Chapter 30: Hana Homura’s Debut Stream

[open the gate!]

[Let me in! let me iiiiinnnnn!]

[LETS GOOOO BOISSSSS]

[​Ungodly hours? This is it.][It’s starting!]

—–AI|IA—–

[Play Skyclad Observer]

A stretched out piano note echoed before starting an instrumental opening. At the same time, a distorted image showing a ruined apocalyptic city emerged. A few notes later, a male voice started singing.

As the past slowly now starts to fade moving on to a future of gray.Those who stare upon this world will become aware of its wrongs.

The scene flickered, turning to present day Tokyo and then a man in a white lab coat walking off into the distance.

All that is in this moment and all that’s in this timeIt was laid out perfect and sublime at least that’s what they always say…

A jump cut to dark rooms, shadowy figures and silhouettes reaching out to the sky.

But the truth is that everything you can see right nowIt’s all just chance slowly breaking down…

The scene shattered like glass before showing a white clock spinning back on a black background.

Shatter now all of the lies… that bind… And walk into the light

The clock vanished, engulfed by darkness.

Open your eyes

And then the scene shifted, back to the ruined and gray city. Within it, a man with a white lab coat walked forward into the horizon.

Zero the past while you chase the future you’ve wonbecause the present you is not doneDon’t believe the lies they always say or their logicOpen your eyes

The screen flashed again, showing that same man, but with an obscured face sitting in front of an old computer terminal, fingers tapping on the keyboard.

Stories that always seem to reach only bad ends, deny them all to start it again

Reach out to those who have been forsaken now by the world…

The man stopped and stood up, glancing back at the camera. At the same time, the scene panned to the computer monitor.

Make up your mind and your heart to guide creating those brand new MirAIs

[Project MirAIs]

[Open the Gate to new futures]

—–AI|IA—–

[Hana’s BGM]

The scene flickered out, like a television being shut off. The comments section flashed by, thousands of comments being sent at once.

[was that it?]

[hype hype hype]

[lame! So edgy!]

[this message has been deleted by a moderator]

Then, static. Like an old television, slowly finding the signal.

“H-Hello? Can you hear me?”

[!!!!]

[Cuuuute!]

[Wait, it’s really a girl?]

[What?!]

[OMG. I want you to-]

[This message has been deleted by a moderator]

[We can hear you!]

[Loud and clear!]

A soft giggle echoed and then the video sharpened, revealing a close up of a cute anime girl with bright orange hair and glowing amber eyes. She let out a beaming smile and then stepped back, pumping a fist in the air. “Yay! It worked!”

As she stepped back, the camera view widened, showing a run-down room. A bed with discolored sheets. Steel walls, like that of a warehouse. A small wardrobe.

It was a dark and drab scene. But the girl in the center of the room was in complete contrast to that, a bright and orange splash of color in the gray room.

“Hello everyone! It’s nice to meet you!” She waved and said, “It’s my first time doing something like this, so I’m a bit nervous… but it’s fun, too! Hehe.”

She smiled and then laced her fingers together, holding them by her waist. “Ah! I should probably put you guys up. Um… One moment.” She tapped on something in the air and then a chatbox appeared on screen. A holographic green wireframe, with words flying past.

“There we go!”

[I’m on tv!]

[Cute!]

[Gah, my heart…]

[VERY KAWAII]

“Okay! So, I should introduce myself!” The girl clasped her hands at her waist and said, “I’m Hana Homura! Please, take care of me!” Hana raised her body and then smiled. “U-Um… Mister John said I should tell you a bit about myself so… Should we get that done first?”

[Wait, is this live?]

[!!! Not prerecorded?]

Hana stared at the chat box and then shook her head. “Oh! Yes! I mean, no!” She shook her head and said, “I’m talking to you all right now. Um… How do I prove it… Ah! I know, I’ll read off of few user names… Wow, there’s so many. Um…”

She tilted her head and then said, “Hello, Xiaoshen-san! Good morning, Kuroi-san! And… Um, I don’t know how to read this, but Rewivwinsish-san?”

[omg! A real 2D waifu?!!]

