Chapter 173

R&e;ａd̂ &o;​n ​KâtRe​ａⅾĩn​gC‍​ａғ&e;

LIVE ON. (8)

An endless sea of fans.

My virtual friends who illuminated the stage alongside me.

And me.

-Encore! Encore! Encore! Encore! Encore! Encore! Encore!

-Just how many encores have we had now? lol

-Sing more songs! Sing more songs! Sing more songs!

-Honestly, let’s just start a Part 3 now lol

-Part 3, you say? hahaha

-Wasn’t this already Part 3? Let’s keep going for another hour!

-Just how many encores are they gonna ask for? lol

The scheduled final stage had ended quite a while ago.

My body had reached its limit.

My head drooped, my shoulders sagged, my legs trembled—

But, still.

‘I don’t want it to end yet.’

I want to sing more.

I want to cherish this moment a little longer, engrave it in my eyes, imprint it into my memory!

I raise my head, straighten my shoulders, and stretch out my legs.

I can still keep going.

One more song. No, two more!

“Next song! ‘Tonight Will Never End!’”

-Another one? lol

-Waaahhhh!!!

-She’s gonna end up singing every original song she has today lol

-Toya! Toya! Toya! Toya! Toya!

-She has such great stamina, seriously lol

-I hope she doesn’t push herself too hard, but I really wanna hear more songs!

Confidently raising my index finger to the sky, I can’t help but smile seeing everyone lift their thumbs up in response. Eventually, I end up promising with our pinky fingers.

More! Just a little more! Keep going! Until we’re all exhausted!!

“Everyone!!! Can you still scream louder?!”

-Of course!

-Even if my voice gives out, I’ll keep screaming!!!!

-She’s already made all her fans hoarse and still asks for more screams lol

-Toya still looks totally fine hahaha

-She looks like she could sing all day at this rate lol

I thought my body had reached its limit, but it still moved.

My heart, racing along with the cheers from the audience, gave me the strength to continue.

Just a little more. Just a bit more—

‘—Let’s enjoy this moment like today will never end!’

Today isn’t over yet!

—

[If watching Toya’s live was worth it, click ‘like’ lol]

[(Image of virtual character watching Toya from the front row.JPG) Surely nobody failed ticketing, right? Cheers!]

ㄴ[So jealous, jealous, jealous, jealous, jealous]

ㄴ[Why you? Why only you?!]

ㄴ[Wow, you managed to get that? What kind of computer are you using?]

ㄴ[La la land is god, and I am invincible…]

ㄴ[hahahahaha]

ㄴ[Watching Toya’s live from the front row is so enviable…]

ㄴ[Isn’t it virtual anyway? Can’t you just watch on iTube? lol]

ㄴ[It feels totally different lol]

ㄴ[Who thinks watching on iTube is the same as watching live on a virtual stage? lol]

[So, when does the live end?]

[(Video of Toya’s live continuing past 3 hours.MVI) Wasn’t it supposed to be two hours total? Why is she still singing after three hours?]

ㄴ[Youth sure is great…]

ㄴ[Old man…]

ㄴ[Old man who’ll soon need dentures…]

ㄴ[I’m not an old man!]

ㄴ[I left for work and came back, and she’s still singing, so I opened a beer and started smiling lol]

ㄴ[Same here lol]

ㄴ[Even considering people who missed the timing—truly a goddess lol]

ㄴ[Isn’t she gonna hurt her throat? Another vocal cord issue and she’ll turn into a real monster, not just a zombie.]

ㄴ[Japanese Gollum incoming.]

ㄴ[lolol Japanese Gollum]

ㄴ[Her voice really does sound fine, though.]

ㄴ[She took short breaks. It just didn’t show much.]

ㄴ[With such a steel throat, how did she even get vocal nodules before? lol]

ㄴ[Maybe she got even stronger after recovering from that lol]

—

‘She should’ve finished by now…!’

I wasn’t upset or anything with Toya enthusiastically singing more songs.

It’s just, you know…

It was supposed to be just two hours! I had been preparing myself mentally for my stage appearance!

I even went right up to the stage entrance, saw Toya still singing, and awkwardly came back to the waiting room.

Seeing Inari burst out laughing when she saw me return was pretty annoying too.

“You’re not sulking, are you, Nacchan? Don’t sulk over that~ Just let her enjoy herself~”

“Who are you, some purple-haired alien?”

“Haha! You watched that movie too, Nacchan?”

With a pout, I plopped down onto the ground.

I didn’t even have the strength left to climb up onto a chair anymore.

Seriously, no matter how excited she is, how can she sing an entire extra hour?

Her stamina couldn’t even be described as ‘good’—it was bizarrely extraordinary.

‘…Still, seeing her smile so brightly does feel good.’

How long had it been since I’d seen Toya smile so brightly?

Maybe it was the first time ever.

She’d dreamed of becoming a singer and was finally on such a big stage. It made sense that she’d want to stay a little longer.

Alright, calm down, calm down. Thanks to that, my remaining nervousness had vanished, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

“Wow, she’s really got amazing stamina.”

“Hasn’t she been singing for nearly three hours?”

“And she’s not even breathing heavily…”

The guest’s voices filled the waiting room.

Hehe, right? Isn’t Toya amazing? That’s my girl!

I felt like an over-enthusiastic parent and proudly puffed out my chest.

Of course, I’d be thrilled to see my best friend receive praise from others.

I hoped she wasn’t pushing herself too hard, but Toya’s expression was pure joy.

“Ugh, Toya ruined everything. My live’s supposed to be just an hour!”

“Huh, really? Weren’t you bringing guests too?”

“I was told there’s no time for guests during mine…”

Inari’s live was already scheduled, but they couldn’t gather as many people as they had today.

They had mobilized so many guests for Toya’s event, and Inari’s was at the beginning of the new year, making timing difficult.

Toya’s was at the year-end but conveniently fell between other events, making guest attendance easier.

“Oh, but if Nacchan comes, it’ll work out?”

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Hehe, that means ‘yes,’ right? Nacchan always vaguely agrees and ends up doing it anyway~”

“Not true.”

When have I ever been vague and then just accepted—wait, actually…

Anyway, appearing at Inari’s live was on hold for now.

I hadn’t even finished Toya’s live yet—thinking about the next one already was premature.

“Whew… Did everyone have fun?!”

Is it really over already?

It wasn’t exactly “already” at this point, but it felt like that to me.

‘I haven’t even prepared yet!’

I was supposed to appear right after Toya’s final stage, but now it looked like I’d only get on stage after she’d already finished saying goodbye.

It’d take me at least five minutes with my short legs…

As I hurriedly stood up, Inari reached toward me.

“I’ll take you! At top speed!”

“Inari?! Wait a—kyah?!”

“You have to sing, Nacchan, so don’t run yourself! You’re too slow anyway; I’ll run for you!”

Can you not call me slow?!

Calm down, Han Yeoreum.

It was a bit uncomfortable in Inari’s arms, but at least it calmed me down.

“You need more training, Inari.”

“H-hey, isn’t that harsh to say when I’m carrying you?!”

I laughed quietly at her overly serious reaction.

Thanks, Inari.