Love Song

(Bai Ziye)

Although not a player.

But as an agent, I can still stay backstage and watch the game.

Starting from the third round, the stadium audience no longer participated in the scoring.

Instead, three judges will each give their own scores, and the scores will be summed up to minimize the possibility of bribing audience votes... Although it is possible to bribe the judges, none of the three people present seem like the type to be bought off with money.

The Shark Princess Witch's song faded, but its lingering melody still echoed in my ears.

Flow Princess's performance was excellent.

Liu used her projection abilities to construct a fantastical, animated scene; watching her performance was like watching an immersive music video. Other contestants couldn't create such a diverse array of special effects...

Ultimately, Flow Princess's performance earned a high score of 25.

There's nothing wrong with that in itself.

The problem was that Liu's performance wasn't perfect. SpiCa, who was sitting on the judging panel, underperformed; the projector showed incomplete low-poly models, and many movements exhibited audio-visual desynchronization...

If I were a judge, I'd only score a six or seven out of ten.

Even with so many mistakes, SpiCa, who was responsible for evaluating from the perspective of a magical girl, actually gave Flow Princess a perfect score of 10, despite her performance being far from what it used to be.

The reason is...

"Her timid and hesitant demeanor is adorable. Although we don't know what kind of child she is, her hard work deserves recognition."

Listen to what kind of talk this is!

Isn't it just finding an excuse to give full marks?

SpiCa's assessment as a judge was far too subjective.

Despite not knowing Flow Princess's true identity, she still harbors feelings for "Flow Princess," and perhaps even if she captures him, she won't do anything to him...

However, what happens to "Flow Princess" is no longer important.

Her score is already set, so there's no point in discussing it further.

Besides, the next performer is Ceruno.

That idiot must be under a lot of pressure, right?

As far as I know, Ceruno isn't a particularly strong person. Today's competition format doesn't allow her to rest backstage; she has to wait on stage for all four to finish their performances. If she advances, the final round will continue.

In addition, she is also known online as "Sirius's disciple," which has garnered her a lot of attention. Although Sirius has long denied this relationship, gossip media only report the news that people want to hear, and the truth is easily buried by them.

Although the disciple's identity is fake, the audience's expectations are real.

Taking the stage under immense expectations, Ceruno's pressure was unimaginable...

Because of this relationship between Ceruno and Sirius, Halley believed that the outcome of the match was already predetermined.

But that's unlikely...

Although Sirius likes to pull off stunts, I don't think she would resort to something as low-level as pre-selecting the champion. However, she's also very protective of her own, so I can't guarantee she wouldn't be completely biased towards Ceruno...

Now that she's on stage, even if Halley wanted to inject "misfortune" into others, there's nothing she can do. Her tail may be long, but it can't extend indefinitely, can it?

So now, it all comes down to their individual strengths.

"Woof~"

Upon hearing that it was Ceruno's turn, the excited Golden (Doggy form) sat up on the sofa, stretching its neck, which was hidden by its weight, to look out the window. However, the backstage windows were quite high, and no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't see the view on stage.

"Awoo..."

Its large, wagging tail drooped down.

"I have no choice but to carry you on my back."

"Aww! Thank you!"

"Don't speak!"

It's not suitable for her to transform into human form yet.

Magical girls transformed from animals are rare enough, but this one isn't even a proper magical girl; she's an experimental product of Aldebaran, created using Artificial Star Crystal...

Given her unusual status, it's best for her to keep it out of the public eye.

So when I'm not home, I usually let her stay in Doggy form.

Most importantly, I didn't receive much psychological guidance when it came to interacting with Doggy. Holding Doggy and holding a cute girl... the mindset is completely different...

"Woof--"

The Golden Dog's front paws were pawing at my shoulders, and its big, furry head was resting on my head.

We gazed out the window, at Ceruno on the stage, silently waiting, tacitly anticipating the music to begin.

A quarter of the stage.

Under the lights.

Ceruno in a white gown, resembled an angel descended from heaven, her hands clasped in prayer...

She opened her mouth softly, and her gentle singing voice drifted through the stadium, carrying an aura of holiness.

Wow, they're starting with an a cappella performance?

It's still that same childish voice that makes you want to open your wallet, like a primary school girl in a karaoke bar... Wait, are primary school students allowed in karaoke bars?

How much further do we need to go to reach the finish line?

How many more lonely nights must pass?

How many more partings will we have to endure?

"When will the fountain of tears in my eyes finally dry up?"

But the lyrics she wrote were heavy; despite using the same melody as Flow Princess, the emotions she expressed were completely different...

Starting from the second section, the accompaniment begins, and she summons her magic wand, scattering bubbles into a staircase in the air, and then walks step by step towards the mid-air of the stage.

The overlap between "now" and "this moment"

"It's like a movie that's been reshot countless times."

"Whether faded or colorful"

"The scenery is even more beautiful with you by its side."

The accompaniment is soothing and doesn't change much, yet it brings out multiple harmonies.

She recorded the harmony herself in advance, and the effect was very good. The distant and ethereal singing was like a choir praising the Lord in a church.

The Doggy listened intently, its tail remaining perfectly still.

A different kind of emotion welled up inside me...

Believe in yourself

"That's what you said to me"

Looking up at the round moon

"The moonlight shines eternally upon the world."

"Oh, I see. This feeling is what love is."

A casual glance back;

A gaze exchanged from hundreds of meters apart;

I received the emotion that Ceruno wanted to convey;

My heart started pounding faster...

"Woof! Ceruno likes you~"

That idiot.

The message was too obvious; even the Golden noticed it?

"Sigh, isn't this just like a love song... By the way, don't talk in Doggy form, what if other people hear you!"

"Waaah--"

Sirius's new song has indeed been adapted by Ceruno into her own style.

Because she had enough time to prepare, she was able to achieve this level of skill...

No, time alone is not enough.

This is Ceruno's talent.

She certainly has undeniable talent when it comes to being an idol.

No wonder even Halley is afraid of her. Ever since the Supernova Idol Festival, she has been growing at a rapid pace, as if she has mastered the wind in an RPG game.

Ceruno's emotions resonated with the audience both inside and outside the stadium.

Despite the large number of people, the place was quiet and peaceful.

In this atmosphere where everyone held their breath...

We've now moved on to the judges' scoring stage.