Citlali sat with the Natlan ladies in the darkened concert room. All around them, the non-Natlan girls whispered excitedly, eager for the show to start. Aether promised Xinyan a birthday performance like no other, and the girls had been looking forward to it all month. The granny couldn't understand all the hype.

She glanced at Mavuika beside her, "Hey? You performed with Aether once, right? Was he really that good?"

"I'd say so," said Mavuika. "But I have no clue what his band is like."

Mualani beamed excitedly. "I hear he's going to do music from other worlds. I can't wait to hear some new tunes!"

Citlali supposed that could prove novel at least. Honestly, she'd rather be sitting at home with a book. She would be doing that if Yae Miko hadn't dragged her here. This thing better be worth the trip.

The theater went dark. A spotlight shone on a solitary figure posed center stage. Venti, dressed in white slacks, a fedora, and a sleeveless white shirt, flashed a grin. The music picked up.

Seven spotlights illuminated the silhouettes of seven men posed behind Venti. All began dancing in a seamless choreography. Then, the music slowed.

"Everybody," sang Venti. "Rock your body. Everybody, rock your body right."

The stage lights turned on, revealing the seven men behind Venti dressed in matching attire: Gaming, Kazuha, Itto, Lyney, Tartaglia, Kaeya, and Aether. All at once, they hit poses on the downbeat and belted out in one voice.

"Boyband's back, alright!"

The men broke into a grapevine with perfect body rolls, and their impressive footwork left everyone in awe. The dancers shifted positions, so Itto was upfront. He struck a pose, flared his finger into the air, and sang.

"Oh my Gods, we're back again," he smirked.

Lyney popped out of a hat and struck a stooped over pose.

"Brothers, sisters, everybody, sing."

Gaming hopped over Itto and took the spotlight. "Gonna bring the flavor, show you how."

All three men sang together, "Got a question for ya, better answer now."

They parted, giving the spotlight over to Aether.

"Am I original?" sang Aether.

The guys sang back, "Yeah."

"Am I the only one?"

"Yeah."

"Am I sexual?"

Several ladies in the audience screamed, "Oh, hell yes!"

"Am I everything you need, you better rock your body now!"

"Everybody," sang the men while doing an elaborate dance step. "Rock your body. Everybody, rock your body right. Boyband's back, alright!"

Citlali's undies experienced an unexpected rainstorm. Judging by the expressions on the faces of Eula, Mirror Maiden, and Yae Miko, she wasn't the only one. Mualani, Nilou, and Yoimiya jumped up and down to the music, bobbing around with their glowsticks. Furina's eyes were stars. Yae Miko, quietly, pinched her thighs together and bit her lips. Mirror Maiden drooled, utterly aroused at the sight.

Ayaka and Keqing, normally so formal, squealed whenever Aether's hips gyrated. Ei and Mavuika nodded along to the music, blushing and quietly giggling. Off in a corner, away from prying eyes, Arlecchino tapped her foot.

The song came to its final chorus. This time, whenever the men sang "yeah," the girls joined in. It was like they were saying yes to Aether's questions. Then the song reached its final verse, the men struck their final pose with Aether center stage flanked by the men. Fireworks went off on stage, sending out ribbons of sparks that accentuated the final beat.

The girls all jumped up and gave standing ovations. They whistled, hooted, cheered, and moaned. Even Citlali, the skeptic, had to applaud. That was sexy. Oh boy, that little number would be in her wet dreams for a long time to come.

But the show was only getting started. Lyney snapped his fingers. All their outfits changed. Now, they wore collared shirts with vests. Kaeya slipped into a bench and ran his fingers down the piano. Kazuha busted out a bass guitar and hammered out a melody. Itto got out a drum set while Lyney took out his guitar. He began riffing while Gaming played a tambourine.

Aether, Tartaglia, and Venti circled the microphone in a dance step.

Venti sang while Aether and Tartaglia harmonized.

"Uh-huh, huh, huh. Just let me tell you now. Uh-huh. When I had you to myself, I didn't want you around. Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd. But someone picked you from the bunch, one glance was all it took. Now it's much too late for me to take a second look."

Venti handed off the microphone to Tartaglia who took over the chorus.

"Oh, baby, give me one more chance (to show you that I love you). Won't you please let me back in your heart. Oh, darlin', I was blind to let you go (let you go, baby). But now since I see you in his arms (I want you back)."

Tartaglia passed the microphone off to Aether who took over the rest of the song. "Trying to live without your love is one long sleepless night. Let me show you, girl, that I know wrong from right. Every street you walk on, I leave tear stains on the ground. Following the girl I didn't even want around. Let me tell you now."

