Mei awoke soundly on this Monday and got out of bed, stretching. She pulled aside the curtains, expecting to see the morning sun, but was greeted with pouring rain and lightning. She gave a heavy sigh, thinking about how disappointing this weather was - rain on her first day at the academy! She checked her phone to see if Hotaru had left any texts, but there was currently nothing. She tried calling Hotaru, but to no avail.
'Communications interrupted or prevented'
She was just getting mad now. Looking back out the window, she wondered just how bad the storm was, or if the first day would be set back. She gave a small groan, looking at the freshly washed Starlight Academy winter uniform hanging on the hanger, hoping she wouldn't have to wait another day to wear it.
It was then that she checked her recieved messages, and saw one from Starlight Academy received at about 7 in the morning. She played it back, and heard Orihime's voice
'To all the incoming students of Starlight, school is not cancelled in light of the storm. You will be joining us for your first day today.'
Mei gave a breath of relief, and finally felt the strength to get up out of bed. She then showered, dressed, and had breakfast.
"Remember to keep in touch." her mom told her.
"Mom, please, I'm only in the next city over. It's a 20 minute drive." Mei replied.
"You do good in school. And be sure to give me your autograph first when you become famous!" her mom told her, winking.
"I'll happily take you up on that." she said, winking back.
With her suitcase in tow, she grabbed the umbrella from the hook, giving a last wave before running out into the storm. It luckily wasn't as bad as she expected, but it was still a challenge to stay dry. She stepped in a rather large puddle, almost completely soaking through the boot and leaving her toes cold. She breathed deeply, trying not to get too angry, and just walked on~
"Hey Hotaru." Mei greeted her, rather crestfallen.
"Oh hi Mei!" Hotaru, on the other hand, was quite chipper in this weather. She enjoys cool and stormy weather for some reason, while Mei is all about sun.
"It's a wonder you can still be this excited, isn't it at least a little disappointing that we got a rainstorm on our first day?"
"How could this rain possibly be disappointing?"
"I still really don't get you." Mei sighed, giving her friend a weird half-smile before watching for the bus. A terrible smell wafted into their noses as the bus arrived. It was enough to make both of them almost choke, and Mei was never as happy to smell it as she was now.
After Mei happily tugged her things with her onto the bus, and a slightly less energetic Hotaru shortly followed suit, the two sat anxiously during most of the duration of the ride. As they came closer to Starlight, Mei began to perk up, while Hotaru started to slide down into her seat. She was trying to hide, and Mei noticed. She yanked her up by the collar, and she sank back down. This went in a cycle until the bus completely pulled into Starlight.
The school has set up temporary overhangs, so that the new idols would be able to mingle with both each other, as well as the older students. There weren't as many students outside, which meant they were probably hurrying the students inside the briefing hall to start the opening ceremonies.
"Are you ready?" Mei asked, giving Hotaru a wide grin as she picked up her suitcase.
"No, I am not ready." Hotaru muttered cynically, sinking as far in her seat as possible without causing her back any pain.
"Hey we already came this far! You can't just say 'I'm not ready.' We're going to this school whether you like it or not!" Mei responded sternly.
Hotaru simply replied with a sigh as she slowly sat up in her seat, grabbed her things, and trudged off the bus in the most unmotivated way possible. Mei shook her head, following Hotaru in a much more motivated fashion.
"I wonder who our mentors will be." Mei told Hotaru giving her a smile. Hotaru just shrugged. She then stopped as a familiar idol, Akari Ozora, ran up to her
"You're Hotaru, right? I've been assigned to be your mentor." Akari stated, giving Hotaru a slightly nervous smile. Hotaru stared in surprise for a couple of seconds, then slowly shuffled behind Mei. Mei gave her longtime friend a smile, and stepped to the side, and gave Akari a bow. "Hotaru is a shy person, please take care of her!"
"Oh, uh, of course!" Akari replied to her, walking over and putting a hand on Hotaru's back. "Follow me, I'll give you a tour."
Hotaru gave a small noise of shock, but followed Akari anyways, but not without giving Mei a look of fright first.
