Final Eight

(Bai Ziye)

Still backstage at the stadium.

The first round of the eight group competitions has concluded, and the top eight contestants of the Supernova Idol Festival have been determined.

The live broadcast, which lasted for several hours, came to an end. It was already past 9 p. m., and the 50,000 viewers had long since left. The staff had also gradually dispersed, leaving the venue feeling somewhat deserted.

But the backstage area is quite lively.

Okay, stop crying.

Ceruno was still comforting the crying maid.

"It's a bit of a pity that Zara lost. If she hadn't been so eager for quick success, she might not have lost."

They wanted to showcase their skills, but neglected the true meaning of music itself.

I sighed, "She was taken in by Sirius on Nabu Island as a maid when she was young, and she didn't have much contact with people in her daily life. Although she is very good at playing the piano, she has too little experience, let alone stage experience."

However, Zara didn't cry when she was eliminated.

She only threw herself into Ceruno's arms and sobbed after stepping off the stage, so she still knows how to read the situation. Perhaps she's just being affectionate and seeking comfort.

"Sexy... Waaah..."

She cried herself to sleep, but her arms were still tightly wrapped around Ceruno, pinning the latter down so she couldn't move. It was incredibly heartless of her.

Liu called Sirius and said, "Sirius is in a meeting with the organizers. He said he'll be here soon and we should wait here."

I had planned to visit Heat Haze, who was burned by Aldebaran, at the treatment facility after the event, but time constraints have prevented me from doing so.

Most of the other contestants had left backstage, and Antarctic Star and Harvest Goddess also returned to the hotel first.

Only me, Ceruno, Zara, Halley, Ryu, and the Shark Princess Witch remained.

Ceruno was immobilized on the sofa by Zara, while Halley and the others waited to go back to the villa with me...

Well, even though Kuluoluo Idol Agency is right near Greenfield Stadium, she still wants to go back to the villa with me to sleep.

Another ten minutes passed.

"La li hou?!"

Before anyone could be seen, Sirius's highly recognizable voice came from outside backstage.

"Oh dear, has my maid caused you any trouble?"

Not afraid of waking Zara, she immediately took her maid from Ceruno's arms and pulled her to the side, snuggling against her.

Awakened, Zara rubbed her eyes and, upon recognizing her owner as the person holding her, hurriedly stood up.

"Ooh!"

She even wiped away the tear stains on her face.

"It's okay. You did well today. I didn't expect you to win the competition; I just wanted you to broaden your horizons."

"Oh!"

Sirius's words revived Zara's spirits.

After calming the maid, Sirius looked at us again.

"Alright, consider this a small reward for those of you who stayed! The results of the second round of the draw are out. They were originally scheduled to be announced tomorrow, but I'll tell you now so you can learn about your opponents in advance and come up with some strategies."

They gave me special treatment again.

Thinking about it this way, Sirius is actually quite protective of its own, having leaked quite a bit of information to us before and after...

"First up are Ceruno- chan and Miluno- chan."

"... Um?"

The fact that they both called my name and Ceruno's name at the same time gave me a bad feeling.

"I'm sorry, the winner will be decided in the second round."

"Ah!?"

Ceruno reacted even more strongly than I did; she screamed and stood up, looking at me with panicked eyes.

"I... I'm going to face Miluno in the second round?!"

I also questioned, "You didn't do anything underhanded for the sake of the show, did you?"

"How could that be! This was the result of a lottery drawn by the organizers. The entire drawing process was recorded on long-shot video and is publicly available."

There are so many shady things that can be done with video recordings.

However, if Sirius is determined to pull this stunt, Ceruno and I really have no way to back down.

At least I don't.

"Isn't this great?"

Halley put her arm around my shoulder.

"With me here, it's impossible for you two to meet in the finals. It's better to settle things early on than to never have a chance to face each other head-on, right?"

Halley is very confident.

She practically blew her opponents out of the water today, getting close to 99% of the vote, and is definitely aiming for the championship.

"But if I win, Ceruno will lose confidence."

If I lose, Sirius will tell Ceruno my secret.

This is an unsolvable problem for me.

"Since the outcome is destined to be bad, enjoy the process. Don't think about winning or losing; just give it your all."

Halley added, "At least that's my mindset right now. I'm focused on the Idol Festival itself, and I'll think about the rest later."

She also knew that Dark Energy was not a good thing.

She knew that winning the Idol Festival might be her last moment of glory, but she still charged towards that goal without hesitation.

Halley's feelings were far more complex than she showed.

"I see."

With a sigh of resignation, I looked up at Sirius.

"What about the arrangements for the others?"

"'Flow Princess's' opponent is Antarctic Star, a professional idol trained by the elite of humanity, with outstanding qualities in all aspects."

Antarctic Star, a magical girl transformed from Emperor Penguin.

She certainly gives the impression of being good at everything; not only can she play volleyball and sculpt sand sculptures, but she also has a hidden bust that makes her look slimmer in clothes...

Ceruno explained, "Miss Antarctic Star is a well-rounded fighter. Although 'Flow Princess' is currently the favorite to win, she may not be her match, mainly because... her fan base is far inferior."

"She has a lot of fans?"

Seeing the Shark Princess Witch's confusion, Ceruno explained, "As a rare animal magical girl, Miss Antarctic Star is quite popular and has fans all over the world. After all, she's the only magical girl in the Antarctic Circle, and now she's going to become the only idol in the Antarctic Circle."

Ceruno's statement is not an exaggeration.

Antarctic Star is the first known animal magical girl, and her story has been reported worldwide, making her widely known.

Also.

Her growth as a "person" was also filmed as a documentary by the "fathers and mothers" at the Antarctic Joint Research Station, which further boosted her popularity.

"Fame?"

Liu rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment, then took the hand of the Shark Princess Witch.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die!"

Seeing that they were preparing to leave, Sirius asked, "What are you planning to do?"

"Let's go do some promotional activities! Promote our 'Flow Princess'!"

He ran out as soon as he finished speaking, and no one knew where he was going or what he was doing.

"He does whatever comes to mind; he's quite proactive, and I don't dislike that type."

Sirius shrugged and looked at the succubus who had her arm around my shoulder.

"And you, Halley-chan, want to know who your opponent is tomorrow night?"

"... unnecessary."

He refused very decisively in the first round, but seemed to hesitate a bit this time.

But she added one more thing.

"No matter who my opponent is, I will not lose... I have that kind of confidence."