Vol 1 Chapter 38 – After Party【Vol 1 – Turning Point】

After the recording session—even though the day was still bright—I was at an izakaya with Michi Mama and the Pirate Band. I had never drunk alcohol before, but I suddenly felt like trying. It was SingingSea that put me in that mood. Really, singing is mysterious. It completely changes the world you see. It’s as if it adds a new essence.

The izakaya was one of those private rooms with karaoke. Except for the self-proclaimed tone-deaf Michi Mama, everyone here was definitely good at singing. It promised to be a fun day.

“Hey, Rin-kun, you’re really of age, right? You’re not lying!”

Even so, my underage suspicion still hadn’t been cleared. After all, looks are just looks—there’s nothing I can do about it.

“I’m not lying—I made sure of it!”

Michi Mama said that to Teikoku-san. Teikoku-san’s demeanor had reverted from that of a pirate captain back to that of an ordinary person. They say that speaking in this everyday tone is like coming ashore.

For the Pirate Band, singing is their daily life; being off-ship is the extraordinary. They’re used to enjoying that kind of role-play all the time.

I wanted to order an ale—alcohol that I suddenly wanted to try because of SingingSea. But I made it clear that it would be my first time drinking, so if I couldn’t handle it, Michi Mama planned to drink it for me.

By the way, Michi Mama ordered shochu on the rocks—a choice that exuded manliness, apparently. So, along with Teikoku-san and the rest of the Pirate Band, we all had ale.

“Then, let’s order!”

Saying that, it was Takeyoshi who used the tablet in the room to order our drinks and food.

After that, a karaoke contest began. The Pirate Band often sang together, performing refreshing and cheerful songs of seafarers. I couldn’t help but think that no matter where they went, they’d still be pirates.

But actually, it turned out that those weren’t pirate songs at all—they were whaling ship songs. The thought of whaling ship songs sounding like pirate shanties made me laugh. Still, the Pirate Band’s songs were so refined that merely listening to them was pure enjoyment.

The song I sang was one of my J-POP favorites—the kind I’m really good at. I excel at ballad-style tunes, sung as though in prayer. I practiced that prayerful style a lot at MalumDiva, which is why I became proficient. And I even joined in with the Pirate Band.

The mic was passed around in turn—it was a fun karaoke contest.

After a while, the drinks and food were brought out.

“Here, Rin-kun, this one’s for you!”

Saying that, it was Yoshitada who handed me an ale. At that moment, I was sitting with Yoshitada on my right, Michi Mama on my left, and Takakatsu right in front of me.

It’s amusing how the Pirate Band members’ handles are practically their real names.

“Then, in celebration of the completion of the SingingSea recording!”

I knew exactly what to say when Teikoku-san shouted his rallying cry.

“Cheers!”

For a brief moment, it felt as if everyone had reverted back to being pirates, and Michi Mama and I truly imagined that we were back on a ship.

Then, at that very moment, cheerful music began to play. Takeyoshi used the karaoke terminal to blast an upbeat accompaniment. The production was almost too theatrical—I felt like I might really become a pirate just by being with these people.

I took a sip of the ale.

“It—it’s bitter…”

It didn’t taste good at all. Why is everyone able to drink this without a hitch? Or perhaps my palate is still that of a child?

“Ahaha, Rin-kun, you just can’t handle it!”

That’s how Takakatsu laughed at me.

The ale was promptly taken by Michi Mama, and she downed it in one gulp.

“Yeah! It doesn’t even taste like alcohol!”

It seems Michi Mama is quite the heavy drinker.

After that, Michi Mama sang as well. Her voice was incredibly beautiful—really, her voice…

But her pitch was completely off. Even though the acceptable hertz range for the correct notes is quite broad, she ended up missing by two or three notes. And this wasn’t just a self-declaration of being tone-deaf—it truly was.

Still, her voice was genuinely beautiful. It carried the warmth and compassion of an adult woman, so gentle and kind. With a voice like that, it was such a waste.

But maybe that’s for the best. After all, if Michi Mama could sing perfectly too, she’d be a superhuman perfection. So the singing is my responsibility—I have to do my best.

As the party reached its climax, we all said our goodbyes.

“Rin-kun, your singing was amazing!”

“Long live the pirate songstress!”

“Let’s do it again sometime!”

“I’m not the pirate songstress—I’m Akihaba’s songstress!”

It felt bittersweet—so much fun that I ended up feeling a bit lonely, as if the festival had come to an end.

“Alright, see you again! Let’s meet again for the next song!”

By the plan, we’d meet once more before the Summer Market, as the Akihaba Pirate Crew is releasing an album with two songs by us and two songs by Ryu—a total of four tracks.

“See you later, Teikoku-san!”

Michi Mama also bid her farewell.

In fact, we were going to meet once more later—but I hadn’t yet known that.