Mei waved at Hotaru as she walked away, turning around as she heard the sound of someone running over to her.
"Are-" the person took a moment to catch her breath, hunched over a little so that Mei didn't get a full catch of her appearance. "Are you Morishita?"
"That's me!" Mei assured her, making the person give a sigh of relief, bouncing upwards, giving a smile. Mei noticed who she was right away- Aria Hanazawa. She a top idol and in a popular idol unit already in just her second year at the academy. Her hair went to her mid-back, and was a combination of both fluffy and curly, with blocky bangs. Two ahoges curled downwards, clipped into place with butterfly hair clips, and had bright blue eyes with droopy eyelashes. She definitely fit the appearance of a Cute type idol.
"That's good! I'm Hanazawa Aria! I've been assigned to be your mentor, so you can ask me any questions and I'll do my best to help!" Aria gave a warm smile
"I know a lot about Starlight, but I'll sure to keep that in mind. Thank you." Mei said, giving Aria a smile. Aria nodded
"Well, let me show you to where the opening ceremony is! I'll show you the dorms afterwards." Aria said, leading Mei across the campus.
As she was led, Mei looked around the campus, trying to spot any popular idols she was familiar with. The ceremony was in the middle of campus, and the high schoolers would be attending, so it was completely possible. She saw a large ring of new idols surrounding someone who she couldn't see, as well of a glimpse of Miwa Satsuki leading a first year to the auditorium, but that was all.
"Ah, right here!" Aria suddenly stopped, gesturing to the building in front of her. Mei stared in shock at the size, it was bigger than most other buildings she's seen ever. "The first two rows are for first years!"
"Thank you!" Mei said, giving Aria a bow, then running inside, hoping to find a seat next to Hotaru.
The room inside was already packed with idols, with few seats not already taken. She walked through the large aisle towards the stage, trying to get a good look for not just hotaru, but to see what her fellow first years were like. She saw a girl with unbelievably long orange hair, Mei wondered to herself how hard it was to brush and wash. Another girl she saw seemed rather disinterested, looking around somewhat nervously. She spotted Hotaru, biting her lip as another first year tried to start a conversation, with an empty seat next to her. Mei hurried over, putting a hand on Hotaru's shoulder, making her jump.
"Sorry I'm late, I'm here now!" Mei said cheerfully, giving Hotaru a smile, who gave a weak one in response. Mei waved to the first year who tried talking to Hotaru, who gave a nod in return.
"Hello Starlight Academy students, our orientation will begin shortly." Came a voice from the stage, making Mei sit down and look up, giving a sharp intake of breath. There stood the headmistress, Orihime, past top idol. She knew she would meet Orihime, but now that she did, it felt like a dream.
"We are now to begin, please take your seats and remain quiet." She stated, giving a look to the right side of the stage, where Mei saw two rather famous figures. The first was Johnny Bepp, a professional dancer who taught both Masquerade and Mizuki Kanzaki, with the second being Akari Ozora, the current Starlight Queen
"I am very proud to not just congratulate our returning idols for progressing a year-" Orihime continued, "-but to also welcome our new first year idols to Starlight Academy. You have passed an extremely difficult entrance exam, and have been picked due to your light as an idol, and this is the largest class we've had in many years. So large so, that we had to enlist help from the third year middle-schoolers for orientation. For one skill or another, you have made yourselves stand out against the masses of applicants. Congratulations!"
The room erupted in applause, that Mei found herself clapping for. Orihime then nodded to Akari, who nodded in return and started walking stiffly across the stage, tripping midway on a chord. The first years all gave started gasps, while the rest of the room gave some form of an amused response. Akari recovered nicely, and continued across the stage, giving a wave.
