Chapter 23: No Swan is Made Overnight
After finishing lunch, it's only natural for a person to feel lethargic, which in turn triggers the desire for a nap. Having sent the President off to work, Hikaru Hoshino felt a sudden surge of sleepiness.
He walked into the staff lounge and said to Ai with a yawn, "I'm going to catch forty winks. We'll start work in the afternoon." With that, he lay down on the long wooden bench.
Ai nodded gently, sat down on the other side, and pulled out the lyrics for *Racing into the Night* to begin memorizing them. The fact that Ai had reached her current height was by no means due to talent alone; hard work accounted for a significant portion of it. She would memorize lyrics the moment she received them, her scripts for directors were always learned by heart, and her figure could constantly be seen practicing over and over in the dance studio.
Perhaps this was a basic requirement for an idol, but in this day and age, there truly weren't many as dedicated as Ai.
Sleeping on a hard wooden board could hardly be called a pleasant experience, especially since the room lacked curtains. Hikaru rolled over with difficulty, facing the wall, but ultimately found it hard to fall asleep. He ended up faking it, squinting through a tiny slit in his eyelids to steal glances at Ai in her "serious mode."
The girl sat quietly on the bench, focused entirely on the papers in her hands. She wore a pure white sundress with a prominent white choker around her slender neck. Her deep purple hair draped down both sides, and the rabbit hairclip on the ends seemed to smile playfully. The afternoon sun lazily pierced through the floor-to-ceiling windows, coating her in a soft, drowsy glow.
It was a warm and beautiful scene, one that made Hikaru feel a twinge of self-deprecation. Ai was still a vibrant, youthful girl, while he was a jaded "old soul" full of schemes.
Back when he died in his previous life, Hikaru was pushing thirty—twenty-five, and isn't that basically pushing thirty? In terms of age, he wasn't much older than Ai, but unlike her, he had truly spent several years struggling in the trenches of society. Ai's path as an idol was guarded by Ichigo Saitou, but when Hikaru entered society, he was just a penniless college student. Holding a diploma that seemed to have some weight, he still hit walls everywhere. It wasn't for a lack of ability; it was simply that society doesn't reward ability alone—it rewards those who understand the rules.
In the end, Hikaru chose to be a freelancer, living in a small corner of the city, because that lifestyle was perhaps the best fit for him.
By then, he had already learned a hard truth:
*One cannot spend forever gazing at the stars; only by keeping one's feet on the ground can one walk steadily.*
Between the moon and sixpence, he had chosen to tighten his belt.
When the President and Miyako returned to the lounge, this was the sight they were met with:
Hikaru was sprawled on the bench, snoring away without a shred of dignity, while Ai was leaning against the back of her chair with her eyes closed.
"These two..." Ichigo didn't even know how to describe it; the words got stuck in his throat. "These two lazy bums!"
"I specifically went out for another walk before coming back, and now it's 5:00 PM, and they're still sleeping!"
"Get up, get up!" He first landed a kick on Hikaru's backside and then gently shook Ai. "Stop sleeping! Are we recording this song or not!"
"The accompaniment is done already?" Hikaru stood up and yawned. "No way. It's only been a few hours. A finished product should take at least two or three days."
*Idol* was arranged so quickly because he had provided significant help on the side, and with the Dome performance looming, everyone had worked like their lives depended on it to finish the track in hours. Now that the intense pressure was gone, expecting that level of efficiency was unrealistic.
He hadn't actually planned on recording today; he was only staying to see Ichigo Saitou's progress.
—Actually, subconsciously, he just wanted to spend more time with Ai, though Hikaru hadn't realized it himself.
"The arranger is already working hard, so you two can't stay idle either. Practice with the scores first. Singing *a cappella* makes it easier to spot flaws in the voice, so you'll improve faster."
Ichigo Saitou spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and Ai looked used to it. Clearly, she practiced this way often.
But Hikaru was stunned. Singing *a cappella*? Wasn't that just a public execution?
He was pushed into the recording booth by the President and Ai, ending up right in front of the microphone.
It was only at this moment that Hikaru remembered a crucial detail, like a student who has just stepped into the exam hall only to realize they never studied the subject... he realized he didn't actually know how to sing.
A drop of cold sweat rolled down Hikaru's forehead and hit the bridge of his foot with a *splat*.
In his past life, he wasn't a singer who relied on his voice for a living. He had never taken vocal lessons. At most, he had self-taught some resonance methods—enough to be a "karaoke king," but nowhere near a professional level...
So why had he so naturally assumed he could just sing well?
To have overlooked such a massive problem until now—Hikaru felt terrible.
But it was too late. While he was hesitating, Ai had already fluently sung through her entire song once. Her ethereal, youthful voice echoed in the small booth, isolated by the vacuum glass. Even without accompaniment, her singing was beautiful. Though it was a first attempt and some details weren't perfect, if posted online, it would still garner praise and applause.
Years of training had built a solid foundation; the time invested had settled deep in her muscle memory, waiting for the day to bloom.
Under the President's urging and Ai's expectant gaze, Hikaru finally picked up the small microphone in front of him.
The moment his fingers touched the mic, his eyes became incredibly sharp.
*At this point, I can only hope for Hikaru Kamiki's vocal chords!*
Just as he could speak with a perfect Kanto accent the moment he transmigrated, the body's instincts should remain even if the soul had changed.
Muscle memory was a real thing.
Since he couldn't sing well himself, Hikaru pinned all his hopes on Kamiki. In his view, since Kamiki was a gifted actor, he had to have some skill in singing, right?
"Tabun watashi ja nakute ii ne (Perhaps, it doesn't have to be me who's with you)..."
With a confident smile, Hikaru sang the first line with deep emotion. But before he even finished the sentence, he froze.
The "dry" voice, devoid of any resonance, sounded like a camel dying of thirst in the desert, letting out a dry croak.
And to think he had expected something from Kamiki's body.
As it turned out, this wasn't even as good as his level in his past life!
Ai couldn't bear to look, silently turning her head away. Seeing this, Ichigo Saitou let out a heavy sigh.
"Starting tomorrow, I'll find you a vocal coach. I won't charge you for the lessons... consider it my free sponsorship?"