Chapter 23: Day Three, The Return Performance (Part 1)

The first time was a reminder.

Twelve thousand people looked up simultaneously, seeing only the row of emergency lights deep within the stage, which turned a deathly, pale white in an instant.

Some began to shout names, sparse and scattered, like the signs of a rising tide.

The second time was a warning.

Darkness fell completely.

In that moment, the entire venue was so silent that one could hear the person in the neighboring seat swallow.

Someone flipped the switch on a lightstick — then one became ten, 100, 10,000.

Pink light bloomed in the darkness one by one, like a handful of sugar scattered over a black cloth.

The third time.

When the lights went out for the third time, no one made a sound.

Twelve thousand lightsticks were raised at once.

Twelve thousand pink hearts were ignited in the same second.

The stage remained dark.

But the audience stands were ablaze.

***

On the left side of the stage, there was an area hidden by a black curtain.

Behind the curtain, four girls were taking their final deep breaths.

“Bass.”

“Present.”

“Guitar.”

“Present.”

“Drums.”

“The sticks are in my hands, Sister.”

“Vocalist.”

“…Present.”

Silence followed for a second.

“Nervous?”

“Nonsense.”

“Then go up while you’re nervous. The notes you hit wrong when you’re nervous are the ones that sound most like you.”

The curtain moved.

This time, the Stage Supervisor poked half her head in.

“30 seconds.”

The bassist turned around toward the other three in the darkness and suddenly smiled.

“Hey, when that pink twin-tails girl takes the stage, let’s play something big for her.”

“How big?”

“Big enough to make her cry from the blast,” the bassist said.

“Eh? Is that okay?”

“Who told her to have the nerve to use us as a background? And the song she’s playing is — what was it, written in 4 hours last night!?”

Finally, the vocalist barked.

“Fine, let’s show her what we’re made of!!!”

In the darkness, four hands stacked on top of each other.

“One, two, three — “

“GIRLS’ REVOLUTION — !”

“GO!!!”

The lights went out.

Truly out.

During rehearsals, there would always be a little light left so you could see your feet, but now, it was impossible to see anything.

‘Anyway, it’s not like I attended rehearsals.’

The song was finished yesterday — or more accurately, this morning. It was titled *IGNITE THE FUSE — !!*

I stood in the center of the stage with my eyes open, though it made no difference whether they were open or closed.

But I could hear.

Alice could hear the breathing of 12,000 people.

It wasn’t an exaggeration; I truly heard it.

So many people, all focusing their spirits, all waiting, everyone pressing their entire attention onto a single point —

The point where I stood.

I had the hearts of 12,000 people under my feet.

*Thump-thump.*

The sound of a heartbeat.

*Thump-thump.*

‘Maybe it’s mine.’

*Thump-thump.*

‘Or maybe it’s everyone’s.’

Unlike that countdown backstage, this was the countdown inside the body.

*Thump-thump.*

A venue of 12,000 people.

*Thump-thump.*

For Jewel Princess Alice, this was the first time.

*Thump-thump.*

But for me, it wasn’t the first time —

“It’s been one week… it should be okay to use a bit of strength.”

I slowly excused myself in a whisper as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz.

The curtain drew back.

The four girls stood in the light.

The bassist stood with her legs crossed and her chin held higher than the microphone.

The guitarist was shaking her hand; the speed of the shredding she just did left her hand still trembling.

The drummer spun a drumstick over her head and caught it steadily.

The microphone crackled in my ear, and their undisguised exchange came through the channel.

“12,000 people.”

The guitarist’s voice was raspy, like sandpaper.

“Enough for us to blow the roof off.”

The drummer laughed.

“Who gets the blame after we blow it up?”

“Normally,” the guitarist glanced toward me, “she’s the protagonist tonight.”

The bassist leaned in.

“What about us?”

“Us — ”

The vocalist looked at me with hostile eyes.

“We are the explosives.”

I stood with my back to her, unmoving.

I only left her with a pink and white silhouette.

The intro slowly began to play.

