The stage lights glittered, full of energy.
The venue was on fire, a cauldron of voices. The audience spontaneously waved their glow sticks in perfect unison, like a sky full of twinkling stars.
Robin gripped the microphone tightly. After a full concert, she was truly exhausted. Her legs were weak and unsteady, and she felt as if she could collapse at any moment.
But, it was alright! She could hold on!
It wasn't as bad as before, when she couldn't even control her voice.
Although the current Robin was drenched in sweat, weak, and exhausted, she could still sing.
Robin steadied her body and mind. She couldn't let the audience down. This was her duty as an idol.
Only two songs left. As long as I can finish them… Robin said silently to herself.
She tightened her grip on the microphone, her gaze falling upon the audience in the very front row.
It was a little girl with pink hair in twin tails. She had a pair of upright fox ears on her head and a fluffy tail behind her. She looked well-behaved and clever.
Robin knew her. Her name was Ling, and she seemed to have another nickname, something-maru.
The girl had a small wish: to see the cherry blossoms with her older sister. However, her hometown was destroyed by a nuclear bomb, and her wish could never come true…
Hmm? Why do I know that about her?
The confusion flashed through Robin's mind, but soon the familiar melody began.
—If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking
Once this song was released, it topped all the major music charts in the galaxy.
Robin also hoped to use this positive melody to stir "resonance" in everyone, to help people walk out from their pessimistic emotions.
As the prelude began, the eyes of the girl with the fox ears and tail lit up, and she began to sway with the melody.
Seeing her happy figure, Robin's heart was also encouraged.
This was the meaning behind her continuous singing.
Robin smiled at Higokumaru, and Higokumaru's lips curved upwards in response.
In that instant, the two of them seemed, probably, maybe to have established some kind of tacit understanding through the song.
Robin stopped thinking about the "vibrations." What she needed to do was to devote her entire being to singing.
Once again steeling her body, amidst the cheers of the audience, Robin's vocal cords let loose a melodious and uplifting beautiful rhythm.
A gust of wind blew.
The wind, swirling up from below the stage, lifted her formal gown. The hem of her skirt flew up, intertwining with the lights.
Robin, who in her daily life always displayed her elegant figure without reservation, felt a sense of unease for the first time today.
She moved with even more energy, and her crystalline sweat reflected her struggle and effort.
But inside her crystal high heels, her feet were soaked with sweat, and the jade-like feet wrapped in stockings had become slippery against the soles.
"…"
Robin did her utmost to steady herself, singing out her complicated thoughts. Her pleasant voice pushed the concert to a new peak of excitement.
Accompanied by the melodious song, the young woman walked gracefully across the stage.
She seemed completely oblivious to the layers of wrinkles forming in the stockings sticking to the inside of her exquisite high heels, or the sticky sound coming from the bottom of her high-heeled dancing shoes.
The idol singer's body interpreted the dance of a "caged bird flying to the sky," so light and free.
---o---
"Wow, Miss Robin is so amazing."
Elysia exclaimed with sincere admiration.
In a corner of the audience section, surrounded by Valkyries, the roar of the crowd was deafening.
But in this small area where Ye Feng was, they could all hear each other clearly.
Ye Feng pinched Elysia's little cheek. The pink pixie didn't like him pinching her face, and she shifted her body to get away.
But the seats were only so big, and she was surrounded by Valkyries. Elysia had nowhere to run.
And so, she came to understand more deeply just what kind of resolve Robin was singing with at this moment.
Sometimes, human wishes and faith far surpassed the limits of physical endurance.
Ye Feng asked with a smile, "In terms of qualifications as a superstar, who's better, Robin or Eden?"
"…Art is for appreciation, not for comparison… Eek~…?"
"It wasn't me."
Ye Feng held up his hands innocently.
"Eh?"
Elysia turned her head and only then discovered that it was Mobius who was forcefully twisting her arm.
"Elysia, don't act so pure. I really can't stand to watch it."
