[Pulled along by Ellen and Karen, you arrived at the newly opened hot spring on the 19th floor. Although it was a man-made hot spring, it had been renovated to be quite exquisite and effectively mimicked a real hot spring.]
[Looking at the large signs for 'Men' and 'Women', you faintly heard various sounds coming from the women's side.]
["I say... you two couldn't possibly be..."]
["Yes, everyone is still awake, waiting for you to finish, Sensei."]
["Everyone?"]
[A strange feeling of foreboding arose in your heart. You felt these Spirits wouldn't be so bold, would they?]
[But...]
[With your arms firmly held, you realized Ellen and Karen clearly had no intention of letting you go.]
[Your surprised gaze shifted between the two. Sighing, you entered the hot spring area.]
["Tsk tsk... You're really all here."]
[Inside the spacious hot spring built with rocks, an artificial spring at the bottom continuously bubbled with hot water.]
[As dense steam rose, several figures could be seen waiting there.]
["Ryu, you're finally here! Come quickly, look at this hot spring, it's really wonderful."]
[The first to speak, intimately pulling your hand, was Tohka.]
[Born from Mio's love for you, she gently played with the hot water at her feet, clearly enjoying the situation.]
["Hahaha, Kaguya has been waiting for you for a long time, Ryuya!"]
["Agreement. Yuzuru has also been waiting diligently."]
[Following Tohka, the next to appear were Yamai Sisters. Unlike Tohka's swimsuit, they wore simple bath towels.]
[Due to the steam, the towels clung tightly to their bodies.]
[Additionally, Origami, Kurumi, Nia, Yoshino, and Westcott were also present. Except for Kotori, who had returned home, everyone else was there.]
[As cheerful laughter erupted, the battle belonging to the Spirits had only just begun.]
[After reuniting with your disciples, your life in Tengu City gradually returned to normal.]
[On one hand, Elliot was integrating Ratatoskr and DEM. On the other, he continued searching for traces of Spirits and pursued the initiatives Westcott had started.]
["Elliot, I don't deny that some people might be forced into darkness out of necessity. But I believe the vast majority of evil stems from the greed of one's own desires. What Westcott, Karen, and the others did might have been excessive, but the truth often lies at the point of balance you find."]
["Listen with your heart, strike with your heart. I believe you can do better."]
[Following your advice, Elliot formed a team with excellent members from DEM and Ratatoskr, conducting significant clean-up targeting celebrities, politicians, and other officials from various countries. The first to be hit was AST.]
[With the assistance of Kannazuki and Origami, the former and current aces, the AST's high command's actions, like fabricating scandals about Spirits and profiting from Spacequakes, were completely exposed. Before they could even make a move against the Emperor, they became prisoners of history, likely to remain in prison until their dying days.]
[During this time, you, as a school teacher, properly accompanied Tohka, Kurumi, Yamai Sisters, and Origami, allowing them to experience the joys of school life.]
[As for Nia, Yoshino, Westcott, Ellen, and Karen, these 'older girls' with an average age of 45, they ended up playing together.]
[Incidentally, Kotori often came to visit and catch up, bringing Shiori and Mana along with her.]
[Just like that, time quickly passed, and a month went by, bringing them to May… the day of Izayoi Miku's concert.]
"Finally, I've arrived in the city where you live, Darling."
In the city center of Tengu City, inside the giant concert hall named 'Easter Egg', a young woman with purple hair and light purple eyes stood dressed in a magnificent stage costume.
Looking at the brand-new performance hall, the countless posters, and the numerous seats, the songstress named Izayoi Miku was currently the world's most excellent, beautiful, and extremely popular young girl.
"Darling, I've completed concert tours in every city in Japan. Only Tengu City remains."
"You... can only be here, right?"
Izayoi Miku, Codename: Diva, was a student affiliated with Rindouji All-Girls Private Academy. Within the academy, she was highly revered by countless female students, holding the prestige and title of 'Onee-sama'.
With a remarkably hot and sexy figure, Miku's previous stage name was Yoimachi Ysukino. (T/N: It's written as real name, but from what I know, it's actually her previous stage name, so I'll just use Miku as her real name.)
Having lost her parents at a young age, the girl, who loved music, worked hard to hone her skills and singing voice, eventually fulfilling her wish to become an entertainer.
With a sweet voice, cute looks, and natural talent, it seemed it wouldn't be difficult for Miku to become a singing star. But...
"Yoimachi Ysukino, I don't need to tell you how tight resources are these days, right? If you want to become famous, you have to make sacrifices!"
Facing her manager's threats and temptations, Miku, who unapologetically refused his attempt at a casting couch, was naturally met with suppression, being shelved, and countless scandals.
"Big news! Newly debuted singer Yoimachi Ysukino exposed for drug use!"
"Shocking news! Yoimachi Ysukino suspected to be pregnant, her lover is allegedly the boss of a certain company!"
"Pure idol Yoimachi Ysukino reported for participating in prostitution, currently being summoned by the Metropolitan Police Department."
Turning black into white might be hard, but turning white into black? Wasn't that simple?
In just a few days, overwhelming black propaganda flooded the streets. Watching the once supportive public opinion turn into despairing attacks against her, Miku was stunned.
"Why? Just why?"
"What crime... did I even commit?"
Not selling herself out, just wanting to sing properly… was that a crime too?
Fans who once professed to love and support her overnight became keyboard warriors condemning her. Drowned by such words, Miku concluded that so-called fans, so-called humans, were ultimately just scum.
They... they had no right whatsoever to listen to her songs. They were the very culprits destroying everything.
Standing on a tall building, how could a young girl accept all this? Just as Miku was about to end her life...
Ring ring.
As her phone rang, Miku looked at a new text message, guessing it was probably another malicious, cursing message from someone.
"Whatever. Let me see what the final insult I receive before dying will be."
Holding onto a tiny, truly minuscule shred of hope, the kind only found in the depths of despair, Miku opened the message.
But contrary to her expectations, it wasn't a string of curses. It was a simple musical score.
Its name was... 'The Initial Dream'.