Chapter 56: The National Tournament
December 15, 2018, 12:00 PM—Tokyo International Forum.
Backstage, Ruby was taking deep, heavy breaths, making loud huffing sounds as her little face flushed a bright red.
"You're making way too much noise," Ichigo said, unable to watch any longer. "Back in the day, Ai never—"
Miyako immediately pinched his ear, cutting him off. "Will you zip it? How old was Ai when she debuted compared to her?"
She then knelt down, gently pulling Ruby into a warm embrace. "Just relax. You've already made it this far. No matter how it turns out, at least you got to stand on this stage."
Enveloped in Miyako's warm hug, Ruby gradually began to settle down. She took a sharp breath. "I want to relax, Auntie, but this place is just too huge!"
This was the grand finale of the All-Japan Youth Song Awards National Tournament. After surviving grueling regional qualifiers across the country, a total of 128 contestants across various age groups had made the final cut. There were 32 kids in the toddler division alone, and as the gold medalist of the Kanto regional tournament, Ruby had naturally cruised her way into the nationals. Today was the day of the ultimate showdown.
As Japan's most prestigious and authoritative youth singing competition, the scale of the national tournament completely blew the regional qualifiers out of the water. The main hall of the Tokyo International Forum could hold 5,000 people, and the live audience today easily cleared 4,000. NHK Educational TV was broadcasting the entire event live across the country, and over a dozen mainstream media outlets were present to cover it. The judging panel consisted of five top-tier industry experts, including a famous composer, an NHK music program producer, a renowned children's choir singer, a music education university professor, and a representative from the International Music Exchange Association.
The entire competition was broadcasted in real-time on a massive screen, meaning every single microscopic detail would be scrutinized by tens of thousands of viewers.
Ruby mumbled under her breath, "I'm just a little kid, you know? It's completely normal for me to feel terrified right now."
Miyako smiled, shaking her head. "You are definitely not an ordinary kid, sweetie. You're the Kanto region gold medalist. Just look around at your rivals—they don't look half as panicked as you."
Ruby quietly peeked around at the other children.
Most of the contestants seemed incredibly poised. A few looked nervous, but they were definitely in the minority. These kids either possessed ironclad nerves by birth or had already racked up plenty of experience performing in front of massive crowds.
"After going through the regional filters, the kids left standing are basically the ones with rock-solid mindsets," Ichigo noted, nodding in agreement.
Miyako leaned close to Ruby's ear, whispering softly, "You're a gold medal winner, so you can't let them outshine you, right? And most importantly... you're the child of the legendary idol, Ai Hoshino."
Ruby felt an instant, electric surge of motivation. *That's right. I'm Ai's daughter. In the future, I'm absolutely going to become an incredible idol just like Mama! I'll bring hope to people, just like how Ai brought hope to Sarina! My journey starts right here!*
1:00 PM rolled around, and the competition was ready to kick off. A host dressed in a formal, sharp navy blue suit stepped onto the stage, firing up the crowd for the national tournament.
"Welcome to the 15th All-Japan Youth Song Awards National Tournament! Today, 128 exceptional contestants from every corner of the country gather here for the ultimate showdown. Jointly hosted by the Japan Music Education Promotion Association, NHK Educational TV, and the Asahi Shimbun, this tournament upholds the philosophy of 'building bridges to the future through song,' creating a grand stage for children to showcase their brilliance. Let us give a roaring round of applause to welcome our five esteemed judges for today!"
Down in the audience stands, Hikaru, Ai, and Aqua were waiting for Ruby's turn to perform. All three of them wore hats and dark sunglasses, doing their absolute best to blend into the crowd and hide their presence.
Ai bit her lower lip nervously. "I'm so worried about Ruby. What if the pressure gets to her and she passes out?"
"Ruby isn't that fragile. She looks forward to the stage more than anyone; this is her dream," Aqua said. His face was completely expressionless, but his tiny fists were clenched white inside his pockets. "I believe in her."
Even when Sarina was plagued by a terminal illness, her willpower had been second to none. If anything, she was tougher than most healthy people. Aqua had always known this to be an absolute fact.
Hikaru, on the other hand, confidently patted his own chest. "Yeah, and I believe in myself."
Aqua slowly turned his head, staring dead at Hikaru for a few silent seconds.
"Uh, what I meant to say was..." Hikaru instantly backed down under Aqua's judgment-filled glare. "Ruby is a superstar. A tiny stage like this is a total walk in the park for her."
Ai covered her mouth, letting out a soft giggle.
Soon enough, the host officially called the start of the competition, kicking off with the toddler division. Saitou Ichigo fired off a quick text to Ai, letting them know Ruby had drawn a number right in the middle of the lineup, meaning they would have to settle in and wait a while.
As the performances went on, Hikaru noticed that the skill gap at the national level was lightyears ahead of the regionals. Quite a few kids had brought entirely original compositions to perform, and their stage presence and vocal stability were remarkably professional.
