Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

Page 224

While Mayumi Haga was reluctant to steal the spotlight in this kind of competition, she also knew very well that being cheerful or silent could be explained as part of an idol's image, but making inappropriate jokes was a different story.

Very impressive.

Even if someone has been considering withdrawing from the competition, this method is not acceptable.

Moreover, this is a live broadcast to the whole world. Her own reputation is secondary; it would be terrible if it brought any bad influence.

However, she found it slightly difficult to understand.

How could the large number of fans who attracted the attention when the three of them, including Megranie, manipulated their own identities to participate in the ranking competition and make a big splash accept such a drastic change in their own persona?

I clearly put on a completely unapproachable attitude on stage in the second performance, so how come there are still fans...?

...? In Mayumi Haga's mind, no label of the idol group has anything to do with her.

She considers herself difficult to get along with, and her appearance isn't the friendly type. She didn't have many friends at school, so how come she suddenly became popular in a different place?

Mayumi Haga, who has always felt that she is not likable, is very confused.

In reality, this was entirely Mayumi Haga's illusion.

Mayumi Haga considers her interpersonal relationships to be terrible, like "Batman working alone." She says she's alone, but in reality, she has a lot of friends and even a lot of family members.

In the past, Mayumi Haga always avoided the kindness that came from those around her.

Her attitude has changed, and she has gradually opened her heart. Although she has not been able to completely change this bad habit, she has made great progress.

The Mayumi Haga of today is completely different from the one who was always alone before.

Willing to stand on that stage for her friends and her fans, Mayumi Haga's expression, though still calm and uninteresting, has become softer than before, and we can look forward to the moment when the iceberg melts.

That's why she has won the hearts of so many people.

Mayumi Haga herself couldn't understand it at all, but the fact that she couldn't understand "why anyone would like her" was also part of her charm.

"I told you Mayumi would win, and she played very well in the second game!"

"In the lounge, the cheerful voice of Megaran could be heard."

In the second assessment, which focused on dance, Mayumi Haga's score was not low.

I put a lot of effort into practicing the dance, and although it couldn't make up for the long-standing gap, it was more than enough for the opening dance and the program I would use in the competition.

Although Mayumi Haga's dance doesn't have much spirit, it's still surprising that she can reach that level through her physical control.

"Physical control...that's what Mayumi excels at."

"Ulzana said, her eyes crinkling with laughter, looking very pleased.

"Oh my, I've never seen Mayumi dance before. I never imagined that someone who usually looks so stiff could twist her body into such an arc to win a competition."

Although it felt different from the usual Mayumi Haga, which made me feel a little conflicted, I have to say she was really cool.

She even learned to wink at the audience.

This is Mayumi Haga herself!

Not an idol tycoon manipulated by Megrana and fleeting clouds!

Although it was a sacrifice that had to be made simply to win, it can still be seen as progress.

Arisu Akari, Hanaya Aya, and Haga Mayumi all made it through two rounds of the competition without any major incidents. The real show is about to begin.

Before they could enjoy their happiness for long, there was a knock on the door.

Upon opening it, I saw a familiar staff member.

"A last-minute rule change?" This was said after the staff member who came to inform them of the last-minute rule change left.

Everyone in the lounge looked at each other.

It is said that after watching the second game, Simha's interest in the draft skyrocketed, and he personally selected the theme for the next game.

Although it was somewhat unexpected, it's understandable.

Holding an idol competition in this magical world would be boring if it fell into a cliché.

Referring to the festival in the Strange City before the world line changed, it was chaotic, inexplicable, and a complete mess. That was how large-scale events in this world were normally conducted.

It was already a pleasant surprise that they were able to complete the first two games so well.

"That's what they say, but I really don't understand the theme of the third match."

"Simha did not give specific details about the changed rules of the game, but instead gave the theme of the third game as 'chaos'."

Shimha sent staff to deliver the theme sign for the third match, a white card about the size of a schoolboy, with metal-edged edges, and the word "chaos" written on it.

There was no fluctuation of magic.

But there was a magical energy flowing through it.

Mayumi Haga stared at it for a few seconds, then reached out and picked it up. The black characters on it began to surge, and suddenly, a flash of light appeared, and the card spontaneously combusted. Within seconds, it turned into smoke, which coalesced into several paragraphs of text, outlining the rules for the upcoming competition: [Sing, dance, fight on!] [The one who seizes that star on the stage of the heart] [will gain everything] [Rules: Professional ability and burning passion combined are the sharpest weapons for becoming an idol.]

If both can be achieved, then any miracle can surely be accomplished.

Contestants will engage in 1v1 duels with their opponents on a prepared stage, relying on their condition and determination on the day, their belief in progress, and the embodiment of their professional skills to engage in a battle of wills with their opponents.

The one who shines the brightest will win the match.

“This is…” Tono Hitomi frowned, as if she had realized something, and her expression became serious.

"Could it be..." It was rare for this straightforward young nun to start thinking, and everyone around her held their breath, waiting for her to launch into a long speech.

Does this mean they're going to fight on stage?

"Tono Hitomi was taken aback. "Then Mayumi is guaranteed to win?" Haga Mayumi: "..."

.no.

"Although it looks like they're going to fight on stage, given Shimha's personality, it's definitely not that simple."

Actually, in the worldview of magical girls.

As magical girls, they were even more aware of the true meaning of this competition.

While a magical girl's combat power is closely related to her total magical power and talent, in this world that believes in "miracles," her "heart" is even more important.

