The Right Strategy

(Sun Yao)

The day after the auditions was the preliminary round, which used a scoring system. In the end, sixteen magical girl idols will remain.

Me, Miluno, Flow Princess, Halley;

All of them passed the preliminary rounds smoothly, Flow Princess and Halley were even considered as contenders for the championship... It's ironic that, despite it being a magical girl competition, the most attention is being drawn to witches and Monster.

In addition, Thunderous Resonance, Fahrenheit, as well as Zara, Gray Swan, Antarctic Star and Miss Fran who were invited directly to the finals, also successfully secured their spots.

However, Miss Zara seems to have connections; she'll most likely be eliminated in the top 16, right?

Now it's just a matter of waiting...

"We'll take four days off this week... um, so the official recording won't start until Friday the 15th?"

Falcon glanced at the timetable on the coffee table.

"Yes, recording starts at 7 PM on Friday."

She then asked, "So, how's your show preparation going?"

Miss Falcon dresses very casually at home and doesn't care at all about what others think. Her leopard-print tank top and denim shorts bring a touch of European and American boldness into my living room.

Oh no, it's Yezi's house.

In short, it was very casual; the loose shoulder straps slipped to one side without any intention of adjusting them, and he just floated in mid-air drinking an ice-cold beer.

Although she can fly, she is still a human bound by gravity, which makes certain parts of her body sway particularly noticeably when she lies down. Or perhaps it's because she's not in Hawaii, but even her brown skin has become lighter, making the contrast with her blonde hair less noticeable.

Why does she maintain her transformation state even at home?

"The song we're going to sing? It's ready."

Am I fortunate enough to hear it in advance?

"Okay, then I'll trouble you to be a judge this time."

Take out the wand.

Unfold soundproofing bubbles in the living room, then stand up and pick up the TV remote from the table, pretending it's a microphone.

"Cough cough."

I gathered my emotions.

Recalling the melody and lyrics of Sirius's new song...

"Ceruno, the room is all renovated, even the walls have been repainted... Hmm? What kind of atmosphere is this? What are you guys planning to do?"

It's Miss Metal.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and walked out of the hallway opened in the living room wall.

"Um, I'm planning to sing."

"The song you submitted?"

"Um."

"Then why bother with me? Just sing!"

Because her work clothes were a bit dirty, she didn't sit on the sofa.

Golden, however, seemed completely unconcerned about its paws running around the room. It jumped onto the sofa, lazily lay down, and waited for me to speak...

The fright it felt a few days ago has subsided, and it has returned to its carefree and happy Doggy state.

If I had to point out any difference, it would be that I've become smarter.

Even when alone at home, they can turn on the air conditioner, watch TV, rummage through ice, and even take a bath. If Sirius's kennel had dogs with this level of intelligence, then selling them for $400,000 wouldn't be too expensive.

"So, my audience consists of three people?"

My mother is not home.

Because Yezi had been sent away by Sirius to study, her mother felt she should do what a mother should do, so she tried going out to buy groceries by herself.

She's not quite used to electronic payments yet, hopefully nothing will go wrong...

Of course, it's just grocery shopping; in the end, Falcon has to handle the cooking. With professionals present, amateurs don't have the chance to enter the kitchen.

Falcon even pulled the Doggy into the air to use as a cushion, urging:

"The audience is all in position, so let's begin!"

Singing

I performed Sirius's new song in a soothing, slow melody.

"It's not bad to listen to..."

Falcon seemed hesitant to speak, clearly indicating there was more to come.

"Just tell me directly, I can accept it."

"But it's difficult to win with this. Whether it's Miluno, or Flow Princess and Halley, they all have something you don't."

I frowned and asked, "Are you going to talk about vague things like 'aura' again?"

That kind of thing, even if I wanted to learn it, there's absolutely no way I could.

Because this is something that cannot be mastered simply through learning...

"No, what I'm talking about isn't aura, but distinctiveness. Your singing severely lacks your own personal style. You haven't poured your own unique elements into your performance. Miluno's aloofness, the wildness of the Thunderous Resonance, Flow Princess's quirky charm, Halley's sense of the times—your singing doesn't have these qualities."

She floated down in front of me, grabbed the Golden Dog's paw, and placed it on my forehead.

"But you should have had it."

"So what are my personal characteristics?"

"If I had to say, it would be soft! Ceruno, you're the softest person I've ever met. Don't you think you're like a fluffy cotton candy from head to toe? Petite and adorable, let's incorporate that cute quality into our singing and do it again."

"Cute?"

"That's right, try to adjust your voice in that direction too. Trust me, with your petite and adorable appearance, you'll definitely be a big success."

I understand what Falcon means.

There's even a more suitable adjective to express it.

Moe!(Moe!)

Singing with an adorable voice that melts your heart will perfectly match the impression I give off.

Just like "Flow Princess," this is a disguise, a persona.

"Well, I'll give it a try, cough cough."

I gathered my emotions and tested my voice.

I sang with a voice unlike any I'd ever used before.

"Blooming, spinning, at this moment of arrival."

"Transcending, sprouting, until the flower blooms."

"Gather the petals of memory, and say goodbye."

Miss Sirius's new song is very versatile and can be performed in any rhythm. As a project, we will definitely hear all sorts of versions of this song when it is released.

Falcon is right.

If I can't come up with a singing style that reflects my own unique characteristics, I will definitely be eliminated.

"I never want to close my eyes again."

"Bloom! And set off again!"

She sang a cappella, but in an incredibly cute, childlike voice.

Singing in this falsetto was more tiring than I imagined. I started panting as soon as I put down the microphone (TV remote).

Wow?

However, Falcon swooped down and hugged me, Golden, which she was already holding, also climbed onto my back.

"Great job, Ceruno, you're so cute!"

Hmm! Westerners wear way too much perfume!

"Woof!"

Is this a compliment?

Metal, standing to the side, covered his nose.

"Your new voice still needs some polishing, but you at least have the potential to compete with others. As for the rest... that depends entirely on your performance on the day."

Will it be a matter of improvisation?

Ultimately, it all comes down to confidence.

Metal said, tilting his head back as he looked up.

"Excuse me, could you please give me two tissues from the coffee table...?"

She seemed to be in some kind of trouble.

Falcon then Past her two tissues.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You're so cute, I'm practically bleeding from my nose."