Aikatsu Dreams!

Chapter 5: A Chance to Fly

Since their appearance at Claire Kurioshi's concert on the weekend, Hana and her friends' popularity skyrocketed. Not only were they making more friends at school, but their position in the Aikatsu Ranking increased as well.

"Wow Akira, you're in the 79th spot now, congratulations," Hana complimented as they scrolled through the rankings before class.

"Thanks Hana, but you're in the 81st spot, and you've only been here less than two weeks. You deserve the real credit," she responded.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for you Hana, we wouldn't even have been able to attend the concert and meet Claire in person," Miyuki gawked.

"It was definitely a great event, and I learnt so much," Hana laughed as she and Miyuki scrolled through news articles of the concert.

"Miyuki, you've jumped up as well, you're in the 85th spot," Akira highlighted, showing them the rankings. Miyuki shot an energetic smile.

"Yeah, way to go me!" all three girls laughed as they discussed their plans for today. Meanwhile on the other sofa, Tori sat there staring at her own phone screen. She too, had the Aikatsu Ranking opened and kept staring at her name:

'90th: Tori Utamai'

Even though she had moved considerably in the last few days, something about her ranking weighed heavy on her heart.

"Tori? Are you ok?" Hana asked, noticing her friend's absent presence. Tori quickly snuck her phone into her jacket pocket, forcing a smile.

"Yeah, it's nothing. We should probably get going." She got up and headed for the door, her friends exchanging a nervous look.

"But Tori, class doesn't start for another thirty minutes," Hana stated. Stopping in her tracks, Tori turned around with a blank expression on her face.

"I'll see you there then," she muttered, leaving the three girls alone.

"Am I the only one who thinks there's something going on with Tori?" Hana asked. Akira and Miyuki exchanged a glance, shrugging their shoulders.

"Tori's always so calm and collected, I've never really seen her this distant," Akira commented.

"Yeah, it's not like her," Miyuki added. Hana slumped back, unsure of what could really be going on. Meanwhile, outside Tori stared at the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun, a single thought racing through her mind: 'am I good enough?'

On her way through the archway back to the main campus, Tori ran into a bunch of students who greeted her on the way. Still distracted, she forced a gentle greeting with all of them, trying to uphold a classy image. As she exited the hedge tunnel, the main academy campus was bare. Most of the students were either still in their dorms or at the cafeteria getting breakfast. It was still too early for Tori to sit in her homeroom, so she made her way over to the academy archives.

The archives were situated near the main administration building, bearing similar infrastructure design apart from the giant copper clock on the building's exterior also functioning as a glass window. Inside were rows of highly advanced computers and shelves with a myriad of books and encyclopedias on anything related to idols. As Tori entered, a spunky voice called out to her.

"Tori, good morning," the voice called.

"Good morning to you too Miss Masuda," Tori responded. The girl was slightly taller than Tori and had vibrant red hair worn in a spiky side ponytail. Like Tori, she also wore an academy uniform with a blue ribbon.

"How many times have I told you? Call me Nori!" she demanded.

"I'm sorry but you're a third-year, I should show my respect," Tori responded, bowing as she spoke. Nori laughed at her as she did so.