I do not own any of the songs. They belong to their respective artist(s).
Boys sing in BOLD
Girls sing in ITALICS
Both genders sing in BOTH
Warning: Bad Language
Hikari stared at Saotome with wide eyes, chest barely moving as she tried to take in the fact that Saotome had practically challenged her to make a song more popular than Takeshi Fujita's.
His head tilted oh so slightly. "Can you?" He asked her once more… and she couldn't answer. She didn't know how. How the fuck could she when it was fucking Takeshi Fujita?!
"Aren't you just happy to listen to them singing?" She blinked, realizing he must have been watching earlier. "Are you just a fan?"
"A-a fan?" She repeated. The sticky note began burning a hole in her pocket, the folder like deadweight in her arms.
"Eventually, STARISH will have lots of fans. But you're not a fan, you're a composer." His sunglasses gleamed in the overhead light. "Do you have the heart of a pro?"
She couldn't understand what he was getting at. He knew she knew about the idol lifestyle thanks to the Ripplers, no matter how second hand the information was. Stars knew how many paparazzi member had tried to visit the farm until Gran terrorized the lot of them, tricking the animals into making the reporters and the like run away when the Ripplers were there. Hikari just didn't understand what Saotome's aim was.
Saotome seemed to notice but ignored it as he lifted his face towards the ceiling. "I cannot leave the fate of STARISH in your hands!"
Her eyes widened in shock. The folder got heavier.
"What?" Otoya exclaimed, brushing her arm as he leaned forward.
"Headmaster, we want to sing Hikari's songs!" Tokiya protested.
Syo snapped out, "After all this time, it has to be her!"
"No, no…" Saotome shook his head, hands held up. "Pros will sing no matter who wrote the songs."
She couldn't take it anymore. "Like you with Kotomi-san?" He jerked and she bet his eyes were wide behind the glasses. Hikari nodded and slipped free from Ren, leaning to put the folder on the desk. "I thought so. Congratulations, Shining-san. Hurt the mentioned and I'll break you with pleasure."
Stepping away, she ignored his shocked silence and moved past the confused boys, saying over her shoulder, "Let's go, boys. Shining-san needs to understand something from 17 years ago."
They were confused, but with the sticky note still burning in her pocket, she wouldn't answer unless he decided to come out with it himself.
-AA-
Tomochika pressed against her shoulder as they stood by the fountain in front of the faculty building. "That was so cruel of the headmaster," Tomochika voiced and she leaned slightly into the slightly taller girl. "You all got together in the first place because of Hikari's song."
"Without Hikari, we wouldn't have become a group," Masato agreed from beside Otoya.
"Dammit! He can't be serious!" Syo snapped, scowling hard at the ground.
"If we're not doing the Lady's songs, I'm out," Ren said plainly.
Hikari blinked at him, eyes shifting to Otoya. "Me too!" The redhead exclaimed.
Syo nodded, glancing at Otoya. "There isn't going to be a debut without Nanami!"
"Don't be stupid."
The two faltered, looking at her in surprise. "Hikari?" Syo voiced.
She looked them over coolly. "You saw the lights, didn't you? And his announcement about you all becoming STARISH - I have no doubt he's already announced it in the city. If you refuse to debut, it'll ruin the agency's reputation."
"What are you saying, Hikari?" Syo stood up, fists clenching as he frowned at her. "You-"
"I'm one of three potential heirs to the Nami Agency," she said flatly. "Which means I know exactly how the entertainment business works. If you all don't debut now, you may never get another chance. I can wait a little longer for my own debut."
Looking around, she jerked her head towards Tokiya. "Neither I nor Tokiya have had anything to eat since 3:00 and it's almost 8:30 now. Let's reconvene in the morning, alright? I can still help out with your practice."
The girl was careful to keep a cool look on her face as her friends looked at her uncertainly.
-AA-
Blinking up at her ceiling, Hikari wondered what woke her before lolling her head to the side,reaching for the silent vibrating form of her phone. She unlocked it after checking the screen was dim.
From: The Big Boss Lady
'Hikari, love, I'm sorry for messaging you so early, but I need your help.'