Similarly, when the professional abilities are roughly the same, the stage set up by Shimha is a test of the contestants' "hearts".

Repeated defeats

Under these competition rules, Mayumi Haga has no advantage whatsoever.

Perhaps she used to play the accordion to accompany others, or join in the dancing when the atmosphere became too gloomy, but that's all in the past.

She wasn't in the mood.

Long ago, when Mayumi Haga became a guardian in her own right and embarked on her journey, she truly loved every minute of the trip.

The scenery I saw and the people I met are irreplaceable treasures.

Mayumi Haga has always been an introverted child. She rarely shows herself in front of others. Although she has mastered a few skills that she can be proud of, she only has them and does not love them.

Moreover, with the original world now destroyed, the long gap in between means that the precious joys encountered on the journey have become tasteless dregs after being chewed over and over again.

Although she wouldn't say she liked him that much, she definitely did like him at some point. But now, Mayumi Haga can't feel even a trace of that excitement from back then.

In this state, how could they possibly win the third game?

Although there were some players who were just there to make up the numbers, ultimately, anyone who had even the slightest expectation for this kind of competition would be much stronger than Mayumi Haga in the third match.

"So, she changed the rules at the last minute just to snipe Makoto?"

"Haga Mayumi suffered a series of defeats in the third match."

Less than 20 minutes into the game, their ranking had already fallen below the passing grade.

Hitomi Tono and Yu Kagura, sitting in the audience, were quite anxious. They watched as Mayumi Haga failed time and time again on stage.

Because one-on-one duels take a lot of time, the capricious and dictatorial organizers created a barrier on stage that could envelop all the contestants and allocate space.

When viewers enter, they can choose the number of the player they support and watch the live broadcast of the opponent's battle in a fast-forwarded manner.

Other players can also see it if they want to, but Hitomi Tono is mainly focused on Mayumi Haga.

As for Arisu Akari, she showed amazing momentum in the third match, jumping from the thirties to the top five in one go, while Haga Mayumi's situation was rather bad.

She was ranked third at the beginning, but later she dropped to over 50th place.

This was after more than thirty players had already been eliminated in the second round.

In other words, there are now only about sixty contestants left, but Mayumi Haga continues to suffer defeats and her performance has plummeted.

This scene naturally made the fans sitting in the audience and watching on screen extremely anxious.

Why can't I see even a trace of fighting spirit in Mayumi's eyes?

"I'm sure many fans have this question in their minds."

However, in the heart of Mayumi Haga, who was currently facing a difficult battle, the answer to this question was very clear.

—We can't win.

Even though the timeline has changed and people's lives may seem somewhat monotonous, the inherent qualities of the children's world will not disappear.

Love.

hope.

dream.

In the future... no matter the theme, no matter what shining qualities, Mayumi Haga has none of them.

Even though she didn't show much outwardly, Mayumi Haga's deep-seated sense of inferiority was enough to declare her defeat.

We can't win, we just can't win no matter how you look at it.

Mayumi Haga tried to calm her breathing; she felt unfamiliar with her current frail physical condition.

She wasn't actually that weak, but compared to her previous condition, her body felt unusually heavy, and she was experiencing a rare moment of exhaustion.

The contrast between going from a superhuman back to being someone who couldn't do anything was something even Mayumi Haga found difficult to adjust to immediately.

In fact, if you watch the matches between Mayumi Haga and the other contestants side by side, you'll find that Mayumi Haga's clothes are practically tattered compared to the gorgeous costumes the other contestants transform into after entering the stage.

The stage created by Shimha can visualize the inner power of people. Because of the addition of the idol theme, the strength of abilities is expressed in a very intuitive way through clothing and weapons.

The other contestants' attire ranged from simple to ornate, with some approaching the level of magical costumes, while Mayumi Haga's attire was terribly shabby.

They seem a bit like homeless people.

Although Mayumi Haga doesn't usually dress up, she at least dresses neatly and appropriately. But now, she is revealing her inner desolation in a way that is both direct and terrifying.

It was still the same Guardian set, but it was nearly decayed, and from a distance it looked like layers of tattered cloth worn on the body.

Both the armor on his body and the weapons in his hands had become extremely fragile.

She only had a simple, broken iron sword, the kind you'd only find in a starting village in a game, which would shatter at the slightest touch, no matter who she was with.

Mayumi Haga also wanted to try to attack, but the weapon was too fragile and any external force would break it.

However, the rules of this competition state that a broken weapon constitutes a loss.

Haga Mayumi thus suffered defeat after defeat in battle.

It watched as its position on the leaderboard slipped further and further down until it reached the bottom.

She looked away and tried her best to calm her breathing.

Even so.

Mayumi Haga never considered giving up.

"If this continues, we will be eliminated."

"Before her stood her opponent, who had wielded a hammer and shattered the hilt of her sword, his eyes filled with complex emotions."

The other person's face was completely covered from head to toe by a gold and red cloak, revealing only a pair of crimson eyes.

She raised her hand, and the camera in the corner that had been pointing at the field turned to the side and its sound was muted, allowing them to talk.

The other person looked at Mayumi Haga, his eyes filled with suppressed frustration and reluctance. That expression made Mayumi Haga realize the true identity of the masked man in front of her: "This competition system is completely targeting you."

"It's Rania."

Because of his soul form, he is controlled by Himha, and it is also because of his soul form that he is able to possess the players and intervene in the match.

"...Maybe."