"We're genuinely going ahead with this?"
"It's what we planned."
Mai dug her nails into the desk, her teeth clenched. "All of the reception on social media has been negative. Nobody wants this."
"Your perception of 'nobody' seems to be quite warped," another adult said. "There are many who agree."
"I haven't seen a single idol react positively to this," Mai continued. "Fans aren't happy either."
"Isn't it just one of those social media bandwagoning things?" Another adult suggested. "I'm sure they'll all change their minds soon enough."
"But-"
He placed his hand on the top of Mai's head and grinned. "Don't worry about it! There's nothing you have to do except go back overseas and advertise for us."
Mai opened her mouth in protest - then, she looked down. Her direction of vision slowly moved to a pile of books on her desk, each with many post-it notes sticking out.
"...You're right," she muttered. "I'm sorry for causing a fuss."
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"Usagi-chan? You okay?"
For a second, everything in her line of vision was blurred, nothing having any particular form. Then, everything snapped back to normal, her friends and their worried expression becoming clear. In a daze, she placed her hand on her head.
Then, she nodded.
"I'm okay."
Hikaru gave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness..."
"You zoned out for a couple of minutes there," Claire explained. "I don't know what exactly happened but I guess it's the shock."
"The... shock?" Usagi mumbled. She turned her attention to the screen ahead of them and it all came back.
"The system... the system!"
"...It's gone," Saki muttered. "Our careers as we know them are over."
"It's... over," Minori whispered, tearing up and hugging her knees.
Only the five remained in the hall, surrounded by vacant seats and a sour atmosphere. It was virtually silent, with only Minori's sniffing to provide noise. Saki placed her hand on Minori's head, stroking her hair, to comfort her and the others looked down.
"...So what now?" Usagi asked. "What's there for us?"
"The headmistress said they've been asked by KatsuCorp to take away their Aikatsu course for the next year," Claire further explained. "Rosebud Academy will be the only Aikatsu school in Japan from now on. It's... over for us."
"We'll still be allowed to perform without the system," Hikaru added.
"But how could we possibly compete?" Saki asked quietly, holding Minori closer as the latter's sobbing became louder. Usagi's eyebrows furrowed and she looked down.
"Is that... really it for us?" She asked, looking down.
"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan," Hikaru said. "But we can't do anything else."
"You're giving up?"
"..." They looked away, unable to admit the truth. Usagi's eyes widened.
"Even after everything?"
"I love Aikatsu," Claire said, "It's been fun but... all things come to an end eventually."
"I'd still like to perform now and again but... making it our jobs would be like if Healin' Cheer tried to fight Doctor Despair without being able to transform."
"But she would, wouldn't she?!"
"And she'd only hurt herself in the process," Saki said. "Look, none of us wants to stop but it's not like we have much choice. We'll go back to Hoshimura and see the others again and... well, I'm sure you'll find something else to do. You always do."
"...It looks like our stage as Bubblegum*Asterism will be our last," Claire said. "It's fitting, isn't it?"
"At least we'll be able to send ourselves off with a smile."
"I can't accept that!"
"Usagi-chan..."
"I wanted us to do more and more and more together! I wanted us to become the world's greatest unit - eclipse's greatest rivals! I wanted us to challenge the Celestial Trial together and compete! I wanted us to go to the Winter Ball together! To look after our underclassmen! To bloom together!" She started to breathe faster, running out of breath. "Why can't we have that? Why do we have to stop now? Why can't everything - why can't everything change back?!"
"Calm down - there's no point denying everything," Saki said. "What happened has happened. There's no changing back."
"It's not entirely over. I'll still model for Vibrant Splash and I still want to make it shine brighter," Hikaru said. "This isn't the way I wanted it to happen but... maybe we could try new stuff. Like... acting. Or something."
"I've been thinking about going into a different career, anyway," Saki admitted. "This isn't the way I wanted to decide, but it makes it easier I guess..."
"We can all hang out on breaks too, can't we? Even if we all go back to our hometowns we can still keep in touch," Claire said."
"And we still have one last performance together," Hikaru said. "We just have to make it count."
"Everyone..." Usagi whispered, tearing up. She clenched her fist.
"I can't believe you'd give up so easily!"
She dashed down the flight of stairs, out of the auditorium and all the way into the dorm house, promptly flinging herself into her and Hikaru's dorm, taking a seat on the floor, back against the door.
Then, she broke down into tears.
It was over - it was all over.
The system was gone.
And alongside it, her friends' dreams had died too.
