The door slammed and the girl hid behind it, breathing heavily. Her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty, just barely able to grip the handle. She slid down to the floor, propping herself into a sitting position.
Their yelling was loud.
So loud.
In a desperate attempt to block it out, she covered her ears yet it seeped through.
Haunting her.
But out of the corner of her eye, something shimmered. Yelling for attention, promising to provide safety and happiness to the distraught girl. So, plugging her earphones in and playing her favourite music as a further attempt to block out the noise, she crawled over and picked the magazine up. It featured many idols from her birth country: Japan. All shining brilliantly, showing off beautiful clothes and pulling poses full of life. The kind of thing the girl wouldn't even dare to do - something only girls with confidence and their lives put together could do. On her phone, she typed in an idol's name and pulled up a performance. As she watched the idol reach perfect high notes and pull complicated choreography off, she smiled. It was like nothing else mattered - idols were here for her.
They were always there for her.
Whenever she was sad and upset and scared, she could always rely on idols to perform their songs and make everything okay.
So, Akiyama Akemi made a vow to ensure idols would always be able to thrive and continue on.
─── ｡ﾟ☽: * .♤. * :☾ ° . ───
"Goodnight, Mai-chan," Sachiko softly whispered, planting a dainty kiss on her forehead. Mai was sound asleep in her bed, her expression finally relaxed. Sachiko smiled, then backed out of the room, giving her girlfriend space to relax. She walked over to the living room, where Nico Hiyori was looking through documents, with a can of lemon flavoured chuhai next to her.
"Nico-san?" Sachiko quietly called, her hand resting on the doorframe. Hiyori looked up and turned around, so Sachiko continued. "She's in bed now, still fast asleep."
"That's good. Thank you, Sachiko-chan."
"Thank you...?" Sachiko whispered to herself. She shook her head. "No, it's nothing." She paused, biting her lip. "Actually... Nico-san?"
"Hm?"
She took a seat next to her girlfriend's caretaker, looking down. "Is it okay if we talk for a bit?"
"It's more than okay," Hiyori said. "But are you sure you want to talk with an old person like me? I'll probably just bore you to death."
"I'm sure you won't." Another pause. "How does the system look right now?"
Hiyori pursed her lips together, then took a drink of the chuhai sat next to her. "It's not looking so great."
'"Is it not?"
"Nope. It's pretty solidly dormant and refusing to wake up, whether for the sake of returning to its old state or for the sake of the update. Right now it looks unlikely that either will happen any time soon."
"Is that so?"
Hiyori nodded. "But they're making progress on the update. They say it's still looking certain to happen eventually." She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Twelfth branch isn't involved much so most of the details I've received kinda conflict." She took another drink. "If anything, I'm mainly worried about how badly Mai-chan's taken it all."
"...She's lucky to have someone like you," Sachiko said, smiling gently. "You're a great mother."
"Mother?!" Hiyori shouted, her cheeks turning red. She covered her mouth, waited for a second to calm down, and then took another drink. Finishing her little routine, she awkwardly chuckled. "I'm - I'm not like that at all. If she was any younger or less independent I probably would have accidentally set her on fire by now."
Sachiko shook her head. "No, she's lucky to have such understanding and kind adults in her life. To be honest... I'm jealous."
"You're jealous?"
"...Well..." Sachiko sighed. "Can I talk about something kinda personal...?"
"If you're comfortable."
Sachiko looked down to the floor, her shoulders hunched up. She awkwardly shuffled around on her seat, as if she was trying to get comfortable. "My parents got really mad at me when they found out," she admitted, running her hand over her cheek. "They get really mad at me for a lot of things... I know I'm privileged. I'm rich and have lots of opportunities to make myself successful in the future." She paused. "But back when she was alive, Sakura-san felt completely different to mother. Hiro-san feels completely different to father. They feel so much more loving and I sometimes wish I was born into their family instead." She further tensed up. "It's pathetic. I know what my parents insist I do is for the best. I know by disobeying them I'm being foolish and I deserve their punishment. But I... don't know what to do..."
Hiyori reached over, massaging Sachiko's cheek. She pushed the loose strands of hair away; her eyes soft and caring.
"Have you told anyone about this?"
"Mai-chan knows."
"Have you told any adults?"
