Returning Transcendent Opens an Idol Agency

Chapter 222: Finale – This Illusion that Shines Still

[Play Disillusion – Sachi Tainaka]

“Within the depths of a dream, a shadow I couldn’t see cries out to someone it can’t reach.”

Shadows gathered around Alfi before a ray of light shone down from the moon above, showing a young girl with light blue hair curled up and crying in the distance.

Aoko turned to look and then her eyes grew wide. “This song…?”

Alfi’s smile dimmed and she quietly sang. “The image within your heart. The you of tomorrow keeps on calling, praying that you won’t forget.”

Another light shone, showing a beautiful woman with long dark blue hair walking into the darkness. The young girl in the background raised her head and then stood up, running after the woman before both vanished in the dark.

Alfi lowered her mic and looked at Aoko.

Aoko sighed and then raised her mic to her mouth. She hesitated for a brief moment and then sang. “Fragments of wishes now scattered again fall from the sky to your hands.”

Golden lights flickered into existence, falling from the sky like snow.

Alfi held out her hand, smiling as a few reached her palm and dissolved.

Aoko held her hand as well and then grabbed a light, pulling it close to her chest with a vulnerable expression on her face. But after that, her face turned stern and she sang, “Hold them now closely against your warm heart and then rise up against the dark!”

Aoko crushed the light, causing the gold to spill out in every direction and lighting up the dark.

Alfi stepped close to Aoko and sang, “You don’t need to face life by yourself.”

Aoko held out her hand and sang, “It’s fine to reach out and ask for help from someone else.”

Alfi grabbed it, smiling. “Even if everything seems so dark and hopeless…”

Aoko smiled back and sang, “I’m here to help you through it all.”

A cloud covered the moon, plunging everything into darkness.

And then a lone saxophone note rang out. With that and a flash of gold, Titor appeared in the center of the stage, playing an alto saxophone. With a fedora and shades, he started to play the notes to an infamous saxophone solo… but before it devolved, he went back into the normal song and finished the solo normally.

As Titor finished, he faded away into the darkness. And as he did, Alfi’s voice rang out. “A future left still untold. A murky dark tomorrow. Your warm smile shines through it all.”

The cloud passed, revealing the silver moon. When it did, the moonlight revealed Alfi and Aoko standing in a ring of golden light.

Alfi faced Aoko and smiled, singing, “Even if you can’t grant your wish, it’s fine to be like this. Let’s hold hands and face destiny together.” With that, she laced her fingers with Aoko’s.

Aoko’s face turned red, but she pushed through and sang. “Solitude bearing the weight of the past, feelings that will always last. Before the pain from then drags you below. Take my hand and to the sky we’ll go.”

Alfi’s smile brightened and she sang as if to answer Aoko’s words. “You don’t need to face life by yourself. It’s fine to reach out and ask for help from someone else. Even if everything seems so dark and hopeless I’m here to help you through it all.”

Aoko smiled back and then turned to face the front.

Alfi did as well and the two sang. “The dreams and wishes someone else made… That cry that was let loose upon that day, and in the cold gray. The one still waiting within your heart, your true self. Let’s smile and show it the world.”

Titor’s saxophone rang out again, playing a brief outro.

And then the song was done.

With that, the moon vanished, once more covered by a cloud. And with that, darkness covered the stage.

*UWOOOOO!*

The crowd cheered, waving glowsticks and sending both hearts and flowers on the stage. Because of that, the area wasn’t completely dark. But no one could be seen.

Silence and darkness… then a beam of light shone down at the front of the stage, revealing Hana standing in front of a microphone stand and smiling.

Looking out at the crowd, Hana waved and said, “Thank you for coming to watch, everyone! This concert is shorter than what we planned, but there’s more to come in the future! But for now… it’s time for our big finale!” She turned back and said, “Is everyone ready?”

A guitar strum echoed and a beam of light shone off to Hana’s side, revealing Alfi standing with a guitar. She adjusted the microphone stand in front of her and smiled at Hana.

In the back, a golden light flashed before spreading, revealing John standing with a trumpet in hand. He winked at the crowd and then grabbed the air, pulling out a microphone stand of his own.