Squinting at the phone, Hikari went through a few scenarios before messaging back.
From: The Baby Animal
'Forest, farm, or water?'
Hikari sat up and slid off her bed, forgoing her slippers as she moved to gather a bag after she received a simple 'Forest, indigo' back. 'Really good thing Tomo-chan made me get gloves… where are my boots?'
A quick change of clothes and she was rushing quietly down the hall, a note in hand for Sayumi. Reaching the door, she slid the paper between the door and the frame, knowing Sayumi would see it one way or another.
That done, she hurried to the main entrance and tugged her boots on. "At least it isn't raining anymore…" Hikari hurried to the main entrance, waving at the guards as she headed to the car her grandmother had sent. Sliding in, she greeted the driver beside her. "Yo, Ichiro-senpai."
"Hey, shrimp. Ready?" The bald man asked, peering at her through the mirror. At her nod, he pulled away and began driving. "We got time for the scenic route?"
"Gran said indigo…" She shrugged as she shifted her bag into her backseat.
"So unless we get a message from her, that's a yes," Ichiro concluded before swearing. "Damn sheep! Move your furry ass!"
Hikari carefully turned her face away, lips twitching. "You know, women actually like sheep for how cute and fluffy they are."
"Shut up, Hikari."
A snicker escaped and he pinched her arm, earning a yelp. "Rude!"
Daiki hurried after Tomochika, worried for Hikari, but not as worried as Tomochika. His partner had told him about last night as she rushed around looking for Hikari in the usual places.
At the moment, she was running (literally running; at one point she'd nearly ran down Ringo) to the practice room the newest idol group was in.
Seeing her skid to a stop, he wilted against the wall, wheezing for air. She tossed the door open with a slight banging noise and rushed in.
"Tomo-chan?" Otoya's voice floated through and Daiki heaved himself into a standing position, practically floating after the girl. The redheaded male noticed him, frowning. "Daiki-san, are you okay?"
Was he okay? He didn't know enough about the human body to be sure, but he figured it was bad if he couldn't fully feel his legs. Externally, he sort of flailed a hand and slumped into a chair near the door to wiggle his feet, still panting slightly as he watched Tomochika interrogate the other males.
"None of you have seen Hikari at all?" She asked, pacing as she looked around the room.
"Hikari?" Ichinose repeated, brows furrowing slightly as he glanced between Tomochika and Daiki. "We haven't seen her since yesterday, why?"
Tomochika shifted and Daiki finally managed to catch his breath, standing and moving closer to where the to-be idols were. "Tomo-chan said she wasn't there when she woke up," Daiki answered. "We also checked the other places Hikari-san is usually at, but she wasn't there either."
The teens frowned and shared concerned and confused looks.
Clearing his throat, Daiki continued, casting a nervous sideways look at Tomochika. "Should we ask the teachers? I know Tomo-chan almost ran Ringo-sensei down a bit ago."
They stared at the duo and she glanced at Daiki, her worry fading to confusion. "I did?"
"Didn't you notice his hair?" Daiki looked back at her in confusion.
She shook her head. "No, I didn't."
"Does that mean I can still expect an apology?" They turned to see Ringo in the doorway, arms folded as he stared flatly at Tomochika, who shifted on her feet. Ryuya was right behind him, looking at the group with a raised eyebrow.
"Sorry, sensei," Tomochika said sheepishly. "I was in a hurry looking for Hikari."
"Hikari-chan?" Ringo blinked as he walked in, Ryuya also gaining a small frown. "Is she not here?"
"Obviously not," a voice cut in, drawling slowly from the doorway. Ringo and Ryuya stepped further away from the teens as Sayumi walked in, a paper in one hand and the other….
"Ah… Sayumi-shishou?" Tomochika stepped towards the woman once, a hand held out as she hesitated.
The woman smiled coolly at the girl, her grey eyes calm despite the fact her other hand was wound in Saotome's red hair, tightly from the wince on his face. "Idiot-Shining is here to explain why he was such an asshole to Nanami yesterday." The paper went up in the air. "And this is a note from said girl. There was an emergency at her grandmother's, so she had to leave. Nanami did leave a number, though, and it's different from her usual cellphone."
