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DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED
*Long Road by W-inds

*Idol Activity by Aikatsu

Momo's POV
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WANT TO BE AN IDOL!" Mom tackled me down at the dinner table with tears of happiness running down her face. I had just told everyone in the family that Shouta and I would participate in the auditions. Mom and grandma obviously loved the idea. Dad, on the other hand, looked a little more concerned.

"Momo, have you thought this through? Auditions are in a month. You haven't attended singing or guitar lessons in years. Idols go through high amounts of training every day. It's not all fun and games that your mom makes it looks."

Mom quickly regained her composition and looked me straight in the eyes. "That's right. Aikatsu is no laughing matter."

"I know that. Aikatsu is something all of you devoted a good part of your life too but I still want to try. When Shouta-kun told me that I should try to become an idol I felt something stir in me. Something that told me that I could be one."

"You can't base such an important decision on one compliment. Some people won't compliment you as an idol. There are times when people will criticize you on the slightest of details. They can disregard everything you worked for over nothing. Can you handle that?" I was shocked at the way mom talked to me. This was the first time mom spoke like this. With a commanding voice. All my life I knew her to act laid back and carefree. Aikatsu was just that important to her. My hands held each other tightly.

"I just don't want to live in your shadows anymore." I whispered. Everyone looked stun as mom slowly moved back into her chair. "I have no friends at school because all they want to talk about are my parents. I quit singing and guitar because they always said that you guys were better or that I was truly was your daughter. How was I suppose to enjoy that?" My hands relaxed. "Then I found Shouta-kun. Someone that was able to inspire me and vice versa. His compliment made me happy not because he said I was good but because he made me believe in actually being able to be more than you guys. It may be just one compliment but it was the first time that anyone complimented me for me. I want to be an idol that shines better than the Star couple. Is that so wrong?"

The table was silenced. "I think it'll be a good idea." My ears perked at grandma suddenly speaking up.

"Mama!"/ "Ringo-san!" Mom and dad said at the same time.

"Why should we hold her back? Ichigo, you became an idol after Mizuki-chan. Naoto-kun, we went into music because we loved it. Momo's going in for a different reason. To prove who she is. If you guys tried to hold her back she'll only go through life wondering. I held back telling Ichigo about my Masquerade days because I didn't want to influence her decision. Momo doesn't have that advantage but she was still able to make the decision on her own. Aikatsu is hard work but it can be wonderful as well. Don't you agree?"

Mom and dad looked at each other. Dad shrugged his shoulders leaving it to mom to make her decision. I sat with my back straight. She pouted her lips a bit then let out a little sigh. "I really did love being an idol. Momo if you're serious then we'll support you. It's been a while since I saw you so excited about anything. My usual reserved daughter finally spoke up for herself. Your three fans will support you then. I'm sure Raichi and Noelle-chan will back you up too."

Everyone gave me a supportive smile. "Thank you mom, dad, grandma. I'll make sure to try my best. Starting today!" I finished my dinner in a hurry. After placing my dishes in the sink I ran up the stairs.

"What are you going to do?" Dad yelled. I stopped halfway up, looking through the railing.

"To study the lyrics and dance. I told Shouta-kun that we would start tomorrow." I continued my run.

"Wait! What do you mean by stud-" I slammed the door closed before dad could finished. I needed complete focus.

The next morning I woke up early to start training. I knocked on Shouta's door. We gave each other our contact information yesterday so that we properly arranged a training time. We settled on early in the morning. Shouta made that obvious when he, half asleep, opened the door. He covered his mouth while yawning only snapping awake once he realized that I was already ready. "S-Suzukawa-san! Sorry! I'm not use to waking up so early on the weekends." He bowed in guilt.

I planned for us to meet up around 6 am not counting the bus time needed to travel to Shouta's house on the other side of the town. Last time I checked it was a bit past 6:30. A bit later than I wanted but good enough. I would just need to re-calculate for tomorrow. Looking over to see how drowsy Shouta was, it was probably best to stick to his preferred schedule. "Morning to you too but drop the formalities. We'll be working together for a while so it'll be best if we get along."

He raised his head blushing a little. He turned around to lock the door, mishandling the keys a little almost dropping them. "Th-that makes sense... Momo-san." He whispered my name. Though he wasn't facing me I could tell that he was still blushing. It was still a little formal but a working progress.

He gestured for me to lead the way. However, I did not know my way around this part of town so he had to walk slightly ahead to the neighborhood park. The sun had only begun to rise yet was still bright enough for the automatic lamp posts to turn off. Morning dew was developing on the leaves mixing in with the light mist giving off a tranquil feeling. Great time for exercise when there were less people around and no heat bearing sun.

