A/N:
I own no music that will be introduced throughout this series. All creators will be credited in each chapter when it applies. Enjoy the read! Please review!

16-year-old Seiko Morishige shyly fidgets within the crowd of students who'd passed the entrance exam of Saotome Academy, one of the most prestigious music schools in the world. Her azalea eyes gain some courage to survey her surroundings but soon shoot to the ground as her claustrophobia kicks in. Her fluffy, light-copper hair drapes down her waist and gently moves with the slight breeze. The burgundy beads, tying up portions of her thick hair in two buns, one on each side of her head, shine with the bright sunlight.

"Seiko-chaaan!" A sweet voice loudly calls for the anxiety prone girl.

Seiko lifts her head to see a redheaded girl scrambling up to her. She beams at the newcomer and hugs her tightly. "Mana-chan!" Seiko exhales happily, "Am I glad to see you!"

Mana laughs, her freckles bouncing with the movement of her cheeks. "Well, prepare to be ecstatic. We're in the same class!" she tells. The two girls have managed to score high enough to be placed in S Class.

The copper-haired girl places a hand to her chest. She shakily sighs, "That's awesome. I was so worried!"

"For someone who wants to be an idol, you sure are shy," Mana replies, putting a hand on her hip. Even when they first met, Mana could tell that the smaller girl had a hard time with human interaction.

"I was a sheltered as a small child," Seiko chuckles uncomfortably, "I guess that's where I got it from."

The ginger-haired girl vows, "By the end of this year, we're going to break that shyness!"

Seiko nods with a small grin, a faint blush evident in her pale skin. She nudges her roommate towards some fold-out chairs, "The ceremony is going to start soon, let's get some good seats."

Most students are already picking or have already picked out their seats. Seiko spots Ren Jinguji, who'd she'd bumped into on exam day, much to her embarrassment and his amusement. Well, actually Mana points him out after scoffing at the herd of girls clambering their chairs around him.

"Well, everyone," the announcer starts, drawing everyone's attention, "welcome to the Saotome Academy Entrance Ceremony. First, an address from the headmaster." As the man nervously glances around, the students begin to murmur all around.

Seiko mutters aloud, "What is going on?" She falls silent as a booming laugh echoes through the air.

"Anyone who doesn't know love, don't even think to speak of songs! Just leave here at once!" the same loud voice instructs.

"S-someone's over there!"

All heads snap up to the roof of a building where a lone figure stands. Seiko makes out a jester's costume and raises an eyebrow.

The figure shouts, "The beating of a heart is the first the source of music!" The student shriek in absolute horror as the man leaps from the roof, plummeting down towards them. And then, a jerk, he hangs above. Seiko squints and glimpses thin wires supporting his weight.

As he bounces, the masked man introduces himself, "Yes, my friends. The headmaster me, Shining Saotome! Welcome to Saotome Academy, or rather, to this shining world!" Music begins to play as he spirals down to the stage, chucking his costume every which-way in the process. Shining is now dressed in a more semi-formal outfit with red tinted sunglasses. He dances before his new students with spotlights alternating colors, shouting, "Music is love!"

With ease of a man who's done it trillions of times, Shining Saotome twirls the microphone stand above his head all the while cheering, "Come now, soul! Enshrine it! Put your whole soul into the songs!" He noisily bangs the stand down, startling a few new students. As he is once again lifted by the high-tension wires, the headmaster preaches his final message for the ceremony, "Make your life bloom! Shine even brighter, people! Congratulations on your acceptance here! Thank you!" With that said, Shining flies off overhead just before confetti canons blow.

Seiko jumps so bad from the sudden, unexpected boom that she nearly knocks over her chair. Timidly sitting back down, she looks at Mana with a horrified expression. The frail, shy girl sputters, "I-I don't know I-if I c-can handle this anymore..." Her azalea eyes cloud with panic.

"You'll get used to it," Mana consoles, "Don't fret." Mana can already tell she has a lot of work to do on raising Seiko's confidence.

