DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN AIKATSU NOR THE SONGS USED
*Blue Moon by Hoshina Utau
Momo's POV
I shook my head at Fumiko who was reading the list with me. "We should be getting to class." I read through the list of offers one last time crossing my arms. I tilted my head side to side before letting out a sigh. I turned on my heel heading to class having her follow. I went to my spot in the classroom with Fumiko sitting on my desk. I took out my class materials arranging them as I placed them on the desk.
"Honestly you're being too picky. How can you not find anything? We were looking at the board for almost 10 minutes." While I took my seat, Shouta opened the door letting a few girls quietly squeal at his roommate beside him. Shouta was fixed on being formal in saying goodbye by bowing to Snapshot, who just laughed at him. After winking to a few other girls in the classroom he said his goodbye. Shouta was caught in the middle making him embarrassed at his actions.
"Good morning Momo-san, Fumiko-san." He bowed to us before taking his seat.
"Ah! You haven't done it yet either! What's the with you two?" Fumiko pointed at him somewhat pulling herself a little on my desk to get closer. He looked at me pleading for some help with his hands up in fear.
"She's just complaining that we haven't debuted yet." I turned to Fumiko ignoring her pouting face. "You shouldn't scare Shouta-kun. Besides I fail to detect why you're so flustered by it. It's not like there's an expiration date for it."
"It's because everyone is waiting for it. It's already been over a month. Don't you hear the news around the both you? You guys are the most anticipated idols nowadays. Everyone's craving to see what exactly you guys are capable of. That includes me too. All we've seen is your Starlight entrance test and everyone's already super excited. I'm sure Hayate would say the same thing if he was here. I should have asked him when he was dropping you off." Of course I knew that people were anticipating it. My Kirapatter itself was loaded with messages asking for the next occasion they'll be able to watch me perform. Shouta's was nothing less from what I've assumed.
"Um-" Shouta slightly raised his hand. "I already signed up for something."
"Really? What is it?" I was in shock since this was the first that I've heard of it. After being Snapshot's assistant last week Shouta was taking a few steps to becoming an idol. He fumbled a bit with his Aikatsu phone looking still unfamiliar with the unusual device. True, the Aikatsu phone was more complicated than the typical Japanese phone as extra applications were specifically implemented for idols only. That made it easier so that most people wouldn't accidentally sign up for random events. After a bit of struggling he handed the device to me. Fumiko leaned her weight onto my shoulder trying to read it.
My eyes widen at the bar at the top of the description. "Shouta-kun did you read this thoroughly?"
"A-A few times to double check that I wanted to do it. W-why? Is something wrong?"
"This isn't a first-year test. See on this top bar? It tells who it's recommended to. SL 2-3, DA 2-3, ETC stands for both Starlight and Dream second to third years and independent idols. Meaning that no first years should be taking it." He snatched his phone out of my hands. I watch his eyes move back and forth reading the sign again.
"Can you please cancel it for me Momo-san!" He held his phone tightly.
"I can't do that. The only person that can deny your application is the event planner. You can try calling them if you're desperate, but they can reject your pleads depending on the amount of participants. If the count is low they may decide to keep people in to establish that it runs smoothly. And considering that they accepted a first-year student, it doesn't look that good on the participant count. Fumiko was lucky to catch an easy break." The colour paled from his face as soon as I finished my sentence. He dropped his head onto his desk losing all strength.
"Well it can't be too hard. What's it for anyways?" Shouta grudgingly gave his phone to Fumiko. She read it and looked at me. "He'll be fine. It's an audition for songwriters. Doesn't he already write his own songs? Sure, it's harder facing against the upper years who had a year or more experiences than him and, sure, he's a rookie with barely a month of training but- actually. I never heard anything that he wrote. Hey, are you any good?"
I facepalmed myself at her bluntness. Shouta repeatedly mumbled that he was an idiot to himself making her realize her mistake. "I mean- hey Momo what was your mom's debut audition? I'm sure she had difficulty in choosing one. Not as much difficultly that Shouta may have-" She slapped her hand over her mouth to stop from going on further. I sighed deciding to play along with her attempt at changing the subject.
"Mom's? That would be the one with Aunty Ran. Wait. Now that I reminisce about it its almost that time of the year. Hmm but that doesn't suit me either. Neither of those to say." Fumiko and Shouta looked between one another in confusion. Before they could question me further, dad walked into the classroom. Fumiko jumped off waving at us that she'll catch us later. Dad settled his stuff onto his podium while the other students got into their seats. He cleared his throat once.
"Good morning everyone. To start off class I have an important announcement to say. As per tradition there is a special audition that takes place at the beginning of every year. Since most of you have already gotten used to the scene Headmistress Aoi decided that this was the perfect moment to bring it up. As you should know, Takahashi Charlotte is the current Starlight Queen and so this audition is for everyone to receive a chance to become her manager for a day." The class started excitedly talking to their friends on the opportunity. Shouta connected the dots looking at me. I nodded at him communicating that's what I meant by mom's first.
"Yes, yes it's all very exciting. Both first year classes are eligible, so you can sign up for it using your Aikatsu phones as usual once classes are finished for the day. They will take place in a week, so everyone please prepare well. That's all. We will be beginning class now."
"We're going to be real rivals this time, Momo. I need to go all out against you. I ask nothing but the same attitude towards me." Fumiko held up her Aikatsu phone to present that she had signed up for the Starlight manager audition. I looked at the number of students signing up as the numbers continued to rise as soon as classes ended. It's been a couple of hours since then as most students ceased their practice for the day and came into the cafeteria with us for dinner.
