While Granny was still laughing, a few drops of lemonade spilled from her glass by accident. Haruna, on the other hand, simply sported a complicated frown.
"Um....Reiji-tan, I-I've never really sung before, except for when I hum my favorite songs or things of that nature. I'm very shy when it comes to that sort of thing, so I don't really do it out loud," she mumbled.
Reiji was amused by their contrasting reactions.
Granny thought he was joking, and Haruna was seriously considering the viability of his idea.
But even though it sounded outlandish, he wouldn't have suggested this if he didn't have sufficient confidence that it could work, especially since he had the game's events as a reference point.
He recalled how Haruna had even started this singing 'career' in one of the routes and felt a pang of melancholy.
If the player focused more on the other heroines and delayed helping her repay the debt, combined with a few other smaller choices, Haruna would become increasingly stressed about the situation.
Especially when she and Granny start getting visits from the loan shark's henchmen about their payments falling behind, leading to the old woman ramping up her workload to earn more money.
One day, she felt so stifled and numb about everything that she started looking up different ways to earn money without letting Granny know about it.
It was from this move that the various ideas he'd considered had come from.
The game listed blogging, modeling, art, etc., as various options for the player to choose from.
Although 99% of the time, the player could only control Riku's actions and decisions, there were rare moments like this where they could also decide which path the heroine would take.
It was a way to expand the story and allow them to experience new plot points and grow the heroines' characters differently.
If singing was chosen, Haruna would immediately record a song on her phone on the spot, just as a trial.
The camera would be facing the ceiling, and she didn't even have recording equipment.
And yet, the raw emotion in her voice, where she let out all the grievances in her heart by singing a famously depressing song, made the video so unique in its own way that it went viral within a few days, earning approximately a hundred thousand likes on Scrollz, this world's version of the short video app.
Her very first video, with no prior experience or preparation, went viral.
Reiji didn't know if this was the heroine's main character halo at work or if she was just that talented, but after it happened, Haruna knew she'd accidentally landed on a gold mine.
Almost half the requests in the comments wanted to see her face, but she was apprehensive about it at first.
So she put on a cap and a mask when recording, only showcasing her beautiful green eyes.
And there are a few things that people will eat up no matter what, such as beauty or mystery, and she managed to combine both of them successfully to create a persona that quickly gained traction on the short video platform.
"When I said you have a good voice, I was actually understating it," Reiji chuckled. "Haven't you seen how popular Scrollz is becoming? This is the best time to catch the wave and make something out of it, and all you have to do is trust me."
"But....." Haruna hesitated. "What if I fail? I don't even know the basic techniques of singing....."
"That's why, for this week, your only job is to practice singing. Look up tutorial videos for beginners, tips and tricks, vocal techniques, and anything else that can help you improve. Of course, practicing a bunch of different songs with varying tones and emotions is also important. As for me, I'll make some other preparations on my end and get things ready so that we can start recording next weekend."
Although Haruna only invested in semi-professional equipment about a month after she started earning money through this idea in the game, Reiji had no intention of waiting that long.
The monetization on Scrollz was incredibly fair, and for someone who had blown up like her, she also got a few valuable brand deals and endorsement offers.
He did have some apprehension, though.
His intervention meant that she'd never reach that low point where she'd be in the depths of despair, so it's unlikely that she'd have that much emotional range in her first cover.
Because of that, it would be difficult to replicate the same trajectory one-to-one now that he was proposing she start much earlier and with a different mindset.
But his confidence lay in Haruna's existence.
It wasn't important if her success was due to her setting boosting her luck or if it was purely because of her talent, because either option meant that there was a good chance she would still make significant waves on Scrollz regardless of this change.
Plus, Reiji had his own plans in place to maximize her traction.
Why should he play 'fair'?
"W-Wait, this is all moving so fast! I haven't even agreed yet!" Haruna remarked hastily, waving her hands in panic.
Even Granny, who'd been listening quietly out of bafflement when she realized he wasn't joking, spoke up.
