Morning in Klang City was supposed to be peaceful.
Birds singing.
Shops opening.
People minding their business.
Instead—
Raon and Shion stood outside a massive line that stretched six blocks around a mall, wrapped around a bus stop, dipped through a laundromat, and somehow re-emerged from a pet store.
A giant banner read:
"KLANG CITY IDOL AUDITIONS!"
Hosted by: Discordia Beatmare
Special Judge: Manager Kimchi
Shion blinked.
"…why are we here?"
Raon crossed her arms.
"My landlord said if I don't pay rent today, he's entering me into this thing."
"That doesn't make sense."
"He said I have 'idol-face.'"
Shion turned to her.
"…you mean 'punch-face'?"
"Yeah, same thing."
It was not the same thing.
---
THE LINE WAS A NIGHTMARE
Cosplayers.
Tone-deaf TikTok singers.
A guy juggling live ferrets.
A sentient hologram arguing with its own projection.
A Remixling huddled in a scarf tried to avoid Raon's line of sight.
"SKRRRT… peace… peace…" it whimpered.
Raon squinted.
"Hey. Don't hide. I'm over the slap."
The Remixling screamed and dove into a backpack.
---
INSIDE THE AUDITION HALL
Bright lights.
Too much glitter.
Confetti cannons set to "anxiety."
At the judge's table:
DISCORDIA BEATMARE
Horse-headed EDM demon queen. Wearing sunglasses inside.
And somehow five microphones.
MANAGER KIMCHI
A man whose entire aura said "I haven't slept since 2004."
DJ BLOOP
Back to normal size, sitting nervously with noise-canceling headphones.
Every time Raon looked at him, he trembled.
"Let's get this over with," Raon muttered.
Shion pushed up her glasses.
"You don't need to be good. Just don't destroy anything."
"Well—"
"No kicking!"
"…no promises."
---
DISCORDIA ANNOUNCES THE RULES
She slammed her hoof on the table.
"ATTENTION, MORTALS!
You will sing! Dance! Perform!
Or face the MIGHTY DISCORDIA ELIMINATION BUZZER!"
She pointed at a giant red button.
The button hissed.
The button growled.
The button might have been alive.
Raon whispered to Shion, "If that thing jumps at me I'm kicking it."
"Do not kick the sentient button."
---
THE AUDITIONS BEGIN
A guy juggled flaming bowling balls.
Rejected.
A girl sang off-key and summoned actual thunderstorms.
Rejected.
Someone performed interpretive dance about taxes.
Rejected.
A Remixling dabbed for three minutes straight.
Accepted.
Standing ovation.
Raon leaned to Shion.
"…what is happening?"
"I don't know anymore."
---
RAON'S TURN
Manager Kimchi sighed.
"Contestant #4017… Raon."
Discordia leaned forward.
"STATE YOUR TALENT, TINY HUMAN."
Raon shrugged.
"I can punch stuff."
"THIS IS AN IDOL AUDITION, NOT A STREET FIGHT!"
"Oh."
Raon paused.
"…I can punch stuff rhythmically?"
Discordia blinked.
"…continue."
Raon cracked her knuckles.
Shion backed away six meters.
DJ Bloop hid under the table.
---
RAON'S PERFORMANCE
(It was not a performance.)
Raon inhaled…
Focused…
Raised her fist…
And punched the air.
Just air.
But the shockwave hit a disco ball, detonated it like a glitter grenade, launched confetti into a tornado, activated the cannons, and accidentally triggered the Elimination Button—
Which screamed, sprouted legs, and started running around the stage.
Discordia screamed.
Manager Kimchi screamed.
Bloop screamed in autotune.
Raon looked around the destruction.
"…that was rhythmic, right?"
Shion buried her face in her hands.
"I can't believe we're alive."
---
THE JUDGES' DECISION
Discordia stood, mane frazzled.
"TINY HUMAN!"
Raon stood tall.
"YES?"
"YOU…"
Raon braced herself.
"…ARE TOO DANGEROUS FOR THIS INDUSTRY."
Raon blinked.
"So… I'm rejected?"
"YES!"
Raon smiled gently.
"Nice."
Shion stared at her.
"You wanted to lose?"
"I wanted breakfast."
"…you could've said that instead of contributing to property damage."
Raon grabbed her bag.
"No, I couldn't."
---
BUT THE REAL ABSURDITY…
In the control room above them,
A shadowy technician watched the chaos on every screen.
The technician turned, face glowing purple with resonance.
Echo 3's influence pulsed in every monitor.
"Subject Raon… stability low.
Destruction potential… ideal."
The screen zoomed on Raon's smiling face.
"Phase Three: Idol Collapse… approved."