[A/N] Support & Read Up to 12 Advanced Chapters on Patreon!
[A/N] For More Chapters - Drop Some Power Stones! 💎💎
...
Even though Badr's interference had helped her find her composure, allowing her to briefly forget her fear and complete the filming, now that she could relax, Nodoka Toyohama felt utterly drained.
She struggled to prop herself up on her arms, but when she saw Badr staring back at her with his usual calm gaze, she burst into tears.
"I hate it... Why do your eyes look so much like my sister's...? Always so calm, composed, and impossibly mature, like you can do anything... I hate it, I hate it so much..."
She sobbed uncontrollably, tears dripping onto Badr's chest, soaking his shirt.
"You should probably say that to Mai directly," Badr replied calmly.
Nodoka didn't respond, only continuing to cry. "I don't want to be compared... I hate this feeling..."
"People are going to stare if we stay like this," Badr said, smoothly changing the subject.
"Shut up! Use your magic! Let me have a good cry!"
Nodoka's tears flowed like a broken dam, as if she were pouring out all the pent-up frustration in her heart.
Knowing Badr had magic and could ensure no one would notice her breakdown, she let go completely, crying as if he weren't even there.
Badr pursed his lips, watching as Nodoka cried with surprising intensity. She sat up, straddling him as she sobbed.
It's a good thing I used [Common Sense Change], he thought. Otherwise, lying here on a crowded platform like this, being straddled while someone cries on me... the police would probably get involved...
Oh well, a good cry can be cathartic. I'll let her be.
And she's using Mai's appearance, too. She looks... quite beautiful crying like this?
Badr recalled how close he had come to making Mai cry the previous night, though those were tears of a different nature, brought on by... other activities.
Ahem, those were certainly different from these emotionally charged tears...
With that thought, he discreetly took out his phone and snapped a picture of Nodoka.
He took a picture...
Tsk tsk, while she's pouring her heart out, I'm creating blackmail material. I truly am a devil.
Nearly five minutes passed before Nodoka's sobs subsided.
Badr returned from his wandering thoughts to see Nodoka sitting on his chest, her hands covering her face.
She's embarrassed...
Is she imitating an ostrich?
"Um, could you get up? This position is, to be honest, a little hard to handle," Badr said softly.
Nodoka's hands remained over her face. "Can you forget what just happened?" she mumbled, sounding incredibly embarrassed.
"...Uh, that's a bit difficult. It was quite a memorable scene."
"Please forget it! You can use magic, can't Y...?" Nodoka's hands moved from her face to his shoulders. Her eyes were still red-rimmed, and now her cheeks were flushed.
Badr's lips curved into a slight smile.
"Why should I? I won't."
"..."
Nodoka was taken aback by Badr's blatant teasing.
Finally, she slumped against him, her forehead bumping against his chest in embarrassment.
She didn't know what had come over her. She had just wanted to cry, and now, she had completely embarrassed herself in front of Badr...
"If Mai finds out you're clinging to me like this, it won't be good," Badr reminded his sister-in-law.
Nodoka remained perched on his chest, still in a sort of reverse-cowgirl position.
"But my sister isn't here."
"...That's a dangerous thing to say."
Nodoka was silent for a few seconds.
"I kind of understand why my sister likes you now."
"Really? Tell me more."
Badr chuckled, sounding genuinely curious.
"...No, not unless you forget what just happened."
"Did something happen just now?" Badr feigned ignorance.
"...You're shameless," Nodoka muttered, seemingly pouting. Her mood considerably lighter, she finally got off of him.
Standing up and adjusting her clothes, she huffed, "Let's go. Time to see my sister's concert."
Badr sat up, looking at the large wet stain on his shirt. He sighed and waved his hand, using magic to dry it.
He pulled out his phone and called Mai Sakurajima.
The phone rang a few times before being answered. Mai's familiar voice was as calm and steady as ever.
"Hello? How did it go?"
"It's done. Though it took thirteen retakes," Badr replied casually.
"It was twelve!" Nodoka interjected.
"Is that so? That's good."
"Mai doesn't seem surprised at all," Badr chuckled.
"I knew there wouldn't be any problems with you there."
"Of course. Now, I'll need a nice reward from you, Mai."
