A/N In this chapter, Keiko gets to use what she learned from her Grandpa to fix things while Miki gets to watch. Be sure to let me know how you like this story and my OC character. I do not own The iDOLMASTER.

Chapter 9: Keiko and Miki

Keiko was inside the breakroom of the studio, sitting on the couch, taking apart a digital watch on the table with a screwdriver and some tools placed beside it. Miki comes in the room, and sees Keiko.

Miki: "Hey there, Keiko!"

Keiko: "Hm? Oh, hi, Miki."

Miki: "Hey, what're you doing to your watch?"

Keiko: "Oh, this isn't my watch, it belongs to a friend of mine."

Miki: "Oh. What are you trying to do with it?"

Keiko: "Well, yesterday he came up to me and said that it just stopped working for him for some reason, and asked me if I could find out what's wrong with it."

Miki: "Oh, okay. So, have you figured out why it won't work?"

Keiko: "Not yet. I'd just started working on it, and it'll probably take a while before I'll know what the problem is."

Miki: "Okay."

Miki took a seat on the other couch to watch Keiko as she continues tinkering with the watch to figure out the problem. After a while of watching Keiko attempting to fix the watch, she smiles as she says,

Miki: "Boy, you really look like you know what you're doing, Keiko."

Keiko: "Thanks."

Miki: "Miki is really curious as to how you learned to fix watches."

Keiko: "My Grandpa taught me how, and it's not just with watches, he showed how to fix other types of machinery, too. Said that it would come in handy someday, and, well, he was right."

Miki: "Yeah, Miki thinks so, too. Do you like learning how to fix things?"

Keiko: "With my Grandpa, yeah. It's also a way for us to spend time together."

Miki: "Really?"

Keiko: "Mm-hmm. Grandpa came up with the idea to show me how to repair when Yumi and I first started living with him. At first, I thought that I was gonna end up breaking things and mess up a lot, but the more time I spent learning, the more easy it became for me. I'm glad that a watch was one of the things he showed me how to work with. Otherwise, I'd be clueless of what to do right now. Know what I mean?"

Miki: "Yeah, Miki sure does. Miki also thinks that you have an awesome grandpa."

Keiko: "Yeah, me too. Hmm… let's see. Maybe… ah, I think I know what the problem is. The battery must be dead. He's gonna have to buy a new one. That or a new watch."

By the time Keiko had managed to put the digital watch back together, she glanced up at Miki and finds her asleep on the couch.

Keiko: "Uh… Miki?"

Miki only responds by muttering in her sleep.

Keiko: "Okay, then…"

Keiko puts her friend's watch in her pocket, picks up the tools on the table and leaves to put them back where she had found them. Miki remained exactly where she was, napping on the couch in peace. But then, when she had woken up, she noticed that Keiko was no longer in the room.

Miki: "Keiko? Hey, Keiko! Hm, where'd she go? Miki wants to know if she fixed that watch."

Miki leaves the room to find the redhead idol. As she looked around the building to find her, she suddenly starts hearing music and decides to find out where it was coming from. When Miki was walking down the hall, she could no longer hear the music and sees Iori and Yayoi leave the kitchen as they were chatting and walking. When Miki walked inside the kitchen, she sees a music box on the table in front of her. She walked up to the music box, opened it and leaned forward to examine it while saying,

Miki: "Wow. Miki didn't know Deko-chan was interested in music boxes. Miki wants to hear more."

Miki picks up the music box, winds it up and starts listening to the music it was playing. Eventually, she started dancing around with it as she was really enjoying herself with it. But then, the music box slips out of her hand and as it hits the floor, the pieces inside it spread across the floor. Miki was anxiously trying to put it back together, but to no avail. She then began freaking out as she knew that the Minase daughter would definitely not be pleased with the mistake she made with her new music box and she didn't know what to do. And then, Keiko walks in the room while Miki still looked worried.

Keiko: "Miki? What's the matter?"

Miki: "Ah, Keiko! Um…"

Keiko: "What happened here?"

Miki: "Uh… well, Miki might've accidently broken Deko-chan's new music box."

Keiko: "Deko-chan? Who's… oh, are you talking about Iori?"

Miki: "Yes."

Keiko: "Huh. Well, how'd this happen?"

Miki: "Well, Deko-chan came in here with Yayoi and a music box. Miki came in here after they left and played with it for a while, but then it slipped out of Miki's hand, and now… ohh, Miki just doesn't know what to do."

But then, Miki recalled the moment of when she watched Keiko trying to fix the digital watch, and says,

Miki: "Hey, that's right! You said that you knew how to fix things because your Grandpa taught you. So, that means that you know how to fix a music box, too, right?"

Keiko: "Um, well, I can try. But I'm gonna need some tools to fix it."

Miki: "Okay, then you can go and get some while Miki stays here to pick up all the pieces."

Keiko: "Wait, what? But I-"

Miki: "Please, Keiko? Miki doesn't want Deko-chan to see her music box like this."

Keiko: "I, uh… oh, all right."

Miki: "Thanks."

