The following morning, Kenji barely managed to sit still in class. His mind was still spinning from yesterday's clash. He had faced Ryo, the school's golden boy, and for the first time, he hadn't been crushed under the weight of humiliation. No—he had made the crowd cheer for him.
The memory of their faces lingered. Shock, awe, even respect. And more than that—the fire that had burned in his chest when he sang. That wasn't the broken Kenji of the past. That was someone new. Someone reborn.
He sat at his desk, trying to focus on the math lesson, but his phone buzzed nonstop in his pocket. He'd silenced it, yet the vibrations wouldn't end. When the bell finally rang, he bolted for the rooftop, Haru trailing behind.
"You've been acting like you're sitting on a bomb all morning," Haru said. "Spill it."
Kenji unlocked his phone with trembling fingers. His song, Chains, had exploded overnight.
The views weren't just in the hundreds anymore. They were in the thousands.
Comments poured in endlessly.
"This guy's voice hits harder than anything I've heard in ages."
"Where has he been hiding?"
"I need this on repeat."
Kenji scrolled, his heart hammering. The numbers were unreal. Five thousand plays. Three thousand likes. Hundreds of comments.
His hands shook. "This… this can't be real."
Haru leaned over his shoulder, nearly choking. "You've gone viral, man. Do you get what this means? People outside the school are listening to you!"
Kenji's mouth went dry. For so long, the world had treated his voice like a curse. And now… strangers were praising it, celebrating it. He wanted to laugh, cry, scream—all at once.
The familiar voice echoed in his mind.
> [System Alert: Song "Chains" has reached Viral Status.]
[New Mission: Reach 50,000 plays.]
[Reward: Skill – Lyricism Lv.1.]
Kenji steadied his breathing. Lyricism. The ability to write words that pierced deeper. His songs would only grow sharper, stronger.
But even without the reward, he couldn't deny the truth anymore. His voice mattered.
The rooftop door creaked open. A group of students entered, whispering among themselves. They froze when they spotted Kenji.
"That's him…"
"The one who sang against Ryo yesterday…"
"His song's all over my feed."
Kenji stiffened, unsure what to do. For years, those whispers had been daggers of mockery. But now—there was something different in their tone. Curiosity. Admiration. Even awe.
One girl stepped forward, clutching her phone nervously. "Kenji… was it really you? The one who sang Chains?"
He hesitated, then nodded.
Her eyes lit up. "Can I… get your autograph?"
The words hit him like a lightning bolt. Autograph? Him? He wasn't famous. He wasn't anyone. Yet here she was, looking at him like he was already a star.
Awkwardly, he scribbled his name on her notebook. She bowed deeply, thanking him before rushing off with her friends.
Haru elbowed him with a grin. "Told you. You're not a nobody anymore."
Kenji exhaled, his chest tight with emotion. Yesterday, he was a broken singer. Today, he was someone students whispered about in admiration.
But he knew this was only the beginning.
That evening, Kenji returned to his small room, headphones slipping over his ears. The Virtual Studio shimmered into existence, waiting for him.
"System," he said, his voice steady. "Let's make another track."
The console pulsed with light.
> [Affirmative. Recommended theme: Resolve.]
Kenji closed his eyes. He thought of the laughter that had once haunted him. Of Ryo's glare, sharp with jealousy. Of StarrySky's comment, the first to believe in him.
The melody formed, steady and uplifting, like a flame refusing to die. His fingers danced across the virtual keyboard, layering piano chords with a heartbeat rhythm of drums.
Lyrics came unbidden, flowing like a river:
🎵 "I've walked through shadows, I've carried the pain,
But every fall has taught me again.
I'm not the silence you thought you'd erase,
I'll carve my song, I'll find my place." 🎵
His voice echoed in the studio, raw yet resolute. When the final note faded, Kenji opened his eyes to see the glowing drive materialize on his desk once more.
He smiled faintly. "This one's different. Not just defiance… but hope."
The next day at school, murmurs followed him down the halls, not with scorn but anticipation. Phones lit up with his songs. Some students even hummed the melody of Chains as he passed.
But not everyone was pleased.
From the corner of the hall, Ryo stood watching, jaw clenched, eyes narrowed like sharpened steel. His followers whispered anxiously around him, but Ryo said nothing. He only tightened his grip on the strap of his bag.
Kenji felt the weight of that glare even as he walked away. He didn't need the System to tell him—Ryo wasn't done.
And neither was he.
That night, Haru barged into his room with a wild grin. "Kenji! You won't believe this. Your video's been shared by an underground music page. They're calling you the 'Chains Singer.' Man, you're blowing up!"
Kenji's phone buzzed again, the notifications relentless. New comments. New fans. New opportunities.
He gripped his phone tighter, determination burning in his golden eyes.
The world had finally started to hear his voice. And he would never let it be silenced again.