Charles Patricius

The concern of Miko was appreciated in its own way. Alas, when such things clashed with firm beliefs... beliefs won. While he sang the present song, Dreameater stared into the soul of that brunette in the crowd. All the while, he was constructing something new, something... targeted. That didn't seem to take from his current focus, though; his vocals wouldn't be taking a hit.

"HO-O-OLD OOON~♪
HO-O-OLD OOOOOOOOOOO-ooOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!♫"

There was only one more extensive guitar riff, and it began with that display amid the bursting fireworks. He'd finally stopped staring at Miko ─ mostly because his head was leaned back far enough to arch his spine. When he came back around, Dreameater was back to normal for the moment. He leaned into his guitar and looked toward many faces at the front of the crowd while walking a circle around the stage.

"SAY GOODBYE~!
AS WE DANCE WITH THE DEVIL TONI-IGHT!♪
DON'T YOU DARE LOOK AT HIM IN THE EYE~!
AS WE DANCE WITH THE DEVIL TOONIIII-HIIII-HIIIIIGHT~!♫

HO-O-OLD OOON~♪
HO-O-OLD OOO-ouou-ououon~♫"

And with that, the song reached its conclusion, Dreameater skipping a whispered 'goodbye' that appeared in the original recording. Still, he was only three songs into the concert. What would number four be? It was still baking in the oven of Dreameater's mind. As such, he'd take the time to address the crowd and... actually catch his breath for a bit. "Phew! I hope you're all having an awesome time. To everyone who's here for the first time, like you two over there ─ thanks again... I want this night to be memorable. We all share each other's dreams here, through the music. To me... it's like that feeling of being at a buffet. These songs are for you ─ from you. So... how about something brand new tonight? I think it'll be a vibe for everyone~♪"

The song continued and Miko's concerns while still present seemed to be drifting just a bit. She was always worried for those she liked most, especially when they were behaving in ways that placed what was most precious to them in less than ideal scenarios. Even so, she would always readily admit that Dreameater's concert antics gave her extreme anxiety and she always loved the shows. 'You really like messing with me,' she thought in a slightly less cross way. Her own eyes kept meeting his until they didn't because he was practically screaming the ending of the song into the sky and then.... a melodious finish to the song which didn't include that whispered goodbye she knew was there. He was the type who pushed his limits, it was part of what made him enjoyable to watch but also part of what set Miko on high alert. Maybe she now had the words to describe how she properly felt, not that it'd matter as there were likely going to be dozens of things to get to before that...

And then a small breather took place and Dreameater began talking to the crowd as he did from time to time between numbers. Any who went to his concerts knew them to be interactive experiences. One wasn't simply a member of the crowd as a member of Dreameater's fandom. He all but said so himself, going on to thank even new comers like Ai and Kaguya. And claimed he might have something new to share, those mentions of buffet and the like though didn't go unnoticed. Ai began to wonder if he fed his own magic through fan interactions which would make sense if he was some kind of emotion feasting being... Actually, thinking about it legitimately the name 'Dreameater' was a bit on the nose. "Oh, a new song... those are always good. You guys are in for a treat today!~" Shutara mentioned as if she was excited. In truth, Miko was too... there was a box in her head with all of Dreameater's music in it, and an even more special one for songs he created at random. This would probably fall into that category and Miko prepared to keep it safe tucked away in her head whenever it popped up again.

Dreameater had only one curiosity, and that was regarding the crowd's interest in a brand new song. Based on the cheering sound he could hear over the fireworks, the answer was a resounding yes. As that was the case, he took a few more seconds of silence before lifting that guitar again. The fireworks weren't going to stop any time soon. In fact, a more varied set of smaller explosives were soon being released just under the ceiling. With a few clicks of his shoes, Dreameater elevated just slightly. Why? Well... it seemed there were wheels tucked away in his soles. With them revealed, he began rolling around the stage as rails extended from the outer stadium toward its base. His next tune was of a happier, more uplifting variety... but a message, it remained. Dreameater felt anyone with ambition could truly resonate with it, and the strum of his guitar carried that sensation of rising above through the crowd.