"Can you call her?" Tomochika rushed out, stepping closer as she pressed her palms flat together.
Sayumi side-eyed Saotome. "If I let you go, will you run?"
"No." Saotome rushed out.
Humming, she slowly let him go, reaching into her jacket pocket for her phone and said absently, "If you do, I'll post nude pictures of you online."
Saotome gaped down at her, his hands frozen in mid movement through his hair.
The actress smirked slightly and held the phone out. Sayumi glanced at the male teachers, who were staring at her warily. "Can one of you close the door? And none of you speak, she left the number specifically for me." She gave the students a firm stare, waiting till they all nodded and Ryuya had shut the door to dial and put the phone on speaker.
Ring Ring Ring
There was a click. "Hello?" Hikari's voice seemed slightly muffled.
"Nanami," Sayumi greeted. "Shibuya is running around terrorizing people and Yajima is being dragged with her. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
A beat. "You mean I didn't message her? I could've sworn I wrote a text…"
Sayumi raised a brow at the phone. "Did you press send?"
A quick glance from the woman had Tomochika pulling her phone out. The redheaded girl shook her head silently and Daiki could see that Hikari hadn't sent a message since the day before.
"Well, crap," Hikari said and sighed through the phone. "Shishou, could you tell her I'm sorry? I really meant to message her."
"I will," Sayumi said easily and wiggled her free hand at Tomochika, who nodded with a sheepish smile.
"Uh, not to be rude, shishou," Daiki tilted his head at the sudden nervousness in Hikari's voice. "But was that all? I kinda- OH MY STARS, STOP IT!"
They all jumped at the shriek coming from the phone and Sayumi put the phone on a chair, tugging it in the middle of the group as Hikari continued shrieking.
"STOP FUCKING PECKING ME! SHITTY FEATHER DUSTERS, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Something similar to a wounded cat's yowl came over the line followed by air rushing through the speaker and then a loud crack.
Ichinose made a noise. "Did it hang up?
Sayumi shook her head just as there was a new noise over the line.
"Bu-bu-bucaaaawk." Tap tap tap
"STOP FUCKING FOLLOWING ME!" Hikari wailed.
"... chicken?" Otoya muttered. "Doesn't her grandmother have a farm?"
Tomochika nodded wordlessly.
-AA-
Hikari bolted to the fence, wincing at the cracking noise the phone made when it connected with the wooden frame of the chicken pen. Launching and scrambling up the fence, Hikari let go and fell into the pile of hay. She stared up at the sky before releasing a huge breath of air and groaned. "At least I got all the chickens out of the forest."
Wrestling out of the pile, she stumbled her way back to the farmhouse and removed the long and thick leather gloves. Hikari sat on the porch and kicked off the thigh high boots. Standing up on the wooden surface, she slid her slippers on and made her way inside. "Gran! I got your shitty chickens back in the pen!"
The laugh she got in response brought a small smile to her face at the familiarity and she walked into the kitchen, bouncing slightly at the sight of the veggie harumaki rolls, watermelon slices on a platter beside the rolls.
Aiko turned away from the fridge and placed a pitcher of lemon water on the table. "Go ahead and take a break. We'll take on the fields afterwards."
Beaming, Hikari crowed as she snatched up a few rolls. "Don't mind if I do!"
A cooing noise sounded from behind her and she swallowed just in time to get squished against her grandfather's front, nearly dropping the food. "Oyaji!"
"Teruki," Aiko addressed the man in a scolding tone. "If you make Hikari drop her food, I'll let her go after your stash."
Teruki gasped in shock and reeled away from the girl, toppling onto a nearby stool. "Darling, that's rude!"
Hikari's shoulders shook as she snagged a plate, the elderly couple bantering playfully with each other. Teruki was trying to weedle out the location of her Aiko's double chocolate chip cookies as he set out glasses and pouring the water. The older woman was easily ignoring his attempts, putting away some of the fruits.
"Ne, Kari?" She looked up from her mandarine to her grandfather, head tilting. "After the fieldwork is done, will you play one of your songs from the Academy?"
