"What do you think of geraniums for our window, huh?" asked Kanon, placing a flower pot on the windowsill.

Both Chisato and Sumire stared hard in her direction, so intently it seemed they were going to fry her on the spot with eyeball energy. "H-Hey," she chuckled uneasily, "is something on my face?"

"Step back, Takami, we're trying to visualize the window decors!"

"Uwaaah!" She darted away to allow them a full view. The two gazed at the window for what must be a full five minutes. "Um… guys? Are you done? If you can't decide, I'll just have a curtain from home."

"We want flowers, Takami!" they chorused.

"Eheheh…" The newly-formed group, having been immediately lionized all over campus, was granted a smallish but well-shaded room with a good view of the trees of the park just across the school's fence, as well as the foliage of the campus' own little woodland. The place was bare, but the basics were well-prepared, a conference table, a common study table, an empty book shelf, and a recessed closet which was spacious and clean, smelled fresh, even. They have carried a few boxes in there just this morning before class.

"Guys," said Kanon, "there are three electric outlets. We could cook in here. I'll get Mamaita's old oven toaster. I know how to make Miguelitos in that."

"Non-chi," said Chisato, "shouldn't that be the last thing we must consider in furnishing the clubroom? We'll be inspected by Miss Matsuura and the senior faculty this week." And Sumire was still staring intently, almost angrily at the window.

Echoes of happy humming could be heard approaching from outside. Excited, Kanon went over to the door, wanting some fresh news. "Hiyah!" announced Kuku entering the room, carrying a small box. With a spring in her step, she went to the conference table and emptied the contents there, much to everyone's surprise.

OP Song

Bouken Type A, B, C!

Lyrics: Aki Hata

Composition and Arrangement: Tatsuya Kurauchi

.

#5. First Club Meeting

"And what is that?" asked Sumire.

"I went around asking for name suggestions for our group!"

"Eh?" said Kanon. "Isn't it a bit early to come up with a name? I mean, we haven't even talked about our activities for this month."

"Branding!" said Kuku pointing a finger gun at her. "Bang." Giggle. "People shoulda know who we are first before we sell them anything, deshow?"

" 'School idol club' will do for now, really," sighed Sumire walking over to them. She turned her attention to the mass of papers that lay on the table with a bit of a raised eyebrow. Seriously, why are the priorities of these girls so misplaced?

They regarded the pile with a mix of curiosity and disbelief. Wow, there's actually… a lot.

"I didn't know they'll be this invested in us," remarked Chisato. She crouched down to inspect the heap a little further, and finally shrugged. "But I guess this must be their first time with school idols." She picked up one of the papers and was quickly intrigued. "Ooh, look at this. SPD? What does this even stand for?"

Kuku took one herself and read it out. "Jungle Fury? Hmmmm. Sounds crazy but I love it. Makes us feel like a metal band."

"Eheheh…" chuckled Kanon uneasily. "I'm not entirely sure we could move into a new genre so soon." Reading hers, "Whoa! Mystic Force! It's so awesome!"

Sumire picked up another piece. "Operation Overdrive?" She looked it over and behind it, as well. "Is this a Jojo reference?"

Kuu-chan was a little uneasy with her next pick. "Ninja… Storm? Seriously?" Sigh. "I guess Japan really loves their ninjas, after all, huh?"

"Nah," said Chisato. "That's what the Yanks think we love. Sushi I can understand, but… Geh, it's so annoying."

In the end they did settle for 'School Idol Club.' With naming out of the way for the moment, the group began to discuss other matters. Firstly, they must decide on the structure of their organization.

"Do we really have to?" grumbled Kanon on the subject of who will be the leader.

"Of course, dummy," chided Sumire. "She'll be the one to represent the group most often, and who will appear as the center for the group songs most of the time."

"So," said Chisato slyly, "you have any idea who of us has the best leadership qualities? Hm?"

Sumire chuckled softly. There's no need to state it so openly now. "If there's a group, a leader is a given."

"No it's not!" said Kanon standing up. "Are we gonna fight over that? There's always a better way. Honoka-sama said it marvelously!

"Everyone will be the leader, and everyone will be the center!"

