Idols. Girls who carry the dream of many girls who once dreamed of being on a stage wearing cute clothes and singing and dancing in front of an audience.
It wouldn't be wrong to say they are girls who carry the dreams of thousands of girls.
Mikan Yuki. Although she wouldn't admit it, she was a fan of idols. But her shyness about standing in front of an audience, singing and dancing while dressed cutely, stopped her from pursuing that dream.
On the living room television, a group of three idols that Mikan had followed even before they became famous was now performing a show for thousands of people.
"My friends are graduating, my destiny wants to meet you~
One~
Go with courage~
Two~
Facing you is the strategy~
Three~
If our eyes meet~
It went wrong~
I can't stop~
Yeah, yeah, yeah, this passion, this love~
Melting, melting, I'm gonna melt~
Hey? Hey? Hey? Notice, my love~
Receive it! I love you~! ♪"
"Mikan?"
Turning robotically, still making a heart with her hands, Mikan's face turns tomato red upon seeing Lala and Rito at the door.
"F-For… For how long have you been there?" she stammered.
"Mikan!" Lala ran to her and hugged her, rubbing their cheeks together: "You were so adorable~! You even looked like a real idol!"
"That…" The tips of Mikan's ears turn red too.
Lala's words were enough for her to realize they had been there for quite a while.
"Sorry, Mikan, I didn't think…" Rito didn't continue. He seemed to be holding back tears, as if he were looking at someone pitiable.
"Don't look at me like that!" Mikan shouted at him.
"Yes, you're right, it's not something you should be embarrassed about. It's normal to dance and sing along with your idol. Yes, yes, you're right, Mikan, you didn't do anything wrong!" Rito said with conviction, but that didn't help; in fact, it only increased the damage Mikan felt.
She clutched her left hand to her heart, staggering, as the embarrassment she felt grew.
"I-I'm going to change!" Leaving those words behind, she fled.
"Mikan, let's dance and sing together!" Lala shouted.
"Another time!!" Mikan shouted back.
…
Rito felt bad for showing up with Lala at such a moment and making his little sister so embarrassed.
"She didn't need to get so embarrassed. After all, she was so cute dancing and singing…" Lala murmured.
Placing a hand on her shoulder, Rito shook his head: "Lala, there's always one or two things in life we don't want anyone to see or know about. Let's just pretend this didn't happen, and when she comes back, we should be kind to her. You could even give her a warm hug or invite her to go out a bit and forget this embarrassment she went through, okay?"
"Is that how it is?" Lala tilted her head with her finger on her lips.
"Yes, do that." He nodded.
"I see. I'll play with Mikan and cheer her up~!" Lala said cheerfully.
"You're a good friend, Lala." He smiled softly.
"Hehee~" Lala brought her hands to her cheeks: "You're making me embarrassed~"
Rito went to the stove.
"Rito, what are you going to do?" Lala asked, curious.
"Hot chocolate," he replied. "Want some? I'll make it, and you and Mikan can drink it together."
"Hot chocolate? I'll have some, yes!" Lala raised her hand cheerfully.
==
==
On the spaceship, after finishing the exercises, Rito stood in front of Zastin.
"Rito Boy, you seem more excited than usual today," Zastin asked. "Did something happy happen?"
"Nothing much, I just feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it and couldn't wait to start training," he replied.
Of course, he wasn't going to mention that it was because of the purple orbs he had obtained, and now he didn't need to conserve them like before, thus wanting to learn the Deviluke Combat Art faster.
Precisely because of how excited he was about this, Rito didn't even notice the change in the way Zastin addressed him.
His burning desire was to master at least the first three movements of the Deviluke Combat Art.
If he could achieve that, he would have more confidence to explore the map in the hunting dimension…
==
==
In the heart of Italy, a stylish woman was wandering through the beautiful city streets when she accidentally tripped on the sidewalk.
"Ahhh!"
She let out a little scream as she fell.
Using her hands, she managed to prevent her face from hitting the ground, but her hands and knees sustained minor injuries.
"Urghh…" She whimpered in pain.
"Hey… can I help you?"
Suddenly, a beautiful girl with gorgeous blonde hair appeared in front of the stylish woman.
She had a sweet, angelic smile.
The stylish woman was stunned for a moment. She was involved in fashion, but it was rare to see such a beautiful girl.
"Thank you," said the stylish woman. "You're a sweetheart."
"Hehe, isn't it normal to help someone in need?" The beautiful blonde girl smiled. Her smile was like the beauty of a flower garden: lovely and refreshing, with healing powers.
But what happened next left the stylish woman speechless.
The girl did something that, in a mysterious way, made all the pain she was feeling disappear. Yes, it was like magic!
==
==
When Zastin attacked, Rito used "Spiral Step" and, as a counterattack, combined it with "Earth Impact."
*Bang!*
Even though it was an opening that Zastin himself had created, when he was hit, his feet slid across the floor as he was pushed forward, his gaze toward Rito filled with pure shock and surprise.
"Rito Boy, that just now…" Zastin was at a loss for words.
"Haha, looks like I'm starting to get the hang of it," Rito let out a warm chuckle.
He was happy with his performance. The feeling of improving with the purple orb was great, especially now that he no longer needed to be so frugal, having used up the rest of the purple orb and was about to fully exhaust another one.
However, thanks to that, he managed to catch a small glimpse of mastery over the first three movements of the Deviluke Combat Art.
'By the way, when did Zastin start calling me 'Rito Boy'?' he pondered on the matter.
"Well done, keep it up!" Zastin snapped back to reality, giving him a thumbs-up with a faint smile.
"Yes, I still have a lot to learn from you, Zastin," he smiled humbly.
"Yes, it's only the beginning," Zastin seemed to like what he said.
==
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