>>5607952It’s not really your thing, but just one can’t hurt.
You upend the mug and down the contents in several large gulps.
<span class="mu-g">“Uwaaa, Miho-chan, I can’t believe you did that,”</span> says Kitabayashi.
She stares at the collection of empty mugs for a moment, then presses the little button on the table again, <span class="mu-g">“Three more!”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Understood,”</span> says a tired voice emanating from the speaker, <span class="mu-g">“On their way.”</span>
Moments later three more of those half litre mugs decorate the table.
Kitabayashi raises hers with glee, <span class="mu-g">“Cheers!”</span> she shouts, but you grab hold of the mug and gently guide it back down to the table.
<span class="mu-g">“Let’s maybe slow down a bit, Yui-chan,”</span> you say.
Kitabayashi Yui frowns, <span class="mu-g">“But we barely started,”</span> she says, <span class="mu-g">“I mean, they’re not that expensive…”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Money isn’t he issue,”</span> you cut in, <span class="mu-g">“You said you would be willing to tell me about your time as an idol.”</span>
Kitabayashi scoffs, <span class="mu-g">“Sure, I guess…”</span> she says with a trailing voice, <span class="mu-g">“But karaoke first!”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Yui…”</span> you say.
Matsui picks up her mug and sips it, <span class="mu-g">“I was very much under the impression that,”</span> she says, gesturing at the room around you, <span class="mu-g">“Karaoke is what we came here to do.”</span>
You sigh, <span class="mu-g">“Fine, fine,”</span> you say, <span class="mu-g">“Yui, you can start.”</span>
Kitabayashi downs half the contents of her mug before you can even make a comment, <span class="mu-g">“Okay!”</span> she says, picking up a microphone, then winks, <span class="mu-g">“Here’s me as an idol.”</span>
The song she picked was actually fairly popular last year, back in 2014, Mirai to wa? by the idol group SKE48.
What’s surprising however is that… she’s good.
Of course you knew she was an idol at some point, but you had somehow convinced yourself she must’ve been a bad one, but that’s not the case.
Maybe just one that isn’t all that good at singing or dancing.
However, that isn’t the case at all – quite the opposite really.
Kitabayashi is hitting all the notes and performing what you assume to be the correct choreography without running out of breath.
Moving like that whilst trying to sing would leave you panting into the microphone, unable to vocalize a single word.
At some point she turns around to face the television to keep an eye on the lyrics, keeping both you and Matsui at her back.
You lean in towards Matsui and speak in a loud whisper, <span class="mu-g">“What’s going on? She’s good, right?”</span>
Matsui nods, <span class="mu-g">“She’s great, always has been,”</span> she replies, sipping from her drink.
You look back towards the person you shared a HR office with for years that somehow hid this whole side of her from you.
