Re:life with Karmic Gacha (Modern Family)-Chapter 440: 1 Million (6)

[General POV]

A second person was picked from the crowd. The teenage boy looked quite bashful when he received the microphone.

He wore braces and had freckles on his face.

"Hi Edward." He greeted with a deep voice.

"Hi, what’s your name?" Edward asked.

"Gregory." He replied. "That’s a cool shirt too Gregory." Edward teased.

He was bashful when everyone laughed. He was wearing a t-shirt with I Love Nessa on it, and it has Hudgens’ face too.

"Um... I have a question." He gathered his bravery and asked, "Why... Why did you..."

"Calm down and breathe." Edward helped him as he was struggling.

He laughed self-deprecatingly and finally asked his question. "What kind of car do you like?"

"Well, the company car stock will rise if I reply, so I’m not going to." He chuckled teasingly. "Next question."

"Um... How big... are your..."

Everyone widened their eyes and held their breath as their mind finished the sentence themselves.

"House?" Gregory finished, and everyone sighed in relief.

"How big is my house?" Edward teased. "I thought you would ask something else. I was scared there."

Everyone laughed as they understood him.

Gregory asked another question after that. It wasn’t really an important question.

Next up was a gorgeous blonde girl. She wore tight clothes with deep cleavage, and she had red eyeliner around her eyes.

"Hi Eddy." She greeted with a blush. "I’m... Kennedy."

"You’re really beautiful Kennedy." Edward flirted, which made the entire crowd exclaim in bewilderment and excitement.

The girl’s face turned red and she covered her face with her hand.

"Um, you’re really beautiful too." She said, which made the entire crowd laugh.

Edward chuckled and played along, "I know, right?", which made the crowd cackle again.

"Um, my question is..." She began asking her question, "Why did you and Taylor break up?"

Everyone exclaimed with disbelief. But they wanted to hear about it too.

"I’m going to keep that private. How about you, Kennedy. Are you dating someone–"

"NO! I’M SINGLE!" She replied hurriedly. The man who stood beside her threw his hand in the air in disbelief.

Edward laughed and said, "Are you sure? The one beside you is looking really mad now."

"We’re just friends." She said quickly. "We’re not dating."

Her words stabbed deep into the heart of the guy next to her. Edward laughed and said to the drone, "Can you pass the mic to him for a second? I want to hear it from him."

The drone gave the man a microphone, and all three of them were displayed on the big screen now.

"Hi, how are you? What’s your name?"

"Clark." He replied. "I thought we’re on a date. A concert date."

"No we weren’t." Kennedy grimaced. "You never asked me out on a date. Ever."

He was flabbergasted and said, "Why do you think I brought you here in my van?"

"Cause we’re friends and we both have tickets?" She replied.

Edward enjoyed the argument and added, "Well. That’s the problem folks. If you want to invite someone on a date, make sure they know it’s a date. Or else, you’ll end up like Clark."

"Right." Kennedy replied. Clark grimaced, face full of disappointment.

Edward laughed and said, "Kennedy, if Clark actually asked you out, would you’ve said yes?"

"Um..." She hesitated for a while before saying, "I might."

Clark brightened up and muttered, "Oh. I still got a shot with you."

"Good for you Clark." Edward jeered, which made the crowd laugh.

"I feel like I’m in a stand up crowdwork now." Edward said cheekily.

...

As Edward was having his Q&A session, in an alley somewhere, Red Menace and Jenna stopped a person with a Dragon mask.

"There’s no place to go Drago." R.M said robotically. "It’s time to give up."

Jenna added, "Flamingo had told us everything. Every member of your group. The details of your plans."

The two of them surrounded the man from front and back.

Drago sighed. He raised his hands up and said, "I have already left the group. And I haven’t done anything."

"But you’re going to–" Jenna wanted to bring him in, but Red Menace casually said, "Right then. Since you have left the group, we’ll go away."

"Whaaaaat?" Jenna was shocked.

Even Drago was confused.

But since Edward could sense he was being sincere, he didn’t bring him in.

"Wait Red. Shouldn’t we still bring him in? He could be dangerous." Jenna said.

"We definitely will not bring someone to detention just because we thought they were going to do a bad thing. People are complicated. We can judge them after, not before." R.M explained.

Jenna argued, "But if we did it now, we would save countless lives in the future."

