Idol Trainee

(Bai Ziye)

Guys, there are dogs!

I finally understood why Yin Wei had asked whether we were afraid of dogs.

Sirius kept all kinds of large dogs in the grassland near the beach—common huskies, German shepherds, and Alaskan malamutes, as well as rarer Saint Bernards, schnauzers, and Caucasian shepherds. At a glance, there were more than a dozen of them. This several-kilometer grassland was practically a dog ranch.

"Ahahaha, stop that!"

Ceruno seemed especially popular. The moment she entered the enclosure, several large dogs pounced on her—fortunately, they did not bite; they just licked her.

The slobber looked a little gross, but seeing her being so warmly welcomed by fluffy animals made me a little jealous... I opened my arms toward the nearest golden retriever.

"Guh?!"

Only after clutching my stomach and squatting down did I realize I had been headbutted by a dog.

"Why?!"

The dog even barked at me twice.

"Aha, it seems Boyfriend isn't very popular with this one."

The golden-haired idol stood before me. The golden retriever that had headbutted me wagged its tail by her legs, looking completely obedient.

"Although I'm not Ceruno's boyfriend, you must be the legendary Miss Sirius."

It could barely count as our "first meeting," yet Sirius covered her mouth halfway and whispered, "Such a smooth-talking handsome boy. But you don't need to put on an act around me. I can smell Morning Star on you."

"...Smell?"

I imagined my expression must have looked awful.

Sirius pointed at my wristband.

"I am a Star Crystal myself. Did you think you could hide another crystal on you from me? But don't worry, I'll keep your secret. Still, while you're on Nabu Island, you have to follow my arrangements."

She was, after all, one of the Association's founders. No matter how far removed she was from its core, she was still a potential risk to me.

That meant I had no choice but to suspect SpiCa's motives for arranging this trip.

I glanced at Ceruno, who was playing with the dogs and looked utterly carefree.

"So what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Before I answer that, let me ask you something. Do you want to become stronger? Or do you want to settle for what you are and keep being half-baked?"

Was I only half-baked in her eyes?

"I want to become stronger."

"So there are things you care about after all?"

She narrowed her eyes in apparent satisfaction, then turned toward Ceruno.

"Ceruno, you can get up now."

"Hehe, your dogs are just too enthusiastic. I can't get up~"

Ceruno gave a guileless laugh. Sirius then clapped her hands, and the dogs across the grassland ran over to line up in front of her with remarkable discipline, including the licking dog beside Ceruno.

Ceruno wiped her face and got to her feet, asking cheerfully, "Miss Sirius, what exactly is my training?"

Perhaps because of the dogs and Hawaii, she seemed to be in a good mood.

"First of all, keep smiling."

"...Huh?"

Ceruno clearly did not understand what Sirius meant.

"See? It stopped already. I want you to maintain a natural smile at all times—keep smiling! Even in battle!"

As she spoke, she demonstrated an idol's professional smile. She was not glowing, yet she still looked dazzling.

"But wouldn't that be strange? How could I smile if nothing happy happened?"

"If it were easy, it wouldn't be training!"

Sirius stepped forward and tugged the muscles in Ceruno's cheeks upward.

"...But what use does that have in battle?"

"It's useless for other people, but it's very useful for you! Ceruno, your magical strength is tied to your 'confidence,' but you lack confidence... Keeping a smile will help you become confident."

"Confidence..."

Ceruno lowered her head and fell silent.

I was surprised by Sirius's incisive observation. Even though Ceruno still had limits on her magic, the more "confidence" she had, the sturdier the bubbles she created with the same amount of magic became.

"I will forge you into an idol no less than I am. Work hard and catch up to me. The closer you get to me, the more people will acknowledge and support you, and the more confidence you will gain from them... So smile, Ceruno! This is your first lesson!"

Ceruno nodded solemnly, then made a reflective mirror out of bubbles and began trying expressions in it.

"Hehe~"

"Haha~"

"Heheh~"

"Hehehehe..."

"Ohohoho!"

As though picking a smile and laugh that suited her, Ceruno kept changing her facial muscles in the mirror.

Sirius, however, gave me a shove and made me stand in front of that grinning airhead.

Then she said, "Ceruno, if you can't make up your mind, why not let Boyfriend decide?"

"Let Yezi decide?"

"Hey, deny the boyfriend part at least!"

I raised my hand as though to knock her on the forehead. Ceruno hurriedly hugged her head, hunched her neck, and flashed her trademark silly grin—though it had originally been A-Yao's habit, that smile looked especially adorable on Ceruno.

"Oh! Let's go with that one."

"Huh? Smile like this?"

As she spoke, she smiled again from muscle memory.

Sirius applauded from the side.

"See? Isn't that a wonderful smile? Later, try it in front of the camera. You need to convey your charm to the whole world through livestreams!"

Magical girls equaled idols.

It seemed the one who had started that idea was the first idol and first magical girl standing before us.

"The whole world? That's too broad. It's a little hard to imagine."

Ceruno was still wearing that silly grin.

"But, Yezi, do you like seeing me smile like this?"

A suggestive question.

"I don't dislike it."

She was a beautiful girl, after all. Of course she was pleasing to look at when she smiled.

Maybe it sounded a little childish, but I was willing to fight to protect that smile.

That was how I answered, but her smile only widened.

"Hehe, then you have to keep watching me and be my number one fan."

Smiles really did possess "magic." A person gave off an entirely different impression when they spoke with a smile. At this moment, Ceruno was more charming than ever, and it became harder for me to see her as one of the guys.

"Ye... Yezi? Did I get carried away?"

I had remained silent for a while, making the pink little creature before me grow uneasy. The smile on her face vanished, and she looked like a child who knew she had done something wrong but had no idea what it was.

I placed my hand on her shoulder, which was not even as wide as my palm.

"Airhead, don't get anxious over something like that. I can't be your number one fan, but don't worry. I'll always be your best friend."

"Yezi..."

She pressed her lips together, holding back her emotions. It looked as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, it only blossomed into her brightest smile.

"...If I could, I'd really give you a big hug so you'd know how touched I am right now."

She lowered her head and apologized quietly.

The brim of her sunhat covered her face, preventing me from seeing her expression clearly.

But she was adorable.

She was A-Yao. I should not have been feeling this way... But cute things were cute.

"Not now. It's not like this is a confession. Why are you getting so emotional?"

"I know, so I was only saying it..."

But she still put her hand on my shoulder.

Because of our height difference, she had to move closer and raise her little face to look into my eyes.

"...Yezi, can you promise me something?"

"Promise what?"

"No matter what I become in the future, you can't leave me."

It was an informal setting, but it was still a heavy promise.

"Yeah, I promise..."

I gathered my feelings and declared loudly.

"I, Bai Ziye, will always be your best friend!"

For some reason, Ceruno's smile faltered a little.

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