It was a nice warm Monday at Top Star Academy, Miyuki Jorutta sat in her dorm room flipping through videos on IdolStar. The turquoise haired idol smiled at her friend's previous performances, getting excited to perform herself. Since attending Top Star, Miyuki had been active in pursuing jobs and auditions, securing a wide variety of roles from guest appearances to a backup dancer and even dressing in a teddy bear costume; she was certainly deserving of her 72nd spot on the Aikatsu Ranking.
"Good afternoon Miyuki," Tori said as she entered the dorm room, sitting down next to her friend on their lush sofa.
"Hey Tori, no work today?" Tori set her messenger bag at her feet and exhaled.
"No, I actually just came from the archives, I was helping Hana study for her role."
"Oh yeah, she got a job as an assistant chef on that kids show, right?"
"Yeah, however they also wanted her to prepare her own meal so I we came up with some recipes together." Tori began listing some of their ideas, including a decadent chocolate cake, sourdough bread and Hana's speciality; her rose tea.
"That sounds so yummy, I wish I was there," Miyuki sighed, the promise of food strong on her tongue.
"Where's Akira?" Tori asked, switching the conversation topic.
"She's at the 'Gorgeous Glamour' headquarters, something about a photoshoot for a popular magazine."
"That's awesome. Oh hey, she just posted on IdolStar," Tori highlighted, pointing out the notification both she and Miyuki received. Miyuki tapped it which took them to Akira's personal page on IdolStar. While the website was mainly used for streaming performances and other idol work, it was also a social hub where idols and brands could post updates and display their Aikatsu Ranking and following. Akira's page had many photos of her as well as the occasional breakfast selfie. Her most recent photo was a behind-the-scenes look of her at the photoshoot, the caption read: 'AHHH! They're taking my picture, this is so exciting!'
"Ooh, she must be having so much fun," Miyuki thought out loud. Together the girls liked Akira's post, adding to the already near thousand. As they continued to scroll through their favourite idol's feeds, Miyuki was sent a notification. She instantly screamed, frightening Tori causing her to juggle her phone in her hands.
"Is everything ok?"
"Look at this!" Miyuki shoved her phone in Tori's face, allowing her to see the message: ''Neon Party' is accepting applicants for a brand ambassador position; apply now!' Miyuki continued to squeal with excitement as she read the terms and conditions.
"'Neon Party'?" Tori asked. Miyuki's sounds stopped, her eyes became vacant of all life; it was as if all the colour in the world had been drained from her.
"You've never heard of it?" she asked, mouth agape. Tori delicately shook her head which resulted in Miyuki tapping wildly on her phone, bringing up the brand page. The brand page was a wild array of glowing images and dropdown menus, different from Tori's brand.
'A brand filled with high energy and maximum happiness. Electric colours and glowing charm means anyone can bring light to a smile in even the darkest of places.' This was the tagline of the brand's intentions. Tori smiled and giggled.
"That certainly sounds like you." Miyuki giggled in response.
"Ever since I came to Top Star Academy, I've been working hard to try and get myself noticed, and now this is my chance. I have to apply!" Tori encouraged her and together they worked on Miyuki's application.
----
The next day had come around and Miyuki sat in her homeroom class, listening to a lecture about Special Appeals.
"Now, whilst the Aikatsu Stage Illusion system, or ASI for short, assists in performing Special Appeals; the success of an appeal is determined by the energy of the idol. If she is not emotionally and physically in in tune with herself, then an appeal will most likely fail," explained Miyuki's teacher. He was a younger gentleman, roughly around the age of Setsuna but definitely not as wild. He wore a simple burgundy sweater and camel pants, despite the summer heat picking up. He had messy brown hair that was exceptionally frizzy today and his brown eyes were very gentle yet teeming with passion for educating. Unfortunately for him, he was one of the few male instructors at the academy, so most of the attention he gained from his students wasn't due to their desire to learn. "Does everyone understand?"
"Yes Mr. Oji-kun," all the girls responded in unison. This never failed to make him blush which resulted in the girls squealing in excitement. Miyuki thought he was attractive as well but didn't really partake in the giddiness of the other female students, simply referring to him as 'Mr. Oji'. As the lesson continued, Miyuki's phone vibrated. She reached into her pocket and tapped on the message, trying to be subtle and not disrupt the class.
