I've gotten smaller?
It's true...
It feels like you two are so big now.
Wait—
Aah!
Whoa! Are you okay, Haruka?!
Yes... I just tripped.
What's going on here?
How did she and I switch bodies?
This is a SEKAI, after all. It makes sense that strange things could happen here.
Still...
You're soooo cute!
Ah! M-MEIKO?!
Hey, that's not fair... I mean!
MEIKO, now is hardly the time for that!
I can't help it! She's just so adorable♪
Look how squishy her cheeks are!
Hee... Hehe...!
MEIKO, that tickles.
Yes, there's a cute smile♪
Now this feels more like the Haruka we know. Up until now, your expression has been rather stiff.
Right...
I wasn't very good at smiling when I was young.
I remember my parents looking sad and my mom saying, “If only it were easier to make you smile, Haruka.”
Looking sad...
The other Haruka said something like that, too. Is there some connection?
I don't know, but...
But we will make them sad again, for sure.
As long as I'm an idol...
Ever since I became an idol, I've made my parents sad countless times.
When I first debuted, people online criticized me for not smiling enough, for being a terrible dancer, for using connections to get where I was...
My mother found me crying in my room...
She looked like she was in so much pain, because of me.
Even after I became ASRUN's leader, people mostly just compared me with the previous leader.
By then, I had stopped caring about what they had to say about me, but I think it never stopped eating at my parents.
Then, Mai got injured...
When I couldn't bear standing on stage anymore...
My parents took time off work to spend time with me, helped me look for doctors, and gave me lots of support. But...
In the end, I gave up on being an idol.
When I said I wanted to quit...
My mother cried.
She didn't say anything. She just hugged me, tears streaming down her face...
But I couldn't find any words to thank her.
I really do feel like I was a terrible daughter.
And then after all that, saying I wanted to be an idol again... How selfish could I be?
But my parents just said I could do whatever I wanted to do...
They sound like wonderful parents.
I don't want to cause them any worry.
I don't want them to be sad because of me anymore.
But that...
That's impossible, so long as you're an idol.
...!
I need you to grasp your own position here, so it's about time we compare answers.
Answers?
Yes. Whose emotions this SEKAI was born from, and what kind of emotions they are.
This is my and your... Our SEKAI.
It was born from the feeling we've been holding on to since we were very small. “I don't want them to be sad because of me.”
...
I can tell you have somewhat figured that out.
So you should also understand what needs to happen to turn that feeling into reality.
...
(I do understand.)
(Ever since I became an idol, any time anything happens, my parents worry for me.)
(They've been my strongest supporters, but I've made them sad so many times, and I feel terrible about it.)
(I've wondered sometimes, if I hadn't become an idol and lived an ordinary life, could I have been a better daughter to them?)
(But...)
(But, I...)
Oh...
MEIKO, KAITO...
You have your answer, don't you? But you're not sure if it's the right one?
It's okay.
Just say how you feel, Haruka.
The one you're talking to is yourself, no one else.
You don't have to lie to yourself.
...!
I...
That day, on that stage, I learned that I could make people smile.
Me, the little girl who could only make her parents worried...
As an idol, I could put a smile on everyone's face.
So...!
I won't quit.
I will remain an idol.
Haruka!
Since you're me, I'm sure I don't need to tell you.
But I treasure the idols who gave me my smile.
I am grateful for the idols who taught me I could share that smile with someone else.
The idols who give their fans courage to stand up and face another day...
I cherish them with all my heart.
...
Even though being an idol makes your parents sad?
That's not right. It's just that I still have a lot to work on.
Someday, I'll definitely become an idol my parents can be proud of.
I see.
I knew, deep down.
That was how I'd answer.
I feel the same...
Phew... It looks like we made it back safely.
Yes. Haruka, are you okay?
Yes, thank you.
It was a bit of a shock, though.
Learning that those feelings of mine... Had a SEKAI of their own.
Maybe it was our SEKAI's way of giving you a chance to face your feelings head-on♪
And at the very end, when the mist cleared, that SEKAI was truly beautiful.
It had all those photos of you beaming!
That's true.
(An idol my parents can be proud of.)
(It's a promise, and I intend to keep it.)