Volume 1 Chapter 0 — Before Fate

To everyone around her, she was just a normal student.

She was kind, always ready to help others, but she never believed that she was special.

However...There was one thing that even Yoko could not explain.

A strange dream that continued to appear in her mind.

That night, Yoko found herself standing on a huge stage.

Bright lights surrounded her.

Thousands of people filled the arena.

Their voices echoed throughout the hall.

"Yoko!"

"Please sing!"

She looked at herself wearing a beautiful idol outfit.

She was not an ordinary girl anymore.She was a famous idol known by everyone.

Her voice, her dance, her smile...Everything felt familiar.

As if she had lived this life before.

But suddenly...The music stopped.The lights disappeared.A mysterious voice appeared from the darkness.

"This is your destiny."

"You cannot escape it."

"If you cannot change fate..."

"Everything will repeat itself again."Yoko suddenly opened her eyes.

She sat up in her bed, breathing heavily."

...That dream again..."

She looked around her room.Her heart was still beating fast.

"Why does it feel so real...?"She tried to remember more details.

The stage.

The song.

The voice.

But everything disappeared like a fading illusion.

After a moment, she shook her head."It's just an illusion..."

"Probably something my imagination created."

But deep inside...Yoko wanted to believe that it was not just a dream.

Maybe...Those were memories.

Memories from before she lost her past.

Yoko did not remember her real parents.

Her earliest memory was waking up in the Kazesaki family's home.

That was the first thing she remembered.

Everything before that was empty.

But Aoi Kazesaki and Mikaru Kazesaki had always treated her as their own daughter.

They gave her a home.

They gave her a family.

After getting dressed, Yoko went downstairs.

"Good morning, Yoko," 

Aoi said with a warm smile.

"Good morning."

Mikaru looked at her carefully."

You look tired.

 Did you sleep well?"

Yoko hesitated.

"I had that dream again."

"The dream about the idol?"

 Aoi asked.Yoko nodded.

"Yes..."She sat down.

"In that dream, I was someone famous."

"I was standing on a stage.

"Mikaru smiled gently.

"Dreams can sometimes feel very real.

"Yoko looked down."But what if..."

"What if it isn't a dream?"

Her parents looked at her.

"What if it's a memory I lost?"

The room became quiet.

Mikaru gently held Yoko's hand."Yoko..."

"Your past may be unknown, but that doesn't change who you are now.

"Yoko smiled softly.

"Thank you.

"After breakfast, Yoko decided to go outside.

She needed time to clear her thoughts.

While walking near the harbor, she met her best friend.

"Yoko!"

A girl waved at her.

It was Ayaka Fujimori.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, Ayaka."

Ayaka looked at her face."

You look tired.

"Yoko smiled awkwardly."

I didn't sleep well."

"The strange dream again?"

Yoko nodded.

"...Yeah."

Ayaka sighed.

"You really think too much."

"Maybe."

The two girls laughed and continued walking.

They talked about ordinary things for a few minutes.

But then...Something unexpected happened.

Near the harbor, a young man suddenly lost his balance.

"Watch out!"Without thinking, Yoko rushed forward.

"Hold on!"

She grabbed his hand.

The boy was saved.

But...Her own foot slipped.

"Ah!"

Yoko almost fell into the sea.

Before she could fall...Someone caught her wrist.

"I've got you."

Yoko looked up.

A young man was holding her hand.

The boy she tried to save was Naoki Takeru.

The person who saved her was Minoru Shihai.

"Are you okay?" 

Minoru asked.Yoko was surprised.

"Yes..."

"Thank you.

"Naoki looked guilty.

"I'm sorry."

"You almost got hurt because you tried to help me.

"Yoko smiled."It's okay."

"I'm just glad you're safe.

"After making sure everything was fine, Naoki and Minoru left.

Yoko watched Naoki walk away.

Her heart was beating strangely.

"Why do I feel like this...?

"Ayaka looked at her with a small smile.

"Don't tell me..."

Yoko turned.

"What?"

"You like him?"

"W-What?!

"Yoko became embarrassed.

"No... I don't know.

"Ayaka laughed."

Maybe this is your first love.

"Yoko looked away.

Maybe...She really thought she had fallen in love.

Later, Yoko met Minoru again.

The moment she saw him...Something inside her awakened.

The world around her disappeared.

A stage appeared before her eyes.

Lights.Music.Crowds.

And Minoru standing beside her.

Suddenly...Fragments of forgotten memories appeared.

She remembered him.

She remembered smiling when he smiled.

She remembered watching him from a distance.She remembered loving him secretly.

But she never confessed.

And Minoru never knew.

The memories disappeared.

"...No..."

Yoko held her head.

"Why am I seeing this?"She looked at Minoru."These memories..."

"They aren't mine."

She shook her head.

"No..."

"It's just another illusion.

"That evening, Ayaka invited Yoko to a concert."

The idol group Asterion is performing tonight!

"Yoko had no idea...That this night would change everything.

She was about to discover that her strange dreams...Were not illusions.

They were the beginning of her forgotten destiny.

End of Chapter 0