EGOIST, in the original world of Guilty Crown, was a virtual singer with immense popularity and influence. The one who performed all of EGOIST's songs in the series was none other than Inori. The OP/ED and insert songs in GC were all sung by her. Not only were both the songs and the singer hugely popular within the world of GC, they were also widely known in the broader ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) community.
Because of her identity as a songstress, Inori had often ranked among the top in various online polls for the most beloved virtual singers—only a few from the Vocaloid family could rival her.
EGOIST's songs carried a special ethereal quality, making listeners feel as if they were drifting in a dream, touched by a gentle breeze, or wrapped in the soft whispers of a lover.
Of course, all this isn't just to praise how amazing the singer was—it's actually the identity Chu Lian had chosen for Inori: a virtual singer.
In a world growing increasingly digitized, digital music had long overtaken physical CDs, giving rise to a large number of talented yet financially limited online singers.
Though these singers still couldn't match real-world pop stars in influence, within their niche communities, they held incredibly high status.
Anime song covers, CG culture song covers, foreign song covers, original Chinese internet music, Chinese covers of foreign songs, foreign covers of Chinese songs, and most notably, the culturally rich genre of ancient-style (Gufeng) songs.
The first song Chu Lian had sung, "Glad You're a Lolicon," was a CG culture cover. The next one, To Pour My All, was a cover of a song by Hetu from the original music team MMQMusic.
The resulting impact, on platforms like M Station, A Station, and C Station, often exceeded that of real-world singers. You could roughly see it from view counts and saves, but more precisely, it was in the trends she sparked—reviving cover songs and fueling the rise of ancient-style music.
Therefore, before Inori had fully adjusted to this world, the fastest way for her to adapt was to return to her original identity and do what she was used to doing.
Chu Lian believed that no matter how much certain things changed, some truths had a high probability of staying exactly the same. Like Inori's identity as a virtual singer. Like the fact that she was the vessel for Mana Ouma's (Eve's) resurrection.
While eating dinner, Chu Lian had brought up the idea of having Inori attend school with them. In the end, the proposal was unanimously agreed upon, and even Inori looked forward to it.
But unfortunately, reality wasn't an anime. In Guilty Crown, Inori's transition from rebel to student seemed smooth and seamless, with not a trace of awkwardness—something absolutely impossible in the real world.
And this wasn't just a jump between dimensions. This was a leap across countless worlds, bringing her from one version of Earth to another, almost-but-not-quite the same. Even if she had the classic "three-no" traits and high intelligence, adapting here wouldn't be easy.
Fortunately, for some unknown reason, Inori landed in this world close to Chu Lian. As the only person who knew her true identity, Chu Lian became her protector from the very beginning. Her mother's warm acceptance and her sister's lack of rejection allowed Inori to settle smoothly into the household.
But if she had appeared somewhere else, far from Chu Lian, her fate might have been far worse. Just her appearance alone could have attracted people with bad intentions.
And with her speaking only Japanese and knowing nothing of Huaxia, she would likely have been handed over to the local embassy. If those at the embassy couldn't uncover Inori's identity and realized how unusual she was, what would happen next... well, it wasn't hard to imagine.
So, in order to integrate into society, the first step was to have a proper identity—one that wouldn't draw strange looks. Faking her background was easy enough, but the problem was that her appearance stood out too much.
If Chu Lian was an orchid in a secluded valley, and Ayase was a red rose blooming in the snow, then Inori was a crystal flower blossoming from amethyst. Not necessarily more beautiful than the other two, but far more captivating—because she was special, rare, and unique.
"So, I'll be practicing songs up on the third floor and uploading them?" Inori asked, pointing to the M Station account Chu Lian had registered for her.
"Mm. The third floor is where we do all our activities: music room, art room, indoor tennis court, recording studio, dance studio, and the study—they're all there. Also, between the second and third floors is a half-meter-high buffer layer filled with storage and soundproofing. So whatever you do up there won't disturb the rest of the house. You can practice as much as you want."
Chu Lian had done her own music practice on the third floor before. The soundproofing left a deep impression on her. Not just beneath the floor, but also in the walls and ceiling—all isolated for the sake of not disturbing others. According to her mom, it cost around eight million, and everything installed was top-of-the-line globally.