Sachiko paused, then shook her head. "Adults know - we argue at school a lot. But nobody can do anything about powerful people like them." She paused again, digging her nails into her thigh. "I'm just being spoiled. Ignore me."
Hiyori took Sachiko's hands. "Stop that." She said, her expression stern. Then, she softened again. "I'll be the one to do something about it, then."
"You'll - what?"
"I'm an adult. I'll do something about it," she said. "I'm sorry, Sachiko-chan. I'm sorry that all us adults have failed you."
Sachiko paused. She opened her mouth to protest but nothing came out. Instead, tears began streaming down her face. Sachiko covered her mouth, and looked down so her bangs would hopefully hide her expression, then she got up. "I'm going to see if Mai-chan's alright," she muttered before heading off. She re-entered her girlfriend's messy room and sat down at the chair by the desk, sobbing into her hands.
─── ｡ﾟ☽: * .♤. * :☾ ° . ───
"Amamiya isn't coming in today?" Akemi asked Hiyori the next morning.
"She's been overworking herself recently. As the adult currently responsible for her, I realised it was in the best interest for everyone if she took a day to rest and rejuvenate."
Akemi paused, thinking back to that original meeting where Mai had collapsed. It would be best to avoid that kind of situation again, even if it had originally worked somewhat in her favour. She plastered on a smile.
"Is that so? I hope she feels better soon. It's a shame - we're looking for everyone's input here."
"System still not co-operating, eh?"
"Progress has been made. If possible, we're aiming for the update to be incorporated before those first years can make their move," Akemi explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It'd be a shame if they humiliate themselves in front of the world, after all."
"I suppose."
Lifting up her hand to signal a "goodbye", Akemi walked back to her desk. She looked at the documents and notebooks sprawled in front of her, the ambition in her eyes gleaming bright.
"Soon," she whispered to herself. "Aikatsu will finally return to its former glory."
She opened one of the notebooks on her desk; one more ragged and dusty than the others. On the front page was a poorly drawn doodle of a girl resembling her younger self performing with Matsumoto Sakura, whom she had found whilst deep diving on the internet one night.
The kind of idol who was remarkable. The kind of idol who had encouraged Akemi to keep pushing through all hardships.
The kind of idol who was a rare find nowadays, in Akemi's opinion.
Akemi turned back to the documents, sharply closing her childhood notebook.
─── ｡ﾟ☽: * .♤. * :☾ ° . ───
─── ｡ﾟ☽: * .♤. * :☾ ° . ───
Mai took a deep breath, readjusting the ribbon on her wrist. Herself and Sachiko had met up with the members of Bubblegum*Asterism and Serendipity after their grand announcement the previous night. The two units were going to have a collaboration live in the coming weeks, where they aimed to all bloom and revive the system.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mai asked. "If something goes unexpectedly I can't guarantee you'll be safe."
Usagi nodded. "We're sure. It's something we all decided together."
"We don't want to regret not taking this chance," Hikaru agreed.
"And we'll have each other," Claire added. "So we'll be fine."
"Besides," Usagi said, "You'll be there to monitor the system for us, won't you, onee-chan?"
"Huh? When did I agree to that?"
"Well, it's only to be expected from such a kind-hearted and amazing idol," Saki said, pitching her voice up and performing appropriately adorable gestures to accompany. "That's the kind of person you are, isn't it?"
Mai's face flushed red. "I never said I wouldn't..."
Sachiko chuckled, then turned to her underclassmen, her expression sharp. A shiver was sent down the fives' spines.
"I sincerely hope you're not underestimating the difficulty of blooming. No first-years have ever bloomed before and with the system down it's likely to be even more difficult than usual."
"We know."
"We're willing to do it all though," Minori said. "Cliff scaling; dancing with weights on; drinking tea whilst squatting - whatever you need!"
"As long as it isn't too overboard," Saki added. "Right, Minorin?"
"Right!"
"Well then, I hope you wouldn't mind me working you harder than you've ever been worked before," Sachiko said. "If you want to bloom so soon, especially in circumstances like these, there can be no room for slacking."
"Understood!" The five chanted.
"How much have you prepared? Have you started practising?"
"We've been training a lot. Look, I got a funny shaped bruise from when I tripped during it," Usagi said, pulling up her sleeve to show her elbow off. Mai waved her hands.
