Aya woke up in cold sweat.

There was this nightmare again.

It was unusually frightening for a number of reasons, all competing to be the gravest on the list. It was nothing but darkness and vague shadows. It always had her lying down helplessly; she just felt it in the amorphous blackness. The same terror seized her every single time.

It had been going on for so long.


"Well, now," said Emi self-satisfied, "I see you want to help us again?"

Yurika, not quite having gotten over the trampoline heist, trembled even just a bit seeing the intimidating Emi yet again.

"Are you alright?!" said Iida. She began to lead her away. To them, "Humph. I told you I'd take her back."

"No," Yurika herself said. "I'm fine. Please let me have the interview."

"See?" smiled Aya. "I knew she was a school idol at heart."

"N-Not really," replied Yurika, still a bit nervous. "I love school idols... but it's hard for me to imagine actually being one."

"Phew," dismissed Emi. "Recruits always say that. Anyone who loves school idols wants to be school idols. That's Murphy's First Law."

"Emi," whispered Aya, "you're mixing it up."

"But I'm right, right?" she insisted. "Listen closely. Today we will give you basic training. Suwa-san here will lead our exercises. These are designed to enhance bodily stamina, but above all," and this with an evil glint in the eye, "to see if you are truly fit to handle a performance."

It only made Yurika even more apprehensive. Iida squeezed her arm. "Don't be scared, Rika-chin, I'll lead you along and hold your hand-nya."

"NO!" commanded Emi. "Where do you find a bootcamp where trainees hold hands? You'll do it yourself... and we start NOW!"

Suzuko's training regime didn't help Yurika one bit. For starters, they were to jog nonstop around the baseball field. Iida was handily catching up with the others, but Yurika consistently fell in behind. At one point, she simply dropped a quarter of the way, panting.

The other exercises weren't much better. Yurika either went off-balance, suffered a cramp, or ran out of breath fast. She spent most of the latter half of the training on the bench.

And at lunch she was a bigger eater than the rest of them combined. This will not improve her weight.

At the end of the day. the group gathered round the two. Iida's face was hard. She always knew Yurika won't stand up to this. Well, at least she could quickly bow out of this now. Only, she wished her nest friend didn't have to suffer in the process.

"Takatsuki-san," announced Emi. "You got the build to appear on stage, and you're very agile. I need not say anything more. Congratulations."

Congratulate yourself, she thought ruefully. I told you there'd be no excuses. I won't join this stint without Rika-chin.

Turning to Yurika, Emi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Aya and Suzuko had worried expressions. Maybe she could come back in a month? But they have to move fast for the sake of the school.

"Furihata-san," said Emi.

"Uh, h-hai!" blurted Yurika. But she was sweating hard and close to tears. Her failure was spectacular. Turns out, Murphy's First Law was right and so much truer with Yurika Furihata, but there's no way she'd be a school idol now.

Right?

"What does it take to become a true school idol?" asked Emi.

"Guts! Bravery! Friendship!" She spilled it out. She realized she flopped again, but she must gather herself somehow. "Guts! Bravery! Friendship!" she repeated as Aya and Suzuko looked on in disbelief. But each time Yurika only spoke louder and more fervently. "Guts! Bravery! Friendship! Guts! Bravery! Friendship!"

"OK, you pass," said Emi. "Congratulations."

Suzuko nearly fell over. "Emi!" She began to set out bashing their leader, but caught herself in time, not wanting to act too embarrassingly in front of the recruits. Aya, equally appalled, nonetheless spoke up for her.

"Emi-chan. Are you sure? Isn't it too much for Furihata-san?"

"It's OK. She's fit," she replied turning and walking away. "Let's go. I'm famished."

That's Emi Inami for you.

Rin jumped up and hugged Yurika in excitement, while Aya Suzuko only stared after Emi, even while she was urging them to catch up. "Hey, Suzuko-chan," said Aya, "I guess, somehow, everything will be fine... don't you think?"

"Well," she could answer, "there's no way of telling. But we have to make our group, so I think we better be bright about everything."