"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE A FINALIST FOR 'NEON PARTY'S' BRAND AMBASSADORSHIP! HOORAY TO YOU!" a loud electronic voice erupted from her phone. This gained everyone's attention. Miyuki blushed from embarrassment as she tried to stop the loud congratulatory message.
"Miss Jorutta, could you please turn that off?" her teacher ordered.
"Sorry sir, my phone is on silent; it won't turn off." Miyuki kept pressing the volume button on her phone, but nothing worked. She tried turning the phone off, but the message kept playing and wouldn't allow her to access the device's settings. In a last-ditch attempt, Miyuki hurled her phone at the nearest wall, which it promptly smacked into. Suddenly, the message stopped, and the room went silent; even Mr. Oji didn't know how to react. Miyuki quietly stood from her seat and proceeded to the area where her phone had crash landed. The yellow backing with an intricate lace design was still intact, in fact there was no visible damage at all. She slowly turned the device over, fearing the millions of cracks on the screen. The entire class huddled around Miyuki, holding their breath in anticipation, their teacher too looked over. She turned the phone over to reveal the screen still in pristine condition. As if it were a magic trick, the entire room applauded. Miyuki exhaled with relief before checking the message, this time it was silent.
"That's enough excitement everyone, please take your seats. Miyuki could you return to your seat as well?" Mr. Oji asked, motioning everyone back to his lesson. Miyuki turned around with a great big smile decorating her face.
"Yes, sir!"
----
"Aikatsu! Aikatsu! Aikatsu!" Hana chanted as she ran around the track, building her stamina. Akira and Tori sat in a shaded area as they continued to stretch.
"Where's Miyuki?" Akira asked as she leant over to touch her toes.
"She's not normally late," Tori commented. Suddenly, a figure came bolting down the track field, it was moving so fast, it looked like there was a storm of dust trailing them. Hana stopped in her tracks to see what the commotion was and looked in horror as a figure came barrelling towards her. She tried to outrun it, but the figure whizzed by her, the momentum causing Hana to spin uncontrollably until she collapsed from dizziness. Akira and Tori rushed to their feet as the figure headed towards them, bracing themselves for impact. The rapid creature started to slow down, a loud screech howling throughout the field. Suddenly, as the dust began to settle, and Akira and Tori could finally see the speed menace clearly, their eyes widened with surprise.
"Miyuki?!" they both asked shocked. There Miyuki stood, panting rapidly as sweat began to form, causing her teal pigtails to darken and stick to her face. Her brown eyes had a fierce level of determination behind them, almost as if a raging fire was about to be unleashed. She held her phone out to their faces, beaming with excitement and fatigue.
"I'VE GOT AN AUDITION TO BECOME A BRAND AMBASSADOR!" she squealed. Akira and Tori exchanged a quick look of confusion until they both smiled with excitement for their friend.
"Congratulations!" they cheered.
"Congratulations..." a weak, dazed voice called out. The girls shifted their focus to the direction of the voice to see Hana, face down on the track gravel. The girls quickly rushed to their friend's aid, picking her off the ground and brushing the dirt off her. "Yay Miyuki," Hana slurred, her eyes completely dazed; it was highly possible she had a concussion.
"We should probably get her to the infirmary," Tori suggested.
"No, I'm fine!" Hana lazily insisted before wobbling forward and passing out again on the track.
"She needs help," Akira stated as she facepalmed herself.
"You guys go, I'll catch up," Miyuki explained. "I should probably run a few laps to get excited for the audition tomorrow."
"Don't overexert yourself," Akira ordered.
"Take it easy," Tori added.
"Yay Miyuki," Hana shouted again, falling over a third time. Tori and Akira exhaled as they lifted their friend up and helped her to the infirmary. Miyuki put her personal things aside and began to race around the track.
"Aikatsu! Aikatsu!" she chanted over and over again. As the other students began to pack up as the afternoon drifted into a sunset, Miyuki continued to run, determined to succeed. "I can do it!" she cheered for herself as she continued to beat her personal lap time. Before long, it was the dark of night and Miyuki had been doing laps, building up and using all of her stamina for hours. She picked up her things and with a sense of accomplishment she returned to her dorm.
