Aikatsu Crescent! BRIGHTEST☆STARS || アイカツクレセント！Season 3

「Phase 128」Surpassing Myself

"I know. You're strong, after all."

"You are too. So make sure to recover quickly so we can have fun together soon, 'kay?"

"I will. Thank you, Minorin."

After the two said their goodbyes, Saki hung up and leaned back into a lying position. Hikaru gave a small smile.

"She's working hard for your sake."

"I know. I'm grateful," Saki said, her voice hoarse but quiet. "I'm grateful to you too. For keeping me company and all."

"It's nothing. I just happened to have a day off."

"...Still. Thank you."

For a couple of seconds, Hikaru stayed quiet, smiling. Saki closed her eyes, resting some more.

Then, Hikaru bit her lip and the happy facade she had been putting on broke. After being lost in her thoughts for so long whilst Saki slept, she had started... dwelling on a certain type of introspection.

"You really should be thanking everyone else instead..." she muttered under her breath. "I'm not remarkable at all."

─── ｡ﾟ☽: * .♧. * :☾ ° . ───

Hikaru walked through the corridors of the building, her eyes on the floor. She was a first-year at Celestial Academy, a school training young girls up into becoming the best idols they could be. It wasn't uncommon for students at this academy to attract great success, acquiring quite a reputation. Just a couple of months ago, Hikaru had managed to win a competition among the first years, even performing two special appeals!

And then...

She stagnated somewhat.

Not that she was struggling particularly! She was still performing well and had even become part of a unit with her best friends. So, it wasn't like she could complain. She knew that. She knew that.

She hovered her hand over the door handle. Then, after taking a deep breath, she opened it.

"Good morning," she greeted the group of adults.

"Good morning, Hikaru-chan," an adult woman said, smiling. "It's a pleasure to have you here."

"The pleasure's all mine."

Hikaru had walked into a board meeting, with approximately twenty adults were sitting around a table. On the whiteboard behind the woman was a mindmap, along with a small doodle of a brand of soda. The very same brand this group was assigned to advertise - the same brand Hikaru was representing.

"Aside from the TV advertisement, we've all agreed it would be effective if you would perform at a release party," the woman explained. "It'd heighten your fans' interest in the brand even more."

"I'd be honoured," Hikaru said.

"Excellent! We've even had our team think up some ideas for a performance - Nagomi-san, take it away."

Another woman, an younger one, stood up this time. "These past few months, the boundaries of Aikatsu have been pushed further and further. So, it'd be in our best interest to push them even further to gain traction for our brand," she explained, pulling up a powerpoint. "Therefore, our team has come up with a blueprint for your performance." The powerpoint slide had a doodle of Hikaru on the Sunny Dawn Stage. "As usual, you'll be performing Polka-Dot Symphony, wearing Vivid Splash's Pop Canvas coord."

Hikaru nodded.

"During your performance, you'll perform Pop Live, then Vivid Palette. And then-"

The slide changed, showing Hikaru jumping up with Vivid Colours.