(She really is amazing, Ai.)
Misumi Uika, who had been quietly waiting for the performance to proceed, couldn't help but sigh with this thought in her heart.
(Not long ago, she was a rookie who couldn't even hear the scales properly, but now she's grown to the point where she can command the entire stage by herself.)
Against the backdrop of that powerful aura and the thunderous roar of the crowd, Hoshino Ai at this moment truly resembled a god being worshipped by her believers.
(To debut in the same group as someone like this... I don't know if it's fortunate or unfortunate.)
Without Ai, she would never have been able to gain such a massive following in such a short amount of time.
But it was also because of Ai's existence that she, who could have been the center of any idol group, now had to make way for her.
Uika had always held conflicted and delicate feelings about Ai's strength.
On one hand, that undeniably cute face was an asset that allowed [Summer Zodiac] to stand proudly above the entire idol industry, perhaps even the entire entertainment industry. On the other hand, her terribly poor fundamentals and overly willful way of doing things forced Uika to expend a great deal of her own energy to take care of her.
Before Ai was reunited with Chihaya Tetsuya, she could still maintain an "older sister" mentality and treat her gently. However, since their official reunion, their situations had undergone an earth-shattering change.
Her rate of improvement, her change in mindset, and her abilities in all areas began to advance by leaps and bounds. As for her number of fans, it had far surpassed her own.
This feeling of watching the little sister she had always taken care of suddenly grow up and surpass her overnight left Uika with an indescribable sense of defeat in her heart.
Fortunately, Ai's growth brought not only this lingering frustration, but also the relief of no longer having to divide her attention to look after her.
And it was for this reason that she had added the latter part to the song, which was originally intended to be a simple ode to Ai.
(If we only show Ai's cute side, the overall effect of this live show will be too one-dimensional.)
Uika thought, looking out at the audience.
Amidst the tsunami of cheers, she could clearly hear people loudly praising Ai's "cuteness."
(She's an idol, yes, but just being praised for being cute isn't enough.)
If all they had was this worship-inspiring cuteness, the impression left by [Summer Zodiac] would be too monolithic.
In order to retain more of the casual viewers at this show, to give it an extra layer of excitement and impact, to make up for the parts that Ai lacked, this stage needed another protagonist... or perhaps, a "villain."
And it was for this reason that she had added her own part into the arrangement.
"...Mhm, it's almost my turn to go on."
At this moment, besides the gauze skirt, she was also wearing a black outer garment to conceal its luminous effect.
It was thanks to this garment that she was able to hide her figure among the choir singers.
Next, she just had to wait for the lights to dim, then she could take off the outer garment right here and form a "contrasting" composition with Ai under the faint light.
Well, by common sense, the impression left by a "villain" was bound to be inferior to that of a "god," but... the skirt she was wearing had the power to completely overturn that impression—
Just as Uika was mentally preparing herself and placing her hand on the outer garment, the entire stage was suddenly plunged into darkness!
"...How can this be? The original lighting plan was supposed to only turn off the laser and spotlights, leaving the front lights on."
Uika looked in surprise at where the front lights should have been, but all she saw was complete, extinguished darkness.
Furthermore, the sound system, which should have had a certain level of background noise even when not playing music, was now completely silent.
The entire stage seemed to have lost power, as if in a blackout—
(No, it's not 'as if.' This is a blackout!)
Uika instantly realized the truth, and her expression turned to one of utter shock.
(How could it be so sudden?! Is it because of the thunderstorm today? No, rather than dwelling on that, what should we do about the live show!?)
The first chorus had just ended, and the next part to begin was the most intricately designed and most important turning point.
If it stopped abruptly here... the entire rhythm and emotional flow of the show would be completely severed! Even if this was a sudden situation caused entirely by the weather, the failure of this show would be an unavoidable outcome.
No, I absolutely cannot let this show stop just like this!
What could she do now to preserve the audience's emotions in this darkness and silence—
"...Ah."
In just an instant, Uika's mind flashed back to the night she first went to the agency for the sample fitting.
At that time, Tetsuya had shown her the stunning design of this luminous gauze skirt by turning off the lights completely.
And at this very moment, this dimly lit stage that had completely lost its lights was so similar to the scene from that night.
Was it a coincidence... or was it fate?
According to the original lighting plan, the points of starlight from this luminous gauze skirt would have been merely a "careful design" meant to echo the golden star embroidery on Ai's costume.
But now... in this complete darkness, this luminous gauze skirt had become the one key that could turn everything around, the one and only miracle that could save this show from this accident.
"As I thought, you are the real 'god,' Tetsuya-san."
Uika said as she took off her outer garment.
"Normally, a large stage like this will have backup power, and the time from an emergency to full activation is about one minute."
So, what she had to do now was to capture the attention of everyone in the venue during this minute of silence and darkness!
Just like that, under the astonished gazes of the choir singers around her, Uika slowly walked towards the center of the stage... towards Hoshino Ai.
The moment her figure officially stepped onto the stage, the confusion and doubt of the entire audience turned into surprise and anticipation.
Guided by the starlight, Uika arrived in front of Ai.
"Do as I say now, Ai."
Under that faint fluorescent glow, Uika said:
"Next, the two of us are going to make this power outage... a part of this live show."