213 – Interlude – Some things are beautiful because they cannot be obtained…

Lights flashed as the stage turned back to normal. Jenny's latest song came to an end, and with it so did the changed surroundings. When the light faded, Jenny was standing in the middle of the stage again, holding her mic with both hands up to her mouth. She smiled and said, "Everyone having fun?"

A roar of applause echoed in response, followed by a flurry of hearts and flowers.

Jenny giggled and then glanced to the side.

A pillar of white light formed before space distorted. After that, Titor appeared, hands tucked in his lab coat pockets. He looked out at the crowd and then glanced at Jenny. "Have you had your fill of fun yet, my other half?"

"Hm?" Jenny tilted her head and said, "Am I out of time?"

Titor shook his head and turned his gaze back to the crowd. "Oh no. You are more than welcome to continue. But at this point, the girls might get nervous."

A super energetic crowd. An entire concert hall filled with people waving glowsticks and sending red hearts as messages...

Jenny's eyes widened and then she rubbed the back of her neck "Oh... you're right. I guess I *am* going a bit overboard." She sighed and said, "This is such a bad habit..."

Titor raised an eyebrow and said, "It would have been great for you to realize that before, my other half. But to think you would realize it dressed like that... Perhaps a feminine touch was all that was needed?"

Jenny giggled. "Maybe~?" She twirled around, letting her skirt spin and said, "I get why you like acting like that now." She stopped and raised one hand up to cover her mouth, giggling. "Playing a character like this is definitely fun."

Jenny glanced at the chat and let out an amused smile.

Titor matched Jenny's smile and then looked out at the crowd. When he did, his smile shifted to a smirk and he said, "Should we do this in one go? Or do you want to take your time with them, my other half?"

Jenny looked at the crowd and hummed. After that she shook her head and said, "It's probably better to do it all at once. If we don't, it might give people false hope. You know?"

Titor laughed. "You would indeed know all about that, wouldn't you, 'Everdistant Golden Princess?'"

Jenny sighed.

Titor snapped his fingers. When he did, a shimmering transparent veil appeared behind him. No, instead of a veil, it looked more like a one-way mirror. He turned his back on the crowd and faced it. After that, he looked back at Jenny and said, "Are you ready to pass over the torch to the girls?"

Jenny nodded and then laughed. Except, it wasn't her cute and bright giggle, but a low and masculine laughter. Still charming and captivating... but definitely not one that belonged to a beautiful young woman like Jenny. After that, she... Or rather, 'he' spoke in a male voice. A familiar one that sounded very similar to Titor's. "Yeah. We probably should. Any more and Aoko might have a stroke."

Titor chuckled and then stepped through the veil. When he did, light passed his body, tracing it out. And when that light faded, he was standing on the other side. But he was also different.

Before stepping into the veil, he was clearly real. Not CGI hyper-realistic graphics, but a real person.

The moment Titor stepped through the veil though, he changed. His lab coat appeared brighter, more vibrant. His facial features shifted a bit, turning more Anime and less realistic. But instead of crossing the uncanny valley, it was the perfect blend of realistic and stylized.

"Well." 'Jenny' turned back to look at the crowd and shrugged. "Time's up." With that, 'she' walked through the veil as well.

Like with Titor, light surrounded her body. But unlike Titor, it flashed just like a magical girl transformation. Golden light wrapped around her chest. Her skirt and her shirt shimmered, along with her leggings...

And when the light faded, John stood there, wearing a pure white suit.

Like Titor, he looked more like an Anime character than his real self. But unlike Titor, where the transformation played up his features, John's appearance was more subdued.

When the transformation finished, John turned around to face the crowd and winked. "Well how about it? Did you like the show?"

Screams filled the air. Sheer despair.

Mixed with those screams were roaring laughter. Some people finding the situation hilarious instead of world-ending.

The camera spun around to face the crowd. And when it did, it showed over half of them collapsed on the ground. Some from laughter, literally rolling around clutching their bellies. Others from falling on their knees in disbelief.

And then in the back, waves of emotes popped up over the people there. Broken hearts, crying laughing faces, gagging faces... In short, the crowd was very vocal about their feelings.

As to chat...

The camera panned back to face John and Titor. When it did, the two weren't alone anymore. In the back, there were three girls sitting down on a bench.

The first was a cheerful looking young girl with bright orange hair and matching colored eyes. Hana.

