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The days of training that began from there were incredibly tough. I mean, of course it would be. I hadn’t had any singing training even back when I was The Demon King Of The End. If the me from that time had tried to sing, it would probably have turned into a song of destruction.
“Right there! Tuck in your chin and straighten your back! Be aware of the flow of sound through your body!”
“Yes, yes!”
What the heck is a flow of sound…? Regardless, I continue my training as instructed. Sure enough, I could feel my singing improving quite easily. Johnny-san stated with a bemused face, “Well, it’s just that you started from such a low point that the improvement is noticeable,” but that kind of progress made even grueling training enjoyable.
Additionally, I received instruction on dancing as well, but it wasn’t something to be taken lightly either. As a swordsman, I had some familiarity with movement, but my body, as a 20-year-old who hadn’t been extensively trained… and now having transformed into a woman, was feeling quite different.
We had been paying for a room for the three of us, Eda, Tia, and I, and while I have been regularly transforming back into a man… let’s say, it’s scary to get too used to it, so it’s probably best to maintain some sense of discomfort. Yes, it’s not good to think too deeply about this.
Speaking of which, Rain, who could even be called a genius when it comes to singing, was a complete novice when it came to dancing. Although she had physical strength due to her countryside life, and could move around just fine, we both suffered from muscle soreness from overusing muscles that we don’t typically use.
By the way, the reason Tia was fine was probably because she danced a lot at Donatella’s place. Unlike me, even after being reverted back, her body after defeating the Demon King as a member of the Hero’s Party was fundamentally different in basic physical abilities.
“Fufu, Eda and Rain-chan still have a long way to go, huh?”
“Ugh, my whole body hurts…”
“Damn, if only it were my original body…”
“Come on, there’s no time to rest! No, I’ll make sure you rest when it’s time to rest, but now is the time to push! Get up! One more time!”
“”Yes, yes…””
“Yes!”
At Johnny-san’s merciless words, Rain and I, wobbly, got up, and Tia energetically raised her hand. That being said, we were making steady progress day by day, and before we knew it, our muscle pain had disappeared, and the time it took us to become breathless after singing and dancing for long periods was gradually getting shorter.
And finally… the day of destiny arrived for us.
“So, it’s finally here…”
A ridiculously large and dazzling building that could easily be mistaken for a noble’s mansion. This was a facility that handled all administrative procedures related to idols in this town, and it was also the venue for the selection meeting.
During the first round, I visited here many times to deal with tedious paperwork… I never dreamt I would come here to become an idol.
“Ugh, I’m nervous…”
“Oh, but you’ve been here before, haven’t you, Rain-chan? How was it then?”
“I think I was fearless back then because I was ignorant of the world. But now that I know more…”
“Haha, well, it does seem all shiny and sparkly from the outside, huh.”
Just because the exterior was glamorous didn’t mean the inner workings were dreamy as well. Perhaps because Johnny-san was considering our becoming idols as a done deal, he told us a lot about the darker side.
The raw competition, politics, economics, underhanded dealings related to religion. He probably told us all about things we didn’t need to know, anticipating that Rain will definitely rise to the top, and once she does, she can’t escape these kinds of stories.
I’ve had various experiences in the first round, but even so, there were so many horrifying stories I hadn’t known about. Rain was quite frightened and Tia and I, who were used to rough situations, were okay.
But even then, Rain did not give up on becoming an idol. She confronted her dream of making it a reality, replacing her admiration with reality. Standing next to me now was not just a simple girl who came from the countryside. That was very reassuring… but also a little lonely.
“Hey, cheer up, Rain! This is just a checkpoint. If you’re nervous here, you can’t stand on the big stage!”
“That’s right. We practiced so much, we should breeze through this!”
“What?! Yes, you’re right. For Johnny-san, who taught me, I’ll pass with spirit!”
“Johnny-sama?”
As Rain rallied herself in response to Tia and my encouragement, a voice suddenly called out from behind us. We turned around and found a girl with dazzling, gorgeous golden hair. She seemed to be around Rain’s age or slightly older, a beauty with sharp eyes.
“You just said that you were taught by Johnny-sama, right? Could it be that you’re the candidates who have been taught by Johnny-sama?”
“? Yes, we are. But, who might you be?”
“Oh my! You don’t know who I am? How ignorant can you be! This is why I can’t stand country girls…”
“Um, Ojou-sama? It’s natural that you were not recognized yet since you’re still an ordinary person, right?”
“Yeah, I thought we were in trouble when we suddenly had to go back to the mansion because you didn’t know the rule that the idol group must consist of three people.”
”Be quiet!”
To the left and right of the blonde girl, two women, who seemed to be a bit older, were perfectly dressed in black suits. Wait, what did they just say…?
“Hey, by any chance, did you also fail in the previous selection?”
“Failed!? There’s no way! It’s just that people without discernment couldn’t understand the fact that I alone have the charm surpassing that of an ordinary idol group of three…”
“That’s impossible…”
I can’t help but smirk at the young lady’s exasperated claims. If that were the case, Rain, who sings better than a hundred ordinary idols put together, would have already become an idol.
“Huh? But doesn’t Rain-chan know? You were in the same place, right?”
“Um…I should, but I can’t remember… I think I wouldn’t forget if I met such a noticeable person.”
“Ah, that can’t be helped. Ojou-sama said, “The protagonist always arrives late!” and entered the venue late, only to be told the aforementioned condition and returned to the mansion, crying.”
“Ah, I see…”
Upon hearing the words of one of the accompanying women, I looked at the young lady while understanding the situation. The lady herself was vigorously protesting, “I didn’t cry!” but her attendant calmly… or rather, expressionlessly let it slide. So she’s always like this…
“Anyway! I can’t lose to someone as tiny as you, someone as vulgar as you, or someone with…uh…”
The young lady’s gaze moved from Rain to me, and got stuck when she looked at Tia last. Tia’s appearance was very cute, so she probably can’t think of a good insult.
“…Ha!? Ears! I can’t lose to someone with such long ears! I don’t know how you deceived Johnny-sama, but it’s the same if the person themselves lacks skill, no matter how excellent their instructor is! Watch me pass and top this with your fingers in your mouth!”
With a sharp gesture, the young lady and her entourage walked away from us. Left behind, an awkward atmosphere flowed among us.
By the way, having long ears is the same as being tall or having long legs, so Tia shouldn’t feel insulted. And as for me, even if the body of the Demon King Last, who was the embodiment of vulgarity, was harshly criticized as vulgar, I just think, “Yeah, that’s right,” so I don’t care at all.
“What was that person all about?”
“I don’t know. Well, there’s no need to worry about it.”
“Grr, tiny…if only it were next year…”
“No, I think Rain will still be small even next year?”
“Hawha!? How could you say such a thing! Just because you have.. hey!”
“Stop, don’t grope! Stop it!”
I peeled Rain’s hand away with all seriousness as she angrily groped my chest. Having my chest groped by a girl while in a woman’s body evoked some unplaceable emotion in me and it troubled me.
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“Hey, don’t do stupid things, let’s check in quickly! Or do you want to act like a big shot and show up last like the young lady just now? You’d stand out a lot!”
“No, I don’t want that! Tia-san, Eda-san, let’s go quickly!”
“Okay okay, don’t trip…Fufu. Well then Eda, let’s go too.”
“Sure!”
It seems there will be some turbulence on the way to a smooth pass…but anyway, we followed the bouncing Rain and went into the building to check in for the audition.