LU Epilogue

# Epilogue - "Yamata no Orochi"

    A lone girl sits in her room - a sparsely decorated, solitary room - tears staining her cheeks as the soft sound of manic giggling is swallowed up by the blankets in which she's loosely draped herself. In one hand she holds one of her long twin blonde locks of hair, both of its ends trailing the floor of her dorm room gently as it dangles limply from the middle like a bundle of overcooked pasta or a giant, recently deceased snake. Back and forth, and back and forth the ends brush against the linoleum as she stares in disbelief, barely even blinking from the bizarre scene. Held shakily in her other are a pair of steel scissors, the kind used on school projects or, in particularly exceptional circumstances, to crudely cut hair drastically short. The girl laughed harder and louder. What else could she possibly do? Her long blonde hair had been her trademark feature, but now it was ruined, and it would take years for it to recover. Her life may as well have been ruined, and those of her group mates along with it. In one swift click of the sheers her life as she knew it was over. Her entire style had ceased to exist. Asa Asakura was done with her career as an idol, which meant that Asa may as well not even exist. All that remained was…

    Whatever pathetic creature I am now. This pathetic girl who certainly could never be confused for the confident and brash Asa.

    Mr. Kumasawa is going to be furious…

    As the girl's quiet giggles were interrupted by a few gentle sobs, she heard a knock on the door.

    Why would anyone be knocking?

    Even Aoi and Minori had never come to her room. They'd only ever met in the practice rooms or the common area. Asa had never invited them, granted, but they'd never found their way here anyway.

    Asa, truth be told, had no friends, though this was something she was well aware was her own fault. She's always preferred the companionship of the opposite sex over that of other girls, and her time and attention had always been spent accordingly, especially once she reached the age where boys started to feel the same way about her. Recently she had ignored all of the other girls with whom she lived and trained, and had instead spent all of her freetime with the boy she thought was her boyfriend, but that had turned out to be a lie. Instead of a loving girlfriend she had been proven to be nothing but a hussy in front of everyone who mattered. The sort of girl who chases after boys who don't actually want anything to do with her except what all boys want. Asa was the lowest of the low. Who would actually care if she shed her long blonde locks? If she had to break her contract and retire from being an idol even though she hadn't even debuted? Who would even mind if the name Asa Asakura was never uttered again in this entire building?

    Nobody.

    That's who.

    Aoi and Minori would do just fine as a duo.

    And the memory of Asa would be just like the ghost so many of her peers seem convinced haunts the dormitory.

    So imagine this girl's surprise when someone actually knocked on her door repeatedly, as though they actually cared if she was inside, or if she answered.

    Of course it had happened before.

    Just, never on purpose.

    It was always girls looking for one of her next door neighbors. This season, the bulk of the new girls had ended up on the first floor just like Asa, and most of them had made friends with their peers, happily fluttering around the dorm from room to room. Asa even tried, but it was barely a week before her roommate found someone she would rather room with. Asa didn't even know where Aoi and Minori's rooms were. Or are they roommates?

    There are a lot of things that she should probably know which she doesn't…

    Just as Asa held the cutting shears up to her remaining ponytail, the sound at the door happened again, and she had to pause and wonder:

    *Could the person behind my door actually be here to see me?*

    "Who is it? What do you want?"

    "It's Yuu. I wanted to check to see if you were… Well obviously you're not okay…"

    Great. Just what she needed.

    "What do you want? Get out of here! You'll get in trouble if they catch you in here!"

    Boys were explicitly prohibited in the parts of the building that acted as a dorm to female idols, but let's be honest: Yuu wasn't a threat to any girl in the dorm, and his several impromptu skincare seminars were proof that even if he had an interest in high school girls, he could probably be trusted to act gentlemanly around them anyway.

    Given that, she answered the door, still holding her trademark ponytail limply.

    "Oh, sweetie, what've you done?" The look in his eyes was essentially pity. I HATE pity. How dare he?! Except he didn't lecture, or mock, or remind me that I had thrown my career away. Yuu did what he always does: He focused on solving the most immediate fashion crisis. "Come on, let's get you fixed up. At least you didn't go pixie short."

    "Why are you here…?" I asked pathetically.

    "My group mate can be a total ass, and I figured you'd need my help one way or another. This is always how it is with idols. One bad teenage romance and you blow it entirely out of proportion… You'd better call your group mates. This is gonna be a long night. Tell them to meet us upstairs in the salon."

    "I think it'd be nice if it fit a theme…" Aoi finally chose this moment to speak her mind freely. During rehearsals, at work, and even hanging out she's practically silent, or else stuttering her words out shyly, but apparently this is what it took to get her talking. "Maybe something a little more unique, since you have to change it anyway. Like, I'm rock 'n' roll, right? And Minori's kind of poppy and mainstream. So maybe you could look a little hip hop or glam or… Oh! Or even a little punk! That's kind of popular right now! I-If that's not too crazy…'

    "I know you didn't do it on purpose, but I think we should look on the bright side. You and I look kind of similar but Aoi looks nothing like either of us, and it felt a little unbalanced with Aoi and I on either side of you. But now we can all have a more unique look, so we'll stand out that much more. Maybe I'll play with some more wigs when we're done with you…" So says that know-it-all Minori, who I couldn't help but feel was simply relieved that she wouldn't be the one having to make a permanent change. I don't know why Yuu called them over. It's not even that big a change. It's just a little trim. From long hair with twin ponytails down to my butt like that virtual idol everyone's always talking about to a chin-length cut with kind of cute messy bangs. Just enough that I still looked basically like me.

