Chapter 62
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
This chapter is edited by Cthulhu. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 62: Kirimi Miyuki on the Stage
Kirimi Miyuki couldn’t explain how she was feeling at that moment.
Her deep desire and pursuit of the stage were fulfilled in this thrilling moment, giving rise to a happiness that made her soul and beliefs resonate together.
She looked towards the distant stage, where those calling her name seemed to have crossed the river of time, appearing as fans watching from below, causing her emotions to surge like ocean waves in a haze.
She must not disappoint her fans.
She must present the best stage.
She must show her perfect self.
She must create an idol-like image of… Kirimi Miyuki!
In that moment, Kirimi Miyuki’s sense of time slowed down, allowing her mind to wander, her complex emotions cascading like an avalanche. Amidst all this, she entered a state of perfect performance, stepping to the beat with precision and stability as she began to sing.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Thirty seconds.
Kirimi Miyuki showed no signs of slowing down. Her dance moves were relaxed and graceful, with no stiffness or hesitation. The curve of her pure white dress swayed perfectly as she smiled at the camera. Every wink and cute gesture seemed natural and effortless, as if she were truly in the moment.
The girl’s innocent face, with rosy lips and a genuine smile, exuded a captivating charm that surpassed her previous performances. Like a storm, she captured everyone’s attention, drawing the audience into the world of the song “Candy,” influenced by its theme.
In a blink of an eye, the audience felt like they were watching a play with a compelling storyline and soul, filled with clever dialogue and seamless transitions. It explored elements of youth, innocence, sweetness, freshness, and cuteness, all blended together like a refreshing soda at the beach, leaving them intoxicated and wanting more.
It even surpassed the impact of some famous stage productions. Kirimi Miyuki’s performance was as captivating as the shining dishes in Food Wars, exactly what Dream Weaver Rabbit pursued – a shining Gemstone!
The total number of comments in the live stream during these three minutes was even fewer than the number in the first ten seconds, showing how much impact Little Sakura’s performance had on them.
As the performance neared its end, viewers exclaimed:
“Wow, it seems like Little Sakura is really amazing!”
“I’m sure Miyuki didn’t have experience on such a big stage before. What’s happening now?”
“Yeah, Little Sakura was a minor idol in the country, performing on small, narrow stages very close to the audience. Tickets probably couldn’t even sell one hundred, but now this performance is a complete explosion!”
“Unbelievable, how much does Miyuki love the stage? It’s a debuff for others, but clearly a buff for her. Her purity is outstanding.”
This virtual reality test was a debuff for the other contestants, but for her, it was like a carp leaping over the dragon’s gate.
With such examples before them, the audience had to admit that the goal of “Dazzling Stage” seemed to be not just for the girls to graduate where they started, but to consistently follow the cruel law of the jungle, selecting the contestants most suited for the stage.
Most amazingly, no one expected that the one who could truly make the audience realize and accept this was not the acclaimed Great Devil Xie Qingxuan or the famous choreographer Ji Shuzhu, but a rural idol from a remote island, taking step by step to reach the stage – Kirimi Miyuki.
What she showed on stage, beyond common sense, was exactly what each sub-project of “Dazzling Stage” sought – variability.
In the underground base, the core, Dream Weaver Rabbit’s mouth curled up in a joyful smile. Kirimi Miyuki’s transformation and beyond ordinary “Heart Flow” was even a surprise in the super AI’s algorithm.
As everyone knows, the human heart is hard to predict. This “Heart Flow” skill, which has different requirements for each individual, involves complex and hard-to-analyze emotions and even the intangible “self” that cannot be precisely measured by hormone secretion.
The entertainment circle is like a big melting pot. Idol talent shows crush the dreams of tens of millions every year, building a pyramid with thousands of people. So when placed in the larger environment, Little Sakura’s seemingly tragic yet inspiring experiences actually cannot prove anything. The core of her transformation is not the suffering itself, but her extraordinary desire for the stage and her perfect pursuit of the concept of idols.
Even the super AI codenamed “Dreamweaver,” with authority to control the entire human information database, cannot quantify this desire and obsession. This leads to unexpected joy in the current phenomena.
Countless virtual screens pop up, the cries and tremors in the cube prison affirming the purity of “Heart Flow.” The commotion this time was even bigger than that caused by Chu Yuanqing.
