Author's Note

Work has gotten a little busier lately. So… maybe I won't get to update as often anymore. I'll still try to make at least 1 or 2 releases every week.

The song this time is Start Again by Suzuki Airi

Episode 5: Suzu's Aikatsu and Revival

In the late afternoon, Suzu is meeting with headmistress Miyuki.

Miyuki "Suzu, I know how you feel, but I can't pardon you from performing or doing Aikatsu any longer. I want you to stand on the stage next Friday."

Suzu hesitates to answer for a moment "I…"

Miyuki sighs "What happened was unfortunate, but something like that doesn't happen often. Besides, do you think your current friends would do the same?"

Suzu "Current friends? You mean Yurina and Yumiko?"

Miyuki nods "Yes, haven't you become good friends with them?"

Suzu sighs "I guess, but this is different. I just don't feel the same passion I once did to train and stand on the stage."

Miyuki smirks "You don't have the same passion? I see it otherwise. Ever since you became friends with those two, you had been training along with them, right?"

Suzu looks agitated "That's! I…"

Miyuki leans back on her chair "Alright, this is enough. Suzu, I am giving you a stage that you will need to perform. I expect an amazing stage from you."

Suzu reluctantly answers "Yes…"

When Suzu walks out of the main building, Yurina and Yumiko are waving at her.

Suzu waves back and walks to them "What's going on? Did you two wait for me?"

Yurina "Of course, right?"

Yurina looks at Yumiko and Yumiko nods "Yep!"

Yumiko looks at Suzu "Friends wait for each other."

Suzu looks at the two of them with surprise while muttering "Friends wait for each other…"

Yurina "Hmm? What was that?"

Suzu smiles "No, nothing. It's just I need to perform soon."

Yurina leans forwards "Perform? I wanna see it!"

Yumiko puts her hand in front of her mouth with surprise "This is quite sudden. When will you be performing?"

Suzu answers "Next week Friday. So I need to decide which one of my songs to use soon."

Yurina blinks with surprise "One of your songs? You mean you have your own song?"

Yumiko then informs "Not only Suzu has her own song, she already created her own official brand as well."

Suzu nods "Yes, I do. But… More importantly, most of my dress is from quite a while ago. For this performance, I'll need something new."

Yurina then grabs Suzu's hand "Hey, can I ask for a favor?"

Yumiko does the same and grabs the other hand "Me too!"'

Suzu sighs but then smiles "Alright, then come to my room."

Yurina "Eh? But I…"

Suzu "Don't worry, Yumiko and I are roommates, it's fine. However, don't wander off by yourself."

Yurina nods "Yes! I can't wait to see what the Star Dorm looks like!"

When Yurina enters the Star Dorm's main lobby, she feels like she just entered a five star hotel.

Yurina "Whoa… This is… quite fancy."

Suzu "I agree. This is probably a little overboard. However, they say it is to prepare us for the future. In case we cannot return and have to stay out due to work."

Yurina "Eh? But that doesn't mean you will stay in a place that's this fancy, right?"

Yumiko "Actually, if you are busy enough to become unable to return…"

Yurina "Ah… That person must be really famous. I guess it's also to upkeep their image?"

Suzu "That's part of the reason. However, the main reason is to protect the idol."

Yurina seems confused "Protect the idol?"

Yumiko "Ah! I see, that makes sense!"

Suzu "Yep!"

Yurina "Wait hold on, what do you mean?"

Yumiko explains "Because once you are a popular idol, you will most likely be chased by the fan. In some cases, you won't be able to handle them and causes you unable to rest. Then there is also the fact regarding privacy and safety. You never know when a paparazzi is out there waiting for a chance."

Yurina "Heee?"

Suzu smiles "Yep, that's correct. But there is something more and it is a thing Yurina will surely like."

Yumiko asks "Something Yurina would surely like?"

Suzu takes a few steps away and says "That would be the food! For a glutton like her… a good high-class food will mostly be her priority."

Yurina retorts "I'm not a glutton!"

Yumiko "Really? But like yesterday, didn't you wolf down super-sized Star Rainbow Parfait?"