She blinked, but nodded with a swallow. "Sure. Did you want to hear the one with the boys singing or just on the piano?"
"The piano," Aiko swiftly replied and smiled sweetly at her pouting husband. "We can always buy the CD when it comes out, but we can't hear it only on the piano."
Another nod. "I can do that."
Teruki hummed as he stole a roll from her, earning a scowl. "So what do you plan to do with Saotome?"
A slow, mischievous smile made its way onto her lips. "I'm going to show him why it's not a good thing to mess with a greedy person."
Aiko eyed her. "Don't break anything. We won't pay for it."
"Of course not!" She pouted at the older, unphased woman. "I'm not like Shiori-nee or Kai-baka!"
"Mhmm."
"Gran!"
Otoya bounced off the train, getting out of his group mates' ways. "She's really okay with six strangers coming over?" He asked Ren curiously.
The strawberry blond nodded as he got off, the others behind him. "Yes, Aiko-san is alright with it…" He trailed off, blinking. Otoya tilted his head at the uncertain look on his face. "Should I be addressing her as grandmother?"
The redhead shrugged, slightly bemused. "I wouldn't know," he said honestly.
"Ask her first," Natsuki offered as the rest got off the train and began making their way to where they needed to go to get to the Nanami farm.
Masato peered at the directions with a frown. "Nanami-san said when we get off the train, we have to take a bus to an outpost, then walk the rest of the way. She said her husband will take us back to the station."
"Husband," Syo echoed before looking at Otoya. "Isn't that Hikari's Oyaji?"
They stopped and stared at each other for a moment. Tokiya slowly raised his hand, deadpanning, "We should let Ren meet him first."
"What?" The strawberry blond looked at him in confusion just as Syo and Otoya nodded, faces serious.
"We can sacrifice him to the craziness first," Otoya said.
Syo added, "Shiori-senpai said their Oyaji was the worst out of all of them."
"Don't I get a say in this?" Ren cut in, staring flatly at the two.
Said two looked at their other friends before they all chorused, "No."
They snickered at Ren's exasperated, "Why am I friends with you?"
He scowled at their snickers and smiles before making his way to the bus terminal area.
Otoya shared a wicked grin with Syo, whispering, "We should take the back of the bus if it's free and stick him in the middle."
The blond's shoulders shook. "Hikari's rubbed off on us too much." They hurried, neatly sliding their bus passes through the scanner and hurrying Ren to the back, ignoring his protests as they sat him down, squishing him between the two.
"This is very uncomfortable," the strawberry blond complained. "Why're you picking on me?" He gave them a sulky look.
Sharing glances, they tossed their arms around him and smooshed their cheeks together, beaming. "We love Ren!" They cooed simply and said teen sighed in exasperation.
"Why do I deal with you two?" He muttered and they snickered.
-AA-
Sitting at the piano, Hikari ran her fingers down the keys before beginning the melody for Maji Love 1000%. She could hear the faint tapping of her grandmother and grandfather as the beat played out.
Teruki whistled. "That's the song the gaki is having them debut? It's brilliant, Kari."
Aiko hummed in agreement. "What exactly did you plan for Saotome-san?"
Her fingers ran through the melody of her "Hey, Brother" and she pursed her lips. "Nothing, actually. I was just going to tell him he'd pay for trying to prevent me from being their songwriter and drive him nuts for a while trying to figure out my plan."
The old man let out a cackle. "That's my grandbaby! Now, what was the second song for them?"
"Well…" She began playing it, a wide grin coming to her face as six voices joined it.
"Thousands of times crossed over,
this one melody
is like knowing today…
We'll be…
My inner heart,
Maybe…
make it shine
We'll make your happiness with the lamp of constellations
And then
I want to convey it always
Let's be together
I want to believe
in our future
"Because you're not alone, right?"
Envelop us
Let us protect you
Truly, you are…
resounding within our hearts
With you, the names of the notes
in the world's best bouquet
This map points towards tomorrow
dyed in seven colors…
You're not alone…
Because you're not alone…
Broaden the map of the future."
After the last note rang out, she swept off the piano bench and flung herself at the nearest boy, Masato. "What're you guys doing here?!"
