#aidream

02. Beginning of Dreams

The successful applicants arrived at Star Harmony in the early morning. May twirled about in her room, “So these are the dorms! Aren’t these wonderful?’ She turned around to see Wanda unpacking with her face away from her. An awkward silence passes and she tries again. “Did you know these dorms weren’t always here? When my mother went here they had to go home, isn’t that strange?”

Wanda stood up and turned to face Maya, she looked straight into her eyes with a cold stare, “You know since your mother went here, didn’t you technically cheat your way in?” Maya averted her gaze, “Your idol interview was on her, wasn’t it? Won’t it be suspicious if you get a perfect score?” She moved Maya aside as she shoved her suitcase under the bed. “You should probably keep her being an idol a secret.” With that said, Wanda rolled over on her bed and clutched her pillow.

“Nice to meet you too,” Maya muttered, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to get our test scores.” She left the room and ‘accidentally’ slammed the door shut. As she walked toward the office, she passed Kagami who she waved at. Once there, Tamaki handed her the results. Apparently they were all going to receive them, thus she was given Wanda’s results as well.

In her room, Maya waved the results over Wanda waking her up. She sighed and grabbed her own from Maya’s hand. After briefly scanning them, she shoved them in her school bag on the floor. Maya took her results out optimistically but grimaced as they were revealed. “A perfect score in the interview quiz…on my own mother,” She hears Wanda snicker.

“Not much else I’m assuming…” Wanda muttered. Maya whined as she read the other results. A high score in the idol quiz, a mediocre time in the race and a poor score for the performance. Maya thrust herself on her bed and pounded the pillow. As her tantrum ensued Wanda felt touched. “Fine, if you feel that bad I can help you out,” Maya sat up excitedly. Wanda pulled out her phone.

“What? I thought you were gonna help me.”

“I am. Pose a little for some quick pictures.” Wanda said. Maya let her hair down and stood with her back to the plain wall. A few snaps later, Wanda suggested they go outside. “If you get some good pictures early on, people might pay attention to you.” Wanda led Maya to a spot outside with some flowers and carefully placed them in her hair. Maya appreciated the skill Wanda offered and posed accordingly. Wanda then had her wear the Mint Feuille Coord from her entrance performance. As the shoot continued, Maya grew more confident and tried out a few outlandish poses.

“Thank you,” Maya said as they looked over their pictures. Wanda nodded in acknowledgement. “Aren’t you glad we did this?” The pictures got Maya’s account a few likes and they laughed together. From her office at the top of the school, Tamaki watched over them in amusement. The bell rang and they headed off to class.

In the empty class Tamaki briefed Ken on his first lesson. As they looked over the seating arrangement Tamaki pointed at Maya’s name, “Oh, I didn’t know that idol’s daughter was here. Didn’t she do the quiz about her mother then?”

“Ah,” Ken began to panic, “Well I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“Leave her be. If she doesn’t belong, we’ll know soon enough.” Tamaki took a closer look, “Besides, I think there’s someone else of interest here. A possible candidate to fill the void after her departure. Once the phantom idols left the spotlight, neither was ever seen again. Her daughter’s presence her does interest me however.” Tamaki left once the students started streaming in. Ken introduced himself to the class and had Maya and Wanda sit at the back of class. He then proceeded to review the entrance exam results.

“The highest score was obtained by Cress.” Ken announced. A girl near the front stood up. She had grey, shoulder length twintails held behind her head in a giant red ribbon. Maya looked at her in awe. The golden star earrings she wore added to her elegance and it was clear she would have a lot of fans. Cress arrogantly flipped her hair and took her seat. The lesson resumed and came to an end with the bell. As the other girls headed to the café Wanda slept on her desk.

Ken walked up to her and twirled her hair. “Wanda, don’t you think you should have a snack with the other girls. It’s not good to go hungry.” Wanda saw through him and ignored him. Her eyes looked empty from his perspective. “Look, I…” he shook his head, “I know about all the applicants here. You’ve been chasing your dream longer than any of them haven’t you?” Wanda began to walk away, “You know what failure is like, but you can’t give up yet?”

