Idol (Selection Project rewrite/inspired story)

As the lights dimmed, four people stepped out into the spotlight. Even with the studio being almost empty, except for us and the staff, I knew that fighting off the nerves and putting on a performance still wouldn't be an easy feat. Or perhaps the current near dead silence as everyone in the room held their breaths in anticipation would actually make them more nervous? I wasn't entirely sure, to be honest. And yet, despite all that, Rena's group all looked quite composed. They were standing completely still at the center of the stage, patiently waiting for the cue to start.

One of the staff members came up to just below the stage and silently counted them down. Three, two, one...and start! All at the same time, music began playing and the four of them sprang into action. Shiori also confirmed on her phone that the livestream had also begun. This was it: their performance.

The first thing that struck me was Rena's voice. Just from the times I heard her speak normally, I could tell that she had a good voice. It had a rich smoothness to it, like melted chocolate. It was deeper than most girls', but that could easily be considered a selling point.

And yet, when she sang, of all those qualities were enhanced tenfold. From the very first note, her voice had my attention hanging on to every last word, as if my mind was gleaning for every bit of it. It was almost inconceivable to me that this was her first time performing like this. The sheer quality of her singing was enough to match and even surpass some pros. Just a couple seconds in, and I was already floored in astonishment.

But the show was far from over. Their formation shifted and Kyouko rotated in to take center stage. Though her singing was nowhere near Rena's level, it was by no means bad either. You could definitely hear the hours and effort she put into improving it. But somehow, her performance enraptured me even more deeply than Rena's. Every movement and inflection in her voice drew me in. The sheer amount of confidence she radiated was intoxicating. It was as if she were silently screaming with her whole being, "Look at me! Give me all of your attention, and never look away!"

In a way, she was almost more impressive than Rena. Although things like singing ability and dancing could be improved gradually through hard work and practice, the same couldn't be said for what Kyouko had. A star-like quality, as if she had been born to stand on stage and be watched by millions. An unending greed that only knew how to aim higher and higher, never even for a second bothering to look down.

At that moment, it struck me, like a flash of lightning and the clap of thunder.

Greed. That's exactly the right word to describe Kyouko. She was greedy.

Ever since I first met her, there was always something about her that unbalanced me, that was fundamentally irreconcilable with my very being. Now I knew what it was. She was greedy. By far, the greediest person I have ever known.

Greed is a somewhat unique quality. Since it is the desire for more, it comes inextricably packaged with "having". You can only be called "greedy" if you already have what you want more of.

I, on the other hand, was different. I had nothing. I have always had nothing. In that sense, I could never be greedy. And yet, I still wanted. To just as desperate a degree as Kyouko, if not more, I wanted and desired. But since it couldn't be called "greed", the right word for me would be... Hunger.

That's it. I was hungry.

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As Kyouko's group finished their performance and stepped off the stage, they were immediately greeted by cries of, "That was awesome! Kyouko's amazing!" Particularly from Kasumi. They all swarmed around their group to congratulate them, until it was just me and Nagisa standing apart from the rest.

"Suzune, are you alright?" Nagisa asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." About halfway through, I completely stopped paying attention to their concert, so I couldn't really say much regarding their performance. Evidently though, it must have been quite good because Rena's group had nearly doubled the amount of Hearts they had since I last checked. At this point, they were almost certainly safe from elimination.

As we walked back towards the lodge, Nagisa continued to watch me with concern in her eyes. It seems she was not convinced by my reassurance. However, there was someone else with us that would be much more deserving of such concern. 

"What are you thinking, Shiori?" I asked. Her gaze was fixed on the ground as she walked, but it didn't seem like she was paying attention to where she was stepping. She didn't even turn her head at all when she responded to me, either.

"It's just finally setting in," she said slowly. "With how Kyouko's performance went, it'll almost definitely go down to either me or you."

That was certainly a surprise. I thought that her primary concern would be about getting her own concert, specifically with regards to her other groupmate. And yet she was worrying about me? To be perfectly frank, I didn't think she would even stand a chance, given the current situation. Perhaps she still had an ace up her sleeve?

"Did Kana watch their performance?" I inquired.

"I think I understand her a little better now. It was livestreamed, so really there was no reason for us to show up in person. I'm sure she saw it."

"Understand her a little better", huh? I wondered what she meant by that. Just a little while ago, she seemed to be at a complete loss on how to handle Kana, but now her eyes carried a slight glint of determination. Maybe Shiori wasn't down for the count just yet.