"What performance number are you again?" Jamie asked nervously as his leg kept tapping the ground.
"47. You?"
"10."
"Lucky, you get to get it over with quickly and get to enjoy the show. Or take a nap."
"I guess. I'm still a bit nervous, though."
Ari and Jamie sat and waited in the auditorium while the stage crew called on different individuals and had them run through their performance. Jamie had gone earlier and was sticking around while waiting for Ari's turn to come.
Currently, Rex and the rest of his teammates were on the stage, putting on head mics and spacing themselves out while loosely dancing as the music to an upbeat hip hop song played in the background.
Ari turned to the side and calmly patted Jamie's hand, which was nervously tapping the arms of the chair.
"Relax. Unless you want to stay up all night practicing one more time? I'm down if you are."
"Ugh. No, thank you. I need to sleep so these bags don't show up. I'm jealous you get to wear makeup like that." Jamie genuinely looked jealous at the fact that Ari could cover up his dark eye bags with face paint.
And I'm jealous that you get to walk around with your bare face.
Instead of telling the truth, Ari replied teasingly, hoping to relax Jamie a bit.
"If you're really jealous, you can do it too. We can be a pair."
"…ugh." At Jamie's disgusted face, Ari laughed lightly and tapped his arm before standing up.
"Numbers 46 through 54, please come on to the stage!" the female stage director with the black bob yelled while holding onto her clipboard.
Ari quietly followed the line of people walking up and looked around curiously, taking in the sheer amount of equipment and electronics that were hidden from the audience.
As he approached the stage director, a staff member strapped a mic pack to his waist, shoved a hand mic at him, and shoved him to the front.
"Number 47?"
"Yes, that's me."
As he met the stage director's eyes, she nodded in a much more gentle manner than earlier and led him to the stage.
"You've heard right? Show up tomorrow in the uniforms we gave you. If it's the wrong size, verify before you leave today. It says in my notes you're bringing a trumpet and need a mic for it? Did you bring the trumpet with you today?"
"No ma'am. I forgot."
He hadn't forgotten.
Since Ari still wasn't fully confident in his playing skills, he didn't bring it, so they wouldn't ask him to play it during rehearsals.
Besides, it was his secret weapon.
"…you do understand that's what rehearsals are for, right? To rehearse so things go wrong now and we can fix them before the big stage tomorrow." Stage director Sherril gave him a stern stare, and Ari bowed his head apologetically.
"I'm sorry."
It was silent for a moment before Sherill sighed, "Fine. Whatever. It's your performance, I'm just trying to look out for you. They're about to start your sound, so mark your position and tell us what to adjust. And tomorrow, when you're done performing and being judged by the judges, you'll head over there where the chairs are lined up according to your ranking. Got it?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
Once the stage director stood to the side, Ari stood on the stage and looked down at the empty seats.
It was a bit nerve-wracking, and he couldn't believe that tomorrow, these seats would be filled with people who would see him perform.
Him, Ari the singer and performer, not Ari the backup choir singer or Ari the backup guitarist to other people at a paid gig.
Him.
It was an odd feeling, and as the song he had been preparing for the past two weeks played in the background, but listening to it, he felt a bit proud.
With his feet habitually tapping the ground to keep the beat, and his hand not holding the mic tapping the air, Ari took a deep breath and sang the starting notes to warm up his throat.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~
A clear yet slightly husky voice rang out across the auditorium much louder than he intended.
And the pure sound echoed a bit before dying out.
As everybody from the stagehands to the contestants sitting below stopped chattering and glanced up at him, Ari blinked before turning to the stage director with his usual relaxed air.
"My voice is a bit loud, so it would be better to reduce the mic volume. Just a bit. Is that alright with you, ma'am?"
Wild curly black hair, piercing sea green eyes staring out of a face covered in thick white paint with black graphic stars and red lips drawn on it.
A slim and slightly tall figure dressed in all black with no visible skin.
A clear youthful voice with the barest hint of a French accent.
The relaxed, cat-like air as those painted red lips quirked upwards at the end, and he casually spun to face her.
The stage director could only stare as she thought for a moment she was watching one of her favorite rock band members on stage.
He wasn't handsome by any conventional means, but she couldn't help but be drawn to the aura surrounding him and those sea-like eyes that drew her in.
And that voice?
The clarity of that one note woke her up immediately, and she desperately wanted to hear more.
"Ma'am? Miss Lanole?" Ari called her name once more, and Stage Director Sherill shook her head before answering.
"You want your mic lowered? Got it. Feel free to go again."
"Thanks."
After giving her a small smile, Ari continued to gloss over the song, not really singing, just mapping out the parts.
But even that was enough to change the opinions of several people who looked down on him because of his appearance, the length of his training, and the lack of an Agency.
The clarity and strength of his voice were so good that several people took notes.
It might be too early to call him a contender, but the previously dismissive attitudes were gone.
Ari's singing reminded them that despite appearances, everyone had passed the first round of auditions.
With a peaceful heart, Ari finished his practice and handed his mic over to a staff member.
As he approached the stage director, who was still staring at him with her mouth slightly open, he began feeling a bit mischievous, so he walked over to her.
"Yes? Did you need something? Or do you have more changes?"
"Something like that? Do you mind answering a question for me?"
"S-sure." The stage director seemed a bit flustered as she stared at him.
"Do I still give you the ick?" Ari asked in a playful voice.
Her behavior had done a quick 180, and he could only attribute it to the rise in his charm levels or his voice.
Seeing how she kept looking at his face, maybe she liked band members with this style?
As her face turned a bit red, Ari laughed wickedly before taking several steps back.
"I'm kidding. Thanks for your help, Miss Lanole. I appreciate you and everything that you do. I'll be heading out now. See you tomorrow. Right?"
"I'll be here."
"Looking forward to it. I'll come early tomorrow too, so let me know if you need any help. Promise?"
He held his pinky out to her, and the stage director looked confused before hesitantly holding out her hand.
With another mischievous laugh, Ari hooked her little finger with his, brought his thumb to his lips while dragging her hand along, and kissed it.
"It's a promise sealed with a kiss. I'm leaving now, so have a good night."
With a happy wave, Ari jumped down the stage and thankfully caught himself before he fell.
Meeting the eyes of one of the boys who had whispered about him 'filling in the extra spots', Ari gave him a faint smile before gesturing to Jamie.
'Let's go double J'
Instead of wasting time here and watching every practice performance, it would be better for him to practice more and perfect his trumpet solo.
They would have to sit through it tomorrow, whether they liked it or not.
And so, after Jamie dropped him off, Ari practiced at the church, did some cleaning, and ate dinner at the bathhouse before sleeping at a decent time.
And when he woke up the next day, Ari spent two hours painting his face with a nice thick layer of white paint, carefully drew in the black star design, lined his lips with red lipstick, and carefully wore the uniform given to him over a turtle neck sweater and some gloves.
Although the bruises on his arms were fading, he didn't plan to show any skin until it was fully healed.
And when he heard a truck honking outside the church, he grabbed the temporarily rented trumpet in its case and went out to join Jamie.
It was D-Day.
Time to present their 'garbage songs' and become one of the top 100 contestants in Pop Star Academy: Project 777;
And for Ari, it was something else, too.
The first chance he would see his enemy's face, read his status, and directly evaluate his skills.
And although it wasn't very likely, he really hoped he could punch him.