Being an Idol

Akane accepted Majetas offer, but she told her to wait for a couple of months, they had that time, right?

They had that time and now Akane was here in front of an idol agency, getting casted. Of course, she already had the permission of her mother.

She looked around and observed her competitors, based on the height of them and the fact that this was an idol competition she guessed that these were girls around the age of 13 to 19. Among them she surely was the youngest.

She breathed in and then out, trying to concentrate, she didn't 'dive' in as usual. Akane tried to feel the feelings of her competitors. Many were nervous that she almost felt like vomiting, because her stomach knotted that intensely, but she felt confidence too, confidence, arrogance, pride, even disgust among them.

Akane couldn't feel one genuine feeling among them, and if they were there, they would be drowned out from the worry. Akane thought about her assessment, until she realized that it was wrong. In this room were no 'ingenuine' feelings, they all went here because their feelings were genuine, they all wanted to be an idol. Nobody was forced to be here.

What she felt was 'impurity', all these feelings were tainted by something, greed, arrogance, envy, desire, these girls didn't want to be an idol, for the sake of being an idol, for the sake of making people happy with their music, to entertain them.

All the feelings in this room were impure and Akane felt disgusted, she didn't want to be here, so she dived down, escaping this disgusting place. If the title of 'idol' was already so tainted, how would the title 'hero' feel, if she reached the entrance exam of UA?

Akane would currently rather like to try the high difficulty mission, 'personality', than being in this room with these fakes. She found it funny, the easier puzzles and tasks didn't have a name, but the high difficulty had names, who knows, maybe she would succeed her mission, until it was her turn.

------------------------------------------------------------------

OH MY GOD! I was almost too late for the casting! I chose to do an afternoon nap for today, and before I knew it, it was almost this late! Luckily the casting just has already started, but it wasn't my turn yet, so the reception lady let me in, I really was lucky today!

The moment I entered I almost felt like vomiting, the gazes of the other girls on me were so intense! It almost felt like they were glaring at me, until they decided to look away from me. The moment they did the pressure eased, but it was still heavy.

I looked around, trying to find a seat, but each of the girls were practicing something with their quirk and they generally did something and then there is me, the girl that arrived too late and had nothing to do. Can I really be an idol with that mindset?

I must do something! Everyone does something and I am the only lazy person in the room! Well, I thought that until I saw that one girl, she had long white hair, a huge, blue back head ribbon decorating the hair and her eyes were closed.

I wasn't sure, but was she nodding right before the casting? Man, I wish I could have her confidence, but at least the seat beside her was open, so I sat down to it. Once down I slowly breathed in and out, but I couldn't.

Once I sat down doubt befell me, thinking that I might fail this, that I am not as good as the others, that I don't deserve to be an idol.

"Hey, are you all right?"

Luckily, I was pulled out of these thought by a voice, I sighed once and looked up.

"Thank you for your concern, but I am doing great! You don't have to bother with me, instead you should think about your own performance, we wouldn't want that you perform abnormally, just because you were thinking about me, right?"

As I opened my eyes to see the person in front of me, I saw nothing. I was surprised for a moment, until I heard the voice again.

"Hello, right beside you! I never stood up, you just silently chose to sit beside me and now you are choosing to ignore me, how rude!"

Hearing this I was very embarrassed, until I remembered who I chose to sit beside with.

"I am very sorry, I just thought that you would be asleep, so I didn't bother greeting you, I am very sorry if this offended you in any way!"

"You don't have to, no offense done in any way. Well besides you doubting yourself so heavily."

What! What does she mean by that? Is she trying to reprimand me? Is she going to say to me, that if I don't have confidence I have no right to be here? Is she trying to scare me off? Because I think it's already working.

"Fold your hands into a praying position."

WHAT! Is she trying to tell me that I should pray and hope for a miracle to have a change at all! Oh god she is raising her hand, what is she planning to do with her hands pulled so far back? Is she trying to slap me, is she...?

