Love Under The Spotlight | Oshi no Ko [Hoshino Aqua x OC]

Chapter 5

The set was hectic and the atmosphere was electric. The staff crew was frantic, running back and forth between points A and B and occasionally stopping at point C. The night of the first live broadcast of "Bring it On" finally came and JNet's production team was restlessly working for everything to go smoothly. The entire rehearsals were already over and all the dance crews had trained on the real dance floor. Himeka had not attended school the afternoon so she could rehearse. If the production adapted to her school timetable, it was still necessary to skip a whole afternoon to ensure the show would go well. It might be live but there it was still scripted and predetermined.

Himeka, already dressed in her performing attire (a fancy pair of tracksuits with a colorful and cropped skin-tight tee shirt), stood backstage near the dance floor.

"People are starting to sit... the set suddenly seems bigger...," she muttered to herself.

Fans of the contestants were beginning to fill the bleachers surrounding the dancefloor which shifted the atmosphere to a heavier and tenser one. Himeka's heart began beating a bit faster as she realized that the show would start in less than an hour. It seemed the thought of her being part of the show was finally sinking in.

She had already come a few times earlier in the week to rehearse the whole choreography but it was empty of fans and seemed a whole lot different. She had worked hard, until late at night, even back at home, on her performance. It was drastically different from what she was used to do. Her idol image may be structured around a girl crush concept, but the theme required her to re-imagine the definition of the word "cool". To her, it was someone with assurance and who was confident in their skills. To Jessy, it was someone badass and fierce who was bold enough to speak their mind without fearing repercussions. Jessy had a stronger, almost more aggressive definition of what was "cool". Having a vague theme was a good opportunity to see the different visions of the choreographers and the different presentations of the idols.

"You've never been on a TV set before?"

Looking to her side, she saw a tall man with scarlet hair walking her way. Hirogawa Mabuchi. His toned physique was adorned with black baggy pants and a tank of the same color but translucid enough to showcase his abdomen. He was very handsome which explained why he was so popular as a model. He was endorsing several brands and often walks on runaways.

"Not as big as this one. It's impressive," Himeka admitted.

"It's the greatest set owned by JNet," Mabuchi stopped beside her. He was a head and a half taller than her. It was not very surprising as he was eight years older than her. "Bring it on" is also the most expensive show they produce. To afford famous idols, the costumes, and build the special decors for each team, they need quite a lot of money,"

JNet was indeed a very notorious channel that was owned by one of the wealthiest conglomerates in the country. Money was not necessarily a problem for them and appearing on their channel was always a good opportunity to gain exposure which perhaps was the reason why most of the contestants agreed to participate in the show. Of course, their love for dancing may be a reason but quite frankly, its visibility was at the top of the list. If all contestants have been incredibly famous at one point in their careers, most were not as much under the spotlight as they once were so "Bring It On" was a great way to regain popularity and therefore, opportunities of getting contracts.

"Ah! I haven't introduced myself, I'm so sorry!" Himeka suddenly realized. Facing her senior and bowed. She had been so caught in her thoughts and growing nervousness that she had temporarily forgotten about courtesy and good manners. "I'm Opal, I'm pleased to meet you. Let's do our best today!"

"I already know you, your face is everywhere," the retired idol let out a chuckle. "I'm Hirogawa Mabuchi, formerly in the idol boy group "5 Stars". I look forward to your performance,"