Chapter 10
The Rhythm of Us
***
Hirato Yamashita couldn't believe what he just heard
{No way, what the hell is going on?}
Aoi Yamashita couldn't believe what she had just heard
{ I can't believe my big brother has it like this! }
Hirato stared at Ayaka and Naru, the two girls standing before him with unwavering expressions, they had just accepted his ridiculous terms, terms he had thrown out half-seriously, expecting at least one of them to hesitate or argue
Yet, here they were—completely fine with it
His heart pounded in his chest, an overwhelming mixture of disbelief, excitement, and sheer panic swelling inside him
{This is insane! This isn't going the way I planned at all? Did I just trigger a harem flag? Who in this dissapointing reality would actually agree to what I just said?}
Despite all the crazy things he had experienced in life, this was undoubtedly at the top, his mouth hanged open, but all that came out was a confused, stammering
"R... really??"
Without missing a beat, both girls answered in unison
"Yes"
Hirato almost felt his soul leave his body
{Yes yes yes....no no no .....yes??? NOO?!!}
{Begone memes!!! }
Aoi scratched the back of her head awkwardly
{I'll just watch at this point}
Hirato: "B...but this whole thing sounds like a setup for a bad harem anime, Ayaka ! Harune-chan! "
Ayaka smirked, crossing her arms
"And whose fault is that, Mr. 'Let's See Where This Goes'?"
"Exactly!"
Naru added, her eyes narrowing in slight amusement
"You gave us the choice, Hirato, and we both agreed, so there's no backing out now"
He let out a sigh
"I feel like I've made a deal with two demons..."
Ayaka stepped closer, standing on her toes slightly to reach his face, before he could react, she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek.
"I really do like you, so just believe it already, Hirato kun "
Hirato blinked repeatedly before taking a few steps backward, his brain short-circuited
{What… what just…}
His mouth moved, trying to form a sentence, but his stuttering thoughts couldn't align fast enough
Before he could even attempt to recover, Naru stepped forward, eyes slightly downcast
"Sorry, Yamashita-kun"
She suddenly leaned in and kissed his other cheek, making him freeze completely
"I'm sorry... i-if that offended you"
Naru stammered before turning toward Ayaka, her face slightly pink
"A-and don't just kiss him like that, Ayaka!"
Ayaka grinned mischievously
"I suppose...next time (looks at Hirato) I'll ask permission "
{Next time????}
Hirato, caught between the two, was left speechless, his cheeks burned, his brain was still trying to process what had just happened, these two girls—his more than friends less than lovers?—were casually dropping kisses like it was nothing
He grabbed his forehead, realizing he had no way out of this
"Alright, alright… "
He muttered, exhaling as if releasing all resistance
"We may have two months to figure this out… but for now, I rented this place for work, so—"
"Ayaka a...and Harune-chan—"
"Naru."
Hirato blinked
"Huh?"
"It's Naru"
She repeated, looking at him with a firm gaze
He hesitated for a moment before nodding
"T-then, Naru… {stop being flustered at every a damn second rate romance mc for god's sake!!} please work with me for today"
The girls exchanged a glance before nodding, their competitiveness momentarily set aside as they focused on the task at hand
Aoi :{ I'll have to interrogate Niisan later!! }
Aoi swore to herself
***
Hirato sat at the mixing station, his fingers hovering over the controls as he adjusted the levels for the recording, Ayaka stood beside him, holding the video camera steady, while Aoi sat on a stool, her legs swinging slightly as she watched in anticipation while recalling what just happened like glitching computer
Naru adjusted the strap of her electric guitar, took a deep breath, and then nodded at Hirato
"You ready, H-Har—"
Hirato stopped himself just in time, swallowing hard before correcting
"I mean, Naru?"
Naru smirked, clearly catching his slip-up
"Yeah, I'm ready, Hirato-kun"
Ayaka chuckled feeling shocked
{I'm actually bothered by that, wow}
"You're still struggling to stop calling her Harune-san, huh?"
