The crowd couldn’t stop gasping when Meow Meow suddenly ripped off the sailor tops.

Yes — she literally tore off the outer sailor layer, but this wasn’t some exhibitionist move. The costume had two layers: what she ripped away was just the outer shell. Underneath was a clean white short-sleeve shirt with a bright gold tie — exactly the fresh, pretty look a young idol should have.

That quick-change idea fit Restart perfectly: with the song’s contrasting halves, a one-piece reveal gives the stage the matching visual shift. I came up with the idea, but Scarlet-chan made it real. Her tailoring is the real deal — those last-minute outfits were surprisingly well made. They could be ripped off and buttoned back on again…

As Meow Meow sang she hauled Sis Xi up from the floor and with a crisp swish pulled off her sailor top to reveal the same white shirt and tie. Then Rinka, then Haitang — one after another.

The whole bit was staged like a mini play: symbolic of her shedding old chains, crawling out of the muck and stepping into the spotlight as an idol. It matched the song’s theme — wash away the past, start again.

With every swish the music changed, from bouncy and playful to fired-up and intense. Sure, Miss Takagi helped craft the moves to fit my idea, but I didn’t know how the audience would react — maybe they’d think it looked silly. Still, for Meow Meow and Sis Xi — who’d been lost and hopeless and had pulled themselves together — it had to mean something.

I believed that… I even got a little moved, and my nerves calmed.

After Xiao Lei was yanked up, it was my turn. I met Meow Meow’s eyes — those clear, ruby ones were full of a sincere, eager smile. She hardly ever looked at me like that.

My body felt light; I wasn’t so afraid anymore because I wasn’t alone.

She grabbed my arm and hauled me up, then pinched the tall collar of my costume.

“Chira—”

Huh? Chira? Everyone else’s pulls were clear swish sounds, but mine came out softer — chira. I wondered for a split second, but the show was still on, so I didn’t think about it.

I turned with the music to follow Xiao Lei’s steps… but after flipping the outer top away, Meow Meow’s hand had flown to my chest and stayed there. She kept singing, but her face flushed and her voice lost some of its force.

My heart dropped. I looked down at where she’d covered me.

“Ugh… gnn!”

A sound almost out, but held back. When Meow Meow ripped the sailor shell, she’d also tugged at the inner white shirt — her grip was terrifyingly strong — and two buttons popped right off.

My bra had pushed my chest out for all to see. If she hadn’t clapped a hand over it fast, the audience and the live cameras would’ve gotten an unexpected bonus.

This was an emergency. Even if it was her mistake, stopping now would doom the whole concert. I wasn’t going to let that happen.

I tried to reason with myself — a bra is just like a swimsuit, nobody should be ashamed — but I couldn’t lie to how I felt. Even a temporary girl body came with the Notebook’s mental tweaks; I still cared.

Think, Chang Kai — use your protagonist's brain!

…No plan came. The sailor tops had been tossed under the stage; I couldn’t run down and grab one. Panic crawled up my spine. Xiao Lei and the others saw my trouble; nobody broke step — everyone agreed on one rule: don’t wreck the show.

[Note: all the inner monologue above happened within two seconds after Meow-Meow tore my buttons.]

Meow Meow acted. She buttoned the first button I’d left loose, but the burst seam left a gap wide enough that a swinging tie couldn’t cover it — a tie clip would’ve helped.

Idols can’t turn their backs to the crowd for long. Meow Meow gave Xiao Lei a look and spun back to the front. Xiao Lei rushed up, took Meow Meow’s place, and physically stepped in front of me — then put her arms around my waist and spun me in a circle. Ballroom moves again? This hadn’t been rehearsed. We were supposed to be in the fast section, but we were doing lazy turns — isn’t this going to annoy the audience?

We were about to bail out to the wings when a miracle happened. Something strange pressed against my chest — something had appeared there, slipped under my shirt.

It was the Bishoujo Notebook. The Notebook itself had arrived on my chest. Its black cover blocked the popped seam.

Even stranger, it changed texture, softening into something like a piece of cloth. It wouldn’t jab me, and it hid the flash — to the audience it looked like I was simply wearing a black tank top under the shirt.

Xiao Lei had been staring greedily at my chest from the start, so she noticed the Notebook first. Once she realized, we hurriedly adjusted our steps and fell back into sync with Meow Meow and the other pairs.

We finished the finale. Hooray — cheers and applause. We nearly blew it, but in the end, we didn’t. The sudden partner spins looked like a flub and the audience forgave it… probably.

Backstage I clutched my chest and mumbled, “Thanks, Notebook-sama… I don’t know how to repay you.” It felt dumb talking to myself, but I meant it. I thought the Notebook would only be the bystanding observer, but it always shows up when I need it — even for things unrelated to transformations.

Meow Meow, exhausted, couldn’t rest properly. She shuffled over, head down. “About earlier… buzz buzz buzz,” she mumbled in a tiny, fuzzy voice I couldn’t catch.

“What did you say?” I asked.

She shot her head up, looked me dead in the eye, and shouted, “I said I’m sorry! Got it? I won’t say it a third time!” Then she spun and flopped onto the table like a dead dog. Charming apology.

I was drained too — dancing and the sudden scare had taken it out of me. With the Notebook still cushioning my chest, I flopped down on the table next to her and stared like we were two turtles blinking at each other.

If we were talking about stamina, Sis Xi — who’d been an overweight delinquent, should’ve also gotten beat now. But with her change into a workaholic, she started to fuss over Meow Meow who was on the table. “Sis, don’t rest yet — we’ve got interviews—”

“No interviews. I turned them all down,” Sis Yuanyue cut in, stepping through the door. She looked pale and shaken, the confident sparkle gone. When things slip from her control she gets that way.

“I’ve got some bad news,” she said, glancing at Sis Xi and Meow Meow, then at me.

“Something happened to Xiao Lü.”