And the Winner Is...

“Time is up! Let’s see those votes!” The QR code on the screen was replaced with the smiling idol mascot. The spotlights above each of the five contestants shut off to leave them in darkness. “Listen up, or you might miss what place your favorite idol made.”

Miyuki crossed her fingers, hoping for a good placement. The wait seemed to draw on forever.

“In fifth place, we have…”

Miyuki’s nerves caused her to flinch as a spotlight brightened the area around one of the other contestants.

“Tsubasa Iwamoto!” Some sounds of disappointment could be heard but were quickly drowned out by the clapping of the rest of the crowd. “Congrats on making it to the final round of this year’s Idol Awards, Tsubasa! That’s an incredible feat. Who’s ready to hear who made it to fourth?”

Cheers erupted from the audience. The virtual idol had to raise her voice to be heard over the roaring of the crowd. “Okay! In fourth place, we have…” A drumroll played from the stage’s speakers, replacing the noise of the fans. Another spotlight burned a circle onto the stage. “Ai Ozawa!”

Similar to the reactions gained from the first announcement, applause was undertoned by the murmurs of Ai Ozawa’s fans. “Congrats for making it this far. You did great!”

Lit beneath the spotlight, Ai bowed to the audience to show her appreciation for their support. Miyuki couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness at the quiet disappointment behind her eyes.

“We’re down to the top three! Can you all guess who placed third?” At her question, voices were raised high to shout out their answers. All three remaining candidates’ names were heard multiple times. “They can’t all be third place… Alright, I’ll tell you who it is,” she teased the audience. Another spotlight lit up the stage. “Third place is Miyuki Haruno!”

Another mixed reaction from the crowd. Some of her fans started to cry. Others in the crowd seemed pleased that Miyuki didn’t win, most likely because of what Luna had shared about her. Nevertheless, there was still thunderous applause.

Miyuki curtsied, showing the fans her gratitude. It was a bit disappointing that she hadn’t won, but that was only her secondary goal. She was eager to hear how her music affected Jin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luna glance at her with a smirk.

Each light on the stage shut off again, and a drumroll as loud as cracking thunder ensued. “Only two idols remain… Which one will be the winner of this year’s Idol Awards? Will it be the virtual idol who has only recently shown her face? Or will Luna Rihara defend her title as Idol of the Year?”

A backstage crew member ushered Miyuki, Tsubasa, and Ai off the stage. On the other side of the curtain, Miyuki turned and watched the stage through a thin crack.

After a long delay that pulled at everyone’s nerves, light poured down upon the chosen victor. “The winner is Erii Mitsui!” The mascot’s voice rang through the stadium, joined by a chorus of screaming fans–some of them happy, some of them not so much.

Miyuki lit up with excitement and pride for Komi’s triumph over Luna, whose eyes were wide and hands clenched into white fists behind her back.

Komi waved with a large smile. To her right, the man that was in charge of the two previous events walked on stage with a microphone in hand, wearing the same black suit he always did.

“Do you have any words for us, Erii Mitsui?” He handed Komi the microphone.

“Honestly, I’m as surprised as I’m sure many of you are right now,” Komi began. “But I’m really happy that you’ve given me this honor. I’m not any different than any of you. The reason I became an idol was simply because I love music. If you told me even a few weeks ago that I would win the Idol Awards, I wouldn’t have believed you. Now I’m here, and I have you all to thank…” She paused for a moment. “I don’t know what else to say, so I’ll end by saying thank you all again.”

—

“Congratulations!” Miyuki bounced with excitement when Komi returned to the beauty room after the closing ceremony. “You won!”

Komi exhaled the residue of her nervous energy with a huge sigh. “I didn’t say anything stupid, did I?”

“I thought it was great,” she said. “A very humble speech.”

“Thanks. I really wasn’t expecting to win,” Komi admitted.

“You weren’t supposed to,” Luna snarled as she walked by. “It was me who should have won.”

“But you didn’t,” Komi pointed out. “Face it. You’re not as popular as you used to be.”

Luna stopped in her tracks and spun around to face Komi. “I don’t know how you won, but it’s not because you have more fans than me. The judges must’ve been biased.”

“How did I know you would be a sore loser…?” Komi shook her head and giggled alongside Miyuki.

With the flick of her hair, Luna marched off grumbling to herself.

“Excuse me,” the woman who had led each idol backstage poked her head into the room and stared at Miyuki. “Miyuki Haruno, do you know someone by the name of Jin Iwazaki?”

“Jin?” Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. “Yes, I know him! Is he looking for me?”

“Yes. I thought he was just a fan but he told me to ask you directly.”

“Take me to him,” she begged.

“Okay, follow me,” she disappeared from the doorway and started down the dimly lit hall.

Miyuki hurried after her, eager to see Jin. Within her chest, her heart beat with hope. ‘He’s making an effort to talk to me here… Does that mean…?’

“Wait here,” the woman said. “It would be better if he came back here.” She continued without Miyuki, disappearing to the side of the stage. A minute later, she reemerged with Jin behind her. “I’ll take my leave now,” she bowed and walked off.

Miyuki’s eyes met Jin’s. Only the sound of the woman’s heels against the ground and the distant chatter of the leaving crowd cut through the silence.