“It’s a waste of time.” Wanda retorted.

“Then why are you here? To keep doing the bare minimum? I saw your test scores and know you know more than that.” He restrained himself. “Enjoy your break,”

In the Star Harmony Café, Cress’ table was full with girls fawning over her. She ate with poise and spoke with a certainty the other girls admired. Maya sat among these girls and noticed Wanda walk in. As Cress relishes the other girls’ attention, she snickers at the thought of Wanda ignoring her.  When Maya left the table to greet Wanda, this drives her up the wall as she loses the others’ gazes as well. “If there’s a single girl here who I haven’t charmed yet, then I’ll be sure to.” She said. “I’ve decided!” Cress declared. “I’m going to perform at once!” She walked over the table and out of the room taking her new fans with her. In the ensuing chaos, Wanda and Maya were pushed along with them.

In the halls, Ken blocked their path, “Where do you think you’re going?” His tone implied more frustration than he let on.

“I’ve decided! I’m going to perform. If you don’t enjoy it, then do whatever you please!” Cress replied. Ken clutched his head in frustration as the other idols followed after her. He decided to head after them tracing the nearest auditorium. Outside, Tamaki was waiting as she tapped her foot in anger.

“What’s going on here? It’s barely been a week and they’re doing whatever they want.” She begins to rant but music interrupts. Their attention is drawn instantly.

“I yearn to unveil my true self before you,” Cress’ sung the first line from Gost Coaster. Her voice brought their argument to a stop. Her aura appeared and glowing red circles appeared around her as black diamonds rained down. She was performing far above her level and relished the attention she got. As Maya watched starry eyed, Wanda felt uncomfortable and decided to leave. Cress performed her appeal, Wicked Garden. Purple flames rose above her and rained down red jewels in a black, barren garden.

The sun rose on Star Harmony school. The large building stood imposingly over a young girl with magenta hair. She held her mother’s hand as they stood in place. Maya stared in awe. Her mother tugged her along with no avail. A loud voice resonating had caught Maya’s full attention. She slipped her hand out and rushed after it.

“Maya!” Her mother called. She gave chase as Maya ran deeper into the school. Her heart raced until she spotted Maya standing by the fountain. A girl with orange tufts of hair was singing with her feet in the water. As soon as she heard Maya’s mother she stopped. The girl turned back and met Maya’s starry gaze. Maya extended her hand to greet her

“We’ll be idols together, right?”  She asked. Maya’s words made the girl laugh. She watched the hand retract in embarrassment. “Well, my mama did it so I can too!” Maya said stubbornly.

“Maya, get back here.” Her mother called. Maya rushed back and clung to her mother’s dress. As her mother approached the fountain the girl blushed. “What’s your name? Are you alone?” No response. The girl’s gaze didn’t leave her face. “Alright then,” She said, taking her hand as well. After taking her to a teacher she took Maya home. Not a single word was exchanged between the girls after her interference. As Maya was driven home that day, she longed to meet that girl again and to hear her voice.

Many years later, Maya stood in line for the Star Harmony entrance exam. She was wearing her hair I two bunches held with yellow heart ribbons. The line was long but she didn’t mind. “I’m here!” She said, “I’m going to be an idol at Star Harmony.” Maya skipped about in joy. The line advanced slowly as the sun continued to shine. By the time she made it to the reception, Tamaki was exhausted.

“Sign here,” she tapped a form which Maya filled. As Tamaki looked over it her eyes lit up. She sat up to reread the name. “Wait, could you be?” She looked up but Maya was already gone. Tamaki examined the form and decided to think about it later. In an empty classroom, Maya joined nine other girls who all formed a line. She noticed a small table at the front with ten flags on it.

Ken walked into the room and introduced himself. He made them stand at the very back before giving any further instructions. “Listen carefully, because this is your first test. On each of these flags, there’s a famous past idol. When I clap my hands, each of you will run here and pick a flag. This idol will be the main subject of your interview. Understood?” The girls nodded and he clapped instantly. Maya was quick to make it to the table. However, the flags were face down. In the chaos of flipping flags and grabbing them, she missed the others and had to pick last. Maya sighed and flipped it to reveal an unfamiliar face. The other girls seemed confident in their picks causing her to worry.

