The 14-hour flight finally touched down in Tokyo. Haneda Airport glowed in the late afternoon light. Through the glass windows, the city stretched out in every direction—neon signs beginning to flicker awake, orderly streams of cars flowing like veins, and a skyline that looked futuristic yet steeped in history.
Stepping out of the plane, Dayo inhaled deeply. The air smelled different—clean, sharp. He felt a strange mix of familiarity and strangeness. In his old world, he had been here before—once to record with an artist in Shibuya. The streets, the station names, even the faint chatter in Japanese around him stirred old memories. Yet now, standing here again in this new life, it felt foreign. A déjà vu he couldn't shake.
Strange… but familiar, he thought.
Waiting at arrivals was a welcoming team from the Global Competition Committee, holding placards with the logo everyone already recognized. They guided the contestants into buses lined up outside.
