93 Chapter 93: Socialization (2/2)

The four of us reached the K-box that Alicia told us to meet up in. None of us knew what to do and ended up waiting outside the K-box, looking lost. From what the receptionist told us, Black Rose hadn't arrived yet.

”What should we do?” Theodore asked. Dong Fang Yue Chu rolled his eyes and replied as if it was obvious.

”We wait.”

Well…truthfully, that was pretty obvious. What else were we supposed to do?

Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long. About ten minutes later, Alicia and the rest of Black Rose finally arrived. To my complete lack of surprise, they were mostly beautiful girls from Black Roses which included Alicia, Miranda and two more who I had briefly exchanged a few words with during the training camp. Too bad Elliot, Nicholas, Jin Hao and Aoi weren't present. They were the members of Black Rose who I was familiar with.

Not that I needed to worry. The two girls kept a respectful distance from me, allowing Alicia to approach me.

”Sorry. Have you guys been waiting long?”

”No, we just got here,” Dong Fang Yue Chu answered smoothly. Damn, but the guy really knew how to talk.

”Okay, let's go! I've reserved a room for everyone…”

Just before Alicia could head toward the counter, someone else appeared.

”Hey! Don't forget about me!”

Pearl Pang arrived, sashaying toward the K-box with a wide grin on her pretty face. She waved toward Alicia and Miranda.

”We didn't forget about you, Senior Pearl,” Alicia assured her with a smile of her own. ”We were just about to head to the room first.”

With the group gathered, we registered at the counter, and was led to one of the karaoke rooms. Flooding into the room, we settled into the couches that were laid out and began ordering some drinks. Dong Fang Yue Chu also reached out to activate the television and switched on the karaoke system. Picking out the microphone, he offered it toward the girls from Black Roses.

”Okay, who wants to go first?”

”Why don't you go ahead?” Miranda suggested, but Dong Fang Yue Chu shook his head and revealed a sly grin.

”Ladies first.”

The guy really knew how to talk.

Pearl took the initiative and started off on some current pop song I had never heard of before (because I only listened to anime music). Even as she enjoyed herself and a few of the others listened, most of the group chatted among themselves. Alicia had somehow ended up seated beside me, and she tilted her head toward me.

”Do you go to karaoke often, Richard?”

”No, not really. Very rarely.” I coughed, trying to hide my embarrassment. This atmosphere really didn't suit me. I wished I was back in my dad's dojo and training instead of hanging around this weirdly colored room with loud music. Even I didn't turn my anime music up this loud. I could barely hear Alicia over Pearl's melodic voice.

Then something struck me when I glanced around the room to avoid looking directly at Alicia. Scratching my head, I inquired.

”Where's the members from Holy Saints?”

I found it weird that they weren't present. Harrison, Adam, Terence, Cody and Lily had participated in the training camp as well. While Adam was eliminated, the rest weren't, and as such they should have received an invitation into this karaoke session as well. I was aware that Black Rose and Holy Saints were rivals, but they should still have good relations with each other.

”I invited them, but they had a gathering of their own.” Alicia frowned. ”President Harrison said he was busy, while Vice-president Lin Zhan Long organized their own separate party for Holy Saints. It doesn't just include those who joined the training camp, apparently.”

”I see.”

”Your turn, Alicia!”

Just when the conversation ended, Pearl finished her song. Naturally, she extended her microphone toward a stunned Alicia, who shyly took it. Unlike Pearl, Alicia chose a more subdued song, filled with melancholy and romance. The kind of song you would hear at a church, but without the religious elements.

The rest of the session continued in this fashion, with everyone taking turns to sing. I managed to escape somehow, deferring to the others and pushing the microphone toward someone else. However, Dong Fang Yue Chu eventually thrust the microphone at me and insisted that I joined in.

”Come on, don't be so anti-social. You're the only one who hasn't sung yet!”

”Yeah, I've sang three songs already! You should get a turn!” Pearl added.

With a sigh, I resigned myself to humiliation, and picked a song from an anime I had watched recently. Hmm, they really updated the system. To think they had even had anime songs recorded in it.

The thing about anime songs was that they were sing by official bands and professional singers, so even if they were used as the openings or endings of anime, the official MTV videos for the music were still those of the bands or singers. So no one could tell it was an anime song unless they had watched the anime like I did.

I was saved. Phew.

After trying my best to sing along with the music and botching the lyrics, I bowed and hastily returned to my seat. The rest clapped, and Theodore took over. Dong Fang Yue Chu was right. To my immense relief, no one cared about how terrible my singing was. They were caught up in the atmosphere and having fun. The joy was hanging out and socializing, not evaluating each other's talent in music.

Just when I was about to relax, someone suddenly kicked the door to our room open. Everyone fell silent and turned to stare at the figure who rudely intruded into our space, bellowing.

”All of you, shut up! You guys are howling like banshees and making too much noise! Are you looking for trouble?!”