"Er..."
Rope froze, momentarily unable to understand what Sora meant.
Mr. Bailey...
Watching from the audience???
But isn't Mr. Bailey right here?
Thinking about it carefully, it was actually a little bit of horror.
Rope was beside Sora, fixing her hair, smoothing out the wrinkles on her performance outfit, and brewing special tea to soothe her throat. These tasks used to be done by the manager, but a manager wasn't an assistant, after all, and couldn't be expected to do an assistant's job. Besides, Manager Zhang was now handling more than one artist and getting busier and busier. She couldn't just drop the artists she was previously responsible for to focus solely on Sora. Therefore, Rope had volunteered to become Sora's assistant.
After all, Rope felt terrible about always eating and drinking for free. She had to contribute something to ease her conscience.
"Sora, there are only ten minutes until the show starts. We should head backstage."
Rope glanced at the ladies' watch on her wrist and reminded her.
Back in the slums, Rope never would have imagined that she'd one day wear a watch. Yet, that day had come far too suddenly. Only a month had passed, but to Rope, it felt like just a few days. It was truly hard to believe that just a month ago, she was still in the slums worrying about money, and now she was wearing fashionable clothes, a ladies' watch on her wrist, acting as Sora's assistant.
The change was just too immense.
"Mm..."
Sora grunted in acknowledgment and got up to walk backstage. However, on the not-so-long corridor, Sora felt her panic growing with every step. Her footsteps were noticeably unsteady. The old Sora loved the stage, but ever since the stage accident two months ago, she had suddenly become afraid of it.
Originally, Sora thought she had gradually overcome this fear after resting for a month. She wasn't even nervous during the rehearsals. However... she had thought too highly of herself.
On the day of the actual performance.
Sora's heart grew heavy. As an idol who was supposed to bring joy to her fans, she couldn't manage a smile today. Ever since the last accident, she realized she had begun to fear this stage.
"Sora... Miss Sora?"
Rope looked at Sora in confusion.
"I'm fine..."
Sora forced herself to smile, but the smile was incredibly fake. Anyone could tell at a glance it was forced.
It was getting closer and closer to the 8:00 PM start time, and the BGM outside was nearing its end.
But Sora still hadn't gone backstage to prepare. The staff backstage were in a complete panic. Sora's manager, Sister Zhang, immediately ran over from backstage. Seeing Sora's hesitation and her fearful expression, she felt a pang of sympathy.
"Sora... are you still afraid?"
Sora shook her head, then nodded. "I... I'm afraid of an accident."
Manager Zhang naturally knew everything that had happened two months ago. It was Sora's first time having an accident during a stage performance. She was questioned by her own fans, and many old fans quit on the spot. This left Sora at a loss. She thought a month's rest would have been enough to recover, but apparently, it wasn't.
"It's okay, good girl. Take your time to adjust your mindset. Relax. I'll have the backstage crew move the lottery segment to the beginning. That should give you about twenty more minutes."
"Thank you, Sister Zhang..."
Outside.
"Huh? Strange, it's 8:00 PM now, isn't it? Shouldn't the show be starting? Where's Sora-chan?"
Jessica glanced at her phone and asked in confusion.
Lucas Reeve frowned slightly.
"I'll go take a look."
After speaking, Lucas Reeve's consciousness left his body. Seeing this, Jessica let the Doctor's physical body rest its head on her shoulder.
"Sora!"
In the prep room, Lucas Reeve, who had been in the form of a normal doll, suddenly shouted. The abrupt voice made Rope jump.
"Ah... Mr. Bailey, you scared me to death!"
Rope patted her flat chest, a result of malnutrition.
"Bailey!"
When Sora saw Lucas Reeve had actually come over, she couldn't help but hug the teddy bear tightly.
"It's okay, you don't need to be nervous."
Lucas Reeve's little bear paw patted Sora's shoulder.
"We're here. I'm here, Jessica's here, Exu and the others are all here, Rope is here. We're all here. So there's no need to be nervous, Sora. Try hard to overcome this. We all want to see your energetic and infectious smile again."