    At least from the neck down…

    "That's great! An asymmetrical bob and choppy bangs! That's totally punk rock!" Like she usually does when she's excited, Aoi pumped her fist in the air making some weird gesture with her fingers.

    It is pretty cute though, even if it's like I'm looking at someone else.

    "Here's what I'm thinking, my dear Asa. Now that we've evened out your coif, we can play with your coloration. Let's make you the literal sunrise in 'Sunrise Girls'. You're the center, right? You should embody the entire concept! Bright and full of energy. Forget that jerk Natsuki! Idols are there for the fans, and all your future fans are gonna looove you with this makeover! This is going to be my best masterpiece yet, trust me."

    "You don't think being blonde is enough? That's pretty sunny…"

    "No way! He's right. The blonde is cute but it isn't punk rock enough! Maybe add some orange or something. Kind of in an-"

    "In an ombre, just like a sunrise. Aoi, I'm impressed. You know a lot about hair styling."

    "Th-Thank you, Mr. Yuu! I t-try…"

    "I agree with them too, Asa. It'll look really cute with a little color, and your school doesn't mind so there's no need to use a wig or extensions. You'll draw a ton more attention as the center, too, and it'll look really eye-catching on our posters. I bet Mr. Kumasawa is going to love it. We'll cover a huge visual range with only three idols. We'll be more memorable this way."

    I hate having to rely on anyone else.

    I always have. Mostly because I learned really quickly that it doesn't matter if it's your parents, the kids at school, or boys you like, it's all the same. When you really need them, they're going to let you down, provided they aren't the ones you need help getting away from in the first place. That's why when I suggested we three become a group, what I had really meant was that these two girls should compliment me. That I could look even better with a couple other idols onstage.

    But now they actually seem to feel the same way and they're being so nice about it, trying to help me be the most dazzling center to our group that I can possibly be, and I don't know how to feel about that. They weren't just supposed to go along with it! I expected to have to fight them like I always have to fight for everything. Instead, they act like they care whether I'm a success or not.

    They're acting like they're actually my friends…

    "You can be our sunrise! We can really make a statement. Rock and roll and punk and beyond! We can do anything when we all work together!"

    "I don't even mind being the boring one. I'm happy just being the featured dancer. I know Aoi is the leader, but you're the center, and I want to support you. I think Mr. Yuu's idea would look really cool… That haircut is super cute. Your figure looks great with short hair."

    The whole time, as these two girls supported me and said such nice things to keep my spirits up, Yuu worked away at me, brushing the dye into what were now the very tips of my hair. After a thorough rinse he held up a mirror and silently gloated. "It's like your group was missing a single thing, and now thanks to me you've become the exact piece that completes the puzzle."

    It was a little frustrating, mostly because it was true.

    Looking in the mirror I was stunned numb by how different my hair was. I'd been growing it out since I was barely able to walk, and now it was just gone. It was still dyed blonde from its natural brown, sure, but that was a much later addition, and now part of it was a bright vermillion. I barely recognized myself.

    "It looks great, but who is it…?" I found myself asking no one in particular. Seriously… Who is this girl? It's not Asa. Asa was a stupid, needy girl in love with a jerk who didn't appreciate her. Asa had no friends. Asa never had people who would go through all this trouble just because she felt bad. I've never seen this girl before now. This girl is cute. Actually, whoever she is, she's even more of a babe than Asa used to be. But she's no one… Just an illusion of makeup and hair dye…

    "This is the new you!" Yuu exclaimed excitedly, removing the heavy black cape from around my shoulders.

    "You look great!" Shouted Aoi, lunging forward and hugging me for some reason - a very new development - having bought into this change of persona completely. I think she likes it more than I do.

    "It's totally cute. I really like it!" Exclaimed Minori. "Mr. Yuu, you did a really great job."

    "But who is she…?"

    This question haunted me like a memory I couldn't quite remember because it had never actually happened. I knew who I was before. I was Asa Asakura, a superstar idol in training. Despite her outward confidence, the truth is that she was weak and pathetic. But now I'm… not her. Not exactly.

    "You're the person who gave me a chance to prove myself as an idol!" Aoi shouted not long after.

    "You're absolutely fabulous." Bragged Yuu, who had risked so much to come and comfort me and rescue me from myself. "If you ask me you're my finest creation yet. After myself, of course."