"Well that would be true if I was signing up." I took out my phone to show that I hadn't signed up for anything. She grabbed my phone holding it still making sure that she was reading it correctly. I pulled it away putting it back into my pocket.
"Why not? This is the opportunity that barely anyone has a chance to do. Being Charr-chan's manager would be a chance to witness how difficult being Queen is. I mean Headmistress Aoi already warned us it was going to get busier throughout the years so why not learn the feel for it at the start? I watch Charr-chan on TV almost every day, so she must have a busier life. I thought that you would have wanted a hands-on experience."
"It's not really a 'hands on experience.' The whole premises is meant to exhibit the high amount of work that idols have to do on a daily basis. Being a manager is different in the aspect that you are basically shadowing her for a day. She won't be necessarily be teaching you either. A manager must be on top of her needs along with being a representative of who she is. Takahashi-senpai is already self-produce/ managed. There's not loads that you'll be doing. The most would be to learn manners and roles in the field."
"You're too negative. At least I'm going out to see the different fields. You saw how well Shouta is doing after he was 'voluntold' to assist Hayate. Besides, the fact that I'm participating in an audition would be a good way to promote myself. Unlike some peopleee." She stretched out her words with her eyes clearly delivering her message.
"I just want my first audition to be something important. Something to set the basis of my image of who I want to be. Not rushing out just because my roommate tells me to." I took a bite of my meal.
"And what basis would that be?" I hummed in thought. I wanted people to learn who I was. Exactly who that was the real question. The words that I would use to categorize myself was intelligent or maybe astute. Nothing major. There was a lot that I had to learn regarding myself. Besides where my interests lied it was hard to understand what exactly my personality was.
"How would you describe me?"
"Beautiful, brilliant, talented, unique, shall I go on?" A male voice came from behind me. Recognizing the different accent on his words I knew that it was Snapshot. I didn't have to turn around having him take a seat next to Fumiko with his tray of food.
"Where's Shouta-kun? Weren't you guys in vocal classes together?" Classes like vocal and dance separated the genders to make it easier to compensate the different capabilities that differed us.
"He went to talk to Headmistress Aoi regarding the problem with his audition." He held back a laugh. "Honestly Dobu-kun would be completely lost if it wasn't for you."
"Shouta's enthusiasm is kind of cute. I think that Momo would be cuter if she at least tried to debut. Wouldn't you agree Hayate? That Momo should follow in our footsteps or she'll be left behind. That people are genuinely waiting for her to show off her skill. Tell us your honest feelings because no one here is going to hold that against you." Fumiko leaned into him with wide eyes. Even the extremely flirtatious Snapshot had felt uncomfortable with her randomly invading his personal space with such bug eyes. He slowly turned his head towards me without poking the beast.
"Momo-chan's debut? She should do it at her own pace. She's already cute enough as it is." Fumiko glared at him as he didn't agree with her point. "Well there's no point in charging right into it. She probably needs to make a clear, definite performance to display something that she enjoys. Why? Were you considering something?"
I shook my head, Fumiko shaking her's more furiously. "Really? Not even the Queen's manager one? Pretty much everyone in my class signed up for that one. I went to the practice room earlier and there was a bunch of first years practicing. That includes the courtyard being filled up. Everyone is super stoked to at this chance."
"She isn't Starlight Queen for no reason. Wait, if a bunch of people are practicing I should go too. I wouldn't want to fall behind." She shot up grabbing her tray. I stood up grabbing her by the shoulders and pushed her into her seat. I used my chopsticks to point at her two bowls of food.
"Finish your food before running off. Then wait at least 30 minutes before attempting to exercising. There are other ways to prepare than to rush into battle. One thing is to ensure that you eat a proper meal. Not only is it improper to exercise after eating, it's worse to waste food that the cafeteria workers made for you. Do not waste your energy or food." I sat down to finish my own meal. Fumiko grumbled like a sad child eating her dinner.
"She's right. Modelling takes a huge toll on your diet habits that sometimes I can go a full day with a few apples. I would feel lightheaded for the entire day and it just ruins everything. The people training were almost passing out last I checked. You should take care of your body before signing up for such a competitive event."
"So, are you going to try out to be her manager as well, Hayate?" He shook his head.
"Nah, if I wanted to learn to be a manager I would learn from Rika-chan instead. I'm kind of exhausted from my fashion showcase drama so I might focus on my idol side of me for the moment. As someone said, my skills are, nonetheless, lacking in that department." He said making direct eye contact with me.
"The fact that you are exhausted demonstrates your hard work. Taking a break is important as well. Something that Fumiko needs to learn to do." She stuck out her tongue at me. "You can't deny that it's false. You literally exhausted yourself last week trying to debut. Honestly I need a break as well after all the hassle you brought upon me."
"You said that you would help me out. It made us bond faster and you can't deny that." I chuckled at her taking a spoonful of rice. I was in the middle of chewing seeing Shouta walk into the cafeteria. I waved at him to reveal that we were here. I thought that he would at least go to grab some food for himself, but he came directly to us. He moved slowly sitting with a solemn look on his face. The three of us looked at each other as he sat there not moving. I quietly moved my head somewhat in front of him.
"What did Aunty Aoi say?" He shook his head.
"The same as you. There was nothing that she could do and since I did mention that I have experience in composing, there's no reasonable way to explain that I can't enter. Especially considering that the details did say that it was meant for upper years. If she were to call, it wouldn't make a difference if she is the Headmistress." He let out a groan, hugging his bag. I placed my untouched salad in front of him.
