The man didn't say much, but his composed demeanor offered some reassurance to the three girls. Maybe it really was just an accident.
The director wiped the sweat from his brow and hurried over.
"Ladies, I'm truly sorry! I can't believe something like this happened. Do you still want to continue the performance? If you're not feeling well, you can take a break."
Hoshizuki Hikari exchanged glances with her teammates, finding the same determination reflected in their eyes.
"We're fine." Hoshizuki Hikari took a deep breath and forced a smile. "We can continue."
The interruption was temporarily pushed aside. The show had to go on.
Under the staff's heightened precautions, the three quickly regained their composure. As the stage lights illuminated once more and the music resumed, they stepped back onto the stage.
Sol stood in the shadows backstage, watching them effortlessly slip back into their roles, radiating the brilliance expected of idols as waves of cheers echoed throughout the venue.
His gaze, however, remained fixed beyond the stage.
Like a cold, precise radar, he carefully scanned every corner of the recording venue.
Among the staff.
Within the audience.
Even inside the control room.
The malicious presences hidden throughout the venue.
One.
Two.
Three.
Found them.
It seemed the other side had run out of patience.
The performance approached its finale, the song reaching its climax. Hoshizuki Hikari's difficult spinning move sent her skirt swirling through the air, drawing an even louder chorus of cheers from the crowd.
Then another incident occurred.
A fog machine positioned near the edge of the stage suddenly malfunctioned.
Instead of releasing cool white mist, it erupted with a thick cloud of dense gray smoke, carrying a pungent chemical odor as it rapidly spread toward the center of the stage.
Audience members closest to the stage immediately began coughing, and panic rippled through the crowd.
"What's happening?!" the director roared into his radio.
"Equipment malfunction! The sprayer pressure is abnormal!" the safety officer replied, panic evident in his voice.
The smoke quickly engulfed half the stage.
Hoshizuki Hikari and her teammates were caught directly in its path. Their eyes watered, their throats burned, and their choreography instantly faltered as breathing became difficult.
Sora Mirai stumbled and nearly fell.
Backstage descended into chaos. Staff members attempted to rush forward but were forced back by the spreading smoke.
Amid the confusion, Sol spotted the curse user he had marked earlier.
Hidden among the prop crew, the man wore a sinister smile as he casually released a small button on a control panel.
Another "accident."
Sol's eyes turned cold.
This time it was chemical smoke.
Enough to create panic, damage the performers' respiratory systems, and test his reaction.
If he dispersed it with overwhelming power, he would attract unnecessary attention.
Fortunately, that wasn't necessary.
His Telekinesis spread out silently.
With flawless precision, the irritating smoke was seized by an invisible force.
The cloud abruptly stopped expanding.
Then it compressed.
The gray haze condensed into a dense sphere, as though an enormous invisible hand had squeezed it together.
A moment later, the entire mass was forcibly shoved back into the malfunctioning machine.
Clang!
A heavy metallic thud echoed through the stage.
The machine's outer casing dented inward before falling completely silent.
At the same time, another subtle wave of Telekinesis swept across Hoshizuki Hikari and her teammates.
An invisible filter formed over their mouths and noses, isolating the remaining traces of harmful gas lingering in the air.
The entire process took less than two seconds.
To the audience and most of the staff, it simply appeared as though the smoke had suddenly retracted on its own before the machine broke.
A few people vaguely sensed that something felt strange, but the confusion of the moment quickly buried those thoughts.
"Cough... cough... What was that?"
"The machine broke, right?"
"That smoke was awful... but it's gone now."
The three idols paused briefly.
Thanks to Sol's intervention, they had inhaled very little of the smoke. Their breathing quickly stabilized.
After exchanging a glance, they suppressed their discomfort and resumed the performance.
Their movements were slightly stiff, and their smiles a little strained, but their professionalism carried them through.
As the performance continued, the audience gradually calmed down.
Inside the control room, the director wiped away another layer of sweat.
"Damn it! What's wrong with the equipment today?! I want every piece of equipment inspected after this!"
The curse user who had tampered with the machine froze.
His smug smile vanished, replaced by confusion and disbelief.
He stared at the stage before cautiously glancing toward Sol.
He couldn't understand how the smoke had disappeared.
Sol met his gaze.
The cold look felt like an ice pick driven into the man's chest.
The curse user shuddered violently.
Instinctively lowering his head, he felt cold sweat soak through his clothes as an indescribable fear took hold.
The performance finally concluded.
Though not without several scares.
Hoshizuki Hikari and her teammates bowed for the curtain call before quickly returning backstage.
The moment they stepped behind the curtain, their legs weakened slightly.
Their manager immediately rushed over with towels and water.
"Are you alright? You scared me to death!" the manager said, her voice trembling.
"We're okay." Hoshizuki Hikari accepted the water and rinsed her mouth. Her face remained somewhat pale. "We just inhaled a little smoke. It was irritating."
"Why do accidents keep happening today?" Sora Mirai asked between breaths, still visibly shaken.
Natsukawa Haruka pressed a hand against her chest.
"I don't know... something feels off."
Sol walked over.
"Equipment gets old. Accidents happen," he said evenly, revealing none of what he truly knew.
The three looked at him.
Seeing his calm expression, their racing hearts gradually settled.
The repeated incidents were unsettling, but perhaps they really were just unfortunate coincidences.
"Let's head back to the dressing room and get some rest," the manager said quickly. "Drink some water and recover."
Back in their private dressing room, the door closed behind them, shutting out the noise from outside.
The three sat together on the sofa, unusually quiet after the series of incidents.
"I just feel like today hasn't gone smoothly," Hoshizuki Hikari said softly, twisting the hem of her clothing between her fingers.
"Yeah, but at least nothing serious happened." Sora Mirai leaned back against the sofa. "It's a good thing Sol was always nearby."
Natsukawa Haruka remained silent, studying Sol thoughtfully.
Standing by the window, Sol watched the audience gradually leave the venue below.
His perception remained locked onto the sources of malice scattered throughout the backstage area.
They were still there.
Still pretending to work.
Still searching for another opportunity.
"The recording isn't completely finished," the manager said after ending a phone call. "There may be reshoots and some fan interaction segments later. You'll need to stay focused."
Sure enough, only a few minutes later, a staff member knocked on the dressing room door.
The group was invited to a small photography studio for a brief post-show interview and a live fan interaction session.