Volume 1 — Chapter 1: I Became an Idol

My name is Lily Katsumoriya.

I'm an ordinary girl who helps my mother at a small bento shop. Most of my days follow a familiar routine: I go to school, finish my lessons, and help at the shop whenever I can.

My mother works hard to prepare the food, arrange the bento boxes, and welcome the customers who come in looking for a meal.

 I do what I can to make her work a little easier.

Our shop isn't large or famous. It is simply a small place where people can buy a freshly prepared lunch. To me, its familiar sounds and smells are part of everyday life.

I know the work that needs to be done, and I rarely have to think twice before helping. It is an ordinary life, but it is one I understand.

I have never imagined myself becoming an idol. Idols seem to belong to another world—a world of bright stages, beautiful costumes, music, dancing, and audiences who watch every movement. 

The girls who perform look confident and full of energy. They can stand before a crowd and make the people watching them smile. I admire that ability, but I have never believed that I could do the same.

There is one thing about me that doesn't quite fit with that ordinary picture: I enjoy singing. Sometimes a melody comes into my mind when I have a quiet moment, and before I realize it, I'm humming softly to myself. 

Singing has always been something personal. I have never thought of it as a talent worth showing to other people, much less as the beginning of a career.

I have kept that part of myself private for a long time. It feels easier to sing when nobody is paying attention, without worrying about whether my voice sounds good or whether someone might laugh. I can simply enjoy the melody and then return to my usual routine.

My best friend, Mika Hanamori, is very different from me in that respect. Mika has always dreamed of becoming an idol. Whenever she talks about the future, her enthusiasm is clear. 

She admires performers and hopes to stand on a stage herself one day. I know that this dream matters to her, and I have always wanted her to have the chance to pursue it.

One day after school, Mika and I were spending time together when she brought up a subject that immediately caught my attention.

Mika: "Lily, have you heard about Paraminor Idol School?"

I looked at her. I had heard of the school before, so her question wasn't entirely unexpected, but I wondered why she was asking me about it now.

Lily: "Yeah, I have. Why do you ask?"

Mika's expression brightened. She looked excited, as though she had been waiting for an opportunity to tell me something important.

Mika: "The school is opening its doors to new students!"

Her announcement made me pause. Paraminor Idol School was a place where aspiring idols could take their first steps toward the world of performances. 

The idea of applying there was exciting, especially for someone like Mika, who had wanted to become an idol for so long.

Lily: "Really? You've always dreamed of becoming an idol, haven't you?"

I already knew how she would answer, but I wanted to hear her say it. Mika had spoken about her dream before, and I had never doubted how seriously she took it.

Mika: "I have, but I want you to apply with me!"

For a moment, I could only stare at her. I had expected her to tell me that she was going to apply, but I hadn't expected her to ask me to do the same. The suggestion was so surprising that I wasn't sure whether she was serious.

Me? Apply to an idol school?

I could understand why Mika wanted to go. She had a clear dream and the determination to follow it. But I was just 

Lily Katsumoriya, an ordinary girl who helped her mother at a bento shop and sometimes sang when she thought nobody could hear her.

Lily: "No way! You know I'm just not cut out to be an idol."

The answer came out quickly. I couldn't picture myself standing beneath stage lights, performing a song and dance routine while an audience watched. I didn't know whether I had the confidence, the experience, or the ability to do what idols did. The idea seemed much too far away from my everyday life.

Mika didn't give up.

Mika: "But I saw you singing in secret when we were kids!"

Her words caught me off guard. I immediately remembered the secret she was talking about. When we were younger, there had been times when I sang quietly, believing I was alone. I had never wanted anyone to make a big deal out of those moments. 

Singing was something I enjoyed, not something I wanted to explain.

And I had asked Mika not to tell anyone.

Lily: "I asked you not to tell anyone about that! It's a secret!"

I felt embarrassed that she had brought it up so openly. Even though Mika was my best friend, that didn't mean I wanted everyone to know about the little part of myself I had kept hidden.

I had trusted her with that secret, and I hoped she understood why I wanted it to remain private.

Mika knew me well. She understood that my refusal came from uncertainty, not from a lack of care for her or her dream. She wasn't trying to embarrass me. She wanted me to consider a possibility that I had dismissed without giving it a chance.

I looked at her and let out a small sigh.

Lily: "But since you're my best friend, I know you're just looking out for me."

That was true. Mika had always encouraged me, and I knew she wouldn't ask me to do something simply to make fun of me. She genuinely wanted us to apply together. 

Perhaps she believed I could do more than I gave myself credit for, even if I couldn't see it yet.

She smiled at me again.

Mika: "So, will you come and apply with me?"

I hesitated. The idea still made me nervous. If I applied, I might fail. I might discover that I really wasn't suited to performing. I had no idea what the entrance process would involve, and I couldn't imagine what would happen if I actually got accepted.