"This really feels like such a random decision. It's not that I'm doubting you, but where did you even get the idea that this could work?" she sighed.
'Hmmm...I guess it did come out of nowhere from their perspective?'
Reiji clicked his tongue, trying to think of a way to convince them.
But the best way was to provide solid evidence, or at least a semblance of hope that it would be possible.
He turned to Haruna with a soft smile.
"Alright then, Haruna can sing us a song right now, and maybe that'll show you my point of view."
"WHAT!? Oh, please no! That's so embarrassing!" she wailed, covering her face with a cushion.
Reiji felt exasperated, but he couldn't back down.
"Just one song, please? I'll pull up a karaoke video on MeTube, so it won't even feel out of place!"
"...But-"
"Haruna, just this one time," he interjected, his face as solemn as his words. "I just want you to see that I'm not messing around. I promised to help you earn money to repay that debt, and I intend to keep that promise."
She bit her lips, contemplating what to do, but when faced with the curious look on Granny and the expectant gaze of Reiji, she groaned.
"F-Fine!"
Reiji grinned and immediately pulled out his phone, bringing up the instrumentals and lyrics of a song Haruna chose.
He raised the volume to its max and handed it to her, leaning back into the sofa with a hint of excitement.
The game didn't have voice acting, so the songs she sang and her skills were left to the player's imagination, and he now had the privilege to hear the first 'concert' of a future star.
Haruna breathed in and out to regain her composure and hit play, focusing on the lyrics popping up on the screen as the lively music echoed through the small room.
"Th-There's a star, in the seeeeea! A star, for aaaall to seeeeee!"
Her beginning was extremely wonky, with the words slightly out of tune.
Maybe she realized it, because her face flushed red instantly, and there was even more hesitation on her face.
And yet, she forced herself to continue, her nervous and awkward voice solidifying bit by bit.
Slowly, as the song progressed, she began to hit her stride, her reflexive instincts coming out as she matched the pacing accordingly, allowing her powerful voice to shine.
In this day and age, anyone can become a musician if they have a catchy beat and mask their vocal shortcomings with autotune or heavy editing.
But a truly melodic voice cannot be replicated accurately.
That's the difference between a singer and a star.
And Haruna was a star in the making.
Her inexperience was evident, with areas like breathing and dynamics needing some practice, but her uniquely strong voice was able to hit various pitches and had a certain allure that was difficult to describe.
'Memorable' might be the most accurate way to do so.
Reiji closed his eyes and enjoyed the rest of the song, throwing away all his planning and encouragement to purely enjoy what he was listening to.
'I get it now....I see why she went viral.'
His last shred of caution when deciding on this route was discarded like trash.
'If this doesn't work, I'll eat a pile of shit as a mukbang. Maybe that'll go viral instead.'
Haruna, who'd become engrossed in her own singing and shut out all distractions, finally came out of her stupor as the song ended.
An unwelcome silence shrouded the room, but not for long.
"*Sniff*....."
Reiji turned to the sobbing noise in complete surprise, not knowing what to do when he saw Granny wiping tears away from her wrinkled face.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you crying?" he asked worriedly.
"Granny! What happened??" Haruna shouted, kneeling in front of the old woman with a tremor in her eyes.
Neither of them got a response, as she continued to sniffle to herself.
And then she moved her hands away from her face and showed a brilliant smile as she looked at Reiji.
"I feel like such a failure. I've been her grandmother for so long, lived with her for years, and yet I didn't know just how talented my little girl was...And now.....Just seeing her like this makes me think that I should've paid more attention to her, helped her explore and experience new things instead of working all the time."
"Granny, what are you saying!" Haruna sputtered, her words a little choked up as well. "I didn't even know myself, how could you have known?"
There was no need to be humble at this point, since even Haruna could tell that her singing just now was much more than adequate.
They both turned to him with inquisitive expressions and watery eyes.
"How did you even know, Reiji-tan?"
Reiji blinked with the most innocent face he could muster and shrugged.
"I don't know? I guess I have good ears?"