Edited by: Kuro and Lille

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From then on, Jaden was able to come out to his peers at the dance studio. A lot of them were actually very supportive, while some- cough cough Sumia, weren't. She pretended to be neutral about it, but deep inside she was disgusted.

System 225 used his powers to read other people’s minds to keep the Host updated. [Host, she wants to get rid of you. She finds you disgusting to look at. You are better than her and a visible stain to the current society. Her thoughts, and I quote, "Is doing everyone a favor."]

'People like her make me want to vomit,' Jaden replied and then continued to practice dancing. He didn’t really care too much about what Sumia thought of him.

After they finished their dance practice, Kelly brought everyone together. "Okay folks, next week, there will be people from CBStar, Radiant Entertainment, and JQ coming to look for potential idols or background dancers. We will be learning new choreography to show them, so make sure you all are on your A-game next week!"

Being Kelly's student made it so that they didn't have to go through the usual auditions. It was like a fast pass at an amusement park. They still had to walk but at least they didn't have to wait for so long.

It was after this announcement that Sumia decided to get rid of Jaden, her only threat.

The dancers chatted in excitement and couldn't help but dream about getting into one of the companies. Those companies were among the top 3 in the entertainment industry. Even being an idol trainee could set them for life. As long as they were a trainee, they could become a full-fledged idol. Jaden, on the other hand, remained calm. He didn't care if he got picked or not. He had his own ways of becoming famous if things didn’t work out.

They started practicing the dance that Kelly taught them. Sumia somehow was able to stand near Jaden. She glanced at him for a moment before coming up with a disgusting plan. She was going to ruin him and make sure he could never dance again.

Getting her train of thought just by seeing that look on her face, he sneered. She was stupid to think he didn't notice how malicious she was.

As they started to practice the dance in a group, Sumia moved closer and closer to Jaden. She tried to bump into him, but somehow Jaden always moved at the last minute. When she tried to trip him, he would somehow maneuver away from her leg. It got to the point where Kelly could even see that Sumia was trying to ruin Jaden.

Before Kelly could speak up, Jaden stopped dancing and went to go grab some water. "Kelly, is it alright if I move over there? It seems like Sumia needs more room than I do."

"That's fine, Jaden."

Jaden was nonchalant about the situation. He didn't try to blame her or belittle Sumia. Even slightly covered for her. This made Sumia irritated.

'Making it seem like you are benevolent and I'm the bitch...' She gritted her teeth and knew she had done too much. She had to take it slow, but she wasn't patient and wanted to get rid of Jaden immediately!

Jaden did this on purpose. He had a whole week to mess with her! There was no point in ending the entertainment so soon. Plus, he wanted to release some steam from this annoying world. The nerve of these worlds with this shitty soul and body management!

System 225 could clearly see how much the world had blackened his Host. His Host had gone through thousands of years of being slaughtered and this was what blackened him?

If Jaden heard System 225, he would grit his teeth in anger. He wanted to stab himself every moment of the day! He wanted to carve the perfect body. He wanted to stab himself with needles to feel better. If the world didn't have such shitty management, no one would have to feel this kind of turbulent emotions that had him feeling okay one second and then feeling like he was the most disgusting thing on the planet the next second!

(The world sneezed and felt a chill. Someone was definitely talking about them...)

So Jaden decided he was going to enjoy Sumia's little ploys. It would be funny to watch her dance around eggshells without knowing and then watch her fall to her death.

For the next week, Sumia tried everything she could to ruin Jaden but he seemed to shine even more with her attempts.

On the other hand, Jaden had already gotten bored with her by the second day, so he did a lot of things to improve himself. He sold a lot of his old clothes and bought new clothes. They were all very simple attire, but with his new haircut, he looked masculine.

He got an undercut with bangs long enough for him to style. He also got a chest binder to bind his small chest when he wasn't dancing. When he was dancing, he made a makeshift chest binder using two sports bras. It was enough to hide his chest.

His parents noticed his change but didn't comment on it. More like they didn't care to notice as Jaden's contact with them became more scarce.

The original Jaden didn't like to stand tall when he was out in public, but with the Host, he kept his head held high. He looked confident in every step, with every movement. People couldn't take their eyes off Jaden who looked as if he were an aloof Prince.

