Ahaha... after all, there was only so much I could do on my own.
With that thought, Shiori lightly tapped the earpiece she wore.
"Kotori... emergency backup, please..."
Before long, Kotori's voice came through the earpiece.
"What is it? Do you want me to help calm your nerves before the performance? In that case, I suggest burying your face in Lingmeng's or Tohka's chest."
"That's not it...!"
Seeing her little sister cracking jokes at such a critical moment, Shiori blushed and protested indignantly.
Of course, Lingmeng, who also wore an earpiece, heard Kotori's joke too.
And so, she opened her arms to Shiori without a care.
"Come on, Shiori!"
She closed her eyes, looking perfectly happy to let Shiori dive into her arms.
"That's not what this is about! Would you two stop playing off each other?!"
After shouting herself hoarse with a few retorts, Shiori barely managed to calm down and began explaining things to Kotori.
She briefly summarized how Ai, Mai, and Mii had been controlled by Miku, and how Origami had gone missing before the performance.
Once she understood what had happened, Kotori nodded lightly.
"I see... so Miku actually resorted to something that underhanded."
As she spoke, she sighed and shrugged.
"We have less than two hours before we go onstage. What are we supposed to do now?"
"We have no choice. For the lead vocals, let's use the lip-syncing plan we discussed before."
"Are you sure that'll be okay...? That's faking the singing..."
"I think it's at least better than having you show off your singing voice without any preparation, Shido."
Then, as if to dispel Shiori's misgivings, Lingmeng gently patted her shoulder.
"Well, Miku was the one who played dirty first. Since she's gone that far, there's no reason for us to keep pretending