Thank you to Mirajane S and Erza S for your reviews! I'm glad that there are followers for this story, you can give great feedback!

Onto the story!


1 month time skip


Since their first true performance as understudies at the Election Stage, it was no coincidence nor surprise that their popularity grew. In fact, a few fan sites had popped up, putting their popularity on par with the 67th generation, who had been there for much longer.

There time was sprinkled between a song or two as an opening act for the successors, participating in handshake events, and even a few photo shoots.

After the exhausting weeks of nonstop full schedules and lessons, the once a month day off came along. Leisa and Minami wandered off after the breakfast hour, and were soon followed by Aiku, who was toting a camera, stating that an idol always had to be ready for a picture.

Saying a fleeting goodbye, Chie hopped up the stairs two at time, all the while trying to balance a stack of books in her arms. She came upon a few of the 67th and successors, making their way out as well. Exchanging a few greetings, Chie finally arrived at the door to her room. Swinging it open, she walked over to Keke, who hunched over at one of the desk.

"Did you get all of them?" referring to the stack in Chie's arms.

"Of course! Though one wasn't in the library..." Keke gave a deflated sigh. "Don't worry, I asked Atama and she gave me a digital copy for you instead! Everything should be here!"

Stacking the books up on the table, Keke instantly grabbed for the first one and began to read. One of her hobbies turned out to be reading obviously, but also at the same time she was obsessed with discussing online with others about them. With her new status as an AKB understudy, she had been granted memberships to some of the boards she only could have dreamed of participating in before.

Sliding up her reading glasses, she murmured a thanks and slumped into a comfortable position on the chair. Hearing a knock on the door, Chie walked over, expecting one of their roommates to have forgotten something.

Instead, she found a wheezing Takamina leaning against the opposite wall.

"Please! Oh god! You were the first one I thought of!" She rushed over and put her arms over Chie's shoulders in exhaustion.

"W..What is it?!"

"Since it's my day off, my parent want me to watch my siblings while they go off somewhere!"

"Your siblings? You live here on Akibastar?"

"Yeah! Though on the edge of town. Come on!"

Grabbing her hand, she pulled Chie out the door and down the stairs, though Chie tried to protest. She managed to motion a wave to Keke and grab her bag in the process. Takamina seemed intent on getting to the station as soon as possible, even volunteering to cover the price of the tickets, since the station they were heading to was out of the range their 0048 passes covered. She only seemed to rest when the door slid closed and with a chime the train set off.

"Geez, I can't thank you enough. I hate this part of being the oldest sibling!" She let out an exasperated huff, drawing the attention of a few nearby.

"It can't be that bad! How many siblings do you have anyways?" Chie had done her fair share of babysitting, as she first lived in a rather family-dense neighborhood.

"Let's see..." She proceeded to count on her fingers, mumbling a few names as she thought it out. "I have three brothers, and four sisters. Two of the girls and one of the boys are triplets... they're the youngest."

"S..Seven? Why don't you parents ask for more help?!"

"Aaa... it runs in the family to not want to put pressure on others and leave the work for themselves. I guess it makes sense, considering I inherited the name of Takamina. Oh, and irony also seems to cloud around our family. My parents remarked once on how they wanted to fill up all the boxes on this one frame of theirs... and so came the triplets."

"I can see that." Leaning against a pole, Chie looked out at the passing scenery. The had passed what was usually their last stop and were now out in a slightly less developed part of Akibastar. The streets and paths gave way to rolling hills and small bunches of homes and commercial areas. It all seemed so similar to her home on Inaistar from the small part of time when she had lived on the presidential estate on the edges of town.

"Speaking of inheritance, any ideas on who you want to succeed yet? Some people come in dead set on succeeding a particular person." Takamina leaned over the back of the seat, sending a curious look to Chie.

"No, actually." She seemed to still be focused on the scenery rolling by.

"Hmm... Maybe Paruru... or what about Annin..."

"Ah... I don't really know. Anyone would be nice. I don't want to get attached to something like that so early. I just started training and stuff, you know."

"Unfair. I want you to move over to the successor dorms as soon as possible. That way, it would be easier to hang out with you. I only see you around practice and concert times..."

"Oh god, you are so childish sometimes, Takamina. Isn't Takahashi supposed to be grown-up, being the captain?" Chie waved her hand at Takamina, who gave a pout from her spot.

Tackling her and pulling her haphazardly towards herself. She seemed to fully have lost her captain character, making Chie wonder what her siblings would be like. "See, but when you become a successor, I can finally have someone to talk to in the locker rooms!"

"TAKAMINA!" Chie angrily yelled and pulled herself away, giving said girl a deadly look.

"Aaahh... fine." Takamina deflated into her seat, though quickly sat straight again as the chime rung for an incoming station.

"Here we are!"

"Oo, what a small town. It's adorable." The town was only the size of the neighborhood they lived in, but she could see several more buildings off in the distance not too far away. Most of the buildings were neutral in color, and were dutch-like in style.

They made their way off the station and down a set of stairs to a paved path through what looked like a small park. Coming through the trees, Takamina lead the way to her home, occasionally pointing out a particular store or restaurant, this one had cute hats, that one had to-die-for pastries.

