Why do people give their unconditional support to someone they don't know at all?
Why does everyone show such intense passion for her transparently obvious act?
What exactly is the relationship between a fan and their "oshi"?
Before she was reunited with Chihaya Tetsuya, Hoshino Ai could never understand this "love" that was built on lies.
But if that were the case... then why, at this very moment, did this ocean of light sticks and cheers exist before her?
Perhaps what they were watching was indeed a phantom constructed from lies and performance, but... this heartfelt affection and adoration was real—
It was just like the feelings she had held for Chihaya Tetsuya during the seven years they were apart.
Even though she didn't know what he had become, even though she could only create a fictional image of him based on her memories from the orphanage, even though she couldn't even be sure if he remembered her, she was still able to hold endless longing and love for the figure that existed only in her imagination.
Ah, I see. Now it all makes sense.
If this was what it meant to have an "oshi"... then hadn't she had her own oshi all along?
(Although everyone's life experiences are different... there are always times when you feel lost, or when you crave something to believe in because you lack a sense of security, right?)
With a brightness that made it almost impossible to open her eyes, the heat of the spotlights and the gazes of the fans gradually focused on Ai.
(If the feelings everyone has for me are the same as the feelings I had for Tetsu back then, then... I really can't just dismiss everyone's feelings as simple lies.)
Because she, who had also experienced that same loneliness and helplessness, understood better than anyone just how precious the emotional support born from lies could be.
(Perhaps the person you're watching isn't the real me.)
Her eyes gradually adjusted to the dazzling light.
(Perhaps we will never be able to truly understand each other.)
The choir's chanting grew stronger with the accompaniment.
(But... if this version of me, which exists for him alone, can provide you with the strength I once relied on to survive.)
The figure of Chihaya Tetsuya came into sharp focus in her vision.
(Then I don't mind becoming the "god" in your hearts!)
...
"What's going on? Her aura is completely different from before."
Gazing at the beautiful figure bathed in the lights, Sakurakouji Luna couldn't help but show a stunned expression.
"Is it because of the clothes? I feel like she's become a completely different person..."
"..."
Togawa Sakiko didn't speak. She just quietly watched the figure, who seemed to be emitting a hazy glow, and sighed inwardly.
(She understands now.)
Among all the girls around Tetsuya, Ai's personality was undoubtedly the one most different from his.
Her tendency to do as she pleased without a care for others' thoughts, and her greed that was extremely loyal to her desires, could be said to be traits completely opposite to his.
Yet, strangely enough, it was this existence, so completely opposite to him, who was the first person able to lend him strength, and at the same time... would be the first person to walk side-by-side with him.
If his ambition was to give others strength through clothing, then Ai's was to become a spiritual pillar for her fans through her persona as an idol.
The two of them, one could say, had achieved the same goal through completely different convictions and methods.
"It is precisely because Tetsuya-kun is a designer as great as a god... that Uika and I wrote this song."
Even though the performance had just begun, Sakiko was already confident enough to make a judgment—
"Next... you will be the first to become a god alongside him, Hoshino Ai."
At least for this moment, you will be the world's most brilliant First-Magnitude Star.
...
[So, what'd you eat today? What's your favorite book? And if you'd wanna have fun, where would you go? / Kyou nani tabeta? Suki na hon wa? Asobi ni iku nara doko ni iku no?]
[I haven't eaten at all. That's a secret! No matter what you ask, I have to brush it off!]
That's right. This wasn't the truth, nor was it true love.
What everyone was watching, what they were feeling in their hearts, was all a mirage built upon falsehoods.
But... so what?
The purpose of an idol was never to truly enter someone's life! To chase the beauty of one's own fantasy within this carefully woven dream—that was the meaning of an idol!
[So nonchalant, yet still shining bright!]
[Her secret that seems visible, yet isn't, has the taste of honey—]
[That one? No, no, no. This one? No, no, no.]
[What's your type? Who's your partner? Come on, answer me!]
...
"Ai..."
This time, Ai didn't cast him any subtle glances or make small gestures during the performance as she had in the past. Instead, she had truly become an idol for everyone, blooming selflessly on the stage.