Hirato scratched the back of his head
"It's… a habit"
Naru rolled her eyes playfully before setting her fingers on the fretboard, Hirato took a deep breath, then hit play on the track
The moment the instrumental began, Naru's fingers moved, striking the first note
And then—magic happened
Both Hirato and Ayaka's eyes widened as Naru's playing filled the studio, they had heard her play before, at Hirato's room, but this— somthing was different, every note and strum was clearer, every transition smoother, every bend more expressive, the guitar's rhythm and sound—It was perfect, down to the last note
Ayaka whispered in awe
"She's even better than last time…"
Hirato smiled , pleasantly surprised by Naru's play, he had always known Naru was talented, but he wasn't expecting this
Naru's fingers flew across the fretboard, her body moving instinctively with the music's beat, the control in her playing was sharp, and precise showing that she had completely immersed herself in the song
So much that Ayaka and Aoi found Hirato whispering
" Go with it, go with it Jam "
Aoi looked at her brother and blinked before quickly turning back to Naru
{ Well I can't say I don't get him, even though I don't know this song well, Harune-neesan's play, and the song's rythmic guitar part, it's…
Both so energetic…}
As Naru played, her gaze flickered toward Hirato for a moment , and when she saw his reaction , his unconcius singing, she smiled with confidence, and she reached the peak of the song's rapid fire ending, her solo came up, where she would cover the trumpet's part ,as she bended a high note with perfect sustain, Hirato , he unconsciously moved his feet along the instrument's roar
Ayaka and Aoi who saw that upfront, could only giggle a bit before turning back to Naru's burning solo that electrified the atmosphere
And when she finally struck the last chord, letting it ring out as the song ended
"That was amazing, Naru!"
Ayaka cheered, breaking the quiet
Aoi clapped enthusiastically
"Harune-neesan, you're so cool!"
Naru exhaled, finally looking up from her guitar, she smiled, slightly embarrassed by the praise
"Thanks, guys…"
Then, she turned toward Hirato, eyes expectant
"What about you, ...Hirato -kun?"
Hirato, still recovering from the sheer brilliance of her performance, stammered
"THAT WAS...(he remembered what happened a few minutes back when he met her gaze and grew shy) a... an awesome play, Naru-chan "
The moment he said Naru-chan, something shifted
Naru's eyes widened slightly before a small, surprised smile formed on her lips, her face turned a soft shade of pink, she looked happy—too happy
Ayaka raised an eyebrow at Hirato
"Wow, she's way happier than usual, huh?"
Naru quickly turned away, clearing her throat
"W..well ofcourse I would be!"
Ayaka chuckled, and Hirato simply smiled bitterly ,rubbing his temple
{What have I gotten myself into…}
***
" Okay now I've set it all up, when I say play, play it okay Ayaka? "
" Okay, dance well okay ? "
" Do your best, I'm very excited to see you finally dance to this H..Hirato kun"
Naru excitedly stated with her fist clenched
Hirato awkwardly nodded before turning to his sister who made her way to him with a thumbs up
" Break a leg ,my casa-niisan "
Bonk
" Owe!! Hey!! "
" Deserved "
With that he made his way to the Dancefloor with 3 cameras and all of their phones placed on different angels, with Naru's solo recorded, it was time for Hirato's part, vocal recording while dancing (yes he insisted on dancing while recording)
Ayaka, Naru, and Aoi gathered in front of the dance space, their eyes filled with anticipation
Ayaka grinned, her hand on the laptop's keyboard ready and eager to press play
"I've been waiting to see this"
Naru nodded
Aoi leaned forward, curiosity shining in her eyes
"Oniisan, don't embarrass yourself, okay?"
Hirato rolled his shoulders, shaking off the nerves
"Alright, alright. Just watch (he looked at Ayaka) play"
She nodded and hitted play
The moment the first beats of Michael Jackson's "Jam" blasted through the speakers, something unexpected happened
Instead of immediately starting his routine, the three girls froze
Not because of his dancing
But because of his voice
The track played, but when the first lines came in—
"Nation to nation, all the world must get together..."
—the voice that came from the speakers was his own
Ayaka's eyes widened
{ Huh? }
" Face the problems that we see the maybe somehow we can work it out "
Naru was equally stunned
{His vocals are way better than I thought}
Aoi, however, was staring at her brother with a proud smile
{Seems like all that vocal practice he did at home helped}
Hirato smirked slightly, finally beginning his dance
The first move was sharp, footwork matching the beat, what followed was a powerful spin which transisted perfectly into a side-step motion as he stopped ,his body moved with precision, each movement hitting the beat with perfect sync, and came the drop
"Go with it! Go with it! Jam!"—
—" It ain't too much stuff! It ain't too much!! It ain't too much for me to—
—Jam!!"
