Akane is a non-playable character in Neverness to Everness who runs the bar at the StarSign live house in Illusion Town. You meet her during the Version 1.0 spinoff story A Legendary(?) Band's First Page, where she becomes the de facto manager of the band formed by the Appraiser, Haniel, and Nanally. She is shown in the official upcoming-character lists tied to the band LINES, but she is not yet playable.
Quick answer: Reach Hunter Level 22 to auto-trigger A Legendary(?) Band's First Page, then travel to StarSign on Davidia Avenue in Illusion Town and speak with Akane at the bar. She is currently NPC only and has no confirmed playable banner.
Who Akane is in Neverness to Everness
Akane works at StarSign, a small but well-known live house in Illusion Town that hosts indie acts. In the spinoff arc she is the venue's tough-but-supportive operator, training Haniel on drums, letting the new band rehearse before opening hours, and keeping the group on schedule for their first real gig.
The full in-game name used in the storyline scenes and credits is Akane Rin. She is acquainted with Daffodil, who is described as a former member of the band LINES, and Akane herself is listed by official sources as connected to LINES as well. Her storyline beats lean heavily into a music-club mentor role rather than the combat-oriented appraiser work that drives the main story.
How to meet Akane: unlocking the spinoff
Step 1: Push your account to Hunter Level 22. The spinoff A Legendary(?) Band's First Page starts automatically at that threshold and is also listed under the working title Let's Just Wander Around right after it triggers.
Step 2: Fast travel to Illusion Town and head to Fiscus Avenue. Look for Haniel near a billboard at the T intersection and talk to her to advance the quest.
Step 3: Walk southwest to the corner of Fiscus Avenue and Davidia Avenue. The entrance to StarSign is on the west side of the building facing Davidia Avenue. Activate the ReroRero Phone Booth nearby on first arrival, because the quest sends you back to StarSign several times.
Step 4: Go down the stairs, take the door on the left, and speak with Akane at the bar. After the conversation, interact with the two nearby tables to help clean up the live house. From here, the quest opens up the band practice loop with Haniel and, later, Nanally.
StarSign location and key quest beats
StarSign is a small basement venue. It is your home base for every band-related step in the spinoff. The quest is gated by the in-game clock, so you will need to wait for or skip to specific time windows to continue.
| Beat | Where | Time window |
|---|---|---|
| Meet Akane, clean the live house | StarSign, Davidia Avenue | Any |
| Drum solo, then perform "Everlasting Dazing Summer (Short Ver.)" | StarSign stage | After dorm rest |
| Full-band rehearsal of "Everlasting Dazing Summer" | StarSign | 1:00–2:00 PM |
| Pre-show rehearsal of "Destiny" | StarSign | 1:00–2:00 PM |
| Anomaly fight (Bopp) | Camelot Avenue, New Herland District | Story-driven |
| Outdoor live performance | Cape Square (Rabbit Hole fast travel) | 2:00–3:00 PM |
| Final show | Night of Moondog, Kino Avenue × Camelot Avenue | 8:00–10:00 PM |
Is Akane playable?
Akane is not playable on the launch roster. The Version 1.0 starting lineup contains 15 playable characters. Akane appears only as an NPC inside the band spinoff and shows up in supporting cutscenes around StarSign.
Hotta Studio has placed Akane Rin on its list of teased future characters alongside names like Alphard, Black Bird, Chaos, Elyms, Exe, Irai, Lingka, and Shinku. Her listed affiliation is the band LINES, with attribute and archetype still marked as TBA. A short message from her Japanese voice actor was published on the official YouTube channel, which signals she is being developed for a future update.
No official release date, banner window, or version number for an Akane Rin banner has been confirmed. Hotori's "Misty Tipsy Style" limited banner is the next confirmed S-Class debut, running 13 May to 3 June 2026. Treat any specific Akane release date you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until Hotta Studio posts it.
Rewards and how to confirm completion
Finishing A Legendary(?) Band's First Page hands out a sizable bundle of progression resources and unlocks the Let's Start a Band! achievement. After the Night of Moondog performance and the celebration scene at Food First, the quest is logged as complete in your story menu and the spinoff entry no longer shows an active waypoint.
Common reasons the quest stalls rather than failing outright:
- Hunter Level is below 22, so the prologue dialogue with Haniel never appears.
- You arrive at StarSign outside the 1:00–2:00 PM rehearsal window and the practice prompt does not show.
- You skipped resting at the Eibon dorm, which is what advances the in-game day between gigs.
- The Bopp anomaly in New Herland District has not been defeated, blocking the return-to-StarSign step.
For now, Akane's role in Neverness to Everness is bartender, mentor, and quest hub for the LINES storyline at StarSign. If a playable version arrives, it will land through the standard limited or standard banner system, but until Hotta Studio confirms a date, the most reliable way to spend time with her is through the Hunter Level 22 spinoff in Illusion Town.