...suddenly I felt an electric shock go through my entire body, for a split second I was sacred, but then I felt how good it felt, that I calmed down after it.

"Can you think straight again?"

I nodded at her.

"Want some advice from me? I'll promise you that it will be serious advice and nothing done out of malice, do you believe me?"

I nodded again, I didn't know why, but I felt like I could trust that girl and that here words were genuine.

"Be yourself."

"Huh?"

"You don't understand, right? Well, you shouldn't stress yourself too much, or at all, I can feel that you have amazing talent, especially in your voice department, I just heard your voice once and I already know that you have amazing potential in there, and on a side note, you are really cute, so just believe in yourself a bit more and I am sure you are going to pass this round, now if you'll excuse me, I'll go pick up some flowers, now."

After giving me her speech, she just left the room like that, that girl really had crazy confidence, I am wondering if I'll ever see her again.

"Candidate 32, Kaba Hoshi, it's your turn in seven minutes, prepare your performance adequately."

Oh my god it's going to be my turn! I must calm my nerves down, before entering.

"What Kaba-chan is here, what is a bland girl like here doing here? Does she really think she can be an idol?"

"Yeah, I am sure she would fail this round."

"Fail? I am sure she would be thrown out three minutes into her performance."

"Yeah, she just has not our superior voices or looks, it would be a miracle if the judges could even look at her!"

God dammit, why must they be here, why are they always there just to torment me. In school, in my part time job, grocery shopping, even on my way home they bully me and take my money away, why must they be anywhere I go to?

"Hey Kaba, say something, don't just ignore us."

Ouch, dammit she started pulling my hair again, why? Why are they always going for the hair, why is this happening to me again?

"Hey you three there, could you please piss off? Like, right now? I can already see that you three are no Idol material, so please don't even try to enter this competition, just thinking about entering with dirt like you on the same level disgusts me."

I looked up to the source of the voice, seeing a slim girl with a black hair and a bob haircut, she wasn't the definition of female beauty, but she had that mysterious charm around her.

"Hah? Trying to defend ugly? I'll show you how we mess with people that dare mess with us!"

One of my bullies tried to grab her wrist and I wanted to warn her, but before I know she was already punched in her face, flying out of the room. Her two friends wanted to take revenge for her fallen friend, but they were just as easy dealt with as the first one. Leaving them all growling on the ground.

I was glad and wanted to thank her, but she already cut me off.

"Don't talk to me you wussy, girls like you won't make it far here, so you better just give up soon, will spare you a lot of trouble and disappointment."

I looked down, ashamed, she was probably right, I won't make it far, but before I could drive off into dark thoughts again, I remembered these girls' words.

"Don't tell me what to do! If I want to enter as an idol, I am going to enter as an idol! It was my childhood dream and I am not backing down on it!"

She looked back at me, damn! Did I just tell the girl off that beat up three persons at once? I am in trouble, yep, I am in deep trouble.

"Suit yourself."

Were the only words the girl that saved her said, before sitting back down.

"Candidate 32, Kaba Hoshi, your turn."

Dammit, my hair is a mess. Who damn cares! I don't have the time to change anymore, so I have to impress them as I am, if I don't make it, I don't make it, there is still a next time for me! If I don't do all too well this time, I'll try harder next time!

And so, the shy girl walked with determination into the casting.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile Akane looked through the windows of the building, while picking some flowers.

"Who would have guessed? I'll say that I have two interesting competitors with me, let's see how far they can get."

She thought about it for a moment, before choosing to let her bangs down, she is going to surprise the judges and perform a performance they will never have seen in their life.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The judges where currently sitting on their seats, being disappointed with the cast here, most of them just weren't the quality material they were searching for.

"Well, I liked candidate 69, she was overall cute and had a pretty good singing voice, we should let her pass to the next round."