"Hello ever-" she paused, realizing she was too close to the mic, giving an embarrassed cough. "Ah- sorry. Hello everyone! I'm Akari Ozora, Starlight Academy Queen. To all you first years- hello, its nice to meet you." She paused, giving a large, somewhat awkward, smile around the room. "Starlight Academy is a pretty hard place to get into, sorry if I'm beating a dead horse, but congrats for being accepted. I know it personally took me twice to get in. Everyone here is ready to help each and every one of you shine, so don't hesitate to approach any of us for help! Your mentors who have been assigned to you, your teachers, Headmistress Orihime, and myself, are all ready and willing to hear and answer any questions! Your classes start first thing tomorrow, so take today to familiarize yourself with the school grounds, and have fun!"
As Mei gave a final round of applause and Akari took a bow and walked off, and gave Hotaru a quick glance of excitement. This was really the start of her idol activities!
"As a final announcement." Orihime continued, silencing the room again, "The first years already have their first audition chosen. This year, the first years will compete to be the manager for the current Starlight Queen, Akari Ozora, for a day." Right away, the first year rows went into a buzz of excitement, Orihime crossed her arms with a grin. "I suggest you start your training soon, and be sure to approach your mentors for any help. Good luck, Starlight idols!"
Mei gave a huge sigh of relief, pushing open the windows to the dorm, then resting her elbows on the windowsill. "Can you believe it? It turned into such a nice day." She muttered, feeling tired all of a sudden. Hotaru turned around, a pillow in her arms.
"Outside or in general?" She asked, tilting her head, looking outside at the darkening sky.
"Both, I guess? I'm pretty nervous, an audition already." Mei sighed, watching the upperclassmen return to campus after a jog. "I guess I have appeals somewhat down, but my dancing…"
"I could help you with your dancing, if you'd like." Hotaru offered, setting the pillow she was holding on her bed. She glanced at the poster she had put on her side, of Sakura in her Premium Rare. "As long as you could help me with the appeals, maybe?" There was a light begging edge to her voice, making Mei groan.
"I don't know Hota, it just… happened, you know? It came off as second nature, almost, I guess. How did you dance so well, anyways?" Mei asked, turning around to face her friend, who just smiled in response.
"Second nature, I guess."
Mei snorted in response, then walking over and flopping onto her bed. "Well, maybe you'll learn tomorrow."
"And maybe you'll learn to dance."
INSERT EYECATCH
"Appeal!" The teacher commanded, and Mei watched as Hotaru attempted to form herself into Tops Wave form, but plummeted back to the trampoline unsuccessfully. She gave a half-agitated-half-upset noise as she jumped back up, receiving another command of Appeal and fumbling to bring her hand into a heart shape in time. "One more time!" the teacher shouted, making Hotaru nod and jump into the air, giving a shape shape prematurely, while her legs were still sprawled under her, making her fall faster.
"Not a bad go for your first day." The teacher said, giving Hotaru a nod. "Remember that timing is key for appeals, without timing you won't be able to perform one." She lectured, turning to the crowd of students. "Koizumi, you're up."
A smaller girl with long brown hair nodded, running up as Hotaru got off the springboard and slowly walked towards Mei.
"Brutal?" Mei whispered sympathetically, making Hotaru give a small nod as she watched the idol jump in the air, trying to form the assigned Tops Wave shape.
"If only this was as easy as dancing…" Hotaru signed, making Mei put a hand on her shoulder.
"First day, don't fret." She reminded Hotaru as the teacher looked over.
"Morishita, you're next." Mei ran up to the trampoline, and prepared to jump, "I hear you were one of only 2 to be able to perform an appeal during the audition. I expect great things from you."
Instead of making Mei more confident, this actually made her more nervous. She jumped up high, and went to do the Tops Wave. She didn't spin, but she did manage to get her arms in place.
"Not bad at all. Now can you do a special appeal?"
"Um, I'll try…"
She jumped up high again and tried to position her arms and legs at the same time, but failed to make it in time and fell down, unsuccessfully.
"For your first day, not bad at all. If you can get double-positioning down, you'll master appeals in no time."
She was delighted by this, "Alright!"
"Morishita, your vocals need work." The vocals teacher said, frowning. "Hakoniwa, show Morishita how its done."
Hotaru looked rather embarrassed over being singled out in this way, but did a simple do-re-mi scale. The teacher gave a nod, looking to Mei again. "Try once more."