Suzu blinks "Wait, hold on. Did you finish that 3 kilo worth of ice cream yesterday? I remember seeing you eating a super-sized Yaki Udon the day before yesterday. Are you going to be okay? If you gain too much weight..."

Yumiko face palms and Yurina says "Don't worry I'm fine! I actually have been losing weight lately. It's probably because of all the training!"

Suzu is shocked with disbelieving "No way, are you serious?"

Yurina nods and Yumiko says "Yeah, she is serious. Ever since we were little, she is always a big eater. But for some reason, she almost never gains weight. Her metabolism is absolutely insane."

Suzu "Hold on! That's just her metabolism being insanely good. That is already at the level that is like cheating!"

Suzu looks at Yurina "Are you really a Human? Not even an Enfon like me can do it!"

Yurina "I am! I'm definitely 100% Human!"

Yumiko sighs "It's really annoying, right?"

Suzu answers "Yeah…"

Yurina "What is annoying?"

Yumiko and Suzu look at each other for a moment then answer at the same time "You!"

They begin tickling Yurina out of frustration.

Yurina "Hahah Ahh! Stop stop! I give I give! Please!"

Both of them tickle Yurina a bit longer before stopping.

Suzu "Well, I should start planning. I don't have too much time. I only have a little more than a week."

Yumiko nods "We'll do our best to help."

Yurina "Yep! Let's go!"

Yumiko and Suzu take Yurina to their room. When they enter the room, Yurina suddenly stops after only 3 steps.

Yumiko "Yurina?"

Yumiko "Uhmm, you two live here? This whole room?"

Suzu "Yeah? Oh, right. I forgot to mention the room here is also bigger."

Yurina "Not fair! This is like 3 times bigger!"

Yumiko "It's also 3 times harder to keep it clean though…"

Yurina then complains more "You two even have your own bathroom!"

Yumiko "Eh? You don't?"

Yurina "No we don't…"

Suzu "Oh right, that too…"

Yurina stares at Suzu "Is there anything else that's better?"

Suzu "Uhmm, I guess the bed is bigger and enough space to practice with a soundproof wall."

Yurina "Seriously? That's amazing…"

Yumiko "Oh, the other dorm probably doesn't have it either. We also have 13.1 channel speakers."

Yurina "Eh? Isn't that just awesome? If you get an extended projector, you can view any recorded performance as if it's a live one!"

Suzu "Ah, right. We did do that often."

Yurina "Ah, I'm jealous. I should really pick up my Aikatsu and join the Star Dorm!"

Yumiko "We'll be waiting!"

Suzu then takes out her pen and starts drawing.

Yurina "Oh! Did you have some idea already?"

As Yurina tries to look at Suzu's drawing, Yumiko stops her "Yurina…"

Yurina looks at Yumiko "Eh?"

Yumiko looks at Yurina and she does the same. She quickly notices Suzu is in deep concentration.

Yurina "Ah..."

Yumiko whispers "Let's just watch for now."

Yurina nods and whispers back with a nod "Yes."

The two of them watches Suzu work on her dress and waited for half an hour.

Suzu "Ahhh! This is just not coming together!"

Yurina "It's not coming together? What do you have?"

Yumiko nods with the excitement of wanting to see it.

Suzu looks at the two of them "Ah, well… Here is what I have."

Suzu holds the images she has and projects them into the air.

Yurina "Amazing… They are all so interesting and cute!"

Yumiko "You are right, but…"

Suzu sighs "Cute huh? I knew it, it's all a bit off. They are supposed to be more cool than cute. I shouldn't have accepted so many dress commissions."

Yurina "Dress commission?"

Yumiko explains "Ah, Suzu is helping a few girls who cannot design a dress of their own. However, recently, most of the girls that asked for help want dresses leaning towards cute type."

Yurina question "Ehh? Isn't cute type kind of rare?"

Suzu explains this time "A single type like you is rare. However, a duo or multitype that has cute type is quite common."

Yurina "Ohh, I see. Hmm… How about removing all the parts that cute and try to put something together? For example…"

Yurina takes out her pen and starts removing some parts of the dress and putting different coords together."

Yumiko and Suzu watch Yurina editing the dresses Suzu made. Within few minutes, Yurina put together 4 good coords.

