The Stage for Two

Although this was her second time onstage, she had practiced hard for days. This time, she was sure she could do it.

Zhou Mo clenched her fists, her eyes brimming with confidence.

But...

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!"

At the front of the stage, the pink-haired girl held a pink microphone and raised her right hand, whipping up the crowd below. As she sang and danced, her expressions, movements, and every emotion she conveyed seemed perfect.

Watching the pink-haired girl onstage, Zhou Mo felt something stir inside her.

So that's what an idol should be like.

Zhou Mo lowered her head and murmured the words under her breath.

"Molis."

The girl suddenly called her name.

Zhou Mo looked up and met Xia Ya's eyes.

Smiling, Xia Ya took her hand and said:

"Let's sing together."

"Huh? Okay."

Zhou Mo answered haltingly and slowly stepped forward.

Seeing the hopeful looks the audience turned on her, Zhou Mo swallowed nervously.

She let out a quiet breath, gripped the microphone, and began to sing.

Unlike the pink-haired girl's lively voice, her clear, lilting song filled the stage. For a moment, the audience sat spellbound.

Xia Ya's voice joined hers, and the two Magical Girls' duet sent the crowd into another frenzy.

Below the stage, Ain stood behind the crowd, watching the two Magical Girls. Envy and longing stirred in her heart.

"Mm... Where am I?"

The blue-haired girl, who had been lying on the ground like a corpse for ages, finally woke up. She looked around, caught sight of the scene ahead, and cried out.

"The Victory Stage! Ow!"

The moment she exclaimed, someone rapped her on the head.

She covered her head with both hands, looked up, and blinked at the girl with long, straight black hair before her.

"Luo Yin, why'd you hit me?"

"Because you were so careless, you dummy, Lan Yue."

The black-haired girl named Luo Yin gave an irritated huff.

Seeing that Luo Yin seemed angry, Lan Yue lowered her head and said timidly, "I-I'm sorry..."

"I'm just glad you're okay."

Luo Yin added this in a much quieter voice.

Lan Yue looked up at her in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing."...

In a deserted corner, Har trembled beside a wall.

A white cat with red eyes sat before Har. Beneath the sunlight, the cat's shadow swallowed Har whole.

The white cat spoke without expression:

"Shipping is a wonderful thing."

"S-shipping is a wonderful thing..."

Har had no idea why Rabi had suddenly said that, but still stammered a reply.

Har had never imagined this legendary senior would appear here.

The white cat had been active since before Magical Girls became idols, though Magical Idols themselves had only existed for less than a decade.

Rabi had trained several top-tier Magical Girls and made extraordinary contributions to the fight against the Abyss.

After becoming a fairy manager, Rabi had even trained one of the Annual Top Ten Magical Girls. Rumor had it that Magical Girl had been just one step away from the Hall of Fame.

But after that Magical Girl failed and disappeared for reasons unknown, Rabi had vanished for a while too, and the company had taken back all of Rabi's resources.

Though Har had only recently become a fairy manager, Har had long heard of Rabi's reputation.

If Rabi was here, could that silver-haired Magical Girl have something to do with Rabi?

Har's mind raced, unable to figure out why Rabi had come looking for Har.

"Let's work together."

Rabi said it out of the blue.

"Yes, yes, absolutely! We'll work together!"

Har agreed without a second thought, then looked at Rabi in confusion.

"W-work together on what?"

"Pair Molis and Xia Ya as a couple in the fans' eyes."

Rabi stated the reason for the visit plainly.

Har froze. After a frantic moment of thought, Har nodded at once.

"Sure! No problem! Whatever you say, senior!"

This could send us straight to the top!

Rabi could no longer draw on any resources at the company, but the status and experience of a star manager alone would open plenty of doors.

If Har could work with Rabi, little Xia Ya would surely go further.

"Boo-hoo, little Xia Ya, I hope you won't hate me."

Har felt a little guilty about making this deal behind Xia Ya's back without asking her first.

No, she probably won't mind.

Har suddenly remembered how eager the pink-haired girl had been around Molis recently. Xia Ya had apparently wanted to bring Molis on board anyway.

Then it's fine.

After a moment, Har hesitantly asked:

"Um, senior, why did you come to me and Xia Ya? If you wanted to pair someone with Molis, even a first-rate Magical Girl would agree, wouldn't she?"

Rabi fell silent for a moment, then turned toward the lively stage, where the pink-haired girl was drawing the silver-haired girl into the performance.

"That child will become an important driving force."

Har did not understand what Rabi meant and did not press further.

Important figures had their own considerations. Har only needed to seize the opportunity.

"Hee-hee! A wonderful future awaits me!"

After the performance on the Victory Stage ended, Zhou Mo was already thinking about how to slip away.

Instead, Rabi and Har came over to the two girls together.

The two girls and two fairies gathered on a high-rise rooftop, hatching some secret plan.

"You want Xia Ya to teach me stagecraft?"

Zhou Mo pointed at herself, stunned, and looked at the others.

"That's right."

Both fairies nodded.

Rabi went on:

"After all, I'm only a fairy. I don't have firsthand experience with many of the finer details. It would be better to have an idol teach you herself."

"I don't mind."

Xia Ya cut in, then turned to Zhou Mo:

"Miss Molis has an extraordinary gift for singing, but when it comes to movement... well, there's definitely plenty of room to grow."

"To become an outstanding idol, you need singing, dancing, control over your expressions, the ability to build excitement, command of the stage, and more. You can't neglect a single one. So even with your exceptional talent, Molis, you still need to practice hard."

As Xia Ya went on, Zhou Mo scratched her head.

"Okay, okay. I'll do it, all right...?"

After saying goodbye to Xia Ya and the others, Zhou Mo returned to school.

On her way to class, she suddenly spotted a familiar short-haired girl sitting on a bench beside the path.

The petite girl sat quietly, still holding up a sign recruiting new club members. She stared straight ahead, the little tuft of hair atop her head bobbing up and down.

Zhou Mo's heart tightened for no reason. She tried to slip past the girl carefully.

"Hm?"

But before Zhou Mo had gone more than a few steps, the girl turned toward her with a soft sound of surprise.

Zhou Mo startled again and met her blue-green eyes.

The girl said nothing. After a moment, Zhou Mo tentatively kept walking.

Just as Zhou Mo was about to get away, she heard the girl speak.

In a quiet voice, the short-haired girl said:

"Thanks for your hard work."

Those few words made Zhou Mo jolt.

Holy shit, what does that mean?!