His footwork was lightning-fast, yet controlled, glides, pivots, sharp arm movements—it was as if he had spent years perfecting this
Ayaka's gaze stuck on him, she couldn't take her eyes off him
{ I knew he would be good at dancing considering his driven personality, but his vocals… }
Naru felt her heart pounding
" Hirato kun "
Aoi, meanwhile, simply smiled as she tapped her feet to the song
{I think I could add this song to my workout playlis-}
Just before she could finish he thought, it happened
The song transitioned into Heavy D's rap section, and then—
Hirato's voice suddenly dropped two octaves
"JAM JAM HERE'S COMES THE MAN HOT DAMN THE BOY STANDS, MOVIN UP A HAND , COVERIN FUNKY TRACKS OF MY MAN MICHAEL JACKSON SMOOTH CRIMINAL THAT'S THE MAN MIKE'S SO RELAX"
Ayaka's widened her eyes
Naru covered her mouth
Aoi's jaw literally dropped
{WAIT, WHAT?! }
{ H..huh?? What??}
Aoi and Ayaka shouted mentally , Naru just stared completely losing herself to the show
Hirato, his voice had transformed into something deep, rough, and powerful, carrying a completely different energy from his usual self
" MINGLE MINGLE JINGLE IN THE JUNGLE, BUM RUSHED THE DOOR 3 IN 4S IN A BUNDLE , EXECUTE THE PLAN AS I COOLED LIKE A FAN"
As the rap continued, Ayaka found herself clenching her fist tighter, her heart racing
"GOT WITH JANET
THEN WITH GUY
NOW WITH MICHAEL
CAUSE IT AINT TO HARD TO
JAM!! "
{This isn't fair! Why does he sound like that?}
Ayaka asked herself, biting her lower
lip with a very voracious gaze
Naru, meanwhile, felt her breath hitch
{This is bad…
(Looks at Hirato grabbing his crotch ... For a dance move)
I… I'm in trouble}
Aoi? Aoi just sat there, shook
"When could he sound like that?!"
She blurted, ofcourse the two did not hear her, they were too focused on the show Hirato was putting up
And as the song reached its rapid-fire ending
"Jam! It ain't, it ain't too much stuff! It ain't too much for me to jam!"
Hirato's movements became a blur of pure energy, his footwork became even more intense, his spins defying logic, his body locking, isolating, and moving at impossible speeds
The girls watched in stunned silence
Then
The song ended with one final explosive pose
The studio fell into absolute silence
Hirato stood there, slightly out of breath, sweat trickling down his forehead
Then, slowly, he turned to see their reactions
Ayaka
{ I knew...(She was shaking a bit) I knew he was always passionate over the things he liked, but THIS? The way he moves, the way he sings… the way he can suddenly change his voice like THAT… this! What kind of practice did he do? This man ... This guy is an actual menace!! My heart can't take this }
Naru
{ I already fell for him, but now? Now I'm doomed, there's no way I can look at him the same way again after that }
Aoi
{Who… is this person? What happened to my useless otaku brother?!}
Hirato wiped his forehead
"Uh… guys?"
There was no response for a while
***
Walking Home
The day had been long, exhausting, but productive, as night fell, Hirato and Aoi walked home together
Hirato looked like a lifeless husk, completely drained from the recording session
Aoi, on the other hand, was still full of energy, bombarding him with questions
"How long have you been able to rap ? Since when could you sound like man ?"
"Did you practice in secret?"
"Do Ayaka and Naru know about your other talents?"
"How the heck did you get those two girls to fight over you?"
Hirato sighed, pulled his hair and grumbled with a troubled look
"Ugh… Aoi, can we not right now?"
But Aoi ignored his complaints and continued her interrogation
And Hirato could only stand and listen, however in the end , despite everything, today had been a success
Even if his life had just become a complicated mess, at least… 90% of the work for his first video was done now
End of chapter