kaguya and Manabe Nao also turned to look at him.
"Just a little talent," Arthur said, pretending modesty with a smile.
"All right then, let me go first."
Fujiwara Chika glanced at Shinomiya Kaguya and Manabe Nao, then decided to take the role of the 'lead singer'.
She was fairly confident in her own singing skills.
Standing up, she took the song selector and picked a song.
She chose "Everyday Together."
A cheerful, upbeat melody filled the room.
Fujiwara Chika picked up the mic and began to sing along:
"Resting my cheek on my hand;
Absentmindedly gazing off into the distance;
The clouds drifting in the sky;
Look kind of like vanilla ice cream;
…"
Over three minutes later, the song ended.
Clap clap clap—
Arthur and the other two applauded. Shinomiya Kaguya was a little late to join in.
After the applause died down—
Fujiwara Chika let out a soft breath, wiped nonexistent sweat from her forehead, and asked with a grin:
"So? How was it?"
Arthur smiled and nodded. "Very good. I feel like Secretary Fujiwara could debut as a singer."
"Fujiwara-san sings beautifully," Manabe Nao added with a gentle smile.
"Thank you!."
Hearing their praise, Fujiwara Chika's face bloomed into a bright, cute smile.
Then she looked at Shinomiya Kaguya.
"Kaguya-san, what do you think?"
Meeting Fujiwara Chika's expectant gaze, Shinomiya Kaguya replied in her usual calm tone:
"Not bad."
Just two words.
Even so, Fujiwara Chika was delighted.
"Natsu-san, here you go."
She handed the song selector and mic to Manabe Nao.
Since Shinomiya Kaguya wasn't going to sing, and Arthur was saving himself for last, it was now Manabe Nao's turn.
She chose a song titled "Prelude."
It was her first time at karaoke, so she was a little nervous.
Taking a deep breath, she raised the mic to her lips:
"The wind brushing past my neck;
Every second turning colder;
The flutter of dragonflies' wings;
The faint fragrance of osmanthus trees;
…"
More than four minutes later, her song ended.
Clap clap clap—
The other three applauded.
"Thank you."
Manabe Nao's breathing was slightly uneven, her cheeks flushed.
Whether it was from nerves or some other reason was hard to tell.
She handed both the selector and mic to Arthur.
Taking them, Arthur began choosing a song.
For his first, he picked "Love."
"The sky grows dim;
The usual streets are coming alive again;
The evening breeze pushes along the flocks of crows and bustling crowds;
…"
The moment Arthur began singing—
Fujiwara Chika and Manabe Nao's eyes widened slightly, a flash of astonishment shining within.
Even Shinomiya Kaguya's expression shifted faintly.
A trace of surprise stirred in her heart.
This was what people called "instant kill the moment he opened his mouth."
Arthur's rich, magnetic voice immediately captured their ears.
So he hadn't been exaggerating earlier.
He truly had the skills.
Time slipped by quietly.
Half an hour later, in another corner of Shinjuku—
Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana arrived near a food street.
"Miko, want some?"
Yurikawa Hana pulled out some snacks and offered them.
"I'm fine."
Yotsuya Miko shook her head slightly, her gaze sweeping sideways as if by accident.
In her vision—
A terrifying figure was following behind Yurikawa Hana.
It stood nearly two and a half meters tall, wrapped in coils of black mist.
It wore a wrinkled gray robe, with sharp claws extending from its hands, its skin a sickly bluish-black.
Its head was oddly elongated, like a melon seed.
Where eyes and brows should have been was instead a massive fanged mouth.
Beneath that maw were three uneven, blood-red eyes brimming with pure malice.
Just meeting its gaze made Yotsuya Miko's body go cold, goosebumps rising along her arms.
At some point, the horrifying spirit had wandered off, but soon returned—dragging two smaller spirits in its grip.
The captives looked like tiny old men.
The spirit dropped the two "old men" beside Yurikawa Hana.
Under Yotsuya Miko's horrified stare, the little old men writhed as if burned by invisible flames.
"Hm?"
At the same time, Yurikawa Hana frowned faintly and began eating faster.
When the little old men were charred to a crisp, the spirit popped them into its mouth—melting instantly as it chewed.
As it ate, a dark red tendril pierced out from its skin, twitching like strands of hair across its face.
"Terrifying… so terrifying!"
On the outside, Yotsuya Miko kept her composure. Inside, she was panicking hard.
When the spirit had briefly left, she'd tried to create distance. But no matter where she went, it caught up quickly.
Clearly, it had locked onto her.
And this one wasn't like ordinary spirits.
It was more like that one Arthur had lured away before.
Definitely not something to mess with.
As the two of them walked toward the food street, Yotsuya Miko seized the moment while the spirit wandered off again.
She quietly pulled out her phone, opened LINE, and typed out a message.
She sent it to her friend, "Daydreamer"—Arthur.
Meanwhile, outside the KTV—
Arthur had just finished paying the bill when her message came through.
Opening LINE, he read her description, his eyes narrowing slightly.
A spirit that used Yurikawa Hana's life energy to barbecue its prey.
He remembered this one.
Because it had some real substance.
Not on the level of that "Mountain God," but definitely not weak.
If it continued feeding, it might even surpass the Mountain God.
Unfortunately, there was no "if."
After replying to Yotsuya Miko, Arthur turned to the three girls.
"Sorry, something urgent came up—I'll have to leave first."
"No worries, President," Fujiwara Chika said cheerfully. "We can head back ourselves. You go."
"Fujiwara-san's right," Manabe Nao added with a smile.
Shinomiya Kaguya didn't speak, but she gave a small nod.
"All right, be careful on your way."
Saying goodbye to the three of them, Arthur turned and walked off in the direction of Yotsuya Miko's location.
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