...Wings

(Bai Ziye)

Ceruno's magic blew out colorful bubbles, which, under the stage's dim light, formed dazzling, shimmering wings that fluttered gently against her back...

"Relying on this spell I just remembered"

"But there's nothing we can do."

Our voices mingled, our breaths were in sync, our souls resonated, and our hands were clasped tightly together, all of which brought our hearts closer together.

Ceruno probably thinks so too, right?

But that's not enough.

Because I was hiding the secret, I was ultimately unable to truly connect with her on a spiritual level.

But I have now surpassed my Past self.

Let this joyful heart take flight.

Individual sections and choral sections.

The emotions welling up from the bottom of my heart are burning like a fire.

He succumbed to his feelings and took an unplanned action, embracing Ceruno's petite body from behind and feeling her slight trembling.

The kind of relationship I'm looking for.

"Perhaps it's right next to you without you even noticing."

Your words awakened me.

"Like a lit lamp"

Ceruno's breathing remained undisturbed by my abrupt movements.

The bubbles forming wings reflected the light behind me as I was born.

"Now I float in that sky I long to grasp."

"Seeking dreams beyond imagination"

The music ended.

I let go of Ceruno.

The projections in the night sky were removed, and the stage lights were restored to normal.

But the urge to breathe failed to subside for a long time.

I was initially resistant to forming a group with Ceruno, since my principle is to keep a low profile. Being an idol is too high-profile for me, let alone an idol group publicly endorsed by the Association. Just thinking about it was troublesome.

But Sirius said something to me.

The organization has already decided that you will be Ceruno's teammate.

Actually, I refused the first time.

Because you can't just make me form a group and expect me to do it right away, I said I wanted to try it out first, which led to this joint performance in the finals.

But the result...

"Very good!"

Sirius was the first to post a comment.

"This time I won't say anything like 'idols' have to give their emotions to their fans! Because you are a group, your interactions are also spiritual nourishment for the audience. The figures of girls intertwined, plus the eternal youth of magical girls... it's simply a delicacy for many people!"

Using other people's feelings as a topic of conversation is going too far.

But isn't this how "idols" generate buzz and create topics?

So-called idols are not as glamorous as they appear on the outside.

"Their performance was perfect, and the stage effects and lighting were far superior to those in the third round. I bet it will cause a sensation after it airs online! So my score is... 10 out of 10!"

We actually got a perfect score from Sirius!

However, she also took the opportunity to praise herself.

"Thank you, Miss Sirius."

Ceruno thanked them and looked at the judges on both sides.

SpiCa hesitated for a moment, but still only gave it a score of nine.

"The magic performance can be designed to be more elaborate. After all, you and Miluno are working together, so you should be able to come up with more complex magic, right?"

That's a bit harsh.

With my limp, I can't move around easily, and my magical abilities are hard to use. Standing on the stage, I'm just a singing power bank.

However, she has always been very strict with people outside of the mainstream, so this score wasn't too surprising.

Grandpa Han Shuo first clapped his hands, then said, "I like it very much, nine out of ten."

This comment is way too simplistic!?

The reason for deducting one point is usually because they feel there is still room for improvement.

A total score of 28 is not low.

But facing Halley, this score isn't enough, and it even makes one uneasy... After all, her score in the third round was twenty-nine.

The host asked me a few questions during the brief interview.

Then they went down from the stage to watch Halley's performance.

In the final round, she didn't choose a new song, but rather...

It was the title track from Halley's last album.

She must have had her reasons for making this choice.

Symbolizing the baton passed down from his past failures, he takes up this song and starts anew as an idol...

This is my interpretation.

"You did a good job."

Halley patted Ceruno the head before going on stage.

"But I'm still an amateur. I'll show you what a professional idol is."

Why make threats at a time like this?

Halley walked onto the stage looking radiant, with a microphone stand placed in front of her.

This thing is quite old-fashioned; it's not often used in recent concerts...

But the most surprising thing wasn't the microphone stand.

"That costume... it looks so old."

Ceruno noticed it too?

It was a red and white idol dress. Although the style was high-end and the craftsmanship was intricate, the white fabric was slightly yellowed, like an old photograph that hadn't been properly maintained.

Even its tail and wings were tucked away.

"Miss Halley, does she want to stand on the stage again, just like she used to?"

Ceruno didn't understand yet.

That was her Past self.

I explained with emotion, "The career that idols dedicate themselves to is just fodder for gossip among the audience and fans. Even the so-called die-hard fans who love you to death will one day get tired of you and leave... She single-handedly supports the Kuroro Agency, working harder than anyone else, even resorting to dark forces to return to this stage... She did this not for any lofty ideals, but for revenge."

Yes, this is her revenge.

Having witnessed so much of the industry's dark side, Halley no longer had any aspirations for "idols."

Even she herself was deeply poisoned by this. On the surface, she maintained a close relationship with us, but in private, she used despicable means without any restraint.

How could someone like her possibly have such a simple ideal as "wanting to become an idol"?

Songs from the Past, costumes from the Past.

These are the medals she earned through hard work, but they were not recognized by the times and were treated as worthless trash, thrown to the ground. But now she has the opportunity to stand on the stage again...

Stubborn as she was, she wanted to use this opportunity to prove herself, to show that she wasn't inadequate.

I also want to take this opportunity to question those who abandoned me.

Ceruno frowned and said, "Well, to put it simply, it's about putting on a brave face?"

But he held onto that pride for ten years.

No wonder she attracts Dark Energy; Halley's mental state is even worse than I thought...

A lively melody begins.

The projections transformed the studio stage into Broadway- style space.

More attentive than before;

More focused than ever before;

Wearing old-fashioned performance costumes, yet giving people a refreshing feeling.

"Although I hate to admit it, I do have a feeling that I can't win."

"Miluno, don't think about the outcome yet."

Ceruno took my hand.

"Miss Hallley has helped us so much, at least for now, let's wish our opponents well?"

"... Um."

This silly boy is just too adorable!