The Regressed Maid Becomes A Prima Donna - Chapter 5

The owner of the tavern I had chosen, Very Cool, was a man with a gigantic appearance.

 

“Was the lady searching for me?”

 

“Yes. I want to work here.”

 

At my words, he said to the employee who was washing the cups next to him.

 

“Have you not taken the job posting yet?”

 

“I took it off yesterday.”

 

After the employee gave me one glance and answered, the owner turned his head back to me.

 

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. We are not hiring people now.”

 

It was clear that he didn’t want to talk at length. Nonetheless, I continued.

 

“You mean the one who sings on stage?”

 

“You came here to be a singer?”

 

I quickly nodded. Then, the expression of the owner, that had been bored all the time, changed. He looked me up and down once again with a look of faint curiosity.

 

“My lady, do you sing well?”

 

“Yes.”

 

He swept his thick beard once in response to my short answer without any superfluities. I sat in my chair and waited patiently for his words.

 

It felt like his worries were long. Suddenly, a bell rang behind my back.

 

I didn’t turn my head because I was in the middle of an interview, but the owner moved his gaze over my shoulder and raised one hand and shook it.

 

“You came early for some reason.”

 

“What do you mean by that? You’re making me upset.”

 

A cheerful voice echoed through the quiet shop. Then someone came up next to me and sat down on a chair.

 

“When have I ever been late for a stage?”

 

Only then did I slightly turn my head to check the other person’s face.

 

The free-flowing black hair and dark skin caught my eye first. That alone made me recognize her right away.

 

She was the singer who sang the day I first came to this tavern.

 

The moment I realized that her eyes were also dark black, she turned to me.

 

“Who are you?”

 

She made eye contact with me once and blatantly looked up and down. The owner answered instead.

 

“She came here because she wanted to work as a singer.”

 

“Singer?”

 

Then she stared at me, almost impertinently. In response, I also stared at her without looking away from her. As I was about to get upset, she cried out loud.

 

“Ah, I remembered! Are you the woman who came a week ago and stayed up all night?”

 

I was momentarily taken aback as I had never seen a young woman use such harsh language. Meanwhile, the owner intervened.

 

“A week ago?”

 

“Yes. She caught my attention because she was young and pretty, and came alone to a bar full of uncles. She sat here until I went home after work.”

 

“Really?”

 

When the owner asked his staff this time, he hesitantly nodded.

 

“She came here quite often, didn’t you know?”

 

The singer suddenly stretched her upper body toward me and said, “You came to work all of a sudden. Then what, did you spy on it from another tavern?”

 

At the word ‘spy’, I felt the owner’s eyes sharpen toward me. I said, looking straight at her as she appeared out of nowhere and disturbed my interview.

 

“No.”

 

Then she pulled herself back and laughed.

 

“Well, what’s so great about this place that you even spy on it? Even if you don’t find it wrong, I find it firmly wrong. This place was doing pretty well before, but it’s going downhill these days. Right, boss?”

 

The owner’s expression suddenly turned sullen, as if he had been hit. At this, she burst out laughing.

 

I looked at the two of them and hoped that she would leave quickly.

 

But she didn’t seem to think so. ´

 

She just tapped me on the back a couple of times.

 

“It’s a joke, a joke. Don’t stare at me too much.”

 

Then, resting her chin on the table, she said to the owner.

 

“So what are you going to do? Are you going to audition today?”

 

“Since I’m here, I’m thinking of listening to a song. How about this time tomorrow? Is it all right?”

 

I opened her mouth to say yes, but she was a little faster than me.

 

“Isn’t Josh here yet? Then I will accompany her.”

 

“You?”

 

“Because I came early for the first time in a while.”

 

Saying that, she winked at me, and jumped up from her seat.

 

“Do you have a song prepared?”

 

I hesitated for a moment as I followed her to get up.

 

I knew a song but…

 

“I don’t know the name.”

 

“What?”

 

People walking towards the stage stopped and looked back at me.

 

Really, I did not. No matter how much musical knowledge I lacked, I knew that I couldn’t sing in a tavern like this.

 

Folk songs didn’t seem like a good choice either. So, every day for a week, I learned a new song from the local singers.

 

I trotted up the stage before their puzzled expressions turned to doubt. And I carefully took the first note.

 

The first person to recognize my song was the singer. I was singing the song she sang on the first day.

 

As soon as she heard a line, she smiled and immediately sat down in front of the piano and started the accompaniment at the right time.

 

I played calmly, looking at me once in a while, and continued to sing until the second verse, repeating only the lyrics I remembered appropriately to the accompaniment.

 

The song ended quite naturally, considering it was an impromptu guess.

 

“Not bad.”

 

The owner said in a slightly awkward atmosphere.

 

“It’s not bad. Boss, be honest. You want her to be chosen just because she has a pretty face?”

 

I was taken aback by her outspoken words, but the owner just chuckled.