The sound of the bass rose from the floor, making my shoes vibrate.

According to the plan, they were responsible for heating up the atmosphere first.

But —

A warm-up performance?

What was that?

I didn’t understand the concept at all.

Anyway, for this performance, I simply — ‘did not participate in the rehearsals.’

“IGNITE — THE FUSE — !!”

I jumped instantly.

The moment I leaped, the world became light.

The spotlights shone up from below, so bright I could barely keep my eyes open.

My twin-tails swung up, the tips of the hair hitting my shoulders with a soft *snap*.

The hem of my skirt flared out in the air.

The second the fabric drifted, I could feel the air flowing past my thighs.

I landed.

Right in front of those four.

My knees buckled slightly.

That softness traveled from my knees to my waist, and from my waist to my shoulders, as my entire body dropped half an inch.

But I steadied myself — toes landing first, then the heels, the weight of my body unloading through my bones onto the floor.

The floor let out a soft thud from the impact.

“It’s been one week! Did you miss me!!!?”

The band behind me had just finished the first beat when they were already interrupted.

Twelve thousand lightsticks swayed simultaneously.

Twelve thousand people shouted the same word at once —

“YES — !!!”

When that sound crashed over me, it felt like a tsunami.

For the first time in a while, my knees felt a twinge of pain.

It was from the impact of the soundwaves.

It really had been too long.

A guitar riff suddenly slashed in from the left.

It wasn’t a gentle intro; it went straight for the kill — a wall of distortion so thick it could push someone over.

Immediately following was the bass, the low notes so deep they seemed to crawl up from the soles of my feet.

The drummer brought down a mallet.

When the drumbeat fell, the entire stage trembled.

I felt my knees reminding me — I had jumped too high today.

A dull ache radiated from inside my knees, as if a needle were waiting there.

I didn’t care.

The music had started; there was no reason to stop.

The guitarist’s roar reached my ears —

“What are you waiting for — EXPLODE!!!”

The drumbeat slammed in like bullets.

The bass crawled up from the floor.

The guitars slashed from both the left and right simultaneously.

Red, pink, and white lights all exploded, making the entire stage look like it had been set on fire.

I jumped.

My twin-tails whipped behind me in a pink arc.

“IGNITE — THE FUSE — !!”

A massive amount of pink gas erupted behind me.

There was a commotion below the stage as the excited screams of the audience surged toward me.

I could even see the dark shadows of their open mouths as they shouted with all their might.

From the start of the performance until now, the time it took to heat up the entire stage’s atmosphere was —

5 seconds.

“BOOM BOOM BOOM — !”

“A week’s worth of cuteness held back — !”

“I’m giving it all back to you today — !”

The rhythm of the music was already established, and the crowd shouted along.

Twelve thousand people followed the chant.

They didn’t know the lyrics, but they knew the “BOOM BOOM BOOM” and they knew to raise their lightsticks over their heads on every heavy beat.

“IGNITE — THE FUSE — !”

“BOOM BOOM BOOM — !”

“One week’s worth of smiles — !”

“Stuffed into your eyes all at once — !”

I ran to the left side of the stage and waved to the audience there.

They screamed.

I ran to the right side of the stage and made a heart with my fingers for the audience there.

They screamed even louder.

“Watch out, watch out — !”

I drew circles in front of my chest with both hands, making an “it’s about to overflow” gesture.

“It’s going to overflow — !”

Then I pushed both hands toward the audience:

“Catch it even if you can’t — !”

“Because I am — !”

I took a deep breath, jumped with all my strength, turned in mid-air, and landed exactly facing the camera in the front:

“Jewel Princess — Alice!”

In front of television screens, there were children, women, and men.

Students out of school, workers on break, delivery drivers working overtime, office women on their sofas, and pedestrians passing by — everyone was captivated by this moment.

The woman in the suit as sharp as a blade in the villa, the kind Manager in the top-tier Agency, and Chuxue, who was currently resting — her gaze was firmly caught by that pink silhouette.

And in the Agency, just a bit ahead of Chuxue —

Su Nian.

