Erii Mitsui

The sun peeked above the horizon, painting the sky above the calm, glimmering ocean with streaks of orange and gold. 

Miyuki stood on the white stone steps that led to a large western-style mansion and stared at the view with awe. She had arrived a few minutes late, but still turned to soak up the beach's scenery. 

Surrounded by trees and set on a large hill overlooking the beach, the mansion looked like a small castle. The front door towered over Miyuki, big enough for a rhinoceros to pass through. 

With a deep breath to calm her growing excitement, she opened the door and walked in. 

Inside was a massive room with velvet stairs on either side leading up to the mezzanine that was lined with a gold railing. 

A large red rug with gold etching welcomed Miyuki in. Above her, a brilliant chandelier hung from the ceiling, each crystal shimmering a bright gold. 

In the center of the spacious area was a man dressed in an all-black suit. “Ah, Miyuki Haruno. We were wondering where you were. Your partner for the first round is waiting for you. If you go down the hall to your left, it will be the third door on the left.”

“Thank you. I'm sorry for being late,” she dipped her head in apology and hurried off to find the room that was mentioned. 

She entered the designated room. It was a guest room, with a large bed half hidden behind velvet curtains. On the opposite side of the room was a wooden closet that reached from the floor to the ceiling. 

Looking out the wide window was a girl sitting on a ledge in front of it with her back to Miyuki. All Miyuki could see of her was her pink and blue outfit and her matching pink pigtails. 

“You must be Erii Mitsui?” Miyuki closed the door behind her. “Sorry I'm late. My name is Miyuki Haruno. I look forward to working with–” Miyuki trailed off as the girl turned toward her. The girl in front of her was none other than Komi Koizumi. 

Komi stood and bowed. “Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Komi Koizumi, known online as Erii Mitsui. It's a pleasure to work with you. I've been looking forward to this.”

“Wait, Komi… you're Erii Mitsui? You're an idol?” Miyuki's eyes were wide with shock.

She nodded. “Sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I thought it might make things awkward.”

“So the reason you know so much about idols is because you're in the industry?”

“I try to keep up with the other idols,” she said. “And I have some connections.”

“Like Nia?”

Komi nodded. “Nia is one of the people working on the Idol Awards. I met her during a music video we were filming.”

“So the reason you transferred to our school is because… people in your other school found out you're Erii Mitsui?”

“A few of my classmates had their suspicions, and it spread to other students. Regardless of whether it was true or not, I had to leave. The attention was getting uncomfortable,” Komi explained.

“I'm still shocked. I never expected you to be an idol. No offense,” Miyuki said.

“None taken. I don't have the outgoing personality most idols do. The reason I've only performed online until now is because I was too nervous to perform in front of a large crowd,” Komi sighed. “I think I'm over that now, though.”

“You'll do great,” Miyuki grinned. “I can't wait to perform together.” 

“Same,” Komi nodded in agreement. “I was hoping I'd be paired with you since I first met you.”

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. “We'll be gathering in the foyer in a few minutes to discuss the details of the first round,” came the voice of the man that conducted Miyuki to the room. 

“We'll be right out,” Miyuki called back. “Guess we'll continue this conversation later.”

Komi followed Miyuki out of the room and down the hall to the large open room they had passed through when they came in. A large group waited in the center of the room, gathered in front of the man in the black suit. 

“Who are they?” Miyuki whispered to Komi as they stepped into the room. It was obvious that they were all participants in the Idol Awards, but she figured Komi would be able to match names to faces. 

“Those girls in the white skirts are members of AngelZ. The ones wearing blue and green make up Harmonee. Looks like Ai Ozawa and Naomi Shimada are here too,” she said.

“I thought we weren't supposed to bring guests?” The condescending voice of Luna Rihara sounded from behind them.

Miyuki turned around to see her walking out of the hall with her arms crossed, her eyes fixated on Komi. Behind her was a girl in her early twenties with raven black hair tied in a ponytail. 

“She's not–”

Komi dipped her head to Luna. “I am Erii Mitsui, a competitor just like you and Miyuki. How are you and Risu getting along?”

“Oh, Erii Mitsui? That's why you sounded familiar. Risu and I are getting along fine. We're not going to lose this round,” she marched past them with a prideful smirk. 

From the hallways on both sides of the room, participants of the Idol Awards trickled in to join the gathering crowd. 

Once everyone was accounted for, the main in the suit jumped on a table that was behind him. “Idols! This is the moment you've been waiting for. I am Harun, your supervisor for this event,” he bowed with an added flair. “I will now explain how this first round works.”

Miyuki leaned in, listening closely to the man with great enthusiasm for the event. 

“Next Monday, you will all perform a song with your partners on live television. Starting tomorrow, you are to vacation here while you work together to produce a song that will make Japan go crazy! Without further ado, let us begin the first round of the 2025 Idol Awards!”