We had already discussed the schedule for our training yesterday night. First we would start with light exercises to warm up the body and build up our stamina. Second we would work on the song. Finally would be learning and perfecting the choreography. Since I knew more about idols I also made sure to include some breaks in between so that I could help him with some fundamental lessons like clothes coordination and the Aikatsu system. For now we planned to focus on the basics.

After about 10 minutes of jogging it was apparent that Shouta wasn't the athletic type. He was panting heavily trying to keep up with me. His chanting 'Aikatsu' was just getting worse. I slowed down my pace jogging beside him. "Break?"

"Agreed." He fell to his knees wiping the sweat off his forehead. I grabbed his hand pulling him back to feet.

"Remaining stationary after exercising is flagrant. Judging by your panting you're at your VO2 Max. At this point your carbon dioxide concentration is prohibiting the excretion of other otiose products like lactate acid. Thus an accumulation in the muscles, accruing prospective lesion and et cetera." He looked at me with his head tilted and eyebrows scrunched together. I could already picture little question marks floating around his head. "In simple words, we should always cool down after exercising to avoid possible injuries. How about a short walk?"

I released his hand to grab my phone and earbuds out. I gave him one earbud and put the other in mine. Shuffling through my playlist I found the song to play. After he put the other bud in his ear I clicked play. "Long road?" He questioned.

I nodded. "Its best to make use of all the time we have rather than wasting it. Long Road is the song for the boy's audition so we'll listen to it together and Idol Activity later. How does that sound?"

"I'm okay with anything as long as I can catch my breath."

"You did well for your first day. You might be a little sore for a while though. You'll get used to it." I looked at my phone watching the timing. "Listen to this part again." I re-winded the song a few seconds. "Hear how there is a small pause between the first verse and the chorus? I think that this was meant to be a part for the special appeal. Since we can't do that yet I was thinking you could do an adlib to fill it in. That way you hype it up before the main section."

I took out my earbud handing over my phone for him.

Iki saki tsugeru kumo ga. I counted in my head to the melody, marking the dance down making sure to just get the gist. At this point I was glad that there weren't a lot of people around.

Kaze ni chigirete wakareteku

Ano hi kimi ni sayonara sae iezu

Soshite miushinatta yume mo, woahh. I paused my dance not finding the need to continue further.

He dragged his finger across the screen, replaying a bit more before the part. I could hear him humming his part while his fingers tapped on his thigh. A paradigm in musicians. Though his guitar plucking could use some work last I heard, his musical sense was still impeccable. "I think that could work. It fits in nicely. I would need to practice the pitch and timing a little but it could also make me stand out."

"That's the point. Still, we have to be careful and find the perfect balance. With everyone having the same song and choreography the judges look for someone that's able to stand out from the norm within limited barriers. Most people would stick to set lines that they are platitudinous. Others would go out of line to stand out that they appear recalcitrant and ostentatious-" I cut myself of when I saw his eye twitch in confusion. "They are seen either as boring or uncooperative and attention seeking, all unqualified qualities for an idol. That's why balance is important."

"I've been thinking this for a while but Momo-san must have been top of her grade, aren't you? You were even able to dance to Long Road even though it was my audition piece. Your vocabulary and preparation skills are way beyond me."

"It's not that hard to develop. Without singing and guitar in my life I didn't really have anything else to do in my spare time. I would help out in my grandma's slash mom's bento shop every once in a while. That was pretty much it. No friends plus no hobbies equals extra study time. Besides I was marking the dance. Simple as that."

"Regardless of reason, I think that you are amazing." He handed me back my phone. I looked at his face studying his eyes. He look down to the ground with his corners of his lips pointed slightly up.

"Is there something else you want to say?" I haven't know Shouta for long but he wasn't the hardest person to read. Whenever he was nervous he would stutter and blush. By complimenting me with a straight face, he was either full of confidence or hiding something.

"E-eh?" He flinched. Awkwardly he rubbed the back of his neck. "W-well um, how do I say this?" I gave him a second to process his words "When you were demonstrating the dance I felt as if you were kind of just doing the dance. There was nothing behind it. That could have been because you were marking or because you didn't practice my part that much, but I think Aikatsu should be more fun."

My mind clicked. Whenever mom and grandma would talk about Aikatsu there was a smile on their faces. With all of my studies I didn't bother to hang out with people and I never thought that it would affect my social skills. If I was going to be an idol I needed to not only perform my best, I would need to be more open to the audience. Shouta's singing, though needing work, wasn't the part that drew me to him but the emotion behind it. Showing his emotions was second nature to him, opposite from myself. "You're right. I'm so used to just sticking to fundamentals that I dove straight to studying for the audition. Aikatsu is supposed to fun."

