Hello everyone! Welcome to my new story! I'm really excited for it and am doing a lot of planning for it. Hopefully it'll be a good read for you all ^^ I got excited and decided to post the first chapter :) Please enjoy!

The title is from Lily's "The Wasteland's Miracle" and it's a backwards message from the very beginning. I just loved it and wanted to use it! XD

I do not own Aikatsu Stars!

~0~

Ah… S4. The best girls in the whole school. The ones with the best grades, the most popularity, and who did the best work. The best was Hime Shiratori, Yume's idol. They were so great, and never had to deal with anything. Oh how Yume wished she could be like them, with no drama, no problems; just easy life.

Yume sighed, melting into her palm as she held herself up with it by leaning it on the table.

"-ume! Yume!"

Yume jumped, "Ah! Laura? What is it?"

Laura rolled her eyes, "Yume snap out of your daydream. Lunch is over, the bell just rang."

Yume blinked, then looked around. Everyone in the cafeteria was packing up; most of them gone already.

"Well well, here Yume is zoning off again," a cool voice said.

Yume looked up and smiled sheepishly.

"You sound surprised, Ako." Mahiru said.

"I'm not, really," Ako said, looking down at the still sitting Yume, with her tray in her hands. "Are you planning on getting up?"

Yume gasped and scrambled to get her things together. "Sorry!"

"It's alright, Yume," a sweet voice said, and hands reached down to help Yume gather her trash.

"Thanks, Koharu. I know I can count on you," Yume said, "unlike the rest of you." She stuck her tongue out at Ako.

Ako stuck her tongue out back at her, while Mahiru and Laura laughed.

As they dumped their waste and returned their trays, Yume turned her head to back to see S4 exiting the cafeteria from another entrance with M4. M4 was another beloved group in the school, and like S4, the top of the top in each class.

Her gaze was drawn to the leader of their group, who was saying something to Hime which elicited a laugh from her. Yume smiled, but was shook out of her thoughts once more by a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh no, guys, I think Yume is falling back into her S4 idolizing habit!" Laura said.

They giggled at her, and Yume shook her head, patting Laura's hand, "Dear Laura, I never fell out of it."

They really laughed then. Yume lightly pushed Laura's shoulder, "Okay let's go. You're making us late, Laura!"

Laura scoffed lightly, "Oh yea, I'm making us late."

Yume just stuck her tongue out at her and skipped ahead.

Mahiru laughed, "There's no arguing with Yume."

"Only when she's like this, you mean," Laura said, as the rest of them jogged to catch up to the blonde.

"Did you girls hear about the new things this year?" Koharu said.

"New things?" Ako said, "I don't know about everything but I do know that the theater club is getting a boost in funds. Well deserved, obviously."

Laura rolled her eyes, "Well the student council is going to be a lot of new things this year, judging by our agenda."

"Oh! That reminds me," Ako said, "I have decided to run for student vice president this year."

Their eyes widened at the reveal.

"That's great, Ako!" Yume said.

"That's our Ako. You'll do great," Mahiru said.

Koharu smiled, "You have our support."

Ako nodded, "I sure hope so. You all may come to my use for things."

"We may," Laura smirked. "This gets me going now!"

Yume nodded, "I'm sure all these new things are gonna make it a great year!"

~0~

"See you tomorrow, Koharu!" Yume called back as she stepped to the door of her parent's bakery. The girls walk home together everyday and split up slowly as they pass their homes.

Yume slipped around the counter of the bakery that was steadily getting more busy with the end of the day rush. She ran past her parents who were busily making rounds in the kitchen. "I'm home!" she said as she rushed up the stairs to ditch her bag.

"Oh! Welcome home, Yume!" Kyoko said, "Can you come down and manage the front?"

Yume rolled her eyes lightly, already grabbing her apron and getting to the front. "Of course, mama."

"Thank you, sweetheart!" Kyoko called as Yume passed them in the kitchen. "Wrong frosting, honey!" she gasped, talking to her husband who was icing some cupcakes.

Yume grinned then pushed herself to the counter, "Welcome to Rainbow Bakery! What can I help you with?"

~0~

Yume scooped the last spoon of rice from her bowl into her mouth. She swallowed, then said, "Dinner was yummy today! Thank you, mama!"

Kyoko smiled, "You're welcome, Yume."

