It started as a ripple and became a storm.
Within minutes of Luna's post featuring Madam Mu's Returning Crane and Leroy's surprise performance of Forests and Farms, the hashtag #VoicesOfHome was trending on every platform. Reactions poured in. Influencers reposted it. Cultural preservation groups applauded it. Fans of Velvet Echo erupted into passionate pleas, tagging the elusive artist to answer the heartfelt request.
The world wanted more.
Emilio, somewhere between two investor meetings and a half-eaten pastry, casually checked his feed and immediately froze mid-sip of his lukewarm espresso.
"Velvet Echo?" he muttered.
The moment he saw the Returning Crane video, something clicked. The soft tremble at the edge of the voice, the subtle humor of the post… His lips slowly stretched into a knowing smile.
"Oh, you sly kitten."
A gleam sparked in his eyes. Minutes later, Emilio was in a private studio corner of his penthouse, guitar in hand. With practiced charm and buttery vocals, he recorded an old romantic tune—a flirtatious but heartfelt love song from his family's hometown.
He captioned his upload with:
"To Velvet Echo—care to flirt back with a song? #VelvetEchoChallenge #VoicesOfHome"
Edward, in contrast, was already three hours deep into a complicated international decryption case when one of his most trusted aides nervously knocked.
"You… might want to check the tags for Velvet Echo, sir."
Edward scanned the post. His eyes narrowed.
"That's Luna's posts. Luna, what are you scheming now?"
Edward, with a sigh, watched Luna's trending post to Velvet Echo, who just happened to be Luna herself.
"Crazy girl."
Edward mused.
He immediately opened a secure line and deployed Unit A-9, his elite cyber-shield team.
"Track any data scrape attempts against Velvet Echo. IP obfuscation, personal data wipes, voice de-identification. Full ghost protocol. No one is to know who they are."
"Yes, sir."
That handled, Edward took out his phone and opened his notes app. In a few keystrokes, he typed out a simple folk lullaby his late mother used to hum during stormy nights.
Then, like a quiet promise, he recorded it on piano—low and solemn.
"For Velvet Echo—if this voice finds you, may it remind you of quiet thunder and safer nights. #VoicesOfHome"
Emmerich, who was reviewing policy drafts while drinking imported jasmine tea, saw the post when his feed exploded with notifications.
At first, he almost dismissed it—until he heard the song. He recognized the inflection immediately.
He chuckled softly, setting the cup down.
"So this is how my daughter creates problems…"
Rather than interfere, Emmerich made a silent decision:
Tonight, I will ask her to sing.
Meanwhile, at a high-end photo shoot, Kana nearly fell off her stool as her stylist read the caption aloud.
Kana yanked her phone, scrolled, and groaned, "Oh Luna…"
Josh, passing by with a protein bar and half-styled hair, leaned over.
"Is this the same Luna you said was a gremlin?"
"She's my gremlin," Kana muttered defensively.
He squinted. "Think Velvet Echo would do a punk rock cover of my song?"
Kana rolled her eyes. "You just want an excuse to post another shirtless video."
"Guilty," Josh said proudly, already recording his own message for Velvet Echo.
Back at the cat café, the usual calm was beginning to fray.
Ken poked his head out from the kitchen, holding a half-filled piping bag. "Lunaaa~ the internet wants more! You should totally do another post asking Velvet Echo to sing a love song for the cats!"
Luna stared at him.
Ken, oblivious to her deadpan stare, continued cheerfully, "Like a feline ballad or something? You know, Velvet Echo-style. Something that makes the fur babies purr."
"I'm going to dump powdered sugar in your shoes," Luna said flatly.
Ken grinned. "You love me."
"No," she replied, already typing on her phone. "I tolerate you."
Within moments, another post was live:
"Special request from our café—if Velvet Echo is reading, we want a love song for the cats! Something that makes their whiskers dance. #VelvetEcho #PurrfectBallad #VoicesOfHome"
The attached video: a shot of Baozi, Mikan, and two other café cats sitting in a line, blinking slowly to the camera as if waiting for music.
Ken gave Luna a thumbs-up. "You're the best."
Luna glared, but her cheeks betrayed her—flushed from more than just embarrassment. The quiet joy of having her secret identity bring warmth, nostalgia, and a little chaos to those around her… it was addicting.
Even if the spotlight crept a little too close.
Still, she whispered to herself as she hid her phone in her apron, "Just a little longer."