Chapter 160
"I barely managed to pull through."
Nell's voice was utterly exhausted as she slumped limply against the back of the chair, completely drained.
"By the way, how much did we make?" "Fufufu, 123,000 zeni."
Nell flashed a thumbs-up, having earned an absurd amount in just a few hours.
You might think Amina’s merchandise sales alone couldn’t have brought in that much, but the end result speaks for itself.
Whether it was bad luck for the spirits or not, the grand prize—those paintings—were the last two items left in the gacha.
Even though the fans, hand towels, and glow sticks had all sold out, the paintings remained untouched.
I considered just leaving the grand prizes as the only remaining items and letting people draw for them, but the spirits themselves stopped me.
They insisted on trying their luck to win it themselves, leading to an unexpected overtime session.
Despite knowing there were no more prizes left, they kept spending—an impromptu surge of additional purchases.
The way they celebrated wins and lamented losses had already shifted into full festival mode.
The pile of spirit stones grew higher and higher.
To the spirits, they might just be trash, but to us humans, they were a treasure trove.
The mound kept rising until, after the last painting was finally claimed, what remained was a mountain of spirit stones towering over our heads.
Once the Duke bought them all, of course the total would be a staggering sum.
"Hey, is everyone really okay with being this exhausted?"
Going all out in business was Nell’s creed, but her body couldn’t quite keep up with her mercantile spirit. She let out a cute, tired sound as she gulped down a stamina potion.
Then, appearing before us—
"Amina looks adorable!" "Ehehehe, I’ve never worn such a pretty outfit before!"
Amina stood there, dressed in a dancer’s outfit—modest in coverage, with bright green and white as its main colors.
This world had no such thing as idol costumes.
I wasn’t an expert on idol fashion either, but I could at least convey the general idea.
"You look like the main attraction," Nell remarked.
We had commissioned artisans from the Duke’s household, providing them with sketches and discussing the design until we created an outfit that didn’t exist in this world.
Our own attire was kept deliberately plain to make Amina stand out even more.
During the day, Nell had been the star as a merchant, but from now on, Amina would be the main attraction on stage.
"I just checked outside—an unbelievable number of spirits have gathered around the stage." "Indeed. The food stalls are completely sold out, and the festival has clearly stirred up the spirits’ excitement."
Claudia and Ingrid weren’t wearing their usual priestess or maid outfits today either. They were dressed in costumes made specifically for this performance.
"Amina." "Yeah?" "Are you nervous?"
Thanks to the Duke’s backing, we’d managed to pull together an event of this scale in such a short time.
Negotiations with the church, arranging guards, all the groundwork—it was all just the prelude to make this stage shine.
Wondering if we were putting too much pressure on Amina, I asked her, but—
"Not at all! Actually—" "Actually?" "I’m super excited right now!!"
Her smile was brighter than a sunflower in full bloom.
"Everyone’s here to hear me sing!! Nothing could make me happier!! Just thinking about it makes me so giddy I can’t stand it!!"
She hugged herself tightly, as if trying to contain her excitement.
Thinking back to when I first met her, Amina had been singing alone. Sitting on the steps, with no audience, just singing to herself.
But she hadn’t looked lonely.
She had always sung with a smile, pouring her heart into the joy of singing.
"Amina." "Yeah?"
If that was the case, then any pressure from organizing this event must have been completely overshadowed by the sheer happiness of being able to sing.
If anything, I was the one who’d been nervous.
If this failed, I wouldn’t get the job.
Maybe that unnecessary thought had made me tense.
But now, I remembered—that pure feeling of just enjoying something. Efficiency didn’t matter. Winning or losing didn’t matter.
Amina’s smiling face, purely enjoying this moment, reminded me of how I used to be.
A feeling I’d forgotten after discovering other pleasures—the simple, wholehearted joy of playing a game.
"Let’s enjoy this." "Yeah!"
I focused entirely on having fun.
Just thinking that made me smile naturally.
"Everyone, it’s time," Ingrid said, glancing toward the waiting room’s entrance, where a priest had come to escort us.
"Alright, everyone, let’s do this!!"
Amina, the star of today’s show, took charge.
"Leave it to us."
I stood up, holding my trusty lute.
"Let’s get the crowd pumped!!"
Nell, revitalized by her potion, gripped her drumsticks.
"I’ll do my best to support you."
Ingrid cradled a large harp in her arms.
"Days like this aren’t so bad."
Claudia held a flute.
Today, we weren’t adventurers—we were the band bringing a songstress to life.
The spirits had gathered, buzzing with anticipation, the energy in the venue rising by the second.
In my mind, this was a live concert, but technically, it was a sacred ritual.
Led by the priest, we stepped onto the stage and knelt toward the branch shrine.
The stage was positioned so the shrine was directly in view, with the audience seated in front of it.
Even though the shrine was at the very back, this setup worked.
"We offer this song to you."
Amina spoke in a prayer-like posture.
This was the beginning of the job acquisition quest.
*"Let us hear and see. Thy song."*
A voice, not of man, filled the air.
Was this the voice of a god?
It carried dignity but no intimidation.
As the god of performing arts, they must have understood this was a place for enjoyment.
"Yes."
With the god’s approval, the stage was now Amina’s.
She glanced back at us once, and then—Nell’s drum began the song.
