"...It's about time."
After nearly ten minutes of warming up the crowd and interacting with the audience, Chihaya Tetsuya put on the staff pass he had prepared in advance.
"Well then, I'll be heading down now. I'll come back after the live show is over."
With that, he left the VIP suite and, as planned, made his way to the staff area below.
After his figure had completely disappeared, Wakaba Mutsumi, who had been silent until now, suddenly approached Togawa Sakiko with her phone.
"Sakiko... this, could this be bad?"
"..."
Sakiko silently took Mutsumi's phone, and the content on the screen made her frown involuntarily.
"I see. Because the live show is trending so hard, this meaningless rumor has managed to spread?"
Due to [Summer Zodiac]'s exceptionally brilliant performance, the show's popularity and the number of related posts had already taken the top spot on the national trending charts.
In addition to the original fans, more and more casual observers with no prior knowledge of idols were gradually joining the online stream.
And rising along with the discussion was not just the live show itself, but also that originally insignificant rumor, which had now been pushed into everyone's view.
"Even though the agency has already been debunking it... there are still so many burner accounts reposting it."
Sakiko took a quick look at a few of the accounts spreading the rumor and found that, as expected, they were all newly created accounts with no valid posts whatsoever.
Although it was an obvious rumor, [NozAK!]'s goal wasn't to make people believe it, but simply to have their name appear in the public eye.
For the average audience member, who was responsible for the costumes was completely irrelevant; their focus was solely on the two shining idols on stage. This abruptly appearing brand name and the insignificant ripple it caused would only leave a vague impression in the minds of these casual viewers.
For a brand that focused on low-to-mid-range fashion, increasing public awareness was the best marketing tactic.
"It's a bit annoying, but you can't stop people from piggybacking on the hype."
Sakiko shook her head.
"Everyone is here to see Hoshino Ai and Uika. Everything else is irrelevant to them."
Even [NozAK!], which had achieved considerable dominance through saturated advertising and blanket promotion, was nothing more than an irrelevant "name" in the face of this live show.
"Unless... the idols they care about most speak up personally."
Sakiko said.
"However, Hoshino Ai has already agreed with Tetsuya-kun to announce the contract during [TGC], so until then, we'll just have to let them... Hmm?"
Suddenly, Sakiko thought of Uika's many abnormal behaviors today.
Perhaps she did want to use this live show to become a protagonist of equal status to Ai, but considering the song that she and Uika had tailor-made for Ai, even the most perfect performance from Uika wouldn't be enough to achieve her goal.
Now that the first half of the show was over, if there was anything that could still allow her to win against Ai, it would be that skirt... and the self-exposure plan that Ai herself had already abandoned.
"If she really does that... Hoshino Ai will absolutely blow a gasket."
Suddenly, a brilliant smile, one that could be described as gloating, appeared on Sakiko's face.
"It's fine, Mutsumi. We don't need to worry about anything from now on. We just need to leave everything to Uika... But speaking of which, you weren't watching the live show just now, you were looking at your phone the whole time?"
"...Mhm."
Mutsumi nodded.
"I'm not interested in the process of this live show. I just want to know... what kind of impact it will have on [Ave Mujica] and Chihaya-san."
"..."
Sakiko looked at Mutsumi with some surprise.
It was a bit harsh to say, but the Mutsumi of the past had always followed in others' footsteps, acting without any personal agenda or opinion. But now, she was starting to act on her own initiative according to her own goals and thoughts...
"That's quite a surprise. It's only been a week, hasn't it?"
Sakiko couldn't help but marvel.
"Could just leaving the Wakaba household bring about such a huge change in you?"
Perhaps besides Uika, I can look forward to Mutsumi's performance a little as well.
But before that...
"First, let me see how you handle this song that Uika and I wrote together, Hoshino Ai."
...
(T/N: Uh.. this is kinda.. like, difficult to tl into english.. So I hope the readers can enjoy my mistake riddled tl. Btw this song seems to be [Idol] from YOASOBI..? There are lines repeated that aren't in the original, so I am quite unsure.. also now that I have to read the english tl of the lyrics, it lowk doesn't make that much sense..)
When Tetsuya arrived in the audience area below, the lights on stage suddenly went out completely. For a moment, the only light source in the entire venue was the glow sticks waved by the audience.
Unlike the fans behind him who were letting out cries of surprise, for him, as one of the planners of the lighting scheme, this was the signal for the start of the show.
"...It's coming."
Tetsuya stopped in his tracks, standing in the very front row.
Soon, as a sound like a choir chanting began to play from the speakers, the most crucial finale of the live show was finally about to begin:
[You're my savior~]
[You're my saving grace~]
As the sound of the choir grew louder, the spotlights on both sides of the stage lit up one by one, slowly moving towards the center.
The chanting continued. The confused murmurs from the audience gradually turned into cheers filled with anticipation.
Next, the colored laser lights below the stage also lit up, roaming around as they gradually converged on the center of the stage.
[You're my savior]
[You're my saving grace!]
The cheers grew louder, and the audience's glow sticks began to rise above their heads involuntarily.
Tetsuya looked up, towards the figure who was already standing in the center of the stage in the darkness.
At the same time, that figure also saw him. And before she was fully illuminated by the lights, she gave him a sweet smile.
The next second, with the sound of the first drumbeat and synthesizer, this song, destined to be remembered by the idol industry, officially began—
[With an invincible smile that tears up the media / Muteki no egao de arasu media]
The lights converged. Dressed in her exclusive costume, Hoshino Ai stood alone in the center of the stage.
[Even the things she lacks end up in her domain / Nuketeru toko sae kanojo no area]
A cheer that threatened to overturn the entire [K-Arena] erupted.
[Such a perfect liar, you are— / Kanpeki de usotsuki na kimi wa—]
[Our miss ingenious, godly idol! / Tensai-teki na aidoru sama!]
The legend of the idol industry began here.
((T/N: Note. I am pretty sure the word "ingenious", aka tensai, is used here as more like, "natural disaster." I remember smth like this from Toaru lol.)))