"You'll do fine. Do you have any ideas on what you're planning to write?" He poked a bit at the salad with the fork.
"No. I have a few ideas that are unpolished, but I don't have the motivation to finish them. I think that I'll try to make one by scratch. Ahhh I have no clue on where to start! My head is spinning just thinking of a melody. I'll also need to find a place to record a sample track, but I don't know if they'll let me if I don't have anything to present to them. This is becoming such a mess and I only have six days to figure it out!" I took advantage of him panicking to put a forkful of salad into his mouth. Everyone jumped at my action.
"Both you and Fumiko need to learn the importance of food. It was one of the most important and repetitive things that mom taught me growing up. If it's a studio that you need then I know one that you can use. All you need to do with your worry is put it into the song." I pulled the fork out finishing my sentence. He rushed to eat it, covering his mouth with his hand.
"You can actually find me a place to record?"
"Well I have to give a call beforehand but I'm certain that he would be happy to lend you one room for a little while. He's always willingly to help me out so he will just love you. It's close by so it shouldn't be that big of a problem for you to work in. Once you finish the salad and pick up at least one bowl of rice then I'll give him a call." Shouta dashed out of his seat to get into line. He returned out of breath that he prevented him from stuffing himself.
"Momo-chan is kind of like the mom of this group. She makes sure that we are well fed and to calm us down if we're panicking." The two eating their dinner were quick to agree. Shouta stopped nodding to replace his smile with a serious look. It could have been because there was the remaining stress of the audition on his mind. I almost let it be when Fumiko noticed as well.
"Come on Shouta, lighten up she got you a studio to record. A real professional place. Isn't that good news? What better support do you have than Momo? I can't name any music studios around here besides the ones on campus." Out of the corner of my eye it looked like Shouta had flinched at her words yet viewing him a second after, he seemed completely normal.
"I-if it's not too much of a trouble." I raised an eyebrow at him. It was normal for him to be nervous and considerate of other people, but he was holding out on something again. It was a problem that he still had difficulty in opening up. Not to mention myself included.
"No torment engendered by, as Fumiko put it in precedent, your cute alacrity." Fumiko and Snapshot raised their arms to make an x. Shouta tilted his head.
"Do you mean that there's no problem? O-or am I completely off?" The two confused ones were surprised that he understood me and looked to me to determine if he was right.
"Very close, on the contrary. Fumiko just mentioned that your alacrity, meaning eagerness, was cute and it doesn't bring a problem to us." They clapped for him making him blush and eat some rice to cover his face.
"How did you do that? Once she said torment I completely blanked out knowing that her incredible high level of vocabulary is not to be compared to mine." Snapshot stated.
"Um it was kind of in context. Momo-san wouldn't openly say that it was a problem even if she wanted to. It was kind of a guess." I applauded him too finding it nice to have him understand me a bit better so that I wouldn't have to explain everything I say. He didn't follow every word I said but it was a nice display of how close we were.
"So, it's settled. I'll give my Uncle King a call later today to ask if he has some time tomorrow after classes." I jumped as Fumiko started choking on her food. She pounded on her chest to calm herself down as Snapshot handed her glass of water to her. She refused it, finally clearing her throat.
"Uncle King? As in THE King?! Drummer of MoTru?" I laughed at her giving her a nod. She squealed grabbing my hands from over the table. Uncle King wasn't my real uncle but similar to Aunty Aoi he was considered family to me. That included the rest of dad's band that often visited whenever they had a craving to eat one of mom's bentos. After More Than True had broken up Uncle King had taken over the music studio that they usually practiced at. He encouraged anyone to follow their musical ambitions that he was opening his doors for anyone that needed the support. "I'm definitely coming! I'm calm in front of Suzukawa-sensei because he's a teacher and all, but to meet King as well. I'm dreaming, don't wake me up. Do you think that I can meet Hiro and Shurato as well, Momo?"
Snapshot laughed nervously covering her mouth. She stopped fangirling questioning why he was stopping her. He motioned with his eyes towards me for her to understand that I probably wasn't enjoying that she acted like all the girls in my old school to use me to meet celebrities. She 'ohh'ed nodding to him. "It's fine you guys. Anyone would get excited over meeting Uncle King. Just try to keep it to a minimum. On the case of if you can meet him or the rest of the members, no." She was flabbergasted in trying to find her words.
"Why? Why? Why? I promise that I won't act weird in front of him." She complained.
"Because you have to prepare for your own audition. You've already established that our classmates are ahead of you, so you don't have time to be going to meet my uncles. We're also going to help Shouta-kun not to play around." She groaned, sadly chewing.
I checked my Aikatsu phone to double check that I had Uncle King's contact information. I saw that a few more people had direct messaged me over Kirapatter. From the notification bar I figured that they were continuing to send me questions on myself and when I would be debuting. I gave a sigh pushing the bar upwards to remove it off the screen until I had a chance to read through them.
"Little Momo-chan has already grown this great deal when I wasn't looking." Uncle King rubbed my head affectionately with a loving look in his eyes as if I was his own child. "Ah you're following in your mom's footsteps in becoming an idol at Starlight and started creating music like your dad. It's was hardly yesterday when I saw you in the hospital with your dad. I can't recall the last time I saw you that it makes me feel a little lonely."
