A beautiful mountain shrine, with sakura petals blowing past its crimson gates. Colorful talismans and origami cranes gently swayed in the breeze while a shrine maiden knelt in prayer before the shrine itself.
[CyberAnonID] Ok so hear me out. John is an alien and Myth Inc is his ploy to take over the world.
[cypherpunk77] lol. Someone's been reading too much sci-fi
[doubtfuldingus] Yeah right. And Titor is a real time traveler.
[CantStopCoffin] I still think John's a criminal overlord and this is just money laundering.
[Debut Stream] Blessings upon this world
Tsubame Akari Ch.
Live in 5 minutes.
Tuesday, December 24, 1:30 PM JST
40K waiting
[GreenHexagon] Round Two, Start!
[Senpapi] Shrine maiden good civ
[Inaki] remember everyone, the pauses between debuts can be used to grab snacks and drinks.
[Sky3Fall] I don't need snacks. I need kawaii.
Live in 4 minutes.
[ShadowPuppy] Waiting every hour for the next idol feels like days for some reason... Take your time either way!!!
[puplord] Right?
[observantowl] Anybody else notice that UTube added an autotranslate to chat?
[nipponninja] Wow! Since when can the overseas brothers speak such fluent Japanese?
[TITOR????] :-)
Live in 3 minutes.
[StreamSimper] At this rate, I'd have to sell some of my stocks just to keep up with my daily akasupas
[starvedsnake] I know, right?
[GhostGoose00] For the joy they bring, no amount is too great!
[techguru101] Hnngh. How am I going to afford all this fancy new tech and games?!
Live in 2 minutes.
[TsubameFanThree] Created an account just for this, brothers, rise!
[TsubameFanOne] Hai Sensei!
[TsubameFanTwo] Get your wallets ready!
[rationalrabbit] Y'all still crazy, huh?
Live in 1 minutes.
[Kuromi Tekken Ch. ????] Go Tsubame!
[Tsubame_Geisha] Spread your wings and fly!
[avidaviator] So what's the vibe going to be for this girl?
[SilentWraith] Shrine maiden, so... Calm and soothing?
[bedwarmer] Calm and soothing is just what i needed with whats happening next door...
[cultist] amen
Waiting for Tsubame Akari Ch.
[Play: Sakuya4 - PeriTune]
Gently plucked strings paired with a soft piano. Music gradually swelling to a soaring melody.
Along with that, a sweet and smooth female voice called out.
"Just one moment, esteemed viewers. I wish to ensure you have the most favorable experience before we begin."
[blobberfish] Literal music to my ears
[loose_underwear] I like her already, should I sell my kidney?
[asmSir] Ooh. I'm getting tingles.
The screen rippled, a wave of sakura petals flying across to cover the screen. The sound of a soft breeze echoed, and then it was dark. But within that darkness, a soft light started to shine.
[Milfko] Izanami!
[ShadowPuppy] A-Are we getting transported to the underworld?
[lostlover] Wait, so what's going on now?
"It appears that the settings are correct. Then... I will begin."
The music came to an end, trailing off into silence. After that, a soft shimmer echoed and then another song began. Gentle piano notes, joined by a lone maiden's voice.
[Play: Yonder Voice - Shrine Maiden Forever]
[IWantToBeAGoodAuthor] :melt:
[ShadowPuppy] She sounds so lovely...
[Ray_Ghost_FACTORY] N-No! Must not head towards the light...!
[reverenthound] An angel...?
The soft white light started to move. Like a brush painting light in the darkness, trails of white blurred across the screen.
[obviousorangutan] Is this... a dance?
[spinningsquirrel] I'm lost. But it's pretty?
[tremblingtyranno] I feel like I'm watching a real ritual... Should I be scared?
Golden sparks flickered, lighting up the dark. With it, a faint silhouette could be seen slowly twirling.
A beautiful young woman with a delicate face, as if gently carved by a master artisan. Wearing mysterious white robes with crimson highlights, she swayed with the music, dancing within the darkness. Her light brown hair trailed behind her as she moved.
Like a flickering candle in the night, her presence alone repelled the dark, leaving both light and color where she moved.
[Rodvek97] This is different.
[hopefulhippo] Do we... do we have an actual pure idol?
[naughtynodder] A shrine maiden turned idol. Makes sense.
[punny_puppy] You mean makes dollars and cents. :sunglasses:
[trunks_hime] @punny_puppy YOU NEED TO BE STOPPED!
A *swish* echoed. The shrine maiden flicking her sleeve to the right. With it, candles ignited, pushing back the darkness.
[monstrousmammoth] Whoa!
[blankburner] Wait. So is this all CG or real?
[dazeddoggo] I am... 100% confused.
[lofigal101] Chillvibes with a miko. I'm down for that.
The shrine maiden flicked her sleeve to the left, causing more candles to ignite. And with that, the darkness was kept at bay, revealing the surroundings.
It was a cave. One that seemed to have polished obsidian walls, reflecting the orange flames from the candles. But it wasn't just the opening of a cave. No, it was the deepest depths of a cave. The walls surrounded the shrine maiden in every direction except for where the camera appeared to be.
And as for where the camera appeared to be...
