"Next one, number 93, midnight."

It was the voice of a middle-aged man. This was the first reaction after waking up at midnight.

The surrounding chaos dispersed, and she gradually walked out of the thick fog. It is not appropriate to say this. If I insist on a metaphor, it is more appropriate to say that the fog automatically dissipated. In short, she now has self-awareness. She noticed that from inside her body

The gradually glowing vitality slowly spreads throughout the body along with the gurgling blood.

Like an animal waking up from hibernation, she thought.

"The next one, No. 93, it's midnight!"

The middle-aged man's call seemed to go unanswered. The volume increased, and impatience was mixed with it. Perhaps to other people, it was just a change in pitch, but she could detect something more subtle. This was her long-standing feeling.

talent.

Long? she wondered.

At this time, someone pushed me gently from behind. The force was not strong, but there was a mixture of hesitation and encouragement. For a girl, this force was really light and definitely not a threat to a standing human being.

Strength. But it contained an incomprehensible meaning. A certain quality was wrapped in layers and sent into her body with just the right amount of force, forcing her to take a small step forward.

Looking back, there was a frail girl. A certain look of determination appeared on her slightly timid face.

The two girls looked at each other for about half a second, and then she was led into another room by a young man.

The other room was more spacious and bright, but all kinds of wired camera equipment were scattered around. There were about ten or twenty people from various staff and media reporters, and different types of camera lenses were pointed at her, which made her feel a little at a loss. The place where she stood was a temporary building.

On the stage, the lights on the opposite side were a little dazzling, a little unfriendly to her newly awakened consciousness. She took a small step back and squinted her eyes. It took a few seconds or maybe just a few tenths of a second for her to adapt.

Directly in front of her, there was a row of tables arranged neatly, and three men were sitting there. They were dressed in formal clothes, but the environment was a bit chaotic.

The man sitting on the far right seemed to be waiting for her to calm down. He smiled slightly and spoke at this moment:

"Are you ready?"

She was still a little confused about the situation, like a turtle pushed onto the beach by the waves. Anyway, she nodded first.

"Well, first of all, let me introduce myself."

"I am..." Eh? The words were difficult to form. The words that reached my mouth seemed to be absorbed by a black hole and disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace.

"who I am?"

Consciousness is stuck here, as if it has encountered an immeasurable high wall.

The atmosphere at the scene stagnated for a moment, and then became slightly noisy. Only then did she realize that she seemed to have expressed her doubts.

"Hahaha, who am I? Interesting philosophical question."

It was the man in the middle who laughed first. He wore glasses and was slightly chubby. His appearance had a strange affinity. It seemed that I rarely saw such a well-looking person in my memory. He was neither overly ostentatious nor overly arrogant.

Cringe. Just right is the most appropriate description.

"Quite innovative opening remarks, Mr. Akimoto." The man on the right.

"It's very courageous to be clever in situations like this." The man on the left.

The man named Akimoto-sensei waved his hand casually.

"Okay, on the 93rd, you called Wu Geng Shi Xiao. This is not a philosophical discussion meeting. Let's get started after we sort out our emotions. Is that okay?"

She, no, it was only at the fifth hour that she reconnected with the torrent of consciousness. Although it was in an intermittent and weak state, she finally understood the current situation.

She turned around and saw "Nogizaka 46 Final Selection Event for First Generation Students" written on the background board behind her. The water receded and the rocks on the shore revealed their original shape. The complex information gradually took shape in her mind.

"My name is Wu Geng Shi Xiao, No. 93," she said, "I was born in Hokkaido, I am fourteen years old. My hobbies are reading and listening to music."

It seemed that after seeing the words on the background board, certain information was extracted from her mind. The words came out of her mouth smoothly and naturally.

"My favorite writers are Haruki Murakami, Yukito Ayatsuji, Keigo Higashino and Osamu Dazai. My favorite singer is YUI. I came to participate in the selection event because I admire Maeda Atsuko-san. Please take care of me."

It ended naturally, everything was just right, as if it had been rehearsed countless times.

"Another young candidate, Mr. Akimoto."

"What's the age of the youngest?"

"No. 13, Asuka Saito, thirteen years old, petite."

"Yeah, I'm impressed."

Teacher Akimoto raised his head to observe the fifth watch and suddenly smiled: "You have the same hairstyle as Maeda. Short hair, but your aura is completely different. You are much calmer than she was then."

Wu Geng subconsciously touched his hair, which was indeed short.

"You said you joined the audition because of your admiration for Maeda, but the basic setting of Nogizaka is AKB's official opponent. I guess there will be many opportunities for head-to-head combat with real swords and guns in the future. Is it acceptable? A showdown with the senior you admire.

.”

Wu Geng was silent for a while, and there was no ready-made language in his mind. Is it a problem that I didn't expect before?

"Isn't this very romantic?" She had to think carefully before speaking. "A showdown on the stage with the senior idol that I admired is like a fateful duel."

The staff at the scene all showed shocked expressions.

Teacher Akimoto was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "You are really bragging, isn't it a fateful showdown? Even if you pass the selection, it will take many years for your quality to stand at the same height as Maeda. By then it is very likely that

He will be completely defeated. Is that okay?"

Wu Geng also smiled: "That was a good experience. Besides," she paused, and raised her arms in front of everyone's inquiring eyes, "I am quite confident in my fighting ability."

"Hahaha, interesting. Strictly speaking, dance is indeed a type of physical ability. Okay, let's change to the next contestant."

Wu Geng bowed and went down from the side stage, waiting for the final result.

"Next, No. 94, Nishino Nanase."

Across the stage, the man approached Mr. Akimoto and asked, "Is this okay, Mr. Akimoto, we didn't even do the 'stunt reveal' part on the 63rd just now."

"It doesn't matter," Teacher Akimoto said, "The young bird who doesn't know the heights of the sky is gambling on the future and wants to challenge the sky of the eagle. Isn't it in line with Nogizaka46's concept of 'the bottom overcomes the top'."

As he said that, he put a red circle on the information in his hand, where the words '5 o'clock passed the night' were placed.
Chapter completed!