Tonight, the night sky of Arc City was once again illuminated by countless brilliant neon lights.
But the most dazzling light of all undoubtedly emanated from the massive stage constructed deep beneath the Fire Moth headquarters.
The venue previously used for the massive motivational rally had been slightly modified to serve as the stage for The Voices of Arc City. Under the eager gaze of millions, the competition officially raised its curtains tonight.
"It's starting! It's starting! It's starting!!"
In a dormitory building at the Fire Moth First Public High School, a classroom that should have been quietly studying for evening prep was boiling like a pot of hot water.
This public school had only recently opened, and many students had just returned to the classroom from the chaotic, apocalyptic world outside.
This was the first time in their lives these students truly appreciated going to school.
It turned out the older generation was right: you only realize that studying is the easiest "job" in the world after you leave school. The outside world was genuinely terrifying!
A group of students wearing brand-new uniforms crowded into the classroom, staring intently at the projected screen.
"Look! It's the logo! The logo is up! So cool!"
"Ahhhh! My Lady Teriri is about to perform! This is Lady Teriri's first comeback in over twenty years!!"
"Stop pushing! Stop pushing! You're blocking the screen!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, in a completely ordinary apartment building, a family of four sat neatly on their living room sofa, watching the television together.
An intact, happy family. In the wake of a global apocalyptic event like the Great Eruption, such a concept was incredibly rare, almost a luxury.
But in Arc City today, complete families like this were no longer in the minority.
Praise the Lord for His open-source benevolence.
...
"...In this era where the Honkai has yet to fully recede, let us use music to reforge the glory of civilization! Let us use our most thunderous applause to welcome tonight's super-stars!"
The host delivered the introductory speech passionately on the main stage, gradually pushing the atmosphere to a fever pitch.
But in stark contrast to the deafening roar and fanaticism of the front stage, the air in the backstage waiting room was so tense it felt almost solid.
Tap... tap... tap...
Wearing a stunning, tailored skirt and knee-high leather boots, Kiana paced back and forth across the waiting room in absolute agitation. She was so restless she couldn't sit still, and her hands didn't know what to do, randomly grabbing anything in sight.
A water cup on the table, a comb on the vanity, an unplugged microphone, Bronya's drumsticks... She repeatedly picked them up and set them down, creating a continuous stream of annoying little noises.
"Kiana, if you're nervous, you can just admit it." Sitting on a sofa, Shu watched Kiana pass by him for the umpteenth time. He finally set down his phone and sighed helplessly.
"I... am I nervous?" Kiana's aimless pacing halted. She let out two awkward laughs, pointed at herself, and asked defensively.
Shu nodded seriously. "I feel like you're so nervous you're about to throw up."
"It's not that exaggerated." Kiana waved her hand guiltily, finally finding a seat and sitting down. "Alright, fine. I am a little nervous. But... only a little bit."
Looking at the microscopic gap Kiana left between her thumb and index finger, Shu let out a helpless chuckle.
Kiana genuinely was a bit nervous, but only a bit. At the very least, she wouldn't lose her composure or completely botch the performance out of sheer panic.
Kaslanas truly possessed incredibly stout hearts. It was just that... forming a girl band and performing on stage simply wasn't coded into the Kaslana DNA. This was a life choice that belonged exclusively to "Kiana."
The name Kaslana offered no courage in this domain, so her nervousness was completely understandable.
Compared to Kiana, however, Mei seemed far more tense.
Shu was genuinely a bit surprised by this.
Normally, the ever-reliable Mei would be the one to step up when Kiana was nervous, offering comfort, easing everyone's anxiety, and rallying their spirits.
But tonight, Mei simply sat rigidly in her chair, hugging her bass guitar, tightly gripping the sheet music, and desperately trying to regulate her breathing.
And next to Mei, Bronya was holding her breath so hard her face was turning red. She tightly gripped the drumsticks she had snatched back from Kiana, completely motionless.
The immense pressure radiating from the two of them was visible to the naked eye. Even the currently distracted Kiana noticed something was wrong.
Everyone is surprisingly nervous...
Shu glanced down at the live feed on his phone. The camera direction was highly professional, and combined with the dazzling light show, the entire venue looked unprecedentedly grand.
During rehearsal, however, Shu had felt the stage was honestly just okay. You could see from one end to the other, and all the audience members would be directly in front of them, not surrounding them on all sides...
It was a far cry from the grand stage of the Pearl of Shenzhou... Though, many of the amplifiers and audio-capture devices for this stage were quite literally ripped straight out of the Pearl of Shenzhou.
Regardless, Shu currently felt absolutely zero pressure. He wasn't sure if this was due to absolute confidence in his own abilities or some other underlying factor...
After all, even Kiana was feeling nervous. There was no way Shu was genuinely that heartless, right?
"Heh..." Thinking about this, Shu couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
Kiana, currently being psychoanalyzed in Shu's mind, suddenly felt her nose itch. She instinctively turned her head, furrowed her brow, and glared at him.
Was this guy just thinking something incredibly rude about me?
"What's wrong?" Hearing Shu's chuckle, Mei—who was gripping the sheet music so tightly it was crinkling—looked up with genuine concern. "Did something happen?"
Shu shook his head, feeling slightly wistful.
"I just find this entire situation quite fascinating... Not long ago, it was you guys watching me hopelessly crumbling under immense pressure. I never expected the day would come so soon where I would be the one watching you guys buckle under the pressure..."
"Hiss..." Kiana inhaled sharply. "You're actually right..."
"Shu's relaxation is entirely founded upon his own capabilities," Bronya stated, a hint of resentment in her tone. "If Bronya possessed Shu's level of skill, Bronya would be significantly more relaxed than Shu is right now."
"Is that so?" Shu raised an eyebrow, gave Bronya a bright, sunny smile, and shot her a thumbs up. "I know you can do it, Bronya! I believe in you!"
Bronya clamped her mouth shut. Her face contorted into an expression of profound suffering.
Would there truly ever be a day when Bronya reached Shu's absurd, physics-defying level?
Bronya genuinely suspected that Shu was actively using [Wish] to cheat while singing... For instance, using [Wish] to guarantee he never went off-key, or to ensure his voice always sounded pleasant...
Basically, using [Wish] as a safety net to boost his confidence, and then using that absolute confidence to fully unleash his actual skills.
How is that not cheating?!
"Ah... as long as nothing is wrong," Mei replied. It was incredibly obvious that she let out a massive sigh of relief as she said it.