Prologue: A New Idol’s Monologue
“Absolutely impossible…”
Crouching in a corner of the backstage hallway, Evangeline Fushima muttered to herself.
With her radiant blonde hair and emerald eyes, her face was so perfectly sculpted it could be mistaken for a doll’s. Yet, at this moment, it bore an expression of profound gloom.
“Seriously, why am I, of all people, doing this idol thing…?” One hour before her debut, a belated grumble slipped from her lips.
Really, how did it come to this?
While walking down the street, she was scouted. The shy Evangeline couldn’t muster the courage to refuse on the spot. So, she went home and consulted her parents, hoping they’d help her come up with an excuse to decline.
That was all it was supposed to be. So why did her parents get so enthusiastic?
At the time, Evangeline had no idea.
She didn’t know that her parents were die-hard idol fanatics. That they had met at an idol concert, bonded over their shared favorite idol, and started dating because of it. After their child was born, they had toned down their fervor, but the moment their beloved daughter was scouted, that passion reignited with a vengeance.
And so, while Evangeline struggled to keep up with the situation, she somehow found herself standing here.
Swept along by the current, utterly lacking agency.
“Idols, huh? I don’t even really get what they are…” Could she still escape? If she fled now, her debut would surely be canceled. But that would disappoint her parents, anger the agency, and worst of all, she’d be consumed by guilt. Truth be told, she didn’t even have the courage to run. “I’m completely screwed…”
Huddled in the hallway corner like a pill bug, Evangeline began escaping into her thoughts. Then, the sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears.
Her manager, perhaps? She had slipped out of the dressing room without permission, so maybe they were looking for her.
For a fleeting moment, she considered bolting, but she quickly gave up and, like a criminal turning herself in, slowly raised her gaze.
The first thing she saw was a pair of thick-soled, laced-up boots.
Next, a wine-red military-style dress and a black cape draped over it.
Finally, a cascade of silver hair, shimmering with an almost theatrical brilliance.
“Huh…?” Stunned by the sudden appearance of such an eccentric figure, Evangeline froze, her mouth agape. Her eyes met the stranger’s heterochromatic gaze, and she finally snapped back to reality.
“So, thou art the new one who has joined my ranks! I welcome thee, my kin!”
The girl in the flamboyant outfit delivered an equally flamboyant greeting.
“Uh, h-hello…”
Caught off guard by the sheer confidence of the statement, Evangeline instinctively responded with a polite greeting. Naturally prone to going with the flow, she was completely swept up in the moment.
“I hear today is thy debut. ‘Tis a grand occasion, so why art thou curled up in a place like this?”
The question yanked Evangeline back to reality, her stomach tightening.
“I-I’m just… so nervous… and to top it off, I’m the finale…”
Realizing she was showing her pathetic side to a complete stranger, her ears flushed red with embarrassment. But the eccentric girl didn’t laugh. Instead, she nodded as if she understood, then puffed out her chest proudly.
“Fear not! The true star today is I! Well, not just today, but always! By the time thou takest the stage, the audience will already be entranced by my performance, lost in a dream!”
“I-Is that so…?”
Unsure whether the girl was encouraging her or boasting, Evangeline could only offer a vague nod in response.
Having delivered her haughty speech, the eccentric girl suddenly adopted a serious expression.
“And… our agency is no lenient place. If thou wert not trained to deliver a flawless performance despite thy nerves, thou wouldst not have been allowed to debut. Indeed, there is no issue! The mere fact that thou standest here means thou possessest all that is necessary.”
“R-Really?”
This time, the words were unmistakably encouraging, and Evangeline felt her heart lighten just a fraction.
“Indeed. Though, whether thou canst bring forth what is needed at the right moment is another matter.”
“Ugh…”
Talk about building her up only to knock her down. The slight relief in her heart turned heavy as lead once more.
“Tch, do not look so downcast. If thou wishest to lighten thy spirit, simply watch my performance. No soul who witnesses my brilliance could fail to be uplifted! Come, rise!”
Spouting lines Evangeline could never imagine saying herself, the eccentric girl extended a hand. Still curled up, Evangeline hesitantly took it and was pulled to her feet with surprising strength.
“Now, thou hast a front-row seat to the spectacle. Enjoy it to thy heart’s content.”
Leaving those words behind, the girl strode toward the stage.
There was no trace of hesitation in her small frame. With the casual gait of someone going for a stroll, she stepped onto the stage and raised her microphone.
“Kept you waiting, have I? My loyal subjects, unleash your souls this night!”
With that single declaration, a roar of cheers erupted, and the venue transformed into a crucible of excitement.
Evangeline watched her from the wings, transfixed.
She couldn’t look away.
Every sense was drawn to the girl’s every gesture, her every movement.
It wasn’t the words that resonated—honestly, Evangeline barely understood half of what she said. But her presence, her performance, her unshakable confidence in herself—it captivated Evangeline utterly.
This radiance, she realized with her entire being, was what it meant to be an idol.
She wanted to be like that.
A burning impulse, a searing passion, sprouted in the heart of the shy Evangeline.
She didn’t yet realize that this was the spark of a dream.
This was the day Evangeline Fushima took her first step as an idol.
And the day she met the girl who called herself the “The Nightmare of Calamity.”
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