"It's not fair," Usagi sobbed. "When I give up I'm being selfish but the one time I don't want to give up-" she choked up. "I'm sorry, Asuna-chan! I promised - I promised I'd carry on your legacy. But- but- but-" She buried her head in her knees. "I don't know what to do. Every option feels like the wrong one."
Deep in her heart, Usagi was praying - pleading to hear that energetic voice once more. That Fujimori Asuna would come out and comfort her; that she'd give her all of the right answers.
But of course, she couldn't.
Fujimori Asuna died a second time alongside the system.
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It sparkles - the dream I'm heading towards
I'm nearing the finish line, I just have to run...!
Reach for the stars!
Reach for the stars!
'Cuz we're star bound!
The three idols of Bubblegum*Asterism danced upon the stage, lights glaring down at them. There were two days left until the concert itself and the three were going through their single dress rehearsal. Despite everything, Usagi managed to finish their ensembles. Most iconically, their outfit was finished off with a varsity jacket in the pastel version of their theme colours, with ribbons and shapes that reminded Usagi of each and the unit's logo printed at the back.
Being able to perform in outfits so cute and personalised almost filled Usagi with energy.
But, not quite.
The song came to a stop and the three held their poses, Usagi's smile refusing to stay on her face.
She didn't understand. Performing alongside the other two was usually so much fun she'd be grinning for hours afterwards. But... she supposed the depression that came with this being their final performance cancelled it out.
As the three walked off the stage, Hikaru sighed. "That went terribly..."
"We were completely out of sync," Claire agreed. "Despite practising so much..."
"...I'm sorry," Usagi muttered. "I was the worst out of us all..."
Claire furrowed her eyebrows. "Usagi-chan, even if this is our last big performance, it doesn't mean we have to stop being friends. We can still take modelling jobs or even minor performance jobs together."
"...I know..."
"Is there anything you can do to cheer you up?"
Usagi shook her head. "I'm sure I'll... feel better soon." She took a deep breath. "I'm gonna clear my head a bit. See you around."
She dashed off once again, stuck in her thoughts. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught one of the promotional materials for the event. A poster of the three taken back near the announcement of the event - before all of this happened. They were wearing the Rainbow set - an image that stabbed Usagi's heart.
Her first-ever design. One she'd never get to wear again...
She sighed.
...Why couldn't it be possible to turn back time?
Back before any of this happened.
Before all the scandals started up.
And even before meeting-
Usagi's eyes widened.
"Onee-chan!"
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"There's nothing we can do," Mai admitted. "Once the higher-ups have decided I can't do much... I'm sorry."
"No way..."
After spending what felt like hours interrogating others and running around to try and find the former top idol, the two eventually met up and were now sitting in a cafe of Mai's suggestion. Mai was in disguise, with even her hair straightened. She looked so different even with just a small change, but Usagi couldn't blame her. Her reputation wasn't exactly as great as it was this time last year, after all...
Yet another thing that wasn't fair.
"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan. I've been looking everywhere I can but nothing viable has come up. And there's only so much I can do on my own..."
"Doesn't anyone else at KatsuCorp wanna help?"
Mai shook her head. "Nico-san's trying but she's busy. And nobody else sees any reason too..." She looked down, holding onto her knees. "It's not fair on you. It's not fair on anyone. I became an Aikatsu Engineer to help make the system better and watch something I love grow but... but... but the opposite happened. I'm so sorry."
"Do you regret it?" Usagi asked. "Becoming an engineer."
"...I'm not sure," she whispered. "All I want to do is fix everything. I don't want to leave when the system's in this state."
"You can do it, onee-chan!" Usagi exclaimed, standing up and slamming her hands against the table. "You'll manage to bring it back! I'm sure of it! 'Cause... because..." She held back tears. "Because so many dreams are at stake. You have to..."
"...I'll do my best." She looked up and smiled at Usagi. "And then, you'll be able to shine on stage for real."
Somehow, her smile felt dimmer than usual.
Usagi nodded. "I'll... perform an amazing song for you as thanks for bringing the system back. But I can't promise it'll be anywhere near as good as your performances," she admitted, forcing a small laugh.
"You've improved a lot, even since I first watched you a couple of months back. I'm sure it'll be great." Her smile faltered. "I just have to manage to bring it back in the first place."
"Do you have any sort of lead?"
Mai reached for the ribbon on her wrist. "It's unlikely to work but... there's something. The system isn't exactly working the way KatsuCorp wants it to so I have time at least..."
"Really?"
She nodded. "Don't get your hopes up but... the system is still alive. It's just dormant - that is to say, asleep. The technology behind this next part is complicated but basically, if we released enough energy at once whilst using the dormant version of the system, we might be able to bring it back before they can implement the update."