"That's a pretty scatterbrained way to put it, honestly," muttered Chi-chan.

Kuku raised her hand. "I agree with Kanon-chan. A little."

"Eh?!" cried Kanon. "Why just a little? Why not 100%? It's Honoka-sama we're talking about."

"What I mean is… There's only four of us. We don't need a hierarchy. Did I say it right? Hierarchy?"

"Kuku means we're small enough to function efficiently as we are," seconded Chisato. Sigh. "Er, did I say it right? Efficiently?"

"Tch," said Sumire. "Alright, then. I suppose somebody else got better ideas to put to the table?"

Kuku raised her hand again. "Let's split the group!"

"Ehhhh?!" they all said. "Split?!"

"Uh-huh!" smiled Kuku.

"Are you sure you said it right?"

"Uhm!" she beamed. "Split!"

"Urrrrgh…"

"They have this thing called sub-units," explained Kuu-chan. "Like, there's these mini-groups inside the main group. Like, if you got nine people, there will be teams of three or four of those same members." She scratched her head. "You're in Tokyo, you guys should have known already."

"Seriously?" scoffed Sumire. "We don't have nine. We're only four and you still want to atomize us?"

"You don't understand! It's a thing in the idol world. There's no way you're not having sub-units if you're forming a group. It's a given!"

"…"

"Don't you know U's and Aqua and Niji?"

"I only care about the songs," said Chisato.

"I only know Honoka-sama," said Kanon. "Mostly. B-But I can memorize all the members! It's so easy it's just like the planets of the solar system to me! Umi is Mercury, Kotori is Venus, Honk-sama is Earth… Or is Umi-chan Earth? Because the water planet? I don't know."

Sumire facepalmed for a moment. "But I must say," she admitted, "that's a pretty nice gimmick. Sub-units. It sounds fresh."

"See?" said Kuku. "What did I tell 'ya? Aight! Now that we agreed to have subs, let's give a name for each." She pointed at Kanon and Chisato. "You. You. And me! With your powers combined, we will all together be…" Spin. Fanfare. "Milk Honey and Tea!"

"Heh?!"

"Chisato-chan has white hair. Kanon-chan has honey hair. And I come from China, and our tea is the best. And the original!"

Kanon checked her own hair. "No, it's not honey! It's orange! Orange is the best! Orange is the mark of great leaders! As Honoka-sama once said,

"I'm strong to the finish, 'coz I eats me orange!"

"Aight!" seconded Kuku holding up Kanon's hand. "Honoh-kasama for Leader! Yay! Yay!" Chisato joined in the fun and they pulled an unwilling Sumire in with them. "Yay! Yay!

"Yay! Yay!"

Sumire treated everyone out at a gourmet bakeshop near their place as part of the celebration for the new club. Everybody were amazed at her selections. They chattered about bread till they parted ways with their tummies and their ears full. The day ended on a very good mood, so good, in fact, that it wasn't until the two buddies were walking down a lonely street by themselves that it dawned on Kanon something about the earlier club meet. It had basically accomplished… nothing.

"Maybe it's alright if we go directly to discussing activities, ne, Chi-chan?"

"Let's schedule a training session," she replied, relishing her bubblegum cooler. "Once we actually do something, everything will flow out from there naturally."

Somehow Kanon wasn't so convinced. But there wasn't anything else to think of at the moment. Or maybe…? "Let's join in on Sumire-chan's YouTube channels!"

"You think she'll let us?"

"I mean, she's with us now."

Shrug.

Why should every answer be so unsatisfying? Kanon sighed and looked up at the night sky. She must be thinking ahead way too much. Is it because they really don't know absolutely everything about the idol business? What if they got just a little closer to μ's or Aqours? Became more of a hands-on fan? Such a crying shame, having "grown up" on μ's and letting all those years slide by subsisting on just their songs and a few other trivia. "But we should be doing idol stuff, right?" she thought aloud.

"…"

Sigh. "I think there will be a lot of work. Tons of it. I can smell it already."

"But you know, Non-chi, we're really just beginning. I mean, in a very real sense. Our school is entirely new. Half our team are people we just met. And we can't even agree on a name other than 'school idol club.' It's natural we still have a lot to do."