Aya smiled at Suzuko and took her hand in reassurance. They smiled at each other and bid the other two to follow them. "Come on," said Suzuko. "We will celebrate. My treat this time."


The next practice session was somewhat less than enthusiastic. It must have something to do with Emi not being there today.

"Come on, step it up," urged Suzuko on the balancing exercise. Aya, Iida, and Yurika were all having a hard time with Yurika taking it the hardest as usual. The break after that was a long one.

"Man," sighed Suzuko. "Performing on stage will put a much bigger strain on you. We must pull this off."

"It's unfair-nya," grumbled Iida. "Inami-san is not even here while we have to wear ourselves out."

"She is still gathering support," explained Suzuko, though with a bit of doubt. "Maybe she will get us new members."

"How many do we really have before we're a team?"

"I don't know. It's up to her." But she wasn't so sure herself. Emi, what are you doing? You should have been here already an hour ago. Emi's class has been over now, but it seems something's holding her down.

"Ohhhhh." Emi was showing off her recording to her classmates. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Everybody gazed at Emi's phone in wonder. She actually captured the music of the legendary Guile, firsthand. "Wow!" breathed one in rapt awe. "You're a true boss, Inami-san!"

"Didn't I tell you?" she replied with a wink. "Soon she will a member of our school idol group! Make sure to see our first live show, OK?"

"Whoahhh!"

"You're thick and fast with Guile-san now?"

"She was so nice in person!" She never did tell them she recorded everything from behind a curtain. "She was so graceful moving her fingers on the keyboard!"

They were interrupted by a P.A. broadcast. "We request Inami Emi to please proceed to the Student Council room, immediately."

Everybody sat in silence for a moment. "Yayyyy!" cheered Emi. "See how far our group is going? They're going to approve our application! Finally!"

Emi jumped up and dashed out of the classroom, arms out. She didn't quite notice the rest were still quiet. They kinda knew a P.A. broadcast was not for approving clubs.

Arriving at the door of the office, she straightened herself and made a show of grooming herself. Important people like her meeting important people like the Student Council means she must look important, too. With great ceremony, she opened the door.

And Guile was there, in the flesh!

Emi jaw hung visibly. She could not register the fact for a moment, and wouldn't have snapped out of it for another five minutes if hasn't noticed the Student President standing there, also.

"Wah!" She was caught off guard. "M-Miss President!"

Yoshino Suzuki approached Emi till they were in breathing distance, something she did not usually do. This must be serious business.

"Ahahahah," said Emi nervously. She had hoped it was the relatively nice VP who would receive her, but there were only the three of them right now. Guile didn't look amused either. So, there you go, Emi. A fantasy scene of meeting Guile in the Student Council, only likely not to announce her membership.

"Inami-san," began Yoshino in a grave tone. "We hear you have been going around the second-year classes."

Gulp.

"Aida-san values her privacy very greatly, if I must say so. She wasn't put here to be a plaything of the public. Her family are known in the medical field and will soon move to Virginia."

Emi found her words. "And so? Why bother about reputation if the school's closing?"

Yoshino's lip tightened. This will be one tough nut to crack. "I understand that you were trying to keep this school from closing."

"That is why we need people like Guile-san. If the studentry is inspired by her gift for music, no one would want the school to close."

"I told you she was not meant for the public, she..."

"Ehem," interrupted the redhead. "I keeping hearing this nickname going around. Again, it's not Guile, its..."

"Smile!" Emi finished for her. To Yoshino, "She will make everyone smile again! She will bring back life to the school again!"

"The board has spoken, Inami." She didn't bother anymore with the honorifics. "The school is to end. And so is your club." She caught herself. "No, sorry. You have no club. I mean your illegal activities. Stop this instant or I will have to take action on you."

"What's so illegal about what we do? We're just practicing dances and stuff like the other student groups. There are loads and loads of impromptu groups all over the campus. You're the ones who refuse to recognize us."

"And yes," rebutted Yoshino, "we have the authority not to. Stop this instant. Apologize to Aida-san, then put your apology in writing, and then delete your recording from your phone."

Emi's fist clenched and her eyes grew hard. She looked ready to punch the Student president, but next response had never been calmer.

