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The night of Christmas Eve had settled over the town, the streets sparkling with strings of lights and a fresh coat of snow, when someone—probably Aira—brought up the idea of karaoke.
They’d been lounging in Seiko’s living room after finishing their gift wrapping, sipping hot chocolate and basking in the soft glow of the Christmas tree, when the suggestion lit a spark in the group.
“Come on,” Aira said, dragging out the word as she leaned over the back of the couch, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “What’s Christmas without some terrible singing? And I know just the place.”
“Terrible singing is exactly why we shouldn’t go,” Okarun muttered, pushing his glasses up his nose.
“Exactly why we should,” Jiji countered, grinning from his spot on the floor. “C’mon, Okarun, don’t be such a buzzkill. It’ll be fun.”
Turbo Granny perked up from her corner, already cackling. “Oh, I’m in. Watching you kids humiliate yourselves? That’s better than Christmas cake.”
Seiko, sipping from her ever-present thermos, raised an eyebrow. “You’re all going to regret this. But if it means getting you out of the house so I can have some peace and quiet, fine. Just don’t call me when someone inevitably passes out in a snowbank.”
And with that, they were off, bundling up against the cold and piling into a cab that barely had room for all of them.
The karaoke bar Aira had in mind was tucked into a corner of downtown, its neon sign glowing faintly against the snow-covered buildings.
Inside, the place was warm and packed, the air filled with the buzz of laughter, clinking glasses, and the unmistakable wail of someone belting out an off-key rendition of All I Want for Christmas Is You.
They managed to squeeze into a private room with a round table in the center and a screen mounted on the wall, already displaying a scrolling list of Christmas hits.
D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E ,
The table was quickly loaded with drinks—beer for most of them, a ridiculously fruity cocktail for Aira, and some kind of mystery liquor Turbo Granny had charmed out of the bartender.
“This,” Turbo Granny said, swirling her glass with a wicked grin, “is going to be spectacular.”
It didn’t take long for the chaos to start. Aira grabbed the mic first, of course, launching into an aggressive and slightly breathless version of Jingle Bell Rock that had everyone either laughing or covering their ears.
“Wow,” Jiji said, raising his beer in a mock toast. “You’ve truly outdone yourself.”
“You try singing it better!” Aira shot back, her face flushed from effort and alcohol.
Jiji shrugged, grabbed the second mic, and promptly started a duet with her. It wasn’t much of an improvement.
Momo leaned back in her chair, a half-empty glass of wine in hand, watching the chaos unfold with an amused smile.
Okarun, sitting next to her and nursing a beer, looked decidedly less relaxed. His shoulders were tense, and he kept adjusting his glasses like they were the only thing holding him together.
“You’re going to have to sing eventually,” Momo said, nudging him with her elbow.
Okarun choked on his drink. “What? No. No way.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t sing!”
“That’s kind of the point,” she said, her grin widening. “No one here can sing. Just pick something easy and go for it.”
“I—uh…” He glanced at the screen, his face a shade of pink that matched the ornament in his lap. “Maybe later.”
By the time Turbo Granny took the mic, they were all at least one drink in and considerably louder.
She launched into a raspy, theatrical rendition of Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer that had Aira doubled over in laughter and Jiji practically crying into his beer.
D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E ,
“Is she… rapping?” Momo asked, blinking at the spectacle.
“I think so,” Okarun said, though he looked just as bewildered.
“Bow down to your queen!” Turbo Granny cackled, tossing the mic onto the table and grabbing her drink with both hands.
It wasn’t until Momo picked a song that Okarun started to relax. She chose something slow and nostalgic—Silent Night, maybe—and though her voice wasn’t perfect, it was soft and steady enough to quiet the room.
Okarun watched her, transfixed, his beer forgotten as the glow from the screen lit her face in shades of blue and green.
When she finished, there was a beat of silence before everyone erupted into applause, with Aira whistling loudly and Jiji banging his fist on the table.
“Okay,” Momo said, handing the mic to Okarun with a sly smile. “Your turn.”
“What? No!”
“Yes,” she insisted, pushing the mic closer.
“I can’t—”
“Do it!” Aira shouted, banging her glass on the table.
“Yeah, kid!” Turbo Granny added. “Sing your little heart out!”
Okarun groaned, his face practically glowing now, but he couldn’t back out. With trembling hands, he grabbed the mic and stared at the screen, his mind racing. He barely registered the song he picked until the opening notes started playing.
D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E ,
It was Last Christmas.
“Oh my god,” Jiji said, already laughing.
Okarun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and started to sing. His voice was shaky and embarrassingly high-pitched, but he powered through, his cheeks burning as the others cheered him on.
By the time he got to the chorus, though, something strange happened—he started to relax. His voice evened out, and he managed to glance at Momo, who was grinning like an idiot and clapping along.
When the song ended, the room erupted into cheers, with Turbo Granny hollering the loudest. Okarun sat down quickly, hiding his face in his hands, but Momo leaned over and nudged him again.
“Not bad,” she said, her tone teasing but warm.
“Not bad?” Aira echoed, raising her glass. “That was the best performance of the night!”
“No, it wasn’t,” Okarun mumbled, peeking out from between his fingers.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Momo said, sipping her wine. “You’re kind of a natural.”
Okarun’s heart did a weird little flip at her words, but before he could respond, Turbo Granny grabbed the mic again and launched into an encore performance of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.
The night spiraled from there, the drinks flowing freely and the songs growing louder and less coherent.
By the time they stumbled out into the snow, their voices hoarse and their cheeks flushed, it felt like the perfect ending to a chaotic Christmas Eve.
Okarun found himself walking next to Momo as the group made their way back to Seiko’s house, his breath fogging in the cold air. She bumped his shoulder lightly, her smile soft in the moonlight.
“You did good,” she said simply, and for once, Okarun didn’t feel the need to argue.