The second was a cool looking beauty with light blue hair and frosty eyes. Aoko.

And the last was another cool looking beauty with ashen gray hair and burgundy eyes. But despite that, her warm smile and bright gaze gave her a soft aura that clashed with her features in the best way. Alfi.

John turned back and said, "Well? Did my little show help you get over your stage fright?"

Aoko stood up, rubbing her face. After lowering her hands, she looked at John and Titor and said, "How the hell do you two act like that without cringing? Do you just not have any self-pride or shame?"

Titor crossed his arms and turned up his head to laugh. After that, he looked down at Aoko and said, "Me? Shame? How could a brilliant scientist like myself be bothered by such trifling mortal concerns?"

John cleared his throat, the tips of his ears turning red. He avoided meeting Aoko's gaze and said, "I-It is a bit embarrassing to be honest..." He shifted his gaze to Alfi and said, "But if my sweet daughter asks me to, how can I not?"

Alfi's eyes lit up and she ran forward. Jumping at John for a hug, she said, "Papa is the best!"

"H-Hold on Alfi! You aren't small anymore... Gah!" John quickly grabbed Alfi and spun her around to stop her momentum. After that, he placed her down and let out an exasperated sigh. "You aren't a toddler anymore, you know? If you keep doing that, one of these days you're going to break my back."

"A-Ah." Alfi stepped back and lowered her head. "...Sorry, Papa."

John gave her a soft smile and patted her head. "It's fine. I like how you're expressing yourself more... just be careful, alright? I might be okay, but most people wouldn't if you gave them a running tackle, you know? Now... How about you get ready with the other girls to knock'em dead?" He shifted his gaze over to Hana and Aoko and said, "Right?"

Hana pumped her right fist in the air. "Leave it to me, Mister John!"

Aoko shook her head, turning her gaze towards the crowd. "Yeah... I think we're already there after your little father-daughter bonding, John."

"Hm?"

The camera panned back.

Before, only half of the crowd were collapsed. Now all of them were knocked out, face up with happy expressions.

Alfi gasped.

Titor smirked and said, "It appears that our resident Magnum Opus is too great for mere mortals to gaze upon!"

Hana laughed and looked over at John. "Well, Miss Jenny *was* too good to be true. I guess Onee-chan's cuteness was just the last straw?"

John blinked and then sighed. "...They'll be fine. Probably. Anyway... Should we change gears?"

Titor pulled out his old flip phone and checked the time. "Yes. If we want to end on time, I suppose it would be best to pass the limelight over to our dear idols..."

"Alright! Then..." John turned back to the front of the stage. As he did, the camera panned in on him. "Well... It's been fun. But I'll leave you guys in the hands of my girls now. Don't forget though!" He winked, causing a flash of light to pop up. And when he did, an Anime version of Jenny took his place.

"I won't forgive you if you don't cheer them on like you did for me, okay~?" Jenny winked and then blew a kiss, causing a small pink heart to fly forward.

In the back, Aoko bent over, gagging.

Alfi giggled.

Hana laughed.

And as for the chat...

Jenny giggled and then stepped back. When she did, light flashed again, leaving John in her place. He looked to Hana and then bowed his head, waving his arm forward. "The stage is yours, Miss Homura."

Hana stepped forward. "Thanks, Mister John!"

Titor stepped back as well, along with the other girls.

"Good luck, Hana!" Alfi waved and let out a brilliant smile.

Aoko smacked a fist into her palm and said, "Knock'em dead, Sis."

Hana smiled back. "I will! Thanks!"

With that, a ripple spread. John and the others vanished, leaving only Hana standing there.

She took a deep breath and looked forward.

Silence. The crowd below were slowly getting back up, while the crowd in the seats around were sending out emotes to support.

Seeing that, Hana waved and said, "Ohanayo!"

A roar of "Ohanayo!" echoed back. And with it came a flood of hearts and Chibi Hana emotes in the back.

Hana laughed, letting out a radiant smile.

HappyVainGlory

A/N: For reference about how everyone looks in their models, think FFVII Remake but better.

Also, John definitely looks like Cloud.

P.S. There won't be chapters until after November 2nd. Got a big paper I need to finish and devote all my time to. There might be a surprise in between then, but we'll put the chapters on hold for a bit. Take care and study hard if you're also facing mid-terms/finals!