“Good job girls. Now that you’ve done that. I’ll have you switch flags with an idol of my choosing.” Ken smiled. The room fell silent. He took a quick look around the room and started to choose the pairings. One by one, they switched their flags, until only one pair was left. Maya looked over to see who else hadn’t switched and caught a familiar face. “Wanda! Maya! You two will switch.” Maya handed over the flag easily but Wanda’s grip was tight. To Maya’s relief, the flag was her mother’s. She went through the entire interview with ease.

Outside, the girls were standing by the fountain. As some complained, others were silent. Maya stood alone looking for Wanda. Wanda was watching her. She sat on the fountain, the same way she did in childhood, but something seemed different. Maya smiled at her and walked over to talk but Wanda moved away. She moved closer as the retreat continued when Tamaki blew a loud whistle. The applicants all turned to face her. “Alright then, now that you’re listening, grab at tracksuit and head straight for the field.” Hariu hauls a few suitcases and opens them. This time Maya picked hers first but is beaten to the field by several faster girls. Wanda stayed back a while before taking hers.

In the field, Hariu had the idols run laps and timed them. As the girls took a rest, Maya sighed over her poor performance. She lay on the grass exhausted and hoped the next test would be easy. “It’s a little early to give up girls!” Tamaki blared via megaphone. She held a cool drink in hand as she sat in the shade, “Now you’ll be taking the written test!” Maya rolled over in defeat. Hariu handed out the papers to sweaty hands and turned on some nearby fans. The blazing sun above and the wind below tormented them as they struggled to get through it. Maya pinned her paper down with her elbows and got to writing. Given that it was idol themed, she didn’t have a hard time finishing it. In a few minutes, she was done and shakily got up.

“Thank goodness it’s over.” She muttered. As she handed in the paper, she noticed other girls sitting still with their filled in exams. Her mistake dawned on her quickly. “Wait a minute, the tests aren’t over…so if I finish first then…” Hariu cleared his throat to speak but Wanda handed over her exam too.

“Well, since you two finished first, you move on to the next test immediately.”  Maya frowned. She felt betrayed. Wanda merely nodded, she didn’t seem very tired. Her shoes weren’t even that dirty. Tamaki barked their next Instructions at them. They would be performing at once and needed to get to the auditorium.  They walked away accordingly. As they made their way there, Maya wondered why Wanda handed in her test too. She didn’t seem mistaken. As Wanda walked alongside her, Maya realized where she had seen her. The memory of the fountain flashed before her eyes.

Outside the Fitting Room, Kagami presented them with a selection of cards. Maya looked over them and picked out the Mint Harmony Coord. A mint green frilly set from Sugar Melody. Wanda declined the offer to use the cards and pulled out her own set. “The cards are the Cosmo Captain Coord. They’re a neon jacket and skirt, much like what she was wearing but brighter. “I’ll use these,” She said. Kagami wished them luck and the performance starts.

“With the best positivity! Our idol activities! Here we go!” Maya and Wanda danced in the coords as the other girls watched. The basic performance goes smoothly. The other applicants clapped. As they walked out of the fitting rooms, Kagami approached them with their school supplies.

03.  Aikatsu With You!

Wanda and Maya were sitting in class as Ken explained the vocal exercises they needed to do each day. He wrote on the board as Maya stared out the window. Wanda was sleeping and Cress impatiently tapped on her desk. Once Ken’s lecture was over he whipped out a poster written in makeup. No response. His enthusiasm faded as he cleared his throat, “Basically, I wanted to announce something…” Cress taps her wrist impatiently, “There’s a minor competition tomorrow. It’s being held by the school to give you a taste of real idol activities.” He turned to write the requirements on the blackboard, “Simply show up in the field at lunch and take part in an obtstacle course. If you come in first, you can put on a live that we’ll broadcast around town. Don’t waste this chance.” He said as he looked straight at Wanda.

