That was about all I had to say about the book itself.
This was, more or less, an announcement that the book was going on sale. I couldn't be bothered to play for sympathy. After all, dreaming of attracting a huge readership with something this niche was a bit much. I was just writing an idol novel that felt spiritually pure to me, as a treat for myself. As usual, please vote, send blades, subscribe, and renew your subscription.
Finally, I'll open up some rewards.
150 blades: 2,000 words.
15,000 cat coins: 2,000 words.
Golden Treasure Chest: 30,000 words.
The book's doing terribly, so there's no limit. I might close it at any time.
Don't ask why there aren't rewards for monthly or recommendation votes. I've tried that before, so I'm scared to death???.
Volume One: 52. Deductive Method, Breathing in a Brand-New World.
The next day.
Late morning, in the C-Class practice room.
Kiriwake Yayoi chided her with a stern expression.
"Xiao Qing, your movements are too stiff!"
On Chu Yuanqing's exquisite, pretty face, her serious expression was mixed with utter despair. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, and sweat trickled down from her temples, making her skin look even more delicate.
The girl stood in place, her eyes guiltily lowered. She was furtively tugging at her skirt with one slender hand, awkwardly trying to cover her fair, alluring thigh, but no matter what she did, she couldn't conceal the shapely calf beneath it.
Her body was simply too perfect. From her golden-ratio legs to her balanced, elegant figure and smooth, fair skin, everything drew the eye when she wore a short skirt.
That was why Xie Qingxuan glanced at her a few more times than usual.
Liang Xiaoxiao saw this and silently hitched up her own short skirt a little.
Tang Liuli quietly cursed the damn succubus, then turned away with a blush.
When Chu Wangshu passed by, she couldn't resist giving her a pat. She said enviously that it felt better than her own, then reluctantly left.
The other contestants in the dance room would occasionally find themselves staring at those legs during breaks.
The Live Broadcast Room's viewers were going wild about them today, and their comments were downright alarming.
Chu Yuanqing was wearing the outfit the Program Group had handed out yesterday. Apparently, it was the standard outfit for both the Second Evaluation and the theme song Public Performance. The look was simple: a white short-sleeved top and white skirt in a JK style. Once she put it on, her slim waist was faintly visible, and her milky, smooth skin caught the eye, making people want to sneak a peek at her navel. It was the very image of summer freshness.
Honestly, it wasn't much different from what the other contestants usually wore, and they could get used to it in advance, which was a good thing.
But for a middle-aged father, it was simply terrifying.
The tentacle monster, which hadn't appeared in her mind for a while, had been stirred up by the intense stimulation. It had made a demonic return, cackling about cross-dressing as it tormented the poor, innocent, and alluring Magical Girl with its tentacles.
This was a hell-level public execution!
A merciless humiliation of a retired Savior!
A cruel punishment that stripped a father of his dignity!
Damn that red-eyed rabbit, damn the official Flash Dance account, damn those perverts in the audience.
Right now, Chu Yuanqing hated everyone who liked short skirts equally!
Kiriwake Yayoi continued correcting her earnestly and patiently.
"And that part just now—you have to remember to smile. Managing your expression is important. It's the key to giving the dance a soul."
"Also, Candy is a sweet song, so you need to show off your sweetness. The little gestures matter, too. If they look rough and perfunctory, you won't be able to bring out that girlish charm."
"Finally, the singing and dancing. The movements in this dance aren't very big, and it isn't too strenuous, but singing while dancing takes a lot of stamina. You especially need to control your breathing."
"There are still six days. You'll have to work on these techniques and your stamina in a hurry."
Chu Yuanqing didn't really want to listen to any of this. She just wanted to make it through this lesson and sprint back to the dorm to change.
But Little Sakura would rather cut into her own training time than stay away from the C-Class practice room. She'd come over on her own to coach Chu Yuanqing in person, demonstrating everything as she went.
Even if she was doing it out of confidence in her own abilities, this sort of behavior, by Flash Dance standards, was practically saintly.