Suzu "This is…"

Yumiko "Yurina… How? These coords…"

Yurina answers "Hmm? Oh, I think it's because of the additional Good Coord matching game that Audrey send me."

Suzu "Oh, she keeps sending you those. Isn't she sending too many lately?"

Yumiko nods "Yeah, I didn't even finish the one from before."

Yurina looks at them "Eh? I'm almost done with the latest one. Am I pulling ahead?"

Suzu "Wait, the latest one? Isn't the latest one has 100 Good Coord that you need to find?"

Yurina blinks and tilts her head as she says "Yes, and isn't that normal? Since I don't really have anything else to do at night."

Yumiko "Even so…"

Suzu nods "I don't think either of us can do it that fast. Yurina… your sense has become much better."

Yumiko nods and Yurina questions "Really? So like… my intuition has improved?"

Yumiko smiles "Yes, I think so. At least, you are probably slightly better than us. Which means…"

Suzu "You are at least grade D in intuition stats. However, these Good Coords that you put together…"

Yurina looks at the coords she put together "Are they any good?"

Suzu starts checking on the coords "Hmm, they are indeed very good. However, it's hard to say any of this is can be a Premium Rare Dress."

Yumiko then looks at it as well "But all of these are amazing… Suzu, can't you use these as references?"

Suzu thinks for a bit and starts designing again. After a few minutes later, she shows them a new dress.

Suzu "This turns out quite well. What do you two think?"

Yurina "Oohhhh! I like that, it's kind of wild and cool!"

Yumiko nods "Agree, this also fits your brand, Wilderness Crash."

Suzu smiles "I think so too, I'm going to work on improvement of this dress now. I should be able to complete it soon."

Soon after, Yurina's stomach growls. Yurina feels embarrassed while looking away.

Yumiko "Yurina… Well, I guess it is time for dinner."

Suzu starts working on her dress and says "You two go ahead, I'm going to keep working on this dress."

Yurina and Yumiko nod while they start leaving.

Yurina "Good luck!"

Yumiko "Yep! Good luck!"

Suzu looks at them for a second and says "Thanks!"

As Suzu goes back to designing, Yurina and Yumiko go enjoying their dinner.

A few days later, Suzu is focusing on her training by herself inside a small training room. As the music plays and Suzu practices her dance, she carefully watches her own movement through mirrors.

After a while, Suzu is finishing up her training "Alright, that feels good."

Then Ruen who snuck in earlier says "You think that's good? You were better than this before."

Suzu jumps and looks back "You… Ru-nii… When did you get in here?"

Ruen answers as he walks closer "Just earlier. As for your dance, before your first Normal Appeal, it was offbeat and your breathing was bad. If you breathe like that during your dance, you'll have a hard time singing the next part."

Suzu "I know, I don't need you to tell me!"

Ruen stares at Suzu "Then hurry up and correct it! Things like this have always been your bad habit! You can compensate it with having a better lung capacity and stamina, but it would not be as good as if you fix it!"

Suzu "Like I said, I know!"

At that time, Yurina walks in "Suzu, I brought some refreshments!"

Suzu and Ruen turn to Yurina and stares at her. Yurina froze in place without saying anything.

Ruen smiles and says "Perfect timing, Yurina, come here."

Yurina "Eh? Uhmm, okay…"

When Yurina walks to the two of them, Ruen looks at Yurina and asks "Do you know which Suzu's song she is going to use?"

Yurina nods "Yes, I have listened to it before."

Ruen nods "Good, do you know the dance?"

Yurina "I saw it in the footage, but I never learned it."

Ruen smiles "Well, why not give it a try? You should be learning different styles of performance soon."

Yurina "Eh?"

Suzu "Hold on, Yurina just started. She hasn't even established her character yet."

Ruen "That's why I'm making her do this. It's fine to search and develop one's own character slowly, but she started a year late with almost zero training."

Ruen then looks at Yurina "But in the end, it's up to you."

Yurina thinks for a moment and looks at Ruen with confidence "Between the two risks… I think I want to try it. If I end up taking too long and fall behind, I know I will regret it more than trying everything I can right now!"