All the other girls were in bed by the time she returned, no doubt Hana was fast asleep from the fatigue and Tori and Akira exhausted from carrying her. Miyuki went straight for the showers, taking a long hot bath to relax her energised muscles. After a few minutes, Miyuki silently crept into her room, and sliding into her bed. She couldn't wait till tomorrow, and the excitement continued to fill her mind, it wasn't until very late that she succumbed to sleep.
----
"Miyuki? Miyuki!" a voice called out. It was ringing in her ears and Miyuki struggled to open her eyes. As she slowly blinked into the morning, Miyuki saw Akira standing before her, already dressed for the school day.
"Akira?" Miyuki asked in a groggy morning voice.
"Miyuki, you're going to be late. Your escort will be here soon," she explained. Finally realising the urgency, Miyuki jumped from her bed.
"Ow," she grunted. Instead of jumping as intended, Miyuki slowly rolled out of bed, an overwhelming amount of pain circulating throughout her body.
"Are you ok? What's wrong?" Akira asked, coming to her friend's aid.
"My body hurts, I'm so sore!" she whinged.
"You probably overdid it last night, we told you to be careful."
"Akira, please, no lectures; that's Mr. Oji's job. Please just help me," Miyuki asked. Akira sighed, helping her friend up and to the bathroom to get her ready.
"Quickly, we'll get everything else ready for you." As Akira left, Miyuki slowly hopped into the already drawn bath for her. The hot water helped ease the pain, but still, it wasn't enough to completely cure it. Wanting to stay in there forever, Miyuki felt herself finally becoming comfortable until a knock at the door broke her peace.
"Miyuki? It's Hana. You need to hurry up."
"Coming." Upset that she had to leave the heavenly waters, Miyuki slowly got out of the bath tub, still wincing in pain as she dried herself off and got into her uniform. She exited the bathroom, slowly wobbling to the main eating area where Hana and Akira stood.
"Come on, Miyuki, you have to go!" Hana ordered. She thrusted Miyuki's messenger bag and phone towards her as Akira handed Miyuki a chocolate croissant to give her some energy. Before Miyuki could even thank them, Akira grabbed Miyuki's vacant hand and raced her to the pickup point. Hana pushed from the back also making sure Miyuki didn't drop anything important.
"Where's Tori?" Miyuki asked amidst her winces of pain.
"She's at the pickup point, distracting the driver to buy us some time," Akira explained.
"No time for explanations, just keep running!" Hana demanded. The two girls ran with all their might, whilst Miyuki tried to keep up with their pace. They were moving so fast it was as if their feet weren't touching the ground. Before they knew it, they had reached the area where Tori and the driver were waiting.
"See sir, I told you they would be here," Tori said as she addressed the driver. The man looked confused at the girl's wild gasps for air but didn't have the time to answer.
"Right, well if we want to make it on time, we best leave." He opened the door to allow Miyuki inside which she delicately hopped into, all energy drained from her body. The car then promptly sped off to make it to the location on time.
"Good luck Miyuki," Tori called out. She turned around to address her friends who were now on the ground, exhausted from all the running they had just done.
----
Miyuki sat in the back of the car as it raced towards its destination. The sharp turns caused her to be yanked on her seatbelt which added to her already present pain.
"Ouch," she moaned as she adjusted herself to be more comfortable. It had become apparent to Miyuki that she had indeed overexerted herself; her legs were heavy, her arms sluggish, it even hurt to simply stretch or alleviate the pain through a little massage. The car finally lulled to a stop and the driver opened the door for Miyuki.
"We're here." Miyuki delicately undid her seatbelt and sat up from her seat, taking a quick inhaled breath before exiting the vehicle.
The 'Neon Party' headquarters was unlike other brand locations. The brand was built into a large sports stadium where the main field was used for regular rugby and soccer tournaments but also for concerts and idol performances. As Miyuki slowly entered the building, she was greeted by an onslaught of girls in cheerleading costumes.
"Welcome! Welcome!" they cheered. Miyuki stood there as they performed aerial tricks and shouted varying cheers. Finally, they dispersed, and a young woman came to greet Miyuki.
"Hello, my name is Enna Yokina." Miyuki's eyes widened with awe at the tall woman before her. Enna was a famous athlete in Japan, succeeding in various fields such as track, gymnastics and hockey. But apart from that, she was also 'Neon Party's' brand creator and top designer.
"Nice to meet you," Miyuki answered as she bowed towards the lady. It was painful, but Miyuki didn't want to let her see the pain she was in.
