Chapter Text
I would never admit it, but I look up to my sister.
I hate the way she smothers me and acts as if I’m still a child, but…I respect her.
I still remember the first time I actually saw her perform as an idol, It was..breathtaking.
No other performance had ever shaken me that way. When Shizuku said she wanted to be an idol, I almost laughed at the concept. But…the way she dazzled the stage captivated me.
Shiho’s eyes were glued to the television screen, in awe as she watched her older sister. What a powerful stage presence…for the next few minutes, she forgot the world around her, totally lost in the trance of Shizuku and the rest of Cheerful*Days.
When Shizuku returned home after her show, however, Shiho didn’t give more than a simple congratulations and begrudgingly accepted the hug that followed.
That being said, I’ve never had interest in actually becoming an idol. After all, I have my bass, and my dream is to join a professional girls’ band. I couldn’t give that up for the world.
***
Shiho huffed and shifted through her sheet music, turning back to the beginning of the song. She just couldn’t get this right…it wasn’t a particularly difficult song either, she had no idea what was making it so difficult. Still, she readjusted her bass and picked right back up from the start. With enough work, she would find out exactly where the problem was, and fix it. Shiho slowed the tempo slightly, focusing in on every note to pinpoint her mistakes. Their intense focus was broken by the sound of their bedroom door being pushed open.
“Shii-chan!” Shizuku sang, entering her sister’s room without any warning.
Shiho visibly jumped, eyes shooting up to look at their sister as they clutched their bass closer. “Shizuku! How many times do I have to tell you to knock?!”
“Look what I found today,” Shizuku hummed, sitting right down on the bed and ignoring Shiho’s annoyance. She held something out to them– a flyer she had been holding.
With a roll of her eyes, Shiho took the flyer and looked at it.
“...Rookie..Idol auditions?” Shiho furrowed their brow and looked back up at Shizuku.
“Yes!” Shizuku excitedly clapped her hands together. “They’re run by the same agency that Cheerful*Days is under. The last time they ran it was a few years ago.”
“Why are you showing me this?” She shook her head. “I’m not interested.”
“Oh, but,” Shizuku’s shoulders slumped. “It seems like the audition process is very versatile. I think someone said that you can showcase all kinds of talents there. Acting, musical instruments…the agency does more than just idol scouting, you know.”
Shiho couldn’t help the way her posture straightened at that. “..Instruments?” Her eyes fell back to the poster to give it a better read. Near the bottom was a better explanation of the event.
A rigorous multi-step audition to become the Total Talent Agency’s next idol. All experience levels are welcome. Show off your greatest talents in any field(but prepare for idol-specific material!) Judges in attendance include Ayumi Miyamoto, Kyou Kita, and Kenta Imai.
Shiho let out a quiet gasp as she read the third name on the list of judges. “Shizuku, did you see that Kenta Imai is one of the judges?”
“Hm?” Her brow furrowed. “No, I didn’t..”
Shiho shook her head and stared back down at the flyer. Kenta Imai…one of her greatest musical inspirations, at some idol audition? And for the agency Shizuku was under, no less..it didn’t feel real. If this audition meant her playing could be recognized, even a little, by him…
“I’ll audition,” Shiho tried to sound as casual as possible, shrugging her shoulders and handing the flyer back.
Shizuku lit up, absolutely ecstatic. “You will? Oh, I’m so excited, Shii!” She wrapped her arms around Shiho in a tight hug, awkwardly bumping her bass to the side. “I can see you up on stage now..”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” Shiho squirmed her way out of the hug and pushed her sister away. “This is…just for practice. I haven’t done any music auditions in a while.”
“Hehe, maybe you’ll enjoy it,” Shizuku hummed. “I’m excited for you to audition, Shii.”
Shiho paused before speaking again. “...Me too.”
As the words left Shiho’s mouth, Shizuku’s attention was pulled to her phone, which she had set next to her on the bed.
“Oh, did my phone just flash…?” She frowned, clicking a few things. “...Untitled? I don’t think this was here before..”
“Probably some virus from all those ads you click,” Shiho rolled her eyes. “Just don’t click on it, it could-”
Before Shiho could even finish their sentence, Shizuku had pressed play on the strange song file. In a fraction of a second, Shiho’s vision was obscured by bright light and colors. And when she blinked again, neither of them were in her bedroom anymore.
“What…just happened..?” Shiho clenched her eyes shut to combat the dizziness coming on.
“What a big place…how did we end up here?” Shizuku hummed, looking around.
After a few more seconds, Shiho actually took the time to look around. They were…in an audience? Or rather, just outside an audience. A huge stage illuminated by soft blue lighting stood before the audience, though no performers were on stage. As Shiho looked beyond the stage, she saw even more of them, seeming to stretch on forever. Even more surprising, however, was that this never ending line of stages appeared to be in the sky. Clouds circled her feet, like a fog machine constantly running. The sky above them was bright blue, almost the same color as the stage lighting.
“Oh! You’re here!”
A voice startled Shiho, and she quickly whipped around to face the source of it. It took her a few moments to take in their face, but it soon became recognizable.
“Miku???” She took a step backwards. Hatsune Miku in an endless landscape of stages? What was going on?
“Miku..?” Shizuku took a step closer. “You’re…Hatsune Miku?”
“Hehe,” Miku giggled. “Welcome, you two. I’m so excited you’re here!”
“Me too, me too!” A second voice rang out, and the two noticed another person approaching the group.
“Rin, too?” Shiho shook her head, pressing her hand against her forehead.. Okay, the Imai thing must have been a dream. Now it’s just devolved into some dream about Miku and Rin. “This is ridiculous.”
“Rin, Miku…” Though Shizuku was clearly confused as well, she seemed to be acting like the scenario was somewhat normal. “Where are we?”
“This is SEKAI!” Rin chimed happily. “It’s a world born from your feelings.”
“SEKAI…?” Shiho repeated. “Feelings, what-” She sucked in a sharp breath. “Okay, I’ve had weird dreams, but this is making its way up the list.”
“Hmm,” Miku frowned. “I thought you might say that. It’s okay! The purpose of SEKAI is to help you find your true feelings! And we have plenty of time.”
Rin gasped, her excitement quickly shifting to shock. “Miku, Miku!! The show starts soon!”
“Oh no…” She pouted. “Well…Shiho, Shizuku, I’m so glad we met! We’ll see you again, okay?”
“Huh?” Shiho took a step forward, but before she could get a response, her vision shifted once again to the same light and color.
The two awoke on Shiho’s bed, Shizuku only halfway on the mattress and Shiho still clutching her bass.
“Hm..?” Shiho rubbed at her eyes with her free hand. “Did I..how did I…?” She didn’t usually fall asleep in the middle of the day…
“Shii..?” Shizuku yawned, rising from the bed and stretching her arms. “Hehe, I was having such a strange dream…”
“Shizuku, go sleep in your own bed.”
Surprisingly, Shizuku got up and left without any pushback, she didn’t even ask to-
“Do you need me to get you a glass of water? Or turn off the lights for you?” There it was.
“I’m fine, go to sleep,” Shiho sighed. As soon as Shizuku was out of sight, they stood, gently set their bass down, and closed the door behind their sister. “Ugh…How long was I asleep?”
Shiho’s gaze moved around her room, and stopped on a piece of paper on their bed. That’s right. That audition…
Shiho approached the flyer, slightly crumpled after the two had fallen asleep, and read the information on the bottom once more.
Kenta Imai…so that wasn’t a dream.
With confirmation that her inspiration would be watching, Shiho knew that she had to give this audition her all.