Every time she heard her mom spend money like it was nothing, she couldn't help but feel helpless. When she first arrived in this world, she had wondered how the household could afford so much. But over time, she got used to it. She knew her parents had unusual backgrounds. But not wanting that identity to affect their kids, they acted like normal parents in all other aspects—except that they gave them the best living conditions.
You could tell just by the time they were attacked and ended up hospitalized. They'd rather get hurt themselves than drag their daughters into it. All Chu Lian could do, beyond sighing about the love of parents, was treat them with sincerity.
Previously, Chu Lian had been a classic literary girl. She couldn't play instruments, sing, dance, or even play tennis. The only thing she could do was quietly read and write in the study. Only recently did she discover how incredible the third floor was. Her parents had probably gotten massive discounts when purchasing everything. Otherwise, the things that would normally cost about 2,500 Item Points (around 25 million) only cost eight million. Quite the bargain.
Nowadays, she spent most of her time at school. Training was done there, and because of her new book, she rarely used the music room anymore. It was perfect for Inori, who stayed home.
Why didn't Chu Lian record her songs in the studio back then? Because those songs were way too embarrassing! There was no way she'd sing them in front of others. Plus, neither she nor Ayase knew how to use the recording equipment. Other than their older siblings, only their mom did. But her singing had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. She hadn't planned that far ahead. Ultimately, the reason was simple—she was shy.
Night deepened. In her room, Chu Lian chatted with Inori.
"Egoist?" Inori repeated the name, looking up to meet Chu Lian's eyes.
"Mm. Egoist… Egoist… Egoist… it means 'one who lives for oneself,'" Chu Lian said the word three times, then smiled. "I want you to live for yourself. To shine in your own way. I believe one day, you'll understand the full meaning of this word."
She didn't pay much attention to Inori's curious gaze on her back. Instead, she walked to the window, staring at the starry sky, and softly said, "That's what it means to be truly free..."
"Egoist?..."
"One who lives for oneself?"
"Freedom?"
Inori didn't quite grasp what Chu Lian meant, but as she gazed out at the vast, endless sky, something began to stir within her.
"If it's what you hope for, Lian, then I'll try," she whispered, resting her head gently on Chu Lian's shoulder.
"Maybe it's what I hope for, but more than that, I want you to become the perfect Inori..." Chu Lian murmured, breathing in the faint fragrance that lingered on her.
"Mm... getting sleepy now..." Their conversations were usually short. Chu Lian did most of the talking while Inori listened. And since Chu Lian had little time after her daily work, it wasn't unusual for it to be 9 or 10 p.m. before they finally sat down together.
"Then go to sleep..." Chu Lian said reflexively, then paused, surprised at how gentle she'd become. She turned back to look and found Inori already asleep against her shoulder.
"Seriously, didn't I get your room all ready? Why are you still sleeping on me?" she muttered, half-speechless, half amused. Yet deep down, she felt a subtle satisfaction.
She had always been the one relying on Ayase. Now that Ayase was gone, she seemed to be growing into someone others could lean on. The journey ahead would be long, but at least the first step had been taken.
She bent down and kissed Inori lightly on the forehead, her voice like a whisper: "Sleep now, sleep... No matter how hard the road ahead may be, I'll clear it for you..."
She looked up at the starry sky. A rare sight in her original world, now a daily one. Maybe this was what night should truly look like—just as life shouldn't be clouded and polluted by too many burdens.
Chu Lian loved these quiet moments under the night sky. Her thoughts would stretch to their farthest limits, to the boundless cosmos, to the endless stars, to the deepest mysteries.
"The day I can let you all rely on me, feel at peace, and smile your happiest smiles—that should be when I've fulfilled everything I was meant to do, right? When there are no burdens, no missions, no enemies looming, no people or things getting in the way of the life I want... Will that be when I can finally say my journey is complete?"
"Did I come to this world just to patch what history lacked? Or to resolve the ties between the Otherside and the Bright World? Or maybe to complete the system's ultimate mission and become a goddess to the entire world? And what about the Dungeon Space? Inori's arrival? The breaking of the dimensional barrier? And that dream... what does it mean?..."
She didn't know.
That night, she held Inori's hand as they slept together.
In that moment, it was all peace, comfort, and freedom from worry.