"Open up your eyes, take a look at me~
Get the picture fixed in your memory♪
I'm driven by the rhythm like the beat of a heart~
And I won't stop until I start~ to stand out!
Hmm, to stand o-out~♫

A new song was coming and everyone in the crowd was excited by the news. Yes that even included the still steaming Iino Miko. She wouldn't deny loving any music made by this man, and being especially fond of any song he wrote in completion on his own. They were like special little pieces of him that she came to appreciate for extended periods of time in the past and now in the present. And then it began again... another performance, this time on wheels. 'Sou ka, taking that Air Gear thing pretty seriously,' Miko thought, her face had returned to something of a lip biting pout, but the energy of this song and the fireworks were already doing a good job of lightening her mood quite a bit. Ai for her part in this, seemed to have sparkling eyes as he began rolling around. "This might be the coolest thing I've ever seen! Like live action anime!~" she claimed as if she hadn't just spent and unknown amount of time in a magical world. Well, she was always more of a tech person. 'I mean it is pretty cool," Kaguya managed, with exactly the thought that roller skates weren't exactly magic, even if it was impressive that he planned to sing, skate and play his guitar all at once. That had to be some kind of physical feat.

"Some people settle for the typical thing~
Livin' all their lives waitin' in the wings!
It ain't a question of if, just a matter of time~♪
Before I move to the front of the liiine~♫"

The longer Dreameater sang and played, the more speed he picked up circling the stage. He reached the necessary velocity by the pre-chorus to slide onto one of those rails. Said rail allowed him to grind over the crowd, initially being only a few meters overhead. If one followed the path of that rail, however, they'd see it came from a very high place.

"Once you're watchin' every move that I make~♪
You gotta believe that I got what it taaaaaaakes~!♫"

With that, the rail did indeed carry him higher and higher. He spiraled upward into dangerous territory ─ that of the bursting fireworks specifically. Things seemed relatively fine, of course. It even seemed the fireworks closest to Dreameater were only bursting in his wake. There were more details about the lack of danger he was in, but... the crowd didn't need to know about that yet.

"TO STAND OUT!♪ ABOVE THE CROOOWD~♪
EVEN IF I GOTTA SHOUT OUT LOUD!♪
TILL MINE IS THE ON-LY FACE YOU SEE~♪
GONNA STAAAAAAND OUT... till you notice me~♫"

Those new words were pointed. Unlike other times, Miko didn't have the cushion of her under-developed brain and her ingrained insecurities. While she watched Dreameater move about, and fireworks go off, she internalized lyrics that weren't just words to her. For her, it was like he was speaking to her directly, explaining his ideology and it made sense. All the while those tense facial twitches were fading and her face was reaching a state of neutrality. Still transfixed was Miko as she turned and followed the movements and voice she adored more than others. "Okay, maybe it's cooler than I was giving it credit for, showmanship is top knotch~" Kaguya said. She wasn't fond of technology but there was a certain showmanship she quite enjoyed and Dreameater was exemplifying that sort of behavior right in front of her. She could also hear the words and wondered if Miko was actually hearing him or not. She'd been inside her friend's mind and her heart for days on end, she knew how she thought of herself and those around her and even without the full details, her reactions said she deeply cared for the young man flying around, maybe even more than most would understand.

Ai was also processing this new information. A demand to be seen and understood was what this song had. There was something to it that couldn't be quantified as just music. At the same time, Miko found herself staring at him with softness reaching her eyes in that neutral state. 'When did I start believing he was talking to me?' she wondered of herself. 'I was so sure he wasn't... but if he is. I did it again didn't I?' she thought to herself internally cringing at her lack of awareness. She spent more time with this young man than most others in her human life, and never once thought that his words were for her. Not in the way she was currently interpreting them. She could be wrong though... she was willing to give it a bit of room, 'I could be wrong though... I mean, my mind could be playing tricks on me, just because I want to believe it,' she thought. Her emotions were currently quite complex, but it didn't stop her from enjoying the show. She couldn't take her eyes off of Dreameater, but such was always the case when he was in the room. There was a certain amount of honesty Miko lacked with herself that she was doing her best to acknowledge among her problematic behaviors.

"If the squeaky wheel's always gettin' the grease,
I'm totally devoted to disturbing the peace~♪
And I'll do it all again... when I get it done~♪
Until I become your number one!♫"

It didn't seem Dreameater was going to stop until he reached the top ─ literally. That first rail sent him higher and higher, above even the fireworks. For a while, he disappeared behind the explosions. He'd be hidden by fireworks for some time to come.

