As expected, Luther became the first to step into Class A. When he walked off the stage, the other trainees enthusiastically gave him a thunderous round of applause.
Joshua clapped along, following Luther with his gaze, only to realize that Luther had taken a seat on the left side of his row, just several seats away. Joshua hadn't noticed before.
At that moment, Luther suddenly lifted his eyes, meeting Joshua's gaze briefly before coldly looking away, as if he didn't care much about him.
Joshua was still stunned, his hands frozen mid-applause.
[Look at that, acting all aloof just because he's a little talented. You have to make it into Class A, too, Joshua!]
Joshua compared Luther's rapping skills to his own and still couldn't understand why Nine always had such immense faith in him.
[Hey, why aren't you answering me? You've been ignoring me ever since you sat down in the studio! You jerk, do you even realize what I'm doing for you?]
What caught Joshua's eyes was Luther's side profile—several long strands of hair draping across his face, and around him seemed to shimmer an automatic halo, glittering.
"Like a princess..."
[Huh? What did you say?]
"Ha ha ha, casually calling someone a princess like that isn't a good idea." Right then, the voices of Nine and Leonard rang out in Joshua's ears simultaneously.
Joshua glanced at Leonard but said nothing.
Leonard couldn't help but chuckle, leaning closer: "What's wrong? Still mad about earlier? I'm sorry, alright? Forgive me, okay? Sorry, Little Bun. Ha ha, what a cute nickname—Little Bun suits you."
Joshua: "..."
He was genuinely speechless. Leonard was even more incomprehensible than Nine.
Sensing Joshua's "disdainful" stare, Leonard wiped away tears of laughter at the corner of his eyes, grinning brightly as he stood up.
Backlit, he bent down toward Joshua until their noses almost touched: "Stop gawking at someone else in admiration. I'll show you what a real Ace looks like. You better clap for me!"
Simultaneously, the MC's voice rang out, sharp and high: "Next, trainee number 054, please come to the stage!"
Before Joshua could push him away, Leonard had already leapt to his feet, dashing onto the stage confidently.
[Do you know what he looks like?] Nine spoke cryptically.
"Looks like what?" Joshua asked doubtfully.
[An elementary school kid.]
Joshua thought for a moment, then nodded in wholehearted agreement.
Still, there was no denying that this "elementary school kid" was powerful.
Leonard's performance radiated boundless energy. He blazed so brightly on stage that Joshua nearly forgot how annoying he was.
The Mentorship Panel praised him unanimously; his seat in Class A was beyond doubt.
Watching Leonard shine on stage, Joshua softly said to Nine: "Everyone really is so strong..."
Nine, afraid Joshua might lose heart, said: [Don't worry, you're not inferior!]
As soon as Leonard stepped down, he saw Joshua clapping with a serious expression. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "Didn't expect you to clap for me."
Joshua tilted his head back to look at him and said softly: "I clapped for you, but you're really annoying."
With that, he stood up and brushed past Leonard, knowing it was his turn.
Leonard glanced at the shoulder that had just been bumped, his eyes lowering slightly.
Joshua clearly wasn't scary in the slightest. An angry little pink-eyed rabbit—was that scary? Who would find that frightening? Leonard only thought it was adorable. But even so, he didn't want Joshua showing that expression to him.
"Tch!"
He clicked his tongue, a little irritated, and sat back down. His peers nearby wanted to step up and offer congratulations, but seeing his expression, they didn't dare say a word.
Who on earth had provoked him?!
Meanwhile, the "culprit" had already walked onto the stage.
Joshua's physique was noticeably less proportionate amid a crowd of potential idol trainees.
Fortunately, his face was adorable, which kept him from looking too awkward.
Joshua gave a brief introduction, his gaze sweeping down to the audience. There were only a hundred people, yet the sight left him dizzy, nearly breathless. He couldn't even make out where his seat had been anymore—the faces blurred together until all that remained were blinding lights and pounding music.
Joshua chose a powerful, intense dance routine. Previously, he had been an art student, majoring in dance.
But this body was stiff and couldn't quite capture the fluidity he wanted. On top of that, he carried a bit of extra weight, so choosing a strong, dynamic dance style would help conceal this flaw.
Then, as his expression turned serious, his body began to move. Despite his slightly chubby build, each step was light and smooth, like he had engines beneath his feet.
Nine shouted: [As expected of an A-rank dancer! Hardly anyone here has skills that can match you! Joshua, I told you you could do it!]
I've always felt I could do it too...
Joshua smiled as his body leapt, landing firmly and finishing his routine. Under the lights, his eyes seemed to hold a galaxy of stars, sparkling brilliantly. His lips parted, breath coming heavy.
He saw the Mentorship Panel smiling, the trainees below applauding, the sound roaring—strange, like a dream, yet real.
No more cold laboratories. Only a new future, a brand-new future.
Joshua suddenly realized that standing on stage wasn't so frightening after all—because he was smiling, truly happy. He liked this feeling!
"Alright, our Joshua—that was an excellent performance! Your steps were as smooth as a fish gliding through water!"
Mr. Benjamin, the dance mentor of "Shining Path," did not hold back his praise.
Joshua took a deep breath, smiled, and nodded, speaking into the mic: "Thank you."
At this moment, Mrs. Emilia, their vocal mentor, also spoke up: "I looked over your application form, and it says here you can also sing and rap. Why didn't you combine them in your performance?"
A combined performance was significantly more difficult. Not only did it showcase a trainee's talent, but it also revealed stamina and various stage-control skills.
In the end, what was bound to come finally arrived. Joshua smiled, secretly stabbing Nine a few times in his heart, while outwardly replying softly: "Due to certain reasons, my stamina doesn't allow me to sing while dancing. On top of that, I have a slight injury, and my singing voice hasn't recovered yet."
Hearing this, Mrs. Emilia looked regretful: "Then can you sing a short piece for us right now?"
They wanted more concrete data for evaluation to determine which class Joshua would be placed into.
Joshua drew in another deep breath. He had already expected this situation, so he'd made some preparations. He had no choice but to do it.
[Personal Panel
Name: Joshua Adonis
Age: 17
Height: 173
Sing: D(6/40)
Dance: A
Rap: E(10/20)
Visual: ???]
Sing ranked D—no technique, stiff, lacking smoothness, but not so unpleasant as unbearable. It was listenable, though not exactly enjoyable or captivating.
So the more important thing was the song choice...
"Get off work, get off work, I just want to get off work already! Over time, I hate working overtime!"
He sang while throwing in some freestyle dance moves, spinning his body once, one hand stretched forward with his index finger wagging.
"Boss, I want to clock out on time, because my time... is really precious, Boss~"
He kicked hi and leg, raised his fs to his face to rub them like he was crying, his even pouting slightly.
"Get off work, get off work..."
[Good, good, that's it! That expression isn't gross at all—it's adorable! Yes, pout just a little more, perfect, perfect! I can already imagine the mommy-fans screaming over this. Good, very good, so cute, excellent!] Nine seemed to have entered a state of total loss of control.
Joshua wanted to kill Nine—he'd almost forgotten the lyrics just now!
Thankfully, despite all the struggles, the performance was finally completed!
Joshua looked down nervously, meeting Mrs. Emilia's stiff expression.
[First mission: Collect 1000 Fame Points!
Time limit: 10 days
Reward upon completion: New Voice Talent
Punishment for failure: Be buried together with this world.]
[Mission Progress 5/1000]
How embarrassing.