[We’ve done it boys!]

[AAaaaaahhhhh!]

[Where’s my wallet]

Hana lifted her hand to her mouth and giggled. “I’m glad you’re all excited too! I was worried that people would think this was weird… I mean, when Mister John talked to me about it- Ah. I shouldn’t talk about that?”

She looked off to the side and then nodded before looking back at the chat. “I’m sorry, everyone. It seems like I can’t talk too much about the details.”

[Mister John? John Titor?]

[Wait, that guy was real too?]

[Can’t talk… Titor… 2D world is real? And in the future?!]

[I have come from the future. In the year 202X, a virus called-]

[This message was deleted by a moderator]

Hana giggled. “Well, something like that. But let’s move on. I’d love to sit here and talk with everyone all day, but we don’t have much time.” She reached out and tapped something in front of her, causing a window to appear, kind of like an old status screen in an RPG.

[Hana Homura (花焔)]

Age: 16

Birthday: June 21st

Height: 160 cm

Job: Apprentice Idol

Affiliation: MirAIs Generation 0

“There we go!” She pulled her hand back and hopped a bit, smiling. “So, there’s the basic information about me! Like I said, my name’s Hana Homura. My birthday is June 21st… The first day of summer! I’m 160 cm tall… Well, not very tall. But I still have room to grow!”

[Room to grow? But her cup’s already-]

[This message was deleted by a moderator]

[Stop! Keep it wholesome!]

[She’s too pure to lewd! Bad man!]

[FBI! Open up!]

[wwwww]

[lol what are these old memes?]

“Um, what else… That’s right!” She smiled and then said, “My current job is an Apprentice Idol here at MirAIs! I’m just by myself right now, but I hope that I can get some cute kouhais soon to help out too!”

[Idol?]

[Idol!?!!?]

[Wait, MirAIs is an idol group?]

[Always has been.]

Hana tilted her head to the side and smiled. “Well, not quite an idol yet. Right now I’m still practicing… But that’s why I’m here! I’m hoping that if I get to know everyone and perform for you, I’ll be good enough to perform on stage! Hehe.”

[Gah, my heart…]

[*Hello from America!*]

[*Super cute!*]

[I’ll buy ten tickets!]

Hana read the chat for a bit and then said, “I’m glad! I’m hoping to perform for everyone soon too, but I think that’d be best to close off the stream. For now, um… What was next?”

She tapped the air in front of her, changing out the status screen for a list.

“Oh right! Likes and dislikes!”

Likes:

Singing!

Dancing!

Pop songs!

Mister John!

Orange!

Dislikes:

Bad people.

Liars.

Hospitals.

[MOD: Titor – O-Oi! Who approved that Likes list!?]

[MOD: Alpha – You did.]

[MOD: Beta – What Eldest Sister said.]

[MOD: Titor – Aaaaarggggghhhhh.]

[lolol]

[wwwwwwwwww]

[John Titor’s a tsundere?]

Hana read the chat for a bit and then giggled. “Sorry, Mister John. I thought it’d be funny.”

[MOD: Titor – Beta! Delete it!]

[Beta! Leave it!]

[Abuse of power!]

[Oppression of speech!]

[MOD: Beta – The people have spoken.]

Hana smiled and then said, “I should explain my list, right? Singing and dancing… Well, I want to be an idol, so that’s obvious! I also really like pop songs and karaoke!” She paused. “Ah, I should have put that down… Oh! Thanks Miss Beta!”

The list updated, putting Karaoke beneath pop songs.

[MOD: Beta – Added.]

[MOD: Titor – Oi!]

[‘Miss’ Beta?]

[Best girl Miss Beta?]

[+1]

[++1]

Hana’s smile widened and then she said, “Let’s see… Ah. Well, I guess it’s not right for me to say that I ‘like’ Mister John. But he’s been really nice to me! Without him, I wouldn’t be able to be here right now.”

[I’m watching you, Titor!]

[You’re not fooling us!]

[FBI open up!]

