Lin Lu saw that the atmosphere had been sufficiently stirred up, then smiled slightly.
“Today~ it’s not just my solo show, you know~ Can everyone guess who else is here?”
The fans immediately cheered in response.
“The Starlight Magical Girl Group!!”
“All of them are here, this ticket is worth it!”
“Then let’s welcome—the Starlight Magical Girl Group!”
Two spotlights shone on both sides of the stage.
Hoshino Hikari walked out from the left, her orange and white frilly dress sparkling under the lights, holding a microphone, her smile lively with a touch of adorable cluelessness.
Lin Qingqing bounced out from the right, her green and white short skirt swaying slightly with her steps, her wave to the audience full of playfulness.
Minazuki walked out last, her blue and white long skirt trailing on the ground, her expression still cold, her steps steady, as mature and reliable as a big sister.
The three of them stood on either side behind Lin Lu, just as planned.
“Hello, everyone—!” Hoshino Hikari raised her microphone, greeting everyone with an energetic voice, “We are the Starlight Magical Girl Group!”
The audience below erupted in screams.
“I am Hoshino Hikari!” She patted her chest, “I’m the leader! The mood maker!”
“I am Lin Qingqing!” Lin Qingqing tilted her head and made a peace sign, “The group’s cute one!”
“Minazuki.” Minazuki pushed up her glasses, expressionless, “The team’s… well… normal one?”
The audience instantly burst into laughter.
Lin Lu was also stunned, not expecting Minazuki to suddenly crack a joke.
Lin Qingqing and Hoshino Hikari both glared at Minazuki, questioning in unison, “What do you mean? Are we not normal?”
Minazuki glanced at them, didn’t say a word, but her silence was the greatest affirmation.
“Alright, alright.” Lin Lu quickly took over the topic, smiling as she interrupted them, “Today is a debut concert, not a magical girl comedy special.”
The fans below chuckled lightly.
“Hmph, seeing as it’s Sister Yuki, we won’t argue with you.” Hoshino Hikari pouted, then turned to the audience, “Dear fans, what did you think of Sister Snow’s performance today?”
“Perfect score!!”
The audience answered in unison.
“Then… dear fans, would you like to know more about Sister Snow?”
“Yes!!”
And so, Hoshino Hikari smoothly guided the flow to the fan interaction segment.
“Then… we’ll pick a few fans to ask questions! Friends with questions, please raise your hands!” Hoshino Hikari said, raising her microphone.
Countless hands shot up immediately below.
The lighting technician had rehearsed this; the sound would randomly shine a light on a fan, selecting the lucky ones this way.
The light stopped on a girl in the front row with twin ponytails.
“Then, let’s invite this lucky fan to ask her question.”
Hoshino Hikari smiled and signaled a staff member to give the girl a microphone.
The girl’s voice trembled with excitement as she asked, “Sister Chiyoyuki, I want to ask you… what’s your favorite color?”
Lin Lu smiled and pointed to her outfit, “Pretty obvious, I like white.”
Then one fan after another was chosen, all asking simple questions.
The final lucky fan was a bespectacled girl who looked very quiet, her face flushed red when she asked her question.
“Sister Chiyoyuki! I want to ask you… is there someone you like?”
As soon as this question was asked, the audience below instantly erupted in teasing cheers.
Lin Lu was also slightly taken aback.
This question wasn’t easy to answer, given their public idol image.
After quickly thinking of a few possible responses in her head, Lin Lu raised her microphone and chuckled softly.
“The person I like right now is…”
Lin Lu deliberately paused for a moment, teasing the fans.
The venue fell silent, everyone wanting to hear who Lin Lu liked, who was so lucky to earn her affection.
“…is all of you! My dear fans!”
The audience screamed, glow sticks waving wildly.
“Eh~ That’s so sneaky!”
Lin Lu just smiled.
She had navigated that question perfectly.
“Okay, okay!” Hoshino Hikari clapped her hands, “Next is the final part of the interaction segment. We’ll pick one fan to come on stage and sing a duet with Chiyoyuki~”
Instantly, countless hands shot up again, everyone clamoring to be chosen.
“This time, we’ll let Chiyoyuki draw the lot to choose.” Lin Qingqing signaled the staff to bring up a transparent box that had been prepared earlier, filled with slips of paper, “Everyone’s ticket has a number. We’ll randomly draw one number to pick the person.”
Lin Lu nodded, reached into the box, and stirred the slips around.
Then she pulled out a slip and unfolded it.
“Number… eighty-seven?”
