Ch 39 - Sing!

Me and Aqua finally got home from the taxi, and went to our respective rooms.

"Hah...that was done, that shawarma may have made me full, but I know I'll be hungry later...might as well make a quick lunch too just so I can review the lyric videos."

And so, I just cooked a quick meal. 2 eggs, half of a cabbage, and some meat. Of course, I mixed the cabbage and meat together, and not separately. It was simple, but I was willing to skip some fancy lunch before it reached 1 PM. I will try to have a healthier meal this dinner, cooked by myself again.

Just when I was done mixing the instrumentals, I got a knock on my door.

"Shiro-kun? It's me, Aki!"

"Oh? Coming!"

I got my mask off the hook, and then I opened the door, seeing the half-elf standing with her phone out.

"I was going to pass you that drum sound as promised, as well as rehearse the whole song!"

"Oh, you got the lyrics down now?"

"Yeah! And the drums!"

"I see...mind if I borrow your phone to transfer it?" I asked.

"Yup! I got my USB cable here too, in case you don't have one."

"I'm sure all of us have one. However, the question would lie with do we use an Iphone or an Android? Cause I sure as hell use an Android."

No offense, but screw the Iphone. I can navigate effortlessly in the jungle, but can't locate shit in the Iphone. Not to mention, it's a whole different OS, and being a Microsoft and Android user my whole life, it's hard to adjust.

Nonetheless, her phone was an Android, and I copied the audio of the drums to my computer. I was amazed she could make the sounds with the drums since it was so clear and loud, until I remembered she uses electric drums. Stupid me.

"Say, do you mix all your music before?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm not saying I can't let somebody else handle the mixing, but I like being creative and doing things my way. As far as I've gone up until now, all the mixing was done by me. Another thing I won't easily hand to anybody is writing my lyrics. I'd rather let that person rap or give him the song instead than to let anybody write MY lyrics."

"Hehe. Your pride as a rapper and songwriter is strong, huh?"

"Mhmm. After all, this is my own blood, sweat, and tears. To say it's MY song, but it's somebody else who made MY lyrics is like saying I made the whole song we're making, and you're just a backup vocal. Don't you think it's hurtful in some way?"

"I get you, but…"

She pouted.

"Are you saying most of us Hololivers are not only unoriginal, but also lazy and talentless?!" She pouted more.

"I'm not saying that, you doofus." I chuckled.

"This is only when it comes to me. I could give less shits if it's any of you. Matter of fact, I think that's what makes you Hololivers unique. Always going out, exploring new things, and collabing with other artists, especially lyricists who could write your own lyrics if you either are too lazy, can't write lyrics, or don't know how to write lyrics."

"But me, being a rapper that takes pride in his penmanship, and especially being an ex-independent artist that collabed with a lot of artists, they cannot touch my mixing and lyrics without permission."

"I see…so your whole album right now was made by you entirely?"

"Mhmm. This song as well will be mixed, mastered, and made by me too. Of course, the vocals will include both of us, and the drums especially will be just you." I chuckled.

"At least that's something I'm proud of." She giggled.

"Aaaand done!" I said.

"...Huh?"

"I'm done with the drums. Everything is mixed, however…" I slowly giggled.

"Let's record adlibs."

"Adlibs?"

"You know, those background vocal noises you make to make the song richer, fuller, and more refined? Like those multiple voices in the background along with the main vocals that add to the whole piece?"

"Ah, that? Is it something like Roboco-chan's cover of 'KING'?"

"Mhmm. My room is quite soundproof, and the mic's waiting for us to do the voices. Let's do a bit of preparation so that we only need to do the main vocals when we're done. Don't worry, I'll guide you."

"Okay! I'll trust you!"

And so, we took quite a good amount of time, about 30 minutes, doing the voices and adlibs. Some parts included both of us, but most of the adlibs were all her. As expected of Aki, she really is a talented musician.

"Eh...? We haven't even recorded the vocals, and yet, it already sounds so beautiful...! I thought it would take too long, but I guess it was worth it in the end!" She said while bopping her head to the music while putting on my headphones.

"Told ya it'd be quick. Besides, if we record that in the studio, I can't just take over the staff's laptop to do some mixing. I just want the sessions to be fast."