But it was precisely because of this that the smile on Tetsuya's face grew even brighter.
"That's right, this is it! This is what I wanted you to understand!"
It was because they had both experienced the same loneliness and sadness that they understood better than anyone just how incredible it was to be "someone's strength."
If I, after getting everything I ever wanted, chose to use clothes to give others the warmth and strength I once felt myself.
Then at this very moment, what will you choose?
The strength I alone provide you is enough to make you the most brilliant idol. So, if you were to give that strength to others, millions, even tens of millions of times over, can you imagine how magnificent that would be?
"Become a god."
Tetsuya looked up at the girl on stage, shouting to her in a voice that even he could no longer hear:
"Not just for me alone. From now on, be greedy and take everyone's 'Ai' (love)!"
...
(...I heard you, you know. Tetsu, you were definitely just secretly confessing to me, weren't you?)
Even though the music and the cheers of the crowd had completely robbed Ai of her hearing, she could still clearly feel the emotions he was sending her.
(Well, it's true that what I'm doing is returning everyone's love, but my own love belongs only to you~)
She had never imagined that being an idol could be such a happy thing.
Not only could she be watched by Tetsu with such a fervent gaze, but she could even receive his "confession of love"!
Since that was the case—
["I don't understand what falling in love with someone else is like,"]
[I cannot tell what is true from what is a lie—]
[And yet again, someone falls for such words!]
[Gently lulled into love—]
With a slightly mischievous wink, amidst a world-shaking cheer, the song entered its chorus!
...
[Drawing everyone's eyes]
[You are the perfect, ultimate idol!]
[Never to appear again from this day forth]
[The reincarnation of Venus!]
[With that smile, with that "I love you", you captivate everyone!]
[Even if those eyes, those words, are false, they make up a perfect 'Ai' (love)!]
"...A true masterpiece."
Luna couldn't help but applaud.
"Whether it's the song itself or her performance, every single thing is flawlessly perfect."
"This is also something only Hoshino Ai can do."
Although she felt a little reluctant, Sakiko had to admit it:
"As an idol... she truly is a great existence, worthy of being called a First-Magnitude Star."
When she first wrote this song, her goal had been to make Ai the most brilliant and great existence possible, hoping that the responsibility and expectations would make her temporarily abandon her plan to elope with Tetsuya. And now, not only had she abandoned that reckless plan, but she had even gone a step further and understood the feelings he wanted to convey, achieving a resonance with him.
"...But speaking of which, up until now, the song's content has been exactly as I wrote it."
She still remembered that the day before the song was finished, Uika had suddenly proposed making a final revision.
She had no idea which part she had changed...
Just as Sakiko was about to continue watching with intense curiosity, a flash of lightning suddenly lit up the world outside the floor-to-ceiling window behind them.
The next second, the entire [K-Arena] was plunged into darkness, and the once-deafening music came to an abrupt halt!
A sudden power outage caused by the thunderstorm had brought the live show to a standstill at its most feverish moment.
For a moment, in the venue below, all that remained was the faint glow of light sticks and the curious and confused voices of the audience.
"...This is bad!"
Why did the power have to go out at this exact moment!? This is the most crucial point of the entire show! It's the most important number for building up all the emotion!
"A stage like this must have a backup power supply, right? When will it start up again?"
Five seconds? Ten seconds? Or longer?
But... for this live show, even a momentary pause was fatal!
The whiplash and contrast from an abrupt stop during the climax would be a devastating blow to the viewing experience! Even if the sound, lights, and other systems were restored, the cooled-down emotions could never be recovered.
How could this happen? Is the show going to fail for such a childish and unreasonable cause?
Just as Sakiko was unconsciously clenching her fists, a strange cheer suddenly came from the audience—
"What's happening?"
The power had not yet been restored, and the entire venue was still pitch black, but there was no panic or confusion in the audience's cheers. Instead, it was more like the surprise of seeing something new and amazing...
And then, when Sakiko cast her gaze downward again, she too froze in place.
Because she saw, in the midst of the darkness, a figure shining with points of starlight, walking step by step towards the center of the stage..!