Ruen smiles "Well said, now…"

Ruen looks at Suzu "Suzu, dance with Yurina."

Suzu sighs and Yurina walks next to Suzu.

Yurina looks at Suzu with a smile "Let's do our best!"

They nod and start dancing while Yurina is learning it. They practice for half an hour and decides to take a break.

While taking their refreshments, Ruen says "I'm surprised. Yurina, your breathing is a little better than Suzu."

Yurina looks at Ruen and looks happy "Reall? Thanks!"

Ruen then criticizes Yurina's bad parts "Though your actual dancing and singing still nowhere close. You are not singing with enough power or projecting your voice enough. Also your dance, you need to understand your center of balance and get your steps right. You keep overextending or throwing yourself off."

Yurina shrinks "Uhhnnn…"

Suzu then tries to cheer Yurina "Don't worry, thanks to you, I manage to find the right timing for my breathing."

Yurina looks at Suzu for a moment and smiles "If I helped, then that's great!"

Ruen looks at Yurina and nods "Yes, regardless of how bad you are, you still helped Suzu a lot."

Yurina turns to Ruen "You are welcome… Wait! Don't insult me so casually!"

Ruen "I didn't think you are that slow. I guess maybe you won't make it far after all."

Yurina stares at him "What do you mean by that?"

Yurina leans toward Ruen and he backs away a little "Close… A little too close."

Ruen then takes a few steps back and Yurina complains "What? So are you going to say being close to me is bad?"

Ruen then remembers Yurina smearing food on him twice "Actually, yes."

He then tries to use Suzu as a shield. However, this angers Yurina and she starts chasing him.

Ruen "Hold on, put down your drink first! Wait!"

Yurina "Shut up! I have never been so insulted before! I'm not letting you go!"

Suzu looks at the two of them and mutters to herself "Ru-nii, I have never seen you like this before. Yurina, you are amazing."

The next moment, Yurina trips and Ruen quickly tries to catch her.

Yurina "Ahhh! ...Eh? Oh, thanks…"

Ruen "Jees, be care… Hold on, your drink!"

Yurina "Hmm? Ah!"

Yurina's drink was spilling on Ruen's pants and she quickly pulls her drink away.

Ruen looks at his pants and sighs "I knew this is going to happen. Yurina, you are banned from having any food in hand while with me."

Yurina makes a wry smile "Ehh, yeah… Sorry, my bad."

Yurina takes her towel and starts whipping his pants.

Ruen "Wait for just a second, I'll do it myself!"

Yurina then gives Ruen her towel "Oh, sorry…"

Ruen takes it and sighs again "You are quite an airhead aren't you? Well, that's fine I guess. You are more or less one step away from establishing your own unique character."

Yurina "Eh? Really?"

Ruen nods and Suzu comments "Being an airhead isn't exactly a good character though."

Ruen laughs "Hahaha, that's true. But there are some people out there who find it cute. So it's not all bad."

Yurina thinks for a bit "Hmm, I guess it's fine then. I just have to find something that makes me a little more unique!"

Suzu looks at Yurina with disbelief "Really? Are you okay with it?"

Yurina nods "Yes, I think it's fine. Besides, I just have to be myself so that's easy."

Suzu sighs "That's… true… but…"

Ruen then cuts in "Alright, that's enough. Suzu, try practicing one more time. Afterward, take a rest, get it?"

Suzu nods and Ruen starts walking out. When he is at the door, he looks at Yurina.

Ruen "If she doesn't rest, you have my permission to do whatever it takes to get her to rest."

Yurina salutes "Yes, I got it!"

Ruen then says as he leaves "Then I'll leave Suzu to you."

Suzu looks at Yurina "I can't believe you are so close with my brother."

Yurina blinks "Am I?"

Suzu nods "Yeah... But you know, it's weird."

Yurina looks confused "Weird?"

Suzu smile "Yeah, like how you are getting all the attention of so many promising idols."

Yurina smiles with a dumb laugh "Ah hahaha, maybe I'm just lucky?"

Suzu "Maybe… Hey, Yurina, do you know what happened to me?"

Yurina shakes her head "No, I was waiting for you to tell Yumiko and I about it."