"Y-you don't have to show us, we believe you."
"Oh. Boring."
"Kazami-san. Take this seriously."
"Sorry!"
"How about coords?" Sachiko continued. "What are you planning to wear?"
"It'd be our Premium Rare coords, right?" Claire suggested. "Those are what's needed to bloom after all."
"Once you reawaken the system, precisely. But you can't start the performance wearing just anything," Sachiko warned.
"To bloom, you need to raise the audience's excitement level all the way," Mai explained. "That won't be possible if you wear lacking clothes."
"Usagi-chan could maybe design something for us," Hikaru suggested.
"Five original dresses in such a short time frame sounds scary," Usagi said. She grinned. "But I'll do my best!"
"You can do it, Usaki-chan!"
Mai shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Usagi-chan. Just focus on your training.:
"Eh? Didn't you just say-?"
"I think someone I know will be able to help with dresses. So don't stress yourself about them."
Sachiko's eyes widened. "You mean-?" Mai nodded with a smile and Sachiko continued. "That would certainly ensure the audience's excitement. Next: do you have a stage booked yet?"
"I've asked Hajime-kun to help out," Claire said. "He works backstage so he has connections. The only problem is we're not sure we can afford a big one. My parents are being stingy about it..."
"Leave that to me," Sachiko said.
"Sachi-chan, are you sure?"
"I'm sure. The larger the audience, the easier it'll be to raise the excitement level. I'll organise advertising and promotion too - my parents most likely won't even notice the money is gone."
"You'd do that for us?" Minori asked. "Thank you, Hanabusa-senpai!"
"Anyway, what about a song?"
"We're not sure," Hikaru said. "We don't have much time left before the update so I'm not sure we have the time to commission one."
"We're considering 'Bright Link' and 'Aikatsu, Here We Go,''' Claire added. "'Bright Link' is more fitting but 'Here We Go' would be nostalgic to many people and we could capitalise on that."
"Neither of them has a grand tone to them. I would advise against them."
"Then... five Rosebuds sung a song together once, right?" Usagi suggested. "We could steal that since we also have five members."
Heat rushed to Sachiko's face as she recalled the lyrics of that song.
"I'd... rather you didn't."
"You'd never be able to match Hanabusa-senpai's grace anyway," Saki teased, poking Usagi.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"I never said it's a bad thing."
"What about the song from the Sapphire Idol Festival?" Minori suggested. "The lyrics are less personal, aren't they? And it's from a huge festival so it'll hype people up."
"Oh, nice idea!" Usagi exclaimed.
"As expected of my partner."
"Is it a nice song?" Hikaru asked.
"Of course it's nice. It's a song the top idols all sang together."
"Well, I like it at least," Claire said.
"Ooh~."
"...Uhm," Mai started. "I hate to ruin the mood but I think you should stay away from that one..."
"The festival is protective over the rights to that song," Sachiko said. "It'll be a struggle to convince them to let you cover it."
"Oh."
"Even aside from that," Mai said. "You shouldn't try to be the second FULL☆MOON. You should focus on forming your own identity."
Defeated, Usagi sighed. "Isn't that kinda hard when covering a song, though?"
"I know. Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh but I think it's for the best in the long run."
"It's more likely to raise the excitement level and let you bloom, too," Sachiko added.
The five sighed in synchrony and eclipse exchanged glances.
"You don't have to do this," Mai said. "I'm sure - I'm sure there's something else we can do to fix it. You don't have to get involved if you don't want to."
"We want to," Usagi reiterated. "What's the point of wasting life, just waiting for things to change?"
"There's something else we can do song-wise, I'm sure of it," Saki said. "Even if that's just covering our unit songs together."
The duo smiled.
"You really aren't giving up?" Mai asked.
"Not after everything we've been through," Minori said.
"Then, I'll ask that you five think of multiple solutions to the song issue," Sachiko said. "We'll meet up at Rosebud Academy and I'll teach you to perfect the best-suggested song. Is that agreeable?"
The five gave a variety of reactions, such as nodding and grinning.
"Thank you so much, Hanabusa-sensei!"
Sachiko's cheeks tinged red and Mai giggled.
"If it's a song you need, I can help."