Jaden arrived at the dance studio early and helped Kelly set up. One by one, all of her students filed in looking their best.

Kelly, who saw that all her students were on time and in the studio, got everyone's attention. "Listen up everyone! Today is the day when those companies are coming to find some new talents. As long as you all behave and do the dance routines I showed you, most of you should find yourselves in a company if that is what you want."

This happened twice a year, so Kelly didn't mind it. She was glad to see new talents going into the entertainment world. If someone from her studio becomes famous, she would feel proud. She knew that her time as someone famous was up. It was time for the new generations to step up and bring the entertainment world further.

Whispers soon erupted, but only Jaden was silent. His thoughts were the usual ones, 'Where in the hell is my husband?' Usually, that man was so close to him. He was feeling really lonely. He was a whipped man.

‘Achoo…’ Husband, somewhere far off, sneezed.

****

The group of young adults and teens were very nervous to have the company reps looking at them as they danced. They felt as if the reps were staring into their soul, picking and choosing which parts they liked the best.

Only Jaden was able to keep his calm as he was used to the staring. He was an actor in the first world coming back. This was nothing.

The three reps, who were off to the side, were whispering amongst one another.

"His dancing is alright but he's having a hard time keeping up with everyone else. He does have skill, his only downfall is his stamina." The company rep from JQ turned her head to look over at a young man who was more towards the middle.

"That girl's technique is good but there's no emotion in her dancing." Rep from Radiant Entertainment stated.

"I think that young man is the only one who has piqued my interest." CBStar motioned his head towards Jaden.

The three reps nodded. Jaden was definitely outshining everyone in the room. With his new clothes and new hair, nothing could damper Jaden's mood.

Everyone around Jaden felt they wouldn't be able to shine near him, so everyone, including Sumia, danced away from him. But that made him look like he was in the center of the spotlight instead.

By the end of their dance routines, the three company reps went to meet everyone. Each person had potential, so meeting them to gauge their personalities was what determined if they were fit for the company or not.

They each went to the person closest to them. Each person had about 2 minutes to answer questions and try to impress the reps. Only when the reps finished talking to everyone, would they ask people to join their company.

Eventually, the rep from CBStar, Lawrence, went up to Jaden.

"Hello young man, my name is Lawrence. It’s nice to meet you."

"My name is Jaden, it's a pleasure to meet you as well." Jaden's voice was extremely gender-neutral. No one could tell if he was male or female through his voice. He also had perfect voice control, he didn't even need to worry about his voice. It was one of the few blessings the original had.

"Mr. Jaden, your dancing was quite beautiful and you worked well with others. You took my breath away as you danced."

"Thank you for your kind words. My craft is not yet perfect and I aim to achieve higher."

"Such an ambitious yet humble young man! How old are you? Are you still in school?"

"I'm 19 years old and I am a 2nd-year university student majoring in computer science. I am an online student though."

This was the only major that Jaden's father and he could compromise on. His father still wasn't happy, but working in IT was better than working in the entertainment industry. Plus, Jaden didn't mind working with technology as it could be used to make music.

Lawrence seemed really happy. Talented and smart! He wondered what else this good seedling could do.

"Do you know how to play any instruments or sing?" Asking if he made his own music was too much. He wouldn't hold such high expectations for newbies.

"I can play more than 5 instruments and I also sing." He didn't really specify which instruments as honestly, the original had a gifted ear and could learn any instrument as long as he played around with it for a bit. This was definitely not the Host's gift. He liked to use the skills the original bodies of each world had. It was such a shame that the original Jaden's parents didn't understand his gift. It was really sad that the original died never being able to show the world his abilities.

Lawrence's eyes lit up in delight. "If you don't mind singing a little for me? I would like to gauge where you are at."

By this time, the other two reps, Carl from Radiant Entertainment and Charlotte from JQ, had overheard the conversation between the two. They wanted to get in on the fun as well. If Jaden entered their company, he would definitely become a popular idol really quickly. It was like having a huge cash cow falling from the sky!

"Should I sing without an instrument?" He didn't mind it, but he didn't know what the reps preferred.

None of the reps had an instrument on hand. They didn't think this far!

