The azure butterfly slipped through the air vent and emerged outside the building at noon. It drifted above the crowds of cosplayers flooding the temporarily closed streets of Shibuya, where traffic had been blocked off. Animated images of Yurei in her blonde-haired look played across LED screens in every direction.
Moshi moshi,
Yurei-zuki desu!
Saikō no kiroku
Chu~ muah~~
At the far end of Shibuya Street, two men in baseball jerseys and target masks sat onstage, checking the sound equipment. Fans were divided into two sides by railings, leaving a long central walkway lined with a carpet stretching hundreds of meters—reserved for special guests.
"Esto! Eska! Arigatō ne~~" Fans below waved glowing signs marked ST and SK.
Mr. Majima, overseeing the crowd, lifted his chin toward a limousine slowly approaching from the distance. Just then, the azure butterfly swooped down toward the man in the blue target mask—only to collide midair with a mysterious pink butterfly flying the opposite way. Spinning, it landed on its owner's shoulder and hardened into a beautifully embroidered pattern on a white shirt.
"They've arrived," Mr. Majima reported through the communicator.
Hearing that, I raised my head and scanned the sea of fans before grabbing the mic onstage.
"Our goddess has just awakened from her slumber," I announced. "But don't be alarmed—because tonight, eight divine sons from the East will be joining us as well."
"HEEEEEYYYYYYYYY~~~~" Fans raised D\8/ light sticks high, waving wildly as they turned to greet the eight special guests approaching, smiling and greeting their Japanese fans. Seto and I picked up our instruments to test the sound. My eyes locked onto a white-haired man—one of the band members—who was reaching out to high-five fans.
I broke into a wide smile, tears welling up in my eyes, feeling as though I would never experience anything like this again in my life.
"Whoa! That guy really looks like you, Seoki-chan!" Dango shouted through the surveillance feed, blasting my earpiece.
"Do I even need to say it?" Seto replied while drumming, touching his earpiece.
The white-haired man reached the stairs leading up to the stage. Inside my head, a voice screamed at me to walk over, to embrace him, to celebrate who he had become.
"They're here."
As the music ended, I set down my guitar and stepped forward—
"Oh shit, he's here. He's looking at us."
Seto and I froze the instant we heard Mr. Majima's voice.
"He just drove off. It's clear."
Only then did we finally breathe again.
"AHHH—! Yurei no ga~~!" A blond, bespectacled member of D\8/ shouted behind the white-haired man.
"AHHH—! D\8/ in the flesh!!" Seto shouted back even louder.
While everyone else chatted excitedly, the two of us stared at each other for a moment—as if I were looking into a mirror.
The blond man with glasses placed a hand on the white-haired man's shoulder while looking at me."White, this is the band's guitarist. Eska. And that's Esto, the drummer. And the other one is—"
I nodded and pointed up at the sky.
"Oh. Actually… she got here before us."
Everyone looked up. Yurei, in a pale blue evening gown, slowly descended from the sky, spreading greenish-red mist in a vast ring that enveloped all of Shibuya. As the haze faded, stars appeared overhead.
That was when we knew—we had truly entered Yurei's digital world.
Every member of D\8/ was transformed into card-themed costumes. The stage lifted into the air while fans raised light sticks from both bands. Seto and I launched into a rapid drumroll, ready to begin the night's first song.
"He-ha! Welcome, everyone.... to Wonderland~" Kurayami, in her Yurei avatar, pointed downward, scattering magical flowers over the streets below.
Fwing~~~
"WOOOO—! D\8/ Y.N.G SAIKŌOOOOOO!" Over a hundred thousand voices roared as one.
Yurei, now dressed like Wonderland's Alice, spun gracefully, lifted the mic, and began singing the long-awaited first song from her album.
"All right! Long night awaits, let's give it everything we've got! Please take care of us, D\8/!"
"We are D\8/—one heart, no fear, bringing joy to the people!" The members struck poses in response.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫Absolute Lullaby (2069 The Final Lullaby Remix)♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫[1]
Na~ na na na~ na na
La~ Lala~~
Na~ na na na~ na na
Na~ na na na~ na na
(Clap! Clap! Clap!)
La~ Lala~~ La~ Lala~~
(Verse 1)
La~ Lala~~ Hm~~ In the morning light, the alarm clock rings (fumu~~ fumu)
In a short moment, I rush into the bathroom and quickly get dressed
Dash down the stairs, grab the lunch box, and ride off on my bicycle~~
When I look up, the beautiful blue sky spreads wide~~~ (fumu~~ fumu)
(Chorus 1)
By evening, I'm completely worn out~
Homework is piled high~
I ask myself how I can relax~ So, i close my eyes, gently tilt my ears,
and listen to the fireflies' singing~~
I'm a dreaming sleeping princess, being lured into a world of illusions~
That's Absoru's Lullaby For Me~~
(Verse 2)
Inside my head~~ dreams are spreading~~ Yeah!!
Someone once said that imagination is nothing.
But we were watching ducks drifting on the water I replied, "Nobody would understand!"
A cheerful child… That's me! (Yes, that's who I am).
(Final Chorus)
By evening, completely worn out~
Homework is piled high~
I ask myself how I can relax~
I close my eyes, gently tilt my ears, and listen to the fireflies' singing~~ (fumu~~)
I'm a dreaming sleeping princess, being lured through the looking glass~
(Eska's Final Guitar Solo Outro)
Na~ na na na~ na na
Na~ na na na~ na na
Na~ na na na~ na na
Fumu~ Fumu~ Fumu~
That's Absoru's Lullaby Today~~
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[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WGKL28lzeE