"No need to be so formal, you must be Miyuki from Top Star Academy. Welcome to Neon Stadium, also the home of 'Neon Party'," Enna explained, escorting Miyuki through the stadium halls. Miyuki pushed through the pain, forcing herself to keep up. "I created this brand because I wanted to spread the happiness and energy, I feel from hearing fan's cheer me on at my events. That's why the brand is a mix of sporty and fun styles." Enna continued to strut through the stadium halls which were lined with posters and awards of not just herself but both sportsmen and sportswomen but also idols who use her brand.
"Thank you for the opportunity Miss Yokina," Miyuki said.
"Please, call me Enna."
"Thank you, Enna. I'm so excited to get the chance to become a brand ambassador." Enna stopped before a large gate that lead out onto the stadium field. She turned around, hands on her hips, facing Miyuki with full confidence. Her blonde hair she wore in a ponytail started to flutter in the breeze as her piercing emerald eyes analysed Miyuki.
"That's great to hear, because you'll have to conquer this in order to pass." Miyuki stepped forward, blocking the harsh sunlight from blinding her. As her eyes adjusted, they widened in surprise. Out on the main field, was a giant obstacle course.
"Huh?" Miyuki gasped, confused. Enna escorted Miyuki to where a bunch of other idols were waiting for instruction. As they made their way over, Miyuki craned her neck to allow her the chance to observe the course, but the structure was so intricate and massive that it hurt just to look up.
"Welcome everyone to the 'Neon Party Super Mega Obstacle Course Extravaganza'!" Enna declared. All the idols including Miyuki applauded, but they all thought the name was unnecessarily long.
"More like the 'Neon Party Super Mega Death Trap'," Miyuki thought to herself.
"This obstacle course is designed to push you all to your limits, there will be rope-climbing, monkey bars, swimming and many more," Enna explained.
"No ring of fire?" a young idol asked sarcastically.
"Actually, the ring of fire is on the fritz at the moment so instead you'll finish the course by jumping off that platform onto the safe air sack below." The girls looked towards the high tower that they would have to jump off.
"No way."
"That's crazy, it's like 10 feet tall!"
"Actually, it's 25 feet tall, 10 feet would be too easy," Enna laughed. Everyone went silent.
"I'd rather the ring of fire..." Miyuki thought again. Enna instructed the girls into a locker room where they changed into better suited clothing for the activity. Miyuki changed into her academy track uniform which was a white short sleeved dress with yellow outlines of stars, yellow tights and white sneakers. Despite feeling much more comfortable in the track uniform, Miyuki still ached from her exercise jaunt the night before.
"Ok girls, warm up and good luck!" Enna shouted. Suddenly the jumbo screen in the stadium had a countdown of two minutes.
"Two minutes?"
"That's all we get to warm up?"
"I want my mother!" Miyuki shared similar thoughts and was aware that two minutes was not enough time to get her body in the appropriate mindset. Nevertheless; she had to try. Miyuki began doing some light stretching, her muscles ached at even the slightest stimulation, but she wouldn't give up. As she did some deep breathing, she noticed one of the other idols trying to do some push-ups.
"You should just do some light stretching to warm up, push-ups may tire you out too quickly," she explained. The idol thanked Miyuki for her advice and moved to some simple stretching. Finally, the countdown had hit less than thirty seconds.
"Attention idols! Please assume your starting positions!" Enna called out from over a loudspeaker. Miyuki slowly got up, trying not to injure herself any more than she already was. She lined up at the starting line with the other idols.
"You can do it!" shouted a team of cheerleaders whilst drones started to fly in, streaming the event on both IdolStar and the brand's website.
"Three! Two! One! Go!" Enna called. A loud alarm went off and the idols went running. Miyuki's body ached as she tried to race ahead but instead, she fell to the back of the line.
"Come on Miyuki!"she thought to herself. Miyuki came to the first obstacle which was a simple wall climb. Most of the other idols made it over the wall and were continuing onward but some struggled to get over. "Here, let me give you a hand," Miyuki offered. She used her leg as a ledge for the idol to get herself enough height and get over.