"Uncle King, you saw me a few months ago for mom's birthday." He laughed embarrassed at himself overreacting. With the rocker vibe around him most people are surprised that Uncle King was a big softie. Over the years his image had mellowed a bit, losing his red mohawk, but his fashionable clothes represented his drummer side. The few posters of More Than True were proof that he didn't change his style.
"Ah that's right. I guess it was kind of a shock hearing the news. The fact that you came to my studio makes me proud that you're going into music. Soon you'll be the one recording demo tracks and full-length albums." I poked his arm preventing him from rambling on too much. "Right, moving on. I take it that the one with the guitar is the one that needs a room?"
"Um I-I'm Higawari Shouta. I'm in your care for a little while so please treat me well." Shouta bowed to him with his guitar strapped to his back. Uncle King waved him off smiling at nervous Shouta. Snapshot bowed as well but with better confidence than Shouta.
"I'm Céasire Hayate, a friend that's here to support him. Also..." He took out a piece of paper out of his bag with a pen. "Momo-chan's roommate asks for an autograph from you since Momo-chan wouldn't take her request. She's busy preparing for another audition so she couldn't be here today but if you can send her some support I think she'll really appreciate it."
Uncle King slapped his hand onto my shoulder laughing at me shaking my head at him. He took the paper, professionally signing his name the same way that he has been doing for years and handed it back to him. "I'm always up for making a fan happy. Now that that's taken care of, why don't I show you to your room?"
We followed him through the maze of halls hearing a bit of muffled music through the walls. Following the signs near the top of the walls it showed that the building was split for different reasons. Some were recording studios that most singers and producers used, some were practice rooms with a few instruments that could be rented, and some were a mixture of both that allowed people to practice and record at the same time matching to what More Than True did for the most part.
Uncle King swiped a card through a door letting us enter first. Since Shouta wasn't a producer he wouldn't understand the control panel that played with music. I suggested giving a mixture of practice room and record room. It had a few simple equipment that allowed the musician to play around with a few demos until he made one that he approved of. I wouldn't expect him to learn everything that was needed in music arrangement and tuning with the little time he had anyways.
"Well there's not much to show you. Everything is self-explanatory and I'm not the sole worker here, so you can always ask for help if you don't understand something. I made sure to book out this room for the week after your classes end so you come in whenever. Try not to break anything and you'll be fine. Any questions?" We looked at each other shrugging our shoulders.
"I think we're good here. Thank you for helping us out Uncle King. I understand that this is a business, so I appreciate you letting Shouta-kun work here."
"Don't sweat it. If you detect talent in him then one room is nothing that I can't give." He handed me the card key leaving us alone. Snapshot and I took a seat on the couch with Shouta on the single chair. He took his acoustic brown guitar out of its case. Carefully placing it on the guitar stand, he took out a notebook with a treble clef on the cover which I figured was his songwriting book.
Now that I thought about it, besides the one that he sang to make us meet, I haven't heard another one of his songs. From his personality I doubt that he was a hard-punk type, but I don't know much about him. I've never attended a song writer at work since dad was already retired when I was born. Shouta was just sitting on chair in silence flipping through the pages. I kept staring at his face as he played with a pencil in his hand. I couldn't explain the way he looked as this emotion was washing over him. It made him look more vulnerable than usual.
I was always the one to push him out of his bubble for the most part that I didn't get to see him in his natural environment where he was most comfortable. It was a new side of him that I had to thank the audition for letting me see. He raised his eyes to meet mine. Instead of turning away he just blushed as if there was some confidence inside of him.
"Um I'm really grateful that you guys want to help me out, but I think that I would be able to focus a bit better if I was alone. I have no idea what my song is going to sound like. Please don't take this the wrong way. I don't mean to be rude after all that you did for me." Snapshot stood up grabbing his bag off the floor.
"It's fine Dobu-kun. We weren't doing anything anyways, right Momo-chan?" I snapped out of my trance and gave him a nod. I stood up getting my bag. I placed the key card on the music stand waving at him before closing the door behind me.
I released my held breath once we reached the lobby. "Dobu-kun is pretty intense, isn't he? He completely forgot us being in the same room."
"I saw, it was-"
"Scary." / "Amazing." Simultaneous, I said amazing Snapshot said that he was scary.
"You thought that it was scary?" I questioned.
"Well... yeah. I'm getting chills just remembering about it. The reason why I call him Dobu-kun is because he's a small animal. That person in there was fearless and was completely immersed into his work. I didn't expect that I would see him that way until he learned to talk to me without being formal. That's a scary thought that he can change to that while writing that I can't predict what kind of piece he'll create."
"There's the dissimilitude part between us as that's what's amazing to me. I got to meet him through his music that it makes me excited to hear what he does next. Watching him write for the first time I realized that Shouta-kun never stops to impress me. He's taking the initial step into his career and I can't wait."
"That's the power of song writers." I jumped at Uncle King popping out from around the corner with a tall stack of binders. I quickly walked over to help him with the stack along with Snapshot. With each of us taking a part of the pile he looked relieved. "Thanks, you can just put it onto the counter."
With the pile off our shoulders Uncle King stretched out his tense muscles. "You kids are the best. I was lucky to not have tripped."
"Uh Uncle King what did you mean by a power of song writers?" I asked as his entering sentence caught my attention.
"I heard you guys talking about the Higawari kid a bit down the hall. Let me guess, he kicked you out of the room so that he wouldn't be distracted." With the help of his hands he pushed himself onto the counter next to the piles. We nodded wondering how he could tell. "Nao was plenty the same to your friend when the band started out. He had a lot of pressure on him to ensure our future that he ignored everyone and for a while he would seem really tense that the other members were questioning if following him was the right choice."
