Chapter 32 – Reward for My Star

I used my VIP pass to navigate the corridors, finding the entrance to the backstage area. As I rounded a corner, my path was blocked by a group of four guys. They were dressed in ridiculous, sparkly white and silver outfits, leaning against the wall and laughing way too loudly, clearly trying to draw attention to themselves. They were Stardust Knights, the guest group that performed Miki's opening act. The one in the center, a guy with perfectly coiffed blonde hair and a smug look on his face, was holding a bottle of sparkling water like it was champagne. "I'm telling you, man, the crowd loved us," he was saying to his bandmates. "We set the stage perfectly for the main act." "Yeah, but did you see her, Kaito?" another one scoffed. "All those special effects and costume changes. It's all smoke and mirrors. Bet she was lip-syncing half of it." "Totally," Kaito agreed and chucked. "She's just a fake. Kyoko-san's marketing team could make a singing dog famous. Give it a month, and no one will even remember her name. We're the ones with real, lasting talent." I tried to step around them, but Kaito put an arm out, blocking my way. He looked me up and down, his lip curling in a sneer. "Whoa there. Where do you think you're going, buddy? Backstage is for talent or staff only," he said, his friends snickering behind him. "I'm here to see Miki," I said, keeping my voice level. Kaito's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Oh, A fanboy? Managed to sneak past security, did you? Look, old man, the groupies line up at the back entrance. Go wait there and maybe you'll get an autograph." "He doesn't look like a fan," another one chimed in. "Maybe he's her boyfriend or sugar daddy? Wow, Miki-chan, you could do so much better." They all laughed. I just stood there, a slow, cold anger starting to bubble under my calm face. Just then, Akane and Aoi came around the corner, probably looking for the restroom. "Master? What's going on?" Aoi asked, her eyes immediately assessing the situation. "Hey! What are you losers doing blocking the way?!" Akane shouted, her temper flaring instantly. Kaito's smug gaze shifted to them. "Oh, look. Is this your whole group? A hot-head in a hoodie and an ice queen? Really impressive!" That was it for Akane. "What did you just call me, you sparkly piece of shit?!" she growled, her fists clenching. I could feel the faint, dangerous heat of her magical energy starting to build. But before she could lunge, Aoi put a firm hand on her shoulder. "Akane. Don't," she said, her voice low and cold. "They are not worth the effort." Her eyes met mine for a split second, and we had a silent understanding. A physical fight here would cause a scene and create problems for Miki. There were better, more permanent ways to handle this. Kaito just laughed, completely oblivious to the danger he was in. "Yeah, listen to your friend, hoodie-girl. Run along. The adults are talking." I just smiled. A calm, easy smile that didn't reach my eyes. "You know what? You're right," I said. "We should just go. You guys enjoy your celebration." I paused, letting my smile turn a little sharper. The confidence in my voice seemed to throw them off for a second. Kaito just scoffed. "Whatever, loser. Get lost." Aoi pulled a still-fuming Akane away, and I walked past the boy band without another word. Their stupid, arrogant laughter followed me down the hall. The backstage area was a flurry of activity, with roadies clearing equipment and dancers congratulating each other. Kyoko was standing in the middle of it all, a phone pressed to her ear, a rare, triumphant grin on her face. "I don't care what their budget is, double it!" she barked into the phone. "Yes, she's available for the Morning View show, but they get her for five minutes, tops! And I want a full-page ad in..." She saw me and her grin widened. She gave me a quick thumbs-up before turning back to her call. I pushed past a rack of costumes and found Miki's dressing room. The door was slightly ajar, and I could hear her soft, happy voice from inside. So, I peeked in. Miki was sitting at her vanity, still in her dazzling stage costume, talking to her reflection. She had that little plush unicorn from the amusement park sitting on the table next to her. She had no idea I was there. "Did you see it, Uni?" she was saying to the stuffed toy. "Did you see all those people? They were all screaming my name." "Master was there, too. He was watching. I hope... I hope I made him proud." It was a moment of pure, innocent honesty. I chuckled, sneaking up behind her. "Well, well, what's this? A famous idol talking to her plushie? You even named it Uni?" Miki let out a startled shriek, her cheeks instantly flushing a deep, mortified pink. She snatched the unicorn and tried to hide it behind her back. "M-Master! You weren't supposed to see that! It's... it's my good luck charm!" I pinched her cheek playfully. "By the way, if you really