Fans below hurriedly looked down to check their own numbers.
After a moment of quiet, a scream came from the third row.
“Huh? Oh, I won! It’s me! It’s me!”
Lin Lu looked towards the sound and froze for a second, ‘Good grief, how is it Lin Xiaoxi?! This coincidence makes me wonder if there’s foul play.’
Lin Xiaoxi ran out from her seat, taking the steps two at a time as she rushed onto the stage, taking the microphone handed to her by a staff member.
“Chi… Chiyoyuki, hello! I’m your super fan!”
Lin Lu smiled, looking at Lin Xiaoxi’s excited little face, and nodded, “Mhm~ Thank you for liking me. So, are you willing to sing a duet with me?”
“Of… of course I am!”
“Then… do you know how to sing ‘Starlight’?” Lin Lu asked.
“Of course I do!”
‘Starlight’ was the group’s image song, so Lin Xiaoxi was quite familiar with it.
Hearing this, Lin Lu glanced at Hoshino Hikari, who gave an OK sign.
Everyone then went to their instrument positions, ready to start the accompaniment and performance.
The lights dimmed slightly.
Lin Lu sat at the piano, her fingers gliding over the keys, playing the light and ethereal prelude.
“The night is gentle, the starlight twinkles…”
Lin Xiaoxi took the second line.
“I wait under the moon, for the wind and for you…”
“You are my star, I am your dream…”
Gradually, people in the audience began singing along, and soon the entire venue was singing the whole song together.
After Lin Xiaoxi left the stage, it was time for Lin Lu’s two solo songs and the group’s instrumental ensemble performance, all of which went very smoothly.
The performance reached its finale.
After singing her last song, Lin Lu stood in the center of the stage, a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, thunderous applause from the audience below.
“Thank you, everyone!” She said, slightly out of breath, bowing to the audience, “Today’s performance has come to a perfect end! I’m really, really happy to be able to stand here and sing for you all…”
Before she could finish her sentence, a violent tremor suddenly came from the space above the theater.
A black crack tore open right in the center of the dome, as if someone had used an invisible knife to slash a spatial wound into reality.
Black mist seeped from the edges of the crack, carrying a bone-chilling cold and a rotten, fishy stench.
“How is this possible?!”
Hoshino Hikari was stunned, instantly realizing what it was—a spatial rift.
Shadow Beasts were about to appear.
Minazuki was also shocked.
When they were planning the performance, they had naturally taken precautions and scouted the area in advance.
The space here was supposed to be stable, with no signs of Shadow Beast activity.
Why was this happening so suddenly?
Before anyone could react, the first Shadow Beast had already fallen from the crack, crashing onto the stage with a heavy thud.
Its body was covered in pitch-black scales, two sharp claws in front, emanating a foul stench.
Immediately after, the second, the third… countless Shadow Beasts poured out of the crack.
The small ones were only adult-sized, but the large ones were a full ten to thirteen feet tall.
They roared, their crimson eyes flashing in the darkness.
“It’s… it’s Shadow Beasts!”
“Run! Run!!”
Panic instantly seized the crowd below.
Screams, cries, and the sound of chairs overturning mixed together as the audience began frantically surging towards the exits.
In less than two minutes, the venue transformed from a concert into complete chaos.
“Hurry! Protect the civilians and evacuate them!” Hoshino Hikari shouted.
Lin Lu had also snapped back to reality by now, but her first instinct was to search for her little sister, Lin Xiaoxi.
Soon, she spotted Lin Xiaoxi in another area, caught in the jostling crowd.
“Xiaoxi!!”
At that moment, a gigantic Shadow Beast moved.
It didn’t attack towards Lin Xiaoxi’s area because many smaller Shadow Beasts were already heading there to hunt the crowd.
Instead, it extended dozens of tentacles towards other areas.
If those tentacles smashed down on the people, the casualties would be unimaginable.
Just as Lin Lu was about to move forward to attack that giant Shadow Beast, she instinctively glanced towards Lin Xiaoxi’s area.
Her pupils constricted sharply.
Because the scene was so chaotic, Lin Xiaoxi’s petite frame couldn’t push through the crowd and was shoved out by the throng.
The smaller Shadow Beasts noticed the isolated Lin Xiaoxi.
Their sharp claws lunged towards her for the kill.
‘What do I do? If I attack that giant Shadow Beast, Xiaoxi will almost certainly be in grave danger. But if I go save Xiaoxi, those civilians…’
Lin Lu’s hands trembled.
‘What do I do… who do I save?’