"Dad was like that?" In my eyes dad was calm, cool, collected. To hear him stressing out was new to me.
"Yeah, one in a lot of cases we got into fights over his songwriting habitats. Both sides constantly complained. It took everything in my power to have them believe in him since I knew that he was better than what they thought. Nao finally revealed his skill in the end, proudly showing us the finished product. I still remember how he looked. That's the power of song writers. I can't claim that all song writers are the same but what I can say is that every single one that I met has a characteristic presence to them. Once you hear his song, if he's as talented as you claim then you'll learn what I mean."
"Do you see potential in him? Even if it's just as a musician?" I asked.
"I believe that there's something in him that he can't express openly. Whether or not he can express that in his music is up to him at this point." I accepted his answer though it made me a bit worried for him. Shouta had merely five days to write a song from nothing. Even sitting in the room, it didn't look like he was writing a lot. Some brainstorming ideas at most. He had scribbled a few of them out in the end not really approving of the it.
"You kids should be getting back to campus or Nao will scold us for staying out too late. I'll take care of the Higawari kid when he finishes up." We glanced at the wall clock realizing that we were here for three hours. I can only imagine how long Shouta would be here until he realizes that it was got dark.
"You're right, thanks again. We'll be leaving then." The two of us bowed heading out. The streetlights were on, yet it wasn't too dark that we could walk safety. Luckily the school wasn't too far that we had to walk around 15 minutes.
"You know how you asked him if he sees potential in Dobu-kun?" I nodded in response. "Do you see potential in him? I mean, I've never seen him writing before and still don't know much about him. You've known him for longer so what do you think?"
"I'm actually on the same level as you. I've only have around month over you. This is my first time observing his process as well." He almost stopped walking to face me.
"Really? With the way you guys talk I thought that you guys were childhood friends or something. Maybe, lovers until I met you. Does that mean you guys met and decided to become idols together on the spot?"
"Basically. In fact, to answer your previous question, I personally scouted Shouta-kun to enroll into Starlight. If you ask me if I perceive any potential, then I'll reply without hesitation that I notice it better than anyone. He's still rough around the edges in being an idol that I can't deny. I admire him just to the same level as I do for my parents."
"You'll go that far for him? A second ago you said that you barely know him."
"I don't have to. It's his music that will show me what he wishes to say. I put my trust in that."
Four days past and I barely saw Shouta. It was similar to when he was acting as Snapshot's manager yet not exactly the same. The main difference was that he no contact with anyone. Not even Snapshot saw him for longer than an hour a day outside of class. He would reappear in his dorm late at night that he sometimes collapsed on the bed before Snapshot had a chance to bring up a conversation. Hours that he wasn't in the studio he was continuing his Aikatsu training. He manages to finish his homework and keep up with his daily exercises then disappears to the studio.
The only reason I knew that he was still functioning was that Uncle King watching over him by providing him with some food and water from time to time. The main thing that bothered me was that Uncle King found no evidence of him touching the recording equipment yet. The practice room was as neat as day one, minus many eraser shavings that were on the floor and pencil shavings in the trash. It told me that he hadn't found anything to properly compose.
Whenever I tried to ask him about the song he would reply with a few sentences to try and reassure me that he was working well. I didn't buy it for a second, I had no place to criticize him though. Unlike the other things that I've taught him, I had no knowledge in what I should do to spark inspiration. This was his area that I had to respect.
Meanwhile there was me who still hadn't found the answer to Fumiko's question. I explored possible answers on how to describe myself or the way I want people to view me. This included taking random personality quizzes to trying to write multiple self-introductions for myself. Nothing was what I envisioned it to be. It mostly revolved around facts of my hobbies that didn't explain who I was. I enjoyed music, can play guitar and sing a little, study intensive and eating sweets is something that I can't stop doing. They weren't lies, yet I couldn't go from this.
I wrapped my thick blanket around my shoulders looking up the sky. I rested my head onto my knuckles to support it up. Last I checked it was around 22:00 hours when I left my dorm. I needed to clear my mind that I went for a short walk. No one was out this late except the security guards roaming the grounds. Fumiko was an example of what I should be doing, sleeping soundly in our dorm. After making a round I sat at the gazebo in the courtyard for a small break. I let out a sigh staring at the full moon shinning down on me as the main source of light.
"Fumiko is making progress in her training day to day. Snapshot has a set goal in his practice. My classmates are working for the Queen's manager. I'm going to be left behind at this rate."
"Momo-san?" I perked my head up at Shouta standing on the sidewalk.
"Shouta-kun? What are you doing out here so late?" He made his way over to me rubbing the back of his neck flustered. I noticed on his back was his guitar case meaning that he had just came from the studio.
"Hayate-san got fed up with being in the room with me as I wrote so he kicked me out for a little while. What about you?"
"Ruminating." He held up an x then set down his guitar by the pillar. "Thinking."
He nodded, understanding. He took a seat in front of me. "Ruminating about what?"
I chuckled at him using my vocabulary finding it funny to hear him saying it. "My image. What exactly I desire to be, what goal I'm trying to accomplish, those sorts of things. Fumiko's been on my case trying to make me debut. I try to push it off by saying that when doesn't matter. On the other hand, I understand that she has a point because people keep advancing ahead of me. It feels kind of strange to openly admit that it makes me worried after telling her constantly that I prefer my own pace."
I laid everything to him since I always felt comfortable around him. "What's preventing you? You clearly want to debut with the rest of us."
