Once our greetings to Erial-san were finished, we headed toward the venue as the start time approached. A decent crowd had already gathered, all clearly waiting for the show to begin.
A moment later, a woman who appeared to be one of Erial-san’s subordinates stepped onto the center stage and addressed the crowd through amplification magic.
"Welcome, everyone! The performance by Heavenly Flower Princess Erial is about to begin. Allow me to explain how things will proceed. We would like everyone to move to their designated areas and enjoy the dance. The steps are very simple, so please don't worry, even if you have no prior experience."
It was a participation-style dance, just as Eingana-san had mentioned. Since it was supposed to be easy, I felt a wave of relief—I wasn't exactly what you’d call a seasoned dancer.
"We will now divide you into groups. Colored cards will appear before each of you. Please proceed to the area that matches the color of your card. Note that assignments are entirely random."
Immediately after the announcement, the space in front of me glowed faintly, and a card materialized in the air. I reached out and took it: a red card.
Glancing at the others, I saw our group had been split up quite a bit. Since Hina-chan and Flare-san had also drawn red cards, the three of us headed toward the red-floored area together.
"It looks like everyone has found their place. Please leave enough room so you don't accidentally bump into your neighbors. Now, I'll explain the dance. A World King subordinate will stand on the platform at the center of each area to act as your dance leader. They will demonstrate the steps in real-time, so please follow their lead. To begin..."
The dance steps turned out to be incredibly straightforward—mostly just repeating a basic pattern. It was likely kept simple so that even children could learn by imitation on the spot. I managed to pick it up without any real trouble.
While the core of the dance was just those basic steps, there was one specific rule: we had to freeze when our dance leader signaled a stop and resume only when they gave the cue. The whole thing was essentially a rhythmic cycle of moving and pausing.
"That concludes the explanation. Erial-sama will be performing here on this stage. Everyone, please enjoy yourselves!"
With the briefing over, the subordinate stepped down, and Erial-san took her place on the center stage. A few moments later, a catchy, upbeat track began to play, and she started to move.
Shortly after, the dance leader in our area gave the signal, and we joined in.
I matched my steps to the beat of the music. It was simple, yet the sheer volume of people moving in unison made for a spectacular sight. It was truly brilliant—even though we were just repeating basic motions, our synchronized pauses and starts transformed the crowd into a massive, living backup troupe for Erial-san’s performance.
The dance leaders coordinated the participants in each zone, and their movements, in turn, synchronized with Erial-san at the center.
With every repetition, our rhythm grew tighter. The thunderous sound of thousands of feet hitting the floor in unison created an overwhelming sense of power and unity. It really felt like we were all part of one single entity. While Erial-san’s solo was frantic and complex, the collective movements of the crowd served as the perfect frame to highlight her skill.
Caught up in that incredible feeling of togetherness, the massive performance seemed to end in the blink of an eye. I glanced at the venue's clock only to realize that quite a bit of time had actually passed—I'd been so engrossed that I’d completely lost track of it.
My body felt a dull ache of fatigue, but it was eclipsed by a deep sense of satisfaction.
"That was amazing! It felt like... I don't know, like everyone's hearts were beating as one!" Hina-chan exclaimed, her face flushed with excitement.
"Yeah," I agreed. "The unity was incredible."
"...This was masterfully planned," Flare-san remarked. "The structure allows even small children and the completely inexperienced to experience the pure joy of dance."
"It really was impressive," I added. "The steps were simple, but the way Erial-san and her team brought it all together... I feel fantastic."
It was exactly as Flare-san said. The entire event was built around the concept of sharing the "joy of dancing," leaving us all wanting more even after the music stopped. It reminded me of that time I’d danced with Erial-san in the park.
It was a beautiful performance—so characteristic of her desire to let as many people as possible discover how much fun dancing could be.
Serious-senpai: "Let’s see, with this, we’ve visited Jutia, Lilie, and Erial, so that makes it about halfway?"
???: "Since you’re looking so relaxed, Senpai, they might suddenly throw in some sugar somewhere."
Serious-senpai: "Why?! Stop with the pointless harassment!!"