Chapter 254: A Healing Song
Since this was the preliminary round, the contestants ranged wildly in skill, and the quality of the performances was just as uneven — but every so often, one would come along that made the whole audience sit up and take notice.
"Almost time — pay attention, Kazuha's up next!" When the emcee made the announcement, Sonoko shoved Hattori Heiji hard, snapping him out of the drowsiness his lack of interest in song-and-dance competitions had lulled him into.
"How can you still be spacing out?" she complained. "Kazuha's going on stage — we're supposed to be cheering her on!"
"Oh! Right, right!" Jolted into action, Heiji sat up straight and, mirroring Sonoko, raised the cheer placard he'd just been handed.
Once he'd collected himself and taken in the electric atmosphere of the venue, he couldn't help marveling aloud, "Is this idol contest the Kamisato family puts on really that famous? There's a huge crowd here."
He couldn't for the life of him figure out how he'd managed to miss all the buzz about it until now.
"You've got to be kidding me. And you call yourself an Osaka native — even I knew about it all the way over in Tokyo, and it's all anyone's talking about," Sonoko said, flabbergasted.
"She's right. Sonoko and I have seen reports about the contest on TV now and then," Ran chimed in.
Genta, Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, and Haibara all turned to give Heiji a look of collective disdain, nodding solemnly in agreement.
"Really, huh. Ha ha." Heiji scratched his head. Had he really been so busy lately that he'd fallen completely out of touch with the news?
"There she is! Kazuha's on!" The moment Sonoko spotted Kazuha's figure appear on stage, she abandoned Heiji entirely, leaping to her feet and shouting at the top of her lungs, "Kazuha! You've got this! Kazuha! Go, go, go!"
"Go get 'em, Kazuha-nee-chan!"
Swept up in her enthusiasm, the kids joined in the cheering with all their might.
Heiji hollered along a few times, then lowered his hands as Kazuha readied herself to perform.
Who knew Kazuha could sing this well? I never realized she had a talent like this, he marveled inwardly.
Then again, it made sense. Whenever the two of them were together, the conversation always revolved around cases and deductions — topics like this hardly ever came up.
Still, at this level, making it through to the semifinals looked like a long shot. He'd already heard several singers tonight, and a few of them were clearly a cut above Kazuha.
Which left him wondering just how good Barbara — the rumored favorite to take the crown — actually was.
Honestly, Heiji was rather curious.
And he wasn't the only one. Amuro Tooru — no, Okiya Subaru — was equally intrigued by Barbara and Nilou, both of whom had ties to Teyvat or the Black Organization.
Barbara especially. Their paths had barely crossed during the earlier case, and he found himself wondering whether the people of the Teyvat Syndicate really were all so multi-talented — could even one of them sing well?
As it happened, no one had to wait long. Barbara's performance was about to begin.
"Barbara! You can do it!" Xia Xi waved both arms and cheered.
As if she'd heard him, Barbara turned toward their section and flashed a sweet smile that set off a wave of cheers all around. Then she drew a deep breath, steadied herself, and prepared to begin.
La, la-la, la...
As Barbara's voice rose, the din of the crowd gradually melted away, and the whole venue fell quiet. Every gaze was drawn to the center of the stage as the audience listened, hushed, to her song. Her voice carried an almost magical quality, drawing listeners in before they even realized it.
It was beautiful — warm and soothing, like a clear spring flowing gently through the heart, bringing with it a sense of peace and comfort.
Okiya Subaru's eyes widened slightly, and he quietly took stock of his own feelings.
There was something almost supernatural in that voice. He could feel it — the knot of grief that had sat heavy in his chest ever since he'd learned that Akemi had been killed by Gin — being gently smoothed away by Barbara's soft, water-clear singing. For the first time in a long while, his heart felt a little lighter.
If even he could be moved to this degree, the rest of the audience didn't stand a chance.
Sure enough, when Barbara finished, the smiles on the crowd's faces and the thunderous applause confirmed everything he'd been thinking.
So Barbara's singing is this good. The people of the Teyvat Syndicate really are jack-of-all-trades.
Now his curiosity about Miss Nilou — the one who knew Alhaitham, the one considered Barbara's rival — and her dancing grew all the keener.
You've got to be kidding me.
Haibara surfaced from Barbara's song as the audience's applause washed over her.
She had been swept up in it too. Listening, she'd found herself remembering the days she'd spent with her sister — but this time, the sorrow in those memories seemed to have been healed by the song, no longer the knife-edge of grief it always used to be.
But how was that possible? Could an ordinary song really do something like that?