"Man...you really know your stuff, huh? I can't wait for it! Let's rehearse quickly and go to the studio so we can quickly record!"

"Wait, but I haven't done my warmups yet. Mind if I do it first before we go?"

"Ah, sure!"

"Also...mind going out? My warmups are a bit embarassing to show." I giggled nervously.

"Well, most of our warmups are weird, cause it gives the desired effect for our vocal cords, but if you say so…" She said as she got up and went out my room.

"Hah...alright, time to quickly do it." I said as I yawned to start my warm-up.

Doing lip rolls, Z's, tongue-to-roof exercises, and all those weird sounds you have to do to warm up your voice, I did it, and me and Aki quickly went to the practicing room.

We started singing with us listening to my phone with one earbud in each other's ear to listen as we sing. I let her use my Airpods so that we have freedom to move around.

We sang the whole song for a good 3 times for good measure, and once that was done, we started walking towards the Hololive building to start recording our vocals.

"You know, back when we were rehearsing, I always thought your voice might not be that good for singing, no offense."

"Hmm? Like what?"

"I thought yours would be like Calli's. You can definitely sing, but not exactly like Suisei or...any Hololiver."

"Ah, I get ya. Well, I am a rapper, so I focus more on lyrics."

"Though, when we sang...you actually have a very good voice. I can feel the potential, but you just can't reach that 'potential' entirely. I also heard in a clip once that you used to sing before?"

"Yeah, as a kid."

"Why did you change entirely to Rap?"

"Well, first, I thought English rap was cool, so I learned more English. When I did though...let's just say I started to give more value to lyricism than melodies."

"Not that melodies are bad, but...back then, I thought feelings were more important than melodies, and I also thought back then it's more effective if done by talking out what you feel in the inside. It still is now...but I'm just getting back to singing. I still mainly rap though."

"I see...well, I can hear it. You got a good voice, honestly." She giggled.

"Thanks." I chuckled.

And so, we went to the studio, recorded our vocals, since nobody was in the studio, making us free to record anytime, and the staff gladly helped us. Of course, me and Aki took turns. Aki first, then me going last. When we heard the final product, asking the staff to play it, I looked at Aki's face.

I've never seen any of the Hololivers as happy as she is. She looked like what a kid would look like seeing Disneyland. Her eyes were almost sparkling, screaming absolute pleasure.

"Oh my god, it's perfect!" Aki said.

"Your chemistry is surprisingly very good. I never expected Shiro-san to pull this off nicely. It turned out way better than expected!" The guy on the laptop said.

"Thank you so much for making this happen, Shiro-kun! You really are one-of-a-kind!" Aki looked at me as her eyes still sparkled.

"Well...I took care of the beat and all, but if it weren't for your amazing voice, this wouldn't have happened. Not to mention, if you hadn't proposed this at all, this would never have happened in the first place."

"Still, you did most of the work." She said.

"Hmm...I guess so." I chuckled.

I'mma stop the back-and-forth complimenting cause this can take quite a while if we kept it going.

"By the way, you did commission an artist for the art, right?" I asked.

"Mhmm! As promised, I'll send it to you when I finally get it!"

"Yup."

"Still...are you sure about using your money for it, not mine?"

"I'm very sure. Besides, after this, you're gonna pay me for the collab, and all the money that comes from this will be yours for until you're still here in Hololive."

"Hmm...but I feel bad."

"Ah, don't be. I volunteered for it. Besides, don't you like seeing the result of your own hard work? No matter the cost, it's all worth it in the end." I looked at the speakers again.

"...I guess so." She giggled.

I went through the whole day, just talking to the Hololivers, watching clips, and just killing time cause I'm bored and waiting for inspiration for more songs. Once it reached 8 PM, I finally started the stream.

"Magandang gabi sa lahat! Ang pangalan ko ay Ishijin Shiro! (Good evening to everybody, my name is Ishijin Shiro!)" I said in Tagalog.

"How are you all? Are you doing fine? Hopefully, cause this night, day, or whatever time is at your side, we're gonna talk about anything! Of course, if you read the description of this stream prior to now, I said that I WILL leave out topics I find controversial or something I don't like to talk about. Other than that, feel free to drop anything in, 'cause I'll definitely answer it."