"No, I will not. I cannot."

"Well, then," she replied in equal calm. "I guess your suspension is in order. I'll have your violation communicated to the board."

"My, my," said a voice. The vice president Komiya appeared in the doorway behind Emi, surprising Miss Aida, but Yoshino kept staring at Emi as if she didn't see her. "When did we last suspend a student out of defying the personal orders of a Student president? My, such absolute power Student councils wield in this country."

"She was violating the privacy of Aida-san."

"Go ahead," said Emi. "Suspend me. Destroy this group. The school's closing, anyway. No record of mine in this shack of an institution from will matter one bit."

"But it does, Inami-san, it does," smiled Aina at her. She went over to Aida-san. "I have heard your music. Everybody were sharing the recording on their phones all along the corridor this morning. Congratulations." Her smile was the warm, motherly variety she usually affected.

She was flustered red. "No, no, please! Please, Vice President, stop it right now!"

"Aina!" snapped Yoshino. "You are actually coddling these crimes?"

She only laughed softly at herself. There was an authenticity about her that muffled the two even in the heat of anger. "Aida-san. When I said it, I really meant it. Everybody loves your playing, much as I do. But I regret to say that you are the one at fault here."

They were all stunned.

"Nobody said the Music room was any student's property."

Which means that it was a public space, and anyone playing the piano there cannot claim privacy. The implications hit Yoshino so hard and fast she could not craft a response directly. But she felt obliged to resist. "This person eavesdropped on a student. If someone didn't want to show their playing to you, you must respect that decision. It is like respecting her as a person."

"Uh-huh," agreed Aina. "Therefore," she said now turning to Emi, "you will come up here and apologize in front of Aida-sensei. But until the board passes a resolution that eavesdropping on a student is to be penalized, you cannot be charged for suspension."

Emi resolved herself and went before Aida. She bowed and said. "Aida-san, I am sorry for spying on you the other day. Please don't see it as disrespect. I love your piano, much as everyone else does. Please! Be one of us! I beg you!" She now looked directly at her and held her hands. "Don't you care about your school? Don't you care about everyone who learns here, who makes it their second home? Don't you?"

Aida returned the earnest with hostility. She threw Emi off of her and said, "I am NOT a musician! I will NEVER get into music! That's FINAL!"

She stormed out of the Council room.

Yoshino gazed hard at Emi. "You... You have the temerity to recruit in front of us?" she said very coldly.

Aina was about to speak up, but then decided she spoke enough for today, and went to the desk with a shrug.

Emi was delivered a suspension that same afternoon.


The rain splashed against the dorm window as Emi looked out of it, but she wasn't lonely, no, she was more bored than sad, but the melancholy was there. She only smiled bleakly to herself. Half of her still could not believe people could be so dense, while the other half was divided between laughing it off and wanting to sleep rather than go back to school and its madness...

And yet, another part was concerned over Aya.

Poor kid, she thought. More than anyone, she was the one who wanted the school to stay so badly. She will have to face it up to Suzuki herself now, and she wasn't sure she could handle it like she herself did. And Suzuko. Maybe she was just won over to the dark side. No problems with Iida and Yurika, they joined out of one's gripe and wouldn't so much as look back.

She planted her chin on the windowsill and let the drowsiness wash over her. Hopefully, by the time she wakes up, the rain would be over.

Bright colors arrested her attention. She jumped up and looked out. Even through the downpour the two umbrellas stood out. No, there were actually four.

"What on earth?!" Iida has just returned Emi's dictionary, in a plastic bag and dripping with mustard. "How did you even get this?"

Aya spoke up, in shame. "Takatsuki-san came up the other day and asked me for the dictionary. The only one I had that time was the one I borrowed from you. I didn't want to give it away without telling you first, but she said,

We're chums now, right? Are you going to deny your co-star a stupid book?

"And I was having a sandwich at the cafeteria with the dictionary there," added Iida, "and I didn't realize I was eating the thing right above it. It's not my fault."

"Oh yes it is!" cried Emi.

"I wasn't planning to ruin it! What kind of weirdo would put mustard on a book for the laughs of it?"

