*P.O.V SWITCH - AKIHIKO*
*KASUMI'S BEDROOM - NAKASU RESIDENCE - EDOGAWA - TOKYO*
I... I had no idea...
AKI: "Kasumi..."
KASUMI: "And all the rest of it you do know, because you were there. *Sigh* But all good things come to an end, don't they?"
AKI: "What?!"
KASUMI: "I'm saying that it's not right for me to continue this way as a school idol.
Natsumi exposed me today as a fraud, and there's nothing I can do to fix that."
AKI: "So you're going to let her push you away? Is that it?!"
KASUMI: "M-Maybe?"
AKI: "That's wrong, Kasumi. I know you're better than that! YOU KNOW you're better than that!"
KASUMI: "Am I?"
AKI: "Want proof? Here!"
I pulled the blanket off of the mirror to reveal its shiny reflection.
AKI: "Now stare into it and look at the cute girl!"
KASUMI: "But that's all I am... Cute."
AKI: "Sure you're cute, but I meant it when I said that your greatest strength is resilience.
You had a bad loss today, so what?
It just means you have something to work hard towards, and I know you can put that brat in her place!"
KASUMI: "You think so?"
AKI: "Of course I do! Natsumi is just an insecure little girl who only compares herself to others. So it's not fair that you're trying to do the same, Kasumi."
KASUMI: "Huh?"
AKI: "Comparing yourself to her, comparing yourself to Nico, comparing yourself to Ayu. It's unreasonable! You need to look in the mirror and realize that there is no comparison!"
KASUMI: "No comparison?"
AKI: "There's only one you in this world. You just need to love yourself even more!"
KASUMI: "Even so, Senpai, I can't help but think about Natsumi's performance earlier..."
AKI: "Hm..."
KASUMI: "Even if I try, will I never be able to catch up?"
AKI: "That's-"
KASUMI: "No, I can't afford to feel down! Even I should be able to do this, I'm easily the number one after all!"
AKI: "There's that confidence I love to see!"
KASUMI: "Y-You love to see it?!"
AKI: "Yeah!"
KASUMI: *Giggle* *Sigh* "It's no use..."
AKI: "Huh?"
KASUMI: "Before I realize it... I start over again. Feelings of being left behind are at their maximum... Then I'm waiting until the time is right all over again.
You have times like that as well, right...?"
AKI: "Yeah, and they suck. I've always got traces of doubt in my mind as to if I even belong in the School Idol Club... Even today after what Natsumi said to me, I feel down..."
KASUMI: "Tough rivals will appear... But at those times I wish for you to see me doing my best."
AKI: "That's all I could ever ask of you, Kasumi. Maybe not everything is going according to the plan right now, but even so I still can't look away from you."
KASUMI: "Senpai..."
AKI: "I want you to believe in yourself, because that is what's most important.
Nobody will believe in you if YOU don't believe in you. No matter what anyone says!
I will always believe in you!"
KASUMI: "Even if the entire world says 'no'... I still want to believe in myself!"
AKI: "Then you know what to do."
Kasumi looked at herself in the mirror.
KASUMI: "Hey! Girl in the mirror beyond its surface. Let's show everyone the magic in our smile!"
AKI: "Yes!"
KASUMI: "Senpai... I've decided that I'm never going to feel down! I'm never going to lose anymore!"
AKI: *Chuckle* "I believe you. If only I could feel the same way about myself..."
KASUMI: "Let's blow away our worries and look forward! You know what we need to do, right?"
AKI: "Do what?"
KASUMI: "Write a song! We need to write a song about this!"
AKI: "Hey, you're right! Plus we've got the whole night to discuss the lyrics!"
KASUMI: "Heh, heh, heh, I think some of the things we've said will already work just fine!"
AKI: "Then let's get to work. Do you have some paper and a pen?"
KASUMI: "Duh, I'm not that incompetent. I still do my homework, you know?"
AKI: *Laugh* "Yeah, I bet you do. C'mon, take a seat at your desk."
KASUMI: "Actually... I think we would work a lot better if we were laying on my bed."
AKI: "H-Huh?!"
KASUMI: "Well, don't people think the most when they're laying in bed? C'mon it'll make the song even better!"
AKI: "If you insist..."
I agreed and laid down on the bed, sitting up to write.
But what I didn't expect was for Kasumi to take a seat on my lap.
AKI: "K-Kasumi?!"
KASUMI: "What? I can't see the paper otherwise."
AKI: *Sigh* "Fine. It's okay."
KASUMI: *Giggle* "Thanks Senpai, you're the best!"
Argh... So close... She smells amazing... SHE'S SO CUTE!
A-Anyway, so our songwriting process had begun, to create Kasumi's best song yet...
'Muteki Kyuu Believer'.