>6< Muse's Debut Performance (2)

Chapter 6: Muse's Debut Performance (2)

As the curtain slowly rose, Honoka and her two companions walked hand in hand onto the stage. Looking out at the silent, empty auditorium, the three of them felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment.

"Honoka..." Umi and Kotori, seeing Honoka standing frozen in place, couldn't help but grow worried.

Honoka, noticing their concern, lowered her head, her eyes welling up with tears.

Just then, a beam of light caught their attention. The three of them looked toward it and saw a chubby figure holding two glow sticks, standing alongside three middle school students in matching uniforms.

"Kirino?" Honoka asked in surprise.

"Cousin Honoka, keep it up! We came to see your first performance!" Kirino shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Go, senpais! You can do it!" Zaimokuza waved his glow sticks enthusiastically.

"Go, senpais!" Kanako and Ayase chimed in loudly from beside him.

Just as Honoka was about to speak, a sudden sound of a door opening interrupted her.

A girl with short, dark blonde hair and delicate features hurried into the auditorium, panting.

"Hana..." Honoka muttered under her breath.

"Huh? Where's the performance?" Hanayo Koizumi asked, looking around in confusion when she noticed the lack of an audience.

Seeing this, Honoka glanced back at Zaimokuza and the others. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and said, "Let's do this. Let's sing with all our heart because this is the moment we've worked so hard for."

Hearing her words, Umi and Kotori gathered their spirits and stood tall once more.

As the lights dimmed around them, the music began, and one by one, spotlights shone on the three performers.

"I say, hey, hey, start: dash!!"

Just as the song started, a girl with short orange hair ran into the auditorium. Seeing Hanayo Koizumi, she was about to excitedly greet her but was instead captivated by the enchanting music.

Off to the side of the auditorium, Nozomi Tojo stood silently, listening to the song.

"Even though we're like fledgling birds, someday we'll spread our wings…" (lyrics omitted)

As the performance continued, a black-haired girl with twin tails peeked out from under one of the seats.

A pink-haired girl walked into the auditorium alongside Nozomi.

At some point, Eri Ayase had also found her way into the broadcast room, listening to the song.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Zaimokuza had no reservations, waving his glow sticks and cheering loudly for the trio.

When they sang the line, "The power of your dreams will be the force to change your present," Zaimokuza teared up, the words stirring his determination to become a god-slayer. After all, stepping into the world of the mysterious and becoming stronger had always been his dream.

"I'll dash toward the future!!" As the song concluded, a wave of applause filled the room.

"Are you crying?" Kirino looked at Zaimokuza in surprise.

Feeling everyone's gaze, Zaimokuza blushed and awkwardly retorted, "N-No, I'm not!"

Seeing this, Honoka and her friends couldn't help but smile brightly. Waving, she said, "Thank you, Zaimokuza-kun, and all of you, for cheering us on."

Zaimokuza stood up excitedly and replied, "No, it's me who should thank you! You brought us an incredible performance, the best I've ever seen in my life!" With that, he burst into applause. The others followed his lead, clapping once again.

Hearing his praise, the trio's faces turned slightly red, but they smiled happily.

"What do you plan to do now?"

Suddenly, a cold voice broke the joyous atmosphere.

"Student council president?" Honoka looked over at Eri Ayase in confusion, then turned her gaze to her with determination.

"I'm going to keep going."

Eri glanced at the empty seats around them and asked, "Why? Even if you keep going, I don't think there's much of a point."

"Because I want to. Right now, I want to sing more songs, and I want to dance more dances. I think Umi and Kotori feel the same way. I'm truly glad we did this. I want to believe in this feeling. Maybe no one will notice us for a while, and maybe we won't even get any support. But if we keep doing our best, I think we can eventually get our message across. Right now, we're here, and our feelings are here. One day, we'll fill this place with people, and you'll see."

"Thud!" The sound of something heavy falling to the ground drew everyone's attention. Zaimokuza, with tears streaming down his face, adjusted his glasses, wiping his eyes as he spoke.

