"Oh, are they finally coming on?"
Sakurakouji Luna, who had been bored enough to sketch out two designs, finally looked up when she saw the lights change.
Then, as a tsunami of cheers erupted from below, [Summer Zodiac]'s first original song, "Wakusei loop," officially began—
"So that's Hoshino Ai... She really has an incredible aura."
Luna looked at the purple-haired girl active on the stage with an expression of utter amazement.
"I've seen recordings of her before, but seeing her in person is truly stunning."
Whether it was her face, which even women would admire, or her selfless and shining presence on stage, every part of her was filled with a magic that made it hard to look away.
And what shocked her the most was—
"...Did that girl just look over here?"
Luna turned to look at Chihaya Tetsuya.
"We have reflective glass on our side. From her angle, she shouldn't be able to see anything."
"If it's her... she'll be able to find Tetsuya-kun in an instant, no matter where he is."
Togawa Sakiko, who was deeply familiar with Ai's stalker-like nature, said with a helpless look.
"Tetsuya-kun is her one and only source of power. The only reason she can perform to this level is entirely because of his encouragement."
"While the motivation sounds rather impure, it's nothing in the world of designers."
Luna said.
"Just off the top of my head, several famous Japanese designers I know have some pretty incredible quirks. If you're curious, I can tell you about them in private later!"
"...Aren't you one of them?"
Sakiko glanced at her with no small amount of disdain.
"Your sadistic tendencies, in my opinion, are already a quirk that's quite far from the norm."
"Not at all, I'm still a long way off."
"..."
Seeing that Luna not only showed no remorse but took her jab as a point of pride, Sakiko lost all desire to continue bickering with her.
Then, when she turned back to observe Tetsuya's reaction, she suddenly noticed a very obvious change in the audience—
"...Huh? What happened?"
Sakiko scanned the audience in surprise.
"Is it my imagination, or is the proportion of gold light sticks... a little higher than at the start?"
"No, it's not your imagination."
Tetsuya, who had been focused on the stage the entire time, shook his head.
"Although Ai's performance is as brilliant as ever, Uika today... is in an 'anomalous' state."
The "anomaly" he spoke of was not a criticism, but a simple statement of fact.
Tetsuya, who had seen Uika perform live at [RiNG], could see the difference clearly.
If the Uika of the past had always moved freely on stage with a calm and rational state, then the Uika of today... was a ruler who intended to dominate the entire stage, utilizing her complete understanding of it to the absolute fullest.
In addition to her consistently stable vocals and dance moves, her prediction of the camera angles below and her grasp of the overall composition of the stage and lighting allowed her to, in another form, unknowingly steal the gazes that had been focused on Ai.
Even though it was a stage with only two people, the audience was still left with a dazzling feeling of not knowing where to focus.
"However, while the audience will enjoy this satisfyingly overwhelming performance, it must be tough on the camera operators."
Tetsuya glanced at a few of the cameramen responsible for the mobile rigs below, and sure enough, they had already divided the stage into two parts, filming each one separately.
With this, the live show had completely lost its distinction between primary and secondary roles.
"...An idol who won't lose to Hoshino Ai, huh."
Meanwhile, after concentrating on Misumi Uika's performance for a moment, Luna finally understood why Tetsuya held her in such high regard.
"Besides her skill, which is clearly superior to Hoshino Ai's, I don't know whether to call her smart or cunning... she really knows how to play to her strengths."
If Ai's performance style was an unrestrained bloom with no blind spots, then Uika's was a focused concentration, knowing when to gather and when to release, unleashing her full power at the most perfect time and angle.
And this was the only way to surpass Ai on the same stage.
"...Eh?"
Just then, Sakiko blinked.
"Hey, Tetsuya-kun, you... you just saw that, right?"
"Ah... mhm."
Tetsuya nodded with some difficulty.
"I definitely... saw it."
"Huh?"
Luna, who had been slightly distracted, looked at the two of them speaking in riddles with a confused expression.
"What are you two talking about?"
"Just now, Uika, just like Hoshino Ai, looked precisely in our direction... and even waved."
Sakiko pointed out the window with a look of disbelief.
"She's never added an improvised action like that, which has nothing to do with the performance, in the past."
As I thought, Uika is acting very strange today.
And judging from that last scene, the reason for the anomaly... seemed to be right here in this VIP suite.
As I thought. Whether it's music or love... you won't easily let me get too far ahead, Uika.
...
"Uika, you were amazing today!"
"Yeah! You were already perfect before, but today's performance was even more dazzling!"
"But you're sweating more than usual. Hold on, I'll touch up your makeup."
Misumi Uika, who had temporarily returned backstage, was immediately met with unanimous praise.
Meanwhile, Hoshino Ai was also being praised by the agency staff.
However... neither of them had the capacity to respond to the compliments at that moment.
"...I had a feeling it would come to this, but I never expected to see your true nature for the first time during a live show."
Ai pouted.
"Isn't that a little too cunning? To accommodate your improv, I didn't even get a chance to wink at Tetsu."
"If Tetsuya-san were watching from the audience, I wouldn't care how you interacted with him. But this time he's up there, and I don't want your camera sense to show any 'flaws' because of it."
Uika said, her expression unchanged.
"Although the next song in the second half is your main feature, don't forget the purpose of this live show. So—"
Uika, her makeup touch-up already finished, walked towards the gauze skirt.
"For Tetsuya-san's sake, you're going to listen to me from now on, Ai."