Usagi held her cards out with a bright smile. The Strawberry Parfait Coord, the very first coord she had worn.
"Hop! Step! Aikatsu!"
One by one, she placed the cards into the machine. Then, with a confident smile, she took a step back.
And... nothing happened.
"...So it's still not working, eh?" She quietly retrieved her cards, placing them back into her binder.
For around a week now, the Aikatsu system refused to respond to anyone. Ever since it glitched and cut out during Hanabusa Sachiko's performance, it hadn't been working. At all. Nobody had successfully managed to perform using the Aikatsu system, and as a result, the industry was the quietest it had ever been. Meanwhile, Celestial Academy had decided to prioritise its more... traditional lessons for the time being. Whilst they had always existed, now more than ever the 'idol' aspect of the curriculum was pushed to the side.
After all, until KatsuCorp put out a statement, the future of Aikatsu was uncertain.
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"This is so depressing," Saki complained as the five met up after lessons.
"Isn't it?" Minori agreed. "It feels totally different here."
"The constant rumours don't help, either..." Claire said, pushing a strand of hair back. Ever since the system had cut out, in a confused panic people had been quick to push the blame on anyone who even dared to breathe during the time.
"You know, if Amamiya Mai is an Aikatsu Engineer it could be her. Maybe she's sabotaging it so she can stay the top idol forever." They overheard one student say.
"Or maybe it's an act of revenge because of the dating stuff."
"I don't think it's Mai-chan but I think that's why Hanabusa Sachiko did it."
"Really? If it's because of dating, I think it's the Celestial Star."
"Seriously?!"
"Seriously. Can't hold the Celestial Trial if we don't have a system after all."
"Woah..."
"Don't you think Kitagawa is a bit suspicious?" They overheard another student say to their friends about a girl in Usagi and Saki's class. "She knew I had a big performance coming up and then this happens; it feels like too big of a coincidence!"
"You're just being dramatic. I think it's Divinity Heaven."
"...And I'm the dramatic one?"
"You're both missing the point. KatsuCorp is being eerily quiet about this, aren't they?"
"So you think it's them?"
"It makes sense."
"Then is Mai-chan guilty after all?"
"...I guess so."
"But Mai-chan's nice, unlike Kitagawa!"
"You don't know her. She could be like anything."
Usagi pouted, crossing her arms. "Jeez, everyone's blaming onee-chan way too quickly!"
"...As much as I hate to admit it, she's a little suspicious," Hikaru whispered. "Since she's in KatsuCorp."
"But she isn't like that. I'm sure - I'm sure it's just an error."
"Have you asked her about it recently?"
Usagi paused and looked down. "I haven't seen her at all..."
"I wonder how long everything's going to be like this," Claire whispered. "I wonder if we're going to be able to do our concert after all..."
Usagi and Hikaru jumped, quickly exchanging glances.
"Do you think it'll be fixed in time...?"
"It has to be, right?" Usagi asked. "We still have like - two whole weeks until the big day!"
Claire looked down. She clenched her fist. "I don't want it to end here." She bit her lip. "After that audition, all I wanted to do was perform alongside BubbleAsu. I... don't want us to lose our chance to prove ourselves to the world. To show everyone just what we're made of!" Her voice increased in volume and her eyes were filled with determination. "I don't want to leave my dream on standby whilst waiting for a company to do something for me. I'll take matters into my own hands - even if that means performing without the system!"
The entire hallway was plunged into silence and Claire froze. Obscuring her face with her hair, she was quick to look down. "I'm, erhm, not sure where that came from... I was kinda... not thinking that much... Ignore what I said, I just..."
"...Do you think it's possible?" Hikaru asked. "Doing Aikatsu without the system?"
"It'd lose a lot of its impact, wouldn't it?" Saki suggested.
Furrowing her eyebrows, Usagi placed her hand over her heart. "I'm not sure that's true. Even if the system is cool, what made eclipse's performance so amazing was the hard work and feelings pouring through. I think that's why Divinity Heaven's felt so different, even though they also managed to fully bloom." She grabbed Claire's hands with a fierce smile. "You should try it, Claire-chan! I'm sure - I'm sure that you can convince everyone that Aikatsu isn't over yet!"
