Compared to street singers in other areas like Shinjuku and Shibuya, most people who come to Akihabara are ACG (Anime, Comic, Games) enthusiasts due to the district's strong subculture atmosphere.
Therefore, street singers in Akihabara prefer to perform anime songs to attract a larger crowd.
Just like the song he was hearing now—
"
Do you still remember?
The moment our eyes met
Do you still remember?
The moment our hands touched
That was the beginning of our first love
I love you so..."
"ai oboetai" is the theme song for the 1984 movie "Macross: ai oboetai?" It played a vital role in the plot and exploded in popularity alongside the animation, becoming one of the most classic anime anthems in the hearts of countless fans.
Even now, more than a decade after its release, and even into the distant future, "ai oboetai" remains the number one classic masterpiece in the entire Macross series for fans.
Not only that, but this song has, in a way, transcended the animation itself. Many people may have heard the song without ever having watched or even heard of the Macross series.
Akira stood silently at the back of the crowd. While listening to the performance, he looked toward the center and discovered that the street singer performing this song was actually the girl he had encountered earlier that evening.
The girl currently singing was completely different from the cold impression she had given during their previous conversation.
It was as if she had truly transformed into the anime's heroine, Lynn Minmay. Her voice was gentle, mature, and firm. In a deep and restrained manner, she brilliantly interpreted the song's themes of timeless affection and sorrow, faith in civilization and emotion, and the strength of those who refuse to give up hope amidst loneliness and war.
To put it simply, she sang damn well.
Everyone else was just like him, immersed in the beautiful singing. When the song ended, the crowd gradually snapped out of it, followed by applause that started with a few people and grew louder, expressing their recognition and appreciation for the performer.
This is definitely at a level where she could debut as a professional singer, right?
Akira thought to himself after coming to his senses.
Moreover, with her striking looks, if she were to debut as an idol singer, she would probably...
No, no, no, it's better not to get involved with the idol business.
At that moment, he noticed people in the crowd beginning to step forward one after another, dropping coins or bills of various denominations into the guitar case placed on the ground in front of the girl. They would then nod slightly to her and silently return to the crowd.
Having finished her performance, the girl returned to the state Akira was familiar with. She also nodded slightly in response, but there was no further interaction beyond that. The whole process was very simple and restrained.
After a while, when the number of people coming forward to tip finally thinned out, the girl took a deep breath and spoke:
"Next is the final song for tonight. I will be singing an original song, 'unfinished dream'..."
Hearing the words 'original song,' some people in the audience began to leave even before the girl finished speaking.
For these people, they only wanted to hear the anime songs they were familiar with and liked; they had no interest in an original song by an unknown singer.
On the other hand, Akira, who was originally about to turn and leave, stopped in his tracks. He was actually quite interested in the original song she mentioned.
"Well then—"
After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, the girl took a deep breath. While strumming her guitar, she began to sing:
"
At this intersection I pass every day
I suddenly heard
A long-forgotten melody
A dream others always laughed at for being too distant
Like chasing the stars in the sky..."
"unfinished dream" was a song centered around the theme of dreams. The lyrics roughly told the story of a person's changing attitude toward their own dreams, depicting the mental journey of hesitating between giving up and persevering, before finally deciding to continue.
The girl did an excellent job of using her voice to showcase the corresponding emotions in the lyrics—from inner hesitation, confusion, and struggle to the final firm determination. It allowed the audience to easily immerse themselves and understand the emotions the creator wanted to express.
But—
Judging the song alone, it could be called pleasant, but compared to the previous song, "ai oboetai," it paled in comparison.
The biggest problem was that the quality of "unfinished dream" itself wasn't as excellent as "ai oboetai."
While not bad, it could only be described as a relatively mediocre work.
When the girl sang "ai oboetai" earlier, the beauty came from the powerful combination of an excellent work and excellent vocal skills. With this song, the appeal relied more on the girl's superb performance.
That being said, the song was overall pleasant to listen to, especially rare for a street singer. Thus, when the song ended, applause and tips followed. Meanwhile, the crowd began to slowly disperse.
After all, the girl had said that it was the last song of the night.
Hmm...
Watching the crowd go up to tip, Akira hesitated as he pulled out his wallet and flipped through it. A relieved smile soon appeared on his face as he took out a 5-yen coin. He joined the others at the guitar case and dropped the coin inside.
Having done this, he looked up, and his gaze happened to meet the girl's.
Seeing him, a look of surprise seemed to flash in the girl's eyes.
"It's you...?"
Akira nodded with a smile, praising her just as she had praised him in the afternoon: "You sang very well."
"You sang very well."
"Ah, thank you."
Having expressed his appreciation, he prepared to turn and leave. After all, they were just strangers who had met twice; there wasn't much else to say.
But just then, the girl suddenly asked:
"Um, what did you think of the song I just sang?"
"The one called 'unfinished dream'?"
Akira was a bit surprised to hear this; he hadn't expected her to ask him such a question.
"Yes."
"I think, well..."