July 25th, 2035 (Phoenix Stadium Main stage)Out of the 12 groups of 5 that battled against each other, only a certain number would remain. 32 of the 60 entered from j.a.pan, and the additional 28 were from European countries. The last few days of practice were exciting since one could end up with people who they"ve never met before.
While they stated, it"s a group compet.i.tion if you failed to meet the cut. Even if your group pa.s.sed, the person would fail. Out of the 60, only 30 would pa.s.s.
1: Kiku Ari - 750
2: Linda - 700
3: Jae-hee -695
4: Yamamoto Maika - 693
5: Ayase Kotori. -692
"What a surprise, the dominated for the top 5 spots for the first round is...from Light Academy. Following shortly behind is Queen"s academy with three members in the top 10…"
As the announcer said this, Lila looked up at the board. That"s, the school the girl who likes Haruka belongs too.
"It"s interesting though. The top two domineering schools have people on the verge of being kicked out.." The announcer said.
Lila"s gaze flickered towards where Yumeko stood with other contestants. These people were part of groups who lost, and whose scores don"t meet the average. The average score is 500. They would consider any score below that a fail. A person could still stand a chance even if their team lost if their score was high. But seeing Yumeko"s 300, Lila clenched her fist. Yumeko-chan. Even if the two of them were fighting, she doesn"t want the girl to get kicked out. She holds no bitter feelings.
As expected of a high-level tournament, only one spot was available. Twenty-nine contestants got over 500, and the other 31 either were stuck at around 400"s or got even worse. Yumeko was in that category, the girl"s chances to pa.s.s were the lowest.
"Tomorrow there will be the other half of the first round."
.......
Phoenix Stadium (Partic.i.p.ant Lounge)
"h.e.l.lo, the first round just ended," Lila informed.
"Oh? Good work."
"...."
Lila sighed, Soichiro didn"t even bother to conceal the sounds in the background. Why do the surrounding guys insist on fooling around all the time?
"There"s someone I"m curious about, could you look up her details for me?" Lila asked.
"Ah." A knowing sigh escaped Soichiro lips, "How many rivals for your sweetheart did you meet?"
"Be quiet.."
"Isn"t that it?" Soichiro said.
Lila sighed, "I suppose so." she murmured. It"s not like she"s uneasy or anything. But, "I dislike being kept out of the dark." she added.
Lila knew that if she were to ask Haruka, then he would undoubtedly dismiss it as nothing. For Haruka it may be nothing, but for the other party. Hearing the sound of typing, she paused. Lila gaze softened. What an idiot. He"s already on the job.
"And so?" Soichiro asked.
"There"s nothing else."
Soichiro said nothing for a while before asking.
"Hmm, got first place?"
"Ah-huh." she murmured.
"You don"t seem satisfied," Soichiro commented.
It"s not that she isn"t satisfied, right now she"s still feeling overwhelmed.
_____________________________________________
Outside the stadium.
Haruka patiently waited outside for Lila; he leaned on the car. Cigarette in his mouth. As he recalled the events from earlier, she"s changing. It"s not just her singing either, her feelings towards music. Previously he thought her att.i.tude towards it was a little odd. Indeed, her reaction to it always looked more like a girl in love. But now there"s something more. He wonders if he"s truly capable of bringing out the girls potential.
His gaze fell on two people arguing, seeing Mikami there with Yumeko. Haruka looked.
"I said I"m okay."
Mikami sighed, "Yumeko-chan, don"t be so stubborn. Do I have to call Kouta already?"
"Why do you have to tell him?" Yumeko exclaimed.
"Because a cute girl like yourself is being stubborn.."
"..."
"It"s okay to cry, you lost. It"s natural to feel bitter. Don"t worry; n.o.body"s watching now. You can cry." Mikami said.
Unlike Mikami, such lines don"t just naturally come out of his mouth. Or rather the girls he slept with always said how bad he was with complimenting people. That"s fine. He only needs one girl"s attention. Only Lila.
"Haruka!"
Hearing a cheerful voice, Haruka turned and spotted a cute figure rus.h.i.+ng over to him. He put out the cigarette and wrapped his jacket around the girl. "Ready to go?"
"Yes!" Lila said happily. The girl"s cheerful smile was enough to lighten up his mood. She really does have a strange effect on him.
He smiled, "Had fun?"
"Ah-huh, ah did you think I did well?"
"I gave you a high score didn"t I?"
Lila"s cheeks puffed into a pout, "I still want more compliments."
Haruka smiled and pulled her into his arms, and whispered in her ear, "I will compliment you all night long."
…...…..
Following day. (Conference)
Haruka was in a meeting deciding the requirements for the individual round. Although it"s already long been set up because some contestants got bellow even 400. His fellow judges held a meeting. Haruka"s gaze landed on Yumeko"s picture, and he let out a heavy sigh. He should match her with an opponent on her level. If he chose someone with worse skills, then she certainly would feel offended. If he chose someone with better skills, she would get kicked out immediately.
"Let"s put these two against each other."
"No, too boring. Like the announcer said, it"s interesting that things turned out this way." Itsuki said. He circled two names with his pen, Yumeko"s and the other girl from Queens Academy.
Haruka shot him a glare, tsk.
"True, we should go with the flow of the public.."
Carla nodded, "It may be good to test whether she"s capable of staying. That girl struggles a lot during lessons. It"s a shame on her, but maybe this isn"t her year. If she can pull through, then I"ll take that comment back."
d.a.m.n, not even he can say anything against this. He sure hopes Yumeko can pull through.
_____________________________________________
Random Park, (London)
Yumeko exhaled deeply as she watched a group of children feeding the birds. Mikami-kun told her to take a walk for a change of pace, but she was in a major slump right now.