I looked at the chat going:

"Where's the 'Shiro on the mic' intro...?"

"At least give us your usual intro wwww"

"Could you try saying your intro in another language? If English isn't allowed, maybe try that. Just for fun!"

"...Eh? Do I really have to do my usual intro in another language?" I snickered a bit.

"...Alright then. It'll be hard, but maybe I can do it…"

And so, I spent a few seconds, going into my Tagalog vocabulary, since it's my 3rd most fluent language. I translated everything as quickly as possible, 'cause my brain can't have time to think of an appropriate translation. Other than that, the intro is the same, but just translated.

"...Shiro nasa mic, Shiro nasa beat, Shiro merong heat, Salamat sa pagdating sa aking stream! ...O, alam mo na meron 'kong init, tol. Anong pangalan ko? Ishijin Shiro! ...I'm never doing that again." I laughed and clapped.

"I FUCKING CRINGED AFTER I HEARD IT ALL, FUCK!" I shouted in Tagalog.

"Could've done better, but I don't care."

"Anyway! Send your questions, and I'll switch language accordingly! ...Forgive my accents, by the way, since it's easy to switch languages, but it's hard to switch the accent to sound clear in the language I'm speaking in."

"...'I'm amazed you're able to learn languages within a month. How are you able to learn that fast? I can barely speak at a conversational level in 2 months.' Ah, about that…" I switched to Russian.

"You see...my mom is a polyglot. She can not only speak more languages than me, but she's fluent in every language she knows. Yes, that means she also knows how to speak German." I giggled.

"Um...what I did was, first I built up my vocabulary, right? It can be from reading, lessons online, stuff I learned from my mom, anything to build up my vocabulary in that language, right? Next is that...me and my mom actually have an activity when I would learn a new language."

"Basically, if I learned a new language, and I had to practice it, me and my mom would talk in that language at dinnertime. She would ask random questions, and I had to answer in the language I was learning. If I couldn't find the words, then I would just not answer or finish my sentence."

"In some cases too, when that happens, my mom would ask me in that language, 'What words are you trying to say?', and I try my best to describe it in that language without going to English or Japanese mode. When I get it correct, she would tell me what the word is in that language, and then I can finish my sentence if I want to."

"Yeah...talking with somebody that's either a native or is very fluent in that language can also speed up the process. Definitely find somebody who's willing to talk with you in that language, 'cause it can help in learning."

"So, that's all for that question…'say Scheisse'-" I cut myself off and laughed with no restraint.

"NO! I WON'T SAY THAT GERMAN WORD! NO!"

"...'Are you planning to collab with Nijisanji EN soon?' Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to collab with them soon." I switched in Indonesian.

"When it's April 6, and I can finally collab with my senpais, I'll definitely collab with other Vtubers too, Nijisanji included. I wanna make friends and have fun with the whole community. I think...I think I can collab with any branch in Nijisanji. There's ID and KR, right? I think I can manage…"

"Sorry if my Indonesian is bad and that I stutter a good amount, by the way. I haven't practiced my Indonesian in a long time." I giggled.

"...'Do you recommend Duolingo for learning-' NO! WHATEVER YOU DO, STAY AWAY FROM THAT FUCKING BIRD. DUOLINGO SUCKS MORE ASS THAN A PORNSTAR, I'M TELLING YOU." I snickered a bit afterwards when I kept speaking in Indonesian.

"But in all seriousness, if you're starting, Duolingo can work. Once you learn a huge vocabulary and are planning to learn more grammar, leave Duolingo and please find something else. Pimsleur, Anki, LingoDeer, Youtube lessons, anything except Duolingo. It's not bad, it's just that...it's only good when you start, but the more advanced you go, the less it teaches, and it just becomes a 'mind drilling' game. You're not learning anymore, you're just cramming information at that point."

And so, I kept on with the stream until it ended. It was normal. Chaotic at times, but nonetheless, one of the more normal streams. I also did congratulate Rikka for making a cover, as well as Noel and Suisei for their respective streams.

Noel for her Duolingo English streams, and Suisei for her upcoming 800k stream. I will admit, Noel was easier to talk to since we know each other to that level, but Suisei...I felt pressure, and it felt awkward, but I tried my best to give this thoughtful message to her:

"Suisei-senpai. Good luck on your 800k sub special! Keep working hard until you get 1 million! Though, please rest if you can, 'cause I know how hard you work! Be the shooting star we always see in the night sky as we look up!"