Sora didn't speak, just sat there silently.
The clock on the wall ticked by, second by second. The lottery segment outside was gradually coming to an end.
"Go on, Sora."
"The stage is what you've yearned for since you were a child. So, you shouldn't fear it. You should enjoy it. We're all here, just like back in Siesta. All of us want to see you smiling brightly."
After hearing Lucas Reeve's words.
Sora slowly let go of Lucas Reeve, then took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
"Thank you, Bailey."
"You can do it!"
Lucas Reeve held out his soft little bear paw. Sora smiled and clasped her hand with his. Sora then glanced at Rope, who quickly placed her hand on top of theirs.
"Sora! How are you?"
The manager hurried over.
Sora turned her head, smiling and confident.
"I'm fine now, Sister Zhang."
After the lottery segment ended, on the huge stage of the Siracusa National Stadium, a beautiful figure emerged from the side. All the surrounding cameras and lights immediately focused on her. All the lights in the arena went out. At this moment, it was as if she was the center of the world. The stadium was packed full of fans. Seeing Sora walk out, they howled like wolves, shouting non-stop.
They waved their glow sticks relentlessly. Even without any prior rehearsal, everyone chanted Sora's name in unison.
Sora-chan! Sora-chan! Sora-chan!!
Sora walked to the center of the stage, dressed in a gorgeous performance outfit. Her golden hair was curled and tied into distinctive twin tails, her makeup was exquisite, and her eyes seemed to shimmer. At this moment, she was the only one in the world. The Sora on the stadium's giant screen was even more beautiful than on the posters.
Sora took a deep breath. Everyone, including the backstage staff, held their breath.
She looked down at everyone in the front row.
Exusiai, who had arrived long ago, was just like the other crazy fans, wearing Sora's exclusive support outfit and waving her glow stick energetically. Jessica and the others waved at Sora. Finally, Sora's gaze landed on Lucas Reeve next to Jessica. Lucas Reeve smiled and nodded at her, giving her a thumbs-up.
And next to Lucas Reeve, it seemed everyone had followed Sora's gaze to him.
Their eyes narrowed one by one.
Ah, this...
Sora smiled slightly, then gave a signal to the backstage. The crew understood immediately, and the music started playing.
The joyful music, the cheerful singing, and the sincere, heartfelt smile made all the fans in the audience boil with excitement. Many of the old fans among them were still worried that Sora might have an accident like the performance two months ago. However, the moment the singing started, they knew they had worried for nothing.
Along with the song.
The glow sticks waved in unison, mixed with the unique, confusing chants of Higashi-style support.
Uu! Hehehe!
One! Five!
It had to be said.
Being an idol really is physically demanding.
A normal singer might just need to hold a microphone and sing, but an idol like Sora was different. Idols need to sing and dance, so physical stamina is extremely important. If their stamina isn't up to par, they might start panting after just a few minutes of dancing. If that happened, their singing would definitely go off-key. So, this really wasn't a job just anyone could do.
Don't be fooled by Sora's slender appearance. In reality, with her stamina, running a full marathon wouldn't be a problem. Only that kind of stamina could support her jumping and dancing for several tens of minutes while maintaining a steady singing voice.
Sora's songs were generally energetic and lively, with a lighthearted tone that could instantly sweep away the unhappiness in people's hearts and the fatigue in their bodies. Moreover, it seemed as if Sora's singing had a special infectious power. A large group of fans shouted "Urya! Orya!" non-stop, waving their glow sticks for tens of minutes. Even though their throats were already hoarse, they were still full of energy. Perhaps this was the power of music and idols.
At least.
This triggered Lucas Reeve's ancient memories of being an idol fan in his past life.
The concert lasted for two hours, from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Theoretically, there should have been a long rest break in the middle. After all, idols are human and need to rest. But Sora, apart from stopping to drink water, just kept singing and dancing for two hours straight, as if she was trying to replenish all the passion she had lost.