"What candidate 69? Her voice was like the voice of a cat, being blended inside of a mixer and her looks are at best described as mediocre and that is pushing it, I think candidate 27..."

"WHAT?! Candidate 27, she was..."

That was the mood in the room, right before the next candidate entered. In my opinion all of their opinions are shit, they are digging around in pig shit and it seems that they just can't see the gemstones scattered in them.

"We will take candidate number 59 and 28 and that it is, all the rest that appeared until now didn't pass it, they aren't the quality I try to search for."

"But chief, candidate 59 was a mess as she entered, barely able to perform adequately and 28 beat up three other girls, before they could perform, how can these two be idol material!"

"You doubt my decision?!"

"No, no chief, I am sorry for speaking out of turn."

I scoffed, not even having the nuts to defy me, how can he hope to have a valid opinion, if he doesn't have the confidence and result to back up his claims, they are truly just here to fill the blanks and make the girls perform under pressure, else I would have already thrown them all out.

"Sir, candidate 76 is the last one."

"It's ok, let them enter."

The first reaction of everyone in the room could be summarized in one word. Messy, the person that just entered was as messy ad she could be, bangs covering her eyes, a long trench coat, padded with so much stuff that it looked like it could explode. All in all, she didn't make a good impression, some of the judges even wanted to immediately throw her out, but I stopped them.

I was interested in what she had to offer.

"Candidate 76, Seigi Akane, right?"

She just wordlessly nodded.

"Well, perform."

As on cue she threw her trench coat up, letting if rain thousands of flowers, but instead of getting angry for making a mess in this place, each of us were mesmerized with this display. It seemed like each of the flowered floated down in a predetermined way.

After each one of these flowers fell the girl was revealed in a dashing dress. Looking completely different than the girl that stood in front of us before.

(String Player Gamers, Death by Glamor cover, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5XPn8DwsrY)

She had a violin around her neck and started to play, her performance was dashing, she put her entire body into the piece, dancing around, even occasional making different poses, until it started.

At the beginning of the piece she started to hum, humming alongside the melody, completing the piece that way, but after a moment the main melody started and she started to sing.

"Drama, Romance, Bloodshed! Everything for a true show!"

"Nobody can stop my dance! I will show them what I mean. True beauty!"

"So dance with me, in rhythm and sync. Showing everyone, what we can do!"

"One more time! Showing them all, LET'S PERFORM IN SHINE!"

Then the melody dropped.

"Here in a world with super powers and heroes,"

"I will show them all,"

"That a normal girl can be special too!"

"I'll show them all, my incredible potential!"

"So look at me, look at all my glamour!"

"I am a star, destined for far more, reaching the heavens, piercing the sky."

"I am gonna prove that my beauty's number one, so be prepared to get hit by it all!"

After the part where she sang, she started to hum again, before ending her piece.

The judges were stunned by her performance, she played the violin perfectly and if they meant perfect, they meant perfect, none of the world performers could hold a candle to her violin performance, her dance moves during it were perfectly in sync with the music, enhancing her performance all the more.

But that wasn't all, the lyrics could barely be counted as such, the only reason it could be counted is because her dazzling singing performance perfectly matched the piece, pride, but not for oneself, but for the people, pride that she managed to make so my humans happy, just with her music.

And last of all her dress choice, appearing sluggishly enhanced her beauty down the line just all the more.

Every of the judge agreed.

"You'll get a place in the idol group."

------------------------------------------------------------------

The receptionists' reaction:

"Candidate 76, Seigi Akane, it's your turn."

She looked around, seeing an empty room.

"Did she go home?"

"Nope, I am here."

"What the hell!"

The receptionist said as she heard the voice.

"WHAT THE HELL!!!"

Was the reaction as she saw Akane.

"It's my turn, right?"

The receptionist just nodded and the girl entered the hallway to the room.

"She'll definitely fail."

Were the receptionist's thoughts in that moment.

If she just knew how wrong she was...