A slow cymbal shimmer echoed in the back before a beam of pure white light shone down. In the middle of that, Titor grinned, spinning around a silver drum stick in front of his drum set.

Finally, footsteps echoed, revealing Aoko walking out of the shadows to Hana’s side. Holding a mic, she smiled and said, “You ready for this, Sis?”

Hana laughed and looked at the crowd. Bowing her head, she smiled and said, “Thanks again, everyone! I hope we can always make your day bright! Now… here we go!”

[Play Hikaru Nara – Genshin Chinese VAs cover]

Alfi started off, playing a brief guitar intro.

After that, John joined in with his trumpet.

And then Hana started to sing. “A shimmering rainbow after rain, I’m watching the flowers bloom again. All the colors fill up my whole view.”

Titor raised his head and sang. “Even so I just look at you as you gaze at the sky…”

John lowered his trumpet and sang, “I’ve been in love since that first time.”

Aoko smiled at Alfi and sang, “Holding onto each and every day…”

Alfi smiled back and sang, “Making a movie where I always hit replay…”

Hana looked back at Titor and nodded her head.

Titor nodded back and the two sang together. “Within my heart I keep it there still so that it won’t fade.”

Hana looked at the crowd and held out her hand. Alfi and Aoko did the same, and then the three girls sang. “This is for you, it was always for you. Holding us up in the sky. And if the dark still hangs right above we’ll light it up with our love.”

Hana and Alfi kept singing, but instead of Aoko, John and Titor joined in. “Don’t you dare hide your feelings today with that smile that’s so fake. Even if you might be feeling down we’ll help you turn it around.”

Hana smiled and turned back to the crowd to sing. But then a golden light shimmered from above, revealing a figure descending onto the stage. Hana’s eyes widened and she turned back to look at the figure.

A beautiful young woman with a bright smile and short dirty blonde hair. A bubbly aura and idol-like cheer… Jenny Smith waved at the crowd and sang, “Oh by the time that the stream ends, the sun rises up to greet again and those golden rays now seem so bright.”

Aoko looked weary at seeing that, but she shook her head and sang, “Even if I’m filled with fatigue… Just one look and you’ve got me.”

Alfi smiled and sang, “Filled with joy and the love for life.”

Titor spun his drumstick and sang, “Precious moments that we spend together…”

Alfi sang, “A present that we pray will last forevermore.”

Titor joined and sang, “But even if it can’t we’ll still sing now until the end.”

John, Hana, and Aoko joined in with the group and sang, “This is for you, it was always for you. Holding us up in the sky.”

John and Aoko stopped singing, and then Alfi and Jenny joined in. “And if the dark still hangs right above we’ll light it up with our love. You might be hurt and crying today, but we’ll make it all go away. Carrying wishes and all your dreams we’re making it reality.”

Jenny smiled and then waved towards Hana.

Alfi turned towards Hana and smiled.

Hana smiled back and then the two sang, “The sole light within the darkness was only you, always was you.”

Alfi lowered her mic, waving towards Hana.

Hana nodded and then held out her hand, singing, “With my hand out I just chased you without a doubt.”

The stage shimmered, turning into a ruined city. When it did, Titor raised his head and sang, “But the dream was fake, everything just turned to gray.”

Jenny, Alfi, and John held out their hands, causing golden light to shine. Together, they sang, “And then you called out in the dark saying it’s okay…”

The light scattered around everyone, turning into golden dust. When it did, the ruined city turned back to the stage. And then, behind the group, thousands of Superchats, messages, comments, and fanart lit up the room.

Aoko stepped forward and sang, “This is for you, it was always for you. Holding us up in the sky.”

Hana and Alfi stepped forward as well, singing, “With all your wishes darkness will fade…”

The stage pivoted, leaving Alfi, Aoko, and Hana on one side with John, Jenny, and Titor on the other.

John looked at Jenny and Titor before nodding.

Jenny covered a giggle and nodded back.

Titor smiled and then conjured a mic, standing up.

