Ch.45 Trinity ④

It feels like a dream.

On a dazzlingly shining stage - no.

The three girls fly through the air as if claiming the entire venue as their territory, dancing with trails of light trailing behind them.

The audience has seen the same thing before.

That was during Alpheria's debut concert.

Upon her debut, Alpheria held an unorthodox and extreme livestream, where she performed a miracle that completely overturned the conventional wisdom of idols by singing while dancing in the air.

This time too, It's clear that they're not just dancing haphazardly in the air, but that there's a proper choreography.

Many viewers felt a breath of fresh air as they watched them fly like a bird, dance like a butterfly, and sing like a mermaid.

 Times has changed.

 The nature of idols is changing.

We were convinced that we had entered a new era.

She boasted with a knowing look that it would be difficult to surpass the excitement of that day.

However, that upper limit was quickly overwritten.

By none other than Alpheria herself, and the two other girls.

It seems that Alpheria still had a lot of power hidden within her.

Or rather, it would be better to say that the two girls made the pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly.

It was clear at a glance that their performance had improved even more since the concert I saw a few months ago.

And that's no small thing.

Two times, three times, ten times.

Or maybe even more.

What's more, by the time they move on to the next song, they've reached an even higher level, which is quite frightening.

I am drawn to it.

I am drawn to it.

I get dragged in.

I can't take my eyes off it, as if I'm falling into a well.

Just like at that concert, notes and other musical symbols, as well as bands of light resembling sheet music, are scattered all over the place.

With a scene so dazzling it was hard to describe, there was no energy to wave penlights or cheer loudly.

It's not uncommon for spectators to even forget to breathe.

An ultimate beauty that seems to control the thoughts and even bodies of the audience. 

And it's not just Alpheria.

The other two girls also performed just as well as Alpheria.

The combined powers of the three create an incredible synergy that burns the minds of the audience.

And an idol's stage is not just a place to show off their honed skills.

It's a place to talk with fans.

Idols make their fans dream.

Fans show their love to their idols.

And in return for that love, the idols respond to their fans with even more brilliance.

However, this time the audience ー who had already become the girls' fans ー were unable to show their love.

As mentioned above, everyone was completely fascinated.

Alpheria and the others know this, so they don't say anything.

They makes eye contact with each other and smile, saying, "Just this once."

Because they know that they will just sink even deeper.

"--------!"

Ouka is watching the concert from the special seats that have been allocated for them.

She was as fascinated as the people around her.

Her eyes were sparkling with stars, and she was glued to it, not wanting to miss even a moment.

During Alpheria's debut concert, Ouka thought it was amazing from the bottom of her heart.

She realized that singing and dancing can truly move people.

For the first time in her life, she felt a sense of longing.

The brilliance that Alpheria emitted at that time is still treasured deep in her memories.

For Ouka, that concert was the starting point.

It was after seeing that concert that Ouka took a step forward of her own volition for the first time.

She was a nobody, and could only get by on handouts from her parents, but for the first time she decided to establish her own existence.

In return for Alpheria's encouragement, Ouka was once again admired.

The feeling that someday she too will do the same and grows stronger.

"Me too..."

And it wasn't just Ouka.

Suisen, sitting next to her, muttered.

"I definitely want to do that someday too nano."

You can't take your eyes off Alpheria and the others.

I'm sure nobody told anyone that.

It was like a vow they made to themself.

"Yeah, that's right. I want to be like that too."

Even though she understood that, Kikyo still chose to respond.

She wanted to share the emotion she felt.

"…………"

Momiji is silent.

Her attention is focused more on the black-haired girl than on Alpheria.

The reason for this is her overwhelming singing ability, which is truly worthy of being called a siren.

Because Momiji has more confidence in her singing than anyone else, she understood better than anyone else just how incredible she was.

A burning, throbbing curiosity.

On this day, Momiji faced off against a worthy opponent.

As they nodded in agreement with the behavior of their colleagues, their eyes remained fixed on Alpheria.

Alpheria and the others' expressions were bright.

It's easy to tell that they are enjoying it from the bottom of their hearts.

It was clear to see that they were connecting with the audience, and above all with each other.

If you could sing while dancing in the air like that, I'm sure you'd be able to see the most amazing view.

"...Muu."

But it was a bit complicated.

How can she express the emotions welling up in her heart?

For example, it's like someone you thought was your best friend brings their childhood friend over.

Then, as if they were showing her a much more harmonious relationship than she has, she began to feel jealousy and a sense of defeat.

(I, I don't really care? Aria and I are not friends. In fact, we are family. I don't really care at all, not even a little bit.)

As if reading Ouka's thoughts, Alpheria turned her gaze in her direction.