"Sure, sure," Mai said dismissively. "After all this is over, I'll wear stockings for you."
...
Mai really knew how to tease Badr.
Well, perhaps it was a weakness all men shared...
And Mai simply enjoyed indulging her boyfriend.
Badr couldn't help but smile at her words, immediately pushing his luck.
"I want the easily ripped kind."
This time, Mai understood immediately. There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line.
"I need to go do my makeup," she said, smoothly changing the subject. "If you're coming, Uzuki-san has left tickets for you."
Badr knew Mai was embarrassed and wouldn't respond to his teasing any further, so he didn't press the issue.
"We'll be right there."
He hung up the phone, walked over to Nodoka, and put his arm around her waist.
"Come on, I'll fly us there."
"Eh?"
With a surprised gasp from Nodoka, Badr took to the skies, carrying her with him. Ever since he acquired teleportation and flight magic, he rarely bothered with cars or trains anymore...
After about five minutes of flight, they arrived at Mai's location.
It was a plaza in front of a commercial building, where a stage had been set up specifically for the idol group, [Sweet Bullet].
While it was called a concert, it was actually more of a promotional event. The sponsors had chosen the relatively well-known [Sweet Bullet] from a myriad of idol groups and booked them for a private performance.
"Quite a crowd," Badr observed, noting that the large plaza was packed with people.
The tickets had obviously sold well.
"Probably because they were cheap, and a lot were given away," Nodoka said, sounding less than impressed. This wasn't exactly the kind of concert she had envisioned.
Thanks to a series of successful maneuvers, [Sweet Bullet] had gained some recognition, though it was still limited to a superficial level.
Simply put, people were vaguely familiar with the group's name, but couldn't name a single member...
"You can't expect overnight success. This is already pretty good," Badr said with a gentle smile.
Nodoka gave a self-deprecating chuckle and didn't reply.
With Mai Sakurajima's overwhelming success as a comparison, she couldn't bring herself to be proud of her own meager achievements.
In fact, it wasn't just others who constantly compared her to Mai; she herself constantly measured herself against her older sister.
But it was human nature to compare, and who could truly rise above such feelings?
The wait wasn't long. Soon, [Sweet Bullet] took the stage.
The crowd's cheers and chatter intensified as they watched the beautiful girls take their positions.
To be honest, Badr wasn't particularly interested in idols. If he hadn't known that the "Nodoka Toyohama" on stage was actually Mai Sakurajima, he wouldn't have bothered watching.
Mai was truly amazing. She had mastered all those dances in such a short time and even improved her singing significantly.
Unlike the cheering crowd, Badr remained calm. His personality naturally prevented him from blending into such a lively atmosphere.
Even as those around him swayed to the music, he remained still and quiet, not looking like a concertgoer at all...
The girls on stage finished their first five songs.
Nearly half an hour of singing and dancing was incredibly strenuous. Even though they had trained extensively, beads of sweat glistened on their foreheads.
Despite this, they maintained their energetic performance.
With such high-intensity choreography, mistakes were inevitable. However, whenever one of the members faltered, Mai seamlessly covered for them.
Nodoka watched from below, her expression a mix of complex emotions.
As expected, her sister was perfect, no matter what she did...
Badr felt like Mai was a max-level player revisiting the beginner's area. Her all-around stats were so high that everything seemed effortless.
Her stage presence and performance skills were top-notch...
"You're so pitiful, Nodoka."
Watching Mai, perfectly impersonating her sister on stage, Badr couldn't help but voice his thoughts once more.
"You don't have to remind me," Nodoka replied weakly.
Having such a talented older sister, it was hard not to feel inadequate...
"Is that your mother over there?"
Badr gestured towards the side of the stage, where a middle-aged woman stood, her expression full of anticipation as she watched the "Nodoka Toyohama" on stage.
Nodoka nodded quietly. "My mom comes to every performance."
"She has high expectations for you."
"Only my sister can meet those expectations."
Badr was taken aback. "Why do you insist on putting yourself down like this?"
"I'm just stating facts..." Nodoka murmured.
"So everything I told you before was for nothing?"
...
Support and read 12 Advanced Chapters, Ahead of the Rest!!
https://p@treon.com/dragonnx
[Replace '@' with 'a' to Access Patreon Normally]
There is 6 more exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon page!