“oh my god!” she exclaims. miyu’s eyes widen as danny almost topples over. “maybe they should bolt these chairs to the ground?” she jokes once danny looks like he’s settled again.
“i don’t think she wants to be an idol,” she replies after pondering his question. “she’s still young, still figuring herself out. though i suppose that conversation may be coming up soon. she’ll be graduating from high school next year.” miyu’s eyes focus downwards, settling on a spot of condensation on the table. because of her, mitsuki now has options. if her parents let one daughter follow her dreams, why shouldn’t the other? truthfully, the dancer’s not sure what her sister wants to be when she grows up. she wonders whether she just missed that conversation.
she turns back up to look at him, flashing a smile. “she’s been really into sports recently. mitsuki is a great swimmer, she’s been on the swim team for ages. i don’t think she’s going to the olympics any time soon,” miyu says with a laugh. “but maybe she’ll be able to get in to a good school with a scholarship that way. i think she’s always been more of a free spirit, less of a planner.”
”they’re crazy, yes, but i try to get as much sleep as i can during our down time. i manage the lack of sleep and long hours by keeping my free time relatively chill. i know some people have the energy to go out, but i’ve always been a homebody, even before debut.”
“i think future dreams was a wake-up call,” she tells danny earnestly. “i never thought i would actually debut as an idol and saw training as just another way to practice my dance and learn. i realized halfway through that this was serious and i needed to step up. after i was confirmed for debut especially, i realized that i needed to apply myself to more aspects than just dancing. there’s no easy way to say this,” she looks at him, seriously now. “but talent doesn’t just manifest itself overnight. i was in the same spot as you are, dancing felt comfortable, anything else and i felt like i was out of my league. kind of like i was an imposter. it wasn’t good for my confidence, though, and that’s half the job.”
“even if you’re nervous or scared, you can’t show it on stage. they’ll rip you apart for that,” miyu says with a sigh, knowing how critical netizens could be. “anyways, once i knew things were serious and people were counting on me, it’s like something switched on in my brain. i sought out more vocal training. it was hard and uncomfortable at first stepping outside of my comfort zone, but i promise it gets easier the longer you do it.” she gives him a soft smile. “i also did a lot of practice on my own time. gosh, i don’t know how i functioned that first year after debut. i don’t think i got any sleep,” she says with a laugh.
“anyways.” she reaches out, grabbing her cup and taking a hesitant sip. the tea had cooled down enough for her to drink, and miyu takes an even larger sip this time. “i said a lot of words but the simple answer to your question is just hard work, dedication, and little sleep.”
"I love that. Sports is a good thing too, with positive prospects for University options. And a healthy extracurricular if it does not turn into anything related to a career. There are some non-Olympian national teams too. I sound like a parent," his mouth downturns grumpily at the thought, physically shaking his head to get that out of his mind.
"So there are perks of introversion! I find myself to be a homebody too. That is probably why we get along," eyes smiling crescent moons at Miyu, he nods in agreement. "That among other reasons. So what kind of wind-down hobbies do you usually do back at the dorm? I guess the last thing after all that practice, you wouldn't be doing much dance in your downtime anymore. It's weird, how dance used to be the hobby and after it becomes the job..." He tilts his head and shrugs his shoulders at that. "It is what it is."
"Yes, I've managed to get most of the nerves and fear. I need to stay in a positive mindset and bubble so I am only keeping positivity and criticisms on my side. And cutting those out who are extremely negative. Not counting the management and staff, they're supposed to tell me where to improve on. It sucks though, I've had some really close friends leave recently as trainees and it makes you wonder, right?" Then again, it must be even crazier for Miyu's point of view- where some of her colleagues actually quit.
"A little sleep. How much is that defined in, ummm, minutes?"
”i still dance in my free time,” she confesses. “there’s not much of a chance for me to do ballet on stage, you know? as much as i wish.” miyu laughs. “so i tend to do that in my free time so i don’t get rusty. i also like to work on my own choreography as well, but it’s definitely gone from a hobby to more of a job. it’s good that we like our jobs, though. isn’t it?” she tits her head. “i know a lot of people are dissatisfied with their lives, and while being an idol isn’t easy i can truly say i enjoy most of my day to day when i’m not feeling exhausted.”
“but other hobbies, hm.” she pauses, thinking about what she does when she gets home from a schedule. “i like to read, go on walks, does working out count?” miyu asks. “i’ve been into pilates recently, but i think everyone’s caught on to that,” she says with a laugh. “journaling is also nice, especially when i have some pent up frustration.”
at his next point, miyu’s face visibly falls. she frowns before taking a sip of her tea. “it’s hard, definitely. when i was a trainee, it seemed as if people were dropping like flies. when i debuted, i thought our group was strong, but there are always circumstances. it’s a curse too, isn’t it?” she laughs.
“i try to at least get a couple of hours,” she tells him, moving along. “it’s hard, though. we’re all sleep deprived.”
