The costus were ready, and we'd grown accustod to the new instrunts.
At this point, refusing to hold a live performance would be nothing short of laziness.
"Only Libertà's outfit is black.""I doubt an assassin should wear colors that stand out too much."
The live performance. To show our gratitude to the spirits who had helped us so much, we decided to hold two consecutive days of performances. When I inford the Spirit King of this, the news spread throughout the spirit realm in an instant.
Since the content would be the sa both days, we made sure to let everyone know there was no need to attend both, and now the day had finally arrived.
Everyone was dressed in the equipnt we'd made recently, and I was wearing mine as well.
Though what we held weren't weapons but musical instrunts, it didn't feel out of place at all.
"A black jacket-mantle with a hood, a black suit underneath, and only the shirt is white.""Technically, Sunlight Silk can be dyed too. Given my combat style, these dark, shadow-blending colors work better. For deserts, I'd want desert camouflage; for forests, woodland patterns—that way, I can make the most of my skill set. Ideally, I'd want at least three more variants.""Desert patterns, forest patterns... and what would the third one be?""Snow camouflage—gear for blending into snowy terrain."
Microphone, bass, drums, keyboard, saxophone, and guitar.Beyond the curtain, the spirits were waiting eagerly for the live performance to begin.
This venue—an incredible one the spirits had built just for us—was designed with our stage at the center, sunken down, with fan-shaped tiers rising outward so everyone could see clearly.
The seating capacity was still being expanded to its limits even now. The spirits kept modifying the venue so aggressively that I wondered just how far they intended to go.
Part of wanted to ask if they really needed to go this far just for one group of singers, but if they told even this might not be enough, all I could do was smile wryly.
"Physical and magical defense boosts, speed increase, physical skill damage up, stealth skill effectiveness up, critical damage up, hate generation reduction... with this combination, you end up with this pitch-black look."
Call it full-blown chuunibyou if you want. The Thunder Trio's designs looked like sothing a villain would wear, but personally, I really liked them.
Even if I've "graduated" from that phase, I still think they're cool.And camouflage patterns? Yeah, those are just plain aweso too.
While I was busy not forgetting that boyish part of myself...
"Amina-chan! It's almost ti!!""Okaaay!!"
This ti, a spirit working backstage signaled the start of the show. Amina replied, then turned back to .
"Alright, Libertà! Give us the rallying cry!""Huh?"
Being told to just take our positions felt a bit lackluster, so when the responsibility was suddenly passed to , I was honestly stumped. After a brief mont of hesitation...
"Alright, let's stack our hands.""Stack our hands?"
I had planned to start with the classic team cheer, but it seed this world didn't have that concept, so I explained it.
"Ooh, sounds fun!""Let's do it!"
Nel and Amina placed their hands over mine in the center.
"Sohow, this is making nervous.""It's just a simple synchronized cheer.""Right."
Lady Esralda, Claudia, and Ingrid added their hands one by one, their gazes fixed on . Being stared at by a group of stunningly beautiful girls of different types made want to blush, but I kept that under wraps.
"Let's show our gratitude to the spirits who've helped us this far, entertain them, and enjoy ourselves too!""Ooooh!!"
A short, spirited cheer to cap it off. No need for long speeches—now it was just about giving it our all.
Amina took the center, I stood to the right, and Nel to the left. Behind Amina, Lady Esralda manned the drums, with Ingrid in front of her to the left and Claudia to the right.
Once positions were set, Amina signaled the spirit staff with a wave, and the curtain slowly rose.
As the stage beca visible, Lady Esralda's drums resounded, and our performance began.
This was the first ti we'd revealed these instrunts—our mini-lives had been done with lutes and cajóns, the instrunts we'd always used.
This was our surprise.
Even familiar songs would transform into sothing entirely new with unfamiliar sounds.
I could hear the murmurs of surprise from the spirits.
But those murmurs vanished instantly—
"I'M THE CENTER STARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"
—the mont the spotlight hit Amina, revealing her new costu, which only the staff had seen until now.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!"
The unknown sounds and the new costus made from Sunlight Silk sent the spirits into a frenzy.
No need for buildup—this first song would seize their hearts!
With that determination, my guitar playing grew more intense.
Darkness-san, you're the best.This magic guitar could produce the exact sound I envisioned.
With the lute, I'd felt overpowered by Amina's songs, but this guitar could match her voice.
I could feel it—the powerful resonance it produced.The only downside was having to carefully balance the mana.
Too much would drown out the others; too little would get lost in the mix.I really wanted a mixer, but we hadn't been able to make one yet.
For one, we lacked materials. And secondly, Darkness-san and the other craftsn were already swamped.Diverting manpower to make sothing without the materials seed unreasonable, so we'd put it off for later.
