Haunted System: Path To A Superstar

"Will the first contestant please come up."

Following the host's voice, the person on the opposite side of him stood up, walking towards the stage.

It was a teenager girl, short and pretty. A small ribbon was wrapped around her hair, drawing more attention to her.

"The first contestant will be singing Love By Light, made by Yokuza Seichi."

The slow background music began to play. The instruments were light, but high pitched. It gave off a unique vibe for a love song, which made this one a popular hit among the masses.

The sweet girl started to sing with a beautiful clear voice. However, perhaps because of nervousness or anxiousness, she sang some parts of the song too fast. This meant that there was one less person to worry about for Jay Kaiya.

The competition was not all that serious though, when the girl finished she seemed excited, hopping around everywhere. Maybe to her, she just wanted to sing in front of the crowd like a performance in a talent show.

The next contestant was even worse. A American girl sang an English song, which the song was not even that good. She probably just liked it because of the celebrity affect. Although her vocals were better than the first contestant, the song only had 3 vocal pitches that only changed during the chorus...

Looking at the past two participants, Jay's worries began to lessen. Even if he fails, it wouldn't be worse than these two.

About half an hour passed till it was his turn. Out of all the singers, only two seemed to have a chance to win. The rest were subpar, there was even a grandpa who sang the national anthem on stage...

"Thank you sir. Now ladies and gentlemen, lets greet our last contestant. The song he will be singing is called Sound of the Sea, an original song made by himself."

After hearing the man, Jay grabbed the Shamisen resting beside him, and went up stage. Now that he was on this small stage looking down on everyone, it felt like the stage was bigger than what it was...

Scanning the audience though, he was somewhat disappointed... The two hundred people waching at the start, was now dwindled down to around seventy.

The hotel customers who were watching the show at he start, had mostly all left. The seats which were filled, were now more sparse, with open spots here and there. The judges to the side weren't even paying attention, but talked to each other about what to do later in the day.

The audience chattered, while some played on their phones. As it was the summer, the humidity made it burning, making everyone sweat in large amounts. Those who were not covered by shade, were busy fanning themselves with foldable fans, closing their eyes as they relished the natural green air.

The only people who were truly paying attention to him was the host to the side, and Aiko in a open seat filming him. At least even if no one paid any attention to him, it would be better to post this, than him singing in a crowded girl's room... After all, he didn't want people to think he was gay...

Coughing on the mike to hopefully pull some attention, the only thing it did was make a small child stop playing on his gaming device... Giving a silent sigh, he started to play his slow melody.

Also deciding to do something he hadn't practiced, or was in the recording he had gained in his head, he started to hum with the intro.

It was very soft amd subtle, the humming enhanced the intro of the song, making the little child that was glimpsed, to keep on watching.

Then the first lyrics came, and his tune matched the original's voice perfectly.

"The sky-ies- voice! I- wish to hear..."

"The wi-inds- voice! I wish to, listen- carefully..."

The low melodic voice rang through the grassy area, making the tires open their eyes, the judges stop talking, and nearby hotel customers to stop by once again.

They wished to know what this song was, it was so clear, and most importantly, they had never heard this before! Was this a new song, or a hidden gem? Everyone loved good music, so the people gradually started to pay attention the young man on stage.

Next came the chorus, the part which every single listener can memorize and sing along. The part which people can remember lyrics, and retian as they hum in their head. The loud emotional voice struck their hidden emotional chords, that were masked inside their hearts.

"The Ocean's!! Voice!! I- wish- to- hear!!-"

"For your! Voice! I'm- still- searching- for-..."

The people who were busy on their phones, put them away, while a couple even started to record him. Aiko's face behind the camera was gobsmacked. Her common sense slowly leaving her.

（　(≪●≫)　）Д（　(≪●≫)　）'What the heck, this gigolo actually has talent? This defies my sense of nature...'

As the song continued, there was no more chatter or conversations in the background. It was a pin drop silence as everyone listened to Jay Kaiya's voice filled with hidden, but identifiable emotions. Hard to distinguish, yet perceptible enough to know that they exist.

This song struck a chord with the small that was present today. Perhaps years from now, they'd still be bragging about this story one day. If this man here was going to start being a professional singer, they wouldn't doubt that he would turn famous eventually. His looks were beautiful, and the man had talent.

Out of the many people here, only a old judge to the side was in distress. Originally the contest was part of a hoax, they mostly hosted it to make the owner's daughter the winner, as she always wanted to be a singer, but lacked the talent and dedication.

But, if they didn't award this man... He could guess that the hotel will close in no time... Even if it exists, once he becomes big, their reputation will be ruined... He was stuck between a hard rock, a tiger in front, and a leopard in the back...

Once Jay's song ended, his smokey eyes became clear again, as his mind gingerly focused on the surroundings. The once empty crowd now had about 300 people watching.

After a couple of seconds passed, everyone clapped for him, giving him the first applause in his life, one he would remember for a lifetime.

The old judge seeing that even the owner's daughter in the front seat clapping, and her ears turning red like she fell in love with the singer, he nodded to the host. If the daughter was like this, she would be ok with losing, which saved him from the troubles he would've haved to face.

"Normally we would have judges judge the winner, but today, I'm afraid they were just here as decor! Young man, you definitely deserve to win today's trophy! Lets give a round of applause one more time for this young man!"

After a long round of clapping for Jay, he grew embarrassed, but luckily the host had saved it. He could also confirm now that people will indeed like the things he will receive from the phone. He can truly become famous with this...

"Sir, please also announce what the song's title is, I'm sure we are all curious, and will listen to it later."

"Its called Sound of the Sea, you can find it on my WeTube channel called The Haunted Celebrity in a bit."

Hearing the weird name he had given himself, the people fastly calmed down their rapid feelings. Haunted? Why did he name himself that... What type of singer is this kid?