"Thank you," the idol said as she used Miyuki's leg to get over. Miyuki winced but it wasn't unbearable. As she tried to form a strategy herself, the idol sat on the top of the wall and held her hand out. "Take my hand!" she yelled. Miyuki jumped and reached for the idol's hand who grasped it firmly, and with a strong heave, pulled Miyuki up to the ledge so that they could both get over it.
"Thanks," Miyuki said as the other idol sat down panting.
"Go on ahead, I'll catch up." Miyuki nodded and continued to jog at a safe pace to the next obstacle. She managed to get through some of the little traps blocking her path such as the long crawl under a fence and the floating steps over a pool. By the time she had made it to the next main obstacle, she began to feel the sense of fatigue set in.
"I can do this!" she thought again. Miyuki stood before a long pool averaging of at least 80 ft. Some of the other idols participating were already swimming whilst most were on Miyuki's side, too exhausted to continue. Knowing this was her best chance at gaining a lead, Miyuki dove head first into the water and began swimming. Suddenly, she felt her body beginning to relax and push through the water with ease. The cold water was easing Miyuki's muscles and providing a relaxing sensation. As she turned her head, taking quick breaths for air, she felt a newfound sense of confidence and continued to speed through the water until she finally emerged on the other side. As she pulled herself out of the pool both the cheerleaders and the other idols who had given up cheered for Miyuki as she headed for the final obstacle: the big jump. She ran with all her might, knowing the pain in her muscles would come back shortly; she had to be quick.
As she made it to the 25-foot structure, her eyes widened in horror; she was in over her head. In order to get to the top, she would have to scale the structure by rock climbing it. Her arms ached again at the sight of it.
"I can't give up!" she thought. "I won't!" she shouted. Without hesitation, she began climbing the structure with intense determination. "Aikatsu! Aikatsu!" she chanted as she gripped the holds tightly. As she got higher and higher, the cheers of the spectators began to fizzle out until only the whirring of the drone filming Miyuki could be heard. She continued to climb, getting higher and higher, pushing through the pain until finally, she reached the top. "I did it? I DID IT!" she cheered. Miyuki completely ignored the fact that she had to jump off the high structure, she was just thrilled to have gotten so far despite her muscles hurting.
"It's not over until you jump!" Enna's voice echoed through the loudspeaker. Miyuki turned to face the air sack she was going to land on. The drone filming her began to direct the livestream to the jumbo screen.
"Hooray! Hooray!" Miyuki shouted as she psyched herself up. And then with all the courage and excitement in the world; she jumped. "Aikatsu!"
----
The fall was all a blur but when Miyuki came to, she was surrounded by cheerleaders, all the other competing idols and Enna Yokina.
"Congratulations to Miyuki for completing the course!" Enna declared. Two cannons erupted, bursting with colourful confetti. Applause and words of encouragement came to Miyuki's ears as she smiled with pride. "Miyuki, you showed courage, determination and most of all excitement as you went through the course; will you become 'Neon Party's' new brand ambassador?" Enna asked outstretching her hand.
"Yes!" Miyuki said with tears of joy forming in her eyes, shaking Enna's hand.
----
A few days had passed, and it was time for Miyuki's debut concert as 'Neon Party's' newest affiliate. After Miyuki had explained the full story, Enna postponed the concert until a few days later, giving Miyuki enough time to recuperate. And finally, now was her chance. Miyuki stood outside the dressing room, holding her new Aikatsu cards; the 'Bright Energy Coord'.
The 'Bright Energy Coord' was certainly made for Miyuki to wear. The top was an electric yellow sleeveless tank with a neon pink 'A' in the chest. The sleeves and the circle around the 'A' were black and white stripes to really make the outfit stick out. Two electric yellow and white gauntlets were to be worn as arm accessories. The high waisted skirt was the same electric yellow but had two thick horizontal stripes of neon pink across it and a bow similar in design to the gauntlets on the backside. Unique triangles of orange and white added to the wild and energetic appeal. Underneath the skirt were black and white striped tights that ended at around the thighs. As for the shoes, they were white sneaker boots with neon coloured shoelaces and soles with one knee-high neon pink sock and one ankle length electric yellow sock. Finally, as an accessory, two fluffy white puffs were to sit on either side of the idol's head.
"The 'Bright Energy Coord', seeing it makes me want to erupt in a great big cheer; I can't wait to wear it." Miyuki flashed a smile before looking ahead.
"Miyuki Jorutta; cheering for you!"