Back inside, once the ceremony finished, Seiko and Mana sit in the S Class homeroom, chattering away.

"So, that's our headmaster," Seiko murmurs, "I come from a relatively quiet family... other than my cousin and me if I'm comfortable, everyone else is quite docile."

The freckled girl leans on her elbows. She nods, adding, "He used to be the super-idol Shining Saotome. It seems the school owes its existence to the super, mega-hit song 'Owing to Love,' which I've heard sold 20 million CDs."

The light copper-haired girl practically shrinks in her seat. Quivering, Seiko utters, "2-20 million CDs?!" Her pale complexion becomes transparent glass. If her face got any whiter, she'd disappear completely. "I feel so pressured..."

"You're fine!" Mana scolds her self-conscious roomie. "Anyway, from the first to last, this school is first class! I mean, come on! Have you seen this place? It's like Heaven for musicians!"

As Seiko's eyes wander subconsciously, she spots a flash of platinum blonde hair and a fedora. Her eyes have seen that blonde hair! The shyer 16-year-old lurches to her feet as her azalea eyes scan around for the blonde hair. She sighs in frustration and embarrassment when she sees no sign of the person; instead she meets the confused looks of her fellow peers.

Mana, clutching at her heart, questions, concerned, "What's up?! You scared me!"

Blushing lightly, Seiko apologizes, "S-sorry! I... I thought I saw someone."

"Huh?" the freckled girl asks, cocking her head to the side.

Seiko sits down quickly, completely flustered. She hides her face with her light brown hair. "N-never mind... it's nothing..." the timid girl lifts her eyes as the classroom lights dim, "Eh?"

As the lights brightly flash back on, an orange-haired, well-dressed man strides confidently to his desk. Seiko's eyes widen in disbelief. The 16-year-old feels her cheeks heat up as she leans her head on the palm of her left head. She watches him dreamily, a huge grin on her face.

Mana leans over and whispers, "Girl, what is up with you?" Her roommate is in such a daze about their teacher, she flinches at the sound of Mana's voice.

"Ah heh ehe..." Seiko giggles nervously, scratching the back of her head, "I'm a big fan of Hyuga-sensei."

"Quiet, timid, little you?!"

"I never said I didn't like action movies."

Hyuga-sensei claps his hands, silencing his fidgety class. He calmly introduces himself, "I am your teacher, Ryuya Hyuga. I'm in charge of S Class. You will call me Hyuga-sensei. You all are the top 0.5% that passed the exam! Welcome to Saotome Academy. As you all know very well, Saotome Academy is a vocational school dedicated to cultivating idols and the composers who write songs for them. Every single homeroom teacher here is a working idol. All other teachers are famous, first-rate poets and composers! If you distinguish yourself, you may just be in for a major debut." He begins his lesson for their first class, dismissing them just in time for lunch.

Mana and Seiko stroll down the hall behind Ren and his hoard of fangirls. The flirtatious, orange-haired boy sends a wink their way, causing Mana to squeal in response. He gives a light chuckle and focuses back on his mini-harem.

"Did you see that?! He winked at us!" Mana giggles in excitement, blushing like a schoolgirl.

Seiko sighs in discomfort. "I think that was more focused at you than me." Her eyes lower to the floor as she shrinks back into her box.

Mana exhales, shaking her head and changing the subject for her friend, "Between the entrance ceremony and homeroom, what a strong impression! Don't you think, Seiko-chan?"

"It's almost too much to take in..." Seiko replies before paling as they enter the cafeteria. There's enough space for mobility, but this atmosphere is certainly different from when she attended public school.

"This place is huge!" her roommate gasps in awe. Unlike Seiko, Mana is intrigued by the environment of the academy's cafeteria. How many people in here want to be famous composers just like her?

"There's still a huge crowd... I'm not a fan-" The light brown-haired girl cuts off her sentence when she spots the same platinum blonde hair and fedora from before pass by through her peripheral vision. She catches a glimpse of the person's face and tenses. I know that face! Without any second thought, the 16-year-old girl wiggles and weaves her way through the hungry waves of students, following after the blonde hair. Soon, she makes out an off-white hoodie and a navy hat, donned by the person she is chasing after.

