Every time the March wind crossed the plaza , Keromi sneezed.
“…Achoo! Ah-choo…”
“You okay?”
Kopo edged closer, nervous, and Keromi shook her head, eyes watering. It wasn’t that she couldn’t make a sound — just that it wasn’t her usual clear tone. A hoarse rasp clung to the edges of her words.
“I was going to sing in the plaza today…”
“Then I’ll sing instead.”
“What?”
Kopo puffed out his chest and sang one line of Keromi’s signature song. He was off-key in three places and off-rhythm in four.
Keromi burst out laughing. And as she laughed, a little of her real voice peeked out from behind the hoarseness .
“…Oh, it’s back.”
“That’s thanks to my singing.”
“It is not,” Keromi said — but she was laughing again already.
Margin note: That evening, Kopo had Spice issue him a “certificate of Zero Singing Talent.”
【Today’s Drop】
- Hay Fever Awareness Day (March 7): A day established to bring some cheer to people suffering from seasonal allergies, based on a wordplay reading of “3 (ha) 7 (na).”
- Fire Service Memorial Day (March 7): Commemorates the enactment of Japan’s Fire Organization Act on March 7, 1948.
This is an English translation of “声が出ない歌姫”, part of Tales of Amencho Town (蛙鳴町奇譚).