Finally, they came up to a deep brown home surrounded by grass and edged on one side by a plaza and park. Several kids were running about in the yard, and an adult, with his back turned, was leaning over a hedge reaching for a lost ball.

"Takamai!" A short orange-haired girl spotted the duo, catching the attention of the others, who began rushing to Takamina like a flock of hungry sheep.

"Taka...mai?" Chie wondered about the odd nickname.

"Taking a few steps, Takamina looked over her shoulder, gave a smile and grabbed Chie's hand, pulling her along. They were met with a few tackling hugs and greetings, before the man who was by the bushes came up and quieted them down.

"Hey, hey now. Let's not waste all of our energy right away." Giving a smile to Takamina, he gave her a hug and then turned to the other girl.

"You would be?"

"Ahh...Chie Koi, 68th generation understudy." She shook hands with him as he gave a smile.

"So the big girl has finally made some friends, huh?" He gave a mischievous smile to his daughter.

"I'm friends with a lot of people, dad. She just volunteered to come with me and help."

"I did not! You practically dragged me down the stairs and to the station!"

"Is that so? Well, why don't you guys come in. I'm sure the kids need a break, and we can show you around the house if you would like."

Chie gave a nod and followed the group inside. The younger kids kicked off their shoes and proceeded to slide down the hall in their socks, running around the corner into another room. Laughing, they passed by a large wall of pictures, with complimenting frames that definitely didn't match. One caught her eye in particular. A small girl with a yellow ponytail was standing on a stool, flanked by what looked to be her parents. Seeing the graduation cap, she assumed it was a school ceremony. Looking at the print at the bottom, she caught sight of a name.

Maiko Noriko.


Finally crashing down on the couch in the main room, the two girls breathed a deep sigh of relief. They had successfully gotten all seven of her siblings down for a nap, thankfully without a lot of fuss.

"Geez. That must be a record! I'm glad I brought you along!" She stretched out and took a drink from a cup of water on the side table.

"I'm glad I came too, it's been fun. I've never had to actually deal with this many active kids before."

"Trust me, it doesn't get easier at all."

Looking around the room, Chie noticed two portraits hanging in the corner by the fireplace in the home.

One was of a girl with long hair pulled up into a bun and then tied into three loops hanging down on the back of her head. A white clip held her bangs back, pulling the other side across her forehead. It was all surrounding a smile and bright shining eyes.

The other was Takamina of course, though this time she wore the typical red successor uniform.

"Ah, my understudy and successor portraits. My parents insisted they had to get framed and hung."

"Wow, what a change. I know some people cut their hair or change how they style it, but you totally changed."

"I guess it comes with changing into a successor. You are different, so to speak."

Sitting for a moment in silence, Takamina stood up and motioned to an adjoining room.

"Hey, want to check out what we have for movies? My parents are quite the movie junkies, if I must say so."

"Sure! Lead the way."


After only an hour and a half, the kids started to stir and come down the stairs. Giving out a few snacks, they began to ask what they were going to do next.

"Can we play that wrestling game, sis?"

"No! Only you boys like something like that!" The second eldest girl spoke up.

"Why don't we head over to the park? Didn't you guys say there was some new equipment installed recently?" Looking out the window, Chie could make out the forms of the structures she mentioned.

"Ah! We haven't been there since they did! Let's do that!" The others gave their agreement, though a few shoves were exchanged between two of the siblings.

"Get you stuff on then. We can head over when you guys are ready."

With a rush of bodies and clothing, all seven kids hurried to pull their shoes on and run back to the room, where the back door would lead them to the park. Lewis, one of the triplets, grabbed both Takamina's and Chie's hands, giving them little choice if they wanted to go or not, and pulled them our of the house and into the mob of children.

"Wait!" One of the youngest trailed behind, trying to catch up as the ran through the trees.

As they came through, they found several other kids and families already there with several of the structures covered in moving bodies.

"Hey! It's the Noriko's!" Several of said moving bodies ran over, quickly turning around an pulling the group into the sand.

"That was fast. There's a bench over there, come on!"

As they sat down in the shade of a tree, Chie took the chance to look at the plaza. It seemed similarly styled to where they lived, considering they were still on Akibastar of course, but was much more lush and covered with green. Several overflowing flower beds were scattered around the walkways, and a fountain stood off in the distance.

"I remember when I was just a kid, we used to come here all the time. Especially when there were concerts. Even though we're still on Akibastar 0048 would come out and do a small concert once or twice a year. Wonder where I got the dream to join them from, huh?"

"When did you actually join? You've been a successor for..." she started to count on her fingers, trying to recall how long ago she had seen Takamina the 6th.

"Ah. I auditioned when I was 14, and succeeded when I was 15. So I've been Takamina for four years now. My birthday is coming up soon, actually!"

"We'll have to plan something..." Chie trailed of as she tried to think of all the ways the group could surprise Takamina and successfully avoid her tendency to show up a just the wrong time for that sort of thing.

Jolting her out of her thoughts, one of the siblings came over and started to tug on Takamina's sleeve.

