It was impossible to miss her.
The girl is singing in the middle of the hallway. Tapping her foot to the rhythm of her own beat, this girl is Hikari Echo [G]--- the girl whose voice was born from fire--- back when the theatre nearly burned down.
As she spins around, the noontime sun reflects upon her glossy purple hair, light trails the shimmering strands on her kimono [19], giving it the effect of leaving purple sparkles with each step!
A spectacle to be seen for sure--- but one unseen by anyone.
Even so!
She finishes her final dance move, full of laughter and lightheartedness for her invisible audience.
The only eyes that trail her are those from the large portrait she is performing under.
“Dearest virtual spectators,” Hikari's voice resonates through the ether, "Behold, for today marks a new chapter in our shared quest where artistry meets audacity---"
This performance is met with only silence from the portrait before her.
"--- each word that I speak now, is not just information conveyed--- but the very essence that fuels this theatre." Our neon diva bows low, her words interwoven with a welcoming gesture, "Thus, we begin another day of creativity. What boundless joy it is to transcend the frame of one's limitations, as we embark on new journeys of spontaneous performances!"
"Who are you talking to?"
A voice!
An audiencé!
Our neon diva twirls around on one foot towards the source of the voice--- a brown-haired girl who clutches a manila folder's worth of livestream plans!
This person of course, is Eclair Baudz, the new dramaturg at the theatre house.
Eclair peeks around the tall girl to see if she had missed seeing anyone in the empty hallway.
Nobody.
Above her, the three painted girls in the portrait are her only company.
The echoing silence is deafening.
Eclair looks upwards at Hikari with a shifting foot, her eyes revealing a single moment of turmoil.
Unlike the other girls, she doesn't know Hikari very well.
What kind of person is she like?
Why was this girl performing to nobody?
What was the meaning of a performance to a quiet corridor?
To Eclair, none of Hikari's actions make sense.
It was... a little sad even.
However!
Since when did meaning need an audience on its first night?
A thousand dialogues can be exchanged with a single look.
The girl's upward-looking eyes were seeking for a sort of reassurance---
--- the sort of assurance that only a performer could give...!
A fact not uncaught by Hikari's star-filled eyes!
What happens next is entirely unscripted---
Hikari kneels on a single knee with poise and encouragement; her long sleeves wrap Eclair in an embrace.
"Dearest audience, in this grand theatre called life, even when unseen by eager eyes, your cheers--- they echo within me!"
So smooth and natural was this movement, that Eclair's cheeks didn't even have time to turn red!
The smaller girl barely squeaked out chipmunk noises as Hikari continues,
"You asked 'why do I perform'? Why--- each performance is for you! Each performance is a reflection of my spirit shared freely across this digital divide! True artistry thrives not on applause alone, but also in moments where passion transcends and feeds into the soul's well!"
For a single moment, the ball of knot that wraps around Eclair's heart loosened.
Very slightly.
Just for a single moment.
In that impromptu moment, Eclair almost believed...!
This is Hikari Echo, in all her verbose positivity.
A diva who is most alive when she is always performing.
And...
The fifth and final member of Hell's Theatre's 'Echoes'!
Eclair's eyes widen, as confusion gives way to awe...
Half-breathless, all her elite schooling didn't prepare her for this!
If Eclair didn't know who Hikari was this morning...
... she certainly did now!
The story of Hell's Theatre... continues!
Glossary
[19] Kimono - Traditional-wear of the Old Continental style. It is long-sleeved and the cloth falls over the wearer's legs, the reflective surface on Hikari's kimono is definitely distinctive and a part of her instant costume changing ability!
Characters
[G] Hikari - Aspiring AI Vtuber, a neon diva who blends modernity with tradition! The reflective surface of her kimono is one-of-a-kind, shimmering like dazzling light-infused silk.
