Work Text:
Ichika glanced out at the stage, taking in her surroundings with fresh eyes. She was used to the lighting, sound, and crowd - almost too used to them. But this time, everything seemed unusually different.
The stage had taken on this some kind of nostalgic glow, its familiar features imbued with a poignant emotion that stirred something inside her. It was not so much nostalgic for any specific memory, as it was more a longing for the past that fueled the feeling in the first place.
Seeing her bandmates' focused faces and their waves to the crowd, Ichika realized she was swept up in the moment.
Saki, Honami, and Shiho also fixed their eyes on Ichika, noticing the tension or aura she had. The three offered her a small and reassuring smile and Ichika looked away, her eyes back to the crowd. The air buzzed with anticipation as everyone waited for the concert to begin.
Out there again, she could see some familiar faces. One of them was Saki's older brother, Tsukasa, whose ugly crying and cheering in the crowd was visibly heard and slightly put off by the other people near him. Nene, Ichika's somewhat singing coach or teacher, nudged his shoulder to lower his voice.
Shizuku was in disguise as a male and although it did initially embarrass Shiho, there was no other way for her to be in a crowd and the concert could end in disaster with people left and right asking for her autograph or taking photos. But she wasn't wrong that the sunglasses and fake mustache were unsettling. It took Ichika quite a while to spot her properly.
...But still, here, there were just more other people that she could recognize, so many of them. The people who were with them during their journey. Her heart felt too overwhelmed, it was like how it began.
Ichika was grateful, after all, this performance was to actually signify their anniversary of when Leo/Need decided to form a band and sang their first song.
And this song they choose, the song they adore so much, it's like Ichika could also see... Miku in the distance, watching their performance. Like it was the first time. She can't exactly remember what, why, or how but she's always adored Miku's music and has always been inspired, even when she was but a high schooler. There was a feeling she couldn't easily shake off.
Why was Miku so important to her again other than simply that...?
She shook her head, sighing and taking one more glance at her beloved bandmates. Ichika let out a deep breath again to take this all in.
She knew she's grown so much and with these three, these friends she'd always loved and who were always by her side, she knew they'd reach even higher and maybe even the stars they had dreamt so long to grasp.
This is why once the music began to play, and with instruments prepared, Ichika, Saki, Honami, and Shiho put their whole hearts together into this song to make tonight a perfect and memorable performance for Leo/need.