Wishing Upon a Star: A Maiden's Nighttime Pleasures

From the perspective of Elize, formerly Eric

"Improv?"

There was a spot in the High Tone Dream sheet music that said to sing freely.

"Sing freely, they say... But how?"

Magical chanting requires singing precise scales strictly—deviation does not trigger the magic.

This unprecedented instruction to sing freely was baffling.

"Just sing freely within the scale. That's what scale training is for."

"Is that so?"

I was both confused and enlightened.

"My aim isn’t just to make the play successful. I want Elize to discover the joy of vocal music. Ever since I arrived in this world, I thought it dull to sing just to live, for pretense, or for competition. I want her to truly appreciate the beauty of music."

"Enjoy the sound?"

This thought caught me off guard.

Since becoming this body, all I thought about was getting back at the original Elize and making the girls in the dorm eat their words.

I saw singing and magic as merely tools for revenge or social climbing.

And now, even the upcoming festival was no different.

I was focused on raising our status, making everyone acknowledge my pair with Akira.

I planned to elevate Akira to the higher classes.

But what about Akira himself?

He suggested using vocal music for personal joy, not for competition.

"I always thought winning was the fun part," I muttered quietly.

"It doesn’t matter if I can't become the swan. The success or failure of the magic doesn't matter. I want your beautiful voice to resonate throughout the hall. Music has the power to move people's hearts, to stir their emotions. I want to show everyone at the venue, who view music as a tool for competition, its true beauty... Your beauty..."

My heart raced.

It skipped a beat.

Akira was far more mature and romantic than I had ever considered.

Could I... could Elize really do what he suggests?

To sing a song that touches everyone's hearts without relying on the power of magic.

With Akira, the starry sky seemed even more beautiful.

I wished on a shooting star for the play's success.

After finishing our training, I returned to my room alone.

A curious feeling bubbled up.

Tonight, it’s okay.

"Being in a woman’s body doesn't feel as good as when I was a man. Who lied and said it feels a hundred times better?"

I started my evening pleasure.

"What!?"

It was a lie.

As soon as I began thinking about Akira...

I am a man.

Such a thing should not be happening...