"No method to the madness and no means of escape~♪
Gonna break every rule, I'll bend 'em all outta shape!♪
It ain't a question of how, just a matter of when~♪
... You get the message that I'm tryin' to se-eend~♫"

Just then, Dreameater could be seen again. The fireworks all stopped for several moments, and in that time... it was revealed that the rail he traveled had reached its end. Over the course of the next pre-chorus, Dreameater would be rocketing himself off that rail and... falling toward the stage.

"I'm under a spell, I'm in over my head~♪
And you know I'm goin' all of the way till the eee-eeend~!♫"

There was a certain confusion which always loomed in the mind of Iino Miko. She labored under the assumption that she was in general unseen and unwanted. This wasn't a negative thing to her, she just didn't assume others were interested in her. The way the magical world changed her, made her understand the internal qualities about her that those with magic saw. Oddly enough it was being human again which helped with the last bit, understanding at least a little of her own physical attractiveness as people like Hiruko made it overly obvious to her. But should such thoughts apply to her in both directions? That was something she had to consider while watching the ascent of Dreameater. 'You're about to do something crazy I know it.' she thought as she lost sight of him behind the fireworks. There was a certain amount of anxiety induced by his disappearance. Having seen him again for the first time in 300 years she wasn't ready yet to have him disappear from her line of sight.

And then there he was. After all those words which her brain was interpreting in very different ways, she could see him. So high above everyone else for a moment in absolution. How was he planning to get down from there? She didn't know nor did she care, this exact sort of thing is why she always came to these concerts when she could. She watched him rocket himself towards the stage as the next pre-chorus started. She didn't know these words but she felt where they were going. Knew the great build-up was happening and couldn't help but be just as excited as the rest of the crowd watching. Kaguya and Ai were watching as well, wondering if their younger friend realized fully everything that was happening and would be questioning her about it at their earliest convenience. Until then though this was probably the best stage show either of them had ever witnessed in their lives.

"TO STAND OUT!♪ ABOVE THE CROOOWD~♪
EVEN IF I GOTTA SHOUT OUT LOUD!♪
TILL MINE IS THE ON-LY FACE YOU SEE~♪
GONNA STAAAAAAND OUT... TILL YOU NO-OTICE ME~♫"

A great deal of velocity was gained by Dreameater as he rocketed himself toward the stage. He broke it once, latching onto and grinding against another rail that was pulled into place beneath him. He grinded that one only briefly, just to reset the downward momentum before gliding through the air again, still en route to centerstage.

"All I need is half a chance,
A second thought, a second glance to prove,
I GOT WHATE-EVER IT TAAA-AAKES~♫"

Just then, he landed, coming to a grinding halt in the middle of the stage. Spotlights were on and all moving inward. The fireworks may have ended, but fizzlers were releasing around the stage to mark his landing. That drone from the show's opening was also still hovering around, and now showed the entire stadium Dreameater's cheeky, smiling face as he sang another line. "It's a piece of cake~♫"

Miko's expectations about the craziness of the next maneuver weren't subverted. She watched one of the craziest grind sessions accompanied by singing she'd ever seen in her life. It was exciting, dynamic and well... entertaining for lack of a better word. The music, the lights, the fireworks... all of it came together with the music to complete a picture worth viewing and enjoyable beyond reason. New songs were always interesting to hear for the first time and songs like this had motivational qualities beyond whatever random thing any individual decided to read into them. Ai was practically squealing watching anime come to life right before her eyes and Kaguya was giving a bit of credit to the non-magical world for being much better at general entertainment than the magical one.

Meanwhile, a landing at centerstage occurred and a cheeky wink was delivered by Dreameater. It would be at this line that whatever remained of the tension in Miko's face disappeared, it was so cheesy but she enjoyed that sort of thing, she found herself beaming as well, seeing something so involved and it would be burned into her memory. 'That's so cool!~' she thought about the whole of this new song.She supposed she could always save any naysaying for a bit later. Shutara always one to notice the spaced out look on the girl's face saw her shift into the more normal reaction she got from witnessing the stage performance. Beyond that she could also only give an appreciative whistle that was quite the amount of fancy footwork to be delved into for a concert in Osaka. She wondered how he'd be topping this show as it seemed even just four songs in to be the new best Dreameater experience.