"…"

"I even think we still have to get a proper name. Our real name. I believe it's out there. Someone who truly understands us will walk up to us and say to us, 'Hey, this is what you should call yourself. This is who you are.' "

Kanon smirked. "Who could that possibly be? There's nobody involved in our group but us four, and we're all pretty clueless." She pondered her own words for a moment, and then dismissed it all with a soft laugh. "But 'Mystic Force' is the best."

"Heh? No way, it's got to be SPD! It's got a cool ring to it."

And they spent the remainder of that walk in a playful argument.

Later that night came a flurry of e-mails from Kuku and responses from Chisato and Sumire. The next day the School Idol Club conducted their first-ever club activity. Sightseeing in Harajuku.

"It will make for great bonding!" Kuku had texted.

Fair enough. Half the time, however, was spent on Kanon, Chisato, and Sumire agonizing and arguing over clothes and stuff whilst Kuku a little way to the distance ogled over every shop window she passed by.

"Wooooow," she breathed at a resto door. Then suddenly, "Whooooooaaaaaa. What a kira-kira kawaii menu!"

About halfway through the afternoon Sumire got bored. It didn't feel worth it to be filming herself someplace on a track well-beaten by gaijin. In the end she just found an outdoor massage couch, which said free, and slumped down. "This place is getting a bit trite," she said relishing the vibration, as well as the sight of Kanon and Chisato at a shop goofing off with costumes like nearly everyone else.

"Yozoro!" said Chisato in a sailor-themed outfit.

"Ganbaruby!" beamed Kanon. They also did other impersonations.

And Kuku simply being all over Takeshita Street like it was her first time experiencing civilization.

"I might as well chuck you into Disneyland. Simpletons," she muttered to herself, and then let herself sink into the pleasurable massage.

After a short while the black upholstery surface next to her face formed into hands and began massaging her face and playing with it.

"Iyaaaaaa!"

"I'll sue you, I'll sue you, I'll sue you, I'll sue you!" prattled Sumire wolfing down some fries the girls had brought her. She washed it all down with a Coke. "I'll sue you!"

"For every instance you mention 'sue,' " reminded Kuku, "exactly one gram is added to your weight."

"I'll sue you, too!" she threatened. And she dumped the rest of the fries into her open mouth.

"Like you'd go anywhere against a media giant," said Chisato of the TV prank. "Just admit that you fell for it."

"I'll sue you, too!"

Kanon only giggled. "Sumire-chan, you look so cute when you're worked up."

"I'll sue— uhhhh, what…?"

"I mean it!" she smiled. And such a wonderfully formed smile it was. Wow, this girl's really pretty if she wants to be.

"Cute…? M-Me?"

"You're the cutest star in the galaxy. When you pout, I mean." She copied her pose. "Galaxy…"

"H-Hey, that's not the right way to do it…" But it was cuter.

Chisato pulled on Sumire's cheek, and Kuku followed suit. "Come on, let's rile her up even more so she'll get prettier!"

They pulled and pulled on the hapless girl as Kanon watched on helplessly. Until Sumire managed to raise her hand… and reach out to Chisato's nape.

"Eeeep! Hey, that underhanded!"

"Wrong. It's behind-handed!" And she kept tickling in return. Now the attention has shifted to Chisato, and even Kanon joined in the tickling frenzy. Such laughter! Such joy! How lovely the sound of their youth whiling it away on a fine afternoon in Shibuya. Such freshness!

Such a waste of time.

Thought Chisato trying to get some sleep. What kind of club activity fritters away hours in some cosplay weekend everybody else indulges in? No. It's got to be idol stuff. Singing. Dancing. And to dance well, they need training.

She sent an angry text to everyone, and the very next day at campus, she ordered them to their positions as soon as they arrived. Kuku asked for a break, but no, Chisato was determined to make up for the laxness of yesterday.

The regimen consisted of aerobics to kick off training, and then balancing, push-ups, and finally a long run around the park which included a rather steep stone stairway.

