The white scales that only Players could see stood out exceptionally clearly beneath the spotlight.
[Neutral Faction Player — Uta]
Just as she thought.
The last trace of wishful thinking in Misaka’s heart disappeared.
The girl who had swept across the world with her singing was, just like her, a “Player” from another world.
At the same time that Misaka was observing Uta, the songstress onstage seemed to sense something as well.
Her gaze passed over thousands upon thousands of frenzied fans before landing precisely on a particular spot in the front section.
There, a girl with short chestnut-brown hair sat quietly, completely out of place amid the surrounding revelry.
From Uta’s perspective, a shield emblem radiating a gentle green light floated above the girl’s head.
[Guardian Faction Player: Misaka Mikoto]
A flicker of surprise passed through Uta’s heterochromatic eyes.
But it was quickly replaced by an intrigued smile.
She raised a hand and gave Misaka a small wave.
The gesture was subtle and fleeting, swallowed almost completely by the dazzling stage lights and thunderous cheers.
Almost no one noticed it.
Except Gwen.
“Oh my God! Peter! Did you see that?!”
Gwen excitedly grabbed Peter’s arm and shook him hard.
“Uta! Uta was looking over here! She just waved at me!”
The glow stick in her hand spun around like a windmill, and she looked as though she wanted to fly straight onto the stage.
“Calm down, Gwen. Calm down.”
Peter’s head spun from all the shaking.
“There are so many people. She might’ve just been waving randomly.”
“No! I’m sure! She was looking at me!”
Gwen’s face was flushed bright red with excitement.
Misaka ignored the commotion beside her.
She simply watched Uta onstage, watching the innocent yet faintly mischievous smile on the girl’s face.
That hadn’t been an idol greeting a fan.
It had been one Player greeting another.
I see you.
Misaka understood the unspoken message behind that smile.
She didn’t respond.
Instead, she calmly turned her gaze away, her expression completely impassive, as though nothing had happened.
Uta raised the microphone.
Her clear, powerful voice surged forth like an unstoppable torrent, instantly sweeping through the entire venue.
“Are you tired of that same old melody~”
“Bound by rules, unable to breathe~”
The moment the singing began, the atmosphere inside Madison Square Garden changed completely.
If the crowd had been consumed by fervent worship before, now they were immersed in pure, unadulterated happiness.
There was something strangely magical about Uta’s voice.
It seemed capable of penetrating the eardrums and acting directly upon the nervous system, soothing every trace of anxiety and restlessness while awakening the deepest desires hidden within people’s hearts.
The stage lights and holographic projections transformed along with the music, creating breathtaking scenes.
Sometimes musical notes soared through the sky.
Sometimes candy-colored flowers bloomed across the stage.
Uta sang and danced freely, every movement and every glance filled with an irresistible infectiousness.
It was as though that meaningful greeting at the beginning had never happened.
She immersed herself completely in her performance, using her singing to weave a perfect world for everyone—a world containing nothing but happiness.
Misaka had to admit that the singing was impressive.
Putting aside its bizarre mental influence, the music itself was exceptional.
The melody, arrangement, and the singer’s technique were all top-tier.
No wonder so many people had gone crazy for her.
As the only truly “awake” person in the entire venue, Misaka’s electromagnetic perception allowed her to clearly “see” that Uta’s voice wasn’t accompanied by any abnormal energy fluctuations.
There was no mental interference.
No suggestion implanted in the mind.
It was simply…
A song.
A song in which technique, emotion, and talent had all reached an extraordinary level.
That, ironically, made Misaka even more cautious.
Unlike Shokuhou Misaki’s Mental Out, which required a medium and left traces that could be followed, Uta’s ability seemed far more natural and imperceptible.
She couldn’t even determine whether the ocean of fanaticism before her was the result of Uta’s ability or simply the manifestation of her personal charisma.
“She’s incredible…”
Peter murmured beside her, almost dreamily.
Misaka glanced at him.
The science nerd who had been dismissive of the concert not long ago was now staring at the stage with a completely captivated expression.
The glow stick he’d originally complained about was, at some point, moving rhythmically with the music.
