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Chapter 7
I could feel the madness in his reddish-orange eyes, the laughter completely gone from them.
It felt like he would scorch my face right there if I didn’t do as he said.
“Please stop.”
Just then, a deep, low voice rang out calmly.
The one who emerged from among the onlookers, his skin glowing with a beautiful aurora-like light, was Lezef.
*’Lezef…!’
Up close, he was much taller than Claude.
I had briefly forgotten how enormous he was because the performance he had shown earlier had been so fast and flashy.
Lezef’s massive body moved forward slowly, almost gliding, and simply by existing, he gave off an aura that overwhelmed everyone around him.
He stopped in front of Claude, his gaze calm yet charismatic.
With the Crown Prince’s arrival, the commotion around them died down, and the atmosphere changed.
“Well, well. Look who decided to show up. The prince himself?”
“Ah!”
Claude released his grip on my collar just like that.
At least I was free from Claude, but my butt hurt from hitting the floor when I fell.
“Are you okay?”
Yuse quickly ran over and helped me back up.
His face was full of worry and guilt.
“I’m sorry. It’s all because of me…”
“Haha, I’m fine!”
I had almost had my hair burned completely off by the flames, so I should be grateful that things had ended with just this.
From now on, I shouldn’t stick my nose into things so carelessly.
If this were Earth, maybe it would be different, but as someone without a trait, getting on the wrong side of an alien here could turn this idol survival show into an actual survival game.
I had managed to catch my breath for a moment, but Claude and Lezef were glaring at each other like fighters who had stepped into a ring.
The second round was already beginning.
“Does he think this is his palace or something? Who does he think he is, ordering people around?”
“This is a place where everyone eats together. Please don’t cause trouble.”
“No thanks. I was raised in a pretty decent family myself. I don’t take orders from anyone.”
Flames burst from the tattoos etched into Claude’s skin.
His hair also transformed into flames, just like when he had performed during the first impression mission, flickering menacingly.
Everyone backed away in fear from the intense heat Claude was giving off.
But Lezef didn’t even blink.
His upright posture remained completely steady.
*’This doesn’t feel good…’
One of them was the Crown Prince of Aegir, while the other was the youngest young master of a conglomerate that practically supported the entire planet of Hexio.
If the two of them actually fought here, it might escalate into a planetary dispute.
And if things got even bigger and a war broke out…
The idol survival show would end early after nothing but a chaotic first impression mission, and my dream would be shattered too…!
After coming all this way, I couldn’t let that happen.
Even if I had to throw away my pride, I had to prevent such a situation from happening.
“Um… Claude, I’m sor—”
Just as I was about to approach Claude and stop him…
“Ahh! What do I do?! I’m number one!!”
A female contestant’s high-pitched cheer cut through the tense atmosphere like a crack in thin ice.
A female contestant with long black waves reaching down to her waist, with vivid red highlights underneath, was shouting happily.
She was an absolute beauty with a seductive aura, sharp fox-like eyes that slanted upward, and deep red eyes darker than roses.
She was the contestant who had left the strongest impression on me during the girl group’s first impression mission.
She had made gorgeous red flowers bloom from her body and performed by freely extending plant vines.
I had forgotten her name, but I remembered her stage.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward the place she was pointing at.
First Impression Rankings Announced!
The rankings were revealed on the enormous holographic screen installed in the center of the cafeteria.
The contestants’ names were listed in order on separate ranking boards for the boy group and girl group.
“Whoa, seriously? They’re revealing this while we’re eating?”
“Ah, I already feel like I’m going to get indigestion.”
I had already sensed it from the first mission, which had suddenly started without even a rehearsal, but the production team this season was definitely not ordinary.
Their approach was completely different from Season 1, which had been relatively serious and straightforward.
How should I put it?
It was almost like they had mastered the art of playing with the contestants.
*’I’m nervous… What rank am I…?’
This was my first report card from the Space Idol League.
With my heart pounding, I scanned the rankings from the top.
The name Leira was at the top of the girl group’s ranking.
It seemed to be the name of the contestant who had just shouted that she was number one.
Then who was number one in the boy group…?
“Ha…! Why is some damn seafood…?!”