Chisato and Kuku had finally reached the top panting heavily. But Kuu-chan felt refreshed. "Huwah~ I never felt like this in a loooooong time. Six days in a classroom makes me stiff as a doll." Looking around, "Where's Kanon-chan and Yazawa-san?"

"Eh…?"

The two lay prone some way down like a pair of casualties in battle, Kanon on the steps, and Sumire on the handrail. "I promise," she moaned, "I'll slide down this thing when we get back."

So Chisato had to call an end to the training earlier than planned. The coaching on basic dance steps will have to wait till next weekend. Tuesday if it could be helped.

"We won't be able to make a concert till next month at this rate," mused Chisato sipping down on a milkshake at a refreshments stand. Sigh. Well, she and Kuku can, at least. Bummer. What a concert. Half of the team sitting backstage as technical staff. And one of them she was sure will not consent to it.

She got a pair of extra-large melon buddy coolers for two, one for herself and Kanon, the other for Sumire and Kuku. She found Non-chi and Yazawa at a small fountain. "Non-chi, let's chill down for a bit." They were sharing some macarons sitting side by side in silence, just savoring the sweets and letting the wind rub their backs.

"…"

"Kanon," said Chisato, "let's have a drink."

"Huh…? Ah—Chi-chan!"

"I got something for all of us."

"Wow!" She took the cooler gratefully and showed it to Sumire. "Look! Something to push the food down."

Sumire took it away and began to sip on one of the straws. "At last. I need to rehydrate pretty fast. I wish you got coconut water, though."

"Hey!" protested Kanon. "You're having all that to yourself?" She took hold of the other straw and sipped, as well.

"Get your own, will 'ya?" complained Sumire. "Here, I'll give you some bills."

"I don't beg. Just be fair and share it, OK?" Sip.

Chisato just stared at them holding the other tumbler. At length, she stepped back and looked for Kuku.

スーパースターズ! GO!

She found the girl at a nearby view deck doing stretches. Whoa, she was still taking the whole thing seriously. "Hey!" she called out. "Let's cool down a bit."

Chisato and Kuku drank in the cool breeze and stayed that way for a while. The greenery was everywhere, and with this fresh wind Chisato could pretend they were in some faraway mountain resort, if not for the JR train randomly appearing through the trees. Gah. Even the view was not spared by an unspectacular morning.

"Ku-chan?"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad you did pretty well today. I think you might become a better performer than any of us, eventually."

"Eh? Of course not. You're my mentor. Of course you'll always be better."

Chisato smiled sheepishly. "You really think so?" She went grave. "Am I, um…? You know…"

"What is?"

Chisato regarded Kuku tenderly. She can be so innocent. "Nothing. I was just a little worried."

"No, I don't think you're just a little worried."

"…"

"My Shanghai friends are like Japanese, too. When they say 'a little,' it actually means a lot. Right?"

"B-But…" Eh, what the use? "Hah... Alright, I'll just say I'm worried."

"I think you're a great trainer."

She only shrugged it off. "Apparently you were enjoying the session massively. I do wonder about the others."

"Hm?"

"You think they might be secretly mad at me right now?"

"Nuh-uh. We all have the same target. If you didn't push us hard, we would have pushed our own selves hard, because we wanted so badly to get to where we aimed for."

"…"

"It is when we have different directions that things become difficult, I think. When two oxen pull in opposite directions, you know, the rock will not move no matter how hard they try."

"Ooh. Is it an old Chinese saying?"

"Nope," she smiled. "I cooked it up myself! Pretty cool, huh?"

Oh… Shrug. Smirk. "You're a genius."

"Of course I am! In fact, all of us are! Genius is discovering something which is hidden in plain sight."

"I'm sure you made that up again."

"Um… Maybe?"

They stared at each other like a bunch of idiots for a moment, and then laughed together.

"But 'Milk Honey and Tea' sounds great," said Chisato. "No kidding."

"Glad you like it."

"Where would you put Sumire-san, though?"

"Ah, oh yes! Why did I forget her? But then, I think she's the kind of person who'll want to go solo."

"Nonsense. We're a group now, aren't we? If you make subs, it's got to be two and two."

