No… that can't be possible, right?
Uika's outward composure remained steady, but inside, she was filled with disbelief. Here, the world! had been sumimi's debut song, and while its difficulty level wasn't set too high, that was only because Uika had written it with her own skill level as a baseline, keeping it relatively conservative.
Could someone really transcribe and play a song just from watching a single video? And not even a tutorial that focused on hand movements—just an ordinary performance clip?
Uika focused all her attention on Kikukawa Kyo's hands as they moved across the guitar strings.
Earlier, when she had helped Kikukawa Kyo wipe the sweat from her hands, she had noticed the signs of someone out of practice. And indeed, at first, Kikukawa Kyo's fingers showed a slight stiffness when pressing the frets and strumming. But after just a few seconds, that hesitation vanished, replaced by smooth, confident movements.
Her playing quickly evolved from simply following the chord progression to filling in melodic details. Though there were occasional missteps, her fluency had already reached the level of someone who had practiced multiple times with sheet music.
As the video ended, Kikukawa Kyo still wasn't polished enough to perform on stage flawlessly, but even so, Uika was shaken.
"I'm ready!"
Before Uika could find the right words to respond to what she had just witnessed, Mana came running back, already dressed in her performance outfit.
Unlike Uika's predominantly black idol costume, Mana's was mainly white, with a black tie and belt—the exact opposite of Uika's—and it suited her bright and cheerful personality perfectly.
"Kyo, are you ready? I can start anytime!"
"It's not perfect yet, but since this isn't an official shoot, let's just go for it." Seeing Mana's barely-contained excitement, Kikukawa Kyo couldn't help but find her adorable. The way she loved performing was probably similar to how Kikukawa Kyo felt about her favorite drinks. She smiled and nodded in agreement.
As Kikukawa Kyo confidently stepped onto the stage, Uika felt an unexpected sense of anticipation—no, more than that, she felt nervous.
What am I even nervous about…?
Mana took her mic and stood in the center of the stage, ready to begin, but then she noticed Kikukawa Kyo moving closer to her.
"Mana, can we shoot this the same way you filmed the original MV?"
"Huh?" Mana was visibly surprised. "I mean, sure, but… do you even know the choreography and the cues?"
"I should be fine. There might be small inconsistencies, but I can follow the general sequence." Kikukawa Kyo adjusted her headset microphone, carefully positioning it to match how Uika had worn it in the MV.
"Whoa! Kyo, are you secretly one of our biggest fans?"
Kikukawa Kyo simply smiled without confirming or denying it, then gestured for Mana to get into position. Seeing that Kikukawa Kyo was serious, Mana quickly focused, stepping into place beside her and striking her pose.
And so, an impromptu performance began…
To Kikukawa Kyo, however, this wasn't really a performance. It was a pure, emotionless replication.
Within the first few seconds, everyone present—whether it was the staff, Uika, or even Mana on stage—was struck by an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. It made sense, after all. The two performers on stage were moving in perfect sync with how Uika and Mana had once performed Here, the world! before.
Yet, something about it felt… uncanny.
Despite being different people, their actions, expressions—even the cadence of their singing—were eerily identical. There were occasional minor hesitations, but nothing that disrupted the overall flow. For what was meant to be a simple commemorative video, this was already beyond exceptional.
But what truly left Uika in awe was Kikukawa Kyo's guitar playing.
If her initial attempt had been the level of someone who had practiced a few times but still made mistakes, then now, in the span of just a few seconds, she had reached near-perfect fluency—missing only a handful of notes. She was improving even as she played.
Kikukawa Kyo's voice was clear and cool—perhaps not the ideal match for the song's energetic style, but its crispness gave it a unique charm. Her stable vocals hinted at formal training, yet she still managed to balance singing, playing a seven-string guitar, and matching her movements to Mana's choreography seamlessly.
And she had achieved all of this… just from watching the MV a few times?
As the song came to an end, the audience remained frozen in silence for a few seconds before scattered applause broke out—then quickly erupted into thunderous cheers.
Kikukawa Kyo and Mana stepped down from the stage and made their way back to Uika. Carefully, Kikukawa Kyo removed the guitar and returned it to her.
Suppressing the turmoil within her, Uika maintained her usual warm smile, exerting all her effort to ensure nothing seemed amiss. "Kyo, your performance was truly incredible. How did it feel, being up on stage like that?"
Kikukawa Kyo took a moment to think.
Though both involved performing on stage—playing instruments and singing—there was a distinct difference between being an idol and being in a band. She had noticed that many of the dance movements she had just replicated were designed, consciously or unconsciously, to highlight the idol herself. In contrast, while a band's members could also captivate the audience, the emphasis always leaned more toward the music itself.
"I've never tried it before, but… it was definitely interesting," Kikukawa Kyo finally replied.
Interesting… huh.
Uika was momentarily dazed.
To be fair, in terms of performance, Kikukawa Kyo had not yet reached the level of Uika's own polished, full-fledged stage rendition of the song. But if Kikukawa Kyo had more time—just a dozen more minutes, even—would she completely match her? Would she even surpass her?
It was only now that Uika truly understood the meaning behind Kikukawa Kyo's nickname.
All the practice and effort Uika had poured into her craft—her painstakingly honed skills—were merely enough to match a single drop of Kikukawa Kyo's overflowing, uncontainable talent.
She was the very definition of talent overflowing.
"Kyo."
"Hm? What is it, Uika-nee?"
But if someone had to be as gifted as Kikukawa Kyo just to stand beside Sakiko, Uika would not back down. So what if she has more talent than me? As long as she kept pushing forward, even to the brink of exhaustion, she would catch up. She would reach Sakiko's side.
Looking at the girl before her—a being seemingly composed of raw, concentrated talent—Uika's resolve did not waver in the slightest.
"Would you like to join sumimi?"
Within those words lay the heaviest weight of Uika's determination.
Kikukawa Kyo stared at Uika, silently studying her, searching for something beneath that unwavering, gentle smile. But there was nothing to be found.
"…Alright."