Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!
Waking up at 5:30 in the morning was something that I've never gotten used to, even though I've done it almost every day these past three years. Shaking out the cobwebs, I get up out of bed, and head straight for the bathroom. After getting the usual hygiene out of the way, I step back into my room and check the time. It was now 6:15 am. Bleh. Looks like taking the extra time to enjoy the hot water wasn't a good idea. There was only 15 minutes before I had to catch an elevator downstairs for breakfast. I hustle to the closet to get one of my UTX school uniforms. Carefully, I lay it down on my bed, and rush back to the closet. The uniform wasn't for now, it was for later. Right now, it was time to put on my practice gear. We have morning practice today, right after breakfast.
Oh! I'm sorry, should probably introduce myself. My name is Tsubasa Kira. Student at UTX High School, and leader of it's school idol group, A-Rise. Right now I'm waiting for the elevator in the hallway of the 12th floor of UTX. The floor I live on. Yeah, I know it's weird hearing someone say that they live in a school, but that's just part of the deal. You see, being in A-Rise requires us to live here. Hehe, I know what you're thinking. It's actually a pretty sweet thing. UTX takes care of us. We're given things like free electronics such as phones and laptops, food is always here for us, and even a monthly allowance. UTX gives us everything we need to succeed, and in return, we try our best to do so. Ding! Ah, elevator's here.
I hop in, and set course for the first floor... but I don't get directly there. The elevator stops one floor down, and I know what that means. The doors open and in steps Erena and Anju, they lived on the same floor together. I wasn't quite sure how it would work out when we first became the next A-Rise, but I've spent nearly every day with them over the past 3 years, and I've grown to love them like sisters, and I know they feel the same way. I don't feel like we would have had the success we've had if that wasn't the case. We greet each other, and continue down to the cafeteria where breakfast was waiting. Our meals were planned by our nutritionist, but for today, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a rice bowl with egg and bonito flakes. Yum.
After breakfast, we head back upstairs for practice. Over the past week, morning practices were lighter. Once we're inside the dance room, our dance instructor tells us that morning practice would be shortened to 30 minutes, instead of the usual hour. Practice being lighter wasn't too surprising, but shortening them? Well, I'm not complaining too much, but with us being knocked out of Love Live, I understand.
It makes me wonder, "what's next"? We were graduating soon, and we lost Love Live as a goal. It was what all of our hard work was leading to, and we failed. We lost to µ's, who were very talented in their own right, but we had no idea what went wrong. I thought we had it down perfect! I even asked the leader of µ's, Honoka, and she doesn't seem to have an answer either, what did they have that we didn't?. Sigh, I wonder if our failure has had any effect on UTX's plans for us. We haven't been told anything, so the future for me, Erena, and Anju is in doubt. Don't worry, A-Rise will keep going on.
I guess I should elaborate. Now, the exact reason why we live inside the UTX building is because, it's a part of the deal. We're not only school idols, but we're also idols in training. This is what we auditioned and signed up for. Not being able to see family as much, the strict schedule, professional grade idol training, and classes on top of that. UTX has a partnership with a professional label, where school idol groups form at UTX, and are potentially signed by the professional label upon graduation. So yes, once we graduate, there will be three new girls to take on the A-Rise name. In fact, I've already met them. Their names are Saikawa, Yuuki, and Kasumi. They're nice girls, I think they'll do a great job. Though, right now, the current A-Rise might not make it. With every day that passes with no new news, the more I think that our failure at Love Live might've cost us... Anyways, that's enough dwelling on that. Practice is about to begin.
Like I mentioned before, morning practice was lighter, and shorter. Today, we were only going to work on basic dance steps. We actually did this every day. Fundamentals were an important basis for success, and we were made sure to always be refining them. Practice started off with warm-ups, then we went through the motions of a couple of our songs. Doing practiced motions made practice easy, and before we knew it. It was time to head back upstairs and prepare for classes.
One of the biggest benefits of living inside of UTX, was that we never had to worry about being late. We were almost always the first three in the classroom, and it was no different today. We were praised by our teachers for it. I wonder if they knew that we actually lived in the school. Of course, with such good foundation, we were top of the class. Me, Erena, and Anju. Even though we attended UTX to become idols, it doesn't mean we were allowed to slack off in school. If any of us ever got a failing grade, we weren't allowed to partake in idol activities, and certain perks, such as the free concert tickets, would be revoked until the problem was rectified. Not that it was ever a problem for us, but it was enough motivation to push on even more academically.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much about classes today that I can tell you without boring you to death. However, I am excited for what's happening after classes today. Normally, we'd rush back upstairs and put on our training gear again for afternoon training. But today, since it was the third Monday of the month, we had complete downtime until 8:30, which was when we had to be back at UTX. I always looked forward to this day every month, it was one of the few times I could go see my family, or just hang out with Erena and Anju. UTX is located in the heart of Akihabara, so today, we'll enjoy everything that Akihabara has to offer.
Idol stores, food spots, arcades. You name it, and Akihabara has got it. I love it here. Some people might shy away from a place like it, with so much going on, and so much to do, but I thrived under the bright lights. Anju once told me that the trait made me a natural born idol. Ever since she said that, it's been something I took extra pride in. Speaking of Anju... hehe, she looks so silly in these pictures we took. Making random faces. Erena calls out my name, I'd been staring at the pictures from the photo booth for too long, and now I'm trailing behind. But I smile, I love these times, where we can hang out and be friends. Not as idols, but as teenage girls.
After a stop for food, and stops for just looking around in stores, we figure that it's best to head back to UTX before it gets too late. We still had homework to do. My phone buzzes in my pocket, I got a text message. It's from the director. I call for Anju and Erena to come take a look. Whenever the director messages one of us, it's meant for the three of us. I read the message aloud...
Dear A-Rise,
On Saturday, you three are to report outside of UTX at 7:00am sharp. Outside, transportation will be waiting for you. You will be heading to our label partners headquarters to discuss the possibilities of you three graduating into professional idols.
We look at each other, eyes wide. Then, after a moment to take in what the message meant for us, we pull each other into a group hug. The feeling is amazing, all of my doubts were for nothing, all of our hard work has been recognized, and now we can become professional idols, a dream come true. It's what we came to UTX to do. This moment is hard to put into words, but I don't think words would do it much justice. Gathering ourselves, we set course for UTX.
I've taken a shower, and I've finished my homework. I still have another hour before I have to turn in for the night. I decide to mess around on my phone for a bit, reading the message from before over and over again. It still doesn't feel real. Anyways, I'd like to thank you for hanging out with me today.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring~
Authors Note: Firstly, I'd like to thank you all for reading. The idea of A-Rise living inside of UTX popped into my head after watching a couple of Youtube videos about student athletes. Did you like it? Tell me what you think. Until next time.