The seven perked up at the familiar voice. Six gave disappointed and conflicted expressions when they realised who it was - Mai, however, perked up.
"Izumi-chan!"
Kawaguchi Izumi stood by their table, hands in her pockets. She took one out to give an awkward wave. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I came here to give everyone a song anyway - it just so happened to line up with whatever you're talking about."
"You wrote us a song?" Mai asked, beaming. Izumi nodded.
"I was struggling with the lyrics for the melody but watching everyone's performances these past couple of weeks inspired me." She looked away, acutely aware of the glares she was receiving from the rest of the group. "But if you don't want it, that's fine too. Sorry."
"Wait, Izumi-chan-!"
"...Is it true?" Saki asked. "Did you cause all of this?"
Izumi stopped in her tracks. She looked down, shoulders hunched. "I wasn't aware of it at the time but... yes. It was Divinity Heaven's performance that did this."
The group remained quiet but Mai quickly raised her voice.
"She didn't mean to-" she started but Izumi turned back around, shaking her head.
"Not an excuse. I'm not expecting forgiveness but-" she took out her phone and pressed play on the music player. "-I wanted to make it up a little bit by giving you this song. You can do whatever you want with it."
The music played on, with heartfelt lyrics. It was warm and sweet, touching the very heart and soul.
"...Soon the flower of happiness will bloom, and the moon is shining too!"
The song came to an end and the seven sat in shocked silence.
"...Did you really come up with those lyrics from our performances?" Saki asked quietly.
"Mostly. Felt the feelings you were trying to convey. Then there's my previous interactions with you five - Mai-chan too. Decided to throw in some things from the general idol community too and-" she paused. "It's okay if you don't like them."
Usagi shook her head. "I love them! Thank you, Kawaguchi-senpai!"
"They're amazing," Hikaru agreed.
"If I could perform this kind of thing, it'd make me happy," Claire said. "Are you sure you'll give it to us, Kawaguchi-senpai?"
She shrugged again. "Like I said. I caused this mess, it'd be shameful if I did nothing to help."
Mai stood up, her smile extremely bright. "Thank you so much, Izumi-chan!" She exclaimed, pulling Izumi into a hug. "You've really helped us out!"
"H-huh?" Izumi spluttered, taking a step back. "But-"
"I wouldn't even bother arguing with it," Sachiko said, resting her chin on her hand and looking in the opposite direction. "Regardless of other factors, this song is helpful."
Izumi's cheeks flushed red and she looked away, twirling the side of her bangs. "I guess..."
Mai giggled then turned back to the others. "Is that all, then?"
"Should be. Assuming Suzukawa-san's friend can handle lighting and all that."
"He should be able to."
"Great." Sachiko stood up and a flame lit in her eyes. "I hope you're ready for the hardest training session of your lives."
"Uee..." The five whined, then shook their heads.
"Y-Yes, Hanabusa-sensei!"
─── ｡ﾟ☽: * .♤. * :☾ ° . ───
Akemi glared at the idol poster in front of her. Five idols posing energetically in their Premium Rare coords, with the date "12th March 2022" neatly printed onto it. She scowled.
"Only a couple of weeks to go, then..."
─── ｡ﾟ☽: * .♤. * :☾ ° . ───
"Hey, Akemi, why did you start working here?" An older man asked. The young girl placed down a pile of papers. She had ginger hair, her bangs covering her face - a meek appearance contrasting what most knew her for nowadays. "This isn't the kind of job someone your age would usually do," he continued.
"I like idols a lot..."
"Well, yeah, but is there any more to it?"
"Eep! I- well..." She picked up more papers. "I... want to see idols achieve greatness. So they can help more people... or something..."
"Ohh, how noble," he teased. "So why twelfth branch? Couldn't go overseas?"
Akemi nodded. "And I think if there were idols over here... being able to see them perform live... would have made me happier..." she muttered, looking down and kicking the floor.
He chuckled. "Let's just hope being our resident idol will help you break out of your shell. We only have one of you, so you better do your best."
Akemi dared a faint smile.
"Yeah... I'll do my best to help Aikatsu."
─── ｡ﾟ☽: * .♤. * :☾ ° . ───
A/N: Wooo two chapters left! Thank you so much for reading <3
(I'm so nervous)
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