His movements were still somewhat stiff, like a machine that hadn’t been properly oiled, but the expression on his face was one of pure, uncontrollable happiness.
Misaka’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
Idiot.
The song ended, and the venue erupted into thunderous applause and screams.
Uta simply smiled and bowed before immediately launching into her second song, “I’m Invincible.”
If “New Genesis” had been the trumpet call guiding everyone into a utopia, then “I’m Invincible” was the battle anthem that ignited the flames within every person’s heart.
The powerful rhythm and lyrics brimming with energy made the floor of Madison Square Garden tremble faintly.
Peter had completely let himself go.
He stood up alongside Gwen, awkwardly imitating the movements of the fans around him.
He waved his glow stick while humming along to a melody he barely knew.
Harry couldn’t stop laughing at the sight.
He even took out his phone and snapped a picture of Peter in this rare display of utter foolishness.
Misaka leaned against the back of her seat, watching the three friends who had been completely captured by the music.
She felt something she couldn’t quite put into words.
She couldn’t become part of their enthusiasm.
Yet she didn’t dislike it, either.
It was like watching a beautifully produced movie with an extraordinary ability to draw people in.
The concert continued song after song.
The upbeat numbers made people’s blood race, while the slower songs flowed like clear springs, soothing the hearts of everyone listening.
When “Backlight” began, the entire venue fell silent.
Only Uta’s clear voice, tinged with a hint of sadness, echoed through the sea of glow sticks that resembled a field of stars.
Misaka’s gaze settled on the small figure at the center of the stage.
For some reason, she suddenly felt that this girl named Uta might not be as simple as she had imagined.
There was something in Uta’s singing that revealed a profound loneliness far beyond what one would expect from someone her age.
Two hours later, the performance finally approached its conclusion amid the audience’s calls for an encore.
Uta stood at the edge of the stage and bowed deeply to the audience.
“Thank you, everyone! You were the best tonight!”
The venue lights came back on, pulling everyone from their dream and returning them to reality.
“It’s over… It’s really over?”
Gwen slumped back into her seat, her voice hoarse, though her face was filled with satisfaction and reluctance.
“I feel like I could listen to another hundred songs!”
“Your voice wouldn’t survive a hundred more.”
Harry laughed as he handed her a bottle of water.
Peter sat down as well.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes still slightly unfocused, as though he’d just finished running a marathon.
“It feels… strange.”
He murmured the words to himself.
Misaka stood up and rolled her stiff neck.
The probing, confrontation, or even conflict she’d anticipated had never happened.
Uta had simply put on a perfect concert and then taken her bow before leaving the stage.
Throughout the entire performance, Uta hadn’t looked at her again.
That greeting at the beginning seemed almost like an illusion.
Neutral Faction…
Misaka silently repeated the words in her mind.
Perhaps she’d been overthinking things.
This Player seemed to want nothing more than to quietly be a world-famous songstress.
The tension that had kept Misaka on edge throughout the entire evening finally eased slightly.
“Let’s go.”
She spoke in her usual flat tone.
“Aunt May told us to come home early.”
“Oh, right!”
Peter suddenly snapped back to reality and hurriedly helped Gwen, who was still lost in the afterglow of the concert, to her feet.
The four of them followed the crowd toward the exit.
Behind them, the enormous venue still echoed with countless voices chanting Uta’s name.
Misaka walked at the very back.
Before leaving, she turned around and looked at the enormous stage one last time.
Hmph.
She’s not bad…
Misaka muttered inwardly.
Beneath the spotlight, Uta had been like a source of light, drawing every gaze toward herself.
Every movement, every expression, radiated confidence and infectious energy.
She enjoyed the stage.
She enjoyed the cheers of tens of thousands of people.
She enjoyed using her singing to bring happiness to everyone.
Misaka could clearly see the purity in it.
And that only made her more confused.
Someone with such a powerful ability to influence the mind was using it simply to sing and make everyone happy?
That sounded…
Too naive.
In a world filled with dangers, where aliens or deranged criminals could appear at any moment, an ability like that could accomplish far more elsewhere than merely making its user a pop star.
Did she genuinely just want to be an idol?
Or was there some deeper purpose hidden behind all of this?