Hana giggled again. “You guys can be mean, huh? But don’t be too hard on Mister John. He’s a really nice- Huh?” She turned to the side and said, “But it’s the truth? …About me, not you? But you play such a big part in… Okay.” She sighed and said, “Looks like Mister John is embarrassed about that, so let’s move on. Let’s see… Oh! Orange!”

Hana spun around and said, “As you can see, I have a lot of orange in my outfit because I like it!” She held her hands behind her back and said, “In a place like this, orange is a nice color, you know? It’s warm, like the sun, and it just makes me feel happy looking at it. Don’t you think?”

[Hnnnnnngh.]

[Orange-kun?]

[Yes, queen!]

[Oi, where did all these boomers show up from?]

“Now to dislikes… Um. There’s not a lot that I don’t like, but there are three things I really, really, don’t like.” Hana took a deep breath and then put on a serious face. After that, she stuck up her index finger, counting off. “One, I don’t like bad people. That’s people who try to take advantage of others, who trick people with promises of money and work, who try to hurt people and make girls like me-“

She paused and then shook her head. “…Never mind. Anyway, I don’t like bad people… Ah, and I guess liars are included in that.” She tilted her head, humming. “…I guess some lies are okay. But lying to hurt people or trick them to do something for you is bad.” She turned to the chat window and said, “You guys agree, right?”

[obviously!]

[lying is no good!]

[absolutely!]

[Yes, queen!]

Hana giggled. “Wow. You’re all a lot nicer than I was expecting… I’m glad. It seems like there’s no bad people here.”

[we got praised!]

[wooooo]

[that’s what I’ve been waiting for!]

Hana shook her head and then said, “As for my last dislike… I don’t like hospitals.” She frowned and then looked off to the side. “My mom was really sick for a long time and I had to desperately try to find a way to pay her medical bills for a while. It was… really sad. And scary.” She went quiet, trailing off.

[<3]

[<3<3<3]

[we love you!]

[damned onion ninjas…!]

Hana sniffed, brushing her eyes. “Ah. I didn’t think I’d cry…” She laughed, shaking her head. “This is embarrassing… On my debut stream too…”

[it’s ok!]

[don’t worry!]

[<3]

[like Titor said, we’ll help you out!]

[dammit, why isn’t SC enabled yet!?]

[gogogo! subscribe guys!]

Hana read the chat and then laughed. “Oh no, I didn’t mean to worry you guys. It’s fine. Everything’s alright now.”

[are we at 100k?]

[100k already?!]

[even more guys!]

Hana let out an exasperated sigh. “Honestly, you guys are too kind… It makes me sad I can’t do more right now. U-Um… wait a bit! We’re almost done with the boring stuff and then I can sing for you!”

[take your time!]

[we’ll be here all day!]

[MOD: Titor – No rush. Time is irrelevant to me.]

[Oi, Titor, stop trying to be cool!]

Hana laughed and said, “Okay. Um… Next are the hashtags!” She tapped the air in front of her, changing the list again.

Streams – #HanaLive

Fanart – #HanaArt

Fan Name – ???

Fan Mark – Fireworks

“For streams and fanart, I think we should keep it simple and do HanaLive and HanaArt. Um… Is that okay?”

[Simple and clean!]

[That’s the way it should be!]

[fine with me]

[vanilla is best, just like JK girls]

[Officer, that one up there.]

[MOD: Alpha – On it.]

[this message has been deleted by a moderator]

Hana smiled. “Okay! Then for our fan mark, I think fireworks are good. I mean, my name is fire flower after all. Hehe.”

[explosion!]

[what even are these comments]

[something is rising and it’s not just the fireworks!]

[wholesome, guys! wholesome!]

“Okay.” Hana nodded. “Since that seems to be fine, now it’s time for the fan name. Um… to be honest, I didn’t know what to call everyone. I was thinking maybe Hana family, but that’s too plain.”

[HanaMes?]

[Hana Family is great!]

[Booring.]

[Ooh! How about Ohana! It means family!]

[Ohana!]

[That one! It’s perfect!]

[yeah! We’re your ohana!]

“Ohana?” Hana blinked. “Does it mean family?”

[Yes!]

[Mmhm]

[Like in that one cartoon movie!]