Dream Weaver Rabbit whispered: “Although Kirimi Miyuki may not have the same talent as Chu Yuanqing in that aspect, her dedication to being an idol has successfully created an unprecedented chemical reaction on the fake stage. This almost irreplicable reaction has pushed her beyond her limits, causing fluctuations in the magic threshold. It seems Tokyo’s ‘Dazzling Stage’ missed out on an interesting talent.”
Meanwhile, just as Kirimi Miyuki made her first entrance into ‘Heart Flow,’ shining on stage and amazing millions of viewers, Chu Yuanqing finished a training session.
She wore a dance costume that outlined her figure, with a loose black short-sleeved top over it to prevent revealing curves and movements. Initially, she hadn’t thought about covering up, but as this was a reality show grooming idols, maintaining reputation and image was important. The official broadcast wouldn’t show too many of the trainees’ body curves during training. Since she noticed envious gazes from other girls when practicing in the Grade C training room, she realized her body was very sensitive to glances and had to put on an extra layer.
Today was the day of the second evaluation. Unlike the Grade A contestants who performed first, she, as a Grade C contestant, wouldn’t go on stage for at least two more hours, giving her plenty of time to practice.
Though she had managed to control her breath using a cheat yesterday, it was only to fit the physical activity and didn’t sync with the dance rhythm. To avoid mistakes, she needed to practice in advance to ensure everything was perfect.
Chu Yuanqing was meticulous about this, even though she didn’t like dancing and wasn’t used to wearing skirts. After finishing various basic training exercises to ensure she wouldn’t hold back on stage, she planned to return to her dorm to change into a white dress and practice jumping in the practice room.
Pushing open the door, the dormitory was empty. Xie Qingxuan hadn’t returned last night, which was normal as part of the first assessment group. Since Tang Liuli had entered Heart Flow two days ago, her practice room time had doubled; she only returned to the dormitory to sleep. Liang Xiaoxiao needed no explanation – at the bottom with Grade D, her only advantage was having extra training time compared to top players, so she was naturally still in the practice room.
Chu Yuanqing casually covered the camera with a towel and took off her short-sleeved shirt. She pulled out a short shirt, skirt, sports bra, white stockings, and leather shoes from the closet.
Laying the clothes on the bed, imagining herself wearing them, her clear eyes shimmered. She couldn’t help but rub her cheeks hard, gritting her teeth in slight shame as she gave herself some self-hypnosis: She would need to wear this outfit for the secondary rating later – whether she put it on now or later didn’t matter much! “Chu Yuanqing, you can do it! After wearing this for so many days, I should be used to it by now!”
She gently touched her delicate face and looked in the mirror, her features appearing blurry like ink paintings, with a dreamy look in her eyes. No matter how many times she looked, she was so beautiful…
Just as this thought crossed her mind, she quickly averted her gaze as if burned, pushing away distractions. Her delicate fingers nervously twisted a damp lock of dark hair, covering her ears and neck, feeling hot and sticky with sweat as she mumbled, “I should take a bath first.”
Chu Yuanqing tidied her clean clothes and slowly pushed open the bathroom door. Her eyes sparkled with strange light as she saw Xie Qingxuan’s body like a treasure, pure white skin exposed, platinum blonde hair swaying in rippling water, partially covering her rosy complexion.
The young girl’s chest trembled, almost out of breath, motionless. Her slender waist with its beautiful vertical belly button and long, full white legs created a vivid and enchanting image.
However, this time, Chu Yuanqing didn’t feel guilty enough to leave immediately. Seeing the other person’s mouth and nose submerged, pupils losing focus, almost passing out, was enough to override any embarrassment about walking in on her.
Chu Yuanqing quickly ran to the bathtub, grabbed Xie Qingxuan’s slender arm, pulled her into an embrace, forcibly breaking the underwater breath-holding, and hastily asked, “Xie Qingxuan? Can you hear me speaking?”
She patted the other’s smooth, cold back. Xie Qingxuan coughed several times, her chest heaving violently, pupils gradually focusing. A choking sensation gripped her throat, rich and lingering like aged wine, as if a mist was rising between limbs and soul.
The young girl had meditated countless times to pull herself from the brink of fainting. It had become such a habit that she hadn’t realized what happened. Just… the whispered words in her ear, the warm hand on her back, and the comforting scent captured her at her weakest moment, marking her consciousness with something her distorted, gloomy family had never given her.
Following an instinctive desire, Xie Qingxuan hugged Chu Yuanqing back, placing her hands on her soft white neck, craving spring snow’s warmth. She buried her head in the other’s softness like a large dog and honestly asked, “Can I hug you for a while?”