"Usagi-chan..." Claire whispered. She smiled. "Alright, I'll give it a try."
"You will?" Saki asked. "Are you sure?"
"I have nothing to lose," Claire said. "I miss performing, anyway."
"I do too but..."
Hikaru gave a small smile. "I'm a little excited to watch. It'll be different."
"I wonder what it'll be like~," Minori agreed.
"When you all put it like that..." Saki muttered. She smiled. "Alright. I'll be waiting to watch your performance, Claire-chan!"
"Me too!" Usagi exclaimed. "I really can't wait!"
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"Do you think it'll be possible?" Claire asked, pushing forward a page of scribbled down ideas. Hajime read over them, resting her chin on her hands. He furrowed his eyebrows.
"It is possible. But most workers specialise in setting up Aikatsu. Performing without it isn't exactly common anymore, after all."
"I understand," Claire said. "But I don't want to sit around waiting for others."
"For Luna-san's sake?"
Claire paused. Then, she smiled and shook her head.
"For my sake."
Hajime smiled, almost glowing. "It's good to hear you say that."
"You're overreacting. Anyway, back on topic. This... means a lot to me. I'd be more grateful than anything if you could sort something out."
"I probably could."
"Thank you, Hajime."
"...Hey, is it okay if I come and watch?"
"Hm? Why wouldn't it be?"
His cheeks were tinted with red. "It's just... um... won't you get flustered? Like that play! You worried me back then so-"
Claire smiled. "I'm an idol. I'm much better at handling crowds now." Her smile turned into a smirk. "Unless you're too scared to watch something girly?"
"That's not it! I'm not that insecure!"
She giggled, playing with her hair. "I think I'd be happy if everyone could watch this show. I've been thinking about some of the things Usagi-chan says about the idols she loves and it made me realise that I want to express my gratitude to everyone. You, Hinomori-san, onee-chan and everyone else. Maybe those feelings alone won't make up for the lack of sparkles and illusions but..."
"They will!" Hajime shouted, standing up. "It's undeniable that Aikatsu makes everything cooler but-"
Hajime stood in the doorway, his eyes wide. Claire was on the stage, shimmering beautifully as she did a simply stunning dance. Her moves were precise and graceful; they looked effortless. As she turned and made eye contact with him, Claire's smile grew brighter - at least, that's how it seemed to Hajime.
"You performed in ballet recitals without the system, didn't you? Back then, you truly shone. I don't understand why now would be any different.'
"You're right. Thank you, Hajime. You're a great friend."
Hajime paused. Then, he gave a faint smile. "It's the least I could do."
"Make sure to come to my performance, okay? Even without the system, I'll do my absolute best to show the world my charm points."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
With a slight giggle, Claire smiled brightly. Hajime looked down, blushing, then smiled back awkwardly. Claire's giggle turned into a snort.
"What kind of smile is that?!"
"Hey, not all of us are idols who can smile perfectly!"
"True, true. You'll reach perfect smile status someday."
"What do you mean, someday? I can smile perfectly. Just not on command."
"Hm~? I think it's still quite rough around the edges. Even when you try~."
"Well, not everyone can recognise greatness."
Claire chuckled. "Jeez, Hajime..."
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The three members of Bubblegum*Asterism stood outside of a somewhat large building. It looked relatively fancy, at least compared to most other houses in Japan.
"Welcome to my home," Claire said, smiling. "My family should be away right now, so we won't be disturbed."
"Woah..." Hikaru whispered, looking around. "This is incredible."
"It's nothing too special."
"It's bigger than I could ever dream of."
"I had no clue you were rich," Usagi said.
"I'm not rich at all. There are many people with much more with this."
"Still!"
Claire opened the door to the house, letting Usagi and Hikaru in. Slowly they entered, looking around.
"Everything looks super expensive here."
