Child Prodigy Kohaku and the Useless Adults: Episode 10

With less than a week left until the choral festival, I had become much better at singing.
I no longer drifted away from the melody everyone else was singing, nor did I panic and chase after them, or jump the gun all by myself.
This was all thanks to Kasumi-chan's lessons. Once I learned to listen closely to the piano accompaniment while singing and to keep the rhythm by nodding my head slightly, I was able to sing the same parts as everyone else properly.
“Kohaku-chan, you have good motor skills, so I don't think it'll be a problem at all once you get the hang of it.”
I believed what Kasumi-chan said, worked hard on my lessons, and was able to overcome it.
Even if I still missed a note here and there, it wasn't fatal; it was just a slight slip. It was no longer a major deviation compared to Yoko next to me.
“Also, you have too much of a mental block against singing, Kohaku-chan. There's no way you can sing well if your face and body are that stiff. You have to relax.”
Kasumi-chan tickled me while I was singing in a stiff voice. I burst out laughing, and when I tried singing after that, my voice came out naturally, which surprised me. That helped me get a good grasp of the feeling of singing.
Since Kasumi-chan wasn't at school, she taught me to relax by doing a smile exercise where I pull my mouth into a grin before singing, swinging my body and neck around, and stretching by running my tongue along my gums inside my mouth. Doing that made my voice come out much more freely.
“And remember, it's a chorus. Even if one person is a little off-key, the audience won't notice, and it won't have a big impact.”
Being told that made me feel much more at ease, and I had become able to sing just as well as everyone else. I was even starting to think that singing might actually be fun.
Maybe Kasumi-chan is surprisingly good at teaching.

“Kohaku-chan, you've gotten good at singing, haven't you? I was surprised when I heard the alto practice.”
Harumi, who was in the soprano part and sat next to me, said something nice. Being able to honestly praise others is Harumi's good point.
“Yeah. That Kohaku, who used to be tone-deaf, has gotten a little better, hasn't she?”
Unlike this one. Yoko, sitting next to Harumi, was looking at me with her eyes narrowed like a fox.
On Wednesday after school, with five periods of classes, the three of us—me, Harumi, and Yoko—were sitting on the bench in front of the torii gate at Eminato Shrine for the first time in a while. Lately, my after-school time had been busy with Kasumi-chan's lessons and helping out at Kato, so it was our first time all three of us were on the bench together in a while. The trees along the shrine's approach were already completely colored.
“Hmph, I've already graduated from being tone-deaf, you know. I was able to overcome it thanks to getting lessons from a singing teacher.”
“Oh, so that's why you've been acting so busy after school lately.”
I really think Yoko's way of speaking is nasty.
“Who is this singing teacher?”
I told Harumi, who tilted her head in simple curiosity, about Kasumi-chan.
“Wow, Kohaku-chan, you made friends with an adult.”
“And that former gravure idol who was rumored in the weekly magazines to be with your uncle? Is that okay? Isn't she some kind of weird person?”
Yoko, who is very cautious, was frowning suspiciously.
“Hmm, well, I think she's a bit eccentric, but she's a good person and she's funny.”
“Hmm, like what?”
“Well, let's see.”
When I told them about how she had to get on her knees and apologize to Mom because Lapis Lazuli ended up in a weekly magazine, how she encountered Aya-chan, whom she worships as a god, and got on her knees at Octopus Park, and how she tried to greet a pill bug in the park, they both laughed like crazy.
“That's hilarious, she sounds interesting.”
“She gets on her knees way too much.”
I started feeling good and felt like I just wanted to keep talking.
“She was unemployed until just recently, and she had so much free time that she even made a cat map.”
“Huh, I might actually want to see that.”
“There are a lot of stray cats in this town, after all.”
“When she showed it to Aya-chan happily, Aya-chan told her that while that kind of fun is fine, she should think properly about her future, and she got all sulky. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, looking like a child.”
“Aya-chan is harsh but funny.”
“Hearing stories like that makes me want to meet her.”
I almost said, 'Then you should meet her,' but I remembered Kasumi-chan saying to wait a little longer. But well, quite a bit of time has passed since then, so it should be fine, right? If things stay like this, it feels like it's just going to be left vague.
“I have a lesson today too, do you want to come along?”
The two of them looked at each other and nodded with smiles.