"My selfish perfection that says that I have to make sure I have to debut in a way that only the idol Momo could do. Say, how would you describe me?"
"About Momo-san?" He stopped to observe around us. "At the beginning I thought, she's a prodigy. Someone that was able to listen to a song once and turn it into her own. It made me assume that you were the caliber of idols that I had to reach. I look back now and realize that I was completely off."
I stopped to process his words. "Should I take that as an insult?"
He shook his hands out in front of him. "No! No not at all! I meant to say that- um you were-am-still are"
I used my hand to cover half of my face as I laughed. He stopped freaking out taking a second to calm down, smiling at me. He blushed giving me a second to stop my chuckles. "Sorry I didn't mean to laugh but you can be pretty cute. Please continue."
"I was really nervous to be around you. You seem to learn everything that there is. Studying every day and evaluating everything critical eye, sometimes a bit too much. Even if you hadn't sung or played guitar in years you still pull the both of them off as a second nature. In the end, instead of a prodigy I saw that you worked hard for the current you. That's the type of person that you are. Someone that I rely on if anything became rough."
He twiddled with his fingers letting out a sigh as he looked upwards. I read his face not understanding why he spoke about me in such a positive light when his eyes displayed that he longed to stop speaking. It wasn't the way of a liar I would say. It was more so that he didn't want to go on further. "Well if you can rely on me then can you tell me your problems?"
My eyes widen as he made eye contact. Direct eye contact that he didn't break. "I'm relying too much, aren't I?"
"What makes you say that?"
"It's like Hayate-san says you're the mom of the group. It's what Fumiko-san says, who else could get me a room in a professional studio with no problem. Who was the one to push me into Starlight? I had trouble with trying to plan Hayate-san's possible stage that my instinct was to call you fully knowing that you were busy. This week I wanted to try and be independent for once. That's not really working out since I can't seem to create a simple bar of music."
"I never thought that you were too dependent on me. You're the first person outside of my family that I talked to with ease that it surprises me. You still understand me, including some of my terminology, better than others. I told you my stress in trying to find the right audition because I felt that you would be the only one to give me an answer that I was looking for. That I use you as a reason for why I became an idol. That I figured out the importance of debuting when I saw you moving up. Doesn't that mean that I'm too dependent on you?"
"I guess we are an in-sync pair." He joked making himself laugh weakly. We kept hearing that joke everywhere that most people don't see that we were clueless on our relationship. We were essentially strangers to one another. And yet at the same time we were closer to one another than the majority of people that we knew.
He looked up towards the sky. His eyes suddenly lit up, grinning widely. "Momo-san I made a mistake in signing up for a second and third year audition. I don't regret it at this point though. I think I know what direction I want my song to go in."
Seeing him so happy I figured out what I wanted to do first as an idol. "And I think that I can pick which stage I'm going to try out for as well. I saw it a bit earlier but wasn't convinced that I should apply since it's not really an audition. Talking to you, I'm okay with it being my debut platform."
I held my phone away from my ear as I can tell that Fumiko was trying to yell her way through the call. "Can you please not scream into my ear?"
"How can I not? You suddenly left as soon as classes ended to announce last minute that you found which audition you wanted to do. You didn't even tell me what it is. After all the drama that you went through to pick one I'm dying to see what you to do. Can't you give me a hint? Where are you going now?"
"That ruins the secret. If it plans out the way I want then you'll be able to find it for yourself when I make the debut you so badly wanted. I have to go now." I could hear her telling me to wait as I ended the call. I used the black screen to check that my appearance was well kept before sliding it into my bag's side pocket. I opened the door to the building where I was greeted by a man behind the counter. He took one look at my uniform seeing that I was here for the event. He lead me to a room with the other constants.
I kept taking in my surroundings. I took a few deep breathes to calm my nerves reminding myself that I had made the right choice coming here. I remained quiet as I leaned against a wall watching people filling the room in both usual outfits and idol school uniforms that helped me blend in. Quickly counting the number of heads, I found that it was close to what I predicted to be, around 23 people with a dominate female presence. The amount was small compared to something Fumiko was trying out for, but it was reasonable number for this.
The event planner soon came out to start. The room went silent as the planner was straight faced. He stood in the center of the room with a microphone in hand. It was clear to understand that this was not something to be playing around with. I acknowledged his skill that I couldn't argue that the atmosphere was rightful in tune.
"I assume that everyone here is aware of what they got into. We will get start away. Inside the room to my left there are 32 pictures on the wall. Each one of you will choose a picture that will categorize you into a pair. In the event that people pick the same group then the assigned partner, that will be revealed at the end, will choose which representative they want, and the rest will be relocated to a second choice. You have 30 minutes to choose and submit a ballot with your choice. You may proceed." Matching the participants to the number of pairs it was obvious that some photos would not have an idol to represent it.
A helper opened the door handing out a small paper for us to write out choice on. Entering the room, everyone spread out to get at last one glance at the pictures. I heard people anxiously mumbling in a way to ease themselves not noticing the cameras around the room to capture our reactions. At first glimpse it was just to decide on any picture that you wanted however it was a test of strategy. The way to win at this audition depended on the group but if you had to be randomly put into a category you would be put at a disadvantage if your group leader did not choose you.
I walked calmly looking at each design carefully. They weren't meant to be complex masterpieces just images probably taken off the internet. Some caught my eye. A black diamond, a kaleidoscope coloured butterfly and an anime girl with a heart. I stopped walking finding the one that I would choose. A pale moon fading it a blue background the whole image was hilarious. I probably surprised the rest of the group by laughing out loud. I looked at the rest of the photos once more before submitting my ballot. It took a bit more time for everyone to choose and for the votes to tally up.
