Chapter Text
Vivid BAD SQUAD became popular right away among street artists. The group melded together extremely well, pushing each other to be better every day in hopes of one day surpassing RAD Weekend.
So every day, the four would practice and work with Ken and Taiga to improve and learn what was needed to reach their goal.
“They're so dedicated...” Haruka said as the others watched their practice.
Saki nodded. “I know, right? They're so good!”
As the four sang, Ken raised his voice. “You can do better than that! Give it all you got!”
“Yes, sir!” The four answered.
Shizuku blinked. “And I thought Shiho was a strict teacher...”
“I'm right here.” Shiho reminded.
Airi's phone suddenly chimed. “Eh?”
She pulled out her phone and checked her notifications, pulling up a selfie of a girl around her age.
The girl had brown hair in a bob, with a little braid on the side, and she had brown eyes.
“Oh, who's that?” Tsukasa asked.
Airi grinned. “It's my friend Ena, she just added a post to her selfie account. I'd better leave a like...” She hit the like button.
“Is she some sort of influencer?” Ichika asked curiously.
“A bit. She's got two different accounts, one for art and one for selfies. Her art account doesn't get as much attention as her selfies do, though.” Airi answered.
“Oh, she's an artist?” Saki asked.
Airi nodded and pulled up a picture. “Here's her last art post!”
Honami's eyes widened. “Hey, the boy in this picture looks a bit like Akito.”
“That's because she had Akito model for her when she painted it!” Airi smirked.
Minori was surprised. “So she knows Akito, then?”
“Know her?” Akito blurted, having just wrapped up his lesson with his team. “I live in the same house as her, I've been stuck with her since birth!”
Shizuku blinked. “Huh?”
“You see, Ena is Akito's older sister!” Airi revealed.
Emu's eyes widened. “Eh?!”
“I didn't know you had a sister, Akito.” An said.
Akito sighed. “Yeah, well... We don't talk a lot, and when we do, we tend to argue.”
“Oh please, you two are a lot alike.” Airi laughed. “You even have the same taste in food!”
Kohane examined the picture Ena drew. “Wow, your sister's really talented!”
“Tell that to her. I try to support her art best I can given she was the one that introduced me to RAD Weekend, though the fact that her art doesn't get nearly as much acknowledgment as her selfies still bothers her.” Akito said.
Toya was thoughtful. “Come to think of it, I never got to meet your sister even though I've known you the longest.”
“Well, she takes night classes, so we have different sleep schedules. On the rare occasions we hang out, I'm the one that has to wake her up in the morning.” Akito explained. “And when we do hang out in public, it's usually to make me carry her shopping stuff.”
Ichika smiled. “But you still support her, right?”
“Yeah... Truthfully, she's got an inferiority complex, and since she's my older sister that introduced me to music, I might as well.” Akito responded.
Saki was confused. “What do you mean?”
Akito explained. “I used to be more into soccer a few years ago, but I lost my passion for it after my team lost an important match. Ena was the one who told me about RAD Weekend, probably in hopes of getting my spark back. I ended up attending and getting into music, and you know the rest.”
“So it was your sister that got you into music? That's nice.” Toya said, smiling.
Shiho was curious. “So what got your sister into art?”
“My dad's an artist, so my sister aspires to be a pro artist like he is and surpass him. Kinda like how I want to surpass RAD Weekend.” Akito responded.
Saki grinned. “Wow, really? Your sister must really look up to your dad, then!”
“Actually, no...” Akito admitted. “In truth, Ena and my dad have had a strained relationship for a really long time.”
“Why's that?” Emu asked.
“Well... Ena used to idolize Dad like you said. But when she told him about her dream of being an artist, he talked her down and said she didn't have the talent for it. I'm not sure why he said those things to her, but their relationship has been strained since. Ena's been drawing from then on in hopes of proving Dad wrong.” Akito revealed.
Shiho was furious. “What?! You can't be serious! No one should talk someone down from their dreams like that!”
“I agree! What was your dad thinking?!” Honami agreed.
“I'm not sure. I've never been that close to him.” Akito answered. “Ena's been kinda self-conscious since then, though in recent years she's been seeming a little better. Not sure why, considering she still hates Dad with everything she has.”
Ichika sighed. “That's terrible... Have you ever tried talking to either of them about it?”
“Not really, I try not to get involved in it.” Akito sighed. “Though recently, she's been asking me for music tips to incorporate into her art, so I think she's been getting into music as well.”
