Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

(Sun Yao)

The last judge's desk lit up with a blue light.

Did I win?

This felt unreal. I looked at Miss Fran beside me; she was biting her lower lip, and her gaze towards me was filled with resentment...

I know this victory wasn't fair to her.

Compared to her, a guest, I, as a local magical girl from Skyreach City, have the advantage of being on home turf. Not only will the audience favor me, but even the judges will give me some leeway out of consideration for Sirius.

Perhaps it was this last bit of sentimentality that influenced the outcome of the match.

[It doesn't matter]

Miss Fran probably understood this too, but as soon as she left the stage, she took out her phone and sent me some information.

Your performance truly exceeded my expectations.

It's not surprising that I lost.

Is this her way of comforting her?

Even though she looked so unwilling to accept it, she still tried to comfort me.

[As we agreed before, I'll prepare the song for the finals as soon as I get back.]

[Let's adapt my new song into a style that suits you.]

Having eliminated her myself, how could I possibly accept such a generous gift from her?

"Fran... Miss Freya, it's alright if you don't do that..."

[Don't make excuses]

[This was agreed upon]

Your current behavior is what makes me feel disrespected.

"Sorry."

Unable to resist apologizing, Fran shook her head and sighed.

[Miluno and the others all say you lack confidence]

[It seems to be true]

Backstage, they received applause, not only from Miss Halley and Miluno, but also from Liu, Zara, Antarctic Star, Thunderous Resonance, and some unfamiliar magical girls.

But no one noticed Miss Freya, and no one spoke to her.

Miluno praised him even more directly.

"Ceruno, you did a very good job..."

But she didn't forget Miss Freya.

"Miss Fran, although the result is somewhat regrettable, no one will question your professional level. However, the Idol Festival is not a concert, and what the audience likes is not necessarily high-level content."

I am not frustrated.

[The guy from the next round can go up now]

Only after being nudged like that did the two of them hurriedly run out of the backstage area.

The third group consists of Flow Princess and Thunderous Resonance. Strictly speaking, "Flow Princess" is a duo, but no one knows that hidden in the space beneath the main stage is a true offstage singer...

Well, taking advantage of the stage's open space, Sirius prepared a closed, soundproof studio directly beneath the stage. The Shark Princess Witch stayed there; it had air conditioning, a screen, and professional broadcasting equipment. All she had to do was sing.

As for the Thunderous Resonance, she was still dressed in Showa-era biker gang attire, even riding her beloved motorcycle to the stage...

That's strange, how did she even pass the auditions and preliminary rounds?

"Achernar, he looks a lot like someone from my generation..."

Looking at the virtual singer, Halley even felt a touch of emotion.

"... Did she also dream of standing on the stage before becoming a witch?"

"Miss Chuanlang Bojiang was once a harmony singer for Sirius. She is not the same person as the Shark Princess Witch you know. She just happened to inherit the former's memories and abilities..."

Before I could finish speaking, Miluno added, "Although she's temporarily on our side, she's still an enemy at heart."

"And what about me?"

Halley pointed to her face, but Miluno pointed to her chest...

Oh, it's the location of the heart.

"Halley, at least until now, you are still human at heart, but the Shark Princess Witch was born as Monster on the 'The Other Side.' Her logic is completely different from ours. She was abandoned, which is why she doubted her own value. But she still can't be called human."

Miluno is very strict with Achernar.

After all, the first time she was sent to the treatment facility was because of the Shark Princess Witch's ultimate move. Besides the reasons she just mentioned, there might also be some personal grudges involved... even though she was seriously injured while protecting me.

"It's over."

Miluno's voice pulled me back to reality; the large screen on the stage had already switched to the live voting segment.

"Flow Princess" was undoubtedly the favorite to win this year's championship. The virtual idol was generating a lot of buzz, and the fantastic water curtain performance that suddenly appeared during the competition made Thunderous Resonance's defeat a foregone conclusion.

"A 20/80 split? The result for this group is no longer relevant to the judges."

The Thunderous Resonance was utterly defeated.

Holding Megaphone and roaring out energetic songs, she might have a fighting chance against other contestants, but against the virtual idol Flow Princess, whose professionalism and buzz are off the charts, no matter how loud her voice is, it's useless.

"In the era of 'cute'... is there no need for passion anymore?"

She returned backstage dejectedly and lay slumped on the table, lifeless.

Miluno looked at the next group.

"Zara and the 'Gray Swan'."

She's a little girl with short, golden-brown hair.

With an elegant young woman with gray hair, befitting her swan-like appearance.

Zara lost out in terms of appearance and temperament; the latter was clearly more suited to that stage.

"One of them performed a dance, and the other played the piano... Neither of them are serious idols, so it's hard to say who won."

The first person to perform was Zara, whose performance we had already experienced before.

As an amateur, I can't find any fault with it, and the special performance incorporating magic makes it an excellent program.

Miluno asked, "What is the magic of that 'Gray Swan'?"

"Let me see..."

I brought the introductory booklet that the organizers had prepared for the contestants.

Not only can the audience members who enter the venue get their hands on the book, but the contestants can also browse it backstage.

"A magical girl who can create ice on any surface and use her adaptability and mobility to outmaneuver her opponents; her main job is an internationally renowned ballet dancer; her weapon is ice skates... Is it necessary to mention her weapon?"

Miluno on her hand.

"She's a celebrity, which puts Zara at a disadvantage."

A stirring piano melody began.

Perhaps in an effort to make a lasting impression, Miss Zara's pace was astonishingly fast from the very beginning.

But this might not be a good thing...

Halley bluntly stated, "It's too fast, and coupled with her unique playing style, it's a bit breathless."

I also experience this irregular heartbeat.

Lacking stage experience and overly eager to perform, Zara... overdid it.

This was a minor flaw, but the performance itself went quite smoothly, so much so that when the little guy returned backstage halfway through, he bounced right in.

"Hmm hmm~ Hmm hmm~"

Given the difficulty of the fast-paced piano performance, she played it flawlessly and must have felt she performed well.

"Ceruno, you go and tell her."

Miluno gave me a nudge, telling me to give Zara a "precautionary warning".

"Uh, why me...?"

"Because you are the most suitable."

Reluctantly, I took the little maid's hand and sat down by the window.

"Zara worked very hard! But she should also be prepared to be eliminated."

"Huh?"

"The tempo is a bit fast, and some older audience members might find it difficult to play. Don't you feel that when you play? Our performance isn't about showing off our skills, but about pleasing the audience."

"... Mmm."

Ultimately, where did she find such intense sheet music?

After my reminder, Zara seemed to understand her problem and looked like she was about to cry.

All I could do was pat her on the back to comfort her.

In comparison...

"Miss Erika's performance was a great success."

Magic spread beneath her feet, covering the entire stage with a smooth layer of ice.

Spinning, leaping, drawing elegant arcs on the stage.

Erika, the magical girl known as the "Gray Swan," is like a solitary flower blooming on ice.