Suzu closes her eyes and thinks for a few seconds before looking back at her "Alright, after this next one, I'll tell you two about what happened. I think it'll most likely help me with my performance if I can forget… No, getting over this slump."

Yurina "Then let me get Yumiko over!"

Suzu nods "Alright, time to finish the last round of training for today! Yurina, watch me carefully!"

Yurina "Ohh!"

After practice, the three of them are having dinner together at the main building. After they grab their food and sit down, Suzu looks at the both of them for a few seconds before starting.

Suzu "The reason I had stopped my Aikatsu is because… of a friend."

Yurina "A friend?"

Suzu takes a deep breath and nods "Yes. Last year, Usami and I work together and were improving all of our rankings at a very good pace. However, as time goes on, I was pulling ahead. Of course, I tried to help her as much as I can but she was a different type of idol."

Yumiko "Ah, you can only give her basic pointers and try helping her identifying some of her problems."

Yurina instead asks "Ranking?"

Yumiko and Suzu look at Yurina with a sigh.

Yumiko "It's the Aikatsu Ranking. Like how Audrey is currently the number 1 on this ship. You should know this…"

Yurina "Hmm? Ah, now that you mentioned it…"

Suzu makes a faint wry smile "Yurina… Well, anyway, that was all I can do for Usami. However, it seems like Usami thought otherwise. With what she did, she probably thought I was not helping her on purpose."

Yurina raises a hand and asks "Uhmm, what happened?"

Suzu looks out of the cafeteria windows "She…"

Then Suzu starts telling a story.

Suzu and another girl with short pink ponytail high fives.

Suzu "Usami, nice! Now the both of us are in the final audition."

Usami smiles for a moment "Yes! But that was close, I thought I was going to fail."

Suzu "Come on, there is no way either of us would lose here."

Usami hesitates for a moment before nodding and saying "You are… right."

Suzu stretches a bit then says "Okay, let's go. The next part is the final group interview. We might be competing against each other but let's do our best!"

Usami "Let's do our best… Yes, let's do our best at competing against each other!"

Usami starts walking towards the next audition room as Suzu looks confused.

Suzu mutters "Usami?"

Suzu shakes her head and convinces herself "No, it's fine. Even though things haven't been going well, it'll be okay."

When the two of them are in the final audition with 3 other girls, they stand next to each other. The idols were asked to introduce themselves, talk about a story with their motivation of being an idol, also a unique quirk about them.

When it's Usami's turn, she says "I am Hakakura Usami, 13 years old. I am a pop'an cute idol! My reason to become one is because… I have a childhood friend I look up to."

Suzu looks at Usami with shock and mutters "What?"

Usami continues "He is a few years older than me and has already become a pretty well-known idol. Seeing how he is able to bring joy to many people, I just want to do the same. I really respect him, but I hope he is doing okay. After all, he has the tendency to poke his nose into something he shouldn't. As a unique quirk… If I see someone take advantage or copies someone, I just can't help but want to do something about it."

The first staff "I see, that quirk isn't bad at all. Your singing and dancing are quite good too. It's rare to see an idol like you. I hope that idol is healthy like you wish for. Alright, then next is Kosei Suzu. Please tell us more about you."

Suzu stares at Usami with disbelief and doesn't even notice her name is getting called.

The second staff member asks "Kosei Suzu, are you okay?"

Suzu then snaps back "Eh? Ah yes… Well, actually… sorry, I'm..."

The second staff member looked concerned "You don't look so good, just tell us a few things."

Suzu nods "Well, I'm Kosei Suzu and I'm 13 years old. A dual type cool and sexy idol. I have an older brother who is also an idol and I followed my family's footsteps of becoming an idol as my brother did. One unique thing about me is… designing dresses. I often lose myself when I try to design a new coord."

The first staff "Thank you. You definitely look like a designer, however… your story…"

Suzu nods "Yes, I'm aware."

The staff sighs "I see, then in that case…"

The staff looked at the other staff and they quickly made a judgment.

The second staff announces "Thanks for the five of you being here. We have decided on the winner of this audition. The lucky idol would be Hakakura Usami!"

Usami bows "Thank you very much!"