Haruka frowned a little. “Hmm...”
“What's up, Haruka?” Minori asked.
“I feel like I've seen Ena's art style before.” Haruka said, thinking hard. “Hmm... Oh! Right!”
“What?” Tsukasa asked.
“Ena's art kind of looks a bit like the cover and thumbnail arts for Nightcord at 25.” Haruka said. “Maybe her style is similar to that of Enanan's?”
“Enanan... That nickname is suspiciously sounding like Ena.” Shiho said. “Maybe there's a connection?”
“I don't know... Ena doesn't exactly seem to be the type to do public performances. I don't even know if she can sing.” Akito shrugged.
“She could!” Emu insisted.
“Seriously?” Akito asked.
Airi nodded. “Actually, Emu's right! I've been to karaoke places and stuff with Ena before on the rare times we get to hang out, and she's actually got a good voice. I wonder if she practices in secret?”
“I'll let you know.” Akito told her, smiling. “It assures me that Ena's got someone watching her back.”
Kohane giggled. “And you act like you aren't close!”
“Oi!” Akito yelled at her, resulting in a bout of laughter from everyone.
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“I'm home.” Akito called when he stepped through his house's front door.
“Hey.”
Akito noticed his sister in the living room on her tablet.
“What's up?” Akito asked. “How's your art?”
When he walked over to sit next to her and see it, she defensively hid her drawing from him. “No looking! This one's not for you!”
“Fine.” Akito sighed. “It's not like you to want to hide your art, though.”
“I'm not hiding it! I shared it with Mafuyu!” Ena said.
“What?”
Steps alerted him to someone else's presence and he turned around to see a girl with deep purple hair and purple eyes, her hair in a high ponytail.
She had a polite smile on her face. “You must be Akito, Ena's brother, right?”
“Oh! Sorry, I didn't see you there.” Akito quickly put on his own polite smile. “Yes, I'm Akito. And you're?”
“Mafuyu! Mafuyu Asahina.” The girl answered. “Sorry for coming here on such short notice. Just due to some things at home, Ena let me stay here for the night.”
Ena stood up and moved next to Mafuyu. “This is my friend Mafuyu, I met her online with a few others.”
“Nice to meet you!” Akito said. “So I suppose that means you'll be staying for dinner?”
“Yes, sorry for the inconvenience.” Mafuyu answered.
Ena elbowed her. “Stop that! Mom said it was okay! Come on, let's head upstairs.”
The two girls retreated to Ena's room, leaving Akito downstairs.
After a while of playing on his phone to relax, Akito's mom announced dinner was ready. “Akito! Could you tell your sister and her friend that dinner's ready?”
“Got it.” Akito stood from the couch and headed upstairs and down the hall where his sister's room was.
Much to his surprise, Ena's door was wide open and the lights were out. No one was in there.
“Huh. Ena must be guiding Mafuyu somewhere.” Akito thought, before realizing that Ena's tablet was sitting out still on. Curious, he leaned over and examined the drawing before noticing the title.
“Venom cover art”
“Cover art? Ena's making music?” Akito wondered. “Or maybe someone asked her to make it?”
Feeling suspicious, Akito left the room to check the bathroom downstairs.
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After dinner, Ena retreated back to her room while Mafuyu stayed in the living room working on her homework. Akito was heading back upstairs after helping with the dishes when he heard music coming from Ena's room.
Turning, he realized her door wasn't shut all the way and opened it slightly to peek inside, surprised at what he saw.
Ena was seated at her desk, singing into a microphone attached to her computer that recorded her singing along to the music. When she finished, she transferred the sound back to her headphones.
“That should do it for my solo. You guys get the performance set up?” Ena asked into her headset.
A moment of silence, but Akito could hear faint voices coming from her headset, but they were so faint he couldn't make out the words.
“She's been better. She's staying at my house tonight. I managed to convince her mom by using my dad's name.” Ena responded.
More chattering, and Ena responded again. “I know, right? I can't believe Mafuyu puts up with her regularly!”
More chattering.
“Okay... I got the date down. And I'm almost done with the cover art, too. Want to see what I've got?”
Chattering.
“Okay, I'll upload it to Nightcord.”
Akito realized something was up. Was this a secret conversation? Looking around as best he could, he spotted a familiar object in the dim lighting.
A mask.
Something clicked inside Akito's head, and he opened the door. “Ena?”
