Chapter 10
Honestly, after my turn, I was so drained that I couldn't properly watch the other participants' auditions.
"Hoo..."
I took off my VR headset for a moment, sighing as I wiped the sweat trickling down my forehead. Even with the AC on, the intangible heat was oppressive. The computer's heat and the headset's own temperature were no joke.
"Tsk... did it go okay...?"
Perched on the edge of my bed, I replayed my performance in my mind. I'd shown everything I'd prepared, or so I thought. The singing had gone as well as in practice, and my responses to the comments and questions felt smooth. The judges' feedback seemed decent too—not all glowing praise, but plenty of positives.
And Blackstone had watched my stream...?
"Agh... what the hell did he see..."
When they said I was great at streaming, I felt more embarrassed than happy. Before the audition started, I'd cursed more freely and thrown in all sorts of cutesy otaku-bait...
"Ugyagyagyagya!"
I kicked the innocent blanket, pulling it up to just below my eyes in secondhand embarrassment, even though no one was watching.
"Ah, whatever. Screw it... it's fine if he saw."
Deciding to think positive, I grabbed my phone and tuned back into the audition live. They'd told us to log back into the stage world after all performances ended, so I had time to kill.
The current audition was by Ceri, a streamer rocking a cat-eared avatar.
Watashi no namae o yonde kurenai nara~
Nanno imouto mo inai noni~
Her clear voice floated through the phone speaker. It was such a famous anime OST that I found myself humming along.
But was this okay for a singing contest...? It'd thrill subculture fans, sure, but rub others the wrong way.
And sure enough, Ceri's critique hit my worries head-on. She pointed out that being too immersed in Japanese culture could be a future hurdle, and since her usual streams leaned that way, it was disappointing not to see something new.
I flinched, feeling called out. I'd sung plenty of anime themes and J-pop on stream because I loved them... Good thing I'd gone with a Korean song today.
The judging was nearing its end, so I slipped my headset back on.
*Ding-dong*
With the alert chime, my small room shifted to another scene. In that space between reality and illusion, I became Luca once more and started moving.
"Alright~ Candidates, please head to the stage soon to check the results~"
Following the staff's instructions, the candidates' avatars surged toward the portal.
"Luca!"
"Ah! Unnie!"
I turned at the call from Clover unnie, someone I'd gotten friendly with during the auditions.
"Your singing was insane? Luca, you were totally the real deal!"
"Psh, what real deal? I am the real deal."
"Says the one getting all the rave reviews. Modest much?"
Unnie pulled off a >_< expression—impossible for real humans—and looked adorable. Time to match her.
"Unnie, you're this cute and if they don't pick you, that's straight-up bullshit."
"I'm bad at singing, so I'm probably out."
Our chit-chat didn't last; we hopped the portal and landed back on the audition stage.
"Okay! Looks like all candidates are gathered, so we'll get to the announcements!"
"Those called, please take a seat one by one on the chairs to the right!"
How'd they make the map this identical to a real audition show? Ten ornate chairs gleamed on the winner's platform—exactly half of us. The rest were out.
"Music... please...!"
Ugh, I hated this. I'd cringed watching from the screen before, but being the one standing here amid the tension music soured my face instantly.
Just call the names already... Would my heart give out from pounding this long? My throat was parched.
*Dudududung dudududung*
The signature tension-building track blared.
"Our first qualifier is... Jennifer!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Jennifer, please head up and take a seat!"
Even from afar, her scream pierced clear. The candidates showered her with congrats, and her avatar waved as she claimed the first chair. No surprise—Jennifer was a lock, no question.
Now the real battle for the iffy ones began.
"Next up!"
At least no ads since it was live. Good.
*Dudududung dudududung*
God, the music... Couldn't mute a qualifier announcement. So awkward.
"Humring! Head on up!"
"Whoa... no way..."
Humring's avatar, right by me, froze like it glitched.
"Humring, you look like you're crying already..."
No sooner said than she burst into sobs without even climbing up.
"Waaah... I really thought I was out... Hic..."
I didn't know much about streamer Humring, but this moment made her appeal clear. Crying usually annoyed me, but her whimpering voice dripped otherworldly cuteness. Changing to a crying expression mid-this? Genius. Or was it acting? Strategic tear-jerking...?
Rubbing her face with both hands, she sat beside Jennifer, who comforted her to no avail.
"Next candidate...!"
Whoa, still eight left? If I made it, hurry up; if not, just tell me now I'm out. This was torture.
Wondering how real audition contestants survived on-site, I tried to console myself. Six more were called after that, but my name wasn't among them. Heartbreaking.
"Now... only two chairs left, everyone."
Mind control. Mind control. If I flop, I flop. Plenty of better singers. Cute avatars too. My stream grew thanks to this, fans increased—no loss, right?
I repeated self-soothing lines, but couldn't ditch the hope that a lifeline might drop for me too.
"How about sending some cheering chats to your faves?"
...Imagining my PingDdukDan spamming Luca chants right now made my chest swell. Ah... please. I'll be good. Stream hard, practice singing daily. Please. Please.
"The candidate claiming a ticket to the Project CLOSER finals is..."
"Lea!"
Aah... right, her. Singing-top Lea, the monster who'd gone right before me. Honestly, it'd be weirder if she didn't make it.
The remaining candidates congratulated her, but we all felt the same—nine up there looking down, only one spot left for eleven of us. Bittersweet cheers.
"And now... just one candidate remains."
The stage fell deathly quiet again. Time crawled. Realizing my shot might end here choked me up.
Ah, don't cry till it's over and I'm alone. Throat tightening prematurely.
"Chat's blowing up. Lots saying no more suspense—so by popular demand, all at once!"
*Dudududung dudududung*
I squeezed my eyes shut. No expectations. Odds under 10%...
"Luca!"
"Oh. Fuck."
My name hit, and the words bypassed my brain, straight from the spine.