Idol

“You’re a tourist?” The director asked, looking her dead in the eye.

Frankie nodded.

“American?”

Again, she nodded. Katie came up next to her, seeing how scared her kid sister was, even if she did have the biggest grin on her sweating face.

“I think I’ve seen you…” Listlessly, Hiromaki gazed into the project on her screen. “You were in Kidney’s game?”

Frankie once again nodded.

“I watched it on TV. The ceremony.”

“Pretty nice to see two random kids take third place, huh?” The older sister stepped in, trying to make things less awkward. The oppposite was true.

“It was surprising.” For some reason, Miyano-San’s words sounded oddly cold. “Please, don’t get involved with this person. They’ll ruin your time here.”

“I think they’re pretty alright.” Katie stood up for her new friend.

Miyano sighed.

“What reason did you come here for?”

“I’m gonna see all the parks in the-!”

“-Just a big f-fan.” Frankie interrupted her sister’s Shonen spiel. “I love… Celestial Orchestra. I think… you’re the most talented… creative person alive.”

Miyano scoffed.

“You must not know many people.”

Frankie should’ve known, but couldn’t help looking down at the ground. From the looks of it, she really was exactly how everyone said- nothing but a self-loathing perfectionist driven by her dissatisfaction.

“S-still… you inspired me to make my own art. And… I’m still pursuing that, even now.” The fan murmured loudly, affixing her resolve to the dream that she might, one day, be the author of Percy Phytoplankton.

Miyano suddenly looked even sadder.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized, but not for her own actions.

“Huh…?” Frankie almost whimpered. This interaction itself felt like a dream, but it was slowly becoming closer to a waking nightmare.

“You shouldn’t be misguided by me. Please don’t waste your life. Use your time to do something better.”

For that split second, at the word of her idol, Frankie almost considered it.

Then her sister stepped up.

“Frankie will spend her life going after whatever dream she wants.” Katie snarled, looking down on the old woman, no different or better from any other.

“Do you have one, too? A dream?” Miyano-San humbly asked.

“I’m seeing every park in the whole world.” Katie stood firm, happy to reveal it.

“…I thought you’d say something like that.” She turned back to her computer, no longer wishing to participate in the conversation. “With a dream like that… you’ll die empty no matter what. You know that, right?”

Katie shook her head.

“I’m not weak like you are.”

The Die Rangers were just itching to punish this girl’s attitude towards their leader, but for some reason, the director wouldn’t give the word.

“Both of you can go waste your lives, then.” Miyano was unhappy to have been so suddenly reminded of herself. “You too, Tala.”

“You mean I can stay…?” They were quick to accept the possibility they’d been let off the hook. As much as this place sucked, they couldn’t help but feel attached to the park they were born in.

“Better you ruin my park than someone else’s.” The director coldly uttered, before the rangers grabbed them again.

“G-goobye… thanks for talking to me…” Trying to be positive, Frankie bowed to her idol.

“…You’re welcome.” Miyano offered. “I hope you all learned something today.”