Song 1

Cheers roared throughout the stadium as the young preppy idol continued her mind-blowing performance on the stage. The frills of her dress swayed against her legs as she continued to perform her routine flawlessly, while her voice stayed in perfect tune.

She mastered every note and memorized each step to ensure that everyone in the stadium, and indeed everyone who would ever watch her perform, would always leave with a smile on their face and joy in their heart.

Akemi was a true idol.

Pink glow sticks being thrust into the air enthusiastically, illuminated the stadium as the crowd began to cry, “Encore! Encore!”

Akemi froze at the edge of the stage, her heart racing as she panted, starting to become exhausted from the performance. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes, radiating the feelings of her fans to her heart, making it swell with determination to keep going. “Okay, everyone,” she spoke up loudly, her voice carrying through the microphone attached to her. “Let's go for one more song!”

With the proclamation, the music started up, and Akemi began to sing for the final time tonight. “Follow me and I’ll show you an adventure….” Just like her other songs, this one was sung with pitch-perfect accuracy, and the crowd reacted as she intended. The lights of the glow sticks were becoming faster, blending into a large, blurred mass as the crowd grew more enthusiastic.

Akemi continued to dance and sing with the same energy as the rest of the songs from the evening, keeping the audience's energy high. This was her moment, and she knew it wasn’t going to last forever.

As she continued to dance, the sweat from her brow trickled down her face. Her vision became blurred from the sweat and blinding light of the glow sticks. “Come follow me-eh,” As she stepped forward, closer to the edge of the stage, Akemi’s foot slipped. It was as if the world around her went into slow motion as Akemi fell.

Back in the real world, Akemi’s body hit the oak wood floor with a thud. The sound of birds chirping came from the phone on her dressing table, bringing Akemi fully back into her bleak reality. “Damnit,” She whined, pushing herself off the floor, wincing slightly as she sat up straight. She linked her fingers and stretched upwards, trying to loosen her stiff muscles. Her face scrunched up as she felt a crack along the bottom of her back and shook her body to get rid of the feeling.

After managing to push herself to stand, Akemi silenced the alarm on her phone before heading to her bathroom. After a couple of splashes of cold water to the face, Akemi patted her face with a dry, fluffy towel before inspecting her face in the mirror. Akemi ran a finger along her cheek, taking a look at the minor imperfection on her face, the redness of her cheeks, and the bags under her eyes. Her age was indeed catching up to her appearance, and the older she became, the further away out of reach her dreams were.

With a heavy sigh, knowing that no matter what creams or oils she used wouldn’t create a miracle, Akemi grabbed her hairbrush. She hummed as she brushed back her fringe, her eyes widening as she caught a glimpse of a couple of silver strands falling onto her face. “Eh!” She gasped, throwing the brush to the floor, holding her fringe back with her hand to see the silver strands more carefully. “Oh, come on!” She exclaimed. “My skin, my back…. But now my hair?”

Akemi threw her hands to her side, defeated yet annoyed. Whining to herself, Akemi finished her morning routine, brushing her teeth, combing her hair into a tight ponytail, and dressing in her work uniform.

Today was just like any other day for Akemi. Her adult life fell into a mundane routine of waking up, washing, getting dressed, and breakfast wasn’t always a guarantee, a once-in-a-while shift in the routine that took her to a nearby coffee shop on the way to work. Then it was 8 hours of dealing with patients, listening to co-workers complain, and counting down the hours before heading home.

Yes, Akemi had truly become like any other adult. Her dreams of being an idol were just that. A fantasy she could live out in her dreams after many failed auditions and her age becoming a factor, Akemi wasn’t able to find any work in her dream field. She was just another adult in the 64% of adults who don’t get to live out their dream.

As she sat at the reception desk, watching as patients came and went, picking up emails and answering calls, all Akemi could think about was the emotions her dreams evoked—the joy of hearing her fans' cheers and the sense of accomplishment that came with performing on stage. Now, the only sense of accomplishment she gets is a small thank you from a patient as they walk through the door to leave, never to come back.

After the last patient, Akemi locked up the clinic and started on the usual route home. Heading through town to pick up some essentials, including a bottle of home hair dye to hide the growing grey hairs. “Maybe I’ll just order a pizza for dinner,” she sighed as she continued to walk to her bus stop, her stomach growling. As her mind pondered, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Curious, she pulled her phone out, smiling at the notification message that popped up—an invitation from her friends to attend a nearby karaoke bar. “Well, they serve food at the karaoke bar. “

Akemi giggled as she ran in the direction of the karaoke bar. Even if it was in a small booth with alcohol, food, and her friends, Akemi could still put on a performance.

And perform she did.

As she stood on the sofa, Akemi held the microphone tightly, looking at her friends as she sang, not needing the lyrics on the screen. Her friends clapped and sang along with the words, waving their glasses around, spilling the occasional drop of beer.

The song came to an end, and the screen flashed ‘Score 96’; her friends cheered louder. Akemi couldn’t help but feel smug as she jumped down from the booth; her score was almost perfect even now. “Guess I’m a little rusty,” She joked, chugging back her drink, hydrating her overworked vocals.

“Rusty?” Her friend laughed. “Akemi, that’s better than what most professionals would get. You’re being too harsh on yourself.”

Akemi smiled softly, sitting back into the sofa as she picked up a slice of the pizza. It was true; she had watched many YouTube videos of popular idols who had just hit a score of 90, and yet here she was, so close to perfection. Her smile turned into a frown; so perfect, and yet it wasn’t good enough.

That night, Akemi had her bath, dying her hair and changing into a fresh pair of pyjamas as she climbed into bed. She lay on her back, staring at the wall in front of her. The wall was decorated with photos from her middle school and high school years, where she was dressed in beautifully idol-inspired outfits, and the many ribbons from talent shows adorned the frames. “So close,” she sighed, turning to her side and pulling the blanket over her body. “Yet it was never meant to be.”

She closed her eyes, her breathing steady as she fell into another dream.

Unlike the stadium, this stage was in an empty building, with no fans, no lights, and no music. Empty aside from one old school television on the edge of the stage. The picture was static, flickering rapidly, as if trying to find a signal.

Akemi tilted her head, walking towards the television, being cautious as she knelt and reached out, running her hand along the buttons and the dial. She gulped and began to turn the dial; the static on the television started to become clearer the more she turned the dial.

Her eyes squinted as she looked closer at the screen- the picture wasn’t perfect, but Akemi could make out a figure lying on the floor with someone standing above it. Akemi raised a brow, pushing the volume up button, wanting to see if she could hear what was happening.

Akemi grabbed her shirt, feeling her heart break as the figure above the body continued to cry. Was she watching some form of drama or maybe a soap opera? Akemi scanned the room on the screen, particularly drawn to the bed sheets. Pink covers with a butterfly pattern. “Are those my bed sheets?” She whispered, her eyes widening, noticing the pyjamas the body on the floor was wearing.

“A-Am I dead?”

“Afraid so,” the voice that spoke up behind her was blunt and raspy. Akemi turned, her heart pounding hard against her chest. Before her stood an elderly gentleman in a black suit with a bow tie. The gentleman bowed, holding out his hand.

“W-where am I?” Akemi stammered, pushing herself to her feet.

“You, my dear,” The gentle extended his arm, the lights of the stage illuminating the area. “Are in the in-between of life and death. Your soul has been chosen for reincarnation.”

“For what?”