He returned it as Tokiya answered. "Shibuya was worried when she didn't get your message."
"It's nice to meet Hikari's grandparents," Otoya said, accepting the hug from her as Aiko and Teruki moved to hug a surprised Ren, who quickly returned it.
He smiled charmingly at the elder couple. "It's nice to meet more people who knew my mother."
"Ah, Renge-chan. She was a brilliant singer," her grandmother hummed and pulled back, tapping her chin. "I think I have a photo album of her and the others somewhere."
"It's in your hidden room," Teruki answered as he ruffled a bemused Syo's hair, Natsuki in a headlock with the other arm.
"Oh?" Aiko intoned, making Teruki freeze at the forbidding tone. "And how exactly would you know about that room? Te-ru-ki?"
The man released the blonds, swiftly disappearing out the door. "Oh, would you look at the time - I have to go water my turkeys! Bye, boys, it was nice meeting you!"
They stared and Hikari turned to Aiko, puzzled. "I thought you sold all the turkeys last week?"
Aiko dropped her frigidness and chuckled. "We did. Did you eat? We have stuff for sandwiches."
"Do you guys make you own bread?" Syo asked curiously, shrugging at their puzzled looks. "They have a farm, not really an unreasonable question."
"We do," Hikari answered, shooing them into the kitchen. "Everything we've got is good for an idol and actor/actress, so don't worry."
-AA-
Hikari stretched her arms out as she walked after her boys, slipping her shoes on and fixing her bag strap. "So, we go the leisurely route?" She peered up at Ren, who was beside her.
He glanced at the others and nodded. "Why not?"
"They have drinks, right?" Syo asked, leaning past Masato to look at her.
She nodded and finished tying her shoe. "Yeah. They've got both a food cart and a trolley. The food cart's got all the freshly cooked things and the trolley has things like bottled drinks and bentos. Snacks, basically."
The blond nodded. Hikari turned and hugged her grandparents. "I love you guys, take care."
"Love you, too, Kari. Be safe and drive the brat nuts!" Teruki said, squeezing her.
"That goes for you boys as well." Aiko hugged Ren once more. "Be careful."
"Of course. Thank you for the photo album," the strawberry blond said.
"You're welcome. Have a safe trip back."
The couple waved them off as they walked to the bus station. Otoya let out a whoosh of air. "You're really not going to do anything to him though?" He was referring to what they'd been speaking about in the house over food.
"Not a thing," she confirmed, looping an arm through Natsuki's and a hand into Syo's, swinging their hands. "It'll make more of an impact than setting up glitter bombs."
That startled a laugh out of them.
"Are we talking edible glitter or normal glitter?" Ren asked.
"Both. Ants love sugar and normal glitter would be everywhere." She snickered at the thought.
Hikari was waiting in the back, near where the members of STARISH would enter. She was dressed in a loose off the shoulder white shirt (STARISH's logo on it), a green tank top beneath it. A pair of black flats adorned her feet and a pastel yellow, knee-length skirt finished off her outfit. Her neck and wrists were covered with glow stick bracelets and necklaces.
Otoya reached her first as the boys made their way down the hall. Their hands met with a loud clap and they exchanged wild grins.
Masato was calmer as their hands met, but she could see the excitement shining in his eyes.
Ren was after the darker haired scion, their hands clapping together and her cousin pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before darting after Masato.
Syo smacked her hands enthusiastically, a bit sharp and he had a bounce in his step as he raced after Ren.
Natsuki's high fives were gentler and they shared bright smiles.
Tokiya was last and his were quick and light as he moved down the hall, glancing back at her with a quick finger gun at her.
Hikari herself moved through the halls, hearing them speak through their mics. She made it to the side, making sure she couldn't be spotted as she pressed her hands to her chest, the music ringing in her ears and a huge smile on her face.
"Beating so fast, seems like it'll burst, 1000% Love! Hey!
10! (Are You Ready?)
9! (Are You Ready?)
8! (Are You Ready?)
7! 6!
5! (Are You Ready?)
4! (Are You Ready?)
3! (Are You Ready?)
2! 1!
Come on, Let's song!