"I will announce who chose what." An MC went through each number. Some not having anyone signing up for it and others having the highest so far being 5 for one. When he reached my number, he stopped to question his helpers. They confirmed that it was right leaving him intrigued. "Group 17, Suzukawa Momo SL-1. That's all."
For the rest of them it was shown that I was the only one that had no trouble with being placed. I smiled knowing that my analysis was correct. We were asked to gather in front of the picture of our choice to meet the partners. "For group 17, the group leader is Higawari Shouta, SL-1."
I chuckled seeing him shyly walk into the room to me. He stumbled over his feet seeing me that he fell flat on the floor. I crouched in front of him giving him a hand up. Taking it, I saw that he was still in shock. "Oh, what's this? It looks like Higawari Shouta and Suzukawa Momo have been paired up together! For those that don't know the two of them are best friends attending Starlight academy."
The MC looked to the planner who suddenly appeared next to them. He made a movement with his hand asking for the microphone. "Suzukawa Momo, Higawari Shouta. The purpose of you selecting an image was to make sure that everyone had fair chance. Can you explain how the two of you magically got pair up?"
Shouta was alarmed at the accusation. I placed a hand on his shoulder giving him an encouraging squeeze. "Yes, I can. To make it straightforward, I chose the image that would be the best bet in song that was unpredictable. I trust in Shouta-kun's to showcase a beautiful song that I followed him. I only knew that the moon represented him because only he could make such a mistake."
"Can you please expand more on his so-called mistake?" I moved to the side to allow everyone to see the moon.
"Though people try to deny it, covers are important. That's why you had the writers find an image to represent their work. As a music producer you understand that as well. When I look at this I couldn't help but laugh." The planner, or in reality a music producer with a talent in helping new idols make their first demos, came closer to look at it.
"I can't seem to find what's so funny. The image is beautiful with a sense of serene over it."
"Precisely. Wouldn't it serve better for a ballad?" His mouth dropped slightly understanding what I meant. He looked between the two of us, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards.
"If you can, can you please explain in further details as to what Suzukawa-san means by that?" The MC asked. The producer turned around to face the crowd and towards one of the cameras.
"The mistake that Higawari has made was forgetting that his portion of the audition was designed so that idols would eventually be singing it. Ballads are extremely difficult to master if the singer does not understand the feelings. Yet in this audition they would not have an opportunity to hear the song before choosing it. None of the writers were revealed until now that people couldn't bet on skill either. Picking this song would lead to a 50-50 chance to either show off your talent or flop if the song was terrible. That's why everyone avoided it. On the other hand, was Suzukawa who saw the first-year inexperienced problem that lead her to him."
The other contestants started murmuring that they did avoid it because it was too risky when they first saw the picture. They wanted to ensure that the song would fit them that they wouldn't put their trust in the unknown song and writer. Shouta blushed now figuring out how everything fit together. "That created this unique case in which the only first years here forming a pair."
Shouta looked at me. "Momo-san you signed up for an upper year audition too?"
"It looks like I'll be dependent on you this time as well."
Every pair was given two hours to listen and practice their songs until we were required to perform it. With all the restrictions it was evident that this wasn't something that most first years would be able to handle. Shouta, himself was pacing in the waiting room as other songs were being shown. Like the photos represented, each song sung so far was more energetic than his. I didn't have to listen to the song to know that. I would just have to listen to his comments and back lashing towards himself to learn what's happening. "You just have to watch me from here. If you worry too much I'll probably feel it on stage."
"I-I know. It's just- you're going to be singing my song and all. Isn't there anything else I could do to help you? This is your debut as well. It's my song that will ultimately decide if this is a success." I rubbed my head knowing that he wouldn't calm down if I couldn't think of something.
"Actually, before some units go on stage they have a pre-show ritual that they do to support one another. How about we come up with one? Something simple like shouting Aikatsu?" He shook his head. "Well one thing's for sure. It has to be something that only we could do."
His eyes lit up as he held his hand out. "Nee arigatou..."
I was confused when I recognized the melody. It perfectly fit for the two of us and this situation. I grabbed his hand giving a small shake. "Gomen..."
"Oyasumi..." We harmonized on the last word staring at each other. Breaking our hold first, I rolled my shoulders to release any tension.
"Group 17, group 17, if you can go on standby." He gave me shaky thumbs up but was still was able to somewhat calm down. I walked over to the change room door stopping before I put my hand on the handle.
"One more thing Shouta-kun." I turned around to face him. "Since mom failed her first audition, it makes me more determined to win today. That's why I'm going to represent your song to the best I can." I threw open the doors running up to the dress- up machine. I held my Aegean- Blue Torte Coord in my hands. I knew that the outfit wouldn't match the song, but this was just the beginning for the two of us.
I stepped onto the Gothic House Stage walking over to standing mic. I looked back at the moon that lead to this choice of stage. Looking forward to the crowd, there was only the MC, music producers and moving lights from the Aikatsu headsets. I held onto the microphone loosely hearing the music start. I would have to thank Uncle King once more for working on the accompaniment with Shouta all night.
