Papi and Tio were the opening act. They waved as they walked out in front of the packed theater.
“Hiya, everybody! I’m Papi from instant unit ‘Powerful☆Voice’!” Papi shouted.
“And I’m Tio! ☆ Before ANM48’s show we’d like to showcase our songs!” Tio winked at the crowd.
From his special seat in the wings, Kimihito kept an eye on how things were going.
“Who are these girls? New members of ANM48?” someone in the audience asked.
“Nah, we would’ve heard about them if they were.”
“Y’know, that ogre seems familiar…”
From his spot behind the curtains, Kimihito could hear the murmurs of the crowd and their bewilderment at the change in the schedule. The ANM48 fans didn’t seem sure of what to make of Tio and Papi’s instant unit.
“We’re moonlighting! Um, my day job is—I make sure the liminals play nice with each other and live in peace and harmony! ☆” Tio lied with a broad smile on her face.
Well, it’s not a lie per se, it’s just…a seriously whitewashed version of MON’s work violently suppressing criminal liminals. Idols probably weren’t supposed to do stuff like that.
“And, uh…Papi is Papi!” Papi followed with an introduction of her own. “I’m an exchange student? And I came here today ’cos I want the world to know what harpies are like!”
With Papi’s support, Tio started to really get into it. “Yeah!! We both love idols!! Which is why we asked ANM48 if we could have our own idol experience today! Sorry it’s so sudden, but please cheer for us, too!” She was happier onstage than Kimihito had expected.
Nobody likes an opening act, but with Tio and Papi’s adorable looks and attitudes, they could definitely compete with the idols of ANM48. And the fans seemed to agree.
“I think I like the harpy girl, dude.”
“I’m more of an ogre fan. Hard muscles, soft heart!”
“Big girls are pretty cool.”
Even if it was purely based on attraction so far, Powerful☆Voice was clearly making an impact! ANM48 fans tended to be liminal supporters, at least. And on a personal level, their introductions had gone incredibly smoothly, and they’d made a strong case for themselves. Papi smiled without a hint of nerves, and Tio’s smile radiated peace to everyone watching. They both owned the stage.
“Okay, let’s all play together!” called Papi.
Tio ran with it. “Yeah! This is our first song! ☆”
The backing track started, and their concert began. Kimihito didn’t know the genre, but he was pretty sure these were the vibrant pop chords of an ANM48 song. He didn’t know the melody, but the lyrics were familiar. It might’ve even been a special arrangement just for Powerful☆Voice’s show.
Tio’s dance was as perfect as before. Papi’s dance had some vague movements, as she followed Tio and copied her on the fly. They kept close enough time that Papi’s delay wasn’t obvious, but the fact she never looked at the crowd was its own tell. It was still an impressive display of reflexes that she could keep up so smoothly.
They may have been amateurs, but they danced like they’d been idols for years. They even breathed in unison. Whether Papi was following Tio or Tio was adjusting her movements to accommodate Papi, it didn’t matter. They’d clearly worked hard on this, and their practice had made them a great team.
The song continued, and the fans’ excitement built as they watched the girls dance. Colored lights swept across the stage to highlight their moves. From Kimihito’s limited view in the wings, he had to imagine how beautiful it must’ve looked from the audience. They’d have those perfect smiles—he couldn’t see them from his vantage point since they faced the crowd—and they’d be better synced up from the intended angle. He thought back to the rehearsal in the green room with a twinge of embarrassment. I already got to see that, though—when it was for my eyes only. He tried to push the thought aside and focus.
At that moment, the roar of the crowd hit an overwhelming volume.
“Huff…huff…thank you! ☆” Tio shouted, out of breath.
“Hee hee! What’d you think?” Papi waved frantically, covered in sweat.
Despite being in excellent physical shape, both of them were panting hard. It might’ve been the heat of the stage lights or maybe just the sheer amount of energy they’d put into their dance.
Idols are amazing… Kimihito marveled. Whenever he’d caught them on TV in the past, he’d totally missed how much effort so many people had to put in to make a single performance a success. Here and now, watching a live show from the wings, he felt like he was starting to get it. His respect for the girls of ANM48 rose in turn.
“Let’s do the next song!” Papi shouted. She hopped in the air, wings wide, and the music carried over into a new, unfamiliar track and a new, unfamiliar dance routine.
The dance was vigorous, skirts flapping every turn. Even though he knew they were wearing shorts underneath, it was hard to ignore the glimpses of Tio and Papi’s thighs he kept seeing. No, no, stop it. He shook his head to banish the lecherous thoughts. Idols were supposed to be pure and innocent! Just because they were dancing wildly didn’t mean he should be staring at their legs.
“Amazing, aren’t they?” came a voice from nearby.
“Director!” Kimihito turned to see the director had joined him in the wings at some point.
He nodded in open admiration as he watched the girls dance. “You’ll need to be careful, Kurusu-sama, they’re about to unleash a powerful move.”
“A powerful move?” Kimihito turned back to the stage, not sure what to expect.
“Here we go! ☆” Tio shouted and raised her right arm straight out to the side, holding it parallel to the ground.
Papi hopped onto it and perched with her bird-like legs.
“Wh-what are they doing?” Kimihito gasped, forgetting he was supposed to be quiet. It looked like the setup to a gymnastic or cheerleading display.
Tio was amazing, able to support Papi’s entire body with just the one arm, but Papi also showed incredible balance in how she perched there so confidently. Kimihito was suddenly scared they’d fall, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
“Here we go! ☆” Tio shouted.
“Yeah!” Papi replied.
Tio launched her arm straight up in the air, tossing Papi above her.
“Whoa!” Kimihito and the audience cried out as one, filling the theater with astonished noise.