But there was another side to the decision. If I refused without trying, I would never know what might have happened. 

Mika was asking me to take one small step, not promising that everything would be easy. I could at least give it a chance.

After a moment, I made up my mind.

Lily: "All right, I'll give it a try."

Mika's face lit up.

Mika: "Yay!"

Her happiness made me smile, even though a knot of nervousness remained inside me. I had agreed to apply, but I was still unsure about what awaited me. 

All I could do now was go with her and see what happened.

That simple decision would lead me somewhere I had never expected to go.

---

After our conversation, Mika and I headed to Paraminor Idol School to apply.

As we approached the school, I became more aware of how different this place was from the familiar surroundings of my everyday life.

I had come here because Mika had invited me, and now the idea of applying was no longer just something we had talked about. We were actually going through with it.

For Mika, this was an opportunity she had been waiting for. She wanted to become an idol, and the school represented a chance to move closer to that dream. I could see how much the opportunity meant to her, and I hoped things would go well.

For me, the visit was unfamiliar territory. I tried to stay calm and concentrate on what I needed to do rather than thinking too far ahead. I didn't know whether I would pass, but I had promised Mika that I would try.

The application process began with a written examination.

I focused on the questions and answered them as carefully as I could. Although I had been nervous about applying, I tried not to let that feeling distract me.

I took the examination seriously and did my best to complete it.

When the written exam was over, I felt relieved. It had gone perfectly, and for a moment I allowed myself to think that perhaps the rest of the process might go just as smoothly.

There was still another part of the entrance process, however: the idol system, which included the outfit cards.

I didn't know all the details of how the system worked. I understood that the cards were part of the process and that the system was meant to function as expected.

Since I had never gone through this experience before, I followed the procedure and trusted that everything would work properly.

Then the system malfunctioned.

The problem happened during the entrance process and affected the idol system, including the outfit cards. The procedure no longer went as it should have, and I was unable to complete the process successfully.

At first, I struggled to understand what the malfunction meant for me. I had completed the written examination perfectly, and I had come here ready to try my best. I hadn't expected a technical problem to stand between me and the opportunity I had come to pursue.

But I couldn't repair the system myself. I didn't know what had gone wrong, and I had no way to make the process continue as it should have. 

Whatever the cause, the result was clear: I wasn't able to get into Paraminor Idol School.

Mika, on the other hand, did get in.

I was happy for her. She had worked toward this dream for a long time, and she deserved the chance to pursue it. Her success wasn't something I wanted to resent, and I certainly didn't blame her for what had happened to me.

Still, I couldn't help feeling disappointed. We had arrived together, and I had hoped that we might both be able to take this first step. Instead, a malfunction had left me outside the opportunity I had wanted to try.

I tried to accept the result. I had agreed to apply knowing that I might not succeed, and I couldn't pretend that every attempt would end the way I hoped. Even so, it was difficult to leave without understanding why things had gone wrong.

There didn't seem to be anything else I could do. The entrance process was over, and I was about to leave the school.

Just then, I ran into someone I hadn't expected to meet.

It was Mimi Hohishiro, a famous idol.

I was surprised that she approached me, and even more surprised when she called me by name.

Mimi: "Lily? How did you end up here?"

I looked at her in confusion. Her voice made it sound as though she knew me, but I couldn't remember meeting her before. I knew who she was as a famous idol, yet that was different from knowing her personally.

Lily: "You must have me confused with someone else. I don't know you."

I answered honestly. I wasn't trying to be rude. From my point of view, Mimi was someone I recognized as a performer, but I had no memory of a personal connection between us.

Mimi didn't seem offended by my response. Instead, she spoke as though she had already heard about what had happened.

Mimi: "Lily, I know you might not remember me, but I'm here to help. I heard what happened. Don't worry; just come with me."

Her words only made the situation more mysterious. She knew my name, she seemed to understand that I might not remember her, and she had heard about the problem during the entrance process. I didn't know how she knew any of those things.

I wanted to ask what she meant, but I couldn't find a way to make sense of the situation. Mimi was offering help when I had been preparing to leave, and she spoke with a confidence that made me hesitate before refusing.

Lily: "I... All right."

I decided to follow her.

---

Mimi led me to her performance room. She reassured me that I didn't need to worry and told me that I could use the room.

I hadn't expected anyone to offer me another opportunity after the malfunction. I had already accepted that I hadn't been admitted, and I had been preparing to leave without getting the chance to perform. Mimi's offer gave me a possibility I hadn't thought I would have.

I still didn't understand why she was helping me. I had told her that I didn't know her, yet she continued to act as though there was something important connecting us. 

Her words about my memory were especially puzzling, but I had no answers to the questions they raised.