Hoshi wo kakushiteru utsumuita hitomi ni
Tomadou dake nani mo dekinakute I looked downwards at my feet
Te to te kasanete mo dokoka gikochinai ne My grip on the mic tighten as my fingers interlocked
Yume no naka mitai ni waratte yo A smile was put on my face hearing myself sing his hopeful yet heartbroken lyrics
Yoru no kanata hibiku senritsu A memory popped up of how his song got stuck in my head for the week
Atsui mune wa sawagidasu And how I was frustrated in not being able to find out who he was until I sang
Sasayaku BLUE MOON te wo nobashitara
Sugu ni todokisou na no ni I stretched my hand out reaching towards the audience
Itsumo yasashiku hohoemu dakede In my mind I could remember the way that Shouta smiled that first time I heard in the shopping plaza.
Oikakete wa kurenai ne How much he advanced in his Aikatsu studies. Performing the song, I could see that he was going to leave me behind
Ichibyou ichibyou hikaru sunatsubu da ne
Hitotsubu mo kobosenai wasurenai
Kiete shimai so na hosoku togaru tsuki ga
Muboubi na senaka ni tsume wo tate
Amaku nokoru kizuato fukaku
Kizamu akashi daiteite The lyrics were full of anguish that made me feel that I was being crushed by his emotions. I couldn't lose to him.
Hakanai BLUE MOON doushite kimi wo
Suki ni natte shimatta no
Onaji bamen de togireta mama no
Kanashi sugiru monogatari I stopped singing taking in the guitar playing. Unknowingly I closed my eyes and swayed to Shouta's strumming. Hearing it clearly behind me left me to feel as if he was there to push me. Even though he didn't reveal what he wrote the song about I could understand his feelings that he wanted to declare.
Miageru BLUE MOON kimi wo omou toki I didn't open my eyes just yet letting myself sing with to his melody without a care of the people in front of me
Watashi no jikan wa tomaru
Nageki no BLUE MOON hatenai yami no
Fukasa ni nomikomareteku
Kanawanakute mo aishiteimasu
Itsuka sora ga sakete mo
Eien ni omotteimasu I finished cleanly, taking in deep breathes finally opening my eyes once more.
The audience started screaming, a few moving their hands that resembled that they were wiping their tears. There was something stirring inside of me that I didn't feel during my Starlight test. It was like when I started getting perfect grades. The feeling of accomplishment for all my hard work. I wasn't alone though. I was carrying Shouta's blood, sweat and tears with me that moved me most. That's why this was my perfect stage.
"Now the moment we all have been waiting for! The votes have been tallied up and the winner has shown their own colours in dominating the stage!" All pairs stood in a line on the stage. Shouta stood behind me, holding tightly onto my shoulders hiding his uneasy face from the public. "Everyone give a big round of applause to..."
There was a dramatic drum-roll followed by the lights turning off. Lights swirled around each person finally stopping on us. "Higawari Shouta for his work in creating in Blue Moon!"
Confetti went off startling him backwards. If he wasn't holding onto to me he would have fallen. With him clinging on to me, we walked over to music producer. He handed a gold trophy to Shouta who took it with shaky hands. "Your song was beautifully made and was presented by a very talented singer. Although you are both young I look forward to your future endeavors. One day I hope we meet in my studio."
Shotua bowed a couple of times as people cheered him on. The MC gestured for him to move closer to him. "Now one question that any song writer has to go through is, what was your inspiration for Blue Moon?"
"Um the song- it was- um- I wrote it -part of it- a while back about Momo-san and o-our relationship."
People gasped loudly. "Uh I'd like to rephrase that. The concept of the Blue Moon was in the idea that Momo-san envisions her parents. They are far out of her reach that it hurts her from time to time. But the reason why I couldn't complete the song a long time ago was because there was something lacking in it. We had a talk last night that made me see that in a way I wasn't too different."
He spared me a side glance. "I admire Momo-san that I forced myself this week to be separate. It ruined my composition in short. Right now, Momo-san is the moon that I viewed from the ground. So even if she one day she disappears from my line of vision, I have her to thank for everything. Hopefully I said that better in my song than I did now."
We both blushed deeply as the MC retrieved his mic. "That's quite poetic of you. I can speak for everyone when I say that the two of you definitely have a strong friendship. Then Suzukawa-san, I must ask, this isn't the typical audition where the singer gets something in return besides some recognition in singing. What made you come here?"
"I beg to differ that I don't gain anything. This is my debut as well and it sets the premises of how I want people to remember me as. I dragged a stranger off the street to be an idol, I signed up for an upper year test and I choose a ballad as my first choice. To summarize, I don't know what's going to happen next. I require a plan down to the smallest detail like an equation. I'm going in the opposite course in the end. I'm just going to continue to surprise people and hope they manage to follow."
Thank you to every follow, favorite and reviewer.
Trivia: Watanabe Fumiko. Watanabe comes from XxxHOLiC character Kimihiro Watanuki who was a tendency to overreact to the point that it's used most of the time for comic relief. He is still very caring to everyone he meets and matures a lot (like a lot) as the story progress. Fumiko comes from another fanfic that I write where the OC's adoptive mother is named Fumiko who cares about my character more than she showed.
Guest: I have plans for the entire Momo family to have a touching moment so please forward to that as well. But because you asked for it I started planning some more time for Ichigo/ Momo relationship bonding. It'll take a few more chapters until I can put it into the flow of the story. In terms of the previous generation they will mainly be around providing guidance to this generation, so they'll be making brief cameos.
vortexnature: Thanks, I'm glad you like it. The thing with Ran is that she is off modelling somewhere, but I'll get into more detail into that afterwards as I know when she'll make her appearances. I don't want to spoil too though since I have a lot of random plots.