After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

With Toyokawa Yuu providing cover, even Shoko couldn't say much.

However, after giving up her job as an online influencer and starting to focus on team interactions, she always had a strange sense of déjà vu.

When her manager said she could take off her mask, it seemed like she was being indulgent and always giving in to her requests.

Forget it, this has nothing to do with me. Mr. Youyu wouldn't harm his own people, would he?

It wouldn't be so bad to have a fellow sufferer who's signed a contract like me, a contract of servitude.

With a slightly gloating thought in mind, Yutenji Wakana shrugged and followed him into the lounge.

Unlike the relaxed atmosphere of Yutenji Wakanagi and the hurried atmosphere of Hachiman Kairin, the rest room was filled with tension and solemnity.

Although this was not Ave Mujica's first performance, thanks to the efforts of some people, the scale of this concert far exceeded that of their debut.

As this was the first stop after the galactic warship named Ave Mujica officially set sail, everyone was somewhat apprehensive.

Shoko Toyokawa sat on the sofa, already made up and wearing a mask. Unlike before when she would leisurely sip a cup of Earl Grey tea in Yuu Toyokawa's office, she held her script and repeatedly recited the words she already knew by heart.

Ever since learning from Yuu Toyokawa that her former band had reformed and formed a girl band called MyGO!!!!! would be coming to watch the performance, she has been putting a lot of pressure on herself without realizing it.

This pressure was naturally passed on to the other members of the band.

Although she was a little nervous, she never doubted her abilities. Oblivionis might forget everything, but she would never forget music. Her lines and performance would never be wrong.

What truly made her uneasy were her teammates.

Chu Hua had to juggle activities with both Ave Mujica and Sumimi teams, so she missed a day of rehearsal.

Yawata Kairin took on part of the venue setup work and always left early, which even led to a fight between Shoko and Toyokawa Yuu.

In contrast, Yutenji Wakana's condition is the one she needs to worry about the least.

Although his acting was still a bit exaggerated, his drumming skills were impeccable.

As for harmony...

Turning her head to look at Wakaba Mutsumi, who was sitting in a chair holding a guitar, his golden eyes somewhat vacant, his fingertips mechanically strumming the guitar strings, as if he had truly become a puppet, Toyokawa Shoko hesitated slightly as she looked at the script in her hand, and then placed it on the coffee table.

"Xiao Mu, are you alright?"

A gentle and caring voice reached the green-haired girl's ears. Hatsune looked at her somewhat dazed teammate, her purple eyes revealing a hint of worry.

Compared to the others who were more or less nervous, she was actually in the best condition, and even had the energy to care about others.

If Yutenji Wakana's relaxation stemmed from having nothing to worry about, then it was simply because she was used to all sorts of storms.

As one of the most popular idol groups today, Sumimi has already performed countless grand shows, including their debut performance in a newly built commercial building in Tokyo.

Although the concert was quite large, it didn't intimidate her.

However, to Hatsune's disappointment, Wakaba Mutsu did not show any obvious response to her concern.

Even his somewhat dazed eyes didn't move; his fingertips continued to instinctively create notes on the strings.

Miku's strange behavior made Hatsune feel uneasy. During the last premiere, the green-haired girl hadn't shown any signs of this.

"Are you too nervous, Xiao Mu?"

Seeing that Wakaba Mutsuki was still in a daze, Hatsune's worry deepened.

In fact, during the past few days of rehearsals, Wakaba Mutsu had already begun to show some unusual behavior.

Ever since Yuu Toyokawa mentioned that the band MyGO!!!!! would be coming, Shoko Toyokawa has become increasingly demanding of the training results. Even though she is used to big events, she felt a bit of pressure.

The pressure didn't come from the stage, but from the lounge, which should have been a place for relaxation.

As for Ruoye Mutsu, she was the most affected. Although every note on the guitar was perfect, the girl became increasingly taciturn. During breaks, she would just sit silently to the side with her guitar, not communicating with anyone.

Even though Shoko Toyokawa would talk to Mutsuko Wakaba alone after each rehearsal to make her look less pale, it seems that the effect is not as good as expected.