"That’s tricky, since the future is always ever changing. What if by taking him in now, we destroyed the path of him using his power for good– because we turned him spiteful for judging him on things he hasn’t done?"

Jenna puffed her cheeks and said, "But he is part of their group!"

"He left."

"And we are supposed to believe him?"

Drago suddenly raised his hands up and said, "Um. Can I interrupt here? Cause this seems like the beginning of the civil war comics. You know, the one where Carol Danvers fought Tony Stark."

"Hey. I just read that." R.M said gleefully. "Besides, it’s not a war if we’re just two people. Maybe a scuffle, or a fight, but not a war." He added.

"Oh it’s war alright!" Jenna grimaced and rushed towards Drago.

But, the guy disappeared, and Jenna dashed right into R.M’s embrace.

R.M laughed and said, "Wow, you’re still having those side effects?"

"What?!" Jenna pulled herself away hurriedly, her face bright pink. "No. I just tripped. W-Where did that guy go?"

"He’s a projection from the beginning. He was never here." R.M said with a cheeky tone. "Also, you want to fight me?"

"Can it!" She snapped, face full of embarrassment. "We should go now! Or else we won’t find the Salamander."

"We’re too late anyway." R.M said suddenly. "Huh? Why did you say that?" Jenna asked with confusion.

"She’s at the concert." R.M replied casually. "And she found her target."

In the concert venue, the last person to talk to Edward was a young girl. Maybe around 10.

As the camera went to her and Edward asked her about her name, her microphone suddenly flung away from her hand, like someone had yanked it.

The camera followed the microphone as it landed in the hand of a masked girl.

"Hello Newgate. Remember me?" The Salamander asked with a malicious grin.

...

Behind the stage, Pepper stared at the big screen with disbelief.

"What’s going on?" He asked. "Why is there a masked bitch on camera? How did the microphone fly?"

Robin, who was lurking around, suddenly appeared behind Pepper and said, "It didn’t fly. A very thin hair wrapped itself around the mic and pulled it to her."

"Not to mention..." Robin’s eyes turned serious. "The same hair is wrapped around thousands of people’s necks in that stage area."

"What?" Pepper was flabbergasted.

Edward smiled politely and said, "How can I remember when you’re wearing a mask on your face?"

She smiled and took it off. Underneath it, was a pretty girl.

"Madelynn?" Edward asked with a slight surprise.

The girl gritted her teeth. "Yes... Madelynn... The horrible, disfigured... Quasimodo’s cousin Madelynn."

Edward paused as he was thoroughly confused. "No, no. You’re still good looking, what are you talking about?"

"I’m hideous!" She snapped. "And you’re the reason! All of the people here think you’re so nice, but you’re actually a monster."

Not only Edward, but everyone else was confused too.

Edward could figure out what happened. Maybe after her nose was bitten by the raccoon, she had to undergo school bullying and it messed with her mind.

Although her face had healed up nicely, she still thought she was hideous.

"Admit it! You’re a horrible person!" Madelynn threatened. "Or, I will snap the neck of your friend. You don’t want that, do you?"

"Friend?" Edward was confused.

Suddenly, a girl with colorful streaks on her hair was pulled to Madelynn using her hair.

Edward’s face turned serious and he got a bit pissed off.

"Enid?" He said with a powerful pressure emanating around him. He saw his unconscious friend in Madelynn’s grasp, and she held Enid’s neck menacingly while showing Enid’s face to Edward.

"Yeah. I got her when she’s going to the bathroom." Madelynn laughed maniacally. "If you want to save her, Edward, you’ll have to do something for me."

"What do you want?" Edward asked seriously.

The fans around the area distanced themselves from Madelynn. Some realized their neck was tied up, and screamed in fear.

A panic washed over the entire arena instantly.

Madelynn smirked in satisfaction and said, "If you want her back, safe and sound. You need to cut off your nose."

Everyone gasped in shock.

"LIKE HELL HE WOULD!" His fans shouted, some were prepared to sacrifice themselves to kill the bitch rather than let Edward cut off his nose.

Edward snorted slightly. Madelynn was taken aback and snapped, "What’s so amusing?"

"It’s really amusing. I mean, what part did I play in getting your nose bit off?" He asked casually as he sat back on his chair.

Madelynn gritted her teeth and replied, "You ordered the racoon to bite my nose! I saw you pointing towards me!"