"But M.H.T. is three words. I know! Let's have a rotating member!"

"What?"

"Kanon-chan and Sumire-chan can switch places as 'Honey' because their hair can both pass for honey. Or maybe… us two, we'll be Milk-Tea. She made an unsatisfied frown. "Except that I hear about milk tea all the time already. I know! Let's be MilkTeaz and Kanon-chan and Sumire-chan will be Honeyz. Kewl!"

Chi-chan made a face at the suggestions. Besides, "Let's just call our group Zzzzzz so all we have to do is sleep all day."

And they laughed together again.

"Hey!" said Kanon crashing into them with a hug. "Why you guys missing us out on the fun, huh? What were you talkin' about?"

"Aren't we having lunch someplace else?" grumbled Sumire arriving with her. "Maybe Roppongi for a change."

"Eh?" said Kanon. "Haven't we eaten already? We still have to do our first group song."

"Huh?" said Chisato. "We're all performing a song?"

"Uhm! It's a μ's song. Come on, I'll teach you the basics."

"Are we going to spend the whole day here?"

"Aren't you glad I'm contributing something? Like, you teach dance. Sumire-chan gives us glam. And Kuu-chan is a promising talent. I want to be of use, of course!"

So they let her be of use. They formed a line and stood stock still as cadets.

"Dare yori Go! Go!" beamed Kanon.

"Go!" they said in unison, but flatly. "Go!"

"Moh…" grumbled Kanon. Was their energy sapped by Chi-chan's training already? "You're like an army parade. We're not going to war, are we?"

"Concert is war," declared Kuku. "Everything war!"

"Eheheh…" Kanon said uneasily. "I guess so… Hehehe…" Collecting herself, "A-Ahem! Alright. If we're going to battle, then we better give it our best fight. Put in a little more spirit, you!" She put on her best face. "Iku yooooo…! Seeeee…. no! Dare yori Go! Go!"

"GO! GO!" they yelled.

"Urrrrgh. That's just a louder army parade….."

And, yes, they want their proper lunch, or at least one with rice, so in the end Kanon just had them memorize the lyrics before everyone went off, not to Roppongi, but to another food stand which happened to have gyudon on the menu.

After the meal, the girls went off their separate ways for a bit to let the food slide into their system. Kanon and Chisato took a light nap together on a bench, Sumire went for a walk, and Kuku…

"Heeheeheehee…"

She took almost an hour hiding behind a bush, carefully mixing some questionable powders with Chinese labels and some water in a bubble container. "Haha~" she smiled. "Get ready for the pride of Shanghai."

As soon as she finished she ambled over to look for the others. It didn't take long. Aha! Two birds in one stone. She quickly dipped the blower into her expert mix and blew a huge one, careful to blow downwind.

The huge bubble drifted over to the bench where Chisato and Kanon were sharing a light moment over a manga volume Chi-chan had brought along with her to training. The thing bumped into Chi-chan's odango and burst, startling them out of their wits. The surprise quickly morphed into disgust as the foul odor began to spread. "Eugggghhhh!" they said scrambling to cover their noses with the comic book.

"It's a chemical attack!" cried Kanon. "It's terrorists!"

"Are you telling me we're actually gonna die today?! I haven't tasted being rich yet!"

"Heeheeheehee…" said Kuku menacingly as she approached. The look on their faces was just absolutely tragic.

"Kuu-chan… Why? What have we ever done to you to deserve this?!"

"You're too cute, you two. You need to be eliminated!" And she began to blow a bigger one. They immediately fled and rushed down the park stairs, and then quickly dived into the bushes. When Kuu-chan arrived on the scene, they were nowhere to be found. "Kukukuku…" she snickered wickedly. "I know you're just around here, so I'll flush you out."

She blew bubble after bubble which burst over the bushes, leaving the poor pair covering their noses the whole time.

"Well, well, well!" said Sumire arriving on the scene.

Back in hiding, Kanon was relieved. "I'm sure Kuu-chan'll get a mouthful if she blows that thing to her face!" Chisato nodded along eagerly.

