Aikatsu Crescent! BRIGHTEST☆STARS || アイカツクレセント！Season 3

「Phase 94」Like A Star Fragment

In her room, Usagi stretched. "A week of Aikatsu already," she said, "Can you believe it?"

Hikaru nodded, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. She was on her phone, scrolling through.

"What you up to?" Usagi asked.

"Looking at Aikatsu news," Hikaru said, holding out her phone.

"Oh?"

"Knowing what's popular should help us," Hikaru continued, "Like a guideline."

"I see, I see," Usagi nodded, "Hey, have any first-years made it into any kind of news yet?" she asked, taking Hikaru's phone. Scrolling through, her eyes lit up. "Oh! Mamori-chan, Alice-chan, Rinka-chan." She furrowed her brows. "I... don't recognise them."

"Most of them go to another school," Hikaru told her, "Not many idols in this school have made it yet."

"Really?"

"It takes a long time to make it I think," Hikaru noted.

"So... this school must be really cool, right?" Usagi asked, scrolling through the articles, "Do you know anything about it?"

Hikaru shook her head.

"Well... then, let's go ask Saki-chan!"

─── ｡ﾟ☽: * .♧. * :☾ ° . ───

"You don't know about Rosebud Academy?!" Saki shouted. The next day, Usagi and Hikaru had tracked her down. Usagi laughed airily.

"Am I supposed to?"

"Sachiko-chan from your beloved eclipse attends there, you know!"

"Really?!" Usagi asked, her expression lighting up. Saki sighed.

"You're hopeless," she muttered, placing a hand to her head, "Okay then - short lesson. Rosebud Academy is an elite school, the top of the top. The entrance exams are extraordinarily hard and aside from recommendations, they're the only other way to get in. And so," she leaned in, "Because every student is amazing, they're naturally going to get more attention."

Hikaru nodded along, taking mental notes, whilst Usagi played with a strand of hair.

"That doesn't seem very fair," she muttered.

"What?"

"Like... I'm sure we're just as great as their students," Usagi continued, "Why can't we get just as much attention?"

"Didn't you listen?"

"I did! But there must be a reason why you chose this school, right?"

Saki paused, looking away. "This is the school Mai-chan attended, so..."

"That's the top idol, right?" Hikaru asked, and the other two nodded.

"Last year, this school's rivalry was intense. But, because of the talented idols here we held our own," Saki pursed her lips, "Only problem is, now two of our best idols have quit."

"Oh," Usagi said, "So if I wanted to have a more interesting Aikatsu, I should have chosen Rosebud?"

Hikaru looked to the floor and Saki deadpanned.

"You wouldn't pass the exams anyway."

"Hey!"

Hikaru looked up again. "They've taken on a lot of jobs," she said, "If we want the same recognition-"

"-We should take jobs too?" Usagi finished and Hikaru nodded. Like that, Usagi's expression lit up. "My first audition! That's so... so... I wonder what it's like!" she exclaimed, bouncing on her toes.