"Hey Takamai, come join us. We need more people for tag."

"Sure." She stood up and took her brother's hand, and beckoned back to Chie. "Why don't you join us too?"

"Why not?"

Running onto the sand, they tried to look around for the kid who would be it, but didn't seem to be having much luck.

"Hey! Who's it?!" Straining her eyes from the sun, Takamina scanned the area.

"You are now!" Said sibling who had pulled them over, turned around, bumped Takamina in the arm, and proceeded to run away laughing. When the other kids saw this, they too began to run around, their ploy successful.

"Get back here!"

This went on for quite a while, and by the time Takamina fell over into the sand from exhaustion the glow of sunset was starting to hit the trees and surrounding buildings.

"Ah, this is worse then combat and dance training combined." Chie sat down next to her, drinking from one of the water bottle she had brought along in her bag. "Want some?" Takamina eagerly grabbed the offered bottle and drank it down thirstily.

"Hey sis! Could you do a dance for us? You haven't done it in forever!" Several others around readily agreed, and a few also flocked over hearing the request.

"Well, I'm out of other ideas to entertain you guys, so I guess I have no choice do I?"

"It's not like you carry around a micsaber, Takamina."

"Well..." Takamina gave a sheepish look and a small laugh, producing two mics from her own backpack.

"Wow. Two? You want me to join you?"

"Duh. Come on, let's do it!"

Pulling Chie over to an open stretch of pavement, Takamina, spun around and gave a thoughtful look. The group of kids came over, trailed by some adults as well. The lights in the plaza slowly began to flicker on as well.

"I know!"

Itsumo no michi wo

Hashiru jitensha

Tachi kogi no

Ase ga yureru

Kugatsu no soyokaze

Both of the girls kirara slowly materialized, floating around the group of kids, who laughed and tried to poke at them. Chie joined in with Takamina, slowly remembering the steps and lyrics. They had only just been taught it a day or two beforehand, coincidentally.

Maybe

Maybe

Suki na no kamo shirenai

Aoi sora ni wa

Kumo wa hitotsu mo nai

Maybe

Maybe

Suki na no kamo shirenai

Sore ga koi da to

Wakatteru kedo

Iiwake maybe

Seeing the looks of awe and enjoyment, Chie thought back to when she had first seen AKB0048. All those years ago, Leisa, Minami and she had experienced something similar to this, the amphitheater they visited, the bustle of people around on the surrounding plazas and streets.

Maybe

Maybe

Sonna yuuki wa nai

Probably ni chikai

Motto tashika na mono

Maybe

Maybe

Sonna yuuki wa nai

Zutto kono mama

Kataomoi de ii

Iiwake maybe

As they finished, the kids and adults began to clap, the kids giving cheers and thanks. The crowd slowly cleared out, many people making their way back home. The two managed to persuade Takamina's siblings to follow them home, and they were greeted by their own parents, having recently returned home from their day out. Chie gave her goodbyes and stepped out the front door, waiting the few minutes for Takamina to appear staring up at the sky. Even though the sky was fake, being underground, Chie couldn't help but be in awe of how bright the stars were. Being away from the city made more stand out, and Chie could sometimes make out faint bands of the galaxy occasionally from the corner of her eye.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. My sister is particularly clingy around nighttime, especially when I'm home."

"No worries, it's nice to watch the sky once in a while since we're out of the city."

"Mmm. I often forget how pretty they are out here." She tilted her head up for a few moments. She looked back down, continuing to talk with Chie as they made their way back to the station and eventually the city.

Takamina had dozed off during the ride back, forcing Chie to prod her awake when they were just arriving at their station.

"Here we are."

"Home we go." They began to make their way towards the dormitory. Stopping for just a moment, Chie had a sudden thought.

"You go on ahead. I think I left my card on the ticket machine."

"Alright. See you then." She gave a yawn and a wave, and then continued on her way.

Successfully finding the pouch with her pass in it, Chie tried to find her way back. Even though they visited this stop quite often, Chie often got lost in the hallways and wait areas.

She found herself in a small plaza, a big set of doors in front of her. Seeing the 0048 circles embedded on it, she presumed it would lead her to the dorms.

Wandering through the halls, a great long hall stretched before her. Red pillars flanked either side and the place was dimly it by blue glowing lights.

"Anybody here?" She continued through the hall, finding a bridge winding through dense bamboo near the end. Finally seeing a glow up ahead, she started to walk faster, eagerly expecting it to be the dormitory building.

Stepping out off the bridge, Chie took a few tenative steps, her kirara floating around cautiously as well.

"Where the heck am I?"


So... Takamina's original name hath been revealed! If I reveal the other members names is yet to be determined...

Succeeding has begun. Lol, not quite. :P I have started to determine who will succeed who as the girls slowly get character development. Yes, Chie and Keke were the stars of the show last time, though there will be no more development beside them having mutual respect for each other due to future plot points. I have several events to be covered, so now it's just tying them together in a proper order and getting through more time story-wise.

I can't believe these chapters have been getting so long... I'm getting the hang of developing the plot the chapter surrounds.

Thanks for reads and reviews!