✨ Chapter 9 — Glow

- Original song: Hatsune Miku https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wzo69SAdME - Cover: Megurine Luka https://youtu.be/ucqv8SG0GbU?si=seQIvwpe0XzgQJBa - Cover: Kamui Gakupo https://youtu.be/qUUufs0m2C8?si=v6zBhNJI2q51L5j_ - glow / 初音ミク x Leo/need(星乃一歌・天馬咲希・望月穂波・日野森志歩) https://youtu.be/YyV9jowj9PY?si=F75_C80xBBj2xLnE 💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 The lights on the stage grew brighter and brighter. The entire hall looked like a flowing sea of stars. On the large screen, today’s date was displayed clearly. July 31. Gakupo’s birthday. And also the day of his official debut. Cheers rose again and again from the audience. Glow sticks waved in the darkness, like countless tiny stars. Gakupo stood at the center of the stage. The spotlight fell upon him. His long purple hair shimmered softly under the lights. He held the microphone, his voice steady and clear. The music echoed throughout the entire hall. For the audience, this was the birth of a new star. A brand-new singer had officially stepped onto the stage. Applause followed one wave after another. The lights shone so brightly that the stage looked like daylight. All eyes were fixed on him. But within that dazzling light, Gakupo’s heart was strangely quiet. Of course he knew this was the moment he had waited for all these years. From countless nights in recording studios to the stage today, it had been a long road. Yet in this moment, he was not as excited as he had imagined. The song flowed from his voice. Notes drifted through the air. The cheers of the crowd surrounded the entire hall. And in that instant, another image appeared in his mind. A quiet room. Sheets of music scattered across the floor. Two people sitting there. No stage. No lights. Only two voices slowly singing the same song. Gakupo’s gaze paused for a brief moment. The lights flickered in his eyes. A thought quietly appeared in his heart. Like words never spoken aloud. …Did you see it? I made it onto the stage. The singing did not stop. He continued performing. But in his heart, those words drifted gently past, like a letter that had never been sent. The stage lights were still dazzling. The cheers of the audience continued. Music filled the entire hall. And within that glow, he remained standing at the center of the stage. — In a distant country, Luka sat in her room. The lights were off. Only the glow from the television illuminated the space. The livestream was playing. The stage lights sparkled on the screen. The camera slowly zoomed in. Gakupo stood at the center of the stage, like a star that had finally begun to shine. Luka watched quietly. She said nothing. His voice came from the television speakers. It was a voice she knew so well. There had been many nights when that voice had sounded right beside her. Back then, there had been no stage. No spotlights. Only sheets of music scattered across the floor, and two people sitting together, slowly singing. Luka blinked softly. A faint smile appeared on her lips. It was a gentle smile, the kind that comes from being truly happy for someone. But within that smile was also a quiet feeling. Not regret. Not quite sadness. Just the feeling of watching a piece of the past finally move somewhere new. She looked at the television. On the stage, Gakupo had reached the chorus. His voice was steadier than before, more confident. It was the voice of someone who truly belonged on a stage. Luka took a slow breath and quietly exhaled, as if letting some old emotions drift away with it. She glanced once more at the television, then slowly shifted her gaze. On the desk, several sheets of music lay scattered. They were the songs she was preparing for next month’s audition. Luka looked at them quietly. Her thoughts began to move. Perhaps something in the song still needed a little adjustment. Maybe part of the melody could be refined. Perhaps the emotion in the chorus could shine a little brighter. She remained seated in front of the television, without moving. Simply looking at the music on her desk, new possibilities slowly forming in her mind. On the television, Gakupo continued singing on stage. The lights shimmered. The audience looked like a sea of stars. And in this quiet room, another possibility was slowly beginning to take shape. From his birthday to her next step. From the light of one stage to the beginning of another dream. Two different paths, in two different countries, were beginning to glow at the same time.