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“Wow, what a wonderful song! It’s undoubtedly a pass… ah!”
One of the judges finished clapping and said this, his excitement still apparent, before he frowned. The judging should be happening after this, so it might be bad to say such a thing at this point.
Even so, there’s no one here to loudly fault him for that. The other judges just gave wry smiles… in other words, it means Rain’s song was that wonderful.
“Then, we’ll proceed with the deliberation from now on, so everyone, please wait here for a little longer. Let’s call this a break for now.”
With that, the judges quickly exit the room. Then, the other participants surged towards us who had stepped down from the stage.
“That was a wonderful song and performance! How on earth did you do it?”
“Um, would you like to have a meal with us later?”
“Fufu, as for the performance, it’s a secret? As for the meal… I’m sorry, I have friends, so maybe another time.”
Tia, who was being hit on by the only male participants, handles them with ease… actually, she was used to this. It seems she was often flirted with in the previous world too.
Well, she’d be fine. There’s no way anyone would aggressively hit on her in a place like this, and even if they did, there’s no way Tia would lose. The problem lies rather with me.
“It was really wonderful!”
“O-Oh, thanks.”
For some reason, one of the girls who first performed was fervently approaching me. But I was in a female body right now, so nothing weird should–
“Oh, that violent sound, the stimulating performance! I felt like I was being held tightly, I was really swooning! Um, Onee-sama? Would you like to have a meal together after this…?”
“O-Onee-sama!? Well, you see, I have a post-event celebration with my friends? So let’s make it another time.”
“Next time!? Understood, I will do my best to become a girl suitable for Onee-sama for that occasion! What should I do, should I buy perfume? And sexy underwear too…”
“O-Oh?”
Something is off, I feel like there’s a mismatch. But the other two girls are making faces like “well, that’s a surprise”, and Tia was still talking with those guys from earlier, and Rain is… hmm?
“Fufufu, how was it, Elizabeth-san!”
Where my gaze went, a triumphant looking Rain was speaking to Elizabeth. But Elizabeth, who was spoken to, had a rather downcast expression.
“… Yes, it was very wonderful.”
“Right! It was my first time singing at a place like this, but I thought I did well! With this, I won’t lose to you, Elizabeth-san!”
“Lose to me, I am…”
No, she’s not just downcast. That resigned look is as if she’s lost a battle and her spirit is broken.
“… Indeed, Johnny-sama’s eyes were correct. Your song was truly… truly wonderful. Yes, I am nothing compared to you.”
“What!? That’s not true!? Your song was very wonderful too, Elizabeth-san!”
“Hehe, no need for flattery. Ah, it seems I was the one who didn’t know the world. I formally apologize.”
“Ojou-sama…”
“Elizabeth-san…”
Elizabeth, who has completely lost her confidence, Rain and her two companions seem to not know what to say. And I understood why Elizabeth wasn’t an idol in the first round.
Surely, in the first round too, Elizabeth heard Rain’s song at the audition. And at that time, encountering a talent far superior to her own, her spirit broke, and she must have given up on the path of an idol.
If we leave her like this, the same ending will surely come this time too. That might be correct in terms of the flow of history…
“Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?”
I left the girl with the sparkling or rather glaring eyes and approached Elizabeth. Then, Elizabeth turned to me with a very listless look.
“Oh, you’re Rain-san’s… I apologize to you too. The song earlier–“
“Hey, hey, wait a minute. Apologize to me? Are you serious?”
“… What do you mean?”
At my sarcastic words, even the dejected Elizabeth seemed slightly annoyed. Umu, it seems the fire hasn’t completely gone out yet. If that’s the case, I must assertively push forward!
“What I mean is exactly what I said. You apologize to me? Are your eyes filled with knots? Do you think my song was really… really better than yours?”
“That… that is…”
She must not have expected me to say something like that. To the bewildered Elizabeth, I show a smug smile.
“Sure, Johnny-san’s guidance was accurate, and the performance he thought up was amazing. And I tried my best to execute it as perfectly as possible. But I know myself well. I may have disguised it with flashy moves and words… but I’ll always be second-rate, no matter what. Now, what about you? Sure, Rain is exceptional, and Tia was certainly good too… but can you really say, right here and now, that you lost to a song of my level? No… are you allowed to say that!?”
“…”
“No, it’s not acceptable, it’s not acceptable at all. No one here could sing a song better than Rain’s today. Anyone would agree with that, and it’s okay to admit defeat there. But if you declare defeat to someone clearly inferior to you in the same breath, you’ll never be able to aim higher again. Or what? Is Miss Elizabeth such a coward that she’ll slink away after just one defeat?”
“That’s not… I am not…!”
Elizabeth glared at me, her gaze quickly shifted to Rain. Surprised by the sudden glare, Rain’s face filled with shock. Elizabeth pointed her finger at Rain and shouted.
“That’s right! I will admit defeat now, just for now… but it doesn’t end here! Yes, that’s right. My career as an idol is just starting. Someday… no, not too far off, I’ll sing a song far more incredible than yours, and I’ll become an idol that shines more than anyone else!”
“I won’t lose either! I’ll work even harder and harder, and I’ll become the best idol who can make people all over the world smile!”
“Heh, then make sure you work hard so you don’t get outdone! The one who will win in the end is always me, Elizabeth! Ohohohoho!”
Elizabeth’s high-pitched laughter echoed through the room. There’s a firm sparkle back in her eyes… yes, she’ll be fine now.
“Eda, you’re always so caring… Fufu.”
“Hey, stop it!?”
Tia, who had come next to me, playfully poked my side. It’s very ticklish, so I wish she’d stop. The girl from earlier was looking at me with wide eyes, muttering “Ah, how noble…” which was somewhat scary. I see, so this is the kind of gaze Tia used to receive at the guild when I was training with my master… I can understand why it’d be bothersome.
And then, the judges who had left the room earlier returned. All of us, the contestants, straightened up as one of the judges looked around at everyone before speaking.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Now, we’ll announce the results. The ones who passed this time are… “Iris”, “Eliza and the Merry Minions”, and “Rainbow Tia”.”
“Yay!”
“Ah… well, can’t be helped.”
“With a girl who sings like that, it’s impossible for us…”
“Ohohohoho! As expected!”
“We did it! We did it, Tia-san! Eda-san!”
“We made it, Eda! And you too, Rain-chan!”
“Alright! We did it!”
The ones who passed, the ones who didn’t. As each showed a mixed reaction of joy and sorrow, we, who had duly won our pass, properly hugged each other and shared our joy.