Travel · Magic City Arc (Twenty-Six): ┌|∵|┘ ┌|∵|┘ ┌|∵|┘
"Don't be nervous... relax... Sigrika, you can do it!"
Just before going on stage, Sigrika kept pacing around in the dressing room, occasionally taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, but her heart of gold was still pounding uncontrollably in her chest.
Then, Hajiling, who was dozing off against the wall, noticed that her clothes were tugged by a certain Little Orange.
"Senior, do I really have to go up and jump...?" Sigrika asked nervously.
"Are you nervous?" Xiao Ling asked gently.
"It would be abnormal not to be nervous..." Sigrika pointed to her finger. "What if I don't perform well and let everyone down..."
"Ugh, I just can't do anything with you!"
Then Sigrika's head was lightly flicked by Xiao Ling.
"Ugh? Senior...?" Sigrika covered her forehead, which made her look especially cute with her big, fluttering eyes.
"This is just you being overly nervous," Xiao Ling pointed out. "If you ask me, the more nervous you are on stage, the less you can perform freely. Didn't I tell you, the worst that can happen is that you make a fool of yourself? It's not like the whole stage will explode if you don't dance well."
"Furthermore, I believe that our Xixi will be able to overcome her nervousness and shyness and deliver a perfect performance for everyone at the concert!"
Seeing her senior encouraging her so earnestly, Sigrika felt much less nervous.
"Yes! I will try my best!" Sigrika said, clenching her fists.
"Well, it's about time you went on stage. I wish you a successful performance."
"Good luck with the performance, Xixi!" Aemeath encouraged with a smile.
"Looking forward to your performance, Hee -Xixi," Dania said with a hint of anticipation.
The girls in the lounge all offered encouragement and blessings to the beautiful Roy Tribe girl who was about to go on stage.
"Thank you everyone, I'm off now!" Sigrika bowed deeply to everyone who had offered their blessings, then strode towards the stage.
After watching Little Orange leave, Xiao Ling turned around and asked the Lahai-Roi group, represented by Aemeath, "Everyone, you haven't forgotten what we're supposed to do, have you?"
"I remember it very clearly~" Aemeath said with a bright smile.
"Are we really going to do this?" Lynae asked, blinking her eyes.
"Ha... you're always doing unnecessary things," Dania said helplessly, "But that's more like you."
"What are you talking about?" Suisui, whose curiosity had been piqued, immediately asked.
"It's like this, Miss Suisui, we have a plan here, and if you're interested, you can join us..." Roccia replied with a smile.
As the song "L!!!! ght" began, Sigrika came onto the stage with her backup dancers and started dancing to the rhythm of the music.
Compared to the previous songs, this one has a unique Sigrika- style youth and energy that is very healing to listen to, especially the mysterious Roy Tribe dance in the chorus, which has become a topic of much discussion among players.
However, Sigrika was somewhat nervous about performing the dance again in front of so many people.
But now that she's on stage, she has to give it her all and perform with the utmost seriousness.
As the climax of the song drew near, Sigrika knew that the most crucial part was about to begin.
But at that moment, her keen ears heard a series of footsteps coming from both sides of the stage.
She glanced over out of the corner of her eye and suddenly realized that Xiao Ling and the Rover had somehow led a large group of people onto the stage.
Among these people were not only Aemeath and Dania, whom she had known in Lahai-Roi, but also new friends she had made after coming to this world: the Yang Sui sisters, Jinhsi, Chun, Phoebe, Cart, Lupa, and Mia.
"Everyone's here...?!"
Sigrika was a little confused, and even the audience below the stage looked bewildered.
"Holy crap, there's even a one-click jump feature."
"Our Little Sister Xi is doing great too, she can even be a lead dancer now!"
Although they didn't understand what was going on, the audience was naturally delighted, and the cheers and glow sticks never stopped.
So, when the song reached its chorus, the audience witnessed yet another unforgettable moment.
"Now we are stepping to the sunlight. La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la."
Led by Sigrika, Xiao Ling and his group behind her danced the mysterious dance of the Roy Tribe in perfect sync.
┌|∵|┘ ┌|∵|┘ ┌|∵|┘
"My goodness, Xixi actually caught up!"
"Little Ai is so cute!!!!"
"I have to say, there's a strange kind of comedic charm to Crimson Snow's cold-faced dance moves. Anyone get it?"
"Wow, Old Kuro, you called up such a huge group of people just to support Little Sister Xi, huh? That's some serious skill."
Seeing everyone come and dance with her, Sigrika's last bit of nervousness dissipated along with the music.
It's okay, we'll all make a fool of ourselves together.
As a result, she became even more immersed in the performance, and without any psychological burden, she fully enjoyed the atmosphere on stage and the enthusiasm of the audience.
The performance ended quickly, and the performers on stage successfully won thunderous applause from the audience with their hard work.
"Um, senior... why?" Sigrika asked Xiao Ling after coming down from the stage.
"Are you asking why I brought a whole bunch of people up to jump with you?" Xiao Ling countered.
Sigrika nodded, her face slightly flushed.
"It's nothing, I just think it would make the show more entertaining," Xiao Ling chuckled. "Of course, you had your reasons too."
"What does this mean...?"
"Although I told you before I went on stage that the worst-case scenario was making a fool of yourself, I think you'd be secretly upset for a long time if you actually did," Xiao Ling said with absolute certainty. "So, to avoid that, I simply pulled everyone up on stage with me, that way we can all share the burden if we really make a fool of ourselves."
"See? It's entertaining and you won't be secretly upset if there are any problems with your performance. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"
Sigrika felt a warm glow in her heart as she listened to the explanation.
That makes sense, after all, he's always been such a thoughtful person. Just like when he noticed something was wrong with her during the Dark Side incident and comforted her, he used his own way to soothe her worries and fears about the performance going wrong this time.
So, out of sight of the others, Sigrika grabbed Xiao Ling by the collar, pulled him close, and gave him a light, fleeting kiss.
"This is... a reward for my senior!" Her face flushed as red as the evening glow, her shyness almost turning into steam on the top of her head.
"What a pity, this reward should have been saved for when we got back," Xiao Ling said with regret.
"What's the meaning...?"
"That way I can kiss you to my heart's content," Xiao Ling said with a smirk, "And we can do other things too."
Sigrika now fully understood the implied meaning of some of Xiao Ling's words, and the blush on her face spread all the way to the back of her ears.
"Senior, you're a pervert!"