An Idol Game

Chapter 10 - Aftermath

Sora and I returned to the rooftop, I thought she would immediately try and chew me out for something, but instead, she just went up to the railing and faced the brightly lit city.

Silence would follow as she gazed out into the night sky, entranced by some unknown force in the stars. Or maybe more realistically, she wanted to gather her thoughts and was looking up to clear her mind. Either way, I would stand a few steps beside her in silence, awaiting the first words to come out her mouth.

I could've just started the conversation myself, but something told me that taking the lead would've just angered her, so I patiently kept my mouth shut.

Eventually, she did manage to gather her thoughts and let out a few words.

"So will it stop?"

"What will?"

"The attacks. Will they stop?"

If the antis were all bots then the answer would've been yes, but they weren't. Some of the attackers were still humans and humans are persistent.

"It will definitely lessen, but when does hate ever just go away?"

"...You're right."

A sad reality, but it was something she had known for some time. Hatred, especially from idol fans, never goes away so easily. At best, they only subside.

Regardless, we had achieved something grand and when I told Sora not to dwell on the negatives, she agreed and tossed her head back and let out a massive sigh of relief.

"I'm so glad that we pulled it off! I was so nervous."

"Were you? We all thought you sounded quite confident with your speech."

"Well I did practice what I was gonna say, but... I kept thinking the worst as I spoke."

Naturally, what she did was definitely non-idol-like. I wouldn't have been surprised if she had dipped a little in numbers.

But, I doubted that it would've tarnished her reputation. Hololive was quite down to earth and honest about their struggles in the idol world. If anything, that transparency was what allowed them to survive and thrive as strong individuals.

"While I will not guarantee your reputation staying the same as before. I can at least tell you, people will know that Hololive is taking the attacks seriously. If anything your speech served as the perfect glimpse into your world."

"I guess. So much for being a good idol."

Glancing over at Sora, I saw a small, sad smile formed on her contemplating expression.

"What do you mean?"

"An idol is someone who should always be positive, ever smiling and never frowning. But tonight, I couldn't even smile to the end and ended up pouring every ounce of anger in me on the audience. No idol should ever do that."

A mindset built on giving hope, joy and excitement. Idols were revered at the cost of realism and humanity. I had thought she never stuck to it, having been raised outside traditions. But then again, Hololive is diverse and their philosophies were never truly uniform. So maybe while Sora didn't believe in some ideas on what an idol should be, she still believed they were meant to make people love her, not fear her.

"That belief is why idols are treated the way they are you know."

"I know, but, the world doesn't need idols to also show them the bad side of reality. We're meant to be like an oasis for people, to let them unwind and give them positivity. I can't do that if I threaten people."