Usagi's eyes widened and for the first time all day, she was able to smile genuinely. She smiled. "So it's possible?!"
"Technically, just not likely. The amount required would be the same amount released when two idols fully bloom at once. Fully blooming is an already nearly impossible feat and without the system, it's rendered even more difficult. If it went wrong, the Premium Rare inserted into the system could even be glitched and rendered useless - or in the worst-case scenario, the idols themselves could be harmed. There are so many risks and there's no guarantee that it would even bring the system back," Mai explained. She yawned. "I can't even do it myself since an idol can only bloom once. So... I'd rather look for an alternative."
"If we fully bloomed, would we be able to bring it back?"
Mai's eyes widened. "Usagi-chan, please don't be stupid!"
"It's not stupid!"
"You could get hurt! The system is widely unpredictable in this state and performing with it could genuinely lead to something terrible happening!"
"I know."
"Then why would you-?!"
"I know it's dangerous. And... I know at this point, I can't fully bloom either. And I know that's what you were thinking."
"Usagi-chan, I-"
She shook her head, smiling. "It's okay. I know you're right."
"...So, you won't try it?"
"I won't try fully blooming," Usagi said, smiling peacefully. "But I think I know what to do now!"
"...You do...?"
Usagi sprang out of her seat and skipped over to the other side, taking Mai's hand. "Thank you, onee-chan!"
"Whatever you're doing... please be careful," Mai said. "If I found out you got hurt for my sake I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."
"It won't just be for your sake. It'll be for everyone's sake." She paused. "I'll be careful though, anyway." She let go, grinning. "I'm gonna go tell the others. Bye-bye, onee-chan!"
"Wait- Usagi-chan!" Mai shouted as Usagi ran off, quickly disappearing from sight. She sighed. "What is she getting herself into...?"
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"Everyone!" Usagi yelled as she ran into the school gardens, waving. As usual, her friends were there, simply talking. Hikaru looked up.
"Usagi-chan! You look happier."
"Mhm~ of course I am!" She grinned. Then, her smile faded. "Hey, can I ask everyone a question?"
"Hm?"
"Are you really giving up?"
"This again?" Saki asked. "We already told you our stances on it."
"I know. But is that what you want?" She turned to Hikaru. "Do you want to give up on the Aikatsu that helps you express yourself and become more confident?"
She turned to Claire. "Do you want to give up on the Aikatsu that's helped you discover yourself and think of yourself as more than just Luna-san's sister?"
Next, she turned to Saki. "Do you really want to give up on the Aikatsu that's helped you find people who love you for you? That's helped you make relationships you couldn't dream of before?"
Finally, she turned to Minori. "Do you really want to give up on the Aikatsu that's brought you joy in difficult times? That you've suffered so much for - do you really want to throw that all away?!"
"Not really..."
"Of course we don't," Claire said. "But there's nothing we can do. We're not top idols, we're not engineers. We're not shareholders either - we have no power."
"That's where you're wrong!" Usagi shouted. She smiled brightly. "I know giving up is easy but I also know it's not worth it. If we ever quit, I want it to be because of our own accord, not because some suit people told us to. But we don't have to; there's something we can do if we want to bring it back!"
"There is?" Hikaru asked. Minori perked up.
"What is it?"
"Onee-chan says that it might be possible to still fully bloom even with the system like this. If two people do it at the same time, enough energy will be released to bring the system back."
"Only five idols have fully bloomed in the past," Claire said. "For people like us to do it... it's impossible."
"I know. But if it's about the energy released, don't you think-?"
As Usagi explained to the others, their expressions brightened.
Then, as the explanations came to a close, they piled their hands on top of each other and threw them into the sky."
"Let's do it!"
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The next day, the three idols of Bubblegum*Asterism were backstage, preparing for what could be their greatest live yet.
"Aikatsu, Aikatsu, Aikatsu..." Usagi chanted to herself, jumping on the spot. She turned to the other two, grinning.
They smiled brightly back.
"Bubblegum*Asterism, you go on in one minute!" a member of staff shouted and three walked over to the launchpad.
Usagi took a deep breath. "Alright! Let's do our best out there!"
Claire chuckled. "Of course, this is your chance to be noticed by eclipse, isn't it?"
Hikaru nodded. "We can't let your chance be wasted."
Yet, when the two looked at Usagi, her smile was much more awkward than usual.
"Well...erm..." she blushed. "Can I say something stupid?"
The two nodded and Usagi continued, fidgeting. "Well... as much as I talk about it, I'm not sure I wanna join eclipse?"
"...You don't?" Hikaru asked and Usagi shook her head.
