The Idol Awards

“Goooood morning, Japan!” The Idol Awards’ energetic virtual idol shouted with a pose. “The moment you’ve all been waiting for is here! In less than two hours, the final round of the Idol Awards will begin!”

Crowds of people funneled into a massive indoor stadium. The line stretched for miles, disappearing into the chaos of the city. Already, the floor was filling up with excited fans, and seating was disappearing fast.

“Each of the five remaining idols will perform in the Nakamura Stadium in front of a roaring crowd and three very special judges. If you’re not heading there now, you better hurry!” She winked.

Miyuki sat on a hard wooden chair in a large room that was being used as a dressing room for the idols. Several desks and mirrors were brought into the room to assist the girls with their outfits. Around her, the other competitors were fixing their makeup in preparation for their big performance.

A text from Jin had come to her phone, letting her know that his soccer game had just finished and he was on his way to the Idol Awards’ venue. She was relieved that his match had ended in time for him to watch her perform.

The girl staring back at her through the mirror was beautiful, except for the gloomy look she had adopted. Sakura ribbons adorned her hair, matching perfectly with the earrings and sleeveless dress of the same color. A small bow was tied around the base of her neck, matched by the much larger bow that hugged her waist.

“Are you doing okay?” Komi walked up to her side.

“I don’t know, to be honest,” Miyuki sighed and turned to her friend. Komi’s ruffled lilac skirt drew out more of her cuteness than anything else Miyuki had seen her in. “Cute outfit. Everyone will love you.”

“You make it sound like they won’t love you,” Komi commented on her deflated tone. “Don’t worry about the news. Once everyone hears your singing, they’ll forget all about it.”

“I certainly hope so,” Miyuki said. “I think… if I focus on Jin, I’ll be able to do my best.”

“He’ll love you,” she responded.

“That’s the goal,” Miyuki pushed the chair back and rose to her feet. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment.”

A smile formed on Komi’s lips. “That’s the spirit.”

Footsteps sounded behind them, followed by a voice. “How is my dear Miyuki doing?”

A swirl of negative emotions was stirred up by the sound of Luna’s voice. “I’m doing fine,” she answered as she turned to face her opponent. “What do you want, Rihara?”

“Ouch, cold,” Luna crossed her arms. “And here I was taking the time out of my busy schedule to check up on you.”

“There’s no need to act friendly,” Komi narrowed her eyes. “We all know you’d be happy if Miyuki disappeared forever.”

“Nonsense,” Luna chuckled to herself. “Only until the Idol Awards ends.”

“You’re not going to win this year. Miyuki and I will beat you. Isn’t that right, Miyuki?”

“Honestly, you have a better chance of that than I do,” she said.

The sound of the Idol Awards’ mascot put the conversation to a pause. “Thank you all for coming to support your favorite idols! I will now reveal the order of performances. First we have Tsubasa Iwamoto, followed by Erii Mitsui. After her, is Ai Ozawa, then Miyuki Haruno. The last performance will be by last year’s winner, Luna Rihara!”

“Looks like they’re saving the best for last,” Luna snickered. “I’ll be sure to end the show with a bang.” With a flick of her hair, she marched off to join the discussion of the other two idols.

A woman opened the door and poked her head into the room. “Tsubasa Iwamoto, you’re up in ten minutes.”

“Got it!” Tsubasa called out.

Komi placed a hand on the downtrodden Miyuki’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Miyuki. We’ll beat her. Then we’ll make her regret hurting you.”

Miyuki’s frown inverted into a smile as she giggled. “You sound like Nanami right now.”

“Nanami’s idea of making her regret what she did is a lot different from mine,” she laughed.

“She’d probably beat her up until she posted a formal apology,” Miyuki laughed alongside Komi, imagining how badly Nanami must be itching to get back at Luna. “Usually the threat alone is enough for people to give in, so she rarely results to force. Though with Rihara’s pride, that might be a different story…”

A few minutes passed in the blink of an eye as her conversation with Komi put her worries on the backburner. The same woman who had let Tsubasa know it was almost time for her performance came back to guide her to the stage.

In the backroom, they could feel the vibrations in the ground that accompanied Tsubasa’s fast-paced pop music. Alongside the powerful chords and the idol’s cute voice was the cheers of the audience.

“How many people do you think are out there?” Erii asked while she stared at the wall in the direction of the stage.

“Last year there was a crowd of about fifty thousand, I think? It might be similar to that,” Miyuki said. “You’re not nervous, are you?”

Komi shifted uncomfortably. “A little bit,” she admitted. “This is my first time performing in front of such a huge audience in person. Usually I’m hidden behind a virtual model.”

“You’ll do great, there’s nothing to be nervous about. If the nerves are really getting to you, take a few breaths and imagine everyone can only see Erii Mitsui instead of Komi Koizumi.”

“That’s a good tip, thanks,” she said. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

The door opened, and the same woman poked her head into the room. “Erii Mitsui, you’re up in five minutes.”

It wasn’t long before the music blasting through the stadium came to an end, and Komi was whisked away to wait backstage for her turn.

“Good luck, Komi,” Miyuki waved to her as she exited the room behind the woman. Between the two idols’ performances was a commentary by the virtual mascot. She hyped the crowd, complimented Tsubasa’s performance, and even introduced Erii Mitsui to the audience.

Following the introduction of Erii Mitsui, the crowd cheered. Once they quieted down, Miyuki tuned in to focus on Komi’s music. The music was enchanting; it felt as if she were being transported into a cute fairytale for a few minutes by the charming fairy that was Komi.

When the song came to a conclusion, Miyuki was suddenly taken back to the real world. She was impressed by the powerful music Komi had produced. There wasn’t a trace of anxiety in her friend’s voice, either.

Komi returned to the beauty room with a wide grin. “Were you listening, Miyuki?”

“I was!” Miyuki bounced in excitement. “You did so great! I was shocked how good that was.”

“Didn’t I tell you I’d be your greatest opponent back when we first met?” Komi giggled.

She thought back to that fateful encounter months ago. “Oh yeah, you did say that…”

“The same goes for you,” she said. “You’ll be my greatest opponent, so make sure you give it your all.”