At the next day, March 17, I woke up, had to exercise, and when I came back, I found some boys and girls in the lounge, like usual. A few were napping, actually.

"Yo." I said.

"Yo!" Some of them greeted me.

"Damn, it seems some of you streamed so hard, you had to nap." I chuckled.

"Mhmm. We got a baby here." Aruran said.

"I'm not a baby, you frick." Izuru said while leaning on Aruran's shoulder with his eyes still closed.

Me and the boys giggled.

"Damn, it's 200k more subs until Suisei gets 1 million, huh? She's finally gonna get the attention she deserves." I closed my eyes and crossed my arms.

"Mhmm. You saw the stream, right?" Aruran said.

"Uh...no, I was either asleep or streaming. What happened?"

"Technical difficulties with Youtube-kun."

I held in my laughter as Aruran giggled.

"I see…"

Some 3rd gen, 4th gen, all the CN and ID here, and only Suisei and Miko.

"Well, I gotta take a shower, so I'll be seeing you boys later."

"Yup!" Aruran, Suzaku, and Temma said.

"...Hey, is somebody willing to take care of Sora-chan?" Roboco asked everybody in the lounge while still on the steps of the stairs.

As soon as I heard that, I turned around to look at Roboco.

"What? What happened?" I asked first before everybody else.

"Oh? Shiro-kun! Good morning!" Roboco said as she went down the stairs.

"To explain, Sora-chan got sick from the rain last night. It's been raining a good amount this year for whatever reason...She said that she went out grocery shopping, but didn't realize it was gonna rain at night, so she came back wet." She frowned a bit.

"Anybody willing to help Sora-chan out?" She asked everybody.

"Hmm...sorry, but I got a stream in the next hour. I doubt I can help her." Aruran said.

"Me neither...I got a stream to do later." Miko said.

"Eh? She's sick?" Iofi asked.

"Yeah! Are you willing to do it, Iofi-chan?" Roboco asked.

"You can count on me!" Iofi said as she stood up.

"Don't get sick too, Iofi!" Moona said.

"I won't."

"I think Iofi will do a good job too." I said.

"Besides, if you heal Sora, the Goddess of Hololive, she could grant you any wish, even 20+ centimeters of height." I joked and giggled a bit.

"Hey! I'm not short, you idiot!" She said in Indonesian, but smiled and laughed.

"Idiot? Me? I can understand your lingo. Anyway, enough joking around. I need to shower. I do hope Sora will get better."

And so, I took a shower. I then sat on my chair and took a big sigh.

"Alright...what shall I do for today?"

…Maybe I'll just mess around in FL Studio and make some music. Especially that I'm gonna have to make my next album in advance.

"Hmm...that one song I made when Roboco came can work…"

Besides, I also still remember my lyrics for it.

"Alrighty...hmm…"

Already, I'm getting an idea that the song will be talking about my past exes. If it is, I gotta do my best to convey my feelings as best as possible.

As well as considering that the first thing I thought of was "Remember when I loved you…", it's gonna talk about how much I used to love girls, but then started to gain trust issues and how much it really meant to me before. Might be hard, but my brand is V-R.A.P.P, so I can't afford to relax when my brand is all about being in peak performance.

Though, as I was writing lyrics and playing the beat back to see what can be good to fit in, I got a knock on my door.

"Shiro? It's me, Iofi!"

"Ah, coming!"

I grabbed a short and shirt, my mask, and I opened the door.

"Wassup?"

"Sora-senpai said that she'd like you to come to her room and sing a song, as well as talking with you for a bit. Though, if you're busy, she's okay with you not going."

"Oh? I can, but...-"

"I don't know why either, but she looked quite energetic to meet up with you, so...maybe get your guitar?"

"Sure." I said as I closed the door, and I immediately changed from my shorts to pants, and I got my acoustic guitar as I went upstairs to the 3rd floor, and looked for her room.

"Still funny to me how the 3rd floor consists of the 0th gen, 4th gen, and 5th gen…" I said as I looked for Sora's room.

