Chapter 463: Project MirAI EN: Prologue – Hope – I |
Hope Valentia was a young woman with large dreams but a harsh reality. After bouncing around the foster care system for a while, she finally aged out and went to live on her own.
At the time, she thought it was a relief. For once, she would be the one in charge.
But she quickly realized that life didn't get any easier when you were an adult.
With only a high school degree, she was stuck working at dead-end jobs and trapped in a small town in Midwest America.
Her... not quite friends, but the people who knew her at least. They said that since she was pretty, she could have a happy life by just finding a good man and settling down.
But Hope didn't want that. She didn't know WHAT she wanted, but she knew that it wasn't for her. She wanted to do more, to help more.
And then she met them. The girls of Project MirAIs.
*Ohanayo~! Let's have a fun time today too!*
Hana Homura, the bright and shining little sister who brought light into everyone's life.
Alfi Titor, the gentle and loving automaton who made life seem a little easier just by showing up.
*Oi, you JK chatter! What are you doing slacking off here when it's finals week!? Get off your phone and study!*
And then there was Aoko Ryuusei, the stern and abrasive, but always caring big sister type.
When Hope first saw them while scrolling through UTube, she didn't know what she was seeing. To start off, the streams were all in Japanese. Although she was a fan of manga and anime, she didn't know too much of the language itself.
Thankfully, there had been live captioning at the time, so she followed along. And when the clips came out, she finally managed to get more context into who and what they all were.
Not just an anime. Not just anime girls.
People.
Real people that 'Mister John' had found and plucked from dark places before setting them onto the stage to shine.
And most importantly, the name of it: Project MirAIs. A pun on AI, but also a declaration of a changed future. Of young women being given an entirely new future.
Hope wanted that.
So she worked on it. Studying Japanese, practicing her singing and dancing, looking into streaming and how to set things up...
"You're still doing that weird anime thing?"
"Grow up already, Hope. You're already 20. Shouldn't you be looking to get married?"
"Dearie, are you sure you don't want to meet my grandson? You would look great together, I'm sure!"
...All the while ignoring the people around her that said she couldn't do it. That she was wasting her time.
So when the auditions for Prodigy came out, Hope applied. But... it seemed like either her Japanese wasn't good enough, or the other candidates were just better.
Still, Hope didn't give up.
She watched. She studied. She learned...
And then she saw the other audition. The one for an English branch of Project MirAIs.
It was her time. She could make it... she HAD to make it.
So she recorded it. An audition tape with her singing her favorite Anisong.
But it was terrible. Her nerves were clear, she didn't have an instrumental, and it was just her pure voice. She didn't even get the chance to dance since she was so nervous.
Still, the deadline was too tight. Between working different part-time jobs just to make ends meet, practicing her singing and dancing, and then studying streams, she didn't have any more time to try again.
So she sent it off with a wish and a prayer.
Then she got a personal interview with Mister John himself.
But after that, she hadn't heard anything.
Radio silence.
Hope's heart was heavy.
'Did he not like me after all...?'
Hope thought the interview had gone well. Mister John had been nice and listened to her story. And he said that they'd be in touch.
But it was Saturday now. A full 24 hours since then.
Hope thought there would be at least SOMETHING.
But she didn't get a text, a voice message, a missed call... no email or social media message...
Walking into her small studio apartment after a long day from work, she took off her uniform from working at Starbucks and changed into a comfy hoodie with an azure dragon on it. Aoko's official merchandise that she saved up months to buy and have shipped to her home.
Once she did, Hope sat on her lumpy couch and pulled up her knees to her chest, resting her head on them. "...Maybe it is just a pipedream after all."
It was already close to midnight on a Friday night. Because of that, she couldn't help but think it was over.
That...
Just like everything else...
Just like her own damned name.
Hope. That was all she ever had. Just... hope. Nothing real. Never anything real. Not for her. Not-
*DING*
A soft notification.
Hope froze and pulled out her phone.
It was a text message. Not just a text message either. But a text message from a number listed as Myth Incorporated LLC.
And as for the content...
===
[Myth Incorporated LLC]
Miss Valentia. This is Jenny Smith, head of HR for Myth Incorporated LLC.
I wanted to follow up with you since I know that my brother interviewed you. He has a habit of forgetting important things, so have you received your started package and login credentials to practice for your debut yet?
===
"...Huh?" Hope blinked. She blinked again, and then her vision started to blur. "N-No way... This... isn't real. Right?"
A message out of the blue just as she had given up. Proof that it hadn't been just a naive dream or a wish.
Hope brushed away her tears and then checked the number. "This... maybe it's just a scam..."
Nothing in her life had ever gone right. So... just to double check, she looked it up.
But it was real.
The number matched the one on the Myth Inc. website for the American branch. Jenny Smith was the contact listed for the HR as well.
Still, Hope didn't believe it. Not yet. Not completely.
Cautiously, she typed out a response.
===
...Who is Miss Valentia?
===
A minute after she texted it, there was an incoming phone call.
Hope hesitated.
Like before, it listed Myth Incorporated LLC. But she wasn't sure. She was still in disbelief.
But she picked up. Just in case.
And-
"Hope, I am SO sorry. I COMPLETELY forgot to send you the important information!"
...Mister John's frantic voice echoed across the line.
Hope froze, slowly sinking back into her couch. "M-Mister John...?"
"Jenny just told me that she got a weird response when she texted you, and that made me realize I never gave you all our contacts. I'm SO sorry. Between Rory and Meggie's latest situation- No, no. I shouldn't blame it on them. Ugh, I thought I got better than this..."
"N-No." Hope brushed away the rest of her tears and sat up straight. "I-It's fine, Mister John."
"It's absolutely NOT fine. I can hear it in your voice. You were just crying and thinking I ghosted you right? Dammit, I KNEW I was forgetting something important. Don't worry, we'll take care of you. The contract should be on its way to you. Stupid international laws make me have to send a hard copy, so it'll take a bit- Oh fuck me, this means I forgot to send it to your genmates too! Aaaaargh."