Prologue 0-1: Mio Kotozuka

“Thanks for coming to see my concert today, everybody!”

The voice of the girl on stage echoed through the concert hall as the crowd began to roar her name. “MIO! MIO!” they cried. MIO was Japan’s top loli idol, and her popularity was undeniable. The 10,000-seat venue was filled to the brim with her fans.

“I’m so happy to meet all of you! I hope you have a great time today!”

“Hooraaay!”

A deafening cheer erupted from the audience for MIO, a.k.a. Mio Kotozuka. She waved at her fans and took a deep breath, trying to exhale the exhaustion that was building up within her.

Uh-oh... I think I’m a little dizzy.

First it was the traveling, then the costume fitting, then the rehearsal, and now the concert itself. Of course she was taking breaks, but she was a petite girl with the stamina to match. She was in good shape because of her job, but she still had her limits. And even though she was starting to feel it get to her, she never stopped smiling in front of her fans.

“All right, let’s kick things off with our first song!” she yelled.

After a short pause, a cheerful song intro began to play. It was her hit single that had been used as the opening song to an anime. One of her music videos even had her cosplaying as the anime’s heroine, which was how many of her current fans had discovered her. As she started to sing, the crowd began waving their light sticks in unison. It was so pretty. Mio always loved to see it.

Oh, but I do feel a little slow... Maybe...

She was so tired, but all she wanted to do was sing. At least, that’s what she told herself.

If I was doing a ballad, at least I wouldn’t have to dance.

With a slow, emotional number, she’d look better if she just stood there and sang her heart out. They could dim the lights and use some smoke to set the perfect mood for a sad song. But unfortunately, the set list for today was nothing but anime themes and upbeat music, not ballads. It wasn’t that she couldn’t sing ballads, however. In fact, she thought they were one of her strong suits. Her debut song had been one... Granted, it hadn’t sold at all.

No, wait... I need to focus.

Mio tried to clear her mind and focus on her singing, but it didn’t work. It felt like the exhaustion was wearing down her concentration. She gazed out at the audience, almost glassy-eyed.

Huh?

When she did, she spotted a strange boy in the crowd. It wasn’t that what he was doing was strange... In fact, he wasn’t doing anything at all. He wasn’t dancing or waving a light stick. He was just staring at her.

Of course, the other fans were staring at her intensely, too. But they were looking at MIO the singer, and he was... Somehow it felt like he was just looking at her.

What’s with that guy? I’ve never seen him at any of the fan club meetings. He looks kind of grouchy... Is he in high school, maybe?

The young boy didn’t even seem to be paying much attention to her song, which annoyed her a little.

Oh, no!

She lost her focus for a second, throwing her dancing out of sync. She quickly tried to get back into the rhythm, but it didn’t work. Mio mustered all the energy she had just to keep her singing in time with the music.

Oh, jeez!

She thought about just flinging her microphone at the boy that had thrown her off as she managed to make it through the end of the song. There was supposed to be a 30-second pause before the next number.

But Mio never got to sing it. She couldn’t.