“GAH!” Ena jumped in her seat, startled. But when she saw her brother at the door, she said into her headset, “Excuse me, interrupting punch line.”
Then she took her headphones off and stood to glare at Akito. “What the heck, Dude?! You scared me!”
“You're hiding something, aren't you?” Akito asked. “I heard everything.”
“And just what would I hide that's your business?!” Ena asked.
Akito turned and picked up the mask. “Then how do you explain this? You never hide your face and you're not in any performing arts clubs at school.”
“I...!” Ena struggled to find her words.
“Enanan? Are you okay?”
A soft voice came from Ena's computer. Somehow, her headphones had gotten unplugged.
“Heeeey, Enanan! Is that your little bro?” A mischievous voice asked.
Ena gasped. “Girls! Not now! You're on speaker!”
“...Oh.” The soft voice managed.
Everything clicked in Akito's head as Ena hit the mute button.
“Enanan... Ena... Wait.” He realized. “Ena... You're Enanan from Nightcord at 25, aren't you.”
Ena sighed. “...Yes.”
A moment of silence between siblings, before Akito asked, “Do Dad and Mom know?”
“Mom knows. But not Dad.” Ena answered. “I asked her to keep it a secret.”
“Why? Is it because of what Dad said all that time ago?” Akito asked.
“...” Ena tried not to growl. “In a way, yeah. Besides, we're an underground group that don't show our real faces.”
Akito crossed his arms. “Surprising, considering how attention seeking you are.”
“Shut up!” Ena yelled before calming herself. “...Sorry. It's just... Music seems to be the only way my art is acknowledged right now. I want to earn acknowledgment via my own skills, even if it means keeping my identity as N25's artist a secret. I don't want to earn acknowledgment just because I'm the artist for N25...”
Silence, then Ena kept talking. “You can't tell anyone about this, okay? You owe me lots of cheesecake if you do.”
“Ugh... Fine.” Akito relented, leaving the room.
As Akito returned to his room, he heard Navarre talking to him in his head. “That girl's your sister?”
“Yeah, why? Did you sense something about her?” Akito asked.
Navarre's voice responded, “Ena's Performa is strong... And it's not dormant either. Keep an eye on her.”
“Gotcha. I'll make sure she doesn't get targeted.” Akito decided.
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A few days later, after school...
Akito couldn't stop thinking about the fact that his sister was Enanan since he found out. He was thinking about the best way to support her since then, given her lack of confidence.
“Akito? Is something bothering you?” Toya asked him.
“Huh?” Akito jolted out of his thoughts and turned to his teammates.
Kohane was worried. “Are you okay? You've been spacing out a lot lately.”
“Yeah, that's not like you.” An agreed.
Akito sighed. “Oh. Sorry.”
“Akito... Is something up?” Toya asked again. “We've been partners for a long time now, I can tell when something's bothering you.”
Akito rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah... I wish I could tell you guys... But my sister will probably kill me if she finds out I talked.”
“You mean Ena?” Kohane asked.
“Yeah. I found something out about her, and she asked me to keep it a secret.” Akito explained. “If she finds out I blabbed, she's gonna get payback.”
“She won't know you blabbed if you don't say anything to her.” An pointed out. “So come on, what's up?”
“An... We should find a more private place for this.” Kohane suggested, leading the group to Sekai Entertainment.
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When everyone at Sekai Entertainment had gathered, Akito came clean about the situation.
Miss Maiko seemed to be the most intrigued. “Interesting... So your sister and Enanan are the same person.”
“Yeah... I found it hard to believe at first, but she admitted it after I saw the mask she wears for her Enanan persona. I'm willing to guess those other two girls I heard her talking to are some of her groupmates.” Akito explained. “Can't say I recognized their voices though.”
The others happened to be there when Akito explained, so Shiho frowned thoughtfully. “But you said that Navarre detected that Ena's Performa is not dormant, and is also strong, right? I wonder if that means Ena is a Mirage Master.”
“We're not even sure if she's aware of the Mirages' existence yet though...” Honami pointed out. “We should probably check that.”
Airi was scrolling on her phone. “According to the N25 webpage, Ena has a solo performance soon to perform their newest solo, 'Venom'. Ena's the vocalist for it.”
“That's what Ena was working on when I found out her identity.” Akito remembered.
Shizuku understood Airi's thinking. “We could ask her if she knows anything about the Mirages at the concert!”