Under the pretense that our live shows would keep evolving, we'd resorted to relying on instinct for sound balancing.
"~!!♪"
The one thing we absolutely couldn't do was overshadow Amina's singing. The one thing we absolutely had to do was elevate it.
Keeping those two things in mind, the first song ca to an end.
"Everyone!! How was that?! We played and sang with our new instrunts!!""AAAAAAAAAMAZIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!"
The unfamiliar sounds, now known to be delightful, had the spirits' faces alight with smiles, already waving their glowsticks after just one song.Yeah, I'll ignore the Spirit King in the front row, losing his mind for now.
How he secured that seat, I'll set aside.And the woman next to him, equally excited—I'll leave that be too.
"Today and tomorrow, I'm gonna sing a ton! A whoooole ton! So let's all have fun together!!""YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!"
For now, I'd enjoy this live to the fullest.I love rhythm gas too, after all!!
"Alright! Next song, here we gooooooo!!""HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!!!!!!"
With Amina's cue, the next song began—an upbeat track, into which I wove the guitar's lody. From the intro to the verse, pre-chorus, and chorus, the spirits' excitent kept rising.
And for them, we had a gift.
I exchanged a glance with Claudia.She nodded, understanding, and the others caught on too.
Now ca the instruntal break—where the instrunts took center stage.Amina's singing stopped, and the mont we began playing—
The powerful sound of Claudia's saxophone reverberated through the venue, stunning the spirits. The sheer force of her breath, combined with her movents, made it seem as if the spotlight had temporarily shifted from Amina to her.
A refined touch, you could say.Layering surprise upon surprise, while Claudia held the crowd's attention, the interlude ended, and Amina belted out her voice as if refusing to be outdone.
Though it might have seed like a sudden rival had appeared, Amina was still the star. Our performance refocused on hyping up the atmosphere.
Still, every few songs, we'd shift the spotlight—sotis to the guitar, sotis the sax, sotis the keyboard—keeping the energy high.
"I'm having so much fun! How about you guys?!""SO MUCH FUUUUUN!!"
Going full throttle from start to finish wasn't feasible. Even with our stats, fatigue would eventually creep in. Lady Esralda, who was moving the most, was already wiping sweat during this MC break.
"Okay! Before the next song, Libertà has sothing he wants to say to everyone!"
During this little break to keep the energy up, I borrowed the mic from Amina and stepped forward.
"Hey there, I'm Libertà—Amina Fan Club mber No. 2, but sohow called the president."
A light jab to liven things up, drawing so laughter before I turned serious.
"The reason I took the mic this ti is simple: I want to express my gratitude to every spirit here."
This live might already be our way of thanking them, but I still wanted to say it out loud.
At the word "gratitude," the spirits glanced at each other, but they kept listening.
"Our arrival in the spirit realm was pure chance. Amina held a live, contracted with three spirits, and to escape, we used the spirit corridor—which led to the Spirit King inviting us here. Even so, the spirits welcod us warmly."
As I summarized our journey, I thought about what to say next.I'd never given a speech of thanks in front of such a crowd, not even in my past life.
The weight of their gazes wasn't hostile, but it still made nervous.
"And after an audience with the Spirit King, we promised to hold this live. Along the way, countless spirits helped us. Even the clothes I'm wearing now—when I asked for help to grow stronger, so many spirits pitched in."
But I had to say it.This was sothing I absolutely had to convey.
"Not just the spirits here, but so many others—"
I straightened my back, eting their eyes squarely.
"Thank you. I'm truly grateful to be standing here."
The mont I said it, the venue fell silent.
Had I ssed up? Had I killed the live's montum? But—
A thunderous cheer erupted.
"Thank you too!!!""Thank you for giving us so much joy!!""Thank you for this amazing ti!!""President!! You're the best!!"
Their gratitude echoed back.A "President!" chant swelled.
"President! President! President!""Hey now, everyone, Amina's the star here. Save those chants for her!""The president's blushing!!""Who knew he had such a cute side?!""How about singing a song right now?!""I'm not singing!!"
It took so effort to calm them down before I returned the mic to Amina.
"Hey, everyone!! Do you wanna hear Libertà sing?!""Wha—?!""YEEEEEEEEES!!!!"
The mont I handed it over, Amina betrayed .
"Then let's cheer for him!!""Amina-san?!"
The energy I'd just suppressed flared back up, and the "President!" chants returned.
Amina smiled sweetly as she passed the mic back. I shot her a half-lidded glare, but refusing to sing now would just kill the mood.
With no other choice, I resigned myself.
"LISTEN TO MY VOICEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
And so, in reckless abandon, I sang.
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