A gray stone shrine gate framed the edges of the screen. A torii, marking the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
[fallenfish] A-Are we dead?
[Nahobino_Amaterasu] The new trailer for New Goddess Rebirth looks legit.
[rtx_on_plz] So if this is CG... But those reflections... Hnnngh
The shrine maiden continued to dance, gently twirling her sleeves as she moved. And as she did, golden lights started to flicker into existence.
And with that, the stone gate started to react. Golden light trailed down the sides, revealing spiraling kanji characters etched in the stone. Two, repeated over and over.
[nihongo_jouzu] Quick! Translator-san!
[Translator_San] Life and... death?
[Rodvek97] Did... Did John just pick up Izanami's reincarnation?
The golden light continued to shine on the stone gate. And as it did, the etched kanji started to shine with crimson light.
But the shrine maiden didn't take notice, her eyes half-lidded as if in a trance. While the light shined, she continued to dance.
[spoopypuppers] Yo. I'm starting to get a bit spooked.
[nonbeaver] I-Is... this an actual ritual?
[loreowl] IS ANYONE LISTENING TO THESE LYRICS?! THE LORE! THE LORE!
[rationalrabbit] @loreowl you need to chill man
The stone gate cracked before shattering into dust. At least, that was what it seemed to do. But when the dust settled, they turned into shining crimson gates, the kanji now a pure gold.
And with that, the somber tolls of a funeral bell reverberated somewhere in the distance.
[lagsaurus] Anyone notice the chat suddenly slow down?
[genericMC1001] I-I don't want to be isekai'd yet!
[Rodders79] I see Project MirAIs has expanded to hiring reincarnations of goddesses now.
[GoatofUniverse] I thought this generation was 'Prodigy', not 'Divine'...
A crimson flame started to appear behind the shrine maiden before enveloping her. But instead of burning her or her clothes, the flames traced out a wedding veil. And with the appearance of the veil, a reflection emerged beneath the shrine maiden's feet.
Another beautiful woman. But this one was older. Long crimson hair that trailed like a veil of flames. Robes that were similar to the shrine maiden's, but red and gold instead of white and red.
As one, the two danced, both oblivious to the other.
[TITOR????] YABAI.
[GreenHexagon] H-Hey! What do you mean, 'YABAI', Mister Titor?!
[LunaticWithARubberChicken] Are we going to get sucked away?!
[TsubameFanOne] I-It looks like this shrine maiden needs more than just our money as offerings...
The music slowly came to an end. As it did, the shrine maiden came to a stop, folding her hands together in prayer. She bowed her head, causing her hair to cover her eyes.
Below her, the woman did the same. But there was a difference. While the shrine maiden simply stood there in silence, tears dripped down the woman's face.
Glittering lights fell to the woman's feet, causing crimson flames to spread out all around the cave.
The candles were snuffed out by the flames, their light stolen by the crimson fire. And then the flames enveloped the shrine maiden.
The crimson light shined brighter and brighter. As it did, the stone gate started to crack.
And then the gate shattered, and everything vanished, plunged into darkness.
[IDKWtWrite-San] WTF is actually going on?!
[silentsolitude] That was beautiful!
[clapsaurus] :applause:
Silence.
And then a gentle voice called out. "Thank you for watching my dance and indulging in a moment of selfishness."
Lights suddenly turned on, dispelling the dark.
The shrine maiden was still standing there, wearing the same white and red robes. But the surroundings had changed.
Instead of the dark depths of a mysterious cavern that completely looked like the gateway to the underworld, the shrine maiden was standing in front of a long wall mirror, reflecting a modern dance studio.
She let out a bright smile and then bowed. "That was 'Death and Rebirth,' a ritual dance portraying the sorrow of a goddess forsaken by her lover." She raised her head and then frowned. "I always seem to become a bit emotional when I perform it, but I hope that it went well."
[7Vekrod9] Robots, dragons, time travelers, a martial arts prodigy... And Project MirAIs is an idol group?
The shrine maiden hid her mouth with her sleeve and giggled before shaking her head. After lowering her arm, she smiled and said, "Well. I hope I have made an impression upon you. I am afraid I am not quite as interesting as my senpais or my peers, but I hope we can have pleasant times together and enjoy each other's company."
[StraightGarbage] Bets on how long it takes for her to crack?
[Rodvek97] @StraightGarbage Don't you dare.
[devoutdino] We finally have a pure idol!
[Ultimaterror] Looking forward to it too!
[DThorn] Another chill streamer to leave on in the background. Neat.
[Senpapi] Her voice does things to me. Is that bad?
The shrine maiden glanced to the side, reading something. And then her eyes widened. "Forgive me." She shook her head and said, "It seems that I forgot the most important part of introductions." She bowed and said, "My name is Tsubame Akari. Please, take care of me."
[Trialer] No, no. Please take care of us.
[Reinya] Take my offerings!
[MikoAppreciator] SASAGEYO! SASAGEYO! SHINZOU WO SASAGEYO!
[rationalrabbit] Y'all. Never change.
HappyVainGlory
Also, comments up to grab as usual. I'll fill them in before the next chapter update tomorrow, but I'll wait a while until I do.