“My thoughts exactly. But... How can we ask her without letting her knows Akito told us about her identity?” Airi asked.
“Akito should probably be the one to ask her in that case.” Ichika figured.
“What?! Why me again?!” Akito blurted.
An gave him a blunt look. “Because she's your sister, genius. You already know her secret, so she'll talk more with you.”
“Ugh... Fine.”
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The day of the concert...
Everyone waited for Akito in the audience to come back from interrogating Ena. They luckily got a spot in the front so Akito wouldn't have to push through the crowd much.
When he returned, he seemed conflicted.
“So... How'd it go?” An asked.
Akito scratched the back of his head. “She was in a pretty bad mood when I talked to her, can't say as I blame her. She got into a fight this morning with Dad.”
“Why? What happened?” Kohane wondered.
“Apparently, Dad saw her cover art for 'Venom' and criticized it. She didn't take it well and ordered him not to look at her art from now on.”
Shiho frowned. “Wow... She really hates your dad, huh?”
“Sounds to me that she doesn't like showing her art to others unless she's completely satisfied with it.” Saki realized. “Is she really that self-conscious?”
“Yeah, she doesn't have much confidence in herself. That's why she seeks praise from others.” Akito confirmed.
Airi nodded. “She's been like that as long as I've known her too. I try to support her as much as I can because as her friend I feel like she needs it. She has a lot of potential, she just doesn't see it.”
Just then, the curtains started to rise.
“Looks like things are getting started. The first to perform is Amia, she's performing their song 'Charles'.” Miss Maiko realized.
The curtains parted to reveal the pink haired singer in a unique hermit costume, who got started right after the applause.
“Sayonara you said to me, once, upon a long time. Still, the tears are streaking your face. If you're gonna erase those memories, that are yesterday then that's enough...”
“Just please smile!”
…
“I walk about carrying a bouquet of, meaningless flowers! I look down at the view of the town. I leave behind all my feelings, and wonder if this enough.”
“I'll allow, my heart, to unfulfill and, wonder how it'd be if I, o,pened and even now, I ask. Can I think and feel this?”
“I go, talk and! Talk in! High above the cloud line! But with my clouded mind I can't see that! Or that! Or tha-a-at~! The faraway days that we dream about.”
“And talk and, talk a,bout all of those da-a-ays! In those long lost memories we fight! And fly! And smi-i-ile~! Embarrassed smiles then sayonara!”
…
“In the morning glow above that glimmers a,bove the town beneath us, your sighs are cradled in the town's dreams. Even today we're forgetting our good times isn't that right~”
“I will close, my mouth, from all the stress and, succumb to silence that is all, a,round. That is enough, because, such sorrow may just, mean something somehow to me.”
“Disguising, with love! With love! This is what we sa-a-ay! Saying such filthy words to the qui,et, side and now! And now! And no-o-ow~”
“'Nobody's here now okay?' 'I know that!' We mix up! Mix up! And upon the end, we-e! We give to each other but nothing changes at all! At all! At all-all-all~! Tell me just what all the pain is like!”
…
“Always, always, I've always known that deceiving each, other, is a pointless action. Wondering, wondering, wondering just what is it that's going on, inside, your head that can't change.”
“Is it, true that... Even if we're attached now will it always be-e? I go, talk and! Talk in! High above the cloud line! But with my clouded mind I can't see that! Or that! Or tha-a-at~! The faraway days that we dream about.”
“And talking! Talking all about these regre-ets! We forgive each other but there's no meaning to this! To this! To thi-i-is~! I go, talk and! Talk in! High above the cloud line~”
“And talking! Talking! All about these regre-ets~ Embarrassed smiles and then sayonara!”
The applause broke out in response at the end of the song, and Ichika could see people waving pale pink signs that said “Amia” on them.
Saki was amazed. “Wow, what a voice! Amia's got such a unique sound!”
“Yeah... I almost feel like I've heard her voice somewhere.” Shiho agreed, frowning a little.
Toya turned to Akito. “Now that Amia's done, it should be time for Enanan to take the stage, right?”
“Correct.” Akito nodded. “After this intermission.”
That's when Ichika noticed something. “Uh, guys?”
“What, Ichi?” Honami asked.
Ichika pointed at something hovering above the stage.
“A person? Wait...” Saki squinted a little. “Who is that?”
“People don't fly!” Honami blurted, alarmed. “It must be a Mirage!”
