Robin might have been young, but she wasn't some little girl who knew nothing of music.
Having grown up listening to her mother's singing and later diving into music theory after arriving in Penacony, she could confirm at least one thing.
Setting aside what "Mambo" actually meant, the fact that the entire song was nothing but "Mambo~Mambo~" from start to finish... was clearly not normal, right?
Through the Harmony's tuning, she could also vividly perceive the artistic intent of the piece.
It evoked the silence and romance of strolling through deep space—undeniably a beautiful melody.
Which only made the "Mambo~Mambo~" part even weirder!!
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[Roleplay System]
[Name: Bai Ming (Robin)]
[Lifespan: 1200 years (Paused) + 7 days (Roleplay)]
[Available Characters: Big Herta (Usable), Acheron (Usable), Celenova (Usable), Jingliu (Usable), Ruan Mei (Usable), Sparkle (Usable), Hertatomb (Charging: 67.8%), Lord Ravager - Jingliu (Charging: 30.3%), Little Herta (Charging: 15.1%), Cyrene - Fuli (Charging: 3.0%), Robin (Currently Playing)]
[Gacha Pulls Available: 1 (1.6%)]
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The 'Robin' watched as confusion and bewilderment washed over little Robin's face.
Then, she glanced at her own panel and saw the emotional value progress bar climbing. The bar, which was already nearing capacity, finally broke past 100%, granting her a new pull.
When 'Robin' first drew this character card, she hadn't actually planned on farming emotional value from the original person.
After all, the current Robin was just a tiny slip of a girl. Going out of her way to tease a child felt a bit... strange.
But she hadn't expected Gopher Wood to take the initiative and invite her over just as the progress bar was in its final stretch. He had practically handed her the chance to play with the little girl.
And then she realized: Hehe~ teasing kids is actually a blast!
Compared to Robin's utter confusion, Sunday was faring much better, mostly because he hadn't studied much music theory.
Even so, anyone who had heard enough singing could tell this was a bizarre, abstract combination.
But the thing was, to Sunday, the voice of the grown-up Robin sounded just as heavenly. In his eyes, anything his sister sang sounded wonderful.
Moreover, this was the singing of her future self—a performance at the absolute peak of her vocal mastery. Naturally, no matter what she sang, it was a flawless, five-star performance!
As the song ended, Robin remained immersed in the strange impression it left. Sunday, on the other hand, had stars in his eyes as he clapped his hands enthusiastically.
"That was the best song in the whole world! Robin, your singing is amazing when you grow up! You're definitely going to be a universal superstar!"
"The... the best in the world...??"
"Yeah! As expected of my sister, it was like listening to an angel!"
"..."
Robin, who had hoped for a different answer upon double-checking, felt the light die in her eyes.
My dear brother... I admit my future voice is beautiful, and if I were humming a normal, soulful ballad, it would be divine music.
But facing these utterly bizarre 'Mambo' lyrics, how on earth did you come up with a 'best in the world' rating...
Is my brother actually a hopeless tone-deaf mess with disastrous musical taste?
Suddenly, Robin began to harbor serious doubts about every compliment her brother had ever given her singing. If his taste was this weird, then her own voice, which he had praised all along...
Without warning, Robin used the wings behind her ears to cover her face tightly.
The young Robin didn't dare think about it anymore. If she did, she'd go into a full "red-heat" meltdown and might just have to deliver a "Little Sister Iron Fist" to her own brother.
"..."
The 'Robin' tried her absolute hardest to suppress the upward curve of her lips, barely keeping a stray giggle from escaping.
She hadn't expected little Robin to have already started systematic vocal training at such a young age. Her original plan to trick the girl into confidently singing the Mambo song had failed.
But talk about a plot twist!
The musically-illiterate brother, Sunday, out of pure love for his sister, had lavished her with praise.
It seemed to have produced an unexpected effect. Watching Robin gradually turn beet-red and hide behind her wings to escape reality was just too cute.
