[Aikatsu Stars!] Reincarnated as Haruka☆Ruka

Chapter 11: Rock☆Rock Girls!

"Did you hear, Ruruka?! There's an audition! S4's new drama is recruiting extras! We get to audition, schoolwide, no restrictions, with S4! M4 is in it too! Ruruka are you listening?!"

Today's morning greeting involved Ako scrambling up the steps of their bunk bed, paying a mild respect to the Momoko-sensei shrine, and then immediately flipping Haruka out of her blanket burrito. She goes spiraling into the air and Ako hobbles down the steps to catch her in a bridal carry.

Haruka was, put simply, flummoxed.

Still clutching her plushie of a yellow bear with a pink heart on it, she trembled as she managed to squeak out, "whu– g'morning...???"

"Good morning!" Ako greeted brightly. "Now let's go take that audition!"

"Wha- uh. Audition– huh?"

"Into your uniform, let's go!"

"Ako-kocchiii!?! Put me down first!"

-

It seems like Spice Chord is the sponsored brand for this TV drama, because Haruka looks through all the Key Visuals to see it as the most consistent choice for the drama's wardrobe team.

"I don't think this story really fits my vibe," Haruka admitted. "It's fine for you, Akocchi, you're usually a cool, mature pop-style. Mine is a bit more chigakawa so I'd stand out strangely as part of the extras."

Haruka's style was to stand out oddly in a crowd— garish hair colours, standout accessories, and bright personality. While the other girls won't be doing much better in a casting for extras, they could at least look like new band hopefuls or spiritual successors of the main story.

Haruka would stand out oddly in a school setting that's meant to be for nerds and studious girls, since she looks like she came straight out of a kid's TV programme.

"Ehh, won't you come just to accompany me at least?" Ako pouted. She was fine going herself— she'd definitely do amazing at it— she's the top scorer of Theatre, after all— but she wanted her friend with her. "M4 is going to be there! M4, you know?"

Haruka sighed fondly.

"Okay then! Let's go sign up together, Akocchi."

It didn't matter if she wouldn't enjoy it or be good at it. Doing anything would be more fun with a friend, and nothing was worth making Ako feel alone.

(Haruka promised herself. She'd never let anyone down when they're sharing their passions with her— after all, in her past life, she never had anyone to share her hobbies with, and that always felt so lonely.)

-

For the auditions, Theatre has the advantage, of course. Most of the Theatre Class are already a shoe-in for the role of Extras in the drama, so the audition is just a matter of whether they'd get any lines to say.

"Look, it's Subaru-kyun!" Ako swooned, hiding behind the bookshelves.

Haruka hummed with disinterest, looking through the shelves. "Ako, can you help me search already? Oh..."

Ako squeaked as Haruka stepped right over, tapping Nozomu on the shoulder and then drapign herself over his arm when he noticed her. They giggle quietly and whisper about the books in front of them, and Ako seethed with envy.

Though, she also noticed that Subaru looked surprised too. Even more surprised when he realized Haruka had an audience too.

They're all distracted by a rather loud exclamation of "oh! That's a good idea!" that makes every head in the store turn.

Yume, Koharu, and Laura scurried out of the building, embarrassed.

Exchanging glances, they get their books, buy it, and leave the store after Nijino Yume and her friends. With a chuckle, Subaru stepped over to Yume, taking a peek at her notes.

"What does 'won't get candy' even mean?" he laughed out loud, "are you observing the habits of a nerd, or are you observing what are the consequences of them?"

Yume pouted at that, cheeks puffed up with annoyance, "well it's got nothing to do with you, so why do you have so much to say about it?"

Nozomu was very amused. Someone actually managed to make Subaru laugh so heartily outside of his usual friend group.

"Cute, right?" Haruka said. "She's gonna go far."

"Well, if you're saying so much..." Nozomu hummed. Then, teasingly, "who's cuter, her or me?"

"Neither of you," Haruka blew him a raspberry, "It's me."

And Nozomu giggled into his hand. "You're right, you're right."

"Hey, stop flirting in public!" Subaru snapped at them, cheeks slightly flushed at the sight of them, arm in arm, whispering so closely at each other. Haruka wasn't even wearing a disguise or anything.

At the same time, Yume added, similarly bristled, "what did you all even come here for??"

"I'm here for this," Haruka took out the thing she bought from the paper wrapping, showing the full signed copy of [The Story of a group of Studyholic Girls who formed a Rock Band and got into Music University on the First Try]. "I figured if I was going to try for the audition anyways, I should read the source material."

"Haha," Subaru's exasperated, "same here."

"But that's a long title and an even longer book!" Laura gaped. "Are you going to read it all before the audition?"

"I mean..." Haruka shrugged, "can't be that hard."

"I'll read it when Subaru gets tired of it," Nozomu said. "We're roommates, after all. All his unfinished books end up at my table."

"Well..." Subaru frowned, feeling called out, "as long as I read the script, I'm fine, right?"

"Yes, yes," Nozomu said. "See? You don't have to take it so seriously, girls," he directed this part of the conversation to Yume, Laura, and Koharu. "Just have fun with it! Interpret the lines you're given however you want, unaffected by the overarching story if that's how you want to take it. That's how you do well on stage, even outside of your comfort zone."

Subaru nodded at that. "Rookie actors tend to be too nervous and dart about restlessly on stage. Just be confident."

-

"Then, good luck on the audition, you girls."

"Bye bye, Nozomu-kun!"

Haruka turned around happily just in time to witness Ako ambush Yume from the back. She's so cute, even when she's initiating sudden physical assault on a classmate.

"What the— huh? You're Saotome Ako, right?" Yume doesn't seem to react too badly to it. It was just a light shove, after all, and she wasn't actually in danger of falling even if she did stumble in surprise.

"You! Name yourself!"

"Uhm, I'm your classmate, Nijino Yume. Nice to meet you?"

Ako seethed, teeth grinding like the adorable feral cat that she was, and Haruka jumped onto her, patting her gently on the head with a laugh.

"Now now, Akocchi, down girl, down~" Haruka was satisfied as Ako shrank into her touch. "Let's be nice to our schoolmates, alright? Say nice to meet you, Nijino Yume!"

And Ako relented a bitter, "nice to meet you, Nijino Yume."

Haruka engulfed her with a hug. "This is my roommate, Saotome Ako!" she introduced, "isn't she the cutest most precious little beam to walk this earth?"

Ako whined, "you!" she pointed at Yume, "I won't lose to you!"

Yume responded instinctively with a "oh yeah, I won't lose either!" then, "wait, at what?"

"Never! I say!" Ako declared resolutely.

And then she spun around and marched off.

"See?" Haruka gestured, "adorable."

"Haruka-san," Laura began, "I think you and I have a very different definition of that word."