She rushed into the dressing room and placed her ID on the crystal pillar and then the Aikatsu Cards. Like always, the rainbow aurora manifested and created the glass archway which lead into the sparkly dimension. As Miyuki raced through it, jumping from platform to platform, she was a brilliant yellow. Finally, after each piece of the coord materialised, she struck a final pose and entered towards the stage.
The stage known as the'Happy Field Stage' was designed to resemble a sports field with two soccer goals at either end. A jumbo screen in the background flashed the words 'Aikatsu', 'Miyuki Jorutta', and the name of the song, 'HAPPY SMILE!' The audience and all the IdolStar viewers appeared to be sitting in bleachers whilst some sat on benches on the green field which had 'Aikatsu!' mowed into it. A portal of light appeared on the ground and Miyuki shot up from it, landing on the lush grass. She smiled and waved to the audience cheering for her. The coord was a mix of bright neon and electric colours but the white accents really helped combine it and it truly complimented Miyuki's teal pigtails and brown eyes.
The stage went silent as Miyuki got into position and began to start her performance. Her singing voice was a nice high pitched tone full of energy.
Smile! Smile! Smile!
The world needs you to:
Smile! Smile! Smile!
No frowns today!
Smile! Smile! Smile!
For me, like this:
Smile! Smile! Smile!
I'll make you HAPPY!
Today's a special day,
Wanna know what?
I'm gonna make you smile,
And you will see:
The colors will be brighter,
Your heart will fill with light.
I promise just one smile,
Will change your whole world!
As she continued to dance and clap with energy, Miyuki's Idol Aura manifested. She became covered in a yellow glow as shiny multicoloured confetti began to rain down around her.
Even if you feel like the world is against you,
A smile will get you through!
I'm sure you know how,
Just one for me now,
Grin from ear to ear and that's how you:
A quick drum segment hyped up the crowd as the music got more and more exciting until nearly everyone was dancing in their seats.
Smile! Smile! Smile!
The world needs you to:
Smile! Smile! Smile!
No frowns today!
Smile! Smile! Smile!
For me, like this:
Smile! Smile! Smile!
I'll make you HAPPY!
Smile! Smile! Smile!
I'll make you laugh
Smile! Smile! Smile!
And now you're good.
Smile! Smile! Smile!
That's all I want
Smile! Smile! Smile!
You make me HAPPY!
Feeling everyone's excitement, Miyuki performed 'Neon Party's'Special Appeal: 'Glowing Cheer'. The stage became enveloped in darkness until two pompoms glowing in an array of neon colours appeared. Miyuki grabbed them and began to shake them around. As she did, light began to fill the dark space until finally she jumped into the air and the space was illuminated in bright colours to reveal Miyuki smiling. The appeal vanished and Miyuki began to finish the song.
La la la,
La la la,
La la la
I'll make you HAPPY!
La la la,
La la la,
La la la,
Your smile makes me HAPPY!
As the performance ended, the crowd erupted with cheer and applause. Miyuki smiled and then her coord vanished as the illusion dissipated.
"Thank you so much!" Miyuki shouted as she ran off stage. Backstage, Hana, Tori and Akira greeted Miyuki with open arms and congratulatory words.
"Way to go Miyuki!"
"Good job!"
"You were amazing!"
"Thank you so much!" she said. Suddenly, the girls' phones rang; it was an update to the Aikatsu Ranking. Miyuki's image shot up to the 67th position, surpassing Akira and placing her into the 68th.
"Awesome work," Hana cheered.
"I'll work harder and pass you!" Akira declared.
"Me too!" Tori added.
"Bring it on!" Miyuki stated. The girls all laughed as they began to unwind for the day.
"Good job Miyuki. Keep it up. I believe in you," whispered Enna Yokina who had been watching the girls celebrate.
----
Meanwhile, in a cottage hidden in a decadent field of flowers in the outskirts of Kirumi City, Saaya Hazukashi sat at her work table, analysing a nearly finished sketch.
"Hmm, it's missing something..."
----
Next Chapter Synopsis:
Chapter 9: Top Star Life
"As the top first-years in their cohort, Miyuki Jorutta and Akira Toyaku are asked to be featured in a documentary showing what idols are like when they are not performing. Despite the excitement surrounding them, Miyuki and Akira wonder if they're truly deserving of their status and praise."