The sky above was a canvas of dull gray, and the light rain continued to fall with a steady whisper, as if trying to lull the world into a melancholy slumber. Beneath the shelter of an overpass, Eli Ayase stood in silence, the droplets tapping gently against the concrete above like the rhythm of a quiet, uncertain heart. From time to time, she could hear the sound of footsteps echoing on the bridge—hurried, breathless—someone running through the rain.
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze unfocused as thoughts swirled beneath her composed expression.
If he really does have what it takes to help Honoka Takabane become a school idol… then does that make everything I've done nothing but an obstacle?
She hadn't opposed Honoka and her friends out of malice. On the contrary—Eli had simply wanted to protect them from wasting their time on what she believed was a hopeless dream. Becoming a school idol? It sounded like the fantasy of a restless teenager with nowhere to place her energy.
But then, there was that video. The one Kotori Minami had quietly shared with her during a quiet afternoon. No flaws, no rough edges—just pure, radiant potential. A performance so captivating that it left Eli speechless.
Once, long ago, she'd had a dream like that too.
To be an idol… like her.
The thought bloomed suddenly in her mind, uninvited but persistent. She shook her head as if trying to dislodge it.
That part of me… I left it behind.
Behind her, Kyren stood stiffly, trying and failing to pretend he wasn't mentally unraveling.
Awkward. Awkward! Why is this so awkward all of a sudden?!
He considered himself outgoing, sure. But his confidence had a caveat: it only truly existed behind the screen of a group chat. In the filtered world of online banter, Kyren could crack jokes, stir up conversations, and even toss out the occasional flirt. But here? In real life? Under a bridge, sharing silence with a stunning girl who looked like she walked out of an artbook?
Yeah, this was a whole new level of anxiety.
In the virtual world, everyone wore masks—just different ones than they wore in real life. Polite people could become trolls. Crude jokers sometimes turned into philosophers. The internet was a place where Kyren had permission to be shameless. Adorkable. Even, on rare occasions, a little... suggestive. Not that he'd admit the last one out loud.
But reality was different. Here, he couldn't lean on screen names or emoji shields.
And Eli Ayase? She was the real deal. Not just pretty—out of league pretty. The kind of girl who, in the online world, people might call a "3D final boss." He suddenly wished he could crawl back into his group chat and type:
"Currently sheltering under a bridge with a ridiculously cute girl. How do I talk to her like a normal human?? Serious replies only. URGENT."
But he didn't. Mainly because his only active group chat was with a bunch of girls. One of whom had already met him in person. If they saw that kind of message, they'd roast him into oblivion.
Just as Kyren debated whether pretending to faint might relieve the tension, Eli inhaled sharply beside him—as if arriving at a decision that had taken her to the edge of some inner cliff.
"Kyren-kun," she said, her voice soft but steady, "This may sound sudden, but… do you know Kotori Minami? The chairman's daughter?"
Kyren blinked, caught off guard. "Yeah. We met online."
He wasn't lying. Technically. Everything—from meeting Kotori to somehow winding up here, in this world—had started online.
"Then why," Eli continued, "are you so sure they'll become school idols?"
Kyren hesitated. The real answer—"Because I've seen Season 1 and 2 of Love Live!"—wasn't exactly helpful. Or sane-sounding.
So instead, he said something that was only half a lie.
"Because… When I look at them, I don't just see a bunch of girls trying to save their school. I see people chasing a dream. A real dream to become idols."
That wasn't exactly the origin story, at least not for Kotori. In the actual timeline, Kotori only joined because Honoka pulled her in. But Kyren flipped the script. It sounded better that way. More emotionally compelling. And besides—Eli had no way of knowing the truth.
Eli studied him for a moment. "So that's why you're helping them?"
To her, it made sense. The way Kotori had managed to get her hands on that video—one filled with such professional polish—meant only one thing: Kyren must have deep ties to the idol world. Maybe even worked in it.
He nodded slowly, playing along. "I happen to know some people in the industry. So I just… connected them."
The more he spoke, the more convinced Eli became.
"Then… I wonder if you…" Her words trailed off as doubt crept into her expression.
She wanted something. That much was clear.
That afternoon, Kotori showed her a video. A girl with silver-gray hair and emerald eyes had taken the stage. Her outfit was decorated with jade hairpins and a crimson silk knot around her waist—delicate symbols of Chinese heritage. There had been no sound, but the girl's movements, her presence, her soul, left an impression Eli couldn't shake.
She wanted to see the full performance.
"Kyren-kun," she said at last, lowering her head in a respectful half-bow. "Could I… ask you to share that video with me? The one you gave to Kotori. But if it's too much trouble, please don't worry about it."
Kyren stiffened.
She's bowing? To me?! What is happening?
He quickly turned, flustered. "Eli-san, please, no need to bow. Let me explain…"
It was the first time he'd seen her up close—really seen her. The platinum blonde ponytail, the poised posture, the cool elegance that radiated like moonlight through fog. She looked like a Russian beauty drawn in watercolor, yet she was unmistakably Japanese. It was jarring, surreal—like seeing a character from a dream step into the waking world.
He swallowed his nerves and spoke as calmly as he could.
"That video wasn't from me. Kotori got it directly from the performer."
"The performer…?" Eli echoed, eyes wide with realization.
The silver-haired girl… they've already met?
If that was true, then she had no right to ask for the video. Not without the girl's permission. She didn't even know her name.
Kyren noticed her crestfallen expression and quickly added, "If you really want it, I can ask Luo Tianyi for you. See if she's okay with sharing it."
Her head snapped up. "Really?! Thank you… truly."
Luo Tianyi, she repeated in her mind. So that's her name...
It fit her perfectly.
Like a note in a forgotten melody.
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