"Even I had a bit of a craving to play!"
With her bright smile and a firm grip on my hand, the sound of the alarm announced the start of the event. Soon after, Sawano Tsubaki, the final character of the virtual idol, echoed through the speakers, and unexpectedly, my entire body trembled.
In the empty platform, just the two of us...
Your silent profile beside bothered ...
What's this? It's the voice I heard every day through CDs, but I never expected my heart to tremble like this...
Mayumi, who was beside , spoke with a quivering voice.
"This... it's live, isn't it?"
"What do you an?"
"You can feel the breaths in between the song phrases. Don't you notice?"
"Now that you ntion it, listening closely, it does seem that way..."
As we grow into adults, we'll lose precious things...
I know that too...
Ah... truly, as I lent my ear to Mayumi's story, it was evident; unlike what I heard from the CD, there was a sense of being present in the live voice. Mayumi was right. The person behind this voice is sowhere, singing live.
Later, our conversation spread through the crowd via those nearby.
"This feels like a live performance, doesn't it?"
"Huh? Co to think of it, the breathing is subtly different from what I heard on the CD."
"Is that so...?"
"Whoa... it gives goosebumps!"
The person in front of , arms crossed, swept their forearm across their biceps, gazing at the stage set up in front of the Pentagon Shop. As Sawano Tsubaki appeared on the screen, playing the piano under the black-out screen to counter the intense sumr sun, sighs of admiration started echoing throughout the queue.
Hold , please.
My body feels like it'll shatter...
"Ah... finally..."
Her sleek, black hair fluttering in the wind carried a subtle lancholy vibe as her face appeared on the screen.
As her slender fingers danced across the ivory keys like a floating dance, Mayumi, who had been blankly staring at the screen, leaned on my shoulder, looking a bit staggered.
"Why are you suddenly like this?"
"I don't know... I was listening to the song absentmindedly, and my legs lost strength..."
However, Mayumi's words weren't entirely wrong.
Even I felt a sense of exhilaration in my chest during the highlight of the song; her live performance was utterly captivating.
The people around began praising her voice.
"Ah, I almost lost myself during the climax of that song."
"Is this what it ans to pour emotions into singing? Honestly, I'm feeling it for the first ti..."
Though I didn't know what made her voice so poignant, her skill in the current Virtual Idol was, to my friend Kanna's dismay, arguably at the highest level.
"I've decided. I'm going with the Sawano Tsubaki version of Virtual Idol."
" too..."
"Oh man... I want to buy the Tsubaki version too, but I hope they won't sell out up front!"
As her live performance ended with the gentle piano sounds, Kanna's familiar song followed, seamlessly transitioning from Sawano Tsubaki's performance.
"Wow, it's Erica!"
Her song, heralding the beginning of Virtual Idol, ward the hearts of those engrossed in Tsubaki's performance.
"Ah, Erica isn't bad either. If Tsubaki is soul-stirring, Erica's songs are filled with kindness, right?"
"Yeah, exactly. After a long day at work, coming ho and listening to Erica's song feels like all the fatigue just lts away..."
Similar to Tsubaki's song, this ti, Erica's 'cheerful tune' was also presented live.
Due to the recent recording schedule of Virtual Idol, both I and Mayumi hadn't listened to Kanna's live performance for quite a while.
During her song, I whispered to Mayumi beside .
"It seems like Kanna is nearby, just like Tsubaki's voice actor."
"Yeah, it's been a while since I've seen her. If she's around, I'd like to et..."
Even though Erica's appearance on the screen sohow resembled Kanna, it felt as if a close friend had gone far away.
Despite feeling increasingly fatigued from the reality, so different from the dread future, and despite much disappointnt...
Still, in your world that will eventually co true, I'll always support you~
As Kanna's song ended, Cheryl and Azusa Konno's songs played one after the other, heating up the atmosphere of the event.
Certainly, unlike the previous two songs, the powerful performances of these two individuals were enough to stir the emotions of the waiting crowd...
Consequently, those waiting were further puzzled about whom among the four Virtual Idol mbers they should purchase. Cheryl's "Beat Heart" on Saturday mornings was enough to ignite the fiery passion hidden in a man's heart.
"Argh! I don't know! Let's just buy them all anyway!"
"Yeah, we'll eventually reach all of them anyway!"
"That's right! Cards are made to be used in tis like these!"
Among the cheers echoing around, just as I was about to make a statent, Mayumi snatched my hand in mid-air.
"Are you seriously considering buying all four right here? Are you just talking nonsense?"
"...Ah, bringing Mayumi was not the best idea."
Eventually, we agreed to purchase the Tsubaki version for and the Kanna version for Mayumi, with the intention to swap once we cleared them. However, my heart still felt sowhat twisted.
"Hey... just buy two calm songs. How about getting one more from either Cheryl or Azusa?"
"Let's stick to one. Only one software can fit into the console anyway."
"But even so, if it gets boring during play, we can switch in the middle, right?"
However, I could sense my suggestion being lightly brushed aside by her piercing gaze.
So envied for bringing my girlfriend to buy gas, while others looked at with jealous eyes as if they wanted to kill ...
"In truth, this is tiring in its own way..."
What was I striving for in this past month?
Enduring hunger, saving on transportation costs by biking everywherethese were all investnts for today.
I have to figure this out sohow...
I impatiently waited for the dwindling of her scrutinizing gaze.
>
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