Maya stood up as break approached nudging Wanda to eat with her. “It’s no fun if we only meet in the dorms.” Wanda continued to sleep and Maya went to eat alone. Cress spotted Wanda, recalling her walking out during the performance. What was it that Maya had that could get Wanda’s attention that she lacked. She decided to find out for herself.

In the café, Maya was looking through the baked goods when she spotted Cress reflected in “I am aware,” Cress smiles, “I’ve decided! I’m going to spend my break with you.” Maya ordered three with different flavors and Cress did the same. She ate hers more daintily than Maya did. Maya scoffed hers down and rose to ask for more but Cress stopped her, “Wait, so what is your relationship to that girl?” Maya sat down and gave Cress an honest look.

“Oh! Wanda is my roommate. She’s a really cool girl but she doesn’t speak much.” She wiped away the crumbs on her chin, “I could introduce you to her-”

“No need,” Cress said standing up. She neatly folded her cupcake’s paper and wished Maya luck.

“I guess that makes us friends.” Maya said to herself.

The next morning in the dorms, Maya chose Wanda as her partner. “Wanda! You’ll have to be a bit more…energetic today. We’re definitely going to win this time.” Wanda stared, baffled by Maya’s delusion. She looked at Maya’s mattress which had her results stuffed underneath it.

“Sure. Let’s aim for victory!” She stretched about as Maya tried to pry the results from her bag. “Just ask next time.” Wanda handed them to Maya who feigned cluelessness. She noted that Wanda had a prefect average score. She scored just enough to pass each test. Every score was only one or two points above the cutoff. Maya commented that Wanda was really well rounded. “Yeah, I guess.”

Later in the day, the girls assembled in the field.  Excitement filled the air as Kagami came out with his clipboard and whistle. He asked them to get in pairs. “Wanda! Where are you?” Maya called. Wanda waved at her from behind a few girls. Her dusty tracksuit drew some bad attention so Maya helped her dust it up. “Where did you keep this?” Wanda shrugged in response. Once the third race started, Wanda and Maya got in place. Kagami finished scribbling on his clipboard and blew the whistle.

Maya started off well. She gave it her all but only made it to third place. Once Wanda was handed the baton, Maya sat down to catch her breath. She lay on her back and let the sun bathe her skin. On the track, Wanda was doing quite poorly. Even their classmates looked on in disappointment. From Tamaki’s high office, she could see most of the school and looked over at the races. Wanda never took off her beret and was easy to spot from afar. Tamaki scoffed and turned around in her chair, “Who does she think she’s fooling?”

As Kagami concluded the races, Wanda went to sit down next to Maya. The girls all sat resting awaiting the results. Unsurprisingly, Cress and her partner had won. She ran with a girl named Thuo who announced she would step down letting Cress perform alone. Maya sighed. “I wonder what our time was,” She said. Wanda looked over in panic as Maya asked Kagami for his clipboard. Her eyes looked through the names until she made it to theirs. The worst time in the group, far longer than the rest. Maya’s grip loosened as her breath got sparse, “How did we do so badly?”

Ken came to take the records from Kagami and looked over them with scrutiny. The class went to watch Cress perform leaving the girls with Ken and Kagami. Wanda got up to leave but Wanda caught her by the hand. Ken handed Wanda the clipboard and asked her to read out her time. She couldn’t. As Maya saw it again, she turned to Wanda and said “You weren’t really trying were you?” Her tone didn’t carry much anger but rather disappointment. “I guess it didn’t matter to you, since we wouldn’t win anyway.”

“I’m sorry,” Wanda said. She looked over at Ken and Kagami who decided to give them some privacy. “I just didn’t want to try and you know, fail.” Wanda tried to hug Maya but she inched back.

“Why did you come here then?”  Maya asked. The question cut through Wanda and she struggled to find an answer.

“I’m sorry. I won’t do that again.” She felt exposed. It had been a long time since she felt so vulnerable. “Is there anything I can do to make it better?” Wanda looked in Maya’s eyes. She searched for warmth in them and found it. Maya shook her head as she calmed herself. She hugged Wanda and asked her to watch Cress’ show with her.

