The applause from the audience gradually faded, until silence returned to the auditorium. The students of Harmony once again fixed their eyes on the stage.
"Thank you, everyone! Round One of The Purge has officially ended. Twelve ugly boys have been eliminated from Let's Dance. And now, I've found eight contestants worthy enough to advance to Round Two."
Ruby's voice was no longer androgynous. She had switched to her real one - and with its seductive, hypnotic tone, her power over the crowd seemed to double in strength.
Although Ethan had made it into the second round, Autumn couldn't feel the slightest bit relieved. She had no idea what kind of game Ruby would play next.
"Humans are fascinating, aren't they? Even when their instincts tell them to run from danger, they still gamble everything for a promised reward. No one can truly control a human being - unless that person allows it to happen, right, Autumn?"
Kai's voice was soft, as if meant for Autumn alone.
"The guys down there could've quit anytime, like that kid from Class 10C earlier. But obviously, every one of them is burning with ambition - to be recognized, to become famous at school, to boost their Harmony Points, to win a scholarship… Some of them even think this is their chance to impress Ruby, to make her notice them. Who do they think they are, dreaming of her like that?"
Kai's tone sharpened the moment he mentioned Ruby's name.
Autumn stayed quiet. She didn't know how to respond to his little monologue.
After she'd stopped hanging out with Ruby, it seemed that the bond between Kai and Ruby had grown stronger. But poor Kai - he'd poured far too much of himself into that ambiguous relationship.
Even though Kai was one of Cupid's victims - perhaps the most pitiful one - Autumn still thought he deserved it. Who told him to order the Dancing Stars to bully the girls of Class 11D, anyway?
And so, the little Vampire girl decided to ignore Kai's pain, even though she could clearly sense that deep down, he was craving someone to soothe and comfort him.
Autumn turned her face back toward the stage, hiding a smirk as she watched the scene below unfold.
On stage, Ruby's two assistants had finally removed their masks. Of course, there could be no mistaking them - who else but the twins, Anya and Yara?
The pair swiftly carried eight wooden chairs onto the stage, arranging them into two staggered rows. When that was done, they brought out one more chair - this one finer and more ornate than all the rest.
Then, the twins retreated behind the curtain, making way for Ruby's performance. She moved gracefully around her special chair, spinning it lightly across the floor as though it were an extension of her own body.
"Welcome to Round Two of The Purge. This round is merely a small technical exercise in dance. Now, we'll be dancing with chairs…"
Ruby hadn't even finished when one of the remaining boys from Class 12C interrupted:
"But in the music video 'Kiss You, Bite You' by Crimson Veil, there isn't any scene where they dance with chairs, is there?"
Ruby didn't respond immediately. The entire auditorium fell into an unnatural silence - the kind that lingers before a storm breaks.
"You! Nameless guy, Class 12C! You are expelled from Let's Dance - for daring to interrupt your Choreographer!!!"
Her voice boomed like thunder. Amplified by the hall's acoustics, every word carried a destructive force that made students both onstage and in the audience cover their faces as if shielding themselves from her fury.
"I already said this is just a small technical test. I only train those with potential. I have no intention of wasting time on the useless. Do you all understand me? Or does anyone else want to object?"
Watching the guy with no name and his chair being dragged away roughly by Anya and Yara, the remaining boys of Let's Dance fell dead silent. None of them even dared to breathe too loudly, let alone protest.
Once the hall had settled again, Ruby snapped her fingers. Instantly, the lights in the Grand Theater went out, leaving only a single spotlight that illuminated her figure.
At the same time, the orchestra below switched to a faster, heavier rhythm - one perfectly suited to her next performance.
Beside Autumn, Cherry's face was twisted in distaste; she wasn't the least impressed by Ruby's body or her technique. Amy, on the other hand, let out the occasional soft gasp of admiration at Ruby's fluid, powerfully masculine movements.
Now Autumn understood exactly how Ruby had secured her role as Let's Dance's choreographer. Being a girl herself, Ruby knew precisely which movements would captivate and entice the female audience when performed by male dancers.
This approach stood in complete contrast to Dancing Stars, a girl-dominated team whose routines were deliberately feminine - crafted to draw the eyes of the boys instead.
"Now it's your turn. Dance exactly as I just did - no more, no less."
The spotlight shifted back toward the Let's Dance boys, and the orchestra replayed the same intense rhythm from before.
Ruby's chair choreography wasn't particularly difficult to mimic. Most of the boys managed to follow along - though their movements were nowhere near as smooth or graceful as hers.
From the audience came a ripple of laughter and whispers as the Let's Dance members arched and rolled their bodies along the wooden chairs like waves on a shore. It was a dangerously suggestive move - teetering between vulgarity and allure, depending entirely on the dancer's confidence and control.
Judging by the flushed cheeks and the brightly painted nails gripping the seats in front of them, Autumn could tell that the Let's Dance boys had made quite the visual impression on the girls of Dancing Stars.
"Wow… tall male dancers with long legs are just - mmm - chef's kisses. They don't even have to try to be sexy. Unlike…"
Whispered Iris, the most good-natured of the Dancing Stars. The girls around her nodded in agreement, while the boys beside them sneaked glances toward Kai.
Even standing straight, Kai wasn't taller than Autumn, and his face was now burning crimson. He was clearly furious at being compared - by his own team, no less - to the taller members of Let's Dance.
Crash!
A sharp crack rang out across the hall.
One of the seven wooden chairs collapsed completely, all four legs snapping under the weight of the unluckiest dancer on stage.
It had been a difficult move: step onto the chair, place one foot on the backrest, dance a few beats, and finally drop into a seated pose cool enough to end the number with style.
The unlucky boy - another from Class 12C - was now lying sideways on the floor, his knee bent, clutching himself in pain as his whole body trembled violently.
"My future children… forgive me!!!"
His anguished cry echoed through the hall, making every male student in the audience wince in collective sympathy. Even Kai - normally the kind of person who only cared about himself - winced and instinctively lowered his legs from the seat in front of him, curling them close as though to shield something precious.
"Take this… get him to the infirmary!"
Autumn tossed a small key to the boys sitting behind her. The school nurse, Trina, had been reassigned to assist the town hospital recently, leaving Autumn temporarily in charge of the infirmary keys.
From the audience, two male dancers from Dancing Stars - Matsu and Take - leapt gracefully down to the stage to carry the injured student away.
Let's Dance was now down to six members.
The six remaining boys were still sitting on their chairs, posing like cool, masculine statues. They tried to stand up - but couldn't. Somehow, something had glued the seats of their pants to the wooden surface.
Then Ruby's voice, melodic and theatrical, rang through the Grand Theater once more:
"The show must go on! Yeah! And so - Round Two comes to a close, with only two eliminations. But that's fine! Welcome, everyone… to Round Three of The Purge!"