Aikatsu Crescent!

「Phase 11」The First Trial

The students of Celestial Academy were gathered in the school's auditorium, the first years nervously whispering amongst each other. A surprise assembly had been called, and whilst none of the older students seemed worried, the younger students had no idea what to expect.

"I hope nothing bad has happened..." Tsubaki muttered, playing with a loose strand of her hair. Mai gave a small smile.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," she said, yet didn't sound entirely certain.

"Well, I think I have an idea of what it is," Hinata commented, a confident smile present on her face The other two exchanged glances, whilst the blonde refused to elaborate further on her thoughts.

Then, the lights dimmed, and Kagamine Makoto stepped out onto the stage.

"Good morning, everyone!" She greeted, with a warm yet professional tone, "I'd like to thank each of you for gathering here today. Each of you has been working hard with your idol activities, and I couldn't be prouder." She was right, each student had been working tirelessly towards their idol activities. Between the first years finding brands to represent, the second years adapting to their busier-than-ever schedules, and the third years pushing their Aikatsu to new, unseen heights each and every day, Celestial Academy was filled to the brim with hardworking idols.

"However," she continued, "I think it's about time we make things a little more interesting."

The first years exchanged nervous whispers, whilst the older students, already knowing what to expect, were much more excited.

"Make things more interesting?" Mai asked, clutching onto her sleeve. Despite her upperclassmen's positive reaction, this statement made her feel extremely nervous. She had barely gotten used to the usual excitement of idol activities - yet by the sounds of it, this wasn't even the beginning of it.

"That sounds..." Tsubaki muttered, furrowing her brow.

"Fun!" Hinata interrupted, just as excited as her upperclassmen. Noticing Mai and Tsubaki's confused reactions, she grinned. "Just trust me~"

Softly smiling at the first years' usual confusion, the headmistress continued. "Every year, an event is held to crown the top idol of our school, the Celestial Star. Over the course of four days, each student puts on their best performance, and are ranked in terms of skill, their coordination, their special appeal and how well they connect with the audience. Whoever ranks the highest is then crowned the Celestial Star." Hearing her cue, Rina walked onto the stage. From the audience, students could be heard gushing over the top idol.

"Aino-senpai is so pretty...!"

"She shines so brightly..."

"Rina-sama will win once again, right?"

"Of course!"

However, Aya simply dug her fingernails into her arm. "This year is the year I finally surpass you..."

Once the audience quietened down, the Celestial Star began to speak. "The Celestial Trial is a truly exciting event, which I hope you will put your all into. Who knows, at the end of this year," she placed her hand over her heart, "We may even see the rise of a new Celestial Star." She spoke with determination, as if she was conveying to the audience that she wouldn't go down without a fight, yet the prospect of Rina being dethroned was enough to send most first years into a shocked silence. After all, it was well known that Rina easily surpassed the former Celestial Star in the previous year, without much struggle at all. To think that someone, maybe even one of their classmates, could be taking that title for themselves was unbelievable.

"This event is open for all within the middle school division, however, if a third-year comes out on top they'll carry the title into the first year of their high school activities," Rina further explained, "As to why you were called here today, in the leadup to the event, various smaller events will be held to help prepare. Tomorrow, there is set to be a showcase in the academy. If you're up for it, I encourage you to perform there alongside me."