Chapter 54 Anticipation

"It's time for the final song once again. Every time this moment arrives, I wish time could just keep going on and on. Alright, let us bring you the final grand finale."

After over an hour of performance, sparkling beads of sweat had seeped onto Ju Nanxin's forehead, dampening her neat, fluffy bangs and causing them to cling to her skin.

Without wiping the sweat away with her hand, as if she didn't feel tired in the slightest, she stood vigorously in the center of the five girls just like at the start of the show. Holding a microphone, wearing a sweet smile, with delicate flushed skin and adorable dimples, she stood gracefully and set the entire venue ablaze.

Just as her voice trailed off, the lights went out.

Darkness once again enshrouded the entire hall.

"Why do I feel a faint scent of blood?" Hei Yuyi, sitting in the front row, squinted his eyes. Having stared unblinkingly at the stage just moments before, the dazzling lights and brilliant stars had strained his eyes a little, so he closed them to rest during the blackout.

A faint smell of blood drifted into Hei Yuyi's nostrils.

However, Hei Yuyi didn't think much of it. Right now, his heart held only the young girl standing on the stage, eagerly anticipating her singing and dancing.

Several dozen rows behind him.

"Hurry up, go from the front." The fat man shoved his subordinate, carrying his bag, and completely ignoring the feelings of the person sitting in front, he simply shoved him aside and trampled right over his seat.

"Ah, who is that?"

"Damn it..."

"Keep it down, don't make a fuss. If you want to argue, take it outside."

"Don't disturb my goddesses' singing! Make any more noise and we'll throw you out."

A few people who had been knocked over and stepped on wanted to hurl angry curses, but were silenced by the voices of other surrounding fans.

"Captain, Field Mouse is fading fast. The target is gone." A plainclothes police officer rushed to Field Mouse's location. When his hand brushed against Field Mouse's already cold cheek, his right hand trembled slightly as he spoke in a shaky voice into his microphone.

"Stay calm, Stray Cat, call an ambulance. Little Bird, carefully bring Field Mouse out and administer first aid. Remember not to startle the enemy; they should still be inside. We cannot let Field Mouse's injury be in vain." Hearing his subordinate's report, Jack felt his heart sink. He was furious, but he restrained himself. As the captain, he must not let emotions rule him at a time like this; he had to maintain the bigger picture.

Jack pinpointed Field Mouse's location from the outside and skirted around the edge in the dark.

Soft lights illuminated the stage, and five brilliantly unique beautiful girls appeared one by one under the spotlights. Their gentle voices paired with subtle movements, appearing slow yet harmonious.

Their alternating lines of song were like kingfishers dipping into water, or orioles singing:

The bright sunlight by the classroom window fell silent,
With so little left leading toward spring.
During class, seeing them wear the same uniforms,
Looking somewhat mature, they all seemed like grown-ups.
Everyone will surely set off on a journey toward their respective futures,
As the small backs grow wings of dreams.
When the tiny cherry blossoms bloom,
The bells of hope echo across the land somewhere,
Granting us tomorrow's freedom and courage.
When the tiny cherry blossoms bloom,
Someone is surely praying somewhere,
Opening the doors of a brand new world with one's own hands...
...

"What are you doing? Hurry up and get out! Do you want to get shot?" Chuanling Feiqi angrily cursed in a low voice.

"Boss, no, it's that black police officer." Chuanling Feiqi's subordinate, who was walking at the very front, was about to step out of the seating area when he spotted Jack, the black officer, walking toward them.

"Change lanes, go out from the front."

Taking advantage of the darkness, Chuanling Feiqi and his men retreated, weaving through a very narrow middle aisle toward the front rows.

"Captain, this isn't working. There are too many people, and the lighting is too dim. We can't find the target at all this way."

"Those of you who saw the target earlier, describe their features from today. All of you fall back for now; Team One guards the main entrance—if you see anyone matching the target, follow immediately and confirm for arrest. Team Two, head backstage; there should be a side door over there." Jack covered his head as he retreated from the crowded audience seating to the edge, listening to the soothing music and calmly issuing orders.

"Bye-bye, bye-bye."

Just as Jack finished his orders, the stage lights fully brightened. The five girls stood gracefully in the center of the stage, smiling, uniformly holding their microphones in their left hands and waving their right hands toward the direction of the glowing name signs to greet and bid farewell to their fans.

Five minutes later, the five girls of Mint retreated from the stage amidst the reluctant farewells of their fans and headed backstage.

A man in a suit walked onto the stage holding a microphone.

"Thank you everyone for coming to see Mint's performance today. Next up is the exclusive meeting session for the lucky fans. Now, after letting our girls rest for a moment, those lucky fans who hold the individual meeting tickets, please follow me backstage to let me know which idol you wish to meet individually, and then we will hold the meeting in our romantic cabin. The other fans who didn't win this time shouldn't be discouraged either; please continue to support our girls. Thank you everyone," said the man, presumably the theater manager, politely holding the microphone.

As the man's voice faded, the lights in the hall fully illuminated, and staff members wearing work badges standing on both sides began organizing the fans and audience members to exit in an orderly, sequential manner.

"Sigh, I wonder which two people won the lucky tickets this time. They didn't even bubble up in the forum; I was hoping to buy one at a high price. No, next time I definitely have to get one. I want to meet Nannan individually so bad."

A fan sitting next to Hei Yuyi picked up the fluorescent sign in his hand bearing the characters "Nanxin." The excitement of just watching the performance had not yet faded from his face, and with a trace of regret, he followed the front rows out of the auditorium.

Hearing the muttering of the person beside him, a fleeting thought of cashing in the meeting ticket flashed through his mind. Of course, it was merely a fleeting thought. If Hei Yuyi's feelings for Watanabe Reimu before this performance were merely the first stirring flutter of youth, at this moment, he had been completely captivated by the radiance Watanabe Reimu emitted on stage. He was deeply—no, intoxicatingly—drawn to her, wanting to possess her, and perhaps even steal a kiss.

While the other fans packed their belongings and left one by one, Hei Yuyi remained seated alone in his original spot. He was in no rush to approach the manager to reveal himself as the lucky fan holding the individual meeting ticket. What was the rush? Reimu needed a moment to rest anyway. Approaching the manager right now would be a bit too high-profile with so many people watching. If they knew he was the lucky one, who knew if they would be envious, jealous, or hateful? And if they knew he had two tickets in his hands, well, hehe.

At this moment, even Hei Yuyi himself didn't realize how much he was looking forward to the upcoming fan meeting. This was also the first time he displayed a composure unlike his usual self—the smugness belonging to a seventeen-year-old boy who had obtained something he possessed while others did not. For the first time, he tasted the surging blood of idol-chasing, the pursuit of beauty, and the pure joy of everyone cheering for the goddess he adored.