As they sang, the other guys joined them in the dance line with their instruments and harmonized. The song ended on a flash pose. By this point, Citlali was in the throes of ecstasy. Aether's singing was amazing, touching parts of her she didn't know could be touched.

Lyney snapped his fingers again. Their outfits changed into sleeveless collared shirts and the music went into an upbeat melody. The men shuffled around so Aether was center stage. He sang, "You're insecure. Don't know what for. You're turning heads when you walk through the door~"

The guys joined him in a magnificent chorus, "You don't know you're beautiful!"

Mualani, Yoimiya, Navia, and Amber jumped up and down to the music. Layla, Sucrose, Collei, and Ganyu blushed profusely, feeling as if every word was meant just for them. Arlecchino surrendered a tiny smile. As the song came to an end, the men took serious poses. Lyney snapped his fingers and another costume change saw the men wearing black shirts and dark pants.

A violin played. They all stood, legs spread shoulder width apart, as a spotlight highlighted the figure centerstage: Itto. The light illuminated his white mane giving him an angelic appearance that left Sara in awe. Then, he sang.

"Bye, bye, bye."

The men broke into synchronized dance-kick steps and grapevines. They stomped on the beat, crossed their legs and spun in unison. Then, they did matching body sways as Itto sang the first verse. The choreography was mesmerizing and Itto's voice—Kujo Sara would begrudgingly admit—was incredible.

As they struck final poses, squealing applause rang out across the auditorium. The men returned to their instruments. Venti nailed out a piano melody as Kaeya and Aether assumed center-stage. Aether took a breath and sang.

"It starts with love."

Kaeya came in spitting bars while Aether sang beautiful high notes. Between Kaeya's suave lyrics and Aether's sweet voice, the women lost their minds. Xinyan pumped her fists madly in the air. Citlali gave up all pretense of her dignified reputation and squealed. Eula's pants were a splash zone.

The song ended with the two men back-to-back.

Then, the men all at once sang in harmony, "Anybody find me…somebody to… love…"

Aether changed into white pants and a sleeveless white shirt. Kaeya took over piano duties. Venti strummed his lyre. Aether grabbed the microphone handle and prance-stepped around with it, while the guys harmonized beneath him.

"Can anybody find me," he sang with a tear in his eye, "somebody to love?"

Lyney's fingers worked the fretboard so fast it steamed. Everything went quiet. The men repeated the chorus, "Find me somebody to love," gradually growing louder and louder, until their whispered prayer became a hymn. Then, they cut out and Aether sang alone, his voice trilling all over the place.

The performance only got crazier from there. They put on face paint and sang a rock opera, "I was made for loving you," and then Aether sang, "It's Not Unusual." They brought back some favorite numbers: "I Want It That Way," "It's Gonna be Me," and "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You." They brought in some new numbers: "Take On Me," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and "My Girl."

They sang a somber song for their penultimate number that almost sounded like a proposal. Dressed like country boys in ten-gallon hats, they played a gentle melody. Aether, looking at each of his girlfriends, sang an emotional ballad, promising to stand by them forever.

"I swear, by the moon and the stars in the sky. I'll be there. For better or worse. 'Til death do us part. I'll love you with every beat of my heart. I swear."

Several girls broke into tears. Navia and Furina both sniffled, dabbing handkerchiefs to their eyes. Raiden Ei and Rosaria teared up a bit. For them, people who used to walk alone, the number touched their hearts. Arlecchino ducked her face to hide her blush.

Citlali didn't bother trying to hide her tears. Aether's promise filled a hole she thought would remain empty in her heart.

Kaeya went ham on the piano. Several girls recognized the song and squealed excitedly. Then, the piano slowed down. Aether took the microphone.

"And I would do anything for love. I'd run right into hell and back. I would do anything for love. I'd never lie to you and that's a fact. But I'll never forget the way you feel right now, oh no. No way. And I would do anything for love. Oh I would do anything for love. I would do anything for love, but I won't do that."

Ei sat in the Plane of Euthymia, rewatching the tape of Aether's performance. His voice made her heart race. Each song felt so sincere and sweet, as if meant just for her. Yes, she would treasure this memory for eternity.

Well, back to work, she supposed. Ei put away the tape and returned to Tenshukaku. She summoned General Sara, but instead her second in command showed up. The young man bowed to her.

Ei glanced around confusedly. "Where's General Sara?"

"She's taken a leave of absence, your excellency."

"Oh? What for?"

"I'm not sure. All she said was, 'Stupid, sexy Itto,' before she went to the mountains."