"Ordered? Really?" Edward’s tone was sarcastic.

Madelynn said, "Yes! Ordered! I thought it was all an accident, until..." She paused, eyes full of hatred. "I saw the video of you herding animals with your violin."

Lily muttered with a deadpan voice, "The bitch is crazy isn’t she?"

"You threw the baby raccoons into the house. I showed the mama raccoon who did it, I never ordered her to do anything." Edward said with a laugh.

"You dare to laugh! Don’t you care about your friend!?" Madelynn asked with anger.

"No. I do care." Edward said simply. "And I have created a perfect distraction too. Enough time for my people to get to your position."

She sneered, "Even if they did, I can snap her neck within seconds–"

Suddenly, she lost all control on her hair. Enid plopped down, and Woo-Jin caught her in his arms. All of the other hairs in the hostages’ neck were released.

Another scruffy man in black shirt and gray scarf stared at Madelynn with red eyes.

"What– What did you do to me?" She squealed, feeling powerless as her hair turned into normal hair. She held them pathetically, looking at Edward with fearful eyes.

Edward smiled and said, "Well. Meet Eraserhead. He can cancel out people’s powers with his eyes. So, just give up."

"Fuck!" Madelynn turned and tried to run, but the fans around her had blocked her path.

"Give up now. And go to the detention center." Edward said with disinterest. "Woo-Jin, bring Enid here. Everyone! I’ll take a short rest to check up on my friend. I’ll be back very soon!"

Everyone understood him and let him go. Madelynn was caught by Eraserhead, which was basically one of Edward’s duplicates. The red eye was his sharingan.

...

"Enid, you’re okay?" Edward said with concern as he slapped her cheek slightly. "You can wake up now, I know you’re just pretending to sleep." He added.

Enid pursed her lips up, eyes still closed. She said, "One of them has the power to curse people to sleep forever. They can only be awakened by a true love’s kiss."

Edward chuckled at her daringness. "Alright." He said.

Enid widened her eyes and sat up hurriedly. "Really?"

Pepper rubbed his forehead and said, "Girl. You just woke up. At least keep pretending until you get it."

"AHH!" Enid exclaimed in realization and laid back down again. She closed her eyes and groaned fakely, "The curse... The curse is taking over."

"I have a concert to get to, so..." He leaned downward and gave her a peck on the lips. Enid widened her eyes and her entire face turned red.

"Wait. You really did it?" She said with a girly tone.

"Just to get back on the stage. So, are you fine? Are you hurt in any way?" He asked with concern.

Enid stuck her tongue out and said, "No. I’m perfectly fine. The curse... is already broken."

Pepper cackled at her antics. Edward rubbed her hair with affection and smiled charmingly. "Thank goodness."

As she saw his face, Enid’s heart almost stopped. She laid back down, swooning and fidgeting as he left.

"ENID!" Alex rushed to the waiting room and hugged Enid tightly. Billie and Finneas followed her. Jacob and Elsa also rushed to the room seconds after that.

"You guys!" Enid was touched.

...

Edward got back to the stage, and the fans cheered in exhilaration.

"I planned another song, but I think this one fits the situation more." He said with a smile.

"I know a lot of you think I should end the concert, but to be honest, there’s always something weird going on in my life." He laughed self-deprecatingly.

"This is just a small hiccup, so the concert is still going. We’re near the end after all."

The fans exclaimed with disappointment as they heard the concert was ending soon.

[Human– Rag’N’Bone Man]

A deep bass and electronic synth enveloped the entire stadium. Edward stood in front of the standing microphone with his head lowered.

The choir sang the introduction as a background vocal.

"♪ I’m only human♫♪"

"♫♪ I’m only, I’m only♫♪"

"♫♪ I’m only human, human♫♪"

Edward sang with a deep, soulful voice, "♫♪ Maybe I’m foolish, maybe I’m blind. Thinkin’ I can see through this and see what’s behind ♫♪"

"♫♪ Got no way to prove it, so maybe I’m lyin’ ♫♪"

The crowd gasped at his voice. Goosebumps were arising on the necks of thousands of people.

"♫♪ But I’m only human after all! I’m only human after all! Don’t put your blame on me... Don’t put your blame on me (Oh)♫♪"

Alex nodded along as she agreed with the lyrics.