"Is that so? Giving it your all, huh? I want to give my all to achieve my dreams too. That was truly moving."

Everyone around stared at Zaimokuza with surprise.

Suddenly, Zaimokuza shouted, "Kosaka-senpai, I want to be Muse's first fan! I'll support you, and your dreams will definitely come true. I admire you."

Hearing this, Honoka's cheeks flushed red, and she stammered, "T-thank you, Zaimokuza-kun..." She had never expected that her earlier words would win her a devoted fan, leaving her flustered by the unexpected situation.

"That's wonderful, Honoka," Kotori said, happily.

"Well done, Honoka," Umi also praised her.

Not wanting to be outdone, Kirino stood up from her seat and declared, "Why should that be? I should be the first fan of my cousin's group!"

"But I was the one who invited you to watch the performance, so if I hadn't invited you, I would've been the only one here today," Zaimokuza calmly replied after wiping away his tears.

Kirino was at a loss for words and playfully clung to Honoka, pouting, "Cousin, I'm your first fan, right?"

Zaimokuza and the others sweat-dropped at the scene.

"Nope," Honoka said with a smile. "As Zaimokuza-kun pointed out, he's the first to arrive as a fan. Sorry, Kirino-chan."

"Ehhh, no way!" Kirino protested.

Zaimokuza, now excited, pulled out a notebook and pen from his bag. He hurried over to Honoka, bowing as he extended them to her. "Kosaka-senpai, Kotori-senpai, Umi-senpai, please give me your autographs! I beg of you!" He bowed deeply in earnest.

The three of them, having never encountered such a situation before, couldn't help but feel a bit flustered.

In the end, they signed Zaimokuza's notebook, each of them leaving their mark.

"Now, as your fan, I have a very, very serious suggestion to give you," Zaimokuza said, his expression turning incredibly solemn as he addressed the three girls.

Honoka, Kotori, and Umi, thinking that Zaimokuza might criticize their singing or dancing, swallowed nervously but nodded in agreement, bracing themselves.

"Here it comes..." Zaimokuza's serious demeanor made everyone around grow tense. The sound of nervous gulping echoed throughout the auditorium.

"My suggestion is...," he began, as the tension reached its peak, "during performances, remember to wear safety shorts under your skirts. Earlier on stage, your underwear was clearly visible."

Everyone collapsed to the ground in exasperation, while the faces of the three members of Muse turned as red as ripe apples.

"Pervert!" Kirino shouted, kicking Zaimokuza in the shin.

"Ow!" Zaimokuza yelped in pain.

"Wait, Kirino-chan!" Honoka quickly pulled her cousin away.

"But Cousin, he… he actually..." Kirino was so furious she could barely speak.

Honoka, her face still flushed, tried to defend Zaimokuza. "Zaimokuza-kun's suggestion, although... although a little inappropriate, had good intentions behind it!"

Kirino, at a loss for words, glanced at Honoka. Since she wasn't too bothered by it, there wasn't much more she could say. Still, she shot Zaimokuza a glare.

"Um, I have another question for you, Kosaka-senpai." Zaimokuza, feeling the disapproving stares around him, tried to change the subject by raising his hand to ask.

"Okay, go ahead. But please, no more talk about the previous topic," Honoka said, embarrassedly covering her skirt.

"Who came up with the name 'Muse'?"

"Oh, it wasn't us who chose it. We placed a suggestion box at school and received the name from there."

"Muse? Like… soap?" Ayase asked curiously.

"No! Not soap. Muse refers to the nine ancient goddesses of art and science in Greek mythology. They represent the artistic expression of myth through traditional music, dance, and poetry handed down through the ages," Zaimokuza explained, adjusting his glasses.

"You sure know a lot, huh?" Kirino couldn't help but remark.

"Muse? Nine goddesses of the arts?" Umi murmured to herself.

"Exactly. Muse isn't just one goddess, but nine. So, it's possible the person who came up with the name knew that your group would eventually gather nine members," Zaimokuza speculated.

