🎶春日の響きと記憶の音 — 日常 — The Heisei Style Mission

🌸✨ In this alternate universe, Mio and みお are twin sisters, set in a unified world where the virtual singers of Crypton Future Media, Team TWINDRILL, INTERNET Co., Ltd., and the characters of Project SEKAI: Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku coexist. 🌙🎶 💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 At eight o’clock on Wednesday night, a usually quiet group chat suddenly began exploding with notifications. The group’s name was simple: “Round Table Dinner.” Rin, who was in the middle of watching a drama, was so startled by her vibrating phone that she nearly knocked over her snacks. Miku had just gotten out of the shower, her hair still undried. Teto was lying on the sofa scrolling through her phone, while MEIKO had just finished work and was about to make herself a cup of coffee. Luka was organizing her closet, thinking about what to wear to the weekend dinner. Gakupo, meanwhile, had just finished practicing guitar and was sitting on the sofa drinking iced coffee. As for the person responsible for this flood of messages, there was no need to guess. It was, of course, みお, the liveliest and most idea-loving person in the group. “Everyone!” “Important announcement for this week’s dinner!” Less than three seconds later, an electronic poster full of pink hearts, leopard print, glitter, and exaggerated fonts was sent into the chat. Heisei Gyaru/Gyaruo Themed Dinner Underneath the poster were a few rules. Girls, please dress in Heisei Gyaru style. Boys, please dress in Heisei Gyaruo style. Anyone who does not dress according to the theme has to treat everyone to dessert after dinner! The chat fell silent for a few seconds. Then, in the next moment, it completely exploded. “Hahahahahaha!” Rin was the first to burst out laughing. “みお, what weird theme did you come up with this time?” Miku could not help replying too. “But it sounds really fun!” “I’ve always wanted to try Heisei gyaru makeup.” Teto directly sent a row of sparkling stickers. “I’m going to do super heavy eye makeup!” “And wear huge earrings!” MEIKO smiled and shook her head. “You girls really are easy to convince.” “But changing styles once in a while does sound nice.” Luka looked at everyone’s enthusiastic reactions, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly. “I’ve never tried this kind of outfit before.” “It should be refreshing.” Just as the chat began discussing how the girls should dress up, KAITO quietly popped up with a message. “…Wait.” “The boys too?” みお replied almost instantly. “Of course!” “Today is a themed dinner!” “Everyone has to play along!” “The boys are Gyaruo!” The chat fell silent once again. After a few seconds, Len slowly typed a message. “Girls have it easier when it comes to styling, right…” “How are boys even supposed to dress?” “I don’t have anything like that in my closet.” “And if you don’t pull it off well, it can look really weird.” Rin immediately replied with a sticker laughing until it cried. “Len is starting to panic!” Teto added another comment. “I can totally imagine you standing in front of your closet, spacing out.” Len sent another sticker of someone holding their head. “It’s true.” “I just searched up some pictures.” “But the more I looked, the less I knew how to coordinate anything.” The chat instantly burst into laughter. Gakupo, who had been quietly reading the messages, finally spoke up. “If it’s limited to Gyaruo…” “There really aren’t that many options.” After a pause, he added another line. “Host-kei, Onii-kei, and Rock/Visual-kei styles should all count, right?” Before みお could reply, Mio typed first. “Sure.” “That makes it easier to coordinate.” “Everyone has a different personality.” “There’s no need for everyone to dress exactly the same.” “Gakupo already suits Rock and Visual-kei really well.” Luka also replied with a smile. “I think so too.” “It suits you very well.” Gakupo replied with a smiling emoji. “Then let’s decide on that.” みお immediately edited the group announcement. In less than a minute, the new announcement popped up again. Heisei Gyaru/Gyaruo × Host-kei × Onii-kei × Rock/Visual-kei Themed Dinner A small line of text had been added underneath. “Feel free to interpret it however you like, as long as it has the feeling of Heisei pop culture!” Mio looked at how skillfully her younger sister edited the announcement and could not help laughing. “You had this planned from the start, didn’t you?” みお stuck out her tongue. “Hehe.” “Because everyone usually dresses too normally.” “It’s nice to change things up once in a while!” “And everyone is definitely going to look great!” MEIKO smiled and said, “I’m starting to look forward to it.” KAITO also breathed a sigh of relief. “At least now I know what kind of style to look for.” Len finally relaxed. “That’s a relief.” “I thought I really had to dress like a host.” Rin immediately laughed and replied, “Don’t worry.” “You just have to look handsome.” Mio also added with a smile, “And Gyaruo originally had a lot of different substyles.” “There’s no need to stick to only one style.” みお clapped her hands together. “Exactly!” “Everyone should bring out their own personality.” “That’s what makes a themed dinner the most fun!” Watching one person after another in the group agree to join, she happily hugged her pillow and rolled around on her bed. Mio sat beside her and reached out to ruffle her younger sister’s hair. “You