"It's so cold outside!" injected Suzuko. She forced herself to. "W-We are soaking. Aren't you going to have a little something for us?" It was awkward for to blurt out something against her manners, but she trusted feisty little Emi to take it in stride. "Well?"

Pretty soon, everybody got settled. "Where do you practice now?" Emi asked Suzuko over hot tea.

"We're still in school, actually. When the student body heard that Suzuki suspended you there were a lot of complaints going at the Council room. They said you were thrown out illegally. Even the board was discussing the commotion."

"So our group is still doing fine?"

Aya shook her head sadly. "We can't practice so well without you around."

"Tch," dismissed Emi. "There are four of you, see? You'll make it."

"It is awkward to carry out any rehearsals while there was an issue going on about you," said Iida. "Of course we'd be affected."

Emi played on her hair thoughtfully. "If the protest goes on in our favor, we can force Suzuki to make up for it by approving our club."

"More than that," said Suzuko. "We could have the auditorium reserved for our performance."

"The truth is," Yurika said, "there is already talk that the VP said we could actually use the auditorium for exactly one performance. Komiya-san seems like a nice person, so there's good reason to believe it."

"Uwooo!" exclaimed Emi. "That's awesome!" Aya and the rest could only nod and smile in agreement. Emi's head was spinning with delight. "We're now a real idol group!"

"Except," cautioned Suzuko, "we have no song of our own. We can't cook up enough lyrics in time. We will have to get an existing one for now and concentrate on our rendition."

"Then so be it. We will show the world what we can do."


Emi returned to school amidst great cheering, much to the seething chagrin of Yoshino Suzuki. She will be sure to exact her revenge.

Aina Komiya gave the girls their schedule for the one time performance. It was a Friday. "You must be able to attract a huge following, or we will have you disband. No excuses. If it weren't for the crowd you would have been banned for good."

Later that afternoon all they did was pore over heaps of songs, and argue over each one. They'll have to work fast.

"I can't give a high pitch for that song," said Aya. "I'd squeak."

"No," disagreed Suzuko. "You don't need a pitch for this. It will be fine!"

"Nah," replied Iida. "It would sound weird in a low pitch. That was sung by a soprano in the original."

"Well," defended Suzuko, "can't we alter it to our own taste? Weren't we supposed to come up with our own version?"

"Bah," complained Emi. "Make up your minds! At this rate, we'd still be pulling each other's hairs by Friday."

"Emi," said Suzuko. "If we are to make a debut, we should leave a lasting impression. We can't settle for anything less."

"So our lasting impression would be that of an upstart copycat stint that can't even make its own song." None of them could answer her. It has actually been hanging on their heads the whole time, they just couldn't say it as they have already agreed to use another song. "Arrrgh! It's that Suzuki! She really intended to give us less time to cheapen our performance!"

Aya could only sigh. "There's nothing we can do. We must put up with the Student council."

"Suzuki must be cooking up a scheme against us right now," said Emi. "If she does something to us I will never forgive her."

"Emi-chan," chided Aya. "We shouldn't let her get to us. The only way we can show it up to them, is to do our best."

"You're right," agreed Suzuko, somewhat tentatively. "But I do get the feel she is going to rig us up. We will have to try harder."

And so, great was their surprise when the next day a disc was found in Suzuko's locker.

"Ohhhh," ogled Emi, "is this the thing where someone will die in seven days if they play it?"

"It sure is," said Iida. "Except I hope it is Suzuki. Let's have it!"

They got a laptop and had it play. They were all spellbound. The piano that wafted out into the morning air was exquisite. It was undoubtedly Guile. But that tidbit was completely drowned out as they recognized the tune being played.

"This is..." Emi gasped. "The recording..."

"Someone..." said Suzuko. "Actually caught up on it."

Aya trailed along. "And sent it straight to us." Yurika and Iida just pressed closer to have a better listen. A number of passers-by outside the classroom door who chanced to hear the music stopped in their tracks and began to pile up.

The girls were even more stunned that it had lyrics. And someone was singing it. It was Aida.

"I say..."