Claude’s furious voice made the answer obvious.
The contestant proudly sitting at the top of the boy group ranking was Lezef Krakenus.
Claude was ranked second.
Gasps and applause erupted among the contestants.
Lezef placed one of his legs over his chest, politely bowed his head, and acknowledged the applause.
Other than Claude, no one seemed to have any complaints about Lezef’s ranking.
His performance, expressing a seven-pointed star with his seven legs, had been dynamic, and the sight of him covered in ink had also been memorable.
Above all, looks were important for a first impression, so handsome contestants naturally had an advantage.
I nodded in agreement, then was slightly surprised to realize that I, too, had somehow been convinced by Lezef’s face.
The contestants ranked from first to twentieth were mostly those who had shown impressive performances during the first impression mission, so the rankings were roughly what I had expected.
The first impression mission was only a warm-up mission, so no one would be eliminated based on these results.
Still, since this was my first ranking, I couldn’t help being greedy.
I just wanted to land somewhere around the middle…
I desperately scanned the ranking from top to bottom, but no matter how far down I went, my name didn’t appear.
I was beginning to break into a cold sweat.
*’Wait. My name still hasn’t appeared?’
*’No way…’
.
.
.
75th, Tamina
I finally found my name near the very bottom, and my mind went blank.
Back when I had been a trainee on Earth, I had never fallen outside first or second place in the monthly evaluations.
It was hard to accept this shocking ranking.
*’Second from last…?’
Still, should I be grateful that I wasn’t last?
Just when I was thinking it was fortunate that I had avoided last place among all these contestants with insane traits, I saw that the name in last place was familiar.
76th, Acan Argo
Acan?
That was the guy who had done absolutely nothing during his turn earlier!
So I was only one rank above the guy who had just stood there doing nothing?
Which meant…
*’I’m basically last place…?’
All the strength drained from my body, and my mind went completely blank.
After proudly announcing that I had spent ten whole years as a trainee on Earth, what a pathetic result this was.
I knew I couldn’t help being disadvantaged because I had no trait, but seeing my position laid out in an actual numerical ranking shook my confidence.
Would I have gotten a better score if I had done proper dancing instead of that clumsy aegyo?
No, was competing against aliens in the first place simply impossible for me?
*’It’s okay. Get a grip! This isn’t what I was aiming for!’
I clenched my fists tightly and pulled myself together before my spirit could completely break.
Because rankings weren’t what I had been aiming for in the first impression mission.
“That kind of ranking is completely useless.”
Everyone’s attention turned toward Claude.
He confidently turned on his hand screen.
“Look. The real-time search rankings show who people are actually interested in. This is the real ranking!”
Claude enlarged the screen of his hand screen and raised it high so everyone could see.
A list of real-time search terms appeared one after another.
1. Crown Prince Lezef
2. The Star in Your Heart
3. Space Idol League First Impression Vote
4. Moonscania
5. Tamina
Everyone fell silent.
Just as Claude had said, the real-time search rankings displayed on the hand screen were completely different from the first impression rankings.
*’Is that really true…?’
Even I had to doubt my own eyes.
When I came to my senses, every contestant was looking at me.
They understood the other search terms, but their expressions clearly said they had no idea why I was the one appearing in the real-time searches.
“…Tamina…? Why…?! Why the hell is that no-trait guy trending?!”
Faced with the unexpected result, Claude breathed out hot air mixed with flames and pointed at me.
While everyone else looked bewildered and incredulous, I quietly cheered inside.
*’…It worked!’
My strategy had worked.
All the contestants had incredible traits, but I doubted any of them had ever thought about people’s hearts.
But I was different.
I had ten years of experience as a trainee and fourteen years as a STUN-V fanatic!
I had spent all that time watching how fans’ feelings moved and how they reacted!
If I couldn’t be better than everyone else, then I would make absolutely sure to attract attention.
Even if I seemed unimpressive at first, I would show them something that would keep lingering in the back of their minds afterward.
Something that would keep bothering them and making them think of me.
The things I had aimed for during the first impression mission were very clear.
No matter how hard I thought about it, that was the only way I could make people remember my face among these monstrous contestants.
When the first impression rankings were announced, I had been disappointed because I was practically at the bottom.
