The curtain fell on the stage.
Inside the venue, a thunderous wave of applause and cheers erupted.
Normally, Miku would have basked in this kind of reception. But right now, the cheers and applause felt oddly tasteless to her.
Until—
Clap... clap... clap...
Haruto lightly clapped. Compared to the frenzied crowd around him, his applause seemed perfunctory and out of place.
Yet, this subtle applause brought a radiant smile to Miku's face.
A wave of joy and unprecedented accomplishment surged through the songstress's heart.
She reluctantly stepped off the stage, her gaze occasionally flickering toward Haruto.
Until she disappeared into the backstage corridor.
Feeling Miku's gaze, which was practically burning a hole into him, Haruto chuckled and shook his head.
Too impatient and not experience enough.
After all, a truly skilled hunter often appears in the form of prey.
Next up was Arisa Meigo.
Unlike her usual conservative everyday attire—this time, Arisa's stage outfit was quite the eye-catcher.
A cute ensemble resembling a witch's costume. Her usual beret had been replaced by a pointed witch's hat.
Like Miku earlier, Arisa's gaze also kept returning to Haruto.
Even though Haruto had turned off the Tomie trait by now, he still stood out like a gem in a pile of sand—impossible to ignore.
And Haruto occasionally responded to Arisa's gaze—with a smile, or a supportive wave.
Backstage, Miku watched this quietly, biting her handkerchief nearly to shreds.
How could this be!
When she was on stage, he hadn't interacted like this!
Miku's mood took a turn. She was clearly jealous.
Even though Arisa was a girl—and an unusually cute one—normally, Miku would be quite interested in her.
But right now, she saw Arisa as a romantic rival.
The proud diva with her queenly demeanor, who loved to dominate other girls—was now completely shaken, behaving like a sulky little girl, jealous and upset.
Arisa's performance soon ended as well.
The results were excellent.
Almost on par with Miku's, second only to hers.
And Arisa was the final contestant.
Haruto, cupping his cheek in interest, waited for the host to come on stage for the closing remarks.
He could feel a scorching gaze from backstage.
Too intense to ignore.
There would definitely be drama after the competition ended.
Haruto looked forward to it.
However—
The host did not announce the end of the competition. Instead, a surprise announcement followed.
"Dear audience, the second round of the Crimson Lotus Cup is about to conclude. But before we reveal the scores and rankings, and who advances or gets eliminated—we have one last surprise for everyone, and that is..."
The host deliberately drew out the suspense.
Haruto suddenly had a bad feeling.
He felt a bit uneasy.
His instincts screamed: Run now, or regret it later.
Just as he was about to act on that instinct and quietly sneak away—
"Please welcome our special guest—Super Idol Ai Hoshino, here to perform for you!"
The moment the host finished speaking—
Spotlights converged on the center of the stage.
The stage floor began to split open and slide apart. It was a mechanism for magic tricks and special stage effects.
And now, from that central platform, a figure slowly rose.
Waist-length flowing violet hair, starry eyes shimmering—
It had been nearly two years since Haruto first met Ai Hoshino.
In those two years, she had grown from a slightly immature girl to a dazzling star.
Still a young girl, but now overflowing with charm—hundreds of times more than before. And she was already captivating back then.
Her perfect smile made hearts flutter—irresistibly lovable.
The moment Ai appeared—
The cheers and shouts almost blew the roof off the venue. None of the few hundred people present had expected Ai Hoshino to show up. If word had gotten out that she'd perform, ticket prices would've skyrocketed.
Even those without tickets would have waited outside just to catch a glimpse.
Even so, the atmosphere now felt like a solo concert for Ai Hoshino.
Just one year after her debut, she had already reached the pinnacle of idol stardom. After her Tokyo Dome performance, her popularity didn't fade—
It only continued to rise steadily.
Ai Hoshino's presence kept pushing the limits of what an idol could be.
But not everyone was thrilled.
Haruto, for one, wanted to run.
He had no idea Ai would be performing.
If he had known, he absolutely wouldn't have shown up.
Especially not in his current state—
He quickly pulled out a mask, sunglasses, even a baseball cap—fully geared up. Then he slumped in his seat, praying Ai wouldn't notice him. If she did, his reputation—his entire life's honor—would be ruined.
But fate had other plans.
The moment Ai fully emerged onto the stage—
Their eyes met.
Ai's face went from surprise to curiosity to joy—all in a split second.
Haruto knew—
It's over. Everything's over.
Even with the disguise, Ai recognized him instantly. Even if he wrapped himself like a mummy—she'd still spot him in a crowd.
After all, he was the one who pulled her out of the darkness.
The one who meant everything to her.
Someone so special—there was no way Ai would fail to recognize him.
Ai couldn't help but grin.
This wasn't her professional smile—this was genuine.
Why is Haruto here? And crossdressing, no less? With long hair?
Even with the mask, Ai could imagine his face...
It had to be beautiful.
So interesting!
She didn't know what Haruto was doing, but her heart was already racing.
Seeing her mischievous smile—Haruto sighed and gave up. He took off the mask and everything.
Since he'd been caught, what was the point?
He felt utterly defeated.
During Ai's performance—
She constantly sent signals toward Haruto.
Like finger-gun gestures aimed at the audience—
Seemingly normal fanservice moves, but they were actually coded messages between her and Haruto.
Meanwhile—
Miku was grinding her teeth backstage.
"That woman... how dare she seduce her?!"
Watching Ai interact with Haruto, Miku's eyes practically blazed with fury.
As fellow idols, Miku had met Ai before.
But...
Their personalities didn't mesh well.
Or rather—it was a one-sided dislike from Miku.
Ai was the kind of girl who effortlessly captured everyone's attention. But Miku felt an irrational repulsion toward her.
Seeing Ai's brilliance only made Miku feel inexplicably bitter.
If she were more objective, she'd realize—
She and Ai weren't so different.
Only Ai had been luckier, and stronger.
Because Ai had met Haruto—and kept moving forward with resolve. Even without supernatural powers—Ai had earned her place on the grandest stage, loved by countless fans.
Miku, on the other hand, faltered at a crucial moment.
Without her Spirit powers, she might never have stepped onstage again.
So, her aversion toward Ai—
Was really anger at herself.
If she'd been stronger, maybe she could've become someone like Ai. But Miku couldn't see that now.
She had completely lost her composure.
How could she possibly compete with that?!
From the moment she first saw Haruto—
She had yearned for him.
She absolutely wouldn't allow anyone else to have him.
Not her, not anyone...