[Novel: Venus Syndrome] [657] Slowly

The curtain rose slowly.

The underground live house in Shinjuku, "The Freak Show." It was a space that felt like an old theater forcibly renovated, where the distance between the audience and the stage was uncomfortably close. Neon signs glowed in the background, and low-hanging lights illuminated the stage.

After the accident that cost her both legs, Funa Sadahira, a high school girl from Kawaguchi Nishi High, became the subject of magazine articles and drew public sympathy. (Episode287Story) But the job she chose was not the "inspirational career path" the public had imagined.

An underground idol.

Funa had originally been a cheerleader for the Kawaguchi Nishi High soccer team. When they competed in the national tournament, her standout appearance in the cheering section became a hot topic online, and before she knew it, she was being called the "Scarecrow Beauty." It was said that because she stood so straight on her crutches, she looked like a scarecrow from a distance—or so the story went. (

Episode535Story) That face was remembered by many even after the accident.And one day, someone heard those rumors.

It was the manager of this live house, "The Freak Show."

"Hey, why don't you try being an underground idol?"
Funa thought for a moment and answered immediately.
"Sure, why not."

That was all it took.
A voice echoed from the side of the stage.

"Next up is our newcomer! Saitama Mermaid-chan!"

Cheers erupted.
A wheelchair slowly rolled out into the spotlight.

A costume with a blue scale-patterned tail fin.
Saitama Mermaid.
That was Funa's stage name.

She gripped the microphone.

"Good evening!"

Applause from the audience.
The band's intro began to play.

Funa started singing an idol song she had learned on the fly.
Her voice was still rough.

There was little choreography.
Because of the tail fin, she barely moved at all.

Even so, the atmosphere in the venue wasn't bad.
When the song ended, there was applause.

It wasn't flashy, but it was genuine applause.
It was safe to say it was a decent debut.

Funa looked out at the audience while still holding the microphone.
Honestly, she didn't know if she would make it as an underground idol.

But if she didn't—
She could just think of something else.

After the accident, Funa had learned that.
Life isn't just one path.
There are countless side roads.
So there was no need to rush.

She would just take it slowly.

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