And... let's talk privately...

Hatsune lowered her eyelids, concealing the slight strangeness that flashed in her purple eyes.

"Mu, are you okay?"

The girl's cold voice rang in Wakaba Mutsu and Hatsune's ears, and perhaps due to pressure, it even sounded somewhat stern.

But this tone, which is by no means particularly pleasing, is more effective than Hatsune Miku's gentle whisper.

"Xiang, I..."

The mechanical, precise guitar playing, devoid of any emotion, finally stopped. Wakaba Mutsu looked at Toyokawa Shoko standing in front of her, her lower half of her face, hidden by a mask, pursing her lips.

"I...I'm fine..."

If someone were to remove Wakaba Mutsu's mask, they would find that the girl's thin lips had turned slightly pale, and her face was as lifeless as a doll in a shop window.

Even so, Ruo Yemu still shook her head slowly after a moment of silence.

"If you feel unwell, don't push yourself. Tell me right away, and I can..."

Shoko Toyokawa's voice suddenly paused. She suddenly realized that after handing over almost all the behind-the-scenes work to Yuu Toyokawa, she only needed to focus on creation and rehearsal.

It seems that how to respond to various emergencies has never been a consideration in one's mind.

She knew that her body preferred stillness to movement, and that she hadn't been as lively and cheerful as she used to be when she was a child. With the extra training she had been doing these past few days, she was like a taut string.

After each session, I would talk to her and take her to our usual coffee shop for a cup of tea.

But still... it doesn't work?

"...I can ask Youyu to think of a solution."

Although somewhat reluctant, having to trouble her fiancé with her mental health issues, Toyokawa Shoko could only think of this solution for the time being.

If it's Youyu, there should be a way to solve it.

Even though she disliked her fiancé's way of doing things, which could be described as "making the most of everything," Toyokawa Shoko had to admit it.

He did everything he was asked to do without exception.

"I won't hold anyone back..."

Gripping the guitar neck tightly, Wakaba Mutsu's knuckles turned white.

She dislikes the spotlight, dislikes being watched, and dislikes cheers.

But if it's for the sake of her own body, she can endure it, because...

"Xiang looks...very scared."

The voice was so soft it was almost inaudible that it made Toyokawa Shoko's brows furrow involuntarily.

Sometimes, she really wished that her other half wasn't so sensitive to emotions... at least she could organize her thoughts before speaking.

"What do I have to be afraid of? This performance will definitely not fail."

Turning her head away, Toyokawa Shoko subconsciously denied Wakaba Mutsu's statement, and the tone of her denial made the green-haired girl bury her head even lower.

"Xiangzi, don't put too much pressure on everyone before the performance."

A voice of advice rang out, and Toyokawa Yuu, who had entered the lounge while the others were chatting, was holding a stack of postcards with poster images of Ave Mujica printed on them.

While distributing postcards to the others in the lounge, he lectured Toyokawa Shoko.

"Pressing pressure on you won't make you perform better. Just relax and play like you usually do in rehearsals. Your skills are beyond question, so there's no need to put pressure on yourselves to make your pitches off."

Yuu Toyokawa gently knelt down in front of Mutsuka Wakaba, placing the last postcard and a pen into Shoko Toyokawa's hand, her voice soft and soothing.

"Mortis, can you look me in the eyes? Focus your gaze so that you can see your reflection in my eyes."

Seeing that the green-haired girl's gaze gradually became fixed upon her call, Toyokawa Yuu nodded firmly at her.

With her arms outstretched and sweeping up and down, Toyokawa Yuu gestured for Wakaba Mutsu to follow her rhythm.

"Come on, take a deep breath, close your eyes, there's nothing to be nervous about. Imagine the audience below the stage as puppets being encouraged and cheered by threads. They have no thoughts or emotions, they are just tools to create a lively atmosphere, and they will be led to dance by the threads called music."

"Doll..."

It seemed that Yuu Toyokawa's reassurance had worked, as Mutsumi Wakaba repeated this extremely important word in the worldview of Ave Mujica.