Honoka's eyes lit up with excitement. "Really?"

Zaimokuza adjusted his glasses again and added, "Well, that's what it seems like. Probably?"

Everyone was left speechless once again, realizing they still didn't have a clear answer.

"But you could always invite them to join Muse first," Zaimokuza suggested, gesturing toward the girls in Otonokizaka Academy uniforms scattered around the hall.

The group exchanged uncertain glances.

Suddenly, Honoka's eyes lit up. She quickly grabbed Hanayo Koizumi's hand. "Hanayo-chan, do you want to become an idol?"

"Eh? M-Me?" Hanayo stammered, flustered by Honoka's intense enthusiasm as she leaned in closer.

"Join, Hanayo-chan! Isn't it your dream to be an idol?" the orange-haired girl chimed in.

"Really? Then Hanayo, you should definitely join us!" Honoka exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Hanayo, overwhelmed by the hopeful expressions and the lingering awe from the earlier performance, remembered her childhood dream. Hesitantly, she nodded. "I... I'll join. But can Rin-chan and Nishikino-san join too?"

"Eh!" Rin Hoshizora and Maki Nishikino gasped in surprise.

"N-No way, Hanayo-chan! I'm too boyish to be an idol!" Rin quickly objected.

"That's not true! Rin-chan, you're super cute!" Hanayo reassured her.

"Exactly! Hoshizora-san, you could definitely become a wonderful idol too, so please join Muse with us," Honoka added, her eyes wide with determination as she looked at Rin.

Rin, now fully understanding the overwhelming pressure Hanayo must have felt, hesitated. After a moment of thought, she nodded, agreeing to join Muse alongside Hanayo.

"Well, if that's the case, I suppose you won't mind if we three join as well," Nozomi Tojo said, pulling a reluctant Maki Nishikino toward Eri Ayase.

"What are you talking about, Nozomi?" Eri asked, looking shocked.

"Eri, I think instead of wasting time with the dull school history to attract students, we should join Muse and work together. Maybe it'll even help save the school from closing down."

"But… but do you really think this will work?"

"Eri, haven't those juniors already become their fans?" Nozomi pointed out.

Eri glanced over at Zaimokuza and the others, noticing how captivated they were by the group's undeniable charm.

She took a deep breath and said to Honoka,

"Alright, I'll join you, but the three of you are terrible at dancing. I'll give you proper guidance, but if you can't keep up, you'll have to give up on becoming school idols."

"Ara ara, you're so not honest, Eri-chan," Nozomi teased. Eri tried to ignore the remark, but the redness creeping up her ears betrayed her embarrassment.

"That's great, President!" Honoka exclaimed, hugging Eri in excitement.

Eri, clearly uncomfortable, awkwardly pulled away from her.

"Then, how about you convince this first-year to join as well, Kosaka-san?" Nozomi said, pushing Maki Nishikino towards Honoka.

"W-Wait a second," Maki tried to refuse, but her hand was suddenly grabbed, and in front of her was Honoka's face, filled with overwhelming determination.

"F-Fine, I'll join. Just let me go!" Maki relented under Honoka's intense gaze.

"Yay! Now we've almost gathered all nine members of μ's!" Honoka cheered happily.

"Not quite yet," Nozomi interrupted.

"Huh? Right, there are only eight of us here. Do you know who the last one is, Vice President?"

"Please, just call me Nozomi. The last member is our classmate, the president of the Idol Research Club, Yazawa Nico."

"Then let's hurry and invite her!" Honoka urged excitedly.

"Honoka-chan, there's no rush. Let's take care of your fans first," Nozomi reminded her gently.

"Oh, right! Kirino-chan, Zaimokuza-kun, do you want to tour Otonokizaka Academy with us?"

Under Honoka's lead, Zaimokuza and the others were given a full tour of Otonokizaka Academy.

As it neared six o'clock, everyone said their goodbyes and headed home in groups.

With that, μ's had gathered eight members. Only one more and their team would be complete.