“And it's headed backstage!” Miss Maiko realized, watching the shadow's movement.
Akito turned to lead the group backstage. “This way!”
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Thanks to Akito's guidance, getting through the crowd was relatively easy. But when they got backstage, they arrived to see Mirages swarming the area, draining Performa and energy from the people working there.
“Not good...” Shizuku said.
Airi looked around. “I can't see Ena or Amia anywhere!”
“Look! Right over there!” Minori pointed at something ahead, the only man who didn't seem to be exhausted from the drainage.
Akito recognized the person immediately. “Dad?!”
“Hold up... That's your dad?!” An realized.
The man turned around and glared at them.
Kohane realized Akito was right. “Shinei Shinonome! Akito and Ena's dad! He's possessed by a Mirage!”
Sure enough, a ghostly dragon-like Mirage appeared behind him.
“Maybe they bickered a little too much this morning...” Toya managed.
A voice came from the Mirage. “Where is your sister? That traitorous girl...”
“Traitorous girl?” Ichika repeated, something clicking inside her head.
Akito crossed his arms. “That's what I'm wondering. Actually, forget it, just let go of my dad!”
“I think not.” The voice responded. “I need a new servant to do my bidding.”
Toya turned to Akito. “Akito... What if you tried singing? Maybe that'll help your dad wake up.”
“Worth a shot.” Akito sighed.
Before Akito could sing, however, a powerful blast of wind generated by the enemy Mirage knocked everyone over. “WHOA!”
Akito recovered first and saw the Mirage and his dad walking away. “Oi! Get back here!”
“Dude!” Tsukasa yelled as Akito got up and ran after them. “Come on, after him!”
They managed to chase down Akito just in time to see the Mirage and Shinei disappearing into an Idolasphere entrance.
“We gotta go after them!” Airi insisted.
“Hang on.” Ichika said.
Saki turned to her. “Ichi? What's wrong?”
“Something about the Mirage's words doesn't sit right with me.” Ichika admitted. “Who was the traitorous girl the Mirage mentioned?”
Honami thought hard before something dawned on her. “...Could it be Ena? Maybe she's communicated with Mirages before.”
“But why would she do that? I doubt she would work with such things she didn't understand.” Minori wondered.
“Either way, Dad's somewhere in there. We have to get to him.” Akito decided, stepping in first.
Emu nodded. “He's right! Let's go!”
The group headed in after Akito, who luckily was looking around the entrance when they caught up with him.
“Where do you think they went?” Haruka asked.
Navarre appeared next to Akito. “I can sense a powerful disturbance further in.”
“That's gotta be them.” Akito figured. “Hopefully we'll find Ena here too.”
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After walking a good distance into the Idolasphere, the group came across a door.
“Dad's gotta be past here.” Akito guessed.
Ichika nodded. “Let's stick together and be careful, okay?”
“Right!” Saki agreed before Akito turned the door handle and opened it to step through.
On the other side was a circular battlefield, where a large armored statue was sitting.
“Talk about underwhelming... Where's Shinei?” Tsukasa asked.
That's when Ferdinand appeared. “Careful! There's a Mirage presence in that statue!”
Almost on cue, the statue started to move, picking up a giant axe and raising it.
“Time to battle the snot outta this thing!” Airi announced, switching to Carnage Mode first.
While Airi, Akito, An, Haruka, and Ichika did the close range fighting, the fliers circled above the foe to look for a weak point, the riders drove around to confuse it and strike at its joints, and the magic users supported from a distance along with the bow users.
Just as it seemed the foe was on the verge of defeat, Akito took a powerful hit from a blunt part of the axe, sending him into the wall after flying across the room.
“Dude!” An yelled after him.
As Akito tried to get up, two more Mirages appeared to surround him. Before he could try to get up and defend himself, something shot out of the shadows and KO'd the Mirages on the spot.
“What the?” Akito looked to where the shots had come from and saw someone jump out of the shadows and fire another shot at a weak point in the back of the armored foe.
The shot pierced right through the Mirage, taking it down on the spot.
“That... Was... Cool!” Saki gasped, landing her ride.
Toya's eyes widened. “Wait a second, that's...”
The hero in question stood up, holding a bow and arrow, before walking over to Akito. “You okay?”
Akito knew that voice immediately and looked up at the person, recognizing the person's face.
“Ena?!”
She flinched. “Wait, what?! You can recognize me through this?”
