The breath of relief Mei let out for Shu's sake inadvertently rebounded, easing her own anxiety.
Perhaps due to the brief shift in focus, the suffocating, unventable pressure in her chest dissipated slightly.
But Mei was still incredibly nervous. While she had performed violin recitals at the academy before, the scale of those events was entirely different.
This wasn't just a massive stage or a grand performance; the immense social weight and cultural significance attached to this event were more than enough to crush anyone under the pressure.
Even someone as composed as Mei felt like she was going to explode from the sheer anxiety of stepping onto this stage. But now, it was slightly better.
"Um... excuse me for interrupting."
Just then, a deliberately lowered voice drifted out eerily from the shadows in the corner of the waiting room.
Shu instinctively turned his head. The others, startled by the sudden voice, followed his gaze.
A small figure wearing a massive, hooded coat stepped out of the shadows, holding a thermos filled with a thick, dark green liquid. Her eyes darted around shiftily; she had clearly been hiding there for a while.
"Auntie?!" Kiana's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing here?! Did you come to spy on us?!"
"Why would I do that?!" Theresa glared at Kiana, who had instantly adopted a defensive stance. Then, she planted her hands on her hips proudly. "I snuck out!"
Why on earth are you proud of that?!
"Then why are you in our waiting room, Principal?" Mei asked, slightly confused. "We've been here for quite some time. Have you been hiding here the entire time?"
"That's right! I've been here the whole time!" Theresa looked even smugger. But a second later, she slumped over in profound defeat.
"Ugh... Why did I ever agree to join those girls... Forming a 'Magical Girl Troupe' with them..."
Theresa was filled with immense regret. She regretted letting her guard down, listening to Sirin's insidious persuasion, and joining the Magical Girl Troupe as their "Senior."
Actually, the core issue wasn't Sirin's persuasion. Anyone could spout pretty words, and Theresa wasn't the kind of person to be easily swayed by pure, passionate shōnen speeches—especially when it was clearly just a playful whim.
After all, Sirin had brought both Seeles along to help persuade her, and Theresa had remained completely unmoved, as steady as a rock.
But the situation was far more complicated than that.
The Magical Girl Troupe had a fourth member: Sin Mal.
To this day, Theresa had no idea how the others had successfully convinced Sin Mal to join. Logically speaking, Sin Mal should have scoffed at such a "childish" endeavor.
But the fact remained that Sin Mal, having been forced onto this pirate ship, had actively brainstormed ideas to drag Theresa aboard with them.
And what method did Sin Mal employ?
After Theresa firmly rejected Sirin and Seele, Sin Mal had swaggered up, flashing her shark-toothed grin. With an incredibly sinister expression, she pulled a photograph from her pocket and held it right in front of Theresa's face.
"What?! How did you get that?!" Theresa's eyes widened in sheer horror as she saw the contents of the photo, gasping in utter disbelief.
"How I got it doesn't matter. All you need to know is..." Sin Mal leaned in close, whispering directly into Theresa's ear with a wicked smirk. "Principal Theresa... you wouldn't want everyone to see this photo, would you~?"
"Hiss..." Hearing Theresa's tragic, tearful recounting, the four girls all gasped in unison.
"That truly is... Sin Mal's style..." Bronya said, looking extremely conflicted.
"And that wasn't all!" Theresa took a massive gulp of the bitter melon juice in her thermos, letting out a long, dramatic sigh as if she were downing cheap alcohol. "That wasn't the only thing she had prepared!"
The photo of Theresa secretly trying on her old Teriri idol outfit and discovering it still fit perfectly didn't matter anymore. The real issue was that Sin Mal had somehow acquired the limited-edition HOMU figurine Theresa had just bought from Shu's shop!
"Ah~ If Senior Teriri refuses to join us, then Senior Teriri will have to say goodbye to her adorable little HOMU figure forever~"
"Sin... are we really still Magical Girls if we do this?" Seele felt her entire moral compass shattering at the time.
Veliona, however, thought Sin Mal's methods were highly effective. The results spoke for themselves.
Who cares how she got results?
This was naked, unadulterated blackmail. But was Theresa the kind of person to just swallow such an indignity?!
She was the newly appointed Overseer of the Fire Moth!
Just as Theresa prepared to snap, fully intending to use the Super-Dimensional Scepter to recreate the Tragedy of Binding, Sin Mal unleashed her third, fatal strike.
She pulled out a datapad showing the official Teriri social media account, which she had successfully hacked. Two draft posts were already prepared.
The first was an announcement declaring her official comeback and joining the Magical Girl Troupe.
The second was an announcement stating that she was quitting the idol industry forever because she had "never actually enjoyed being a Magical Girl."
If both of those posts went live... Theresa couldn't even begin to imagine the utter despair her old, hardcore fans would experience. They would go from the absolute euphoric high of her return to the crushing low of her second post.
This was a post-apocalyptic world! If someone actually suffered a psychological whiplash like that... people could literally die! That would absolutely cause a disaster!
Right on cue, Seele and Sirin began playing the 'good cops.'
"Senior Teriri! Please join us! In an era where everyone desperately needs salvation, only the Magical Girl Troupe led by YOU can fill the void in the people's hearts!"
"Mhm, mhm!"
Sin Mal didn't say another word. Her wicked smile simply grew wider as she slowly raised her finger, moving it closer and closer to the 'Post All' button, looking exactly like a villain holding a lit match next to a massive firework strapped to Theresa's back.
"S-Stop!! Stop it!!" Faced with such immense, multi-layered pressure, Theresa's mental defenses completely collapsed, and she wailed in despair. "THIS IS NOT HOW MAGICAL GIRLS ARE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT!!"
In the waiting room, the four girls remained completely silent.
Theresa had said exactly what they were all thinking. This method of "persuasion" was vastly different from their mental image of Magical Girls. Just hearing the story made them wonder if this was a 9+ show or a gritty 16+ psychological thriller.
But that wasn't the real reason they were quiet.
"Oh~? Then how exactly does our beloved Principal believe Magical Girls should fight?"
A hand reached out lazily from behind Theresa and rested gently on her shoulder.
"Eek!"
She was literally scared to tears.
"Sin... Sin... haha, what a coincidence! Are you out for a stroll too?" Sweating bullets, Theresa tried to act cute and play dumb to survive. However, an adult pretending to be cute and a literal child could not be treated the same way.
Especially when that child was Sin Mal. She was absolutely immune to "acting cute."
Tsunderes only responded to straight, unadulterated sincerity.