Arc 3 Ep-07

The last Sunday in August was also the final Sunday of summer vacation.

Naturally, the music festival venue was engulfed in the fervor of an enormous crowd.

In this age of global warming, with the heat still merciless, all I could do was pray that not too many people would collapse from heatstroke.

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We, the internal group “Sistema Solare,” arrived in the morning and used the open time slots on the main stage for a preliminary run-through.

It was my first time performing here, but the other eight members had appeared last year as well and were completely accustomed to it, so as long as I followed their lead there should be no problems.

I heard that “Dwarf Planet,” the group Nozomi-chan belongs to, and “Seven Satellite,” who performed yesterday, had a safe but unremarkable showing.

I had spoken briefly with her on the phone. She said there were no issues in particular, but nothing especially notable either—just an ordinary stage, according to the performers.

Well, since it had only been two weeks since the new members joined, it was natural that they had not fully matured yet.

For Schus-Sola, consisting of the original members plus me with the god-cheat, I wanted to believe that wouldn’t be the case.

My only real concern was how long my stamina and endurance would hold up in this heat.

Private, individual practice had gone well, but I had no idea whether the outdoor environment and the unique festival atmosphere would throw off my pace.

I disliked leaving things to chance, but this time I had no choice but to accept it.

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“It’s hot again today.”

“I thought our time slot being in the afternoon would make it harder, but with this heat it doesn’t matter what time it is.”

“Everyone, take care of yourselves. Don’t forget to stay hydrated.”

“Of course.”

Schus-Sola’s appearance was scheduled for 2 p.m.

The hottest part of the day.

We had to dance and sing at least eight songs during that slot, so it was only natural that everyone was feeling the strain.

“Are you okay, Mikuri-chan?”

The current performance—the slot before ours—was about halfway through.

Erika-san sat down beside me in the air-conditioned waiting room, where I had already changed into our summer outfit and was waiting.

“Yes. My right hand is almost completely back to normal. I’m only worried about whether my stamina will hold up, but all I can do is give it my best.”

“Good. I’m glad your injury healed. As for stamina… we just have to push through.”

With her outfit accented in her image color yellow, the high level of exposure made her look incredibly sexy.

Her prominent chest stood out even more, and during intense choreography it bounced and swayed with every movement.

“That’s true. I’ll get through it with spirit.”

“Don’t go all-out from the beginning. In this heat, even we have to pace ourselves or it’ll be rough.”

“She’s right, Suzuka is.”

As I spoke with Erika-san, Suzuka-san, who is close friends with her, joined the conversation.

Tall and princely, the popular member also looked stunning in this outfit—her excellent figure was on full display.

The purple accents here and there gave her an almost bewitching aura.

In comparison, my light-green accented outfit emphasized cuteness.

By the way, the reason my image color in Schus-Sola was assigned as light green was because it had originally belonged to Kawakami Moyu-san, who had withdrawn in my place.

Just like nickname slots below third place, available colors were passed down.

Well, even if they had tried to match my generation’s color, the red series was already occupied by top-ranked Rina-san, so I would have ended up with a different color anyway.

“I’ll follow the senpais’ lead and match your pace.”

“That’s the way to do it. ...It’s a festival, so there’s a lot of high-energy music, which makes it tough.”

Suzuka-san offered her advice with a wry smile.

It was true that many upbeat songs had been chosen, but slow, gentle songs would feel out of place at a midsummer festival, so there was no helping it.

“…It’s almost time. Everyone, please move to the side of the stage.”

“Understood.”

“Then let’s go earn our keep.”

“Phew…”

Sub-manager Niikura-san called out, and when I checked the clock, it was about time for the previous performer’s stage to end.

The members stood from their chairs and filed out of the waiting room with leader Hayase Mutsumi-san at the front.

“Uwaa, it’s hot…”

“Outdoor summer events are brutal.”

“It kills my motivation…”

Leaving the waiting room last with Erika-san and Suzuka-san, the midsummer heat clung to my exposed skin.

Just imagining performing for forty-five minutes in this scorching temperature was enough to drain anyone’s spirit.

“Well, once we finish today, tomorrow is a day off.”

“That’s true for you, Suzuka, but I have a gravure shoot.”

“That sounds rough, Erika-san.”

Summer meant swimsuits.

It was common for the opening pages of magazines and manga publications to feature swimsuit photos of girls.

Among our members, the one with the most of those jobs was her—eye-catching cleavage, a narrow waist, and a generous behind.

I wondered just how many young boys’ pure white fantasies she fulfilled.

Glancing sideways at her prominently curving chest as we walked, I felt a faint regret about having TSed into a woman.

If I had been reincarnat

ed as the ideal male idol I had once wished to become, I couldn’t help but wonder how things would have turned out.