Partner Duo

(Bai Ziye)

Was the motivation too successful?

Halley's fighting spirit soared to the point of "taking physical form from fighting spirit"...

She radiated a fiery aura; just sitting in the audience, I could feel her burning passion.

This is just a rehearsal.

They didn't even prepare any accompaniment, and it's already this energetic?

"Miluno, did you give her a shot of adrenaline?"

So much so that when Sirius arrived at the scene, he was startled by Halley.

"No, she just doesn't want to let go of this last chance."

"She did make mistakes due to the influence of 'Dark Energy,' but her desire to become an idol cannot be denied..."

When I said that, Sirius waved his hand dismissively.

"I know, I've never denied her feelings, otherwise I wouldn't have arranged this final to let her prove herself."

Does she really still have a chance?

"Of course! Do you really think I'm just using her as a stepping stone for Ceruno- chan? You underestimate me! As long as she can win through her own abilities, I will keep my promise. I will invest in Kuroro Agency and introduce her to outstanding magical girl idols."

Sirius said this, and then looked around the scene again.

Then he asked, "Where's Ceruno? I told her to come to rehearsal a while ago, but she hasn't shown up yet?"

Ceruno has indeed not arrived yet.

It's already midnight, and there's not a soul in sight...

"Should we call and ask?" I suggested.

"No, it seems we don't need to."

A commotion came from the entrance of the studio, and a pink magical girl stumbled in, accompanied by a big, fat golden Doggy.

"I'm so sorry! I'm late!"

"Woof!"

"Animales are not allowed in the studio!"

"Woof! Woof!"

The Golden was carried out by two security guards, one on each side.

"Miss Sirius! Miluno!"

Ceruno was panting heavily from running; anyone who didn't know better would have thought she had climbed the stairs.

But that's impossible, because the studio is on the first floor.

"Ceruno- chan, how could you be so late without a reason?"

Sirius said that, but he still greeted her with a smile.

But I put on a stern face.

"Once you're here, start rehearsing right away! Look at the time! Do you even want to win?!"

"Hmm, Miluno's tone of voice sounds just like Yezi's."

"..."

"However, he is still unconscious in the stadium, and it's unknown when he will wake up."

The matter from last night has been clarified.

Mom forged the medical report to fool Aunt Yuehan, making her believe that "Bai Ziye" was still lying in the stadium, which is why the idiot received the text message.

In reality, Aunt Yuehan never saw me in person... and of course, it was impossible for her to have seen me.

"He'll be fine, so until then, I'll be your manager."

He offered vague words of comfort, then added, "If you feel you don't have enough time, just create a bubble, and I'll speed things up for you."

It not only buys you time, but also provides sound insulation.

Ceruno, however, looked troubled.

"... I probably can't do it right now."

"What's wrong?"

"I felt something was wrong with my body, so I made a detour to a medical facility and asked them to give me a full checkup..."

"Has the body become less adaptable?"

She gently shook her head.

"No, in some ways it's even worse than that..."

She took out her wand and created a bubble in front of her.

The bubble was like an old lady in her seventies or eighties, unstable and not perfectly round, trembling... and it burst after a few seconds.

What happened?

Why has Ceruno's magic become so weak?

"My body has stopped producing magic, and it's rapidly draining away. It's probably a side effect of that potion. I don't know when it will get better..."

That was indeed Barbara's experimental product.

Sirius blinked and stared intently at Ceruno.

"Yes, the two points you mentioned are actually the same issue: the amount of magic you naturally recover is less than the amount you lose, so you can't accumulate magic within your body."

I asked, "But why does the magic drain away?"

Sirius shrugged.

"This is the price of temporarily becoming stronger. It's best to avoid Barbara's potions. Drinking a potion and easily becoming stronger? There's no such thing as a free lunch... But this situation should get better in a few days."

"In a few days? What about the finals then?"

You can't exactly go on stage and blow bubbles that pop in a few seconds, can you?

That's not even as good as the bubbles on stage.

Ceruno glanced at Halley on the stage.

"Without using magic to create stage effects, I can't possibly beat Miss Halley, can I? Even in the best-case scenario, I'm not confident I could win..."

"I do have an idea."

The blonde idol pointed at me.

"Why don't you bring a power bank with you when you go on stage?"

During Ceruno's performance, she asked me to replenish my mana?

Are we going to have to kiss again?

Even if I'm just standing next to Ceruno holding her hand, what do I look like in the eyes of the audience?

"This... this isn't quite right, is it?"

Even the term "shameful play" doesn't do justice to the awkwardness.

"What's wrong with that? Since you can bring a dance troupe as backup dancers, why can't you bring a partner to replenish your mana? If you really feel awkward, why not just perform with Ceruno?"

"Performing together" refers to...

"Since you two are already slated to form a group, isn't the Idol Festival finals stage the best opportunity for exposure!"

That makes a lot of sense, but I'm not mentally prepared yet.

Ceruno, however, fidgeted and asked softly, "Miluno, don't you want to perform with me?"

Can I refuse Ceruno like this?

Cannot...

I've long since become unable to refuse her.

"A decision made on a whim, a last-minute cramming team, and I'm even on crutches, and we still want to beat Halley... We'd better rehearse properly."

Although I want to say that this is impossible.

But we can't dampen Ceruno's enthusiasm, after all, her magic is full of possibilities.

"Sirius, could you find us a quiet recording studio?"

"You two go rehearse next door, Halley can rest easy in this room..."

Before Sirius could finish speaking, Halley slowly landed in front of us.

"Ah! Good afternoon, Miss Halley."

The succubus girl lowered her head and stammered, "Ceruno... about last night..."

I quickly interrupted, "Alright, why do you have to apologize to everyone you meet? Are you planning to apologize to all 50,000 people in the stadium? In the end, a verbal apology is the least sincere approach."

An apology offered casually is meaningless.

"Indeed. Let me rearrange the music for you. A duet isn't as simple as two people singing the same song."

Did she hear everything we just said?

With such exaggerated hearing, are succubi and bats closely related?

Sirius chimed in, "Yeah, you guys have different vocal ranges, so a new arrangement is definitely necessary, but I'm not going to help with that. You've prepared a new song, right? As a judge, I want to save my first experience for the official recording. It's like saving the strawberries on a cake for last... So you should ask Halley for help with this."

He even licked his tongue as he spoke.

"I understand, but you're not allowed to use any more tricks."

I gave this advice, but Ceruno retorted, "Oh dear, Miluno, what are you saying! Miss Halley would never do such a thing!"

She's used plenty of tricks, but I stopped her every time, so Ceruno knows nothing about it...

"I will never do that again."

Halley made a commitment.

"I'll help you get into top form... and then I'll completely defeat you!"

She has changed.