(This post stars: [color=gray]
Toudou Yurika[/color], [color=red]
Ichinose Kaede[/color], and [color=#EF9B00]Tadaima Hiyori[/color].)
The location today was an auditorium hall underground. With air conditioners and various lights filling the space. One would wonder if this hall – too – would be spiced up today. The pair of judges were already sitting in their place behind the table; awaiting the idol candidates.
It was the 18th of April, Friday.
“This is the 6th day of the Nationwide Audition Caravan held by Starlight Academy! And today, we have: Toudou Yurika-chan!”
The limelight fell over Yurika, as she waved her hand towards the camera from her place. [color=gray]
“Be grateful, for I, Yurika-sama shall be judging tonight!”[/color] Yurika said with a daring tone, despite the fact that it was still the daytime – which the announcer silently ignored as he was aware that it was part of Yurika’s personality.
“Next, we have Ichinose Kaede – the popular, Super American Idol!” The announcer’s hand flung towards Kaede.
[color=red]
“Hi! I’m going to judge the girls here today!”[/color] Kaede spoke casually as she raised her open fist to the air.
“Alright then, without further ado, we shall now begin!” Soon, many girls performed on stage in the venue after the announcer said this.
***
“The passionate Aikatsu performed here today is almost as hot as the Underground Sun, wouldn’t one say?” The announcer clearly referred to Minowa Hikari – indeed, countless girls would have to perform in order to heat up the underground halls before matching the level of the energy she exudes.
“Now, moving on, let us call the next person, shall we? Entry number #222, please come on stage!”
Hiyori looked around the crowd for the next candidate for a moment before realizing that she was the one being called, smiling sheepishly to herself. Her favorite orange sundress and sunhat seemed very simple amongst the crowd of aspiring idol candidates as far as ensembles went. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she walked up confidently to the judges with a beaming smile on her face, or she tried to. What she didn’t expect was the clapping noises of the huge crowd as she went up, sending her nerves aflutter once more.
Noticing her pale face, the announcer tried to see if she’d introduce herself on her own. After a few seconds, he decided otherwise. “...May we know your name?”
Hiyori smiled rather nervously, not as sure of herself as she’d like. [color=#EF9B00]“M-my name’s T-tadaima. Tadaima… Hiyori.”[/color] She bowed slowly, all the while trying to rein in her composure. [color=#EF9B00]“Please be.. k-kind to me.”[/color]
[color=red]
“Ooh, does this mean that your name really is Tadaima Tadaima Hiyori?! This is new!”[/color] Kaede said with much excitement.
[color=gray]
“That can’t possibly be… even vampires don’t do that,”[/color] Yurika said, slightly disappointed – both at Kaede, and Hiyori for her obvious nervousness. The spectators laughed out at the exchange of words.
Hiyori blushed deeply at Kaede’s reply, the double meaning glaring at her. [color=#EF9B00]“Tadaima i-is my family name.”[/color] Oh, the embarrassment! How she wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. [color=#EF9B00]“It’s a.. bit u-unusual so people sometimes g-get… confused.”[/color]
[color=red]
“Unusual? Are you from the countryside, or the rural areas? Outskirts?”[/color] Kaede asked. As she had a very outgoing personality, she was always to keen to know about the different places of the world.
Hiyori smiled and nodded vigorously, [color=#EF9B00]“I’m from a town not far out from Sendai… It’s a nice sunny place, good for growing crops!”[/color] She was a bit puzzled by the last word Kaede said, but was very glad to have something to talk about to alleviate the nervousness.
[color=red]
“Ooh! Crops? Are your parents farmers?”[/color] Seemingly curious, Kaede asked. Despite this, she was actually trying to uncover her details casually. A rather impressive feat when its against a nervous girl on stage.
[color=#EF9B00]“Yup! They grow the best produce in these parts.”[/color] Hiyori said proudly, [color=#EF9B00]“I help them man the store when they’re too busy!”[/color] She wondered if these idols had ever experienced the joy of harvesting freshly grown crops, the feeling of satisfaction after a good batch always made her smile.
[color=red]
“Wow! I’d love to check it out one day!”[/color] Kaede felt satisfied with how her nervousness was blown away as she replied.
[color=gray]
“What’s exciting about that… ? Only a servant or something does those things,”[/color] Yurika said, clearly disinterested. [color=gray]
“Well, is there anything you specialize in, let’s say in… dance, or singing?”[/color]
[color=#EF9B00]“I’ve sang and danced at our local festivals year round,”[/color] Hiyori said thoughtfully, giving a little twirl on the spot, dress flaring out. [color=#EF9B00]“I’m not very good at it but I’m going to try my best! And… specializations… does brightening up everyones day with a smile count?”[/color] She flashed both judges a megawatt smile as she said so.
