EMMA: "Thank you, everyone!"
AKI: "Business is booming, Emma!"
EMMA: "Oh hey! What are you doing here?"
AKI: "Well considering we now have a cleaning schedule, that gives you some free time early in the morning, right?
Only reasonable that you'd be here."
EMMA: *Giggle* "Perceptive as ever."
...
AKI: "I wanted to see how you were doing. You were amazing, the way you handled that long line that went all the way outside."
EMMA: "What?! Were you watching the whole time? You should've said hello sooner."
AKI: "Meh, I wasn't gonna cut in line in front of your customers. Are you getting the hang of it now?"
EMMA: "Yeah, little by little. It's busy, but I'm enjoying it. I looove being surrounded by beautiful kimono!
And it's fun to talk to the customers! I feel like I'm meeting in kindred spirit when someone shows an interest in kimono. It makes me so happy."
AKI: "That's great. You look better than ever in your kimono, too."
EMMA: *Giggle* "Thanks!"
AKI: "I'm serious. You really do look beautiful in a kimono, Emma."
EMMA: "D-Don't stare so much! I'm embarrassed!"
AKI: "By the way, I heard from one of the staff here that the owner's daughter is a school idol too!"
EMMA: "Whaaat?! Really?"
AKI: "Yeah, I guess that must've been why they knew so much about school idols."
???: "I'm home!"
EMMA: "Huh...?"
???: "Oh! You must be Emma! My mom told me that you were gonna help out at the studio."
EMMA: "Yes...?"
MAI: "Oops, sorry, my bad. My name is Mai. I'm the future owner of the Natsukawa Photography Studio!"
EMMA: "Um, pleased to meet you! I'm Emma Verde, and I'll be helping put around the studio!"
MAI: *Chuckle* "Loosen up. I'm in the same grade as you, Emma. I'm also a school idol, just like you!"
EMMA: "My friend here just told me that. He's the Club President of the School Idol Club that I belong to..."
AKI: "Akihiko Suzuki, School Idol Producer, nice to meet you."
MAI: "Right back atcha!"
...
MAI: "Huh? You wanna see me perform?"
EMMA: "Yes please!"
MAI: "Well, I have a video on my phone... Here you go!"
EMMA: "Wait... This... This song...!"
AKI: "What is it, Emma?"
EMMA: "I-I... I LOVE THIS SONG! I listened to it a lot when I lived in Switzerland, and it made me want to become a school idol!
I always wanted to meet the person who sang it! But...is this a cover of it? The girl I saw singing it was..."
MAI: "...A Japanese-style beauty with long hair?"
EMMA: "I'm not sure what you mean by Japanese-style, but...she did have long, flowy black hair."
MAI: "I was given that song by an older school idol. Actually, the video you saw might've been one of our alumnae from a few years ago."
EMMA: "I had no idea."
MAI: "Yeah. It's a shame that I won't be able to sing that song for much longer."
EMMA: "Huh? You won't be able to sing it? What do you mean?"
MAI: "I'm gonna quit being a school idol soon."
AKI: "Huh?"
EMMA: "What?!"
MAI: "Ooh, I guess my mom didn't fill you in on that part."
EMMA: "What do you mean you're going to quit being a school idol?
But you're such an amazing one..."
MAI: "Thanks, but I've already made up my mind."
EMMA: "Um, can I ask why?"
MAI: "Uh... Well, I wanna take over this photo studio, so I've started studying photography seriously.
My mom's been running it while managing our household this whole time.
But...her health took a bad turn not long ago. I'm sure it's because she's been pushing herself so hard for so long."
EMMA: "What?! I had no idea."
MAI: "Oh, sorry for making you worry. She's fine now. The hospital fixed her right up, but I can't let her put her body through more stress than it can handle, right?
So I figured it's time for me to get serious about taking over the family business."
AKI: "You really do care about your mom."
MAI: "She's the only family I have. You care about your family as well, don't you?"
AKI: "..."
EMMA: "Yeah. I love my whole family."
MAI: "You brought life to the studio, but the place is pretty shabby and business isn't exactly booming."
AKI: "Didn't you hire Emma because of the increase in interest from foreign customers?"
MAI: "There's definitely an increase there, but who knows how long that will go on. It'd be great if those numbers keep going up and stabilize, but I don't have a crystal ball.
This studio's been passed down through generations starting from my great-grandpa, so I want to rely on my own skills to keep it going for hundreds more years.
That's the future I've chosen for me, and that's why I'm quitting the school idol business."
AKI: "I see you've got a new goal in life, then."
MAI: "Yup, that's right!"
Through the singing, the dancing, the lights and effects... It's kinda hard to remember sometimes that nobody can be school idols forever, this journey has to end someday.
EMMA: "So you really don't want to be a school idol anymore?
I finally found that song again after all this time, though..."
MAI: "Hey, Emma? What memories do you associate with that song? You seem to be really taken by it."
EMMA: "Memories... I'm not sure I could call it that. It's more like a really intense, one-sided love.
That song got me through something when I was feeling helpless."
MAI: "Same here. That's why I selfishly begged the school idol before me not to quit, because I wanted to hear that song forever."
EMMA: "So then you ended up inheriting that song yourself? If that's the case then..."
MAI: "But my mind's made up. I can't keep letting my mom work so hard on her own. I want to support her and take over the reins. That's why I want to get serious about photography."
EMMA: "Mai..."
MAI: "I'm sorry. But you know what? I didn't think I'd ever meet someone who loves the song as much as I do. This feels like a dream."
AKI: "I would've loved to have heard it live, though."
EMMA: "Yeah, I wanted to hear it performed in front of me as well..."
MAI: "Well, about that. I'm actually going to perform my final live show this Sunday. Would you like to come and watch?"
EMMA: "Totally! I'll definitely, 100% be there!"
AKI: "Me too!"
MAI: *Laugh* "I promise to show you the best time ever!"