“Ena, we've been together since I was born, of course I can recognize you.” Akito rolled his eyes.
Ena reached and helped him to his feet. Ena's hair was held back, she wore heart-shaped earrings, she had on a gray coat over a chocolate brown top, matching gray shorts, and wore thigh high chocolate brown heeled boots. Her bow was brown and gray colored.
The others ran over and were shocked. “Ena?! It's you?!” Airi blurted.
Ena turned towards her. “Airi?!”
“You're a Mirage Master too...!” Honami realized.
Ena let out a groan. “Hah... You got me.”
“So you're a Master too...” Shiho realized, surprised. “I'm surprised we didn't know that.”
“Naturally, we didn't divulge that kind of thing to the public! N25 knows when to keep things private!” Ena sassed.
Tsukasa asked, “Have you been fighting the Mirages alone this whole time?”
“Oh, no! K, Amia, and Yuki are all Masters like me.” Ena revealed. “We usually fight together, but K and Yuki are busy with show matters today and Amia's fighting off the Mirages backstage, so it's just me in here.”
Akito frowned. “Did you come in here to save Dad too?”
“Absolutely not!” Ena yelled. “I only came in here to chase off the Mirages, that's all!”
“But even if you guys aren't on the best terms... He's still your dad, isn't he?” Kohane asked.
Ena crossed her arms. “Yeah? Well as a parent, he's the worst.” Her mood soured. “All he ever cares about is his work. He doesn't care about me or Akito at all. Especially not me, he made it abundantly clear that he hates me.”
“What makes you so sure?” Honami asked.
Ena grew furious to the point of crying. “It's just...! He called me out for having no talent! He crushed my dreams even though it was because of him that I had it! And the worst part is he's been right all this time! Nobody notices me, or my art!”
“Are you referring to when you entered that art competition not long ago?” Akito asked.
An grew curious. “What happened?”
“Ena entered a prestigious art competition a few weeks ago, she worked incredibly hard on her piece for it, even redrawing it multiple times to get it perfect.” Akito explained. “But in the end, her work didn't qualify for any of the possible rewards.”
“Oh...” Ichika managed.
Ena's frustration turned into despair. “In the end, my work was for nothing. I post art all the time but get almost no recognition at all. Even my own dad thinks that I have no talent for art... The only time when anyone notices my art is when it's paired up with music, and that's how I ended up in N25.”
“But it's just not enough for me! I hate the part of me that can't draw unless I get some sort of attention! I work so hard to prove myself and it's all for nothing! I hate the fact that Dad is right! That I'll never be able to be the artist I want to be!”
Shiho was glaring at her. “Hey, are you done?”
“To give yourself such a piece of your mind! This must have been bothering you for a long time.” Haruka added.
Airi nodded. “That's enough Ena, stop it!”
“Stop what?! Telling the truth?!” Ena yelled.
Tsukasa raised his voice. “Stop being so hard on yourself!”
“Yeah! You don't deserve to berate yourself like that!” Saki agreed.
Ena reverted to her regular self with an Assassin Mirage at her side.
“So you finally decided to let it out, huh? Took you long enough, you've been bottling this up for a ridiculously long time.” The Mirage said.
Ena glared at the Mirage. “Shut up, Nina! You're not helping!”
“Ena!” Airi yelled, getting Ena's attention. “Ena, listen to me! You are not talentless! Why can't you see your own skills and potential?! Why can't you see that you're one of the most talented and hardworking individuals out there?!”
Minori nodded. “Exactly! If you say you're not talented, then I guess I'm not either!”
“You're an idol! That's completely different!” Ena retorted.
Toya spoke up calmly. “What Minori means is that talent is something that is achieved through hard work, dedication, and constant practice. Minori didn't become an idol overnight, she had to overcome many personal obstacles to do it.”
“We all have to do that, Ena.” Shizuku explained. “Just because some people master things easier than others, doesn't mean they have talent while others don't. Even those people have to constantly work hard and hone their skills.”
Airi nodded. “Exactly. I've seen people out there skip out on practices and laze around instead of working their butt off like we do, believing that they will magically do well during the big day, and then are surprised when they don't get anywhere.”
“Hard work is not the same as success, it's true.” Kohane said. “But as long as you keep trying and working hard and never giving up, hard work can lead to success!”
“Right! And haven't you seen all the people that admire you and your skills already?” Emu blurted. “Your skills and talents put you and your group on par with some of the most professional performers in Japan! People love you, and your work!”