[In Hawaii]

“Oh!” Hana clasped her hands together. “That’s perfect then! Miss Beta, could you…?”

[MOD: Beta – Done.]

The Fan Name swapped out the question marks for Ohana.

“Great! Then… Just a bit more!” Hana tapped the screen, changing it again.

[My Wishes!]

Perform live at Tokyo Dome!

Perform a live concert for everyone online!

Write a full album!

Become a senpai!

“My wishes!” Hana smiled and said, “To be honest, I’ve already had a lot of wishes come true this year… but I thought that it might be okay to have a few more.”

[reach for the stars!]

[keep wishing!]

[no worries! we’ll help!]

Hana laughed. “Everyone… Thank you. Um, then I’ll explain my wishes. First… I want to perform live at the Tokyo Dome. It’s a really big wish, but I think it would be fun! Ah, but if that doesn’t work, I want to perform a live concert for everyone online too!”

[i’ll buy a hundred tickets!]

[we’ll fill the whole stadium!]

[dammit, UTube! Monetize her already!]

[why can’t I throw money at my waifu yet!?]

“Next… I’d like to write an album someday. I have a few songs, but they’re still not that good… but maybe when I get better at singing and writing I can perform them for you!”

[can’t wait!]

[do it now!]

[we won’t judge!]

Hana giggled. “I’m not confident yet… maybe when we get to know each other more first?”

[!!! Chance?!]

[Wafiu?]

[Waifu?]

Hana giggled again and said, “As for my last wish… I want to be a senpai!” She placed her hands on her chest and said, “Mister John helped me a lot in making this happen, but it’s a bit lonely here by myself. It’d be nice in the future to have some cute kouhais to practice with too… but it’s still a long way off.” She sighed and said, “Right now, it’s just me. You don’t mind, do you?”

[it’s better like this!]

[i’ll never leave you!]

[you’re the only one in my heart!]

Hana read the chat and then shook her head. “No! That’s no good!” She frowned and said, “You have to support my kouhais later too or I won’t forgive you, you know?” She giggled, covering her mouth. After that, she tapped the screen again. “Ah. Looks like we’re done!”

The window vanished, leaving only the chat up.

Hana sighed. “Phew. I was worried that would never end… Ah!” She jumped and looked off to the side. “It’s almost nine already? That’s no good!” She shook her head and said, “Sorry to keep everyone here so long on a Friday morning… Maybe I should have scheduled this for tomorrow…?”

[It’s okay!]

[school? Who needs it.]

[i work from home anyway]

“Well, I’ll hurry up and sing and then send everyone off, alright?” She stepped back and then turned to the side. “Is the audio okay like this? …I can just sing? Okay!” Hana turned back forward and then said, “I’m a bit nervous since this will be my first time singing in front of so many people… but here I go. This is a song from one of my favorite movies. I hope you like it.”

Hana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay. Launching Fireworks… Here I go.” 

A soft piano intro played, and then…

“I can still recall the brilliant blue shore we saw upon that warm summer day…”

“All our words that we had written down in the sand, and your back as you walked away…”

“Flowing tides that fall and rise

taking away the thoughts and feelings that we had shared that day”

In the night and in my eyes

there’s only twilit memories of you left in my mind

Sparks that lit up and filled the sky, blossoming flowers made of light

Surely with that, these warm days won’t ever die

Our hazy and uncertain hearts, tie them together to not part

Praying that this night will last for all of time…”

The song continued, and then at the end, Hana opened her eyes, a gentle smile on her face. “Thank you.”

[beautiful!]

[i’m crying]

[why is the video in 144- oh wait]

[my heart…]

[Hana! I’ll watch fireworks with you forever!]

Hana giggled. “Everyone… Thank you. Um… I can’t really do much else, but I can try to read some of your names for a bit before I go… Wow, the chat is fast. Um… Thank you, 177013-san. Thank you, Innotui-san. Thank you, DeadReader-san. Thank you… Ah! I’ll say it right this time! Thank you… Rwvwndish-san! Thank you, Laica-san! Thank you, Wkppp-san! Thank you…”

_________