 

“Faces are important too. I keep telling you that. If you don’t like it that much, why don’t you take responsibility for educating her?”

 

“What? Why me?”

 

She, who had maintained a light attitude throughout her life, crumpled her impression for the first time. However, the owner seemed to have made up his mind already, and shook my hand and said to me, “Come to think of it, I didn’t even ask for your name. Miss, what’s your name?”

 

“I am Amber.”

 

“Okay, Amber. Your voice is fine, but just looking at it, it’s like you are doing it for the first time. Do you know any other songs besides this one?”

 

“Yes.”

 

All of these songs were heard here, but this time too, he responded promptly without hesitation.

 

“Then you have a one-month apprenticeship. Write the contract after that. How is it?”

 

I wasn’t here to make money anyway. I immediately nodded to his suggestion.

 

“Does not matter.”

 

“Then let’s do it. Listen to the rest from that friend.”

 

The owner’s annoyance with her had really reached its limit by now, so she chinned me while sitting on the piano chair and turned her body around without hesitation.

 

The staff at the tavern also disappeared somewhere, leaving the two alone, and silence fell in the hall for a while.

 

She was the first to open her mouth.

 

“Where did you learn vocal music?”

 

I hesitated and answered honestly.

 

“I sang in the choir for a while at the temple in my hometown.”

 

“For a while?”

 

“I couldn’t fill a year.”

 

“Anything like that is pretty basic. But you can’t call it that here.”

 

Then she opened the sheet music book on the piano and flipped through it.

 

“It felt like you were singing modern for the first time. How do you know that song?”

 

“I heard you singing.”

 

“When? Maybe last week?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You heard it once and memorized it?”

 

“Yes.”

 

She closed the sheet music with a click and stared at me for a moment. I didn’t know what kind of emotion she was looking at me because I had never seen that gaze before.

 

“Huh, wow.”

 

Then she burst out laughing and said.

 

“Then come back tomorrow. Today is my work day, so I am busy.”

 

“I will.”

 

At my answer, she grinned like the first time our eyes met. And she held out her hand.

 

“I was being nosy for no reason, but I got lazy. What can I say? It’s the boss’ order, so I have to do it. Please take good care of me since it’s like this. I’m Miya.”

 

I slowly took her hand.

 

“I am Amber.”

 

“I know.”

 

That’s how she became the second music teacher in my life.

 

***

 

The next day, I visited the ‘Very Cool’ tavern a little earlier than yesterday.

 

As I carefully opened the door, the bell on the door rang loudly.

 

“Hi.”

 

On stage, Miya lazily raised a hand. I said as I approached her.

 

“I have to work during the day, so I can’t come at this time every day.”

 

The dressmaker’s work ended at 6:00, and the tavern’s performance started at 7:00.

 

When Miya told me to come by 5 o’clock to use the stage before the show, I had no choice but to ask Mrs Sierra for her understanding.

 

Mrs Sierra said it was fine, but it was quite noticeable when her staff left the store earlier than business hours.

 

“Well, it’s a student matter.”

 

Miya said so, but when I stood next to her, she added.

 

“I can’t stay here for long anyway. This is a tavern, not a conservatory.”

 

She was dressed more comfortably than yesterday. Even her makeup which was heavily done for the performance was rarely applied today.

 

As the sharp impression of her sharp eyebrows disappeared, I noticed that she had rather round eyes.

 

Whether it was because of her changed mood, or if I had just gotten used to it within a day, I was less offended by her words than yesterday.

 

However, there was one thing that had always been questionable.

 

“Do you talk casually to someone you’ve never met before?”

 

Then she smiled and opened the thick sheet music book.

 

“If you have any complaints, let it go.”

 

I didn’t get the answer I wanted, but I didn’t like her answer very much either.

 

But now it didn’t seem like it would make much sense to tell her about her manners.

 

“Okay, then.”

 

As I matched her words, Miya lifted one corner of her mouth and smiled in satisfaction. I deliberately ignored her expression and took over the sheet music.

 

“You know how to read music?”

 

“I’ve never tried it.”

 

“How did you sing without reading?”

 

“I’ve never tried it.”

 

Henry, my teacher and choirmaster in a previous life, only taught me the basic theory after hearing me sing along.

 

I also only had to sing, but I didn’t even want musical knowledge, so I didn’t feel any discomfort.

 

However, Miya raised one eyebrow with an expression of incomprehension.

 

“Then, of course, you can’t even play an instrument.”

 

“Yes.”

 

She took the music book from my hand again and sat down at the piano.

 

“I have to put you on stage right away, so I’ll do it the way you’ve done so far.”

 

Then she skillfully struck a few chords and looked over her shoulder at me, and said, “Still, learn how to read sheet music. I can’t teach you the songs in the world.”

 

Her words made sense, so I silently nodded. Miya immediately said that she liked my attitude.

 

“Then let’s start with your vocal range.”

 

I slowly made a sound from the note Miya pressed on the keyboard.