Feeling that Ena was unconvinced, Ichika spoke. “Also, is something wrong with wanting to be appreciated?”
“Ichi?” Saki was startled at this.
“I'm just saying, who doesn't love to be praised for what they love doing?” Ichika pointed out. “Instead of seeing your desire for attention as a bad thing, use it as a motivator. If your art doesn't get attention now, keep drawing and practicing until it does, like we all do. Everyone has to start from the bottom to get to the top after all.”
Shiho smiled. “Ichika's right. It's just like climbing a mountain. You can wish to be at the top all you want, but until you take the path up, you'll never get there. Look back at how far you've climbed, Ena. Your art got the attention of someone who loves it, and you've managed to become famous through your hard work and dedication. Before you go fretting about what you don't have, look back at what you do have and what you've already achieved.”
“...” Ena grew quiet, taking these words in.
Akito sighed. “Ena, you know you could've talked to me about any of this, right?”
“Huh?” Ena turned to her brother.
“As weird as it sounds, I've been in your shoes before. I know how you feel.” Akito admitted. “When I first started singing and had my goal of surpassing RAD Weekend, I faced a lot of self doubt and challenges. There eventually came a time that I doubted myself so much that I practiced to the point where I lost my voice for a while. That's when I finally stopped to look around and see how far I'd already come. That motivated me to not give up and keep singing. It also made me realize that going too hard or too fast will actually set me back.”
Haruka nodded with a smile. “Akito's right, Ena. If this is what your heart is set on, you'll always find a way to get back to walking it. But you have to trust things will happen in their own time as long as you keep at it and never give up, these things cannot be rushed.”
Ena turned to Akito slowly. “I... Had no idea, Akito...”
“These things can be hard to tell people.” Akito said back. “But simply put, I've been in your shoes before, so I understand how you feel completely. Patience and hard work are a virtue, I learned that the hard way. Even Dad didn't get to where he is without time and hard work.”
Ena took a deep breath, finally seeming a little more at peace. “You're right... I'm sorry for yelling, Akito.”
“Not a problem, you were just upset.” Akito assured. “And in case you've forgotten, we gotta defeat the Mirage possessing Dad.”
“Garon's his name, Nina and I've been tracking him for a while.” Ena explained. “Trying to, anyway. I'm a busy gal, so it hasn't been easy.”
Shizuku frowned. “The question is how to get the Mirage's grip on Shinei to weaken.”
“I... Feel like Ena should be the one to talk to him.” Haruka decided.
Ena flinched. “Why me?”
“Your dad obviously believes that you're not capable of being an artist somehow. If you can show him your resolve, it might snap him out of it.” Akito figured.
Toya nodded. “But first we need to find them...”
Ivy appeared at Toya's side. “I can sense a powerful Mirage presence further in. That may be the one you're looking for.”
“Thanks, Ivy.” Toya thanked before the group got moving.
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Upon arriving at the deepest part of the Idolasphere, Ena was the first to see her father up ahead. “There!”
“You're here.” The man turned around to face them, his voice sounding distorted.
Ena stepped forward. “Dad!”
“What do you want, Ena? You've barely talked to me since that day.” Shinei glared.
Ena crossed her arms. “I came here because I need to talk to you. The real you, not the Mirage controlling you.”
Garon appeared behind Shinei again. “You wish to speak to this man? After the way he has betrayed you, you still want to speak to him?”
“Yes.” Ena confirmed. “Dad, listen... I want to be an artist.”
Shinei narrowed his eyes at her. “I have already told you before, Ena. You do not have the talent or potential to become an artist.”
“Talent isn't a natural gift, Dad. While you're right that I have to work harder than others to be an artist, that isn't stopping me!”
“And why is that? What exactly is it that drives you to be something you're not.”
Ena took a deep breath. “At first, it was just because I wanted to prove you wrong. To show that I could surpass you even if you said I had no talent. But now I understand, you had to work hard to be an artist too. Talent is obtained through hard work and constant practice. I want to become an artist because that's what I've always wanted to be!”
Shinei crossed his arms. “And why is it you want to be an artist, Ena?”
“Because...” Ena was quiet for a few seconds before answering calmly. “Because I admired you, and what you put in your art. I admire the way that you take those feelings and emotions and turn them into art that conveys the message and feelings you put into it. It's just like what I do when I'm a member of Nightcord at 25:00, so in a way, I think I already am an artist worthy of your praise.”