Mobius's snake-like eyes glinted, looking extremely dangerous.
"…"
Elysia was speechless.
The flawless pixie probably never would have dreamed that she would one day be told this by Mobius, who spent all her time cooped up in a lab.
Kiana sat at the very end, with Elysia and Mobius on either side of Ye Feng.
Chong Chong was starting to regret it. She really shouldn't have come to this concert.
It was so boring.
She stopped glancing in their direction and, propping her chin on her hand, watched the idol in the spotlight.
For some reason, Kiana suddenly looked at the remote control in her hand.
It had three settings. She had pressed red and green. She wondered what orange was like.
"!!"
No! No!
Kiana covered her head with her hands and shook it vigorously. What am I thinking?
Clatter—
The remote control fell from her grasp, tumbling down the steps. The orange button happened to hit the edge of a step…
"Eh?"
A few drops of cold sweat trickled down Kiana's forehead.
…
…
The stage was a riot of color, the song resonating through the air.
Robin's once-light steps had become heavy, her body stiff.
Her gaze swept across the audience, as if searching for something, or perhaps hiding something.
The idol's movements on stage slowed down.
Robin took a deep breath, regulating her breathing for singing so it wouldn't fall into disarray.
Her heart at this moment was as uneasy as a "bowstring being drawn back and forth."
And the song she was singing now was the one that had propelled her music career to its peak—If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking.
Even though Robin was as tense as a fully drawn bowstring, her breathing was not disordered in the slightest.
This level of singing skill alone was something no ordinary person could match.
I will never… admit defeat!! How can I lose here!
For Robin, the stage was her battlefield.
Robin was not content to be just a symbol on a screen, a beautiful and flawless mascot.
Only by appearing strong enough could she convey her will to those seeking hope.
She had felt pain and pressure, especially on this war-torn planet. Almost every time she stepped on stage, the expectations and hopes she carried nearly crushed her, making it impossible to move forward.
Carrying the expectations of others, how could she stop?
Robin once again looked towards where the pink-haired, fox-eared girl was. Her eyes were so bright, staring straight at her.
On this planet, there must be many other children who have suffered like her, right?
And now, Robin was not just herself, but a symbol.
How could she allow herself to show such a disgraceful state!
Absolutely, I cannot fall here!
The reason Robin sang for the entire galaxy was so that, by relying on the power of [The Harmony] to transmit her voice, she could manifest "resonance" among her fans and all living beings in the myriad worlds.
She would surely be able to instill hope in those who were watching her, to give those who were adrift the strength to find a place to belong.
This was Robin's wish, and it was the Path that was not a [Path] that she had always been walking.
Robin moved forward. No matter what difficulties she faced, she would not stop.
As the young woman stepped forward, the audience below became even more enthusiastic, shouting Robin's name at the top of their lungs.
She understood that this was not just the affection of the war-torn people on this planet, but also their hope for a better tomorrow.
The so-called idol exists to bring hope to everyone, to fill their hearts, to make them full of anticipation for the future!
Robin, who had never been in love, was not without feelings. All of her passionate emotions were suppressed deep in her heart.
At this moment, those unspeakable emotions, in a corner she knew nothing about, had transformed into an irrepressible feeling that flowed and surged within her body.
The power of Harmony flowed, and her white wings spread open!
Robin's voice, filled with her beautiful hopes and wishes, was transmitted once more, shining on the dazzling stage at the edge of the world.
If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking
"Birds are born with no shackles"
"Then what fetters my fate"
"Blown away the white petals"
"Leave me trapped in the cage"
"…"
"…"
The song ended.
Amidst the lingering sound, the young woman landed gracefully, bowing her body like a scattered piece of thin silk, her knees touching the stage like a dragonfly on water.
Her long dance dress, embroidered with magnificent patterns, covered her knees and spread out like a pale purple flower about to bloom.
No matter how the world changed, her wish would not.