Sora gave it her all, and the fans gave it their all.
Sora didn't stop singing, and the fans, even with hoarse throats, wouldn't stop either.
As for the manager backstage, who had been extremely worried, she finally let out a huge sigh of relief.
And Rope, hugging the teddy bear, watched from the side, somewhat stunned.
"Everyone, originally, today's performance was supposed to be coming to an end here."
Sora was covered in sweat, and her breathing was becoming a bit ragged.
"But! Not long ago, I watched the documentary "The Infected" created by the famous Terra director, Mr. Lucas Reeve. It inspired me, and I wrote this song. This song... even my manager, Sister Zhang, doesn't know about it. I also need to thank a good friend of mine for their help in writing this song."
As soon as Sora said this, the manager standing next to Rope was instantly dumbfounded. She really knew nothing about it.
"Huh?"
Sitting below the stage.
Nian looked completely baffled, then put on a mournful face.
"Ugh! All the praise goes to Lucas Reeve, and I get all the scolding... How did I end up so miserable!"
Dusk patted Nian's shoulder, delivering a heart-stabbing finishing blow.
"Actually, getting scolded is also a way of becoming famous."
Nian: "???"
"So, finally, I dedicate this new song I wrote to all of you, and also to the Infected fans far away who couldn't be here tonight..."
As the introductory music began to play.
It had a sorrowful tone. This was also the first time Sora had tried to switch from her energetic style to this low, heavy one. Then, as the rhythm progressed, the tone gradually became passionate and stirring. Coupled with Sora's voice, which had become slightly hoarse from singing for so long, a sense of sorrow, yet full of fighting spirit, instantly washed over everyone.
The entire stadium was silent. Everyone was listening quietly. Naturally, the people who could come here were not the Infected. They couldn't empathize directly, but they still felt incredibly sad. Backstage, Rope's eyes were already moist, and she couldn't help but wipe the tears from her eyes.
When the last note fell.
The stadium fell into a strange silence. No one spoke.
After a while.
Following the sound of a single clap, thunderous applause erupted in the stadium. Backstage, Manager Zhang, who had witnessed everything, was in a daze. She had a feeling that from today on, Sora would definitely become famous across the land with this song. Of course, that was assuming this song was allowed to be broadcast. Songs sympathizing with the Infected were extremely sensitive in every country. Manager Zhang had also seen that documentary, but she could roughly guess that the person who filmed it definitely had a major background—and not just any major background, but one of the true decision-makers of this world.
But them... they were just a group of ordinary people.
Therefore, Manager Zhang actually wasn't very optimistic about this kind of song. If it could really be released online, she was certain that Sora would definitely leap from being a simple regional idol to a mainstream star.
"This song Sora wrote is genuinely good."
Jessica couldn't help but clap.
"It would be such a shame for such a great song to be buried. I'll contact Columbia's biggest record company. If Sora is willing, let's get this song released."
Lucas Reeve, standing to the side, could already envision this song, just like his documentary, becoming a massive hit. He reckoned that by then, the higher-ups in many of the countries involved in persecuting the Infected would be suffering from high blood pressure again, just like how his documentary was half-banned in Ursus.
However, from this, one could basically see.
Ursus today was no longer a monolithic entity. There were those who persecuted the Infected, and there were those who tried to help them. It was just that those who helped the Infected still didn't have enough of a voice in Ursus.
Suddenly, as the concert ended and the lights were about to come on for dispersal.
Jessica sniffled. She seemed to smell something strange. There was even a faint mist drifting about.
"Mr. Lucas Reeve, did you see that? Is that some kind of mist? Why would there be mist inside the stadium?"
Jessica asked in confusion.
Lucas Reeve didn't think much of it at first and replied casually.
"Mist?"
"Maybe the wind picked up somewhere. After all, these fans have been 'enlightened' for so long."
However, as more and more thick mist gathered, and everyone in the venue could faintly smell a burning odor, everyone, including the fans who were preparing to leave, began to look around.
This burnt smell? Did something catch on fire?