Keiko left the room to get the tools while Miki picked up the pieces of the music box and placed them on the table. Keiko eventually returns with some tools, places them on the table while sitting down on the chair. She inspects each of the parts of the music box, and mutters,

Keiko: "Hm, this shouldn't be too tough. Luckily, it's not broken too badly. If I can get it done quick enough, I'll have this thing back together like nothing ever happened."

Miki: "Great! Then Miki will keep an eye out to let you know if Deko-chan comes this way."

Keiko: "Okay, you do that."

Miki stands by the door as she cracked it open while Keiko worked on fixing the music box. One by one, she assembles the pieces back together and placed them back to where they go. Miki kept watching the halls in case Iori or Yayoi decided to come back for the music box while also watching Keiko work on it for a few seconds a couple times. After a few minutes had passed, Keiko says,

Keiko: "Ah, there. That should do it."

Miki: "Huh? Hey, does that mean you fixed it, Keiko?"

Keiko: "Only one way to find out."

Miki stands by the table as Keiko winds up the music box and it started playing its sweet music perfectly. This time it had been left on the table as it played. As it had nearly finished, Iori and Yayoi suddenly walked in.

Yayoi: "Hi, Keiko-san. Hi, Miki-san."

Keiko: "Yayoi. Iori. Hey there."

Miki: "Hello."

Iori: "What do you two think you're doing?"

Miki: "Oh, we were just listening to your new music box, Deko-chan."

Iori shouts after Miki mentioned her nickname saying,

Iori: "Who are you calling 'Deko-chan'?"

Keiko: "Geez. Uh, I take it you don't like to be called that, Iori?"

Iori: "Of course I don't! Hmph! Besides, that's not even my music box."

Miki: "What?"

Keiko: "It's not?"

Yayoi: "No, it's mine. Iori-chan had got for me while we were out shopping. I was gonna take it home with me and show it to everyone."

Yayoi picks up the music box and closes it shortly after it finished playing it's music.

Miki: "Oh. Well, it's a good thing that it's not broken right now."

Keiko: "D'ah! Miki!"

Yayoi: "What? Broken?"

Keiko: "Uh, well, I mean, of course it's not broken. I mean, how could it be, right?"

Iori: "Hm?… Wait a second. Did you two do anything to damage the music box while we were gone?"

Keiko: "Um, uh, n-no. Don't be silly, Iori. We just opened it and listened to the song it was playing."

Iori: "That so? Then why are there tools lying around on the table?"

Keiko: "Huh? Oh, those. Well, I, uh…"

Miki: "Because Keiko was trying to fix a watch that belongs to one of her friends."

Keiko: "Huh? Oh! Yeah, that's it."

Keiko takes out her friend's digital watch to prove her explanation.

Miki: "Oh, hey, Keiko. Did you manage to fix it?"

Keiko: "No, I think that the battery's dead, so there's really nothing I can do to make it work."

Miki: "Oh."

Iori: "Since when are you an expert on repairing stuff?"

Keiko: "Well, since my Grandpa showed me how to, and I'm not really an expert. I was only shown how to work with a few wires, gears and tools and stuff like that."

Iori: "Hm… all right, then. Come on, Yayoi, let's go."

Yayoi: "Okay, Iori-chan. Goodbye, Keiko-san and Miki-san."

Keiko and Miki: "Bye."

After the young idols had left with the music box, Keiko sighs in relief while leaning against the chair and hanging her head backwards, knowing that they did not discover the mistake Miki made.

Miki: "Well, that went pretty well, don't you think, Keiko?"

Keiko: "Ah, yeah. More or less…"

Miki: "And thanks for covering for Miki, Keiko. Miki's really glad that you did."

Keiko: "Yeah, sure. No problem."

Keiko stands up from the chair and says,

Keiko: "Well, I gotta go now."

Miki: "Huh? Where are you going?"

Keiko: "To do some school work that I still need to finish."

Miki: "Oh, all right, then."

But just as Keiko reached for the door, it already started to open and the Producer was right in front of her.

Producer: "Ah, Keiko. Miki. I was looking for you two."

Keiko: "Producer-san."

Miki: "Hi, Honey!"

Keiko: "Huh? "Honey"?"

Producer: "Ah, yes, Keiko. That's what Miki likes to call me. Anyway, we need to get going now."

Keiko: "What?… Oh, right. But, Producer-san, I still have some school work that I need to finish. Couldn't we just leave until after I-?"

Producer: "No. Sorry, Keiko, but I'm afraid there's no time for that. You can work on finishing it after you get done with your schedule for today."

Keiko: "Aw, okay."

Producer: "Well, come on, you two. Let's get going."

Miki: "Okay, Honey!"

Keiko: "Right behind ya. But, uh, Miki?"

Miki: "Huh? What is it, Keiko?"

Keiko: "Why do you call Producer-san "Honey"?"

Miki: "Because he's really special, so he's Honey."

Keiko: "Oh. Okay…"

Keiko follows her comrades down the stairs while Miki clung to the Producer's arm until they got outside. The Producer gets in the driver's seat of a car, Miki sits beside him and Keiko gets in the back seat while the Producer drives them down the road to do their idol work.

TO BE CONTINUED