In a World Where Chastity is Reversed, I Ended Up Working as a Hot Spring Attendant

Chapter 159: Side Story – Hisui Song

“Hum-hmm-hum-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm♪”

While I was reading a newspaper, magazine, or book and sipping tea in the usual lobby, I started humming absentmindedly.

Swoosh.

A small hand placed a smartphone, already set to record, on the table.

I instinctively looked up at the culprit.

(Good, keep going.)

There was Yata-chan, giving me a thumbs-up, looking as encouraging as ever.

This person was always glued to me anyway.

(Oh well, whatever.)

♪

♪～♪

♪～♪～♪

Click.

I finished humming a phrase and pressed the stop button on the recorder.

“Does this sound alright?”

“You’re pretty good. Since you’re at it, why not record all your songs?”

Yata-chan, who had been closing her eyes and listening intently, smirked as I finished singing.

Looking around, I noticed others had stopped whatever they were doing to listen.

Realizing I had more listeners than I expected, my face turned red.

“Thank you, but I wouldn’t say I’m that good.”

For me, it’s just a matter of wondering if there’s any demand for it. That’s about it.

When it comes to karaoke, I can score about 96 points on precise scoring if it’s a song I’m good at, but I wouldn’t call myself a talented singer.

I struggle with songs that require powerful vocals or have fast tempos.

“The demand and value of something aren’t decided by you but by us. If we say we want to hear more, just give us more.”

Yata-chan clicked her tongue and waved her finger, dismissing my protest. The others around her nodded in agreement.

“Then how about we go to a karaoke room?”

“You know it’ll end with me not knowing any of the songs, right?”

Since the world I’m in is a parallel multiverse, the odds of finding familiar songs are slim. While there might be similarities, history—especially modern history—is completely different here.

“That’s why we’ll record the songs you know, have a professional arrange them, and distribute them later.”

“Is that even possible?”

It seemed like quite a forceful plan, one that relied on the logic of the strong creating trends themselves.

“I’ve got connections. If we leave it to Ruri, it’ll be fine.”

I had no idea who Ruri was, but Yata-chan seemed confident.

“Alright then. How many songs do you want?”

“All of them. From the ones you can sing with lyrics to those you can hum the melody of, just give us everything.”

“This is going to take a while…”

Not to mention, it might cost quite a bit. How many songs could I even sing without needing the lyrics in front of me?

An impromptu humming session felt too irresponsible, so I decided to stick to songs I could sing properly, preferably love songs that might resonate with people.

I started organizing my repertoire in my mind.

“You’ve got time, don’t you? Just sing for today.”

Since I didn’t have any work lined up, I couldn’t argue with her request.

“Alright, here you go.”

Misago and the others brought in a karaoke setup, complete with a mic, amp, and speakers. It seemed I no longer had the option to refuse.

“Fine. I apologize if it’s not great, but please bear with me.”

I accepted the microphone and gave a quick greeting. A small cheer erupted, and smartphones in recording mode lined up on the table.

Oh, whatever.

I resigned myself and started singing.

I sang a song about borrowing a watch that a boyfriend who stayed over until yesterday had left behind, set against a clear blue Sunday morning.

The applause was overwhelming.

Buoyed by the positive reaction, I kept going.

A heartbreak song about realizing how happiness was found in ordinary things.

That one left many people in tears.

A song about placing your hand on your chest to feel your heartbeat, encountering other flames, and continuing to live until burning out.

Yata-chan, who had been acting like a calm and composed girlfriend moments before, froze mid-listen, her eyes wide. A tear fell from her cheek—something in the song seemed to have struck her deeply.

Encouraged by their reactions, I ended up performing a solo concert for over an hour, with no background music.

The thunderous applause wouldn’t stop.

It was fortunate that my repertoire mostly consisted of ballads, which weren’t too taxing on my voice.

“Sing everything you can remember. We can sell this!”

Yata-chan leaned in with a serious expression. Despite her earlier tears, she had clearly been calculating the whole time.

Later, I ended up recording songs for hours over several sessions. When I finally ran out of material, I resorted to humming vaguely remembered tunes—a predictable conclusion.

Incidentally, an account named “Kingfisher” mysteriously popped up on a video-sharing platform called MeeTube, sparking a big fuss. But that’s a story for another time.

~Postscript

Hisui’s repertoire includes songs like Road, Montage, Dianoia, With You/Taking You Along, Under the Same Sky, Forever, Fate/SADAME, As It Was in a Dream, Proof, and more.

Artists include KOTOKO, tororo, Suara, angela, and sh.

The initial humming was from Under the Same Sky.

If it were up to Yata-chan, she’d probably want to add The Hourglass of Reincarnation to the list, but it didn’t fit the mood this time.

As you’d expect, there’s a heavy emphasis on eroge and anime songs, with a few nostalgic hits from the million-seller era. Most are ballads that can be sung gently, as my voice falters when I try to sing loudly.

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, my repertoire leaned toward love songs and heartbreak songs—perfect for striking a chord.

As a working adult, I also knew the classic party piece Kintaro’s Great Adventure. Though I had the sense to refrain, I did record it later. It caused everyone who listened to laugh so hard their stomachs hurt—a side note, given its controversial nature in this world’s cultural context.