Loudly, Seiko calls out, "Syo-ku-" Unluckily, she trips as the heel of her shoe slides out from under her, causing her to tumble forward. Bracing herself, she closes her eyes and, against the warnings of her dance teacher, puts her hands out to block her face from the linoleum tiling. Instead of coming into contact with the floor, Seiko's palms hit against something soft, yet firm. She cautiously opens her eyes and sees her hands are pressed up against someone's chest. The girl timidly lifts her head to meet stunning eyes belonging to quite a familiar face.

"Syo...kun..." Seiko murmurs as she stares into the blonde boy's eyes.

Syo blinks a few times at the girl practically in his arms. His hands caught her by her hips. "S-Seiko-chan!" he says in almost utter disbelief.

"YOU ARE HERE!" the two 16-year-olds shout happily. They hug, laughing at pure joy with being reunited with their childhood friend. They haven't seen each other in about 6 years. Seiko and Syo back up to get a better view of the other.

Seiko chimes, clapping her palms together, "Oh my God! Look at you! You're taller than me now!" The copper-haired girl tries to measure the height difference with her hand. For years, she had been a few good inches taller than him. Now it seemed to be the other way around as she only stood at 5'2 inches.

"Look at you!" Syo points out, "You've grown out your hair!" He remembers when it only reached down to about her shoulders. The blonde boy thinks it looks great on her.

The azalea-eyed girl twirls some of her thick hair in her index finger. She lightly giggles, "Short hair just doesn't suit me." Seiko beams at her old friend. Her eyes soften greatly, "It's so good to see you again after all this time."

"SEIKO!" Mana yells over the crowd. The redhead bounds over to the reunited duo, panting. She scolds, "At least warn me when you're going to bolt away like that!"

"Mana-chan! Meet my childhood friend, Syo Kurusu!" Seiko introduces, "Syo-kun, this is my roommate, Mana Ikeda!"

Mana looks a little surprised. She hadn't expected Seiko to know someone here. She's also never seen her so relaxed before. "Nice to meet you," the freckled girl smiles.

Syo nods at his childhood friend's roomie, relieved to see that Seiko made friends with her. They boy turns back to the light-haired girl excitedly, "We have so much to catch up on! Why don't you sit with me?"

Seiko blushes and defensively outs her hands up. "I-I wouldn't want to intrude!" she politely declines. She flushes redder as Syo pats her head, ruffling her hair.

"There you go, being the worry-wart Seiko that I remember," Syo grins, "It's no bother. You're welcome to join too, Ikeda."

"Thanks!" Mana agrees for her and her roommate.

As they all get in line, the trio meets Tomochika Shibuya and Haruka Nanami. Syo smiles while he watches while Seiko calmly chatters with the other girls. Mana even notices how quickly she seems to be adapting to life at Saotome Academy. All of her shyness has disappeared for now. Once getting their meals, the group disperses, Tomochika and Haruka going one way; Syo, Seiko, and Mana going another.

They decide to sit with Ren, who waves to a group of girls watching them. Syo wrinkles his face in unamusement, causing Seiko to laugh lightly. The blonde boy lightens up and chatters away about the years he spent without her.

Mana leans in after scoping out the rest of the cafeteria. She whispers in her roommate's ear, "The level of the boys here is off the charts!"

"What?" Seiko responds, confused by her friend's sudden topic. She knows Mana is boy-crazy, but is now really the time to look at random guys?

"Helloooo!" the ginger-haired girl waves a hand in front of Seiko's face, "It's tough to be a girl with so many hotties roaming around!" Mana's pretty, brown eyes fixate on a blue-haired boy sitting not too far from them.

Seiko gives an uncomfortable chuckle, "I-is that so?" She pushes her chair back, excusing herself from the table momentarily to throw her trash away. She places her tray on top of the trash bin to be collected later.