Then Mimi handed me the cards.

She held them out to me, and I looked at them, uncertain about what I was supposed to make of her gesture.

Mimi: "Here, take these... I'm giving them back to you."

I paused at her choice of words.

Giving them back to me?

The way Mimi said it made it sound as though the cards had belonged to me before. 

But I couldn't remember having them, and I didn't understand what connection they could have had with me. I couldn't explain why she was returning them, or why she seemed so certain that I should take them.

There were too many things I didn't understand, and I didn't know which question I should ask first.

For now, I chose to accept the help she was offering.

Lily: "I don't really understand what's happening, but thank you, Mimi!"

I thanked her sincerely. Whatever her reasons were, she had given me a chance to do something I thought I had lost the opportunity to try.

I entered the performance room with the cards in my hands.

Inside, I noticed a crystal. Beside it was a slot for an idol card and an outfit card.

The arrangement was unfamiliar to me, but it was clearly connected to the performance process.

I looked at the outfit card. It showed a purple-themed ensemble with white accents. The design stood out to me, and I took a moment to examine it before following the procedure.

The cards Mimi had given me were now in my possession. I still couldn't understand her explanation that she was giving them back to me, but I decided not to let my confusion keep me from the opportunity in front of me.

I used the cards with the system and continued through the process.
After passing through a tunnel and putting on the costume, I found myself on stage.

The change from the preparation area to the stage made the situation feel real. I had come to Paraminor Idol School hoping to apply, only to have the process interrupted by a malfunction. Now, thanks to Mimi, I had reached a stage after all.

I didn't know what she expected from me, and I didn't know what my performance would mean to her. But I had been given a chance, and I wanted to do my best.

The song and dance routine I had chosen for the occasion was called "Melody of Star Waves."

---

As the performance began, I focused on the music and the routine.

I had been uncertain when I first came to the school, and the events of the day had left me with more questions than answers.

Yet, standing on the stage, I could finally concentrate on something other than the malfunction and Mimi's mysterious words.

The performance was what mattered now.

I continued through the song and dance, giving the routine my full attention. The outfit, with its purple theme and white accents, was part of the appearance I brought to the stage. I kept going, following the performance I had chosen rather than allowing my earlier disappointment to distract me.

As the routine unfolded, the song and dance came together beautifully.

My performance was flawless.

Everyone watching was captivated.

The result surprised me. I had thought of myself as an ordinary girl who wasn't suited to becoming an idol. I had only agreed to apply because Mika had encouraged me, and I hadn't known whether I would be able to perform at all.

But now I was on stage, delivering a performance that held everyone's attention.

I didn't know what the director was thinking, and I couldn't tell why Mimi had helped me. I could only continue until the performance reached its end, giving the song everything I could.

When it was over, the reaction was clear: my performance had made a powerful impression.

The director watched me, apparently struck by what had just happened.

Director: "She is..."

The words trailed off before the director finished the thought.

I didn't know what the director had been about to say. The unfinished sentence left me wondering what had been recognized in my performance, but I had no way of knowing the answer.

Mimi was there, too.

She had approached me when I was about to leave the school.

 She had offered me her performance room, handed me the cards, and given me a chance to perform despite the malfunction that had prevented me from getting in.

Now, after watching my performance, she spoke softly.

Mimi: "You've finally returned."

Her words were mysterious, and I couldn't understand their meaning.

She spoke as though I had returned to somewhere I belonged, or as though she had been waiting for this moment. But I had no memory that could explain her reaction. 

I had come here as Lily Katsumoriya, an ordinary girl who helped her mother at a bento shop and had never expected to stand on an idol stage.

I didn't know why Mimi recognized me when I couldn't remember her. I didn't know why she had given me the cards while saying she was returning them to me. I didn't know what the director had been about to say, either.

All those questions remained unanswered.

I couldn't explain what any of it meant, but I couldn't ignore how unusual the day had become. A moment earlier, I had believed my chance was over. Now, I had stood on stage and delivered a flawless performance, and a famous idol had spoken to me as though she had been waiting for me.

I was still the same girl who had arrived at the school with no expectation of becoming an idol. Yet something about the experience had changed the way I saw that possibility.

I didn't know what would happen next. I didn't know why Mimi had recognized me, what the cards meant, or why she had chosen those particular words.

For now, I could only hold on to the memory of the performance and the questions it had left behind.

Mimi: "You've finally returned."

Her words lingered in my mind.
I had gone to Paraminor Idol School because my best friend had asked me to try. I had expected nothing more than an entrance examination, and I had nearly left believing that I had failed before I could begin.

Instead, I had stepped onto a stage and performed "Melody of Star Waves."

That was the moment my journey as an idol began.

And that was how I became an idol.

End of Chapter 1