After the audition ends, Suzu confronts Usami.

Suzu "What was that? That isn't your story! That was mine!"

Usami "I don't know what you are talking about. Everything I said was true."

Suzu shouts "Isn't your reason to become an idol to cheer up your grandparents, the elderly, and people who are constantly sick? What happened to that?"

Usami "While that is true, the story I said is also real. After all, I do look up to him."

Suzu continues shouting back "Lies! I know you didn't have a childhood friend that became an idol!"

Usami "Of course I do, are you not one?"

Suzu's eyes opened wide with shock and fear for a moment.

She then continues to shout "You think you will get away with this?"

Usami smiles "Maybe, but you should start worrying about yourself."

Suzu "Eh?"

Suzu then notices the two of them are surrounded by a few passerby staff.

Then there is a whisper "How unsightly, just because she lost."

Another staff member whispers "I feel sorry for that girl. She doesn't deserve to get yelled at."

Then someone else agrees and whispers "Yeah, I heard they were supposed to be friends too. Maybe she is being used by her."

Then all sorts of rumors begin to form and Suzu runs away.

Suzu then says "And that's pretty much what happened."

Yurina "Wow, that must have been rough."

Yumiko's reaction is more severe "For someone to do that, I hope she is caught!"

Suzu nods "Yes, she did and was expelled."

Yurina "Oh, expelled? Was it really that bad?"

Yumiko nods "If it was just twisting the story to make it more appealing, that's fine. However, she provoked Suzu and made it turn into a scandal. Which most likely hurt her reputation quite a bit. Even though it was resolved, the damages had been done."

Yurina looks down "Ah, that's scary. But…"

Yurina turns to Suzu "You are fine now, right?"

Suzu makes a sad smile and says "No, after that, I couldn't stand looking at any staff's faces anymore. That's why I haven't performed for a long time. Though, it seems like headmistress Miyuki thinks I have started to recover."

Yumiko "Is it… because of us?"

Suzu nods "Yes and I can't deny it. Being with you two does make me forget about that incident. With everything, the three of us did together… It also makes me feel like I managed to start over again, so thanks!"

Suzu smiles at the end with Yurina and Yumiko jumps at Suzu for a group hug. Suzu wanted to push them away at first but reluctantly let them hug her as she enjoys the warmth of the new friendship.

On the say when she is supposed to perform, she is in the changing room.

Suzu talks to herself "It has been so long since I'm here…"

She then looks at her new dress "Feral Adventure Coord, a dress that will let me start a whole new Aikatsu! With Yurina and Yumiko, I'm sure it'll be different this time!"

Suzu looks forward and runs towards the changing device while shouting "Kosei Suzumi, reviving my stage!"

The dress is more like a normal set of clothes with black tights. However, her body dress has an open front long jacket. Then adding a set of short boots, she walks onto the stage.

After music plays for a bit, she sings "Hey baby don't you cry no more! Now baby don't you cry no more! I wonder what you can see? Beyond your gaze."

Suzu's aura burst out strong with stars and a few circling comets around her.

Suzu "For one day that I'll take back my feeling, which I've lost still. Now we are going to start walking again!"

She then creates a veil that covers the screen for half a second. Went the stage is visible again, she is standing much closer to the front of the stage. After that, the stage stays slightly lit up with a veil of light from the ground and Suzu shines with it slightly.

Suzu continues to sing and dance "What have welled up in me aren't tears. It's the history till now. Let's get you back now! Grasping inside of your hands is the map and what it will give you is surely not the goal! At any time, it's a start!"

Suzu then repeats the first portion of the lyric with even more vigor and joy. She quickly starts her Special Appeal right after. She falls from the sky and as she lands, she strikes a pose. It then as if it is a photoshoot, it clips as she strikes two more poses before Suzu waves her left hand across from the left to right. The Special Appeal ends as if Suzu swipes them away and she continues her performance.

Yurina "Uwaa, Suzu is amazing! Right?"

Yurina looks at Yumiko while Yumiko is seemingly entranced.

Yumiko mutters "That's cool… that kind of song and performance…"

Yurina looks at Yumiko and decides to take a mental note as she turns back to Suzu's performance.