"Yes, puppets, countless puppets. You have defeated them once, you have defeated countless of them. None of them can hurt you. They can only sit in the audience and watch you dance."

Following Yuu Toyokawa's voice, Mutsuka Wakaba recalled the scene of Ave Mujica's premiere in his mind, and began to imagine the cheering audience and glow sticks below the stage.

Those faces, each with a different appearance but the same excited expression, began to fade away, turning into faces without features.

Countless...dolls...

Countless puppets that I have already defeated.

Those I defeated...

It seems that some element was triggered; the quiet and introverted girl had never had a dispute with anyone, nor had she ever defeated anyone.

Besides... countless versions of herself.

The faces below the stage, which had lost their features, became clear again, and everyone looked exactly the same—the likeness of Wakaba Mutsu.

Countless expressionless [Wakaba Mutsumi]s stared at her simultaneously.

They were all losers, but they were also the ones she least wanted to face.

As if her heart were being squeezed by an invisible hand, a phantom pain like needles pricking her was felt. Ruo Yemu's expression turned to terror in an instant.

[Xiao Mu, what are you doing? Wake up!]

A voice with the same timbre but much more lively rang in Wakaba Mutsu's mind, freeing her from those faces and making her open her eyes.

The young man, acting as his manager, still looked at him gently, his eyes filled with encouragement, and...

Beneath this gentle acting lies a certain color that Wakaba Mutsu couldn't understand.

"Are you feeling better, Mortis?"

Although she couldn't see Wakaba Mutsu's expression hidden by the mask, Toyokawa Yuu could see the girl's brows furrow suddenly and then return to normal.

It seems that Xiangzi, driven by pride and a competitive spirit, has put a lot of pressure on the band members these past few days.

It seems that the appearance of Metis shouldn't be too long.

It's one thing to plan to put a collar on a cat on short notice, but Yuu Toyokawa doesn't believe that even Metis could be snatched away.

He took out a few candies from his pocket and placed them flat in front of the girl with his palm outstretched.

"Would you like a refreshing mint?"

Using his usual hazy expression to conceal the surprise and doubt in his eyes, Ruo Ye Mu was unsure whether Toyokawa Yuu had done it on purpose.

However, being sensitive to emotions, she could sense that the boy in front of her was not only showing kindness.

"Um……"

He nodded slightly, a soft sound emanating from beneath Ruoye Mu's mask.

A candy with green packaging disappeared from Toyokawa Yuu's hand.

"Give me some candy! I want some too!"

Seeing that Wakaba Mutsu seemed to have recovered somewhat, the atmosphere in the lounge finally became less gloomy, and even Toyokawa Shoko's expression softened considerably.

Yutenji Wakame's lively voice rang out as she bent down and crouched beside Toyokawa Yuu, who was squatting awkwardly beside Wakaba Mutsu, looking just like a cat begging for food.

"Everyone gets one, but we'll probably have to save it for later. Next up is the backstage interaction with the VIPs who have tickets, and then we'll head to the waiting area to prepare for our performance."

...............................................................

Guided by staff, we entered the performance hall two hours early via the VIP channel, and were even able to enter the backstage area within a designated time period with the assistance of staff.

Guided by staff, we walked through a small backstage area to the best viewing seats for VIPs with tickets.

Looking around like a curious child, Chihaya Aine's voice revealed obvious excitement.

"So this is what the backstage area of ​​this performance hall is like. I thought it would be like [RING], with a bunch of people crammed into a small room."

Chihaya Aine had been to concerts before, but VIP tickets of this level were definitely beyond her means.

"Don't talk like [RING] is no good. Although it can't compare to this level of performance hall, [RING] is already quite good in the LiveHouse category."

Shiina Tatsuki was displeased when Chihaya Aine unconsciously compared it to [RING].

However, even she had to admit that, in terms of both scale and facilities, this performance hall was indeed incomparable to [RING].

This only deepened the doubts in her heart.

"For a concert of this scale, backstage tickets are no small sum. Did that guy just give them to you so easily?"