The after-school lessons are held at Kawaguchi Park, which is less than a five-minute walk from Kato. On rainy or windy days, we use Kato, but otherwise, we go to Kawaguchi Park so as not to be a nuisance.
Although it's called a park, it has no playground equipment; it's a famous cherry blossom spot with many cherry trees planted along the coastal promenade and plaza. When cherry blossom season arrives, it's crowded with many people, and numerous food stalls are set up. It's a park that serves as a place of relaxation, with large flower beds planted with seasonal flowers. There are many benches and even a roofed gazebo.
The promenade is used for walking dogs and for running by sports clubs from nearby high schools and junior high schools, so there's a fair amount of foot traffic.
Today, the roofed gazebo was empty, so we had our lesson there. The three of us—me, Harumi, and Yoko—stood in a row and sang toward Kasumi-chan, who was standing in front of us.
Kasumi-chan looked calm, nodding as she listened. Kasumi-chan wasn't panicking like I had imagined; she was acting properly.
What on earth is going on? I thought she would be more flustered; this is unexpected.
“Yeah, that's good. All three of you are good.”
Kasumi-chan, smiling broadly and clapping her hands, was somehow different from the usual Kasumi-chan. That refreshing smile, like a children's show host, showing her white teeth—it's strange for Kasumi-chan to be doing that. This is her 'going-out' smile.
“Harumi-chan, even though you're the only one on soprano, you were able to sing your part firmly without being swayed by the other two.”
“Thank you very much!”
Harumi's eyes were shining from being praised.
“Yoko-chan, your rhythm is accurate and your pitch is perfect. You have a good ear.”
“Oh, th-thank you.”
Yoko also turned her face away, blushing, and looked happy.
“Kohaku-chan, you've become able to sing stably too. At this rate, you'll be fine for the actual performance.”
“Oh, yeah.”
She turned that refreshing smile toward me and praised me too.
Inwardly, I couldn't help but retort to that smile. Why? Why are you acting so normal?
What does this mean? She's not an impostor wearing Kasumi-chan's skin, is she? Even though she's supposed to be shy, she's acting like a proper adult. She speaks clearly and makes solid eye contact.
I was expecting her to panic, say all sorts of off-the-wall things, and end up like Dobby, but she's smooth and flawless. Just like a children's show host. She's not the usual Kasumi-chan who gets flustered by trivial things, like being bothered by a dog on a walk or getting startled and cursing at the shouts of a sports club out for a run.
Why, Kasumi-chan? At this rate, you're just a proper older sister, not the usual shy and funny Kasumi-chan.
“Um, I'm happy you're praising us, but isn't there anything we can do to get even better? Since Kohaku improved so quickly, please give us some advice too.”
“That's right, please teach us something too. We want to get better at singing.”
Oh, good. Now Kasumi-chan will surely say something off-the-wall and they'll be dumbfounded.
“Let's see, Yoko-chan, since your rhythm and pitch are perfect, you tend to be a bit monotonous. I think it would be good if you could add some variation to your voice. It would be perfect if you could project your voice more in the chorus.”
“Oh, I wasn't conscious of that. Thank you, I'll try it.”
“Harumi-chan, you have a habit of stretching out the ends of your phrases. Because of that, the start of the next phrase is a bit late and you're rushing, so it would be good if you could fix that.”
“Okay, I'll be careful!”
Wait, they're both satisfied. They've been given precise advice with no room for argument, and they're looking up at Kasumi-chan with sparkling, respectful eyes.
Is this okay, Kasumi-chan? If you do that, you'll just become a proper older sister who is good at singing and has big breasts. Are you really okay with that? Is it okay not to show the usual Kasumi-chan who is gloomy, curses, and is funny?
“Hey, this is completely different from what I heard. She's not getting on her knees or sitting with her knees pulled up.”
“Yeah, she's a solid older sister, isn't she? She doesn't seem shy at all, and she's not looking for pill bugs either.”
Yoko, who nudged me and whispered, and Harumi, who tilted her head.
“U-um...”
“Alright, then let's try singing it one more time while keeping in mind what I just said.”
As I was struggling to answer, Kasumi-chan said that as if to throw me a lifeline. The two of them replied energetically, 'Okay!', and seemed to have completely taken a liking to Kasumi-chan.
Or rather, Kasumi-chan didn't hear what the two of them just said, right? If she knew we were talking about things like that, it would be a bit awkward. Yeah, Kasumi-chan has a smiling face, so she surely didn't hear it.
My thought that 'this wasn't supposed to happen' was swept away by the sea breeze, and since it was time to sing through it one more time, the two of them went home satisfied.
We also started walking side-by-side because Kato's night business was about to start. It was getting dark, and the streetlights were starting to flicker on one by one on the way home.
Kasumi-chan, walking next to me, let out a big sigh with her shoulders slumped, and looked at me with a grumpy face, completely different from just a moment ago.