Let's sing of our dreams! (Let's shout!)
Let's sing to the sky! (Let's go!)
Let's make our story burst forth!
The map of the future! (Yes yes!)Let's draw it together!
This revolution (We are)
Let's go! (ST RISH)
Love will change the star!
Check it out!
A barely beating heart
Uh baby, an aggressive love's impulse
Which do you choose, my princess?
It's enough to make my head spin! 1000!
Why is it?
I am
overflowing with you!
My heart
is flustered!
A marvelous rave!
Just the two of us,
let's make up a constellation like nobody's ever seen!
More amazing
than a kiss,
let's create a world out of song!
Come on, Let's dance!
Let's dance our dreams! (Let's shout!)
Let's dance to the sky! (Let's go!)
Too much is just fine!
You ready?
A one-time (Yes yes!) special life!
This isn't (We are)
in any textbook! (ST RISH)
Love will change the star!
Check it out!
For tonight, it's just to two of us! 1000!
In a seven-colored compass,
Uh honey,it's yours alone,
a brand new melody!
We've found the "ish"!
All：That's why we want to convey it! 1000!
It's so strong,
this ringing is
knocking on the mind.
Believe heart
and then
Release it! Sing!
Full throttle chivalry
Surpassing Orion!
Shining more
Than a rainbow,
Let's kick it up another notch!
Come on, Let's peace!
Let's make our dreams soar! (Let's shout!)
Let's fly through the sky! (Let's go!)
Hey, isn't this the best time to go on a journey?
Even if we fail (Yes yes!) millions of times,
This love passion (We are)
Will never be crushed! (ST RISH)
Love will change the star!
Even now, I want to hold you close!
Because I seriously want to protect you!
Come on, Let's song!
Let's sing of our dreams! (Let's shout!)
Let's sing to the sky! (Let's go!)
Let's make our story burst forth!
The map of the future! (Yes yes!)Let's draw it together!
This revolution (We are)
Let's go! (ST RISH)
Love will change the star!
Check it out!
For tonight, it's just to two of us! 1000% Love!"
The next night, after the concert, Hikari dreamed.
-AA-
Leading her fellow ten-year-old along the tiny, rocky creek a bit past Gran's farmyard, Hikari pointed out a small bush to Haruka. "Look, Ruka-chan! I told you I found some!"
Small Haruka gazed at the flowers in awe. "Ri-chan… they're as pretty as Grandmother's sweet peas."
Growing in front of them were a bunch of forget-me-nots, all lovely pastel colors.
Hikari stepped down into the creek bed, leather sandals soaked quickly. She held a hand out to Haruka, who took it nervously. The other girl stepped carefully into the creek bed and crossed behind Hikari, moving closer to sniff at the forget-me-nots. "I kinda want to bring some with me, you know. For my windowsill."
"Actually, Ri-chan," Haruka spoke up, looking at Hikari sheepishly. "I have something for you back at the greenhouse."
Blinking, Hikari laughed. "That's alright. We can go ahead and head back." Once again offering her cousin her hand, she lead the way back to the house, bypassing the farmyard. Haruka lightly tugged on Hikari's hand and released it as she took the lead, opening the door and holding it open. The more fragile girl lead her to her area in the flower greenhouse.
Hikari squeaked in awe at the flowers. "Did you grow these on your own? … Hau-chan?"
Turning, she took in the sadly smiling teen. "Oh, Ri-chan…"
Said girl blinked in confusion, realising both were now teens, Haruka in her hospital wear. "H-Haru?"
"Look at the flowers again." Hikari shook her head, slow at first then rapidly.
"No. No no no-"
"Ri-chan, please." Haruka was crying despite her smile. She turned to look at them.
White and pink anemone flowers in two pots. Pink sweet peas in another. White poppies in the last.
"Haruka…" Her voice cracked as she turned to her cousin.
"Arigato, Ri-chan." Haruka moved and hugged her tightly. "Arigato, arigato, I love you, arigato, arigato, arigato…"
Otoya's a year older, because the age difference between him and Cecil is confusing and I hate it.
Songs are taken directly from the wikia since I got too distracted humming along to the song.