Jin's Perspective

A few days before…

Jin stepped into his classroom, his backpack slung over one shoulder. A group of girls huddled around a desk, chatting amongst themselves about an idol they look up to.

At the same time, a group of boys gathered in the back corner around a phone that quietly played a song Jin didn't recognize. The group's undivided attention was on the idol in the video, and constant mentions of her beauty reached Jin's ears.

He sighed and shook his head. “I don't get why people are so obsessed with idols. They're just regular people,” he complained.

“Regular people with extraordinary talent,” a voice responded behind him. Yuu Kakimoto, who had been Jin's first and closest friend after his move away from Akita, stepped into the classroom behind him.

“Don't tell me you're thinking of obsessing over that singer with the others…”

“Nothing of the sort,” Yuu pushed his glasses to his face with a smirk. “Admiring beauty and talent is a private matter.”

“So you are obsessed with this idol…” Jin took a seat at his desk and rummaged through his bag for a couple textbooks.

“Obsessed would be a stretch. I would use the term ‘fond of,’” Yuu took his seat in front of Jin and turned around to face him. “Her music is passionate. You can feel the emotion she put into her songs. I'll show you her latest one tonight.”

“Fine. I don't mind listening to new music, but don't expect me to fall in love with this idol,” Jin said.

“Who said anything about falling in love?” Yuu chuckled with a shrug. “All I'm saying is that there's a passion behind her voice that you can feel.”

“As long as that passion doesn’t distract you from our game this Sunday. We’re facing off against Wagumashi High.”

“Wagumashi? This early in the year?” Yuu grinned. “No need to worry, not even the number two team in the nation can hope to win against the unbeatable Sakaruma soccer team!”

“Let’s not underestimate them,” Jin advised. “They’ve definitely been preparing for this match, so we should too.”

“That’s my captain,” Yuu gave him a pat on the shoulder. “I can’t wait.”

Following the bell, the remaining students who remained huddled disbanded in a flash and found their seats. A middle-aged gentleman entered the room with a large smile and turned to face the class. “Good morning, class. Mr. Konohara is out of town, so I’ll be covering for today. My name is Mr. Akenawa…”

-

Jin stretched his legs, waiting for Yuu at the large soccer field behind the school. His other teammates were already present. Sakaruma High School, where Jin attended, took pride in its soccer team. So much so that it was known throughout the country as the top school for soccer. Beginning this year, Jin was the new captain of the team until his graduation the next year.

In the distance, he spotted Yuu sprinting toward the field and waved to him. Yuu slowed to a stop next to Jin and turned to face the coach who stood a few lengths away from the team.

“Alright, team. As you’ve heard, this week’s game will be a tough one. We may be the number one team, but Wagumashi is close behind us.” A couple players whispered amongst themselves at the mention of Wagumashi. “If we let our guard down for even a second, we may unintentionally hand them the crown. We don’t want that, do we team?”

“No, coach!” The team yelled in unison.

“So let’s give it our all these next few days. I want your parents complaining about how you threw up the moment you got home because of how hard you trained. Let’s start with some laps.”

At the coach’s order, Jin and his teammates all began a jog to the edge of the field and back until the coach could see visible pain on even the players with the highest endurance. The next activity was a break from physical exercise to review Wagumashi’s strengths and weaknesses.

Once practice was over, the coach asked Jin and Yuu to stay behind for a moment. “You two are our top players,” he said. “Do you mind both staying in the whole game?”

The usual lineup had either Jin or Yuu in play at any given time, not both. The two exchanged a glance and nodded. “We can handle that,” Jin agreed.

“Thank you. We should be able to win with you two on the field.”

“We’re an unstoppable duo,” Yuu pulled his arm around Jin’s shoulder. “If that’s all, coach, we’ll take our leave,” the two friends departed, their course set for Yuu’s house. “Time to show you what you’re missing out on,” he said.

It was a short walk from the school to Yuu’s home. Jin wasn’t the most interested in listening to the music Yuu was about to show him, but he also didn’t mind, either. He followed Yuu through a cozy living room to his friend’s bedroom.

Inside, only a few items marked it unique from a typical room–a few anime posters, a bookshelf full of college-level textbooks and manga, and a gaming computer that sat atop a wooden desk. The room belonged to one who was a studious otaku.

Yuu jumped into the large swivel chair in front of his computer and began typing on the keyboard. “Alright, Jin. Prepare to be amazed.”

Jin watched as Yuu opened YouTube and searched for Miyuki Phoenix live performance. He clicked on a video and spun the chair to face Jin, who stepped forward to see the screen clearer.

The stage was dark at first, before a spotlight revealed a dark-haired girl in an outfit that blended oranges and reds together like a burning fire. Music played, and her performance began.

At one point the camera shifted to grant a closer look at the idol.

A river of familiarity rushed through him and his eyes widened as he recognized the singer. Since she was older now, he had to look closer to confirm that it truly was her. “Wait, that’s… M-Miyuki?”

Her words filled his body. The song personified a relationship as a phoenix, who had lived great, died, and one day would live again. He couldn’t help but wonder if he had something to do with the song.

“Miyuki Haruno. I told you you’d feel her passion,” Yuu playfully elbowed him in the side.

“I know her…” he muttered. Several years went by without any word of her, and the first time he saw her since he moved away was a recorded performance of a popular song.

“Of course you do, everyone knows Miyuki,” Yuu replied.

“No, I actually know her. We were friends before I moved here.”

“Wait, really?” Yuu stared at him, shocked.

The song came to an end, and Miyuki bowed to the audience. “Thank you all for coming to support me today. I’m truly grateful for you all. I’ve been working on this song for almost a year now, so I’m happy you like it! To tell you the truth, I wrote this song specifically for someone I used to have in my life that I’ve been searching for. I hope that this song will reach him as it has reached you. With your help, my dreams can become reality soon. So thank you all!”

“So that’s you, huh?” Yuu mumbled. “I never thought I’d be friends with an idol’s friend! You should reach out to her!”

“I can’t. I don’t know any of her contact info.” He stared at the black screen, still in shock that the idol that his classmates all fawned over was his childhood friend–and she was searching for him. “Miyuki…”