really love organizing events.” みお smiled so brightly that her eyes curved into crescent moons. “Because it’s rare for everyone to get together.” “If we can leave behind memories that are different from usual, isn’t that great?” Mio looked at her younger sister’s radiant smile and could not help smiling too. “Then this time, your big sister will go crazy with you.” On the evening of the dinner, the city gradually lit up with neon. The signs lining both sides of the street gave off a warm yellow glow, and the breeze blowing through the air made it feel as though they had returned to the Heisei era, a time full of pop culture. Tonight’s dinner was being held at a long-established Chinese restaurant. The door to the private room was pushed open, and Rin was the first to walk in. “Am I the earliest?” She happily spun around, showing off her carefully coordinated Heisei gyaru look. Her short blond hair was paired with a large white bow. With thick lashes, glittery eyeshadow, pink lip color, leopard-print elements, and gold accessories, her whole appearance was full of youthful energy. “It suits you so well.” Miku smiled as she walked into the private room. She kept her signature aqua-blue twin tails, pairing them with Heisei gyaru-style makeup and clothing. Her sweetness now carried a touch of mature fashion. The next to arrive was MEIKO. Her mature older-sister aura, combined with a wine-red gyaru-style outfit, made her look elegant and confident. “Looks like everyone took this seriously.” She smiled and sat down. Before long, Luka also arrived at the restaurant. Her long pink hair fell naturally around her shoulders, and her refined gyaru makeup highlighted her gentle yet mature charm. Just as she sat down, the door to the private room opened again. “Sorry to keep you waiting.” Gakupo walked in. A black leather jacket, slim jeans, layered necklaces, and leather boots came together in a blend of Host-kei, Rock, and Visual-kei styles. His long purple hair was tied high, while the strands on both sides of his face still fell to his waist, making him so handsome that people could not help looking at him a little longer. Luka gazed at him and gave a faint smile. “You look very good.” Gakupo walked to her side and answered softly, “So do you.” Those three short words made Luka’s cheeks turn slightly pink. Not long after, familiar laughter came from outside the private room. “We’re here!” Mio and her younger sister みお pushed open the door together. The sisters had similar hair that faded from white to pink, as well as purple eyes, but their fashion styles were completely different. Mio skillfully combined jirai-kei and gyaru elements, looking bold and full of personality. As the younger sister, みお chose a sweet Heisei gyaru style. She looked lively and adorable, and the moment she entered, she could not help looking around. “Everyone took this so seriously!” She clapped her hands in satisfaction. “Everyone passes!” The last to arrive were KAITO and Len. KAITO wore a mature and polished Onii-kei style, giving off a calm and steady charm. Len wore a more casual outfit leaning toward Gyaruo style. Although he still seemed a little embarrassed, it suited him surprisingly well overall. Rin smiled and asked him, “Weren’t you saying yesterday that you had no idea what to wear?” Len scratched his hair and smiled sheepishly. “I tried on clothes for more than two hours yesterday.” “In the end, KAITO helped me choose.” KAITO smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “It turned out pretty well, right?” みお nodded in satisfaction. “See?” “I told you everyone would be able to find a style that suited them.” Just as everyone was chatting happily, the servers began bringing out the dishes one after another. Steaming xiaolongbao, crystal-clear shrimp dumplings, fragrant Peking duck, Kung Pao chicken, sweet-and-sour pork ribs, steamed fish, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and the yin-yang hot pot in the center of the round table, rolling with white steam, quickly filled the entire table. After the final dish had been served, the server smiled and said, “Everyone, all the dishes have been served. Please enjoy.” みお looked at the table full of food, then at everyone in front of her, all carefully dressed up. Her eyes suddenly lit up. “Wait!” She immediately took out her phone. “Don’t move yet!” Rin had just picked up her chopsticks, only to put them down again helplessly. “I knew you were going to take photos first.” “Of course!” みお answered as if it were only natural. “It would be such a waste not to preserve the memory of such a beautiful themed gathering!” Mio smiled and took the selfie stick that her younger sister handed her, skillfully adjusting the angle. “Everyone, move a little closer to the middle.” “Gakupo, move a little closer to Luka.” Gakupo naturally leaned closer to Luka, and their shoulders gently touched. “Len, look at the camera.” “KAITO, stop staring at Len.” “Teto, no sneaking food!” “Ah, I got caught.” Laughter rang through the private room once again. みお looked at the phone screen with satisfaction. “Okay, three, two, one!” “Everyone together!” “Cheers!” All ten of them raised their teacups at the same time, bright smiles spread across their faces. Along with the crisp sound of the shutter, this group photo from their Heisei-themed dinner was frozen in time, marking the most wonderful beginning to a night full of anticipation.