“Those two make a good pair. They’re both bad on their own, but together,” Tamaki said to herself. In the auditorium, Cress performed Gost Coaster in her Gothic Check coord. The two girls enjoyed the show and Cress threw her bow into the crowd. As the girls jumped to reach it, Wanda couldn’t help but think back to her younger days. Maybe someday, she would perform like that again.

02.  Sweet Success

In Star Harmony, Chiharu sat sketching away. She had enjoyed her free time that way for years. It’s been a joy to work both as a designer and a teacher. She felt pride being a light to idols in as many ways as she could. As far as work ethic went, even Ken couldn’t compare. He had started teaching after her and couldn’t manage his time well enough to do make up and teach. So it was rather ironic that Maya walked through her door in that moment. Chiharu raised her head in acknowledgement. Maya walked up to her desk and placed her hands on it firmly, “Chiharu, I have a request,” She started “I’d like a Premium Rare.” Chiharu’s pencil scratched into the paper. She looked up in surprise.

“I’m sorry, have I seen you here before?” Chiharu adjusted her glasses, “I’m honored you love Sugar Melody but isn’t this a bit too soon?” Her tone warmed Maya up. Chiharu couldn’t help being nice.

A second year student walked in with a question about some assignments and Chiharu had Maya wait a while. As Maya watched Chiharu help the girl, she saw how kind she was. Not once did she blame her for making mistakes and she even moved her own sketches aside. Once Chiharu was done, she turned back to Maya. “I think you should work a little harder then come back. Why don’t you ask Ken for some tips to improve? Or maybe a classmate?” She said.

“I mean…I guess I could.” Maya sighed. Before she left she looked over at the design Chiharu was working on and rushed off to class. Once there, Maya noticed the usual crowd around Cress and woke up Wanda. “Can you believe Chiharu won’t give Me a PR?” She cried. Wanda woke up amused.

“Maya, do you really think you’ll just get those?’ She laughed.

“How am I supposed to shine as an idol without a dress to match?” Maya lamented. “Wanda, what do you think I should do?” Wanda looked up. It was the first time Maya had actually asked for help.

“She’s finally realizing she’s as great as she thinks,” Wanda thought to herself. Hearing Maya say that takes her back to her childhood. She remembers when she used to take dance practice and copy idols on TV. Wanda lay stuck in her memories as Maya waited for an answer. Maya waved at her but she couldn’t get through. Maya sighed and smiled. Ken walked in to start the lesson.

“Welcome back, ladies. Today we have something fun to learn.” He turned around and wrote on the chalkboard, “We’re going to be learning about events. These are important things to a rookie idol. In fact, without these it’s unlikely you’ll gain notoriety. Why don’t we use this upcoming event as an example?” He took out a poster for a bake off in the next few days and left a sign-up sheet as the lesson came to an end. Maya dragged Wanda over and had them sign up. She reluctantly agreed.

In the café, Maya went avoided the other girls and walked straight into the kitchen. It was big and clean with neatly labeled bottles stacked by size. Here, the Star Harmony baker, Suzuka kept herself busy for most of the day. She was rolling dough when Maya tugged on the straps of her apron.

“Hello,” She said, “I was wondering if you could help me.” She showed her the poster and Suzuka handed her the rolling pin. Maya put her phone away and washed her hands. As she took the rolling pin, Suzuka stepped back.

“If you want to be a better baker, nothing beats getting right into it!” She declared. And so the next few minutes were filled with Maya failing miserably before Suzuka stepped in to correct her. It took a while to get used to the patience of baking but eventually Maya had a tray of somewhat decent cookies. She thanked Suzuka and was about to leave when she felt a tug on her collar.

“That’s far from everything child,” Suzuka said. Maya smiled nervously, “You should show up again tomorrow. I’m certain you’ll be better by then.” She joked. Maya thanked her and promised to return.