"♫♪ Take a look in the mirror and what do you see?♫♪"

Madelynn screamed in frustration as she was detained in the lockup, and her ability was stripped away from her.

"♫♪ Do you see it clearer or are you deceived♫♪"

Edward helped her see clearer. He put a mirror in front of her, and she immediately pulled her head to the side to avoid looking at it. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Then, he grabbed her chin roughly and made her look at the mirror.

"♫♪ In what you believe? (Oh)♫♪"

Madelynn’s eyes shook. She didn’t recognize the girl in the mirror. The reflection was a beautiful girl, and she thought she was ugly.

Edward had used his sharingan to make her bypass her trauma and saw her true self.

On stage, he crooned, "♫♪ ’Cause I’m only human after all ♫♪"

Madelynn’s eyes were filled with tears. "This is me?" She muttered with a shaky voice.

"♫♪ You’re only human after all♫♪"

He sang sincerely.

"♫♪ Don’t put the blame on me~ Don’t put your blame on me~♫♪"

Edward crooned soulfully on stage. He grabbed his microphone and began walking on the platform.

"♫♪ (Oh) Some people got the real problems ♫♪"

"♫♪ (Oh) Some people out of luck♫♪"

"♫♪ (Oh) Some people think I can solve them♫♪"

"♫♪ (Oh) Lord heavens above (Oh)♫♪"

He stopped at the first stage and sang with a serious face.

"♫♪ I’m only human after all ♫♪"

"♫♪ I’m only human after all♫♪"

"♫♪ Don’t put the blame on me♫♪"

"♫♪ Don’t put the blame on me♫♪"

Haley furrowed her eyebrows and said, "Is he pissed off?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Phil asked, his eyes were glued on the stage.

"His tone. He sounds pissed." Haley mumbled.

On stage, Edward smirked and crooned.

"♫♪ Don’t ask my opinion, don’t ask me to lie♫♪"

"♫♪ Then beg for forgiveness for making you cry♫♪"

"♫♪ For making you cry♫♪"

Pepper fanned his head and said, "Oh! I can just feel his frustrations!"

Renaldo added, "He’s talking about girls, right?"

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

Renaldo explained, "I mean. Girls will ask if she’s fat, so we answered, they don’t believe it either way and cried. Then, the man has to apologize."

Pepper nodded in agreement with him.

"I don’t think he’s talking about that." Robin sighed.

"♫♪ ’Cause I’m only human after all ♫♪"

"♫♪ I’m only human after all♫♪"

"♫♪ Don’t put the blame on me♫♪"

"♫♪ Don’t put the blame on me♫♪"

Edward crooned with a soulful voice again. The crowd went wild at the sound of his voice. Some of them even rolled their eyes back and lost their consciousness.

"♫♪ (Oh) Oh, some people got the real problems! (Oh) Some people out of luck♫♪"

"♫♪ (Oh) Some people think I can solve them! (Oh) Lord heavens above (Oh)♫♪"

"Sing it with me!" He said to the fans.

Everyone sang together.

"♫♪ I’m only human after all! I’m only human after all! Don’t put the blame on me! Don’t put the blame on me (Oh)♫♪"

Edward smiled in satisfaction.

"♫♪ I’m only human, I make mistakes! I’m only human, that’s all it takes...To put the blame on me. Don’t put the blame on me♫♪"

Edward crooned soulfully at the bridge. The entire crowd held their breath.

"♫♪ (Ooh) ’Cause I’m no prophet or Messiah~~~~!! (Ooh) You should go lookin’ somewhere hiiiiiiigheeeeer~~~~♫♪"

"I got chills." Billie muttered.

"I’m going to faint again." Enid said as she bit her lower lip.’

Edward slowed down the tempo.

"♫♪ I’m only human after all. I’m only human after all. Don’t put the blame on me

Don’t put the blame on me♫♪"

"Is he doing this, because of what just happened?" Taylor muttered, her eyes flickering, "Or was it because of the pressure on him. And the blame people put on him for not making the cure sooner."

Selena added, "The unrealistic expectation people have on him. Acting as if he’s a god that could solve everything. That’s why he has to make sure to tell people he’s a human too. God, this song is so sad."

"♫♪ I’m only human, I do what I can. I’m just a man, I do what I can. Don’t put the blame on me. Don’t put your blame on me♫♪"