Hikari didn't answer with words. She adjusted her headphones, the leather cool against her ears, and nodded.

The intro hit—a bright, jagged synth line that felt like sunrise over a neon city. It was the sound of every "no" she’d ever heard being transformed into a "watch me." As her own voice filled the room, it wasn't the polished, polite tone she used for clients. It was raw, soaring, and defiant. “I don’t want to be the echo / I wanna be the sound!”

“It’s live,” he whispered, pointing to the upload bar on the Arewanmu music portal.