"Do, re, mi, fa, so" she was straining her voice at this point, "la, ti, DO" her voice cracked on the last note.
"Not good at all. This is the most basic of skills! Try holding Fa."
Mei did this without struggle, but the teacher raised it up.
"Now try holding So."
When she tried to hold the note, her voice began to waver as she held it. The teacher gave a simple nod, telling Mei to continue working on it before moving to the next idol in line. Hotaru tried giving Mei a thumbs up, who only sighed.
"My voice cracked, and I stumbled during dance practice!" Mei groaned, falling backwards on her bed, glancing upwards at the poster of Otome Arisugawa, her favorite idol, that she hung on the wall earlier.
"It's only the first day." Hotaru consoled Mei, "and remember, I couldn't manage a single appeal and ended up near last on the run. All are major parts of being an idol."
Mei exhaled, "I'm going for a jog."
Mei had run from the front down to the pavillion, when she came to a stop. Standing under the gazebo were 2 girl that had to be her age wearing Dream Academy uniforms. From what Mei could see of them, the first was somewhat taller than her and had platinum blonde hair that was loosely curled, similarly to Mei's hair, but curlier. With her was a rather tall girl that had long bright blue hair, all in a loose braid, with lime green tips. Her fringe was very long tied back into the braid on the left and hanging past her chin in a loose curl. She wore black, rectangle frame glasses.
Mei wanted to find out who they were instantly. She jogged up to them and said, "Are you Dream Academy students? What are you doing here, at night of all times?"
"We came here because we heard that two auditioners had performed appeal during the audition. And if I am correct, you would be one of them?" The blue-haired girl asked, turning to Mei, revealing light blue eyes.
"Er, well, I did perform a normal appeal," Mei responded awkwardly.
"I knew it! I'm Kotone, and this is Miki," she said, referring to the blonde.
"Um…. hi…." Miki greeted her quietly, after turning to her revealing her own golden eyes.
"She's not good with introductions," Kotone said.
"Well, nice to meet you both, I guess?" Mei said, awkwardly again.
Suddenly Miki perked up. She walked towards Mei, "Your aura is rather strong."
"My aura?"
"Your idol aura. You smell like caramel."
"Does she?" Kotone cut in.
Suddenly Hotaru came running up behind, "Mei, it's near curfew, what are you doing out? Huh?" she noticed Kotone and Miki, "Who are you?"
"I'm Kotone, and this is Miki. We're here because we heard of the 2 students that performed appeals during the audition."
"You as well," Miki said to Hotaru, "You also have an idol's scent. Your's smells like vanilla."
"Thank you?" Hotaru said, confusedly.
"Oh man. She was right, it's near curfew. We should head back," Kotone said, suddenly hurriedly.
The two of them took off, leaving Mei and Hotaru standing in confusion.
The Next Day
It was the day of a very special audition. The winner of this audition, first-years only, would be the manager to the current Starlight Queen, Akari Ozora, for a day
"Today's the day. Let's give it all we got," Mei told Hotaru in determination.
"I'm afraid I'll lose, but we shall." They high-fived and ran to the changing rooms. After having changed into their school coords, they walked out to the stage to perform Let's Aikatsu. Mei was still only able to perform Tops Wave, and Hotaru was now able to do the same.
After all the performances ended, all the applicants stood in the waiting room. Headmisstress Orihime took the stage.
"Congratulations to all of our idols, you are all blooming wonderfully. However, we only have one winner." She flipped open the sheet that contained the winner's name, "Honda Amaya, congratulations!"
Mei turned her head to look at an idol with pink hair jump into the air celebrating, before turning back to Hotaru.
"We may have lost our first audition, but we will definitely pass the next!" She declared, giving the air a slight fist bump. Hotaru just watched and gave a nod, giving a quiet "Yeah!" as she put her own fist into the air.
Hey guys, it's mikurunatsukis. Sorry we couldn't get this chapter out sooner. School popped up and disrupted our schedules, but fear not. We are currently aiming to get out content as fast as we can, so be on the look out for more chapters to come.