Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

During this time, the lights came on.

It's blue.

Chapter Fifty-Six: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival Holiday!

(Sun Yao)

The last judge's desk lit up with a blue light.

Did I win?

This felt unreal. I looked at Miss Fran beside me; she was biting her lower lip, and her gaze towards me was filled with resentment…

I know this victory wasn't fair to her.

Compared to her, a guest, I, as a local magical girl from Changkong City, have the advantage of being on home turf. Not only will the audience favor me, but even the judges will give me some leeway out of consideration for Sirius.

Perhaps it was this last bit of sentimentality that influenced the outcome of the match.

【It doesn't matter】

Miss Fran probably understood this too, but as soon as she left the stage, she took out her phone and sent me some information.

Your performance truly exceeded my expectations.

It's not surprising that I lost.

Is this her way of comforting herself?

She clearly looked so unwilling to accept it, yet she still tried to comfort me.

[As we agreed before, I'll prepare the song for the finals as soon as I get back.]

Let's adapt my new song into a style that suits you.

Having eliminated her myself, how could I possibly accept such a generous gift from her?

“Fran...Miss Freya, it’s alright, you don’t have to do that…”

Don't make excuses.

This was agreed upon.

Your current behavior is what makes me feel disrespected.

"sorry."

Unable to resist apologizing, Fran shook her head and sighed.

Miluno and the others all say you lack confidence.

It seems to be true.

Backstage, they received applause, not only from Miss Halley and Miluno, but also from Liu, Zara, Nanjixing, Jizhenhaoyin, and some unfamiliar magical girls.

But no one noticed Miss Freya, and no one spoke to her.

Miluno praised him even more directly.

"Serno, you did a very good job..."

But she didn't forget Miss Freya.

"Miss Fran, although the result is a bit of a pity, no one will question your professional level. However, the Idol Festival is not a concert, and what the audience likes is not necessarily high-level content."

I am not frustrated.

The guy from the next round can go up now.

Only after being nudged like that did the two of them hurriedly run out of the backstage area.

The third group is Ryuhime and Gekijin Goon. Strictly speaking, "Ryuhime" is a duo, but no one knows that there is a real singer hiding in the space beneath the main stage...

Well, taking advantage of the hollow structure of the stage, Sirius prepared a closed, soundproof studio directly below the stage. The Mermaid Witch stayed there. It was equipped with air conditioning, a screen, and professional broadcasting equipment. All she had to do was sing along.

As for the powerful vocals, she was still dressed in Showa-era biker gang attire, and even rode her beloved motorcycle to the stage...

That's strange. How did she even pass the auditions and preliminary rounds?

"Water Commissioner Yi, he's a lot like someone from my generation..."

Looking at the virtual singer, Halley even felt a touch of emotion.

"...Did she also dream of standing on the stage before becoming a witch?"

"Miss Namie Kawanami was once the harmony singer for Sirius. She is not the same person as the Samehime Witch you know. She just happened to inherit the former's memories and abilities..."

Before I could finish speaking, Miluno added, "Although she is temporarily on our side, she is still an enemy in essence."

"what about me?"

Halley pointed to her face, but Miluno pointed to her chest...

Oh, it's the heart area.

“Halley, at least until now, you are still human at heart, but the Mermaid Witch was born as a monster on the ‘other side.’ Her logic is completely different from ours. She was abandoned, which is why she doubted her own value. But she still can’t be called human.”

Miluno is very strict with Miss Water Committee.

After all, the first time she was sent to the treatment facility was because of the Mermaid Witch's ultimate move. Besides the reasons she just mentioned, there might also be some personal grudges involved... even though she was seriously injured while protecting me.

"ended."

Miluno's voice brought me back to reality; the large screen on the stage had already switched to the live voting segment.

"Liu Ji" was undoubtedly the favorite to win this year's championship. The virtual idol was generating a lot of buzz, and the fantastic water curtain performance that suddenly appeared during the competition made Ji Zhen Hao Yin's defeat a foregone conclusion.

"A 20/80 split? The result of this group is no longer relevant to the judges."

The thunderous roar was utterly defeated.

Holding a megaphone and roaring out energetic songs, she might have a fighting chance against other contestants, but against the virtual idol Ryuji, who is full of professionalism and buzz, no matter how loud her voice is, it's useless.

"In the era of 'cute'... is there no need for passion anymore?"

She returned backstage dejectedly and lay slumped on the table, exhausted.

Miluno looked at the next group.

“Zhalazi and the ‘Gray Swan’”.

She's a little girl with short, golden-brown hair.

With an elegant young woman with gray hair, living up to her swan-like name.

Zara lost out in terms of appearance and temperament, while the latter was clearly more suited to that stage.

"One of them performed a dance, and the other played the piano... Neither of them are serious idols, so it's hard to tell who won."

The first person to perform was Zhalazi, whose performance we had already experienced before.

As an amateur, I can't find any fault with it, and the special performance that incorporates magic makes it an excellent program.

Miluno asked, "What is the magic of that 'Grey Swan'?"

"Let me see……"

I brought the introductory booklet that the organizers had prepared for the contestants.

Not only can the audience members who enter the venue get their hands on the book, but the contestants can also browse it backstage.

"A magical girl who can create ice on any surface and use her adaptability and mobility to fight her opponents. Her main job is an internationally renowned ballet dancer, and her weapon is ice skates... Is it necessary to write down her weapon?"

Miluno rested her chin on her hand.

“She is a celebrity, which puts Zara at a disadvantage.”

A stirring piano melody began.

Perhaps in an effort to make a lasting impression, Miss Zara's pace was astonishingly fast from the very beginning.

But this might not be a good thing...

Halley bluntly stated, "It's too fast, and with her unique playing style, it's a bit breathless."

I also experience this irregular heartbeat.

Lacking stage experience and overly eager to perform, Zara... overdid it.

This was a minor flaw, but the performance itself went quite smoothly, so much so that when the little guy returned to the backstage area halfway through, he bounced right in.

"Hmm hmm~ Hmm hmm~"

Given the difficulty of the fast-paced piano performance, she played it flawlessly and must have thought she did a good job.

"Serno, you go and tell her."

Miluno gave me a nudge, telling me to give Zara a "precautionary warning".

"Hey, why me..."

"Because you are the most suitable."

Reluctantly, I took the little maid's hand and sat down by the window.

"Zara worked very hard! But you should also be prepared to be eliminated."

"Uh-huh?"

"The tempo is a bit fast, and some older audience members may find it uncomfortable. Don't you feel that when you play? Our performance is not about showing off skills, but about pleasing the audience."

“…Mmm.”

Ultimately, where did she find such intense sheet music?

After my reminder, Zara seemed to understand her problem and looked like she wanted to cry.

All I could do was pat her on the back to comfort her.

In comparison...

"Miss Erica's performance was a great success."

Magic spread beneath her feet, covering the entire stage with a smooth layer of ice.

Spinning, leaping, drawing elegant arcs on the stage.