Yume nodded, and moved to grab her dish and leave the table.

"Yume," Masaru said, "could we talk for a moment?"

Yume slowly sat down again, staring at her parents. "Okay. What's up?"

Kyoko and Masaru shared a look, and Yume felt some dread fill her.

"So, are there any new changes happening at school this year?" Kyoko asked calmly.

Yume nodded, confused, "Yea… the girls and I were talking, and well, Ako mentioned that the theater club is getting a boost in funds, and Laura said that the student council is going to be doing a lot more this year… why?"

Masaru looked down at his hands, "Well… these things need money. And the money comes from the tuition we have to pay for you."

"Okay…" Yume said.

Kyoko put her hand over Masaru's, then looked at Yume, "Yume, the truth is, the bakery isn't making enough money."

Yume blinked, "What?"

Masaru cleared his throat, "With every day… well we aren't making enough money to continue paying for your tuition."

Yume froze, not know what to think, but knowing what was coming. "Are you saying… I have to transfer out of Four Star?"

Kyoko looked down.

"It's not for sure yet," Masaru said, "but it may come to that."

"No!" Yume cried. "I can't leave Four Star! My friends, and everything... " she slammed her hands onto the table, "We were so busy earlier! How are we not making enough?"

Kyoko looked at her sadly, "That's about the only business we're making all day, when you come home."

"No," Yume said again, "I'll… I'll get a job! Yea! I'll help pay for my tuition! We can do this, mama, papa!"

"Yume…" Kyoko said, "that's very sweet of you, but we don't want to force you-"

"I want to stay in Four Star," Yume said, "so please, let me try to help."

Kyoko and Masaru exchanged a look, then turned to Yume with a smile, "Okay, Yume," Masaru said. "We'll let you."

Yume brightened, her eyes watering slightly, "We can do it, I know we can."

~0~

After helping clean up the table, Yume asked to be allowed to go out for a short evening walk. It was after dark, but she promised to be back soon.

Yume walked down the street, along the sidewalk beside the nearby shopping plaza. Right across from there was a small sitting area with a great tree resting over it. She went up to it, carefully clambering up the branches to rest upon. She kicked her feet out, staring out at the lights radiating from the shops, as she let out a sweet hum.

"Hey!" Someone called, causing Yume to jolt, "what are you doing up there? There's more than a few problems with it."

"Huh?" Yume said, then realized, "Ah!" she jumped to hold her skirt down. Deciding to get down, Yume pushed herself off the branch. But, in her frantic speed, she stumbled as she fell, not regaining her balance before she hit the stranger.

"Ow…" Yume moaned, sitting up. She found herself facing the stranger while on them.

The boy frowned in pain, and peeked an eye open, "Ugh, can you get off me?"

Yume scrambled off, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to fall on you!"

He moved to get up, and Yume offered her hand, but he ignored it.

"Ah…" Yume pulled her hand back and put it by her side again, "sorry, I didn't think anyone would really be out now."

"It's only like eight o'clock, the whole city doesn't sleep now," he said.

Yume laughed awkwardly, rubbing her head. "Sorry… I'll just leave now…" she said slowly, noticing how he was staring at her with a strange look. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" he said, "Oh, yea, totally... you can stay. I don't care."

Yume half shrugged, "Nah, I should be going anyways." She brushed her hands off, then turned to the path, "Goodnight."

He nodded hesitantly, "Yea, 'night."

~0~

Yume dialed Koharu, and after two rings, she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Koharu," Yume said, twisting around and plopping down on her bed.

"What's up? You don't usually call me around this time," Koharu said.

Yume was quiet for a second. "I… need to get a job."

"A job?" Koharu quietly asked, "What for?"

"I need the money, Koharu," Yume said. "Or I might not… be able to come to school."

"Because of the tuition?" Koharu guessed.

"Yes," Yume answered.

Koharu hummed in thought softly, "Okay Yume, we'll think of something for you to do."

Yume sighed, "Thank you, Koharu."

"Of course, Yume."

~0~

Despite the end of AiStars and start of AiFure, I want to try to finish this story. So far i have around 15 chapters planned, and it may go over that. Who knows, maybe I'll start a story for AiFure? XP

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think about the story in a review! :D

Next time! Laura gets a serious call... that changes her whole attitude.