The rhythm started, followed by Ingrid’s harp, Claudia’s flute, and finally, my lute. The moment all the instruments joined in—
"♪～"
Amina’s voice filled the venue.
Our plan had been to start with an upbeat song to energize the crowd.
Something fun and lively.
The spirits who were here for the first time seemed confused, but—
Those who had attended the previous live performance started waving makeshift glow sticks, showing the newcomers what to do.
Their movements, synchronized with the music, spread like wildfire.
Lights of various colors brightened the venue, the atmosphere growing more and more vibrant.
And seeing this, Amina’s excitement soared.
Her voice, shimmering with joy, grew even more beautiful as it harmonized with the crowd’s energy.
"Everyone!! Thank you so much for coming todaaaaaay!!!"
And just like that, the excitement became contagious.
As those around them got swept up in the fun, a sense of unity spread through the crowd.
Everyone was enjoying themselves, everyone wanted to make this moment special.
Waving glow sticks, cheering, and supporting us with pure enthusiasm—the spirits’ energy fueled our own excitement and motivation.
Ah, they’re happy. I want to make this moment last even longer.
That feeling grew so strong that the first song ended before I knew it.
Left wanting more, I focused even harder on my playing, craving that unity again.
I hadn’t planned to hold back, but I hadn’t expected to get this absorbed either.
A light sweat formed, my senses sharpening.
"I’m gonna give my all in the next song too, everyone!! Let’s have fun together!!"
『『『『『YEEEEEEEEAH!!!!』』』』
The crowd roared, their anticipation building.
You’d think such high expectations would make her nervous, but Amina’s sheer joy in singing made it impossible to feel anything but excitement.
Now I understood why she’d been so giddy before the show.
I doubted the spirits’ cheers had any skill effects.
But having pure, unfiltered excitement directed at you—was this what made it so thrilling?
"Here we gooooooo!!!"
The crowd wasn’t the only one eager for the next song—I was too.
Amina glanced at us, and in that brief moment, we all instinctively knew when to start playing.
Nell led the rhythm again, and the next song flowed seamlessly.
Once more, the venue bloomed with colorful glow sticks.
"♪～!!"
This time, it was a pop-style song, even more upbeat than the last.
We hadn’t practiced any choreography.
Our rehearsals had focused solely on singing and delivering a fun performance—yet Amina began improvising steps on the spot.
Singing while moving was incredibly difficult, not to mention far more physically demanding.
Coordinating body movements with singing required intense mental focus, raising the difficulty exponentially.
Maintaining pitch, remembering lyrics, controlling volume, keeping rhythm—all while making it lively.
Just singing carefully wouldn’t have conveyed this much emotion.
The sheer joy in her voice, the desire to share that joy—even if imperfect, it was passionate, wholehearted, and that’s why Amina’s songs reached us, and the spirits.
And now, in the middle of all that, she started adding steps—even jumps.
Sure, I’d taught her some dance basics.
Using my rhythm game experience, I’d shown her simple steps and how to move to the music.
But that was just foundational. There was no way she could master both singing and dancing in just a month.
Her singing was boosted by her Vocal Prowess skill, but dancing had no such support.
This was pure, unfiltered improvisation from Amina’s excitement.
For a second, I almost panicked—but then—
"…!"
One look at Amina’s profile, and all thoughts of "reckless" or "impossible" vanished. A fierce grin spread across my face.
That was close.
I almost tried to box her in.
Right—she was expressing herself, pouring her heart into sharing this joy.
Like a fledgling bird trying to take flight.
Flapping its wings desperately, begging to be seen as it soared into the sky.
I wanted to see it.
She made me want to see it.
An unfounded certainty filled my heart—she would dazzle us.
So—
"!"
I poured even more passion into my lute.
Precision wasn’t what mattered here—it was raw energy. I played harder, blending power into precision.
Ah, damn it.
I should’ve practiced more.
I’d spent too much time focused on combat and not enough on this.
But it wasn’t too late.
I could still shake off the rust.
Play louder, resonate stronger.
Nell was the first to react to the change in my playing.
Stronger notes demanded stronger rhythm—she sped up slightly, adding fresh intensity to the music.
Ah, this reminded me of the thrill of playing different game genres.
That feeling of rediscovering fun.
Just by surrounding Amina—our sole star—with musicians and an audience, everything became this exhilarating.
Named NPCs with singing-based abilities existed in this world too.
Some were gifted, even possessing unique skills that kept them at the top tier of vocal performers.
But Amina didn’t lose to any of them.
No—in terms of raw atmosphere, that intangible "skill beyond skills," she might even surpass them.
A hidden gem, overlooked because she’d never been in the spotlight.
Plenty of commoner characters existed, but few had talent like hers.
A talent worthy of respect, a gift for bringing joy, and a heart that loved singing this much.
Ah, incredible. Amina, you’re incredible.
Right now, I was having the time of my life.
The songs kept evolving, one after another.
In this moment, I didn’t want to waste a single second—I played my lute in a frenzy.
"We’re not done yet!! Everyone!!"
『『『『『『OOOOOHHHHHH!!!!!!』』』』』』
For now, all conflicts were forgotten.
*"Oooooohhh!!"*
I ignored the familiar, dignified cheer for the time being.
Right now, I just wanted to enjoy this moment.