Beta: Stephanie

 

The sun had set by the time Jun returned to the campsite, Theodore following close behind. When he saw Jun, Ezekiel was relieved and instantly pulled him over to sit by the campfire.

 

“That was a long number 2.”

 

“… I was constipated.”

 

Most of the audience, who were eating dinner around this time, spat out whatever they were eating.

 

“Well maybe eating meat isn’t a good idea…”

 

“No, it’s resolved, so I can eat it.” 

 

As if it was the natural thing to do, Ezekiel held up a drumstick for Jun to eat and without thinking about it, Jun took a bite. The taste was a little familiar. Theodore wanted to slap the drumstick away while some of the audience gushed about a potential CP in the making. If Theodore saw such comments, he probably would have spat some more ghost blood directly at their screens.

 

After they ate, Ezekiel wanted to brainstorm a song with Jun. He wouldn’t be the one performing but he was allowed to help, and their team depended on it.

 

“Can’t,” Jun announced blandly.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I’m tone-deaf.” 

 

“You’re kidding.”

 

Jun shook his head. “I really am tone-deaf.”

 

“How about you sing a song for me right now?” Ezekiel suggested.

 

“Ok.” Then Jun started singing.

 

Ezekiel’s normally expressionless face went from slight expectation to disbelief real quick. The same could be said of Theodore. Jun wasn’t kidding when he said he was tone-deaf. It wasn’t the sort of singing that would make you want to curl up and cover your ears in pure agony. Rather, it left you confused, questioning the meaning of life, your existence, and how he managed to sing so monotone like he was reading a script without emotion.

 

|With such a nice voice as yours, how is this possible, dearest Host!?|

 

“…” There wasn’t anything Ezekiel, the camera bot, or the audience members could say. Could something like this even be improved?

 

“I’ll still accept you into my band, and you can be the mascot.”

 

A small smile appeared on Jun’s face. That guy was always good with his words. As for Ezekiel, he collected himself after a brief moment. “How about going back to vocal broadcasting?”

 

“… Oh?”

 

Another plot hole appeared, and to make things less noticeable, Jun had given a pretty vague response. Ezekiel seemed to have known the original before the contract, and this was not indicated in the plot.

 

“You were doing so well with it. I don’t know why you suddenly decided to pursue singing…”

 

At this point, the audience realized that the two already knew each other before the show and their CP senses were tingling.

 

“Don’t you know exactly why?”

 

Jun was hoping Ezekiel could help him fill in the blanks. Looking confused, Ezekiel reminded Jun that he had approached him and formed a contract with him based on the fact that he resembled his white moonlight, Paige Lyle. While Jun didn’t have to do anything other than just stand around for Ezekiel to look at, he was still offended to be someone’s replacement, but at the time he could only accept the easy money. 

 

Even though it sounded so stereotypical, the CP fans couldn't stop themselves from becoming invested in their story.

 

Vocal broadcasting was fun and rewarding, but monetarily it didn’t pay so well and he was living paycheck to paycheck with no personal savings while trying to pay off some debts. When he found out Paige Lyle was a singer and heard about the variety show ‘Sing to Survive’ he begged Ezekiel to let him participate and prove himself better than some white moonlight.

 

On this matter, Jun sympathized with the original. He, too, hated the idea of being someone’s replacement or being mistaken for someone else. In the previous world, he had to deal with that…

 

‘Wait a minute.’ 

 

|It couldn’t be they both followed me, System?| The system was offline and refused to come back.

 

Ezekiel had a bemused expression as he observed Jun. He seemed to often have long pauses during conversations. “Are you alright?” Ezekiel asked after an awkward amount of time had passed. 

 

“I’m ok. I'm going to sleep now. Good night.” 

 

The crew for the show was kind enough to give each participant a tent, so Jun went to his tent to retire for the night. He needed some time to think. 

 

Jun wasn’t sure but he strongly suspected that Ezekiel was also Azel. In the previous word, it had been easy for him to forgive Azel since he had just made a very dumb mistake and at the time, Jun didn’t have any deep feelings for him. By the time he left that world, Azel had already redeemed himself and Jun had grown a little attached to him.

 

For him to be someone’s replacement in this world didn’t sit well with him, and it hadn’t sat well for the original owner either. Now he didn’t know how to feel about Ezekiel if he really was Azel.

 

“Forget that guy.” Theodore was laying behind Jun, outside the sleeping bag, with his arms wrapped around him.

 

“Hmm.”

 

“After your contract with him ends, join my band. You won’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

 

“I don’t want to be a mascot.”

 

“… Then don’t join the band. Just marry me and be my wife.” 

 

As it turned out, that guy was merely obsessed with marriage. Jun wanted to argue: Isn't it husband? But he decided not to, as it would only stimulate the other.

 

“… Good night, Theo.”

 

Outside Jun’s tent, Ezekiel had been listening in to the brief one-sided conversation and when he heard the name ‘Theo,’ his blood raged. The motivation to try and clear things up with Jun receded in the flames of anger and jealousy.