want to know, I was very proud of your performance earlier." She melted when I pinched her cheek, her embarrassment forgotten and replaced by a wave of pure, radiant happiness. "You were? Really?" Her eyes were shining with an adoration so intense it was almost overwhelming. She spun around in her chair to face me, her excitement bubbling over as she grabbed my hands. "So... did your dream come true today, Miki? What do you want next?" I caressed her cheek. "Did my dream come true? Master, this was more than I ever dreamed of! The lights, the music, the crowd... feeling all of their love pouring into me... it was the most incredible feeling in the world!" Her gaze became distant for a moment, thoughtful. "What do I want next? This was just one arena, one city. I want more. I want the whole country, Master." "No, I want the whole world to be screaming my name, to be the biggest star that has ever existed. I want my music, my face, my everything to be so famous that no one can escape me. I want to stand on top of the world and have every single person looking up at me." Her ambition was no longer the simple vanity of a schoolgirl. It had grown into something huge and hungry. "Fascinating..." The Gem hummed coldly. "Her newly gained confidence and adoration from her fans made her Magical Rank shoot up to B+ just now. She should be able to reach an A-ranked power when she releases all that." "It's good to be ambitious," I said, playfully flicking her forehead, "but don't get too cocky just because of one successful concert. So... want any reward?" Miki flinched dramatically, rubbing her forehead with a pout, but her eyes were sparkling. My offer made her pause. She leaned in close, her voice dropping to an excited, conspiratorial whisper. "A reward?" Her eyes darted toward the door, then back to me. "Kyoko-san booked another idol group as my opening act. A boy band named Stardust Knights." "They're my rivals. Their lead singer, Kaito, was really rude to me during rehearsals. Behind my back, he said I was just a manufactured trash star, and that I'd be forgotten in a month." A dangerous, predatory glint entered her eyes. This wasn't the sweet idol from the stage. This was my Dark Heart Princess. "For my reward... I want you to come with me to their dressing room. I want to test my newly gained power, to show them what a trash star like me can do." She looked up at me, her face a mask of sweet, vicious desire. "I want to walk in there with you by my side, and make them feel so small, so talentless, so full of despair that they quit the business tonight." "I want to break their hearts, Master. Will you help me?" "Well, what a coincidence, I just received their warm welcome just now," I sighed playfully and took her hands. "Good, you should always follow your desires. Let's go destroy their dreams for being rude to my Miki." A radiant, wickedly sharp smile spread across Miki's face. This was exactly what she wanted to hear. "Oh, thank you, Master! You always know just what I need!" She practically skipped as she led me out of her dressing room and down the hall, pointing to a door with a silver star on it. "That's them." She didn't knock. With a new, arrogant confidence, she kicked the door open and sauntered in, with me right behind her. Four young men were lounging inside, dressed in ridiculous, sparkly white and silver outfits. The one in the center, Kaito, looked up as we entered. His smile froze when he saw me and Miki. "What do you want?" he asked, his tone dripping with nasty, condescending jealousy. "The star of the show can't even knock and open the door properly, huh?" Miki just smiled, a sweet, sugary expression that didn't reach her eyes. She didn't say a word. Instead, she unleashed her power. It wasn't a wave of adoration this time. It was a targeted, psychic attack of pure, crushing despair. It's the feeling of a thousand empty seats, of jeering crowds, of forgotten dreams, all focused into a single, silent beam. The effect was instant. The four boys froze. The smiles slid off their faces. The color drained from their skin. Kaito dropped the bottle of water he was holding. He looked down at his hands, a look of sudden, profound self-loathing on his face. "...We were terrible tonight, weren't we?" he said, his voice hollow. "Our harmonies were off. The dancing was sloppy. We're... we're a joke." "I missed my cue in the second verse," one of his bandmates said, his voice cracking. "Everyone must have noticed. Everyone was probably laughing at me." "My parents were right," another stared into space. "I should have gone to college. I have no talent. What am I even doing here?" In less than ten seconds, Miki had completely dismantled their confidence, turning their post-show high into a pit of existential dread. They were broken, not by force, but by a whisper of despair planted directly into their souls. Miki turned to me, her eyes sparkling with triumphant glee. Her reward was complete.