"You know, I've realised that even if I love eclipse-" she reached for each of their hands, both standing next to her, and the music started up. She smiled confidently, her eyes shining. "I'm the happiest being with BubbleAsu!"
The two giggled.
"Me too."
"I'm glad - shall we?"
"Mhm!"
They gripped each other's hands.
"We may be from different constellations..."
"...We may have different sounds..."
"...We may be different colours..."
"...But together we'll form a rainbow! Bubblegum*Asterism!"
As the three finished their chant, they were launched up, jumping onto the stage and landing with great impact. The stage they were standing on was surrounded by a sea of primary colours.
It sparkles - the dream I'm heading towards
I'm nearing the finish line, I just have to run...!
Reach for the stars!
Reach for the stars!
'Cuz we're star bound!
The three performed with great energy, their eyes sparkling and movements in sync. The audience cheered along, almost immediately captivated by their performance.
It feels just like yesterday
That we were dreaming, under the sun and the moon
Times have come and gone,
There's no rewinding now
With people I can trust
Good friends by my side
Even if we're opposites, we'll make it through
Will you believe in me?
I believe in you!
Despite the technical limitations, the three managed to shine with their emotive voices and dynamic moves.
Yes, it was possible that this could be their final performance together.
But now, they had a stronger resolve.
And to preserve their friendship, they'd do anything.
Our future was once just in sight
But now I can reach out for it...!
It sparkles - the dream I'm heading towards
I'm nearing the finish line, I just have to run...!
You help me, I help you
We're friends, after all
There's nothing we can't do.
Even when I tremble, I'll do my best
Failure isn't that bad, is it?
Reach for the stars!
We'll dream together!
Reach for the stars!
Because we're star bound!
Even as the song came to an end and the choreography became increasingly more energy-consuming, they continued with all they had. To show the world that they weren't giving up!
Cute and pop and a little cool
That's just who we are
We're different stars
But we're linked
By strong, bright dreams
Let's create our asterism!
The three held their poses, their breathing steady. Sweat was dripping down but they remained smiling.
The applause was thunderous. The three waited as it continued, smiling at such a great response.
Once it died down, Usagi readjusted her microphone and took a step forward.
"Thank you, everyone!" She exclaimed. "This concert has really been so much fun!"
There was more applause in response.
"The three of us are Bubblegum*Asterism, a group of idols who all attend Celestial Academy. We work really hard despite all of the trials we've faced and this trial, this roadblock, is no exception."
The audience stood in anticipation, startled by the somewhat more serious tone Usagi had taken on.
Mai's heart was pounding most of all.
"We've been thinking a lot about our situation. It seems totally hopeless, right? But we don't want to give up anyway. That's why we're proud to announce our collaborative live with Serendipity!"
The audience, though some confusion was present, turned into more applause. Mai furrowed her eyebrows, her heart refusing to calm down.
"A collab...?"
"This might end up being our final live show but we'll be sure to make it our greatest." With a determined smile and glint in her eyes, she made her boldest declaration yet. "Akiyama Akemi, KatsuCorp, if you're listening- the five of us are declaring war on you! The five of us promise to bloom and save Aikatsu!"
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Despite the approaching spring, at night, a chill breeze ran through the air. Mai sat on a bench in town, absent-mindedly staring ahead. She loosely gripped onto a half-drunken can, which she had used as her excuse to herself for staying out a little longer.
"Room for two?"
A girl with dark hair in a braid sat down next to Mai and smiled.
"Sachi-chan."
"It's not like you to be alone at this time of night." She smiled gently. "When Nico-san told me you hadn't come back yet I was worried."
"You were?"
Sachiko shuffled closer and placed her hand on Mai's free one. "If you ever want to talk about anything, I'll be there to listen."
"..." Mai gripped her girlfriend's hand. "I can't stop thinking about what could happen..." Sachiko simply looked at her, with a certain look in her eye which comfortably prompted Mai to continue. "If they get hurt, it'll be my fault. My fault for telling them. And my fault for causing this all in the first place... I should be the one fixing it... but I can't. Not in this method. And I can't find any other way..."
"...Don't you think you're shouldering too much?"
In response, Mai vaguely hummed, looking ahead again.
"You should take a break, Mai."
"I'd feel too bad to."
"It's okay. Everyone just wants you to be okay."
"But-"
Sachiko wrapped her arm around Mai's waist. "I'll protect you."
Mai didn't give a response but cuddled up to Sachiko.
And within just a few seconds, her breathing stabilised and any grip she had was loosened as she lost consciousness. Sachiko smiled gently, running her hand through her girlfriend's hair, then looked up to the sky.
Up above, a waxing gibbous moon was shining.
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A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Three more chapters left~
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