Maya handed out the cookies she made to her classmates. They didn’t look great but tasted sweet enough. Maya appreciated all the feedback she got, even if most of it was fluffy flattery. The break came to an end shortly after and Maya decided to eat one before she went to class. “Alright, let’s see how much of that was true,” She took a bite and chewed through its uneven texture. After finishing the first bite, she knew it wasn’t good. Regardless, she hadn’t eaten anything else and so finished the rest on her own.

When Maya went back to her room that night, Wanda wasn’t asleep. She was sitting there waiting for her. “What’s gotten into you?” She seemed a lot more open than she usually was.

“I don’t know Wanda; I just really want to stay here. If I don’t get even a little better, then I might not…” She renounced the thought, “I want to make my dreams come true. I’ll be the idol that fills the void! The new top.” Wanda winced at the sight of this. Though she had wanted the same, she couldn’t help but worry that Maya’s failure would crush her, as her own had years ago.

“Alright then.” Wanda said. “If you want to improve then you can’t just bake. From now on, you’ll have to train just like the other girls. Let’s try out a short dance routine.” Wanda got a little excited and decided to text Kagami. He responded and she requested he open up a dance room for them. Without realizing it herself, Wanda was going to dance again.

In the dance room, the two started with some stretches. Wanda helped Maya keep rhythm and showed her how to count beats accurately. On top of that, she also pointed out some mistakes she made during the entrance exam. Maya worked up quite a sweat working with Wanda but kept going for there was more to come.

For the rest of the week Wanda agreed to help Maya dance better and Suzuka let her bake in her free time. It was the most Maya had worked before. At home, her mother took complete care of her, but from now she would need to do things on her own. Maya took note of her own progress and by the time the bake off came, she felt rightfully confident.

On the day itself, Maya was driven to the bake off as Wanda promised to watch the event live streamed. At the event, Maya met several other idols, including some who had formed Friends. Despite feeling intimidated, once she was up she could remember all that Suzuka had taught her.  She turned over the dough with care and kept her table relatively clean while preparing the frosting. Once the baking came, she was able to keep the crowd entertained with more information about her recipe. In Star Harmony, Wanda watched the live stream with Suzuka.

By the time the judging started, there was a clear difference between Maya’s cake and her competitors. The judges took a bite out of her cake and Maya hoped they could taste her skill and effort. It was the hardest she’d worked thus far. Their faces let nothing slip as they moved on to the other idols.

Once the judging was over, they had the girls stand in a line before the live audience. Maya stood nervously and waited for the results. As she wiped the sweat from her brow, she saw the door to the event hall open. To her surprise, Suzuka had showed up as well as Wanda. They waved at her and sat down to minimize their intrusion. The judges walked on stage and the room fell silent. The main judge was an old man who lowered the mic before speaking into it.

“Good afternoon everyone. I hope you all enjoyed gathering here today. I’m not one for words and so, let’s declare the winner right away. However, before we do I’d like to thank every idol who came here. Baking in front of a live audience isn’t easy.” He took a pause to catch his breath. Maya looked at Wanda who gave her a thumbs up. “Now, the winner of today’s competition will be allowed to perform if she wishes and her cake will be shared among the crowd first. The idol whose cake impressed us the most was...” The spotlight shuffled between the idols. “Maya!”

Maya smiled as she skipped along to the mic and shook the main judge’s hand. A picture was taken and her cake was cut to be distributed to the crowd. Wanda came on stage to congratulate her personally as they walked backstage. “I can’t believe you did it.”

“I know, and I’m glad you were here to see it.” She peers out into the crowd and pulls out her cards, “I want to put on a show that’ll energize the crowd.”

“Well go ahead, it’s a small event so don’t worry about it if you fail.” Wanda chuckled.

Maya placed the Mint Fueille Coord in the machine and emerged on a pink round stage with a star on it.“You can send love and sparkling smiles all over the world! (Go! Go Up! Go Up Stardom!)” After the first line, Maya’s aura suddenly appeared. Pink cotton balls and golden stars floated around her. She continued to perform and the crowd began to cheer. As Maya saw this she grew even more excited culminating in a Special Appeal, Dream Melody.

The crowd continued to cheer as Maya thanked them. Wanda was clapping too. The event had been a complete success.