And Kuku did blow a huge one to Sumire's face, and it burst releasing its malodorous contents. How dare Kuku do that to the galactic celebrity Yazawa?! True enough, Sumire found a skinny overhanging branch from a tree, snapped it off,

and poked it into the bush.

Now Kuku and Sumire were both holding a bubble kit each, chasing down Kanon and Chisato while Yazawa produced bubbles. "Wow," marveled Kuku, "you can actually blow big ones while running!"

"Don't underestimate the power of my lungs on level ground!" And she blew another one.

They let the sun go down on the deadly chase until the deadly bubble mix ran out.

For that Monday's club meeting, the School Idol Club discussed their first concert, to be conducted at the campus' open field next Saturday after classes, the week after their midterms later this week. The date was picked to serve as a celebration for finishing the tests, the results of which were to be posted next Wednesday.

"Alright," announced Kanon starting the meet. "For our first act, we must decide how many songs we must perform. And then, which songs. We will base the program on the song lineup.

"Please indicate with your fingers how many you think we should render."

Chisato and Kuku raised four fingers, and Sumire five. OK, not much conflict there, but…

"I feel we should have a little more than that. Maybe seven or eight."

"Eight?" said Chisato. "We're just a new group. We can't follow a pro idol event."

"Heh?! That's for pros?"

"Some professional groups do nine in mini-lives when they introduce themselves to the public," remarked Sumire. "I was one of the child acts in an Akiba event way back, and I think there were, like…" She counted off of her fingers. "Nineteen. Or twenty. From two groups."

"Naturally," seconded Chisato, "school idols should start out with fewer."

"I think anything over six songs will be a little too tiring," said Kuku. "Especially if we must do it in a week."

"One week is too short for me," said Chisato. "Even with a few songs, we must make up for it with quality execution."

Kanon looked unsure, but relented with a shrug. "OK? So maybe we'll take Kuku's ceiling and make it six."

She was met with silence. The three members looked at each other for a moment, but eventually nodded in agreement.

"Yokatta…" sighed Kanon in relief. "Now let's talk about the songs."

"Kuu-chan immediately raised her hand. "Three from U's and three from Aqua."

"Pfft," said Sumire. "You want group songs? Three group acts are a little complicated to pull off already."

"No, not true! There are solo songs, too."

"Ku-chan," reminded Kanon. "We're a group. We must do group songs."

Sumire only huffed in disdain.

Kuku thoughtfully put a finger to her lips. "About that song we memorized at the park, how long do you think we can put it down?"

Kanon and Chisato could not quite answer. Chi-chan hastily came up with a ballpark figure. "One week to do it properly. If we're really good, we could squeeze in one more song."

"True, true," cut in Sumire, "if those two songs are all we'll ever perform. I tell you, it's complicated."

Chisato narrowed her eyes at Yazawa. "Do you have any experience at group performances?"

She raised an eyebrow at Chisato. "And you?"

"Geh—" Once again, she couldn't answer back. She had to admit. Anything more than a duet will definitely be a first for her.

"Besides, Takami," continued Sumire, "you should be picking a song that everybody can blend in. This one's just something you guys want."

Kanon was alarmed. "W-Wait! That's not true. The song was meant to be sung by all of us, so—"

"Maybe I should go solo, after all."

"You're the only one who don't find it agreeable," said Chisato.

"Rather than forcing everyone into your mold, I can just teach you all myself."

"Hah? Teach us? Don't be so full of yourself."

"Who was it who taught Kuu-chan to sing?"

"Wha—" They could not speak for a moment. Well, yes, that was true, for one, but… Did she really, actually have to openly remind them?! This was unbelievable.

"Aight!" yelled Kuku brandishing her bubble kit. "You shall not make Kuku the object of your petty fights. Keep that up, and I'mma blow bubbles all over this closed room."

They were all terrified and very quickly made a group hug. "We're all chums now!" they chorused, and then put out a forced laugh.

Chisato took out some octopus chips she got from the takoyaki shop, while Kanon produced a fresh anime episode on her phone, and the meet ended on a yummy note.

ED Song

i-n-g, I TRY!

Lyrics: Aki Hata; Composition and Arrangement: Takeshi Masuda

.

Next Time! #6. My Own Song