"Kelly, do you have any instruments in your studio?" Charlotte asked even though it was probably unlikely to find one in a dance studio.

But they underestimated Kelly who could play the acoustic guitar. She left it in her office and only played it on her days off. "I do have one actually, but it's in my office. Let me go get it." Kelly told her students to behave while she went to get her guitar.

Sumia was watching Jaden and was utterly jealous of the attention he was getting. At most, they said she could be a decent idol trainee who did background dancing work as she trained in singing. She didn't know how to sing that much, though her voice was nice. That's probably why they suggested she would need vocal training. On the other hand, from how they were looking at Jaden, he was probably going to start as an idol right away. She didn't understand how it worked in the entertainment companies, but she knew that Jaden was always going to be a step ahead of her and outshine her!

Well, she didn't know that idol trainees had to do a lot, not just background dancing. Dancing, singing, teamwork, and bonding, etc., it was all a part of the training. They made enough money to live, but they had to stay in dorms and wait for their debut.

Jaden didn't know if Sumia ever became an idol as it wasn't stated in the explanation of the plot. Thinking about it, Jaden felt that the plotline was really incomplete... Something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He shrugged and let it be for now.

Kelly came out with a beautiful and well-cared-for acoustic guitar. Even though she wasn't too good at it, she at least knew a couple of simple songs. She handed it to Jaden whispering, "Please take care of my guitar."

Jaden nodded. He completely understood her sentiment. His instruments were practically his children. He took very good care of them as well.

He put the strap on so that he could stand and play. He tested out the strings and found they were already tuned.

Everyone was waiting for him to start playing while he thought about a song. He turned to System 225 to help him pick a song.

'What's the most popular song that matches my voice?'

[Answering the Host, the song “Winter Beauty” by Four Seasons is the most popular song that would match your voice. Also, there are plenty of high notes that would be able to show off your vocal range.]

'Hohoho, never heard of this song, but I can give it a go.'

"Before I start, may I pick a popular song on the charts and learn it right now to give myself a challenge?" He wanted to show off a bit and piss Sumia off even more. Ahh, he really loved teasing people. Just like how he teased James, he loved to see Sumia's reactions. No grudges held though. Jaden was just slightly petty.

Carl was excited to see how it would go. "Of course, of course. Go ahead."

Sumia gritted her teeth. That show off! He probably didn't even know how to play and was trying to drag out the situation so he wouldn't fail in front of everyone.

Jaden didn't care about the thoughts going in her head as he took out his earbuds and played the song on his phone. He started to play out all the chords he heard, where they were placed in the song, for how long, and the frequency of the usage.

After going through the song, he kept his phone out for the lyrics then placed it on the stool Kelly just brought over for him. He would only look at them just in case he forgot something.

He didn't pay attention to his audience as he started to play. They immediately knew the song he was playing. The song was “Winter Beauty” by Four Seasons. Incidentally, Four Seasons was the famous boy group that Sumia would do a lot of background dancing for in the future.

His voice went well with the acoustic version of the song. His control was very good and he was able to stay on key. He added his own twist to it, but he highlighted all the best parts of the song.

To be able to learn a song and grab its essence in a matter of minutes, they knew they found a talented new star!

---

kuro_kama: Ohh~ Every time I see~... this line ‘Something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it.’ I feel there are millions of butterflies in my stomach. Is this what they call Love?

Lille: It’s the first time we see a mean Female Lead here, it’s fun seeing Jaden tease her (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ

Grandpa Marky: (Copied from CG and Tapas) Hey everyone, I just want you all to know that my Patreon page is up and running. I know it seems a bit expensive but I got bills to pay and a kitten to feed! Also, I hate odd numbers. The one dollar was gnawing at my conscience the whole time. On my page, it explains a bit but if you pick a tier, Grandchildren, Good Grandchildren, and Favorite Grandchildren you will get two early chapters, four early chapters, and 6 early chapters respectively! Obviously, I hope to see some of you become my favorite grandchildren.
Also, someone put on my page "need more trans main characters." Maybe in the future that will happen. As a trans man myself, it's always nice to see transgender representation. Other than that, I saw your comments in the last chapter so no worries! Coming out is hard so don't rush it. I love you all! Stay safe.