"Happy birthday—twelve years old~!"
The three of them held the cake out for Kurayami. As she blew out the candles, the lights suddenly came on, revealing a large gift her father had prepared for her.
A pair of glossy white glasses rested quietly on a chair.
"If you want to be a singer," Haruki said, resting a hand on his sister's shoulder, "you need something that's uniquely yours."
He stepped aside, inviting her to seize the opportunity waiting before her.
"Is this… really for me?" Kurayami picked up the glasses and plopped down onto the chair, holding them carefully. She looked around at everyone who had come together just for her.
"From this moment on, your life might never be the same," Soki said softly. "Are you ready?"
"Mhm! Then… I'll go ahead first," she replied.
She put the glasses on and leaned back against the chair—
And suddenly, the system reacted.
Kurayami jolted violently, her body twitching.
"H-Hey—hey!! Kurayami!" Haruki shouted, trying to bring her back.
"Shut it down—now!" Mr. Bito yelled, frantically pulling out the plugs.
"What the hell is happening?!" Seto and Soki rushed to shut down every system at once, until every light in the room went out.
Dango fumbled for a flashlight. But an unexplained glow bloomed from the darkness instead.
Pulses of white energy flickered beneath the shadows.
"Th-that… what is that?" Seto pulled everyone closer together. "That's not a ghost, right?!"
The light dimmed… then vanished completely. And suddenly, every light in the room flickered back on. We swallowed hard. Whatever had just happened had never occurred anywhere before.
Slow footsteps echoed from the dark corner. As the light reached it, the figure of a cartoon-like young girl emerged, walking toward us.
"That's—!" The white-haired boy froze, mouth hanging open. The girl glanced down at her own naked form and nodded calmly. A massive red ribbon floated in from nowhere, wrapping itself around her waist to form a beautifully patterned skirt. A length of white curtain cloth wound itself around her upper body.
The animated girl widened her large eyes when she noticed Kurayami's real body lying unconscious on the chair.
"Hey—wait. That's me!" she exclaimed.
"Wha—?! K-Kurayami?!" everyone cried out in unison.
Kurayami's avatar—her consciousness given form—slowly scanned the room.
From a distance, the cerulean butterfly observed everything. It sensed a gray moth-like presence coating Kurayami's unconscious body on the chair. The butterfly fluttered down to the girl and settled gently on her arm.
Suddenly, the world around me shifted.
I was surrounded by a vast field of sunflowers. Everyone stood staring at me in shock.
Without warning, my body began to rise into the air.
"Huh—whoa~ I can float?" I laughed. "No way—she's like a Saiyan!" Seto pointed.
"I… I can fly! Wooow~!"
Everything moved exactly as I imagined it would. My body responded to my thoughts alone.
I rose higher and higher, passing straight through the ceiling like a wandering spirit.
"Hahaha!"
Just thinking was enough to make anything happen.
This—this was it.
This was what I had always wanted.
I soared above the buildings of Shibuya at night, the sensation like standing atop an invisible helicopter.
"Hey—look! There's a girl floating up there!" I heard voices from below.
People gathered, staring up at the sky.
Then, reflected in the glass of an office building, I caught sight of myself—
A breathtaking avatar. Long flowing hair, large doll-like eyes. My smile bloomed like a flower in full spring. I turned toward the people below and greeted them with my voice.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Every day, I slept beneath the sands of the earth.
For the first time, I've seen a smile.
Fallen petals line the streets, Guiding me back to the world above—
So I may sing, And bring joy to every heart.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