Chu Yuanqing couldn't bring herself to disappoint her. She could only endure the embarrassment, suppress her urge to keep tugging at her skirt with her fingertips, and try to maintain a serious expression as she showed that she was listening closely.
But honestly, Kiriwake Yayoi's criticism was perfectly right. The moment Chu Yuanqing put on a short skirt, her mind went almost completely blank. Dancing in one was out of the question.
At that moment, the fans in the Live Broadcast Room also noticed something was off.
"Is Qing Bao embarrassed? Her ears are so red!"
"I saw her tug at her skirt without even realizing it. So cute."
"Wait, have you guys noticed? Qing Bao actually improved a lot yesterday, but the second she put on a skirt, she went right back to how she was before!"
"Damn, you're right. Her movements are obviously stiff in a skirt. Could Qing Bao be unused to wearing one?"
"That's totally possible. Given Qing Bao's tough circumstances, just having enough to eat and warm clothes to wear for school was probably a stretch. How could she afford to buy skirts?"
"True. Even in the photos of her working at the maid café, she was wearing one of those old-fashioned long maid dresses. In all her other candid photos, she's either in a uniform or her school clothes. You can't find a single photo of her in casual clothes."
"Waaah, stop, I'm going to cry. Poor Qing Bao."
"Damn it, stupid livestream. Why can't the contestants receive money?"
The Leeuwenhoeks in the Live Broadcast Room successfully figured out why Chu Yuanqing had performed poorly. They even came up with a perfectly reasonable explanation themselves, then felt miserable about it and put themselves through a bout of anguish. After that, they shouted even louder for someone to debut.
Kiriwake Yayoi wasn't stupid, either. She gave those long, fair legs a thoughtful glance and asked,
"Xiao Qing, you don't look very comfortable in a skirt. Are you not wearing safety shorts?"
Chu Yuanqing irritably covered her skirt and muttered,
"Of course I am! How could I not be?"
After saying that, the girl's tone abruptly softened. She tugged at her skirt and pressed her lips together guiltily.
"I'm not used to it because I've never worn one before. It feels chilly down there, and I don't feel safe."
Kiriwake Yayoi understood, then asked curiously,
"Also, you're obviously very cute, but you don't seem good at doing cute things."
Chu Yuanqing fell silent for a moment, feeling both happy and sad.
The good news was that not being good at it meant she was still normal.
The bad news was that she'd been called cute, and she wanted to die.
With a serious expression, she argued with a perfectly straight face,
"Society is complicated. If you're too cute, people will look down on you."
Kiriwake Yayoi felt the topic touched on personal matters, so she politely didn't dwell on it. Instead, she continued seriously,
"Anyway, the most important thing for you right now is to get through the whole song and dance without interruption."
"To help you get used to it in advance, you should wear a skirt to training from now on. You'll get used to it little by little."
"As for the movements and managing your expression, I think your problem has more to do with getting past the mental hurdle than with experience."
"Why not try the Deductive Method?"
Chu Yuanqing hadn't recovered from the terrifying bad news. She asked, only half understanding,
"The Deductive Method?"
Kiriwake Yayoi explained,
"In acting, there's a school called the experiential approach. Actors start from themselves and live in the character's circumstances to achieve a fuller emotional effect."
"I think the same principle applies to idols."
"Actually, no one is perfect. Because we're imperfect, we falter, make mistakes, and mess up. We let down all the people who've worked up a sweat beneath the stage, and we can't perform to the very best of our abilities."
"The moment I first stood onstage, I understood that the current me, just as I was, couldn't give the audience the best possible performance."
Kiriwake Yayoi paused before continuing.
"But what about the future Kiriwake Yayoi?"
"If it's Kiriwake Yayoi after she becomes a national idol, Kiriwake Yayoi carrying the expectations of millions of fans, Kiriwake Yayoi who has been tempered by countless world-class stages, then surely she can do better—maybe even come close to perfection."
The girl's eyes sparkled, and the smile that lifted her lips was both confident and flawless.
"Some things are just like that. Because you believe you can do them, because you think you can, you end up doing them."
