"Ah! It began with a subtle premonition~"
"Ah! Our wishes were hung amidst the starry skies~"
"Our joyful smiles that make flowers bloom~"
"They were always the same, smiles of friendship~"
===
"In the song, it's like their names are hidden in the lyrics, right?" Fumino's sensitivity to words allowed her to be the first to discover the hidden message in the lyrics.
"...Really?" Elf was surprised. "Why didn't we notice it before?"
Utaha shook her head. "Not just us, right? Even Muse didn't notice it at first, but they must have when they practiced the song."
"That's true... When they first read the lyrics, they didn't seem to notice..." Eriri nodded as she recalled the scene.
"Anoo~ why does it seem like something's not right?" Listening to their talks, Chika scratched her head and asked in confusion.
"Did Minamiya-kun write this song too?"
As Kaguya asked that question, Chika suddenly realized!
"So that's how it is! That's what's not right! I was thinking, if they wrote the song themselves, how could they not know that their names are in it... But if they didn't write it themselves, then it makes sense!"
"Nee-sama's reaction is so slow..." Moeha couldn't help but comment.
"I thought Homura-kun only wrote one song! And the style of this one is different from the previous 'Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss'! By the way, is this time song really written by Homura-kun?" Chika retorted to her little sister and asked everyone again.
Megumi nodded. "It's written by Homura-kun. He probably had high expectations for this song, maybe even hoping we would discover its secret. Unfortunately, no one did..."
"No one? Megumi-nee didn't notice it?" Izumi looked incredulous. "How is that possible? I don't believe it!"
Apart from Kaguya's group and Fumino's group, everyone vigorously nodded, not believing her at all!
'You definitely know!'
That was what everyone conveyed from their eyes. They still had a vivid impression of the all-knowing Megumi in the hot springs before.
"..." Seeing everyone's reactions, Megumi fell silent for a while, then began to speak. "Why are you all looking at me like that? I'm not a god... Why do I have to be the one to notice?"
"Oho? So you really didn't notice?" Utaha raised an eyebrow and asked with a meaningful tone.
"...I only realized it later." Megumi admitted softly.
"..."
"Doesn't that mean you still noticed?!" Eriri exclaimed.
"I was thinking, since Homura-kun named the song this way, maybe it has some special meaning, so I looked closely and then noticed." Megumi explained.
Hearing her explanation, they recalled the title of the song.
We Are A Single Light.
It conveyed the anticipation, hoping they truly become one! The names of all nine of them were in one song. Wasn't this literally unity in meaning?
"We underestimated how much Muse's importance to Homura..." Elf sighed.
"But they deserve Homura-kun doing all of this, don't they?" Nanami said emotionally while looking at the nine dancing girls.
Her words made everyone's gaze shift to the center of the stage, watching the nine girls who were sweating profusely yet still had bright smiles on their faces.
Why bother thinking so much? What they should do now was cheer for them!
With a hearty laugh, they once again merged into the cheering crowd!
===
"Would you like to try winding back time?~"
"No no no, this moment is the greatest!~"
"After all, after all, this moment is the greatest!~"
"Ah! It began with a subtle premonition~"
"Ah! We made it here chasing the light..."
"..."
"Huff... Huff..."
Muse's breaths became the only sound at this moment.
Some didn't erupt into wild cheering as soon as it ended, some just seemed lost in thought.
'It's over...'
Many people were dazed.
Though this concert only comprised a short five songs, from the initial curiosity to the reluctance for it to end, nearly everyone felt the same way. Almost every person had become a fan of these nine girls known as Muse.
It was really hard to let go. Could time be stopped? Of course, impossible.
*Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap—!!!*
The sudden applause woke everyone up.
Hearing the direction from which the applause was coming, they shook their heads and laughed. Indeed, at a time like this, the only man who could pull it off was Homura!
The people who heard the applause went crazy, they didn't spare their effort to applause, cheers, shouts, and screams!
"OHHH—!!!"
"So amazing!!!"
"Muse~! The best!!!"
"You all are the best~!!!"
Honoka and the others looked at each other, and although fatigue was evident on each of their faces, they were smiling with happiness.
Tears of joy? Impossible! There were only smiles, smiles were the best outcome!
Holding hands together, the nine of them lined up, wearing the brightest smiles, and gave a bow to everyone!
""Thank you very much, everyone!""
The cheering still hadn't stopped, and Muse continued to hold hands and face everyone with smiles.
Until Homura cleared his throat.
"Ahem! OK! That's it for now! Please take care of your voices, my throat's itching just from listening!"
""Hahaha!""
The crowd laughed. This man had always interrupted everyone's mood.
"Honoka!" Homura called out. "Do you have something to say?"
"Yep!" Honoka nodded, taking a step forward.
"Really, thank you very much for coming to watch our concert, everyone! And thank you for liking our songs. We've truly received your applause, cheers, shouts, and screams. This is the best motivation for us!"
"At first, to prevent our school from being shut down, only the three of us formed a school idol group. But now, there are nine of us standing here together, having truly completed our first concert as a group of nine!"
"Our initial intention was for our school, but today, because of all of you, we've gained a deeper understanding of idols!"
"Whether someone is feeling down, tired, sad, or simply bored—no matter who it is, we'll convey a brilliant and cheerful feeling to everyone! Isn't that what idols should do? We've truly experienced all of this. That's why we'll work even harder! For our school and for all the people who love Muse!"
After her speech finished, Honoka bowed, and the other eight followed suit.
*Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!*
Once again, applause erupted!
As expected of Honoka! What she said was always touching and awe-inspiring in every crucial moment.
"Thank you again! Let's see each other next time!" Honoka said farewell and began to walk toward the changing van.
Homura quickly jumped off the sound truck and ran toward the changing van.
"Hey ladies~! Save a mic for me!" Homura shouted at Muse.
Umi and Eli almost stumbled, while Nozomi rolled her eyes at him, then tossed her mic to him.
""Hahaha!""
"Calm down, Minamiya-sensei!"
Seeing this scene, waves of laughter erupted from the crowd.