Cuteness Kills Her, Hype Her Up!

(Bai Ziye)

"Wow! That's so cheesy!"

The Twins, who were carrying me on their arms, suddenly flipped me over behind my back, pushing me and sending me to Ceruno's side.

"Ceruno has gone to such lengths, giving her a hug as encouragement isn't too much to ask, is it? And this kind of music is perfect too..."

There was only one person's voice.

Turning around again, Hualun and Haite were already together, and a young woman with long purple hair was holding her cheeks, looking at me and Ceruno with a smile.

"Miss Fahrenheit?"

"Cough cough."

Another voice sounded from behind her.

"We haven't reached the dressing room yet. Although it's not the stage, the audience can still see this area, so it's best not to do anything strange... Of course, if you want to create buzz through a scandal, then disregard what I said."

It's Halley.

She's right. We're public figures now, so we need to be more careful...

No, pay attention to the hammer.

"Miluno?!"

Ceruno shrank back like a frightened little animal.

"Given our relationship, can't we even have a hug?"

"... Um."

Too lazy to consider the consequences, I pulled her petite figure into my arms, feeling her softness with my body, and gently patted the back of her head.

"Keep it up, don't lose before you meet me!"

"... Yes! I want to meet Miss Miluno in the finals!"

Ceruno was greatly encouraged.

When Fran left the field, the highly motivated Ceruno startled her.

So much so that she asked as soon as she got backstage.

[Ceruno]

What's wrong with her?

Halley glanced at me, shrugged, and replied, "Someone gave me a shot of adrenaline."

Is chicken blood some kind of illegal drug?

Explaining this kind of vocabulary to foreigners is troublesome, and I didn't know how to say it either, so I just handed it over to the simultaneous interpretation in her earpiece.

Halley shrugged.

"Unfortunately, Miluno, I'm definitely going to make it to the finals, so you two are destined to be broken up by me."

Only after getting to know her did I realize that this former idol was not only arrogant, but also had a rather sharp tongue at times.

Seeing that I didn't react, she turned her attention back to the stage.

He said, "The judges seemed to pay special attention to her, asking a lot of questions... but Ceruno didn't answer very well. She lacks experience and isn't quite good at handling these questions... She's too honest; many of her answers are just to please her fans."

There was some commotion backstage, which prevented me from hearing what was being said on stage.

The judges didn't ask me any questions; the host just gave an introduction before the performance began. Looking back, something was missing from the planned flow... Were they too intimidated by my presence to ask any questions?

I took the water glass from Halley and refuted her point of view.

"There's nothing wrong with answering honestly. One of the selling points of magical girl idols is their realistic character design. Ceruno is Ceruno, and I think her authenticity is very appealing."

"Hey, you're just Xishi through a lover's eyes."

"I'm not the only one who thinks this way."

The question period is over.

When it was Ceruno's turn to sing, she had spent three hours practicing with the band that was responsible for playing the music during the day, but it was uncertain how much of an effect it would have.

As soon as the intro started, Fran reacted with excitement.

[Tone change?]

[No, she rearranged my song!]

Halley added keyboards and drums to the originally gloomy song, turning it into a light and lively style—I think this change is great, although it sounds a bit pandering to otaku, but at least it suits Ceruno very well.

Halley then asked, "How was my writing?"

This no longer counts as my work.

[Lost their soul]

"Miss Fran, the negative, pessimistic, and antisocial elements of punk music should have been swept away by the tide of time long ago."

I understand what you mean, but there is still an audience for it.

"But it's too niche. Otherwise, why didn't you play your specialty, post-punk, just now?"

Halley left Britain British blonde beauty speechless.

Ceruno's singing voice also rang out at just the right moment...

"Spin!"

Spin faster and faster!

"I'm number one in the world! So cute! Super cute!"

Puff--

Cough cough cough cough!

Because of Ceruno's unexpected voice and the unforeseen lyrics, I choked on the water in my mouth and coughed for a while.

"... Hey? Not bad at all!"

Halley, who was the first to recover from the shock, smiled and smiled.

I wiped my mouth.

"While she is indeed well-suited to this voice, I really didn't expect her to go this far. What is this, some kind of Lolita style?"

No one answered; everyone was listening.

The adorable voice lingers in my ears, stirring my soul; the Kito Akari.

Ceruno found her own path and displayed it without any pretense, as if it were her natural inclination... Could this be what Sirius meant by Ceruno's other self, Anima?

"Your threat level as an opponent has increased, huh? I'm afraid your online support will rise... Miss Fran, you're in a bit of danger, aren't you? This song is an adaptation of your work; anyone who knows you even a little bit can recognize it."

Being defeated by one's own work is indeed a very disheartening thing.

Fran tapped her phone impatiently, practically holding the translated text up to Halley's face.

Not everyone buys into this!

It's true that not everyone likes a cute, loli-like voice, but I don't think anyone would hate it, right?

Plus Ceruno is short, which perfectly matches her voice...

The music ended.

Although the amateur lyrics were a bit corny, it didn't stop Ceruno from receiving a standing ovation. With the goal of being cute, the lyrics being a little superficial wasn't a problem.

"Voting is about to begin."

I'm going up first.

Fran jogged back onto the field.

On the stadium's big screen, red, representing Fran, and blue, representing Ceruno, were fiercely vying for territory on a progress bar.

Halley rested his chin on his hand.

"Hmm, it seems they're about the same."

The audience vote Ceruno with a slight lead, around six to four, or even smaller.

Next up are the judges' votes.

Because the difference in audience votes was negligible, the three votes held by the judges became the key to determining the outcome of the second group.

The first vote from the judges' panel was red.

Halley explained, "From a professional musician's perspective, Fran is indeed better."

The second vote went to Ceruno, a female judge who, judging from her appearance, should also be a magical girl idol.

"Miluno's performance is indeed more in line with the identity of an 'idol,' and more appealing."

No matter how the judges voted, Halley could always find a reason.

Indeed, hearing your words is like hearing a lecture.

The third vote is crucial.

Not only the stadium stands, but even the backstage area was quiet.

The final judge was clearly cursing under his breath; the first two to issue their votes had essentially put him on the hot seat.

"... Gurgle."

I couldn't help but swallow hard.

During this time, the lights came on.

It's blue.