 

The week continued in an awkward manner between Ezekiel and Jun, neither of them talking much with each other except whenever necessary. Soon the audience lost interest in Team #4 and began to focus on the other teams, particularly the one with the lively and bright Asher Xavier, whose singing talent was above all the other participants.

 

By the end of the week, all participants had presented their songs to the audience, except for Jun, and the voting started. On the day the results were to be announced, the teams returned to the starting point to meet with the host and a surprise guest, who would be providing commentary on each song.

 

The guest happened to be Ezekiel’s “white moonlight,” Paige Lyle. When Jun saw what the man looked like, his face had black lines. Those of the audience who had watched the “white moonlight” conversation between the two also had black lines. Which part of Jun Teruya resembled this person?

 

Paige Lyle was a tall, muscular man, with chestnut brown hair and a beard while Jun was a blonde-haired pale-faced boy. His voice was also the soft alto type, so it wasn’t even close to Paige Lyle’s deep baritone. All Jun could think was that Ezekiel was blind and deaf to think he bore any resemblance to this man. If there was even any resemblance, it would be minuscule, microscopic, nonexistent!

 

And was this Ezekiel’s type? There was a look of disbelief on his face as Jun stared at the man’s side profile, but the other causally kept his cool like there was nothing wrong.

 

Leaning over, Jun whispered: “I’m going to quit the show, so let's break up now.”

 

Hidden behind the backs of the other teams, Ezekiel gripped Jun’s hand hard. “I refuse. We still have about a month. Can’t you wait until then?”

 

“No. What’s the point? I clearly don’t resemble Paige Lyle at all.”

 

“You—”

 

“I don’t get it. What do you want from me, Ezekiel?” The unspoken words could be seen in Jun’s eyes.

 

Ezekiel never touched Jun Teruya inappropriately. He was never required to dress like Paige Lyle nor sing his songs. The original had never even seen what Paige Lyle looked like, for Ezekiel had always banned him from searching up anything on him. Jun believed it was the result of a man’s shame for having to resort to using a replacement, but there was something else going on.

 

Why did Ezekiel insist on keeping him around?

 

“It’s you,” Ezekiel said, a panicked look on his usually expressionless face, while he held onto Jun’s hand even harder, refusing to let go. “It’s always been you.”

 

In the original story, what made the protagonist shou appealing to Ezekiel was his ability to see ghosts, and he told him Jun’s ghost communicated to him that he had been murdered and the murderer was in the show. That made Ezekiel stay with Asher Xavier. When Jun read that part, he thought it was because of the remorse that came with using a replacement, but now he was beginning to think otherwise.

 

Still, he wouldn’t forgive the man so easily this time. Jun didn’t like such roundabout ways of pursuing someone.

 

“I’m still quitting. We’re still breaking up.”

 

With a deep inhale, Ezekiel let go of Jun’s hand and relented for the moment. “Alright, whatever you want.” Little did Jun know that he would be using their remaining time to try and convince him into staying.

 

Some of the more keen audience had spotted the tension between the two, but the camera bots were more focused on Paige Lyle and his commentary of the songs. Once all was said and done, the winner was naturally the protagonist shou, Asher Xavier. He stood up to receive his rewards, his eyes gleaming with pride directed straight at Ezekiel, who was too absorbed with Jun to notice. 

 

Though he was excited, Asher looked a little haggard and there were bags under his eyes. Jun noticed this and stared for a while. Theodore was floating beside him and said, “He’s being haunted by an evil spirit.”

 

An evil spirit? Was there something like that? Jun remembered that through communication with the ghosts of the victims Asher Xavier was able to gain some clues that eventually led to the murderer, but none of them were ever described as an “evil spirit.” Where did this spirit come from?

 

Jun looked at Theodore, who grinned in return. “That evil spirit wanted to go after your body, but don’t worry, I gave him a good slap or two.”

 

From being able to control zombies to beating up ghosts—you could say this man was talented in a way. Ezekiel saw that Jun was looking off into the distance at something and couldn’t help but clench his fists. His eyes seemed to be pleading: Look at me. 

 

But Jun didn’t turn to look at him, because the cameras had focused on him. Paige Lyle was sitting on his chair with a smile. “Little Jun, why didn’t you submit a song?”

 

“I’m tone-deaf.”

 

Other than the producer, host, Ezekiel, Theodore, and audience members, none of the participants nor Paige Lyle had been privy to that information. Paige Lyle laughed.

 

“But this is a singing show. Why are you participating then?”

 

“… Because I’m your biggest fan.” Jun lied without batting an eye.

 

“Oh? And you knew I’d be a special guest today?” Paige Lyle asked with one corner of his lips quirked, amused.

 

Jun continued to lie. “Yes.” 

 

“I’m assuming you’re planning to quit now then.”

 

“Yes.” That wasn’t a lie.

 

“Well, since you’re my biggest fan, why don’t you sing one of my songs for me before you leave?”

 

‘Fuck me.’

 

“Psst,” Theodore whispered conspiratorially. “I know you’re not his fan, much less his biggest fan. I know one of his songs—how about I help you? Just sing along with me.”

 

Relieved, Jun nodded at both Theodore and Paige Lyle. “Ok.”