But seeing the real-time search rankings gave me a little hope.
I didn’t know whether the reactions were good or bad.
But appearing in the real-time searches meant that I had become a topic of conversation somehow.
In that sense, I had achieved exactly what I had wanted from the mission.
*’It used to be my dream just to appear in the real-time searches once…’
I hadn’t even officially debuted yet, and I had only appeared on the list for a moment, but my heart still swelled with emotion.
Ding! Ding!
At that moment, alarms went off simultaneously throughout the cafeteria.
Everyone turned on their hand screens and checked the announcement.
Notice: Roommates Confirmed!
“Huh? It says our roommates have been confirmed!”
“Are they just assigned randomly?”
“Silvia! Who’s Silvia?”
The sudden roommate announcement brought the chaotic atmosphere back to life after the ranking announcement.
The contestants excitedly searched for their roommates, while those who had already found each other exchanged awkward greetings.
Even though this was a survival show where we had to compete against one another, everyone needed at least one friend they could rely on.
I had secretly always dreamed of living in a dorm too, so I excitedly turned on my hand screen, wondering who my roommate would be.
*’I’m pretty good at getting along with people, so as long as I hide the fact that I’m a woman, there shouldn’t be any problems.’
Just as I was about to check the announcement, a dwarf with mechanical wings streaked through the air in a beam of light, flew past me in an instant, and offered Yuse a handshake.
“You’re Yuse, right? Nice to meet you! I snore pretty loudly, so you’ll have to understand that!”
“Ah, yeah… You’re Titan, right? Nice to meet you…!”
Perhaps embarrassed, Yuse’s face turned red as he shook Titan’s tiny hand with his fingertips.
Titan Zeke
Contestant No.: B-33
Planet: Urbos
Traits: Dwarf, Mechanic
Age: 23
Height/Weight: 55 cm / 17 kg
Preferred Position: Rapper
Special Skills: Bike racing, machine repair
Oh, a rapper.
Titan had a distinctive character and an easygoing, straightforward personality too, so I felt like we’d get along well.
A tough little dwarf and a delicate pretty boy.
What a cute combination!
I watched them with a pleased smile and saved the two of them in my mental treasure box.
“You and I have been assigned to the same room… Claude.”
Even while everyone else was looking for their roommates, Lezef approached Claude, who was still glaring at the real-time search rankings.
“You and I are in the same room? This fucking…”
“I am not particularly pleased about it either.”
Wow…
They weren’t assigned as roommates because of the vicious confrontation between them just now, were they?
Those sadistic broadcasting people…
Still, the two contestants ranked first and second in the first impression vote were roommates.
If they became friends and worked together on a team, they would be quite formidable.
*’Although they might be formidable in another way too…’
Looking at Claude, who was once again spitting flames, and Lezef, who stood there without even blinking, I had a feeling life in the dormitory was going to be quite rough.
“Tamina, who’s your roommate?”
After finishing his greeting with Titan, Yuse lightly tapped my shoulder and asked.
I had been distracted watching the other contestants meet their roommates, so I belatedly opened the announcement again.
Roommate: Acan Argo (Moonscania)
Room Assignment: B-0124
This guy again?
“I’m Acan Argo.”
The moment I heard that name, Yuse’s face turned pale, and he covered his mouth with his hand.
Titan, who had been floating in the air with his mechanical wings, also wobbled and nearly fell.
“Huh? What’s wrong? Is it because we’re ranked last and second-to-last? It’s okay. Once the main mission starts, we can turn the rankings around as much as we want…!”
The contestants ranked 75th and 76th were roommates…
Just like the production team had paired Lezef and Claude, the first- and second-place contestants, had they intentionally paired Acan Argo and me together?
I was secretly uneasy, but I didn’t want to show it, so I pretended to be cheerful.
But Yuse and Titan were still pale as ghosts and couldn’t easily bring themselves to speak.
“Your roommate is from Moonscania?”
A wave of heat suddenly came from behind me.
When I turned around, Claude was standing there.
Claude wore a mischievous grin across his entire face, like the Cheshire Cat.
He bent down, brought his face close to mine, and whispered.
“You’re going to die before you even get eliminated.”
