世界線 literally means “world line,” referring to a possible timeline or alternate reality. In the song, the narrator wishes he could meet her in a different world where their personalities and values matched, giving the word a memorable science-fiction-like sense of lost possibilities.
It is more distinctive than an everyday word for “world” because it evokes all the lives and outcomes that might have existed, making it especially fitting for this bittersweet breakup song.
Pretender is a breakup song where the breakup never quite happens. The singer knows from the first line how this love story ends: "君とのラブストーリー それは予想通り" (my love story with you, it went just as I expected). Once it starts, it is "ひとり芝居" (a one-man play), and even standing right next to her he is "結局ただの観客だ" (in the end, just an audience member). That theater image is the whole title. He is the pretender, acting out a romance only he is in.
The part I love is how stubborn he is about letting go. He wishes for another timeline, "出会える世界線 選べたらよかった" (if only I could have chosen a world line where we meet). 世界線 (world line) is a sci-fi word Japanese fans use for alternate realities, and here it is a very nerdy way to say "in another life." Then the chorus admits the hard truth, "君の運命のヒトは僕じゃない" (the person you're destined for isn't me), and immediately caves: "でも離れ難いのさ" (but it's hard to leave). Watch the wordplay in "痛いや いやでも 甘いな いやいや" (it hurts, no, but it's sweet, no no): いや means both "ugh/no" and sets up the back and forth of a guy arguing with himself. After all that confusion, the only thing he is sure of is "「君は綺麗だ」" (you are beautiful), and by the last line it has grown to "「とても綺麗だ」" (you are so beautiful). It is a bit much, and that is exactly why it works.
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