I pinched both of my cheeks, shaking my head to get rid of the stiffness in my face. "Thanks. You need to loosen up a bit too. I told you that we would be together for a while so don't be so tense. I think that we make a good combination. With your emotionally expressions and my techniques, we'll get into Starlight no doubt."

"How was it?" I asked as Shouta exited the interview room with heavy shoulders. The audition consisted of three parts, a small interview, coordinating an outfit then the performance. Shouta had just finished his interview portion.

"No good. I'm pretty sure that I said all I needed to but they couldn't possible understand through all of my mumbling and stuttering. I don't even remember most of it. I probably rambled on like usual. Did you even see those other people in the lobby? They were all wearing fashionable clothes and were practicing with no trouble." He gave out a sigh. "I don't think that they would want someone like me to be an idol."

"I think that it gives you edge over the others. You were honest with yourself. The main purpose of the interview is to get an essence of your character. By being shy you set yourself to be a lower dog until you stand up on stage. Once on stage nothing else matters but the performance. You're sure to blow them away for that."

"Number 27092. Entree number 27092. You're up." I gave Shouta a quick pat on the shoulder before walking over to the audition room attendant. He checked my number before letting me walk into the room.

The room consisted of four judges, including Headmistress Aoi and three others that I only recognized from visiting dad at work once. They sat together by a long table with a few papers in front of them. Next to them was one cameraman on standby. The camera was facing a single chair that was meant for me. I walked over with full control on my body to the chair. "Hello. My name is Suzukawa Momo, fourteen years old, auditioning to be first year Starlight student." I bowed.

"Suzukawa-san, this is a standard interview so there is no need to be worried." Aunty Aoi started. Though I met Aunty Aoi on many occasions, it was obvious that we would need to remain professional.

I gave a nod taking my seat. "Great. So Suzukawa-san, what makes you think that you can be an idol?"

"I was recommended. Another one of the contestants, Higawari Shouta, and I said that we would become idols together for the point of reaching our goals. Over the past month we have been practicing to our limits, learning and having fun with Aikatsu. I don't believe that I have the right to become an idol over others that practiced for most of their lives. I just believe in the fact that I worked hard to earn the confidence I have to sit in this spot. I think I can be an idol because I have people supporting me."

"Higawari Shouta-kun was the timid boy that came in a little while ago, was he not? The idol world is harsh and to rely on each other so heavily can be hard. If you cannot stand on your own then you might not be able to make it. If you two did not did not meet then would you have become an idol?" Another teacher asked.

"No." I answered without hesitation. "We became a pair because of our complimentary personalities. He was missing the fundamentals for Aikatsu meanwhile I was missing a way to connect with others. Idols may have to stand on their own at times but that is not that way all the time. Being alone all the time it gets drab. I would know from personal experience. By learning from Shouta-kun I learned to enjoy my time doing something other than studying. I would not have become an idol without him because it wouldn't have been enjoyable."

The teachers smiled among each other. "Higawari-kun said the something along those lines as well. That he wouldn't have thought to be an idol without you by his side. What a nice pair they are." Aunty Aoi said to the other teachers to which they agreed.

"Suzukawa-san, we just have one more question. You mentioned a goal for yourself, why do you want to be an idol and do you believe that sheepish Higawari-kun could actually help you achieve that?"

"When I started training I was filled with passion that I haven't felt in a long time. My goal is to show people that I'm more than my parents but if I have fun along the way, I won't fight against it. I would like to correct you on one statement though." I felt a smug smile come on my lips. "But I'm going to leave it up to Shouta-kun to show you how 'sheepish' he can be. If anyone is going to be by my side during this adventure, it's going to be him."

Their eyes widen at my statement. Aunty Aoi was the only one that looked intrigued in what both of us could bring. "Thank you, Suzukawa-san. We look forward to both of your performances." I stood up, bowing once to them.

"Thank you for your time."

I adjusted my head piece for the Aikatsu measurement system. Right now was the boy's performance auditions. After training with Shouta I could tell when they made little mistakes. Some boys messed up their footing or couldn't keep up with their levels of stamina. Others would perform perfectly with extra flare that their spots were assured.

"Next up entree number 13023, Higawari Shouta." A small round of applause was given to him. Appearing out of the floor he stumbled to get into starting position. He wore dark forest green pants with a black blazer, the left half being green and black checkered, over a white shirt. 'Nice coordination.' I thought. I was most worried since I couldn't help him out that much in the coordination aspect but he did pretty well on his own.

I caught him shaking a little until he saw me in the audience. I gave him a small thumbs up which eased him a little.

Yume ga tayasuku ieta koro

Chizu mo tokei mo sakasa ni miteta

Kimi o mitsumete dakishimete. I chuckled to myself remembering how nervous he was for this line where the dance move was to hug oneself. He would roll himself into a ball complaining that it was too embarrassing. Now he was confident on the stage to perform the simple dance part.

