Chapter 255: The Healing Song
Since it was only the preliminary round, the skill levels of the contestants varied wildly. The quality of the performances was uneven, a mix of the awkward and the amateur, but every so often, a performance would emerge that was truly eye-opening.
"It's almost time! Pay attention, Kazuha is up next!"
Hearing the host's announcement, Sonoko gave Heiji Hattori a sharp nudge, abruptly chasing away the drowsiness that had been creeping up on him. He had little interest in this kind of singing and dancing competition, and his focus had been drifting.
"Why are you still spacing out?" she demanded, her voice a dissatisfied hiss. "Kazuha's about to go on stage! We need to cheer for her!"
"Oh! Right!" Startled by Sonoko's reminder, Heiji quickly sat up straight. He fumbled with the support sign she had just thrust into his hands and followed her lead, raising it high.
As he finally took in the electric atmosphere of the venue, he couldn't help but voice his surprise. "Is this idol competition organized by the Kamisato Clan really that big of a deal? I can't believe so many people showed up."
Heiji Hattori genuinely couldn't figure out how such a major event had completely flown under his radar.
"No way! And you're from Osaka, too," Sonoko said, looking at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Even I knew this was the hottest thing going right now, and I'm all the way in Tokyo."
"Yeah," Ran added gently. "Sonoko and I have seen reports about the competition on TV a few times."
Genta, Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, and even Haibara shot Heiji a look of collective disdain before nodding in firm agreement.
"Is that so? Haha." Heiji scratched the back of his head, a flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck. Had he really been so buried in cases lately that he'd missed all the news?
"Alright! Kazuha's coming out!" Sonoko's attention snapped back to the stage as Kazuha's familiar figure appeared under the lights. She immediately cast Heiji aside, leaping to her feet with a surge of excitement. "KAZUHA! YOU CAN DO IT! KAZUHA! GO FOR IT!"
"Kazuha-neechan, go for it!"
The children, infected by her infectious enthusiasm, followed suit, their small voices joining the cheer.
Heiji shouted along a few times before lowering his hands, his gaze fixed on Kazuha as she took her position and prepared to perform.
'I never expected Kazuha to sing so well,'he thought with a quiet sigh, a strange feeling stirring in his chest.'I had no idea she had this kind of talent.'
But then, it was probably normal. When he and Kazuha were together, their conversations were almost always about cases, deductions, and crime scenes. They rarely, if ever, touched upon things like this.
Still, he mused, at this level, getting into the semi-finals might be a stretch. He'd already heard several other contestants sing, and a few of them were clearly more polished than Kazuha.
It just made him wonder how good the rumored front-runner, Barbara, would actually be. To be honest, Heiji was quite curious.
And he wasn't the only one. Seated elsewhere in the audience, Okiya Subaru was also deeply interested in both Barbara and Nilou—two individuals connected to either the Teyvat Organization or, in Nilou's case, the Black Organization through Alhaitham.
He was especially focused on Barbara. His previous encounters with her during cases had been brief. He truly wanted to know: were the members of the Teyvat Organization all so preternaturally gifted that they could even excel at something like singing?
Fortunately, no one had to wait long. After a few more performances, it was Barbara's turn.
"Barbara! You can do it!" Natsume shouted, waving her hands enthusiastically.
As if she had heard her, Barbara turned in their direction and offered a sweet, radiant smile that elicited a fresh wave of cheers from the surrounding crowd. She then took a deep, centering breath, her expression calming as she prepared to begin.
A gentle, melodic tune began to play.
"Da, dada, da..."
As Barbara began to sing, a strange phenomenon occurred. The ambient noise of the venue—the whispers, the shuffling, the coughs—slowly faded into nothing. A deep silence fell over the entire performance site. Every eye was drawn to the girl at the center of the stage, every ear captivated by the sound pouring from her lips. Her voice seemed to possess a unique magic, an irresistible quality that pulled the listener in, making them forget everything else.
Barbara's singing was beautiful and melodious, her voice imbued with a warmth that felt deeply healing. It was like a clear spring flowing through the hearts of everyone present, washing away their worries and bringing a sense of deep tranquility and comfort.
Okiya Subaru's eyes widened slightly behind his glasses as he carefully analyzed his own state of mind.
Barbara's song seemed to hold a tangible power. He could feel the knot of grief and anger that had been lodged in his chest ever since learning Gin had executed Akemi. It was a cold, hard weight he carried every day. But now, under the influence of Barbara's gentle, water-like voice, that knot was slowly, impossibly, beginning to loosen. The oppressive darkness in his mind was being soothed, and his mood was becoming undeniably lighter.
If even he, with his disciplined mind and heavy burdens, could be affected to this extent, what about the rest of the audience?
He didn't have to wonder. The beatific smiles on the faces of those around him and the thunderous, heartfelt applause that erupted the moment the song ended confirmed his thoughts.
He hadn't expected Barbara's singing to be this impressive. The people of the Teyvat Organization were, indeed, alarmingly multi-talented.
Now, he found himself even more curious about the dancing of Miss Nilou—the woman who knew Alhaitham and was considered Barbara's main competitor.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Haibara snapped out of her trance only when the roar of the audience's applause broke the spell.
She, too, had been deeply moved by Barbara's song. It had brought forth memories of the time she had spent with her sister, but this time was different. The crushing sadness that always accompanied those memories felt... healed. The sharp, cutting pain was gone, replaced by a gentle, bittersweet warmth.
But how was that possible? Could an ordinary song truly accomplish something like that?
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