'Robin' was struggling to keep it together. At the same time, she didn't forget to use the power of Remembrance to firmly record this scene, intending to craft a high-definition Light Cone as a souvenir.
She'd wait until Robin grew up and made her debut, or until Sunday became the head of the Oak Family, and then she'd send it to them. Their reactions would be absolutely priceless!!
Off to the side, Acheron...
She watched as 'Robin' desperately stifled her laughter while simultaneously recording a Memory Bubble. She wordlessly raised a hand to cover her own face.
This person... she really showed no mercy when teasing kids. Acheron didn't even have to guess; she could tell exactly what Bai Ming was plotting just by looking at her expression.
Mischievous. Truly, utterly mischievous.
It left Acheron torn between whether she should grab her by the scruff of the neck and put a stop to this wicked behavior.
Just then, 'Robin' suddenly looked up at Acheron. She blinked hard at the speechless woman, as if saying, 'Isn't this fun? Isn't she cute?~'
The expression was almost like someone seeking credit for a job well done, causing Acheron's breath to hitch slightly.
Her mind instinctively swapped the current face for Bai Ming's true appearance, which she had seen in the Dreamscape.
Acheron felt a "critical hit" from the image in her imagination. It finally melted into a fond, doting smile.
After sharing a look with Acheron and reaching a silent understanding, 'Robin' turned her gaze back to the self-doubting little Robin and gave a soft cough.
"Actually, those lyrics just now were part of a special practice method. Even with meaningless or inappropriate lyrics, you can still convey emotion through tuning."
"Robin, you felt the emotions I sent through the Harmony just now, didn't you? I think your brother praised you because he felt that emotion too."
Proceeding to talk absolute nonsense with a straight face, 'Robin' maintained a serious expression as she met little Robin's eyes.
This look of unwavering conviction actually made the little girl wonder—could I have really misunderstood?
Sunday didn't understand the technicalities, but that didn't stop him from nodding along. As for Acheron, she had completely given up on watching this person bamboozle a little girl.
"Is... is that so...?"
Robin was still skeptical, but she really had felt clear emotions coming from those nonsensical lyrics.
At the very least, she knew she couldn't hum such gibberish with a straight face while conveying such clear feelings. It still felt weird, but it wasn't exactly illogical.
Seeing that the girl was actually buying it, 'Robin' nodded and tested the waters further.
"Yes, exactly. And those lyrics are actually very famous on the inter-cosmic net; many people love them. Do you not spend much time online lately, little Robin?"
"Um, Grandpa Gopher Wood said we should wait until we're older before using the internet."
No wonder.
'Robin' realized the kids were being kept in a digital blackout.
"I see. Well then, I'll sing another one. It's called 'Hachimi Song'."
"Okay... wait, what?"
Seeing little Robin trying to convince herself to accept this explanation, 'Robin' felt a fleeting pang of guilt, as if she were scamming an innocent child.
But very quickly, the urge to tease won out.
"Hachimi" tumbled out of her mouth. Once again, the melody was beautiful, allowing one to feel the underlying intent. But those equally nonsensical lyrics still made little Robin's face scrunch up.
This time was a bit better, though—at least it wasn't just two syllables over and over.
There were many different pronunciations. But even with the variety, she realized she still couldn't understand a single word.
Now, rather than the abstract lyrics themselves, little Robin was more curious about what kind of "genius" had written them. Even a Synesthesia Beacon couldn't translate them...
Yet this older sister could sing words that even a Beacon couldn't decipher while perfectly conveying her heart's intent through the Harmony.
That was actually... pretty impressive!
And...
The more she listened, the more little Robin felt that while it was weird, it wasn't actually bad. In fact, if you listened closely, these nonsensical songs were actually quite catchy.
And so, Robin—having successfully gaslit herself—subconsciously began to hum along in a small voice.
"Hachimi wo nameru to..."