Ena grew determined. “But even if things grow hard, and no matter how much I doubt myself, I'll never give up art! It's an essential part of me! I want to express myself through art and give people those messages, just like you do! So no matter what life throws at me to get me down, I'll... I'll never ever give up!”
Shinei's eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, all was quiet. Then, he started slowly walking towards Ena after Garon disappeared.
Even when he was right in front of her and looking her right in the eyes, Ena refused to move or even avert her gaze. Much to her surprise, her father slowly pulled her into a hug.
“Ena... I'm sorry... And I'm proud of you.”
At those words, Ena started crying. “Dad...!”
Shinei started to explain something. “I said those things to discourage you because... I know how difficult the artist world can be. You will face challenges, obstacles, competition, and many other difficulties. I feared that you wouldn't be able to handle it.”
“So that's why...?” Ena could hardly believe it. “You were just... Worried about me...?”
Airi was stunned. “So that's how it is... All this time, it was just a form of miscommunication.”
“A very drastic form of miscommunication if you ask me.” Shiho said, frowning.
That's when Garon appeared behind Shinei again. “YOU!”
Ena stepped back in surprise. “Garon!”
Garon growled. “I didn't think you'd have such a hold on this man's heart... After the way he has betrayed you, you still call him your father?!”
“Let. My dad. Go.” Ena ordered.
Shinei seemed to come to his senses and turned in Garon's direction. “She may have a long way to go before achieving that dream of hers... But she is still my daughter! Back away from my daughter!!”
The links between the two became clear.
“Ena! Sever the links, now!” Ichika yelled.
Ena nodded and took Carnage Form again, shooting an arrow at the links and breaking them, causing Shinei to pass out and stun Garon.
“GRAH!” Garon growled at Ena. “You little...”
Akito stepped next to Ena, taking Carnage Form. “Listen here! You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!”
Ena smiled at her brother. “Let's take this Mirage down!”
The Shinonome siblings wound up doing most of the work, but the others supported them throughout the whole fight. It was over in minutes, and Garon vanished after defeat.
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Shinei woke up not long after the group got him out of the Idolasphere... And just in time for Ena's performance of “Venom”.
Donning her Enanan persona again, Ena took the stage and began her song.
…
“What is-it-that's-enou~ough, about our lives daily? Where's the correct answer? Just go on and look for it! Hey not my, sensational exception for my side, even level zero works. The useful parts are like a, a horrendous video game.”
…
“E,ven in exhaustion mode, they way we're suffering. It's a school's deadly poison, commanding to give in. A brave knight, pretending to be pleased when they will die by opportune lack! Re,grets are only lonely, but I'm only allowed to grin!”
“The recipe for my heart, is flavored by attention. I'm pretending that I'm stronger, but I end up in the mud. Swallowing down poison, no crying or painful coughing up~ This venomous venom, sayonara!”
“Oh my this flirtiness and loneliness of poison flowing through! Come, on! Cure, this! Please make the pain just go away! Isn't the presence of the blood gushing out suffering enough?! Aye! Aye! Spit out all of this venom!”
…
“The, highest score in our lives, is up to zero days. We're completely low-energy, just give in already. A lonely night, striking midnight hoping in unclouded heartbeats. And, overdose is penalty. Just get up and go again!”
“My heart is full of pain, I'm just a helpless lil junkie. I'm pretending to be stronger, so I don't become pieces. Swallowing this poison, no running away from this stinging painful night~ Of venomous venom!”
“Oh my this flirtiness and loneliness of poison flowing through! Come, on! Cure, this! Please make the pain just go away! Isn't the presence of the blood gushing out suffering enough?! Aye! Aye! Horrible is this venom!”
…
“This, poison and evil here have already made their mark. I've, been, wound,ED, it hurts it hurts I'm feeling so sick! The poison for my existence, it WON'T, A,PPEAR! Aye! Aye! Aye! Aye!”
“Oh my this flirtiness and loneliness of poison flowing through! Come, on! Cure, this! Please make the pain just go away! Isn't the presence of the blood gushing out suffering enough?! Aye! Aye! Spit out all of this venom!”
“Spit out all of this venom!”
“SPIT OUT ALL OF THIS VENOM! HEY!”
The final music bit, and Ena took a bow as the audience went wild. She could see, in the front row, her dad applauding her.