Celebrations

The lights in the cartoon stage went dark, and a drum roll sounded. “In fifth place, we have…” A spotlight on stage right flashed on to reveal a headshot of one of the idols. “Tsubasa Iwamoto!” Applause sounded for the girl. “In fourth… we have…” Another spotlight lit up the other side of the stage. “Erii Mitsui! Wow, congrats to Erii! As a virtual idol myself, it makes me happy to see her move on!”

“Now, in third place…” The drumroll lasted a few seconds longer than before. The spotlight activated next to the first. “Ai Ozawa!”

Miyuki’s heart was racing from the anticipation. There were only two slots left, and her name has yet to be called.

“In second place…” The drumroll deepened, and the place next to where Erii’s picture was lit up. “Last year’s winner, Luna Rihara! That’s not too much of a surprise, is it?” The idol giggled. “Finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. In first place, we have…”

Light erupted center stage, revealing the final winner of the second round. “Miyuki Haruno!”

A tsunami of relief crashed over her, and tears of gratitude began to form. “I did it! I’m going to the final round!” She turned and embraced Jin with a tight grip.

“I knew you’d win,” he returned her hug.

“Thank you for believing in me…” The tears crawled out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks. “Your support made all the difference.”

“I didn’t do anything,” he said, returning his arms to his side. “This is your victory.”

“Still… It’s because of you that I’ve come this far,” she returned to her seat, releasing Jin from her grip. “So thank you.”

“Thank you all for watching,” the Idol Awards’ mascot bowed. “I’ll see you all at the final round! Who will win it all this year?” The screen turned black and the video came to its conclusion.

“Oh, how about we go for some ice cream to celebrate?” Jin suggested.

Miyuki eagerly nodded as she wiped the waterworks off her face. “That sounds great! Is there an ice cream shop nearby?”

“Just a couple blocks from here. It’s a pretty chill place,” he said.

“Then let’s go!” She grinned and jumped up from her chair. “Let’s take a few cookies for the road, while we’re at it.”

By now the cookies had cooled enough that they were firm, but still warm to the touch. Miyuki grabbed a few and handed them to Jin before stealing a few for herself. She took a bite out of one and almost melted from the gooey deliciousness. “Mmm, that’s good… You did a great job, apprentice.”

“What can I say? I had the best teacher,” he said. Jin noticed a smudge of melted chocolate on Miyuki’s lower lip. “You’ve got some chocolate on your lip,” he pointed to the spot on his own face.

Miyuki rubbed the correct spot and licked the remnants from the side of her finger. “Thank you for pointing that out before we left.”

“Remember when we were eating crepes last time? You had gotten something on your mouth then, too.”

Her cheeks flushed at the memory. “T-that was embarrassing… Let’s go…” She pushed past Jin to lead the way out of the house.

—

The inside of the ice cream shop looked like a kids’ play area, with pink and blue polka dots scattered throughout the room and candy cane stools. Even the tables were modeled after mints.

There were two televisions hanging in the corner of the ceiling on either side of the building. One played a cartoon for little kids, and the other displayed a news station. In the air was the sweet smell of sugar, luring customers to the long stretch of glass by the counter that revealed dozens of ice cream flavors in large steel buckets.

“Welcome,” a boy only a few years older than Miyuki and Jin bowed in his sailor-like uniform. “What can I get for you today?”

Miyuki followed Jin to the glass and stared at the colorful variety of ice cream. Notecards were taped to the glass, explaining what each flavor was.

“I’ll get two scoops of the peanut butter crunch,” Jin said.

“Coming right up,” the employee smiled and slid open the glass on his side of the counter to scoop the light brown ice cream with a fresh ice cream scooper. “And what about you, miss?”

“Um…” Miyuki walked up and down the lane, studying each flavor before making her choice. “How about… a single scoop of strawberry bliss?” She said, keeping her eye on the strawberry-infused ice cream. “Make that a cone, please.”

Jin’s order was handed to him and a few seconds later, Miyuki was handed her cone. She reached into her jacket with her free hand to dig out some money, but by the time she had gotten it out, Jin had already paid for the two of them.

“Let’s take a seat,” he led her to a table in the corner of the shop and stayed standing until she was seated on the swivel stool.

“You didn’t have to pay, you know. I have plenty of money,” she said.

“I know, but we’re here to celebrate your achievements. It would be wrong for you to pay for it,” he explained as he sat down.

“Fair…” She cleared her throat. “Here’s to winning the second round!” Miyuki raised her cone as a toast.

Jin smiled and gently clicked his bowl against the cone. “To your victory in the second round!” He repeated.

She tasted her fruity dessert. It was refreshing yet as cold as the bitter winter wind. “How’s yours taste?”

“Like peanut butter,” he teased as he cleaned off his spoon. “How about yours?”

“Like strawberry,” she teased in return. “May I try a bite?”

“Sure. Let me grab another spoon,” he pushed himself away from the table and walked back to the counter to retrieve a utensil for her to use.

Alone, Miyuki’s attention drifted to the television above her that was playing the news.

“Speaking of idols, we have one with us today,” a newsman said. “Everybody, please welcome Luna Rihara.”

The camera panned out to reveal Luna standing behind the stand next to him with a smile. “It’s nice to be here today.”

“Thank you for coming here to be with us today. I’m certain this is a stressful time for you,” a newswoman spoke from behind a stand on the opposite side of the room.

“Oh, not at all. I’ve been enjoying the events of the week,” Luna replied.

“Tell us how last year’s winner of the Idol Awards has been feeling about this year’s event.” The man next to her requested.

“I like the direction they are taking the event. The elimination rounds make it more interesting–”

“Right?” The woman interjected.

“–and I’ve quite enjoyed participating so far. Each competitor remaining is talented, so I hope my fans will support me to the end,” she beamed.

“What’s been your favorite part?” Another man standing next to the newswoman asked.

“Hmm, that’s a good question,” Luna put a finger on her chin, deep in thought. “I’d say getting to know my fellow idols. I’ve come to know and care about a few of them through this process.”

“Like Risu?” The man next to her asked. “You two worked really well together. It’s a shame she didn’t make it to the finals. She’s definitely got the talent.”

“Yes, that is unfortunate. I was looking forward to hearing a solo performance from her.”

“Who else have you gotten to know?” Asked the man across from her.

“Miyuki Haruno,” Luna answered. “We worked on a song together right before the event, and I’ve had even more chances to talk to her recently.”

“Yes, I remember! You two rocked the charts before the Idol Awards. Miyuki’s got one enchanting voice.”

“She’s a perfect model, too. It’s no wonder she made it to the final round.”

It was slight, but Miyuki could see a twinge of annoyance in Luna’s brow. “Yes, I’m glad she made it, too… Which makes it harder to say what I need to.”

“What is it that you need to say?” The woman inquired.

Luna paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “I’m afraid Miyuki’s been doing things unbecoming of an idol…”