She chuckles and snaps, winking.

"Fuguu."

"She's a wicked woman after all...!" Ouka thought to herself in horror, but she still couldn't take her eyes off Alpheria.

◇◆◇

The song ends and we fell onto the stage.

After a brief moment of silence, a thunderous cheer erupted.

The number of concurrent viewers was also impressive, and the comments flooded in like a tsunami.

It was truly a great success.

We looked at each other and smiled.

I wait for the cheers to die down before speaking up.

"Yes, with this, our Trinity debut comes to an end! We'd like to thank everyone who accompanied us, and especially Ouka for giving us this opportunity!"

We all bowed deeply.

I smiled at Ouka and saw her panic in her seat.

"You may be curious about the true identities of these two, but that's something to look forward to later!"

Well, I'm sure a certain percentage of my listeners can already guess who they are, but anyway.

"The next song is the last one. So naturally, we'll close with that song. Everyone from "Autumn, Summer, Spring, and Winter" will be singing it, so look forward to it!"

Once again cheers erupt.

Amidst thunderous applause, we waved our hands and headed offstage.

"Phew, I sang good."

"Fufu, we really need to do the concert with just the three of us."

"Well, it was a good start, I guess. To be honest, Licia didn't think we reach 100 points though."

That's right.

It's embarrassing to say that despite all the boasting before the concert, we were unable to show our true potential.

"It can't be helped. It's been a few years since we last performed, and it was a one-shot performance without any rehearsals. But on the other hand, it means we can show even more amazing things in the future."

"As expected from you, Kaguya-neesama."

Licia praises Kaguya-senpai's positive comments.

"Now that I think about it, I said it was something to look forward to later, but is it okay for the two of you to remain affiliated with our agency?”

"Yes, Sanka-san has invited us, so we're planning on staying."

"Licia also serves as the head of the IT department, so she has to juggle two jobs."

"This is a big promotion."

"Of course. When I came to this world, I successfully stole some state secrets as a test of my skills. Looking at the lame security, it's obvious that Licia is superior to anyone else in this world when it comes to IT."

"That's horrible."

I wonder what this brat is doing.

"Even so, there's a lot of entertainment in this world. There are so many things to choose from that it's hard to decide."

"I want to try making a variety of dishes. The ingredients and cooking repertoire are incomparable to those at Blue Sphere."

When I hear stories like this, I really feel that the two of them really did come to Earth.

It was neither a dream nor a mistake.

They are in the same place as me now.

Tomorrow...nope.

Starting today, I can live my life again just like before.

I'm just going to relax at home today.

What to eat?

re you going to play a game tomorrow?

Plans for next week, going out together, etc.

That kind of ordinary everyday life.

In a world without war, we can relive the everyday life of those days.

When I thought that, tears started to flow from my eyes.

"Aria-chan?"

"Oh, what? Haha, why am I crying?"

The two of them turned their gaze towards me.

I managed a fake smile, but the tears showed no signs of stopping.

On the contrary, it only got worse, and I even began to sob.

"What am I doing? I'm sorry. I don't have the right to cry..."

 I tried to wipe it with my sleeve.

But no matter how much I wipe it, it just doesn't go away.

My tear ducts were completely messed up.

There's heat behind my eyes.

It's no good. It's no good.

It's absolutely wrong for me to play the victim when I'm the one who hurt them both.

"I'm sorry, Aria."

"Why are you apologizing, Kaguya-senpai...? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I was only thinking about myself again. I'm sure Aria wanted to live with me too."

I got hugged by Kaguya-senpai.

"...I'm sorry. You're right. 'I' have said too much."

Licia is comin in between us.

The same scene as before the concert.

But our feelings towards each other were completely reversed.

"So Aria-chan, don't hold it in. It's okay to cry. Cry, cry, cry a lot, and then the pain will be over. Because now we have a 'tomorrow'."

"Yes. I hope that one day we can laugh about it. That will make us that much happier."

Oh come on.

If you say that,

"Sorry... I might actually cry."

"Yes, that's fine."

She gently stroked my head, and the depths of my eyes felt even hotter.

Everything is a mess.

My thoughts, my mind, my body - nothing is working the way I want it to.

But at least this last thing,

"Kaguya-senpai, Licia."

Somehow, i managed to take a deep breath,

I exposed my shameful face to them.

"ー Thank you for coming to see me."

From then on I was at a loss for words.

Fortunately, the final song of "Autumn, Summer, Spring, Winter" by Ouka and the others, the song that represents Prisma Ark, began to play.

The voices of four girls singing can be heard from behind.

So I hid behind the voice and let my emotions run wild and sobbed.

All the feelings that had been lurking at the bottom of my heart since that day were turned into tears.

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