[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MphuZ4EFZjU]“In your, position, set!”[/url]

In the artificial rain set up by the stage people working hard in the background, forty-eight young girls danced, crisp and sharp movements in harmony with the pop music. Each step was emphasized with an electronic beat, a wave of orange and purple glowsticks waved with the same vicious, badass beat. It was a song about beginnings, of change, of never giving up, and despite how saccharine that idol group’s recent songs have been, Rui-Ling still couldn’t help getting swept up in the mood. Alongside a bevy of other fanatics, he shamelessly swung around six glowsticks, stamping his feet in motion with the girls. He mouthed the words, tasted the misting rain, and marvelled at just how amazing they all were.

They twirled, posed, popping, locking, and freezing, always dramatic and larger than life, sharing their enthusiasm and energy as the crowd shared their own. While this was an outdoors performance, with no seats provided for the attenders, the platinum-haired immortal was fine with it. Standing up was better for the legs, and, as the middle of the song was reached, a powerful [url=https://youtu.be/2f169h3_qaQ?t=214]‘stand up together’[/url] resounding through the stage, Rui-Ling practically shaked with excitement.

Then, of course, Aria’s voice had to boom in his head, commanding the immortal fanboy to get his ass to the Dangeki Pawn and Parlour Café.

It was just a single, overpowering phrase, but it was enough to destroy the ride that the song had brought him on, and with that joy spoiled, Rui-Ling decided that he might as well get it over with and head to the café. Pushing his way through fellow enthusiasts, and sighing wistfully at the goddesses still dancing in artificial rain, the young-at-heart man saluted them with his silvered arm, before running out to catch a cab, tossing an address and a handful of bills towards the taxi driver.

By the time the cab pulled over in front of the demure building, Rui-Ling was fairly confident the driver had pegged down as a filthy idol otaku weeaboo from Europe or something, seeing how he softly sang the song over and over again during the entirety of the fifteen minute drive. Stepping out and watching the yellow vehicle screech away, the young man smiled, still moving in coordination with a song that was stuck in his head, his electronic glowsticks tracing figure-eights in the night. He pushed open the wooden door, smiled at Ellie, who appeared to be occupied by someone with weird eyebrows at the moment, before picking out a seat for himself.

As he waited for the succubus-vampire (or was she just a cosplayer?) to come take his order, Rui-Ling found himself tapping that earworm of a beat into the table once more.

It really was a nice song, huh? That group should do more songs about ‘doing your best’, instead of their typical fare of ‘puppy love’.