Robin only felt her vision fill with a dazzling white light. Her legs were already tensed to the point of spasming, and the tips of her toes, painted with pale purple nail polish, were on tiptoe with all their might.
She threw her head back with all her strength, like a proud swan, displaying an unyielding spirit.
Under the power of [The Harmony], the singer's emotions were also spread, and the quietly flowing feelings were masked by the pleasant song.
At this moment, the stage dimmed, and all the lights focused on the young woman.
It was as if the starlight from the last moment before midnight had adorned her body. Fine streams of light sprinkled down her snow-white back.
The halo above Robin's head also seemed to be coated in a layer of luster, and at this moment, it appeared exceptionally brilliant and captivating.
"It's such a beautiful scene, why am I getting so agitated?"
"Miss Robin's singing feels different today!"
"Indeed, today's songs seem to have a different kind of emotion. Miss Robin is also exceptionally beautiful today…"
They were like the whispers of chaos, yet they flowed clearly into Robin's ears.
She didn't know where the voices were coming from. She didn't dare to raise her head.
Because she was an idol watched by the masses, Robin always maintained her composure.
But at this moment, the more she cared about her appearance and behavior, the more ashamed she felt.
She knelt on the stage, her skirt spread out, not daring to move an inch.
But the turmoil in her heart could not be soothed. The buzzing from below the stage, though noisy and unclear, mixed together and made her feel lost.
Robin didn't dare to look at the audience below, but her mind felt with extreme clarity that everyone was looking at her. Countless gazes were focused on her, watching her in her disgraceful state.
My body is so hot, my heart is beating so fast, and my head is getting light…
No… don't look at me…
Don't… look at me with those eyes!
"Big Sister."
A crisp voice came from above. Robin, kneeling on the stage, raised her head in a daze.
It was the girl from before.
She wore an off-the-shoulder miko outfit. On her feet were white tabi socks and red-strapped geta sandals. A pair of upright fox ears and a fluffy tail swayed cheerfully.
The girl had her back to the shining lights as she offered a bouquet of flowers.
"Big Sister, you sang so beautifully," Higokumaru said crisply.
"…Th-thank you."
Robin accepted the flowers in a daze.
She had never expected the girl to run up onto the stage.
It wasn't that no fans wanted to give her flowers, but that Robin was too popular. To prevent any overzealous fans, there would be bodyguards from [The Family] on guard during the concert, not allowing the audience to approach the stage.
So, how did she get up here?
But that question was no longer important.
The appearance of this girl was like a clear spring washing over Robin's polluted soul… She actually felt a sense of being saved.
"Really… thank you!"
Robin and Higokumaru's eyes met, and she gazed earnestly at the cute, fox-like girl.
Higokumaru suddenly broke into a smile, revealing a bratty expression. She leaned close to Robin's ear and whispered:
"Big Sister, if you were singing in the bedroom instead of here, you'd surely drive someone crazy with desire."
"?"
"I saw it, you know. You're… completely soaked, aren't you?"
"—!!"
"What a shameless diva, playing such little games on stage."
Robin's head felt like it had exploded. She stared at the girl before her, dumbstruck.
Higokumaru's mouth split into a wide grin, her face ecstatic and delighted.
Higokumaru was bursting. She had almost forgotten that she was the great Herrscher of Corruption from the Previous Era.
Negative emotions were her delicious food.
But in Ye Feng's world, Higokumaru couldn't beat anyone. Even when she went outside, she had to be Yae Sakura's "dog."
Although Yae Sakura didn't see her that way, for the grand Herrscher of Corruption to be leashed like a dog was the greatest humiliation.
And now, she had finally eaten her fill here.
Even Ye Feng wouldn't blame her.
Of course, the great Higokumaru wasn't afraid of Ye Feng. It was just that a good Herrscher knows not to pick a fight they can't win.
She knew she would be fucked up, so she should avoid him for now. There was no need to clash head-on.