The music room buzzed like a hive long after Ryo stormed out. Students huddled in clusters, voices overlapping, all centered on one name.
"Kenji…"
"I swear, I've never felt a song hit like that."
"Was that really him? The loser from the talent show?"
Kenji remained frozen on the stage, breath still ragged, palms slick with sweat. He had sung with every piece of himself, yet the crowd's reaction felt unreal, like a dream refusing to end. Dozens of phones still pointed at him, tiny red dots flashing.
Whispers trailed behind him as he left the stage. Heads turned, eyes widened—not with mockery, not with pity, but something new. Awe.
For the first time, Kenji wasn't invisible.
The hallway was chaos. Students who hadn't been inside were glued to screens, watching shaky recordings already spreading through the school. The bass of Chains leaked from countless phones, his voice echoing in snippets.
Kenji clenched his bag tighter, lowering his gaze, but he couldn't escape the murmurs.
"Look, it's him."
"That's the guy."
"His voice… it gave me goosebumps."
Inside his chest, his heart roared louder than their voices.
Far behind, Ryo leaned against a wall, fists buried deep in his pockets. His smile was gone, replaced by a storm brewing in his eyes.
"Enjoy your moment, trash," he muttered, lips curling into a cold sneer. "It won't last."
His entourage lingered around him, uncertain. None dared to speak. Even they had felt it—the shift, the undeniable crack in their leader's throne.
Ryo's nails dug into his palm. Kenji had become a threat. And threats had to be crushed.
Kenji reached the school gate just as his phone buzzed violently. He glanced down.
> [System Notification: Performance Recording Detected.]
[Uploading…]
[Processing Viral Potential…]
[Result: High Engagement.]
[Your performance video has begun trending.]
His eyes widened. "Trending…?"
Another chime followed immediately.
> [Mission Update: Unexpected Exposure.]
[Objective: Adapt to sudden fame.]
[Reward: Unlock Skill – Audience Resonance Lv.1.]
Kenji's breath caught. The words burned bright against the screen before fading, leaving him trembling. Viral. The video wasn't just circulating in school anymore—it was moving beyond.
The thought both thrilled and terrified him.
By the time he reached home, his phone wouldn't stop vibrating. Notifications piled up. Classmates he barely knew sent messages, asking if the singer in the video was really him. Clips of Chains already had hundreds of shares, likes multiplying by the second.
Kenji dropped onto his bed, staring at the screen. His voice… his music… was no longer just his. It was spreading, alive in the hands of strangers.
For a moment, fear clawed at his chest. But then he remembered the System's words.
> [Audience Resonance Lv.1 Acquired.]
[Effect: Emotional impact of your performance increases. Chance of moving listeners doubled.]
Kenji's lips curved into the faintest of smiles.
He clenched his fist. This was it.
The beginning.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room across town, Ryo scrolled through the same video, jaw tight, the glow of the screen reflecting his fury. The comments praising Kenji felt like daggers.
He slammed the phone down, eyes burning with resolve.
"This isn't over."
The stage was set.
And the world had just heard the first note of a battle that would shake more than just the walls of their school.