"Ultimately, this is a form of Self-hypnosis. Set aside your usual habits, the distracting froth of your surface consciousness, and the parts of yourself that have nothing to do with the stage."
"In the end, only your pure self remains—the you who exists purely as an idol."
"Xiao Qing, if you can do that, you'll be able to breathe in a brand-new world."
Volume One: 53. Fired Up, Reborn from the Flames. (3K)
Those lines were both packed with meaning and unbelievably chūnibyō. They sent the Live Broadcast Room into a frenzy.
"Breathe in a brand-new world???!"
"F***, I'm fired up!"
"Is this the secret technique of Japanese-style idols? I love it!"
"They might be idols, but they're not playing around!"
"Little Sakura is so pure! If she can immerse herself like that, getting into the Flow State must be a breeze, right?"
"This is too damn ridiculous. I'm starting to suspect she held back during the Initial Evaluation!"
--flow.
--[Flow State].
For Chu Yuanqing, this was a trick as simple as child's play.
But for 99.9 percent of people around the world, this miraculous state—which combined total immersion, a massive boost in efficiency, the unlocking of potential, accelerated thought, and more—was an unattainable dream.
Those who could truly enter and control the Flow State were top talents in their respective fields, worthy of claiming the crown to the highest realms.
The idol industry, where performers made their living onstage, had an even greater need for focus and charisma.
According to industry rumors, the members who held the Center position in those girl groups whose streaming numbers had surpassed the billion mark had to be first-rate idols who had gained an initial grasp of the Flow State.
Among the many world-famous girl groups, take the currently popular Death Butterfly as an example. Its leader and Center was someone who had clearly mastered the Flow State.
--Xie Qingyu.
This nationally renowned rising star was the main reason netizens had already regarded Xie Qingxuan as the Great Demon King, even before she debuted.
The Deductive Method Kiriwake Yayoi had just brought up had attracted so much attention from the audience because, when combined with her past experiences, it seemed so much like a path to immersion that belonged to her alone.
If she could remain true to herself and keep moving unwaveringly down the path she'd carved out, mastering the Flow State wouldn't be an unattainable dream.
In a xianxia novel, she'd be said to have the makings of a king.
Chu Yuanqing's little head was buzzing. She was totally lost. Wasn't she just being taught how to overcome her embarrassment and dance? How had the conversation veered into such a baffling subject?
Still, the Deductive Method was easy enough to understand.
It was nothing more than using powerful self-suggestion to briefly elevate one's mental resolve, then synchronizing it with the breath deep within one's soul, achieving a momentary resonance and ultimately creating miraculous, unbelievable progress.
Chu Yuanqing understood it. In fact, she could say that no one in the world understood it better than her.
That was because the prerequisite for activating her [Undying] blessing was believing she wouldn't die.
In theory, to activate that blessing, she had to keep believing that death wouldn't come, even in the instant when both her soul and flesh were crushed to pieces.
When she first awakened this blessing, its utterly absurd activation condition meant that nobody in the vast City of Doomsday believed she could become the Savior who would turn the tide.
But the truth was,
Chu Yuanqing had done it. She had twisted her own will, tainted her own soul, and rewritten her memories of the blessing. Then, after every rebirth, she repeated the process again and again. Through sheer self-deception, she had tricked herself all the way to the end.
In the process, the mental technique of self-suggestion had long since become instinctive. As soon as she died and came back to life, everything reset to its original state, and it was as if a switch deep within her soul were instantly flipped, deleting the true conditions for activating the blessing.
That [Undying] blessing, used to its utmost limits, was precisely why she'd been able to protect the kindling of civilization all by herself.
Except...
The price was that her mental resolve, the core of who she was, had withered like a flower and fallen into a state of chaos. She could no longer make out her true self. By the late stages of the apocalypse, she'd even needed to deliberately seek death to reset her soul, just to catch her breath.
The reason Chu Yuanqing had hesitated over whether to change sexes was that even she didn't know if she was still herself. This body was practically the only evidence she had.
From that perspective, the transformation of her Life Form really was much like being born anew.
Before you continue