“Produceeeeer~” she cooed after the show, finding him alone in the backstage hallway, clipboard in hand. She sauntered up to him, her high heels clicking like a countdown. “Did you see my solo? I put a little extra devil in it tonight. Just for you.”

Miki turned fully, the devilish gleam in her eyes replaced by something far more dangerous: hope. She walked back to him slowly, deliberately, and this time there was no act. She took his hand—not a seductress’s move, but a girl’s.

The night of the Halloween Live was always Miki’s true stage. While the other idols twinkled in cute witch costumes or princess-like cat outfits, Miki had chosen something else entirely. A sleek, form-fitting black dress that shimmered like a raven’s wing, a choker with a tiny silver bell, and a pair of crimson contact lenses that made her eyes look like embers in the dark. Her signature “Devilish Appeal” wasn’t just an act—it was a weapon.

“Your devilish appeal,” he said quietly, “isn’t what makes you special. It’s the scared, lonely girl underneath who learned that the only way to make people stay was to be irresistible. I don’t want to be seduced, Miki. I want to be trusted.”

He caught her wrist—not hard, but firm. His thumb rested against her pulse point. “Miki. You don’t need to manipulate anyone to be loved. That’s the difference between a devil and a star.”

He smiled—a small, real smile. “Maybe. But I’m your idiot, if you want.”