Dakedo honto wa jibun sagashiteta

Iki saki tsugeru kumo ga

Kaze ni chigirete wakareteku

Ano hi kimi ni sayonara sae iezu

Soshite miushinatta yume mo, woahh. I gave an approving nod when he filled in the silence gap with the adlib we practiced with. This was the start of the main part. He grinned widely at himself letting his aura flow out. Though smaller than the one I saw before yet still noticeable. Green lights only floated around him, spreading throughout the stage.

Nakusu mono sae nani mo nai kara

Aruite yukeru mou furi mukanai de

Itsumo no michi mo nemurenu yoru mo

Subete ga asu eto tsunagatteiku

On my own road.

The song finished off with a Shouta adding in his dance movement, a wink before taking a step back pointing down the road he laid for himself. A move he thought of on his own. I looked over to the judges whispering to each other. No doubt that they were impressed in his skill. He bowed at a full 90 degree angle once he finished. Shouta smiled brightly finally being able to stand on the stage.

I stood in front of the table with Aikatsu cards laid out on top. I would have to choose a top, bottom, and shoes card. From the looks it, most of the cards were a different variety of the Torte coord with a few extra basic cards. Coordination wasn't in my strong suits so I would have to stick to the simpler ones. I took in the blue-gray Torte coord combination. Though it would appear to be an extremely dark image with my black hair, my gold eyes would stand out better. It would also set the basis of my rock image that I inherited from my dad.

I went over to the change room with the cards in hand. 'This is only the start of my Aikatsu.' I placed each card its rightful spot. The machine opened letting me enter.

"Entree number 27092, Suzukawa Momo." I stood on the stage with the judges and Shouta all in view. I took one deep breath.

Sā! Ikō, hikaru mirai he hora, yume wo tsurete

Pocket ni hitotsu, yūki nigirishime hashiri dashita ano michi

Shiroi shirts, kaze nabiki

Toberu yo doko made mo

Tama ni wa naki mushi no kumo

Taiyō ga warai tobasu

Nakama datte toki ni wa, rival shinkenshōbu yo. This was the start. I needed to step up my game. My Aikatsu couldn't start off like this. I don't want it to start like this.

Idol (Idol), Katsudou! (Katsudou!)

Go Go Let's go! (Go Go Let's go!)

Goal ni mukatte

Hashiritsuzukeru kimi ga mieru

Fight kureru!

I ended off with the signature heart hand motion, giving a smile that Shouta help me show off. I panted heavily feeling some sweat develop on my forehead. Applause erupted around me but I was stuck with one thought.

Shouta and I stood in Starlight main hall flooded with nervous people waiting for the results. Shouta wouldn't stop pacing back and forth that I was convinced that he would leave marks on the floor. He silently mumbled to himself some words of panic. I only caught a few things like him encouraging himself then quickly basing himself. I tried to calm him down but I was in no spot to help him when he couldn't hear me over his mumbles.

"Momo-chan!" I looked away from Shouta finding Uncle Raichi shuffling through the crowd. He walked over to me with his camera and notebook in hand.

"Uncle Raichi. Covering the auditions for the paper?" Uncle Raichi was a reporter for the newspaper. Though he focused on idols for the most part, he also covered some important articles. He had a range from idols to serious cases. One I remember a few years back was his article on the mental processes of people going through stress. It was different than his usual topics but still informative and well written. Mom was extremely proud of him that she showed me a few Aikatsu articles that he wrote with Aunt Noelle, who became a kindergarten teacher, when they were younger.

"Yup." He snapped a photo of me. "When Onee-chan told me that you would be auditioning I didn't really believe it." He looked over to Shouta pacing. "Your friend really does an idol scent as well. Both of you guys did really well."

"Well I can name one thing that I did wrong out there."

"Really? Your dance and singing seemed fine. Like a real idol."

"Well for one thing I-" I was cut off when Headmistress Aoi broadcasted her face on the main screen. Uncle Raichi snapped a few photos of her saying something about her being amazing. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Everyone. I really am glad that so many people came out to audition today. Many people shined brightly today that my heart won't stop beating. Idols really are something special." She gave an idol wink with her catch phrase that caused Uncle Raichi to snap more pictures. "Unfortunately, the idol world has a very narrow path. So after careful consideration and input, we were able to select the next generation of Starlight idols. Congratulations to all and I look forward to everyone's future Aikatsu."

Her face disappeared being replaced with a list of numbers. Looking down the list I first found Shouta's number. My heart was loud until I found my number near the middle. I gave a breath of relief as Shouta rested his arms on my shoulder, finally losing all of his strength. I gave him a pat on the head for his hard work. Though I wanted to celebrate I only knew one thing. 'Why couldn't I perform a special appeal like mom could during her audition?'