    "It's missing something though… Hold on a second…" Grabbing her large pink duffle bag, Minori opened up a big black case and shuffled things around, making a noisy racket until she found what she was after. "I bought these for cosplay but haven't used them yet. I think they'd look perfect with your new look. Go ahead, try them on." Her voice was annoyingly cheerful as she handed me the small box. Two bright green lenses stared up at me, not too different from the color of my favorite drink. Why not? I've come this far. I carefully put them in.

    Looking into the hand mirror, I got flustered and upset all at once, and took a giant gulp of my energy drink to buy time to think. They look amazing. After a minute or so of slowly working up the effort to swallow my mouthful of bubbly elixir I spoke.

    "I'm too embarrassed to be Asa anymore. I don't think I like her very much… No. I hate everything about her! I don't even recognize her in the mirror now…"

    "We like Asa, but lots of idols use stage names. Like that Chanel girl. I don't think Mr. Kumasawa will care, as long as we keep working hard. Your name is kind of cute and alliterative, but lots of names are cute." Minori supported my statement. Why is she being so nice to me?

    "Why don't you lean into the punk theme!" Aoi was super excited, but I didn't know why. She was always so quiet before… "Like Hikaru Mayhem, or Sakura Frenzy! Something that's super hardcore!"

    "I'm not hardcore though. I'm just a dumb girl…"

    "That's no fun. Think of who you want to be. Idols have a unique chance to present whatever persona they want to the world. Who are you on the inside? What motivates you? It doesn't matter who you are, only who you tell the world you are. How would anyone know the difference?"

    Yuu brought up points I hadn't ever thought about before. Who do I really want to be if I'm not dumb, useless little Asa? What do I want out of being an idol? What motivates me?

    I want…

    I think more than anything…

    "I want to make Natsu pay…"

    "There she is! Vengeful and full of wrath! A perfect sun goddess!" Yuu shouted flamboyantly, trying to raise my spirits. Instead it just riled me up. Though knowing Yuu, that may actually have been what he was going for.

    "I *hate* him! And I hate that Junko slag! What's so special about her?! I want to make everyone sorry they treated me like a joke…"

    "So full of angst! You're so hardcore!"

    "I'll make them wish they'd never messed with me! I'll tell everyone the truth about all of them…" My vision got dizzy from the fumes of the hair dye and the rush of anger, jealousy, and remembered embarrassment all spinning through my mind. "The truth…"

    "As long as it's just a stage role, that sounds kind of cool. We can be sort of edgy, but for a good cause. The Radiant Idols of Truth and Justice!"

    "Y-Yeah! It'll be fun! Amaya Asakura! The dark cloud that hides the sun!"

    "Or Rin, the idol of the sun with a cold heart and mysterious secrets! Fear her!"

    Yuu laughed hard as my group mates suggested stupid name after name, all accompanied by ridiculous titles that sounded like they were straight out of anime. So did I. They were horrendously awful, but how enthusiastic they were being made me forget how bad I felt. "Those all sound like magical girls, not punk idols."

    "Then something more… punk… Hmm… Hey, stick out your tongue."

    "Wha? Why?" Minori's request took me by surprise. What could that possibly have to do with anything?

    "Just do it. Like this." Minori stuck her tongue out right at me. Rude… "I have an idea."

    I was confused, but what did I have to lose? It's not like they would be this nice for this long only to make fun of me for doing something silly. I stuck out my tongue like she asked.

    "Yeah, that's what I thought. With those bright colors you kind of look like a rat snake my older brother used to keep as a pet. Are snakes punk?"

    "Snakes are totally punk rock!" Aoi did the fist pumping thing again. "Orochiko, daughter of the great eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi! Hss! Hss!"

    "Snake daughter… I could be 'Hebiko'… No, that sucks…"

    "Asa! I have a better idea. Yeah. You want everyone to know the truth, right? So what if we use a name with the character for 'truth' in it? Let's see…" Minori dove back into her duffle bag and fetched a pad of paper, scribbling quickly on a page before nodding at it approvingly. "Yeah, that'll work. Aoi, what do you think?"

    Minori showed her idea to the petite girl who pumped both fists in the air. "Totally punk rock hardcore! Show Mr. Yuu too!"

    Handing over the script, Yuu smiled warmly and nodded. "Oh that's fun. You girls can get a lot of appeal by leaning into that theme. Read it over then say it out loud. Really put your feelings into it. Embrace the role. Become the new you."

    Finally, the notebook came to me. Reading it carefully, I loved it. The sum of everything I couldn't articulate. It was dark and vengeful, but silly enough that fans would eat it up instead of being put off. Tsuntsun characters are totally in right now. Being Asa is too embarrassing anymore, but this… I think I could be this…

    I took a deep breath and summoned my loudest, most menacing voice to show off to my friends.

    "Ku ku ku! Hear me, pathetic mortals! Your misdeeds have awakened the daughters of the legendary serpent! The alluringly beautiful ghosts who will put a hex on all unkind souls! Prepare to witness the power of a perfect sunrise, for the idol of truth is here to drag all your misdeeds into the light of the rising sun! Cower before the awesome beauty of Riko Orochi, your new favorite idol!"

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