Her dark red eyes stared fixedly at the figure on the screen, shouting the thoughts of everyone who had been drawn in.

“So… so amazing — !!!”

“Jewel Princess Alice — !”

“Jewel Princess Alice — !!”

“Jewel Princess Alice — !!!”

The voices crashed against my microphone like flames, making constant *static* sounds.

It was hot, as if it were burning.

My body felt like it was being pressed hard, struck by the soundwaves.

After being waited on by 12,000 people, the sound I heard was like this:

A tsunami.

“I know what you’re thinking — !”

I began to walk.

The light followed me.

I sang as I walked.

“Where did Alice go?”

“Why isn’t the Jewel Princess shining?”

“Is she hiding under the covers eating snacks — ?”

The audience laughed.

“You guessed one-third correctly — !”

I held up one finger.

“I was indeed hiding under the covers — !”

Two fingers.

“But I wasn’t eating snacks — !”

Three fingers.

“I was counting the days — !”

I stopped walking.

I stood in the dead center of the stage.

Facing those 12,000 pink lightsticks, my voice suddenly grew soft:

“Counting how many days were left…”

“Until I could take this bomb I’ve been holding for one week…”

I paused abruptly, and the band behind me struggled to keep up with the rhythm.

I turned around and looked at them — my lips slowly curled upward — returning their provocation.

The lead singer’s expression was unsightly, but I didn’t care.

Immediately after, I turned back to the front of the stage with a huge smile.

“And throw it in your faces — !”

The crowd screamed.

“Ah, wait, no — !”

I quickly waved my hands, laughing so hard my twin-tails shook.

“Throw it into your hearts — !!!”

*Thump.*

It wasn’t my heartbeat.

It was that sound from the speakers — the bass drum, making the floor shake.

A beam of light struck down.

It didn’t hit me.

It hit the floor by my feet.

A beam of cool white light, circular, just enough for me to step into.

Like a searchlight, and also like a judgment stand.

I took a step forward.

The light followed me.

Another step.

The light still followed.

On the third step, I stopped.

The light stopped too.

Now my entire being was within that beam of light, from the tips of my twin-tails to my heels, exposed for 12,000 people to see.

Facing those 12,000 people, facing that sea of pink, facing all the eyes waiting for me —

I suddenly gave a brilliant smile.

“Pop — !”

“Exploded — !”

The drumbeat slammed back in.

This time, the entire band struck together.

Bass, guitar, and drums all crashed together, slamming into a wall of sound.

Their emotions and release could be heard in the rhythm, and then that wall pushed toward the audience stands.

I turned and ran toward the back of the stage.

Halfway there, I looked back.

My twin-tails swung up, the tips of the hair brushing the corner of my mouth.

I winked at the camera.

“IGNITE — THE FUSE — !”

“BOOM BOOM BOOM — !”

“A week’s worth of cuteness held back — !”

“I’m giving it all back to you today — !”

Suddenly, the music stopped.

I happened to be standing in the center of the stage again, panting.

My chest heaved up and down, enough for the microphone to pick it up.

“Alice — !! Alice — !!!”

“Jewel Princess Alice!! Supernova — !!!”

The crowd was shouting. Screaming. Calling my name.

Hearing those voices, I suddenly smiled.

“Some say one week is a long time.”

There was no music.

“Seven days.”

“168 hours.”

“1,080 minutes.”

I didn’t mind. I opened my mouth and continued to sing.

“But I only need these 10 minutes — “

I spread my arms, pointing from left to right:

“To make up for the whole week — !”

“How will I make it up?”

I winked.

“Like this?”

The audience on the left: “AHHH — !!!”

I spun around.

“Like this?”

The audience on the right: “AHHH — !!!”

I made a heart with both hands.

“And like this — !”

The audience in the front: “AHHH — !!!”

I pushed the finger heart toward the crowd:

“Is it enough — ?”

The crowd: “NOT ENOUGH — !”

I tilted my head, putting on an “I knew it” expression.

“Not enough?”

“There’s more, there’s more — !”

The third verse —