"It even smells like rich."
"You two..." She sighed. "My room is up the stairs, on the left. I'll join you in a minute." As the other two rushed up to scope out if she had a 'rich person bedroom' or not, Claire walked over to the kitchen, preparing tea and snacks for the three of them. After a few minutes, she walked up the stairs carrying them on a tray. She entered her room and was met with her two best friends looking at all the books on her bookshelf.
Claire placed the tray down on her desk. "I brought food."
"Claire-chan!" Usagi exclaimed. "We got the right room, right?"
"Mhm. Room on the left."
"We weren't sure if you meant our left or your left so we kinda just guessed... I'm glad we chose the right one!"
"There are so many books on ballet techniques," Hikaru noted. "It's no wonder you're such a great idol."
"It was my greatest passion for years," Claire said. "Anyway, let's get looking at some clothes, shall we?" With that, Claire opened her closet. Different outfits were neatly lined up, organised by colour. Usagi's jaw dropped.
"How do you have the patience to be so tidy?"
"I get stressed if I'm not tidy."
"Me too," Hikaru said. "But it's hard to say all that tidy when you have so many younger siblings running around. But I do my best."
"You're both amazing. My room isn't that messy but it's not tidy either."
"During break, why don't we help you clean, then?" Claire offered.
"Would you?"
"Mhm," Hikaru agreed. "At one point you should come around to mine and then we'd all have seen each other's houses. It could be like those sleepovers you read about in books~."
"That sounds like fun," Usagi noted. She picked out a jacket. "Oh, something like this could be cute!"
"That?" Claire asked. "Hajime got me that for my birthday a couple of years ago. I'm not sure it fits my style much though... or my size."
"I'm sure we can fix that! Plus, if we line it with a pink ribbon, wouldn't it look ultra cute?"
"These boots fit that style too," Hikaru suggested.
"You think so?"
"Then with a skirt like this-" Usagi held one out. "Tadah! With just a small adjustment we could make this the cutest outfit you've ever worn. Pink ribbon, add in some stars and bam!" She winked. "It's perfect!"
"R-really?" She turned to Hikaru, who nodded.
"The dark blue and neon pink would make a great contrast if used right." She smiled. "It feels very much like you."
Claire pulled her swan charm out from her pocket. She smiled.
"Feels like me, eh?"
"If we've decided, then let's get started," Usagi said, stepping out of the closet with a grin. "We've got work to do if we want Claire-chan's performance to be great!"
"Alright!"
The three quickly got down to work, scribbling ideas down, cutting out fabric and sewing it back together. Claire glanced at Usagi, who was smiling as she comfortably sat in the rhythm of the process. She turned back to her work and hummed happily.
Being able to work alongside such amazing friends - at some point, it became Claire's most treasured part of Aikatsu. So, she'd work hard at this performance, so even in the worst-case scenario, they'd be able to have their shining moment together.
A couple of hours later, Usagi and Hikaru sat on Claire's bed in anticipation.
The door opened and she walked in.
It almost looked like she was sparkling. She was so graceful yet confident and her outfit was better than they ever could have even dreamed of. It was the perfect blend of cute and cool - an almost perfect representation of who Claire was as a person.
"How does it look?" She asked, doing a small twirl.
"It looks incredible!" Usagi exclaimed, jumping up. She bounced on her toes. "You look super cool but super cute and the stars are so shiny and-!"
"Is it okay if I take a picture, Claire-chan?" Hikaru asked, taking out her AiPhone. Claire nodded.
"More than okay."
Hikaru got to taking photos. There were multiple of Claire posing, perfectly capturing the essence of the coord they made together.
"Why don't the three of us take a photo together?"
"We should!"
"If it's okay with you..."
The three got in together and smiled, pulling peace signs as Hikaru held her phone up.
"Aikatsu!"
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Backstage, Claire looked at the charm once again.
"You ready?" Hajime asked. "This might not go as well as you hope it will."