"Ah, here it is. Sora-senpai, may I come in?" I said.

"Shiro-kun? Is that you? If so, please come in!" She said in a slightly nasally voice.

I went in, and saw her nose being red and a towel on her forehead with a basin next to her as I saw Iofi sitting right next to her.

"You finally came!" Iofi said.

"Sure did." I chuckled.

"Shiro-kun, hello...!" She said as she kept lying down.

"How's your fever, Sora-senpai?"

"Ah, I'm doing fine! I'm still sick though." She giggled.

"Here's your seat, Shiro!" Iofi pointed at the chair near her.

I got it, and sat down as I put the body of the guitar on my lap.

"I heard you wanted to talk with me and let me sing something. I may not have the greatest voice, but I'll do my best to sing for you!"

"Thank you! Though, I wanna talk with your first before you sing."

"Oh? Ask right away."

"This conversation shall be between us three, okay?"

"Oh? H-Hai…"

The hell does she mean by that?

"You know, I heard from Sui-chan that you gave her a message last night!"

I blushed and looked away.

"Eh? Really?" Iofi said.

"...Y-Yeah. But it's nothing special, okay?" I looked at them.

"It's nice of you to send that! Sui-chan may not look like it, but messages like that make her happy, you know? I know she was happy when you sent that!" Sora said.

"...I don't know. She prolly hates me for whatever reason there is, most probably because of my personality."

"I don't think so. You seem very likable!"

I looked away.

"...Well, I think that's just you." I blushed.

"Hihi. You look so cute, all flustered and such!" Sora laughed a bit.

"I know, right? This side of Shiro is nice to see once in a while." Iofi said.

"Oi!" I said to them as they giggled.

"Still...you have a soft heart, don't you? You like to help others when in need, not caring about anything in exchange." Sora said.

"...Nah, it's just my beliefs and principles. As a child, I've always looked up to soldiers like heroes. I'd look at the television, and when I see them helping kids, willing to take the bullet for others, and spending time with family after the chaos, I knew that's what I needed to be. A hero. Somebody that can save millions."

"That's why, despite the trust issues, I keep helping the Hololivers anyway. It's not just 'cause I want to do it. I need to do it. Do good and keep society happy. Keep families intact from possible danger. Do what it takes to serve justice."

"And you do all that without expecting anything in return?"

I shook my head. "No."

"That's still a soft heart." She giggled.

"Sigh...whatever. You make up your own theories, I don't care."

"...Well, enough of that talk, can you sing me anything? It doesn't have to be Japanese. You can sing anything."

"Oh? I can do it...but why though? Why let ME sing, of everybody from Holostars?"

"I know what everybody sounds like, but I've yet to hear what potential you hold in your voice. Besides, I also heard from a clip that you used to sing as a kid. I also like your voice! It has a certain tone in it that sounds soothing for some reason. Can you show me more of your voice, please?"

"Well...then I shall this song called 'Passenger Seat'. You know that song, Iofi?"

"That song?! That's so old! You know it too?!"

"Mhmm." I said as I started strumming.

"I look at her and have to smile.~"

"As we go driving for a while.~"

"Her hair blowing in the open window of my car, and...~"

"As we go, I see the lights.~"

"I watch them glimmer in her eyes.~"

"In the darkness of the evening.~"

I looked at Iofi, and even she was singing along with me.

"Oh, and I've got all that I need. Right here in the passenger seat.~"

"Oh, and I can't keep my eyes on the road, knowing that she's inches from me.~"

I continued to sing until the end of the song and did my usual ending, playing a little riff to end on a good note.

"I loved it!" Sora said.

"I can feel it! Your potential in singing! Not to mention, it's hard to sing and play an instrument at the same time!" Iofi said.

"Thank you."

"I can tell you can sing. Have you been taking voice lessons too from Akina-sensei?"

"Mhmm. She's been a huge help in improving my voice and getting me back into singing."

"Wanna duet?" Iofi asked.

"Ah sure. What song? I prolly know it."

"Yoru Ni Kakeru by YOASOBI!"

I almost laughed, letting out a small snicker and a huge "B".

"The hell?! That's so high!"

