End of Mission

Naturally, after such a string of surprises and excellent dances, the recital ended as a great success. Unfortunately, the celebration would have to wait until the following day because after the performance, the members had to interact with the guests at a formal after party. Annaleigh got upset when she thought of some old men and grannies getting close with Liella, but she couldn't afford to attend the party so she satisfied herself by thinking of the dress Liella wore.

"Annaleigh."

"Yes?"

While Annaleigh was packing up the costumes and decorations along with other junior members who weren't onstage, she responded to a call from behind. When she turned around, with a good idea of who would be there, Annaleigh was still stunned once more even though this was her second time looking at her in this dress. It didn't have a fantastical appeal like her ice princess costume, but the dark purple, off-shoulder dress enhanced her elegance and mature charm. It was no longer apt to call her cute as she seemed to be a flawless beauty exuding queen-like dignity.

'To think that bunch of old folks could enjoy a sight like this, how frustrating!'

"Annaleigh? Are you tired?"

"No, I was just mesmerized by your attire."

"...Thanks."

Even though she appeared mature, there was still a faint blush when Annaleigh shamelessly complimented her. However, this time she was quick to recover and showed a stern expression. Annaleigh became nervous once she noticed this, so she braced herself for Liella's intention.

"Liella, is something wrong?"

"No, because of you, everything's fine."

"Ah, well..."

"Annaleigh, you're leaving soon aren't you?"

Even though they were indoors, Annaleigh felt a cold breeze brush past her exposed skin. The truth was obvious, but she didn't want to have to say it. And she couldn't lie, because that wouldn't help anyone, so Annaleigh remained silent.

"It's fine, you don't have to say anything. But, I want to ask you a favour."

Annaleigh felt obligated to respond to her request, and it ended up being something she was happy with so she eagerly agreed to Liella's proposal.

The next day, the Asteria Dance Club had a private celebration in the meeting room of their club facility. It was a simple affair where drinks and food were provided and members were allowed to freely interact with each other. However, two of the members were missing. Both of them were important to the club and were instrumental to the success of the recital, so it was expected that they would be here, but they told Heina that they had other business to attend.

"Are you sure about this, President?"

"It's fine. We owe her that much. Though I guess it is a shame."

While it was known that the two escaped the party with the excuse that they were taking care of other business together, what that business was, was kept hidden. Therefore, no one was aware that the two were at a popular event that they had planned to attend in advance.

"Woah! This is great!"

"Mhmm!"

The two were at the concert of Anastasia, a popular idol who was performing in the Section C2. The favour that Liella asked of Annaleigh, was to come to this concert with her. Liella had her means, but it would have still been difficult for her to get an extra ticket so close to the event. However, as she had figured out that some of Annaleigh's dance moves were inspired by idols, she was almost certain that she would have bought a ticket already.

Annaleigh indeed had a ticket ready, and she hadn't been sure if she would have the opportunity to use it, so she saw no problems with this arrangement, especially since this meant that Liella was planning to reveal another side of herself. Annaleigh didn't think it was common knowledge that Liella liked idols, and considering how she was dressed when they met up, she was certain that her image as a cool beauty would be damaged if the details got out.

Liella appeared at the exit of Section B clad in a complete set of Anastasia merchandise. From the hat on her head to the shoes on her feet, every part of her body screamed her intended destination. Still, because most would be distracted by her outfit and her face was partially hidden, it worked very well as a disguise if nothing else. Maybe her fans would be disillusioned if they saw her like this, but Annaleigh merely attributed it to an unexpected, cute feature of hers.

After leaving Section B, which was very easy thanks to their statuses as students of Star Stream Academy, they went straight to the venue of the concert. Annaleigh wanted to match with Liella, so she also bought wearable merchandise, a decision that received much praise from Liella.

Annaleigh wondered where they would sit, and surprisingly, it was among the general audience.

"So we're staying here?" Annaleigh asked.

"Yes, there are benefits to watching from a private room, but I feel that it's easier to get sucked into the atmosphere if you're in close proximity with other fans. But if you think it's too much, I can arrange something else."

Although Liella tried to make it seem trivial, Annaleigh knew she would be disappointed if she rejected this setup and she didn't want to do anything to sadden her, especially on this day.

"No, it's fine. It'll be a new experience but I'll definitely enjoy it if I'm with you."

With a pout, Liella responded, "Stop teasing me."

It was such a rare expression that Annaleigh could feel her restraints weaken, but as they were in public she hurriedly calmed herself down. Liella's appearance made her seem normal here, but Annaleigh didn't want any trouble so she used an illusion spell to make both of them look as dull as possible so that they wouldn't be bothered. There was another matter that she was worried about, but as the time until the start of the concert grew shorter, she was able to take her mind off of it.

When the time for the concert to start came, Annaleigh scanned the stage in anticipation, but she soon realized that she was watching the wrong place and raised her sight to the sky instead.

"Wow! Are you all here for me?"

Floating with the help of a glider, a petite woman in a flashy purple and red dress exclaimed at the sight of the crowd. Despite how far she was, her voice clearly entered their ears due to the sound-amplifying earring artifact she had on, so everyone, including those who had predicted this way of appearance, gave an excited response.

"Yes Ana!"

Their combined volume shook the venue with its intensity, but Anastasia accepted their fervent roar with a smile and glided down towards the stage.

"Great! Then can my precious fans guess what song I'll start with?"

"Falling Down!"

"That's right!"

When she was vertically above the stage, Anastasia turned around to face the audience and began singing in tune with the music that filled the arena.

"From the heavens I grab a fallen dream..."

Due to a prior experience, Annaleigh had to hold herself back from fully immersing into the music, but she could still feel her heart race as she cheered while hand in hand with Liella. Anastasia mainly sang upbeat songs so it was easier to get lost in the atmosphere, thereby making it no surprise that Annaleigh couldn't detect a pair of identical girls and their accompanying spirit nearby.