"Beep beep!"
By now, the show's shuttle had arrived. Class A had its own mini bus — the privilege of the talented ones.
Leonard waved at Joshua with a look that showed no mercy. "See you at the dorms — I hope we get the same room!"
Even after sitting down, he kept watching Joshua through the window. Joshua felt Leonard definitely had a knack for acting.
[This guy's a creep, Joshua — don't be friends with him!] Nine said in a low voice.
"Just wait until the show's over," Joshua replied.
[We have to find a way to get rid of him. If you debut with that guy, things won't end well…] Nine kept muttering.
Joshua couldn't help but say, "Don't do anything evil."
[How dare you question my morals, you wretch?! Everyone can be vile — except me, who is the most virtuous!] Nine replied loudly.
"Okay, you're the most virtuous." Joshua could only nod.
[So am I your most virtuous one?] Nine asked excitedly.
Joshua fell silent for a moment and didn't answer.
Nine snorted; Joshua's mind immediately calmed down. Probably Nine was sulking again.
He didn't pay much attention to it and sat in his seat.
At that moment, a shadow suddenly fell over him, accompanied by an enthusiastic voice: "You're Joshua, right? Your performance was amazing just now—you'll attract many fans!"
Joshua looked over and saw a young man sitting down beside him. He had short gray hair, jet-black eyes like obsidian, slightly tanned skin, and a tall frame — maybe around 1.85 m. He looked energetic.
"Let me introduce myself — I'm Justin, also in Class B," Justin said with a smile.
Joshua nodded. "Nice to meet you."
Justin started chatting: "When you were on stage, my heart almost jumped out. I didn't expect you to be that interesting on stage. You're excellent!"
Justin was upbeat; he didn't "cross the line" like Leonard. The two had a fairly easygoing conversation, and Joshua's eyes fell on the keychain clipped to Justin's pocket.
Justin seemed to notice too; his eyes lit up immediately. "You like Aria, too? She's charming and cute — many of my friends like her!"
Joshua didn't know who Aria was — he'd only glanced because Justin's keychain looked a lot like the elf girl the body's owner had set as his PC wallpaper.
This elf girl was quite popular.
Joshua nodded, "I think her design is beautiful."
"Exactly, exactly — she's amazing…" Justin sounded like someone had flipped a switch; he kept talking like a jukebox.
Justin almost treated Joshua like a sworn brother when they got off the bus.
Seeing Joshua listening attentively, Justin suddenly scratched his cheek, as if embarrassed, and said, "Sorry, I talk a lot, huh — haha…"
Joshua gave him a slightly dubious look. "I'm still listening."
Justin blinked in surprise.
Joshua added without fuss, "I'll tell you to stop when I don't want to hear anymore. Right now I'm still listening."
Justin pressed his lips together, then suddenly lunged forward and hugged Joshua tightly. "Wow, you really are an angel, Joshua. Can we be best friends? I feel like we'd be perfect!"
Joshua didn't understand why one person after another wanted to be his best friend. He squirmed a little, and Justin immediately let him go, looking embarrassed. "Sorry."
"We'll assign dorms by drawing lots. Everyone, line up and draw in order!"
The instructor spoke into the megaphone, and the trainees quickly lined up to draw.
Joshua silently prayed three times, "Not the same room as Leonard," before reaching in to grab his slip.
He unfolded it: 202.
Their dorm building had five floors, each with eight rooms. Every room contained two bunk beds—a maximum of four people per room.
That had been the setup in previous seasons, and unless things had changed, this season should be the same.
After receiving his room number, Joshua quickly dragged his luggage upstairs.
He didn't have much inside—just one set of practice clothes, one set of daily wear, one outfit for going out, and the one he was wearing now—four outfits total.
Don't ask why—because right now, he was very, very, very poor.
Fortunately, the dorms had a washer-dryer. At least he could ensure he wore clean clothes the next day.
"Room 202..."
Joshua looked at the wooden door before him and knocked a few times. From inside, a voice responded, "Come in."
Click.
The door opened. Just as expected, two bunk beds were inside, and two people were already in the room—one of them a familiar face.
Arthur looked at Joshua, smiled gently, nodded, and greeted him warmly. "Hello, I'm Arthur. Pleased to meet you."
His smile was still as gentle as ever.
Luther glanced at Joshua, his voice low and cold: "Luther." With that, he walked toward the bed across from Arthur's.
Joshua looked at them, his vision almost dazzled. "They're both so handsome..."
[Don't get bewitched by their looks. They're opponents—your opponents! Don't forget that!] Nine immediately injected some caution into him.
Joshua wanted to say that appreciating good looks didn't mean he'd forgotten they were rivals, but he knew Nine wouldn't want to hear that.
"Looks like Arthur doesn't recognize me."
Nine: [Of course not. You look completely different from when you first started!] Even Nine hadn't expected Joshua to look like this after losing weight.
[Still, the fact that Arthur could smile and reach out to help you even when you looked like that proves he's got a solid personality. He's someone worth befriending!] Nine were analyzed rationally.
Joshua didn't mind Luther's coldness—everyone had their own personality. He smiled back at Arthur and said, "I'm Joshua..."
Joshua hadn't finished speaking when the door opened, and all three people turned to look.
Justin seemed surprised to find the room already occupied. He scratched his head awkwardly, but they lit up the moment his eyes landed on Joshua. "Joshua, this is great! I told you—we'd end up in the same room!"
Overjoyed, Justin grabbed Joshua and shook him enthusiastically before finally remembering to greet the others.
Ultimately, Joshua took the top bunk above Arthur, while Justin claimed the one above Luther.
Joshua glanced at Arthur's pristine, neatly made bed—it was apparent he had swapped out the sheets for a fresh set. Every movement of his was so calm and refined, and his wearing a suit only added to the impression that he belonged in an office approving billion-dollar contracts, not here training to be an idol and squeezing into a dorm with the rest of them.
That feeling only intensified when Joshua saw Arthur take out a bottle of disinfectant and begin sanitizing everything in sight.
[Wait until training leaves him drenched in sweat—let's see if he can keep up that image then, hmph!] Nine sneered.
"They all have their reasons, Nine. We should respect each person," Joshua corrected earnestly.
[I'm not even a person. Don't try to teach me how to be one!]
Nine sulked again, though Joshua had no idea why.
Everyone in the room seemed busy with their own tasks. Arthur was occupied with disinfecting, Luther sat on his bed sketching and writing on paper, and even the usually talkative Justin had quieted down, preoccupied with something else.
Joshua didn't say a word either. He opened his laptop—something he'd managed to buy after selling his old PC and adding a bit of savings, though of course he had to pay in installments.
He, too, had work to do.
[What's this? What are you doing?] Nine asked, puzzled by Joshua's actions.
Joshua answered softly, "Just writing down a few ideas."
[Ideas for what?]
"Going back to my old profession."
What old profession could Joshua possibly have? Nine couldn't help but feel suspicious, though something else quickly caught its attention instead:
[Why aren't you checking online to see the audience's reaction after the pre-recorded broadcast? The program's already opened voting! You'll be surprised to find that you have fans making edited videos of you!]