"I'm ready." She looked at her charm. "I have so many people supporting me, after all." Calmly, she placed the charm in her pocket and secured it close, so it wouldn't fall out as she danced.
"Hey, Claire?"
"Hm?"
"You're really-" he paused, blushing. "Ah, no. Forget I said anything."
Claire giggled. "Hajime..." she said, taking a step forward.
And then, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. As she stepped away, Hajime turned bright red.
"Suzukawa-san, standby please!"
"C-C-Claire?!"
She giggled again. "It's our little secret, okay?" She said, walking over to where she needed to be. Hajime watched her, placing his hand over his cheek. He gave a small smile.
Claire took a deep breath as the curtains parted. She opened her eyes to look at the crowd - it was certainly much smaller than her usual. Without the spectacle of the system, it wasn't surprising that many would be less interested.
But when she looked at the crowd, she saw many familiar faces. Her friends, her classmates, her designer... and even her older sister.
She smiled to herself.
She'd inspire them all today. No matter what!
The spotlight shone down on her and the music began to play.
Those days when I felt alone seem like a distant dream
Those days when I felt I was simply a shadow.
I didn't realise what was wrong,
Didn't realise the pain I felt deep down
Didn't realise the loneliness inside
The song started soft, with a tone of sadness lining it. Claire's movements were simple but sweet, her expressions, the lighting and particularly her voice conveying her feelings.
Trapped in a cacoon
Unable to escape the insecurity
"It's okay"; "it's okay!"
Cried the lonely girl
But when you held out your hand
Pulled me out; "spread your wings!"
I think I realised...
The dreams I held deep inside
Despite the simplicity of the performance, the audience began waving in time with the song, their eyes shining as Claire's voice delivered her great passion.
The sky so vast, limitless
Not held back by 'diligence'
Able to show my true colours!
You held my hand
And showed me a world I've never seen...
Her dancing became slightly more complex and the lighting on stage was vibrant, with a variety of effects that helped bring almost a sense of normalcy to the performance.
Because of you that monarch butterfly can fly!
Claire held her pose and for a second there was silence.
Then, applause.
"She did it!" Hikaru exclaimed. "She managed it!"
"That was so amazing," Usagi agreed. "My heart wouldn't stop fluttering!"
"I didn't think it'd be so good without the system," Minori said. "But she shone brighter than ever! Hehe, get it? Bright? Claire?"
"No matter how much things change, at least we can always rely on Minori's puns being awful," Saki said. "Claire-chan really is amazing, though."
After bowing with a smile, Claire walked backstage. Then, she did a celebratory jump.
"I did it!" She exclaimed. "I really did it! I-" She paused, suddenly getting a feeling.
...Was somebody watching her...?
Cautious, Claire turned around. Then...
"Onee-chan!" She shouted, running over to Luna. She hugged her tightly, the smell of lavender that always followed Luna comforting her. "It's been so long." Luna hugged her back then the two pulled apart.
"You've turned into a great idol," Luna signed.
"Not as great as you. Anyway... I'm- I'm sorry, onee-chan. I tried but... I really couldn't be like you in the end... I couldn't fulfil your dream."
"I never wanted you to."
Claire froze. "...Huh? What do you mean-?"
"My dream is mine to fulfil. I'd much rather see you chase your own happiness." Luna smiled. "I had fun as an idol whilst it lasted. Even if I can't do it anymore... I'll be okay. Focus on yourself and the things that make you happy."
"Onee-chan..." Claire muttered. "Is it really okay?"
"More than."
Once again, Claire hugged her sister tightly. "I love you, onee-chan. I'll - I'll keep doing Aikatsu, no matter what! And I'll shine in my own way, brighter than anyone else!
I promise!"
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Mai flicked through the pages of the book, scribbling notes down. Her eyelids were heavy but she stayed fixed on the pages in front of her.
There had to be something she could do...
There had to be.
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A/N: Thank you for reading! More lighthearted chapters this week :]
After that... uhhhhh
lol
Five chapters left of this entire project! Let's do our best to cross this finish line together>:)
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