Misfortune

(Bai Ziye)

Unfortunately, the heel broke.

Were the rented shoes worn too many times and unable to withstand my high-intensity dance moves?

It broke at the crucial moment...

Therefore, I had to give up the rest of the dance.

While you could use an hourglass to reverse the flow and fix it, or break the heel of your other shoe, I don't know how to catch up on the missed steps. Looking back at my partner or showing panic would both result in points being deducted...

This is the drawback of cramming at the last minute.

Therefore, I had no choice but to stand on the stage and finish singing the rest of the song.

Fortunately, the female dancers noticed my predicament. With their excellent professionalism and on-the-spot adaptability, they adjusted their dance steps and removed the parts that required my cooperation, which prevented any major mistakes in the performance.

After Ceruno a high-five before going on stage, I returned backstage, kicked off my worn-out high heels, and put on my usual platform boots.

Hualun said high heels suited my style, so I reluctantly put them on, but little did I know the heels were so flimsy...

"Hey, Miluno, what happened in the second half? Why did you suddenly stop jumping?"

Halley approached with his hands on his hips and asked.

"I stomped my foot and broke the heel."

"Your dance moves were indeed too forceful. While that might make your movements more expressive, it's understandable that your heels couldn't support them."

I complained, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I thought you were going to wear boots up there! You didn't even show me your costume. If I'd known you were going to wear high heels, I definitely would have stopped you!"

What she said doesn't seem to make any mistakes.

"Ugh, wearing high heels is torture, even my toes hurt."

Because the toe box of high heels is very tight, it's very uncomfortable to have your toes squeezed inside.

I sat down on the sofa backstage, and just as I crossed my legs to rub my toes, that guy's lecherous eyes drifted over.

"Tsk--"

Even after becoming a loli, she remains unchanged.

I had to put my leg down; I couldn't let this guy get away with just looking at me—although massaging someone's foot in public is somewhat indecent.

"Ceruno's performance is about to begin?"

Halley's reminder.

I looked out the window.

Ceruno inflated a giant bubble that enveloped the entire stage; this bubble was more transparent than ever before, so it did not interfere with the drone's photography.

She herself floated up on another bubble, the gravity inside the bubble was eliminated, so it was not difficult to float in mid-air like this. Colorful bubbles flowed on the surface and floated inside the large bubble, creating a dreamlike glow under the stage lights.

She didn't forget to smile.

"That Ceruno guy really put a lot of effort into the landscaping."

Halley rested his chin on his hand and leaned against the windowsill.

"That's my weakness. My magic can't create any big scenes like hers... smashing the guitar last time was my limit."

"When you say that, do you even consider my feelings?"

Halley pointed to himself and said, "My magic is even worse, isn't it? Am I supposed to give myself a huge injection and then perform a 'Heavenly Thunder Summoning' or a 'Meteor Summoning'?"

"No, it could also be a simple case of sudden death, without any special effects."

Halley swished her dangerous tail in front of me.

"I'm going to be struck by lightning! I absolutely have to hold you tight!"

Ceruno still sings with her adorable loli voice, which does indeed send shivers down your spine, but I prefer her original voice.

But this is fine too. They can leave their professional voice to the fans and keep their original voice for me.

"You're pretty relaxed, aren't you? Don't you think you're about to lose?"

I have a vague feeling about this.

Stopping halfway through the jump was too abrupt. Although they tried their best to make the mistake seem less like a mistake, wouldn't the attentive judges still notice?

"There's no other way..."

I sighed.

"... The only option is to deal with Sirius secretly."

"Wait a minute, your train of thought is jumping around too much! What secret is it that you're so reluctant to tell Ceruno? I'm getting a little curious too."

"Don't ask. Everyone has one or two things they absolutely don't want others to know."

"Even I can't know?"

"Yes, it's a secret I'm taking to my grave."

"All right."

Halley shrugged and said, "You can prepare to go up to the stage for your trial."

During the trial

My audience vote score and Ceruno's score were almost the same, but I only got one vote from the judges. As expected, from a professional's perspective, it was really strange that I stopped dancing halfway through.

"I'm sorry, Miluno, I don't know why the judges voted for me."

"Because I didn't make it to the end of my dance."

"Huh? Wasn't that designed on purpose?"

Ceruno blinked in surprise.

"How can a performance like this be stopped halfway through?"

"But I think, Miluno, you performed even better after you stopped!!"

Ceruno idolizes me; everything I do is "sparkling" in her eyes.

Even such an obvious mistake.

I'm serious!

Seemingly trying to convince me, Ceruno clenched her fist and said, "Miluno, the moment you start moving, you ruin your original aloof aura! You were best the way you were! In other words, the first half of today's performance was the failure!"

"Oh dear? I can't pretend I didn't hear that."

Halley was standing at the door waiting for our return.

"Ceruno, I know you like Miluno a lot, but it's going too far to pin the blame on me! I stayed up all night choreographing for her!"

It's understandable that she would be angry after hearing Ceruno's words.

"I... I didn't blame Miss Halley!"

"So you have some complaints about my choreography?"

"No, Miss Halley's choreography is brilliant! But Miluno isn't suited to dancing; she's perfect simply by standing on stage and singing! For a diamond like her, excessive embellishment would only detract from her charm... That's my understanding."

Ceruno is still arguing her case, but I don't want to see her and Halley get into a fight.

"Alright, it's all Past now."

I pushed them backstage and asked, "Who's the next group?"

Of course I know who it is.

That question was just a way to distract myself.

But Ceruno still explained, "It's Flow Princess and Antarctic Star! Although Flow Princess is very popular right now, Miss Antarctic Star is an international celebrity..."

Wearing flashlight-shaped gauntlets, Liu patted his flat chest, looking confident and composed.

After announcing the results of the match, he left the backstage area with Antarctic Star.

"Ceruno, I think 'Flow Princess' has a better chance of winning."

Halley blinked.

"They didn't go back to the villa last night. Guess what they were up to?"

If I remember correctly, he went to the downtown Commercial District to hold an offline promotional event.

Could just one night's event really attract more players like Zi Ma, the AI-controlled player?