Her eyes lowered, curled eyelashes flickering as tears rolled down. Though her tone remained restrained, she looked both obedient and gentle, creating a striking contrast that touched the heart.
Chu Yuanqing momentarily imagined being embraced by her daughter. The awkwardness of physical intimacy was diluted by this strange déjà vu. She touched Xie Qingxuan’s damp head and sighed inwardly, feeling surrounded by troubled children. Only Xiaoxiao seemed normal in their dormitory.
She silently turned on the bathtub faucet, letting hot steam fill the air to ease the uncertainty between them, then asked, “Did the stage for the secondary rating fail?”
After careful consideration, there seemed no other reason the Great Devil would try drowning herself like a mermaid who couldn’t breathe underwater.
Unaware of her fallen image, Xie Qingxuan replied, “Well, I didn’t do my best.”
Chu Yuanqing sensed the dissatisfaction within her – pride melting like a snow cone in summer heat, wilting in cicadas’ grandeur, becoming lonely and pitiful, yet maintaining an indifferent tone that displayed a sickly stubbornness.
Is the stage really that important? Chu Yuanqing wondered absently. Whether Kirimi Miyuki or Xie Qingxuan or most contestants, all showed completely different energy facing the stage. Yet many had other options.
Xie Qingxuan was from Xihe Entertainment. Being an idol at this top company might not be outstanding, but even losing idol qualification wouldn’t prevent transitioning to acting or singing. Was it worth torturing herself over possibly maintaining Grade A?
Chu Yuanqing stroked her silky hair, comforting her like a child: “If you can’t do it this time, there’s always next time. Everyone says you’re talented. Don’t punish yourself this way – what if something goes wrong? It will affect future training too, not worth the loss.”
Her voice was soft and cold but became like sticky cotton candy when gentled, with magical healing power.
“Don’t get so close, don’t hug so tightly, you’ve made me all wet!”
Chu Yuanqing’s clothes were soaked from splashing water. She shyly tapped Xie Qingxuan’s head, pushing away a big dog, telling her to keep her wet self away. Though she’d come to bathe, she had no intention of bathing with others!
After consideration, Xie Qingxuan suggested reasonably: “Bath together?”
This child was unexpectedly clingy! Chu Yuanqing maintained her dignity, firmly refusing: “No! Hurry and leave, I need to train after my bath.”
Xie Qingxuan’s expression remained unchanged as she blinked and said regretfully: “What a pity.”
She stood straightforwardly, walking from the tub as the other closed her eyes. She casually dried herself with a towel, creating a hazy, tempting atmosphere as she whispered: “Chu Yuanqing, can I ask you something? Why… are you standing on the stage?”
She needed to find a way to immerse herself in the stage, so asking others seemed wise.
To Chu Yuanqing, the question’s tone was as light as asking about breakfast, yet it felt strangely weighty, like an important philosophical query.
She thought of soulful exchanges between supporting and main characters in competitive cartoons – typical plotlines discussing mysterious pasts, psychological trauma, dreams, and enlightenment.
Those who couldn’t understand would feel confused, just as she did now. But thinking carefully, she was indeed confused. Her dream was a monthly salary of 12,000, not stages and idols.
But other contestants were different. The dreams and hopes they carried at this young, beautiful age weighed far beyond material concerns.
Kirimi Miyuki was like this. Xie Qingxuan probably was too.
So the foreign Sakura girl would offer help. So the Grade A contestant called Great Devil by fans would ask about her reason for standing on stage. Because… they believed they were the same kind of people, communicating through shared wavelengths.
Chu Yuanqing felt guilty but thought the question deserved a serious answer, even out of respect.
After long silence, she told a truth-containing lie: “Because… I want to see everyone’s happy smiles. That’s it.”
This innocent yet stubborn falsehood drove her journey to save the world. If she became an idol, her intentions would likely remain the same.
Xie Qingxuan felt unquestionable power in it, murmuring dreamlike: “…Is that so?”
Chu Yuanqing’s answer made her see again the dark truth of her original intention – destroying her sister’s dream – perhaps the root of her stage disconnect.
This should have brought more disappointment and loss. Strangely, a crazy idea grew like weeds, taking root in her consciousness.
If… if she devoured Chu Yuanqing’s dreams, temporarily becoming the idol who wanted to see everyone smile happily, could she cross that… originally unreachable barrier?