"No worries! Judging from your vocal range, you can reach it! Plus I'll take care of the higher notes! Just sing in a comfortable range. Think of it like a karaoke session, and maybe not take it too seriously. This is just for fun and for Sora-senpai!" Iofi said.

"I see...should I go with the original key, or should I use the capo?"

"Ah, just keep it like the original key!"

"Alright…"

And so, me and Iofi sung. We took turns, switching every 8 bars, and even singing together at some parts. I was able to get through the whole song, and it was hella fun.

"WHOO! Jesus, that was fun!" I laughed.

"I know!" Iofi said.

"That part especially when I realized when we had to change the key and I sang that 'tokete iku'. Thankfully, I was singing low."

"Can you try singing it high? I'm just curious how it sound."

"Ah? Um...okay."

I inhaled and then sang "Tokete ikuuu~~" in my upper register where it was practically belting, and us three laughed.

"Yeah, I can do it, but I can't control it well."

"Aww...though, it sounds okay, I won't lie." Iofi said.

"Keep practicing, Shiro-kun! I know you'll get there one day." Sora said.

"Mhmm."

"...Oh? It's almost lunchtime. I think I've taken enough of your time." Sora said.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Sora-senpai. My stream is still this 2 PM, so don't worry."

"I'll take care of her lunch. You can go back now, Shiro." Iofi said.

"Mhmm. By the way, how're you feeling, Sora-senpai?"

"I'm feeling a bit better. Hearing you sing was fun to hear! Iofi-chan, can I check my temperature now?" Sora asked.

"Sure!" Iofi said as she got a thermometer and put it on her armpit.

"Ah, it's that type of thermometer, huh?"

"Mhmm!"

"...You really do have a soft heart, huh? You're really kind when speaking normally, Shiro-kun." Sora said.

I blushed and coughed a bit.

"N-N–Not at all, Sora-senpai. I-I'm just your average egotistical rapper." I laughed nervously and scratched my head.

"You even address me with the '-senpai' honorific."

"Well...I feel quite a big senpai aura when it's you, Sora-senpai."

"...Say, why do you address everybody without honorifics?"

"Hmm? Oh...well, it's just that I usually don't address honorifics unless it's the military base or for elders or senpais I know needs to be treated with respect. Not saying I don't have respect, even though addressing without an honorific is a bit disrespectful, but...I guess you could say it's just my thing."

"I see...that's interesting." She giggled.

"Well, I guess I'll be going now. Thank you for having me, Sora-senpai! It was great singing for you!"

"Ah, no! I should be the one thanking you! I might be a bit selfish, telling you to come up to the 2nd floor for me."

'...Yup, gotta do my next line quick.' I sweat dropped.

"Ah no, it's my pleasure! Oh, would you look at the time, I overstayed for a minute longer. Hahaha, in that case, I'll be going now. Bye!" I said everything in rapid succession and closed the door.

"Phew, finally didn't have to do a back-and-forth compliment there." I said.

'I guess I'll be continuing making lyrics for the song I was making.'

And so, I went back down to my room, and I continued making lyrics. When I took a short break from writing, I drank a glass of water and thought about the album's possible songs.

'Hmm...what ideas could I have? So far, I have an idea for Ayame, my past exes...Ooh, thinking about Tupac, I could also make a song about my gun, disguised as a 'girlfriend'...' I thought.

"Guh...even though I wanna make a song about Ayame, I don't know what I could do to make a song for that…Ah, screw it, I'm finishing up a verse and just relax and listen to some rap songs after this." I sighed and got water again from the water dispenser.

And so, once I finished Verse 1 for "Remember When I Loved You", I relaxed on my bed, put on the left earbud of my Airpods, and listened to my "Sing Rap" playlist.

"Alright, random, and...boom." I said as I lied in bed and listened to "God's Plan" covered by Kid Travis and Cam Fattore.

I was just relaxing, closing my eyes and just listening to the music, until "Can't Decide" by Amine popped up.

The guitar sound played at the beginning really ticked something off in my brain and got my music producing gears going. I instantly opened my eyes even though I was feeling sleepy and smiled.

"Huh...so that's the sample I shall use for the song for Ayame, huh...? Damn…" I sat up from my bed and slowly stood up.

"I'm feeling hella motivated now! Time to make a beat and write some more lyrics!" I chuckled.