[color=red]
“Oh my, you’re so full of energy!”[/color] Kaede praised.
[color=gray]
“U-Uh, yeah… ”[/color] Yurika said, reminded of certain idols’ smiles. [color=gray]
“Anyway, why did you decide to participate in the Nationwide Audition Caravan, when you could also approach an agency, or the Dream Academy?”[/color] This was a question that needed to be asked to pretty much everyone; because they wanted to ascertain the girls’ reasoning. Not that they thought girls would have invalid reasons; but to reconfirm the popularity of Starlight Academy – and what the girls liked about it. Dream Academy is the rival idol school in the industry, and it welcomed most girls with open arms – unlike Starlight Academy.
[color=#EF9B00]“Bringing smiles to peoples any way I can makes me happy, it’s a simple dream and I want to share it with the world. besides, being an Idol is so exciting! An agency wouldn’t do any good for that, and Dream Academy…”[/color] Hiyori sheepishly poked her fingers together, [color=#EF9B00]“I’m not very good with gadgets… and they seemed so… techie.. Ahaha...”[/color]
[color=gray]
“Hah?”[/color] Yurika seemed puzzled, yet irritated. [color=gray]
“Are you saying that Starlight Academy is old-fashioned? I’ll suck your blood!”[/color] Clearly, Starlight Academy wasn’t any less behind in technology, they simply didn’t use computers and its statistical measures for training all the time – not that Dream Academy did so all the time; only Saegusa Kii and Otoshiro Seira were known to do such extensive trainings. Starlight Academy has its fair share of holographic images and technical items that Hiyori probably can’t make head to toe of.
[color=#EF9B00]“Ahhh, no! Please don’t suck my blood!”[/color] Hiyori cringed away from Yurika, using her sunhat as a pseudo shield. [color=#EF9B00]“It’s not that Starlight Academy is old-fashioned, Dream Academy just has too many computer thingies for me! I’m afraid I’ll break things cause I’m no good with them.”[/color]
[color=red]
“Now, now, Yurika-chan, calm down. Okay, then,”[/color] Kaede patted the angry Yurika who forcibly removed her hand from her. Kaede would explain that Dream Academy isn’t the only place that can use computers at this age and time, but this would distract the main aim of the interview. [color=red]
“So, why do you want to be an idol?”[/color]
Peeking out from behind her hat, Hiyori replied with no small amount of trepidation. [color=#EF9B00]“I think it’s amazing to be an Idol, to be able to sing and dance to the whole world. I attended Ichigo’s concert and… her performance was spectacular. She motivated me to become an Idol and if I can, I want to be able to do the same thing, not just for myself but for everybody. Not many people in my town follow their dreams but maybe, just maybe, I’ll be the first to lead everyone towards theirs.”[/color]
[color=red]
“That’s a great dream, I hope you get to fulfill it!”[/color] Kaede said with an encouraging smile.
[color=gray]
“Well, if it’s Ichigo, it’s not that she can’t do that… a-anyway! Which concert is this, was it an old one or the one a week ago?”[/color]
[color=#EF9B00]“It was the one just a week back! It was difficult but I managed to get a ticket for her concert. I couldn’t go to any of her other ones…”[/color] Getting a ticket was a stroke of luck, not to mention a world of effort for Hiyori since she had to go through great trouble just to find a way to buy one from the countryside. [color=#EF9B00]“If anything, it’s a good start to have been able to see the top idol perform!”[/color] She clapped her hands together in happiness, her expression blissful as she reminisced of the concert and how her effort paid off.
[color=gray]
“The last week’s concert…”[/color] Yurika trailed off. How’d some random farmer’s girl get her hands on Hoshimiya Ichigo’s concert? What luck. [color=gray]
“So, have you been practicing your dance and singing before it, or after?”[/color]
[color=#EF9B00]“I’ve been practicing before that. Papa always said to start early if you wanted to follow your dream, not to wait till the last minute! Whenever I had free time, I’d try to spend most of it fruitfully.”[/color] Hiyori giggled at her own inside joke, though it was true that she had practiced hard for this event, she still had her fair share of fumbles.
[color=gray]
“Then, we shall put that to the test.”[/color]
[color=red]
“Good luck”[/color]
“Now, Tadaima-san, please show us your performance!”