Turning to head back to the table, Seiko is caught off-guard as a tall boy with honey-blonde, wavy hair scoops her up in his arms twirling while laughing in joy. She lets out a scream which alerts Syo who, along with Mana, comes to her aid.

"OY, NATSUKI! PUT HER DOWN!" Syo shouts, angrily.

Seiko pauses. "Natsuki?" The 16-year-old glances down, recognizing the name to see another familiar face. "Na-chan?!" she gasps as she realizes the boy that picked her up is only Natsuki Shinomiya, another childhood playmate of hers.

Natsuki lets her down but gives her a loving bear-hug before backing off. "You do remember me, Seiko-chan!"

"Yeah! I just didn't realize it was you at first!" Seiko laughed.

Natsuki hugs her again, "You're still as cute as ever!"

Syo pries Natsuki off of Seiko. "Hey! Don't suffocate her!" he scolds, being oddly protective.

Seiko shakes her head, "He means no harm, Syo-kun. Besides, I'm so happy to see both of you again!" The girl grins widely, causing Syo to sigh and let Natsuki off with a small warning.

"Just how many boys do you know at this school?!" Mana demands, putting her hands on her hips.

Seiko giggles, "Just these two I think. I almost can't believe it. After all these years, we're reunited here... I've missed you two so much!" She hugs both boys, earning embraces back from them as well.

After the trio of Seiko, Syo, and Natsuki's reunion, Seiko and Mana head to their dorm to unpack their belongings. As night draws closer, the closer they are to being finished. While Mana places posters up on her wall, Seiko places picture frames on the shelves of her desk.

"Is that a younger Kurusu-san and Shinomiya-san?" Mana asks, coming over and pointing at the picture frame with a younger Seiko playing on the swings with two other boys who looked just like said boys that she'd met earlier.

"Yep," she answers while placing another one of just her and Syo on her desk in an open space.

Mana glances back at her barely unpacked knickknacks to put on her own desk. Sighing, she shakes her head, "We start classes tomorrow and I've barely unpacked..." The ginger-haired girl stops as she observes her roommate staring dreamily at the picture of her and Syo, smiling like a loon. "You sure are close to him."

"Ahahaha... well... I didn't have too many friends," Seiko admits, "I was terribly shy and people used to bully me. I used to shut down at even the thought of human interaction. But... but Syo-kun... he helped me open my shell... even if it was only ever-so slightly."

Mana smiles, "I see." Now, she understands why Seiko seems to get so flustered over a large group of people. She's a nice girl and she bets that people walked all over her. Mana hugs her roommate tightly, "Well; now you've got me to help break it some more."

The next morning, classes were ready to begin. Seiko, Syo, and Mana sat in a line in the front row, closest to Hyuga-sensei.

"Everyone here has survived the entrance exam. But your real battle begins today," Hyuga-sensei lectures, pacing down the separate isles of desks along with the front of his room, "People in the idol course, raise your hands!" Ren Jinguji, Syo Kurusu, Seiko Morishige, and about half of his other students raise their hands. "People in the musical composition course?" Mana Ikeda and the rest of his class raise their hands. He continues, "You'll be studying together in order to acquaint yourselves with each other, but the end of the first term, the idol course students and composition students will pair up."

Ryuya pauses, allowing his students to murmur for a few moments in surprise. When they quiet, he moves on, "And your partner won't necessarily have to come from this S Class. You're free to pick a partner of your liking from A Class, B Class, or any class. Your graduation audition will be performed in that pairing! And the road to a major debut will be opened to the victorious pairs! Until the official pairs are decided at the end of the first term, you should get to know a lot of people and search for the perfect partner."

Mana glances over at Seiko and sighs. She can tell that Seiko is shutting down at the idea of having to meet new people. "Don't shut down on me just yet. You'll be fine!" Mana scolds, leaning over.

Hyuga-sensei pauses at the front of the class. "And one more thing," he adds, "There's a very important rule. That rule is... romance is absolutely forbidden!"

Seiko and Syo stare at each other in shock, not really knowing why they chose to look at the other in the first place.