Together, the three looked at the members of Project MirAIs and sang, “It was for you, it was always for you. Everything right here today. Even the darkness kept in your hearts, turns into a sky of stars.”

The girls smiled and then turned to face the crowd. The camera panned, focusing on the three as the sang. “You might be hurt and crying today, but we’ll make it go away. Carrying wishes and all of your dreams we’re making it reality.”

Aoko stepped back a bit, letting Alfi and Hana sing together.

The two looked at each other before singing, “Will the answer to our fears be nothing more than a fantasy?”

Aoko held out her hand and sang, “Or will it be a dream that we turn into our own destiny?”

The camera panned towards John, Jenny, and Titor. When it did, the three sang, “No matter how cruel life may seem we will be here so don’t you fear. Because all your wishes and your dreams still shine as bright as all the stars.”

John grabbed his trumpet, playing the outro along with Titor and Alfi. Like that, the song came to an end, leaving off on a ringing guitar chord.

The camera zoomed out, showing the whole group. Everyone waved at the crowd and the camera, smiling.

And then the stream ended, leaving off with a close up of Jenny dissolving into golden light.

_________

Within the depths of a dream.

A shadow I couldn’t see

Cries out to someone it can’t reach.

The image within your heart,

The me of tomorrow

Keeps on calling, praying that you won’t forget

Fragments of wishes now scattered again

Fall from the sky to your hands.

Hold them now closely against your warm heart

And then rise up against the dark!

You don’t need to face life by yourself.

It’s fine to reach out and ask for help from someone else.

Even if everything seems so dark and hopeless

I’m here to help you through it all.

[sax solo]

A future left still untold

A murky dark tomorrow.

Your warm smile shines through it all.

Even if you can’t grant your wish

It’s fine to be like this.

Let’s hold hands and face destiny together.

Solitude bearing the weight of the past,

Feelings that will always last.

Before the pain from then drags you below.

Take my hand and to the sky we’ll go.

You don’t need to face life by yourself.

It’s fine to reach out and ask for help from someone else.

Even if everything seems so dark and hopeless

I’m here to help you through it all.

The dreams and wishes someone else made…

That cry that was let loose upon that day, and in the cold gray.

The one still waiting within your heart, your true self.

Let’s smile and show it to the world.

[collapse]

Song 2

A shimmering rainbow after rain,

I’m watching the flowers bloom again.

All the colors fill up my whole view.

Even so I just look at you as you gaze at the sky

I’ve been in love since that first time.

Holding onto each and every day

Making a movie where I always hit replay.

Within my heart I keep it there still

so that it won’t fade.

This is for you, it was always for you.

Holding us up in the sky.

And if the dark still hangs right above

We’ll light it up with our love.

Don’t you dare hide your feelings today

With that smile that’s so fake.

Even if you might be feeling down

We’ll help you turn it around.

Oh by the time that the stream ends,

The sun rises up to greet again.

And those golden rays now seem so bright.

Even if I’m filled with fatigue

Just one look and you’ve got me

Filled with joy and the love for life.

Precious moments that we spend together

A present that we pray will last forevermore.

But even if it can’t we’ll still sing

Now until the end.

This is for you, it was always for you.

Holding us up in the sky.

And if the dark still hangs right above

We’ll light it up with our love.

You might be hurt and crying today,

But we’ll make it go away.

Carrying wishes and all your dreams

We’re making it reality.

The sole light within the darkness was only you, always was you.

With my hand out I just chased you without a doubt

But the dream was fake, everything just turned to gray.

And then you called out in the dark

Saying it’s okay…

This is for you, it was always for you.

Holding us up in the sky.

With all your wishes darkness will fade…

It was for you, it was always for you.

Everything right here today.

Even the darkness kept in our hearts

Turns into a sky of stars.

You might be hurt and crying today,

But we’ll make it go away.

Carrying wishes and all your dreams

We’re making it reality.

Will the answer to our fears be nothing more than a fantasy?

Or will it be a dream that we turn into our own destiny?

No matter how cruel life may seem we will be here so don’t you fear.

Because all your wishes and your dreams still shine as bright as all the stars. [collapse]