Eternal Connections

Chapter 1: Change

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

It is fair to say that a lot has changed since the Idol Club was reformed. New members, such as Shioriko and Lanzhu, have joined, and each of its members have found their own way to shine as Idols. But perhaps no change was greater than the graduation of the former third-years. Emma, Karin, Kanata and even Mia; all of them had finished their schooling and thus, were no longer part of the group. And yet, it was not theirs whose absence was most relevant in the current moment.

"Where on Earth are the third-years?" exclaimed Kasumi, in reference to Ayumu, Setsuna, Ai, Lanzhu and Yuu, who were not in the clubroom with the rest of them.

"I believe they are studying for exams," replied Shizuku.

A fair guess, considering the end of the last school term is approaching. It is crucial for third-year students in Japan to perform well in order to get to a good university. But that was not an answer little Kasumin was eager to hear.

"ARGGH, seriously?" said Kasumi, stomping her feet on the ground angrily, "And Shioko's sick, so it's just cute ol' me, Shizuko and Rinako."

That last nickname refered to Rina, of course, who was staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Her two clubmates noticed her quietness, which was extreme even for her.

"Is anything wrong, Rina-chan?", asked Shizuku, her concern being shown by way of her voice.

Rina turned around, and after a second of silence, a sentence slipped through her lips.

"No. Everything's fine."

Most people, when placed in her shoes, would've had their expression betray them and reveal they were lying. But Rina's face as she delivered the falsehood gave no information regarding the truthfulness of her words. In fact, her face looked no different than usual. As a result, even Shizuku, who's had plenty of experience acting, could not fully tell if something was truly worrying her friend, or if it was just her usual reservedness.

After a few awkward seconds lacking in conversation, Kasumi turned the topic back to their idol activities.

"Well then, let's continue with our practice. It may just be the three of us, but there's no excuse for an idol to slack off!"

Her order was followed by her punching the whiteboard, in an attempt to seem triumphant. Unfortunately for her, it was harder than she was expecting, and ended up hurting her precious right hand in the process.

"Oww, why must this board be mean to poor Kasumin?", she added, in a pained tone of voice.

At the sight of Kasumi making a fool of herself, Rina took grabbed her notebook, looked for a specific page in it that contained a laughing face, and calmly said, "Rina-chan Board, Schadenfreude."

The three of them laughed at the resulting scene. Once the laughing ended, playtime was over. It was time to start that day's idol activities. Even if the other members were missing, they were solo idols, so they could still focus on shining on their own. Thus, they trained and practiced like nothing had changed until it was time to go home.

At last, the sun had set and it was time to leave school. Kasumi and Shizuku would walk home together as per usual, but Rina's usual partner, Ai, had skipped club practice today, so instead she'd have to do so on her own.

"You're sure you're fine by yourself?" asked Shizuku, somewhat worried about the short girl.

"I will be fine," replied Rina in her usual cold tone of voice.