*Man, these kids are all loaded, aren't they?* Hikaru thought to himself. *But our Ruby is a literal little princess. She doesn't take a backseat to any of them.*
After a dozen or so contestants cleared the stage, the host's voice boomed through the speakers once more: "Next up, representing Tokyo—little Ruby Hoshino! She is our Kanto regional tournament gold medalist. She will be performing 'Little Star,' composed by Anonymous!"
Under the collective gaze of thousands, Ruby calmly walked onto the stage.
Today, she wore a lovely pink dress paired with white tights over her slender legs and matching pink patent leather shoes, making her look like an immaculate porcelain doll. Her long blonde hair cascaded casually down her back, shimmering brilliantly under the intense stage lights.
She marched straight toward the grand piano that had been pre-set on stage.
After a solid period of tutoring, Ruby had officially grasped the basics of the piano. Leading up to the finals, she had practiced the sheet music for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" an exhausting number of times, allowing her to play the simple children's tune flawlessly from memory.
Even at a massive national event like this, a self-accompanied vocal performance was an incredibly rare sight, especially in the youngest age bracket. Most kids relied on pre-recorded backing tracks or had an adult staff member accompany them on the keys. Self-accompaniment was typically reserved for older kids or prodigies with exceptional musical talent. While toddler contestants were technically allowed to play for themselves, it didn't always yield a positive result—in fact, a clumsy performance could easily tank their scores with the judges.
Ruby took her seat on the bench and gently pressed down on the keys. A crisp, ethereal piano chord immediately resonated throughout the massive hall.
She felt like her palms were dripping with nervous sweat, but the exact second her skin made contact with the ivory keys, the sensation vanished. All she felt was a cool, solid touch—a coldness that vividly reminded her of the iron railings on a hospital bed.
*I am not the old Sarina anymore!*
Ruby took a massive breath, opening her mouth to sing.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are~" Her voice was delightfully clear and sweet, ringing through the room like a beautiful silver bell.
Looking down at the ocean of faces in the crowd, Ruby had fully expected herself to freeze up or make a total fool of her family. But the moment she actually stood beneath the lights, a profound, unshakable serenity washed over her heart.
She firmly believed that Sensei was watching her from heaven right this second, so this performance absolutely could not fail!
For a split second, her vision blurred, and she thought she caught sight of a strangely familiar silhouette in the audience.
She blinked hard, only to realize it was just Aqua wildly waving his arms from the front rows.
*What the heck? You goofy older brother, don't just pop out of nowhere at a time like this!* Ruby complained internally, completely oblivious to the fact that her stage fright had entirely evaporated.
Before long, Ruby's song drifted to a beautiful finish. "Thank you, little Ruby, for that spectacular performance! Will the next contestant please prepare to take the stage," the host announced with a warm smile.
Ruby gave the audience a cheerful wave before skipping lightly off the stage.
The afternoon flew by in a blur. Once every single performance was wrapped up, the judging panel officially compiled their final scores.
Aqua looked at Ruby, who was still bouncing around with excitement. "How are you suddenly not nervous at all? What if you don't win a prize?"
Ruby gave a careless shrug. "Then I don't win. It's just a silly competition anyway."
Right then, the massive screens began to display the final scoreboard.
The host grabbed the microphone, his voice crackling with sheer excitement: "The grand champion of the 15th All-Japan Youth Song Awards is... Ruby Hoshino!"
A massive smile instantly split across Ruby's face. She hopped and skipped her way up to the stage to claim her prize, wrapping her small hands securely around her very own trophy.
"Along with a cash prize of 100,000 yen and a music scholarship worth 200,000 yen! Furthermore, she will be invited as a special guest performer for next year's grand finale opening ceremony!"
Once the award ceremony wrapped up, a massive herd of reporters swarmed the exit of the forum hall, their camera flashes exploding in a non-stop rhythm. Hikaru, Ai, and Aqua slipped out through a private side exit ahead of time, leaving Ruby, Ichigo, and Miyako to handle the media circus.
A talent scout wearing a low-profile cap stepped forward. "Excuse me, little Ruby, do you have any plans to make an official debut in the entertainment industry?"
Ichigo stared at the man, feeling as though he was looking into a mirror of his past self. He had asked Ai that exact same question once upon a time. He felt a brief wave of nostalgia, but he had absolutely zero intention of giving his past self a foot in the door.
"Apologies, but Ruby already has a talent agency she's set her heart on," Ichigo said without a shred of hesitation, planting his body firmly in front of the little girl.
*That's right. I already have an agency in mind, and I have a massive dream.*
Ruby gave a firm, heavy nod.
One day, she would become the idol that everyone absolutely idolized!
---
[100 Ps = 1 Bonus Chapter.]
[10 total review = 1 Bonus Chapter.]
[] Patreon:
➔ Unlock advanced chapters & exclusive supporter roles in discord!
➔ For 50 adv chapters. [email protected]/Prince_of_LanLi