Once she had the first line, the second followed. The well-behaved little Robin began to catch the rhythm, eventually finding her groove. Her voice grew from a tiny hum to a confident song.
And while Sunday didn't care for singing, he was a total "Robin-Enabler."
Under her brother's constant praise, little Robin gradually shed her inhibitions. Her tone even became a bit more cheerful.
Of course, 'Robin' hadn't forgotten why she was here.
While using her knowledge to teach the girl, she was also using the Harmony to guide her.
She didn't want the children to become clones of herself. She had no interest in that kind of extreme, rigid Harmony.
She was simply using the tuning to guide the children's thoughts and their pursuit of the Harmony...
However, a serious teaching session paired with such ridiculous lyrics made the scene look rather strange—even farcical.
'Robin', the culprit herself, felt as though she could hear a faint "Aha!~" of laughter echoing in her ear.
She was clearly using different methods to guide Robin's path in the Harmony, yet she felt the power of Elation within her grow just a tiny bit.
"..."
So this counts as Elation too?
She was just teasing a kid! And besides the teasing, she was teaching actual, serious stuff!
'Robin' decided that Aha was simply trying to mislead her perception, trying to warp her from a serious person into a follower of Elation.
She pushed the phantom laughter to the back of her mind and focused on the girl.
And so, she spent half the day holding the little girl, "Hachimi"-ing together.
As expected of the "Order Twins" Gopher Wood had his eye on.
Within that slightly different brand of Harmony—perhaps because the element of Order was stronger—these two learned incredibly fast. They truly lived up to Gopher Wood's praise.
However, a child's energy can't compare to an adult's.
After a joyful afternoon of singing, Robin was finally worn out. She looked ready to drift off. Sunday was doing a bit better, since he hadn't been the one singing.
'Robin' called for members of the Oak Family. After promising little Robin that she would play with her again, she saw the two children off.
Acheron had stayed quiet while the children were around, but now that they were gone, she couldn't help but chuckle.
"I didn't realize you enjoyed teasing children so much..."
Acheron was being polite. This whole thing wasn't exactly "evil," but it was definitely "wicked" in a playful way.
Given little Robin's personality and the elegant aura Bai Ming displayed in her current form, once the girl grew up and saw these recordings... her expression would likely be very complicated indeed.
--+--
Meanwhile, on the other side of the estate...
Robin, who had taken a nap on a Family member's back, perked up again once she got home and started telling her mother about the day's events.
She even pulled out a few photos to show her mother what she looked like as a grown-up.
Initially, Robin's mother thought Gopher Wood had used some trick to make her daughter happy.
But when she saw the 'Robin' in the photos, as a mother, she realized almost instantly: the woman really did look like her daughter all grown up.
Surprise and confusion filled her heart. She wanted to ask questions but didn't know where to start.
So... my daughter is going to grow up to be such a beauty.
She looked healthy, her hair was done beautifully, and her clothes were exquisite—likely quite expensive.
It seemed her daughter would have a good life. She wondered what her brother would look like, though she imagined he wouldn't be far off; the two had always been close.
And from what little Robin was saying, it sounded like she became a superstar, with many people loving her songs. Even if the mother couldn't tell if it was true or just a story told to a child, seeing little Robin so happy made her happy too.
Though, learning to sing from your future self sounded like something out of a fairy tale. Even if it wasn't real, Robin's mother felt that having such an experience would be a wonderful childhood memory.
"So, what kind of song did little Robin learn today?"
Robin's mother played along, curious about what kind of music it was. Beside her, Sunday chimed in.
"She sang so beautifully!"
"Really?"
"Mhm! But Robin sang all afternoon, so let me show you the video I recorded so her voice can rest."
Sunday, mindful of his sister's throat, wanted to show their mother the footage. But Robin felt that singing it herself would better demonstrate the progress she'd made.
Besides, the philosophy and emotion she'd learned from the older sister couldn't be fully captured by a video.
She wanted to give her mother a proper, complete performance.
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL