I wonder who it was who first named those lights that shine in the darkness "the stars".

My mother has nobody on her side.

If he remembered right, Hikage Toma came to this conclusion around the time that he was five years old.

When he thought back to the time when his father was around, the only image of his mother that ever sprang to mind was one of her enduring incredible pain. The pain of being struck across the face for no reason; the pain of cleaning food that had been sent strewn across the floor; the pain of being subjected to verbal abuse, insults the meanings of which a child could never hope to comprehend. Because his mother absorbed the brunt of all of that pain, Toma was able to grow until the age of five.

But one day, his father stepped over the line even further than he usually did. Despite not holding down a job himself, he flew into a rage when he saw Toma's mother ironing her son's clothes before making dinner.

That day, Toma stood in front of his mother and confronted his father for the first time.

He would never be able to forget the sight of the iron's soleplate filling his entire field of vision.

His mother's piercing scream, and the searing pain of an iron burning half of his face. All Toma could hear was the sound of the world burning around him.

After that, everything went black. Charred and burned, it all went black. That unabating darkness shadowed Toma's entire childhood, be he awake or asleep. The burn mark that his father left was an indelible scar that colored the entire world around him.

He began attending school. The burn scar made him the target of the other children's judgmental stares. Toma grew out his bangs to try and hide it, only for a teasing boy to start calling him a "ghost". When the girl that he had a secret crush on began to laugh at the nickname, Toma's first love shriveled up and died. Toma stopped leaving the house and started bottling up his stress. Before he knew it, he had put on a significant amount of weight as well. There was nowhere that Toma belonged, and so there was nowhere that he could go.

He felt as though his very soul were becoming warped more and more under every ounce of fat he gained. Convinced that the ugliness of his face meant that his very existence was ugly, he began to withdraw from the world. He grew afraid of peoples' voices. He grew afraid of being looked at. He kept his curtains tightly drawn, and so his world stayed pitch-black. It was too dark-- and he needed a star.

He wanted a light-- something that made him forget the pain of his burn, even if only for a moment; a light that could blot out the horrible memories that kept dancing in front of his eyes.

And that star, piercing through the dark night, came to him from behind a rectangular frame. It shone from out of the screen of the smartphone that his mother had bought him with the last of her her meager savings when he started junior high school. Those stars' radiance lit up Toma's dark world.

A sea of penlights creating the Milky Way inside of a vast arena.

A roar of applause and cheers, ringing out towards the stage.

A world that dazzling could exist. Someone like that, who was so deeply loved by everyone, could exist.

His world was pitch black. Because of that charred burned backness, he had lived in nothing but darkness for so long. And that is why Toma found himself so captivated by the radiance on his screen-- to that starlight that cut through the darkness.

This star was called an "idol".

A gentle breeze caressed Toma's flushed cheeks.

It was a moonless night. Toma told Aoi that he was going to head outside just to cool off a bit, and he went outside alone. The sound of lively voices drifted out from inside the sharehouse. It seemed that Kantaro and Rokuta were the loudest of all.

The reason that he had grown so warm was thanks to the sudden surge of surprise and joy he felt all at once. He would never once have imagined that 1Nm8 -- or, rather, Kei and the others -- would visit their sharehouse.

Rokuta and Itsuki had been concerned for VISTY after they were contacted by the shady group known as Ginsekai, and as a result of that, in the end, Kei had shown up as well. This incident prompted Kei and VISTY to have a heart-to-heart, and all at once, a lot of the lingering doubts that they had both been shouldering subsided at last. Just as the tension had broken, Rokuta's stomach had rumbled, and they shared a meal of delivery pizza together. After that, things became much more lively, and then here we were now.

"Phew..."

Even now, it felt like some kind of dream to imagine that Kei was within VISTY's social circle.

But then, Toma heard a voice, and his shoulders trembled.

"Ah, Toma. Here you are."

When Toma turned around, that hair -- the color of a spring sunbeam -- was swaying in the night breeze. For just that moment, it felt as though the night had turned to brightest day. He could never forget that color.

"Kei. ... ah, uh, yeah, I'm, a little bit drunk."

"I was not aware that you were drinking alchohol?" Kei said.

"Ah, well, it's just like, getting buzzed off the vibes, y'know?" said Toma. "I got a little bit too amped up, so I came out here to take a break." He paused. "... Kei, you came out here to give your ears a rest, I bet?"

"Just for a little while."

Toma's gaze was naturally drawn up to the sky. Kei came to stand beside him and followed his line of sight. In the endless expanses of space, the scattered stars shone their light.

It felt a little awkward to look him in the eye, so Toma opene his mouth without turning to look at Kei. "Y'know, when you put Kantaro and Rokuta in the same place, they seem to get along pretty well, right? I guess they're the youngest members of the team so they've got that in common, yeah?"

"... mm. Yes. It's good," said Kei. "I could never have even dreamed that I would ever see the two of them talking so amicably with each other."

"Aoi and Itsuki seem to get on well, too," said Toma. "It's like we all gained two younger brothers and two older brothers at the same time to keep things in balance. But it was pretty funny that Aoi suddenly started siding with the younger brothers once the issue of motorcycles came up."

Kei hummed thoughtfully.

"Wassup?" said Toma.

"Isn't it rather strange that he is the youngest of us, but even so, he has two proverbial younger siblings?"

Toma burst out laughing.

Kei looked bewildered. "Is something the matter, Toma?"

"No, it's just that sort of airheaded side of you... it's really like you, Kei, so I'm just happy to see it."

"Is that so?" said Kei. "Am I... an airhead?"

"For real~? You remember, right? There was that time on that talk show, when you were asked what your favorite VISTY song was, you started talking about an unreleased song that we were planning to put on the album."

"Ah," said Kei. "Well... that was because you said that it was your favorite song."

"Well, yeah, to be honest, it was my favorite..." said Toma. "That transition in the C melody was, like, super genius, right?"

"I agree," said Kei. "And you seemed to have a lot of fun recording it."

Toma glanced over at the person standing beside him. Kei, blinking his wide eyes, looked far younger than he ever did on stage. Toma knew that this was the real Kei.
"You okay? Shouldn't you go talk to Sho-chin some more?"

"... I've already talked quite a bit with Shogo," Kei said. "Though, I haven't been able to tell him everything... even if I could say everything I wanted to say in one day, I don't think everyone would be able to process it all at once."

"I feel that~. We've all got a lot on our plates, y'know?"

Suddenly, Toma was greeted with the sight of Kei abruptly bowing his head in apology, and he jumped up in surprise. "H-hey, hold up, what're you doing, Kei? You're gonna shock me to death, doing stuff like that out of nowhere!"

"I would like to say again that I am sorry. I wasn't aware that I had been causing everyone so much trouble. I had no idea that everyone felt the way that they did..."

"Hey, no, hold up, c'mon, we've already gone over that--!"

"But, Toma..." Kei lowered his long eyelashes, and he let the words he spoke next be carried lightly on the night breeze. "... I've felt that you've always cherished VISTY... and the very existence of idols... more than anyone else."

"Ah... Y'think so?"

Kei continued. "You've always been very considerate of everyone, and you've also always seemed to really have a lot of fun rapping."

Ah, this was getting embarrassing. To think that his rap sounded like that to Kei-- unique, charismatic Kei, the musical genius...

There was no mirror in the night sky above, so Toma had no idea what his face looked like in that moment.

"Man, you and I should've had a heart-to-heart sooner, huh?" said Toma.

"I think that's probably true. ... especially," Kei said, "because I don't really know that much about what VISTY was like before I joined."

"Ah, back before you joined, Kei... that really takes me back." It felt as though the darkness of the night sky, paradoxically, was relecting Toma back at him. It wasn't real, of course, but it was as though his memories -- memories that resurfaced every time he looked out at the stars -- were projected out upon the black expanse. "Do you wanna know? About that stuff, I mean."

At Toma's question, Kei hesitated a little bit, shifting his gaze between Toma and the starry sky above.

"The more I think about the things that I let go of, and the people that I left behind..." Kei said, "... the more I feel like I should have gotten to know them better."

"... guess you're just really just that serious, end of the day. But, I guess Sho-chin's the same way," Toma said, a little embarassed and with a bit of an awkward laugh. "But, I guess you're right. You told us properly about your past. About Rokuta, and Itsuki, and your true feelings, and all that... guess it wouldn't be fair if we didn't open up, too."

Looking up at the sky, Toma gently brushed the corner of his left eye with his right hand.
"Alright! From here on out, everything I say is strictly off the record! ... It's kinda embarrassing."

And so, slowly, Toma began to talk, weaving the stars in the night sky into the shapes of his recollections, he traced his memories through their journey.

The breeze carried with it the scent of sunshine. The soles of his sneakers bounced a little bit as they tapped against the pavement stones, propelling him forward with each step. The white flowers of the blossoming dogwood and the grey of the buildings seemed to take on the color that was all around them. A tingling sensation, almost like an itch, spread up his spine and through the rest of his body, and a smile took form involuntarily upon his face.

It was an early summer weekend. It was an absolutely dazzling season. Back then, in Hikage Toma's eyes, everything seemed to shine.

"... alright!"

He did an appearance spot-check in his compact mirror and adjusted the strap of his shoulder bag. Despite being cheap, his pleated pants and linen cardigan were in line with the latest trends. His new face lotion was working well-- or, it may just be that his skin was in good condition because he was feeling good as well.

He passed by a sign emblazoned with the logo featuring the company's initials, and walked in through the main entrance. The linoleum floors were shining, and the lights were bright. All of the young people he saw in the lobby and hall gave off dazzling auras. Everyone here was a raw gem waiting to be polished into a shining star. And from this day forward, Toma was one of them.

"... hah...!"

It was happy sigh. At that moment, Toma truly understood what it meant to be overcome by emotion. He would have never imagined that he would become an idol trainee.

Ever since he started university, Toma felt like everything was going his way.

It was an era of making huge changes to his lifestyle, in response to a change of environment. Having left his hometown, nobody here knew Toma's past. Under the belief that a blank-slate environment holds a blank-slate future, he started playing a new version of himself. His efforts were, undoubtedly, being rewarded.

Appearance really is everything. That's the way people are.

... saying it so bluntly may feel pretty pessimistic, but Toma learned the hard way during his childhood that the way he looked was an existential threat to his interpersonal relationships. Literally, and agonizingly, so.

He began taking dieting quite seriously after he became a fan of idols. Since he was still at the age where his metabolism was naturally good, he could slim down quite quickly if he put his mind to it. But the most drastic step he took was... plastic surgery.

Every time he looked in the mirror, he could only see the burn scars. He wanted to erase the physical pain that his father had inflicted on him, the emotional pain carved into him by his classmates, and the memories that were as rotten and festered as his skin. So, he began saving almost all of the money that he earned from the part-time job that he started working when he was sixteen. He couldn't possibly ask for anything more from his mother; having worked so hard to raise him was more than enough.

He couldn't begin to tell you how long he spent staring in the mirror the day the bandages came off of his face.

With his extra weight gone, his burns gone, and everyone who knew him gone, Toma -- now a university student -- had truly become an entirely new person. Call it his University Debut. He never would have imagined he'd be so able to make friends.

And he could believe even less that he had actually been scouted. He was so surprised-- he'd never forget that feeling.

Hey, you. You got any interest in being an idol?

He'd been called out to in the middle of the city on a day off. At first, he was skeptical-- or perhaps it was more right to say he was utterly bewildered. Why on earth are you asking me? he thought. But he only started to believe it when he heard the reason why he was being scouted.

Those looks you've got are the kind of asset you can't just let get away that easily!

He couldn't help but laugh. But that's also he decided to sign the contract. Toma was better than anyone else at seeing through what people said about his appearance-- and at what peoples' expressions did when they saw his face.

Hikage Toma; eighteen years old; university student; idol trainee.

The thing that made such an unbelievable reality believable was the looks that he had worked so hard to achieve, and the words that he heard when he was scouted. He recalled and pondered over the memory as he walked down the corridor at the training school.

"..."

He pulled out his compact and looked in the mirror. He straightened his bangs, which had become slightly disheveled, and he traced his fingers along his cheek where the burn scar used to be. The ski under his fingertips was smooth; no one would ever know there used to be a scar there. But he couldn't help but check. He compulsively checke it again and again throughout the day. He paid meticulous attention to his skin. He polished it with the same attention and care that someone would show to a delicate piece of glassware. But, this face was still quite new to him.

Before he knew it, he was standing before the door. He checked the sign; it read "Lesson Room B". According to the producer, today's event was an orientation of sorts to onboard the new recruits, and afterwards, they would immediately begin a short lesson.

Toma was very nervous. Today, he would be standing shoulder to shoulder with those other aspiring idols that he so admired. But by some fluke of god or fate, Toma was permitted to be here as well. It will be fine. He told himself that he could do it. He just had to do the same thing he did on his first day of university. All he had to do was be as cheerful and lighthearted as possible. It made it easier to get along with other people, even if (or perhaps because) he was acting completely different from his true self.

He took three deep breaths and he opened the door. The first words he said were a greeting.

"Heya everybody! I'm Hikage Toma, nice to meet'cha!"

All eyes turned to look at Toma as he walked through the door-- but "all eyes" wasn't much, as there was only one other person in the room.

Huh? Toma tilted his head in surprise, but after a moment of thought, it made sense. Now that he thought about it, he was so excited that he had arrived way ahead of the scheduled meeting time. But then there was someone else who had arrived even earlier than he had.

The person who had arrived before him politely stood up from his chair and returned his greeting.

"Good morning."

He was a tall boy, with black hair. Toma got an immediate intuitive sense that something about the boy set him apart. The way he projected his voice, the way he looked, the way he held himself-- he was good-looking, of course, but there was something more that set him apart from all of the other trainees. He had the kind of sparkling aura that Toma had seen many times, even if it was through a screen. That was all it took Toma to understand: ah, this guy's gonna be the core pillar of his unit.

"I'm Yamato Shogo. Nice to meet you."

Toma hesitated for just a moment before he replied. "Alrighty, then! I'm Hikage Toma! Seems we're gonna be working together from here on out, so it's nice to meet you!" he said with a smile, but only once he finished talking did he realize that the other person's name rang a bell. "... wait-- isn't Yamato Shogo the name of a child actor? Pretty sure he won a bunch of super prestigous acting awards or something. And his father's famous, too..."

"Ah... yes, that's corect. My father is Yamato Takumi."

Toma did not miss the way that Shogo's eyebrow twitched a little bit as the name of the famous actor came out of his mouth.

"Ahhh, I see," Toma said, turning his gaze upward in thought. There wasn't much time to think. So, he clapped his hands together, and pointed at Shogo in a deliberately over-the-top way. "He's an actor, then! Ah, but sorry, I gotta admit I'm not really super familiar with that kind of stuff."

"That's alright," said Shogo. "He's famous, of course, but his movies aren't exactly the kind of thing that our generation are super interested in."

"For sure! ... but to be honest, I'm not really here to yap about your dad, since it's not like he's the one who's gonna be working with me starting today, yeah?" said Toma. "So let's do a parent-free self-introduction!" He extended his hand for a handshake in big, exaggerated motion.

Shogo was momentarily taken aback-- it would be fair to say that he was stunned. Then, with a bit more of a smile on his face, he returned the handshake.

"Got it, let's leave parents out of this."

Seems that was the right call.

Toma inwardly sighed with relief. He was quite used to having to read the minutae of other peoples' expressions, and he had honed the skill.

After finishing up his lectures, he would join up with everyone at the training center, and lessons began at 5 PM. The curriculum was geared towards preparing him for debuting, and so it was quite rigorous, but Toma didn't mind the busy schedule one bit. The sense that he was taking steps towards realizing his dream made the fatigue feel pleasant, and he was also pleased at the results of his dieting. His body felt lighter, and he had become more used to exercise. And more than that, Toma (who had never really been able to throw himself into any kind of club activities) was happy to spend time taking lessons with other people. He never thought he would find such enjoyment in being utterly exhausted.

During that time, the person he spent the most time with was Shogo. To Toma, who had always felt like he was out of place somehow, watching Shogo felt like seeing a rough gem being polished before his very eyes. Even if he himself never made it to debut, he felt that it was reward enough just to watch Shogo becoming an idol from up-close and personal. So, when their producer told him that they would be putting him and Shogo in a unit together, he couldn't believe it at first; then, he was so excited that it was hard to play it cool.

"Man, never thought we'd actually work together for real~! But I guess it's because we've been building up a rapport together?" said Toma.

"I'm really happy about it," said Shogo. "I feel really reassured whenever you're around."

"Hey, no, hold up, that's my line!" said Toma. "With Sho-chin in the group, I'm sure our unit's gonna be a smash hit."

"I've heard that the other two who will be joining us are promising newcomers, as well," said Shogo.

That's right; there were two more who would be joining them. According to their producer, they would be forming a four-member unit with a couple of newly-scouted newcomers. Just thinking about it made Toma's heart race a bit.

So on the day that they were to meet, Toma and Shogo waited in one of the conference rooms for the arrival of the new twinkling stars with whom they would be working. Then, a little bit earlier than scheduled, the conference door room opened.

"Good morning."

The person who opened the door was a beautiful, slender young man who looked like he had stepped right out of a shoujo manga. He was quite short, but his build was slender. His features were androgynous and still had quite a youthful appearance. The word that camea to mind at once was princely.

As soon as he entered the room, he noticed the other two members who were already there. He blinked his long eyelashes before he bowed his head in greeting.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kureha Aoi. I will be in your care going forward."

"Hiya! I'm Hikage Toma. Nice to meet'cha!"

"I'm Yamato Shogo. Nice to meet you, too."

Before Aoi could react to Shogo's name, Toma -- "wait, hold on, aren't you super young? Are you a high schooler?" -- swiftly changed the subject.

"I'm a second year in junior high school. I just turned fourteen in April," said Aoi.

"You're joking!" Toma said. "No, seriously, that's insane. You've got an amazing aura for someone that age. Your talent is through the roof!"

"Yes. And you've got such refined manners," added Shogo in agreement. It didn't seem like he was just adding on for the sake of agreeing with Toma; Aoi truly had a genuinely unique aura about him when they first met and it was quite different from Shogo's.

Aoi didn't seem to mind, and he gave a slightly shy smile. "Thank you very much. Ever since I was scouted, I've been doing quite a bit of studying what it means to be an idol. I do hope I'm able to do a good job."

"You're doing great," said Toma. "You're probably ready to go now. But, you don't have to use such polite language. We're teammates now, after all."

"Is that so?" said Aoi. "... well, I suppose, maybe." He blinked a couple times, thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Well, I suppose I'll take you up on that. I look forward to working with you two going forward." He smiled and tucked his bangs towards his ear with his fingers.

"Whoaaaaa~."

"...? Is something wrong?" said Aoi.

"No," said Toma, "I was just thinking you've got serious prince vibes, is all."

"Do I!?" Aoi exclaimed. "I really want to be an idol who's like a prince right out of a fairy tale!" He suddenly looked like an elementary school boy. But, it suited him really well, from his gestures to his angles and his expressions.

Both Toma (who had spent countless time looking in mirrors) and Shogo (who had spent countless time in front of the camera) could tell that he had a natural talent. Of course, Shogo -- with his acting experience -- was probably more in tune with that kind of thing.

Then, a few minutes later, the door opened again. Even though he wasn't late, Misuji Kantaro was the last one to arrive.

"Huh? ... ah, no, did I get the time wrong!?"

"Don't worry, it's still before the time we're scheduled to be here," Aoi reassured him.

Toma followed up with a laugh. "Yeah, yeah, don't worry 'bout it! In fact, everyone else just showed up way too early."

"Really!?" said Kantaro. "That's a relief... I really thought I'd screwed it up already on the very first day." Kantaro sighed a huge sigh of relief. His over-the-top gesture made Aoi and Shogo laugh. It was a true testament to his character. Kantaro had a baby face and he was small in stature, and even his mannerisms were a little childish. At first shy, Toma thought he was probably the same as Aoi, or possibly even younger.

"I'm Misuji Kantaro. I am absolutely... absolutely determined to show results here, so I'm looking forward to working with all of you!"

"Ooh, you're just a ball of energy, aren't you? Well, I'm Hikage Toma, nice to meet'cha! And these two are Shogo and Aoi."

As Shogo and Aoi gave their own self-introductions, Toma took a step back to look at the teammates who had been assembled here. For sure, they were all unique; there was Shogo, who was very familiar with the entertainment industry; there was the very mysterious, princely Aoi; and there was the enduring innocence of Kantaro. For sure, if they were going to be a unit going forward, they would be well-balanced in terms of character.

"Huh? Hey, Yamato Shogo? I've seen you before! There was that movie ages ago--!" said Kantaro.

"Ah, that's right," said Aoi. "I was wondering about that, too."

The topic that Toma had just so narrowly swerved around had been brought right back by Kantaro. Even Aoi, who was just listening to the introductions, perked up with interest. But because Toma had taken a step back, he couldn't jump in in time to stop it.

"Ah... uh, yeah," said Shogo; his answer was vague and his expression was tense.

It wasn't hard to see why. If Toma's memory served, Shogo Yamato had been treated by many media outlets as the second coming of his father, Yamato Takumi. Shogo was actually quite a talented child actor in his own right... but, there's not much glory in a life that everyone perceives as only being the result of riding on your father's coattails. Toma didn't want there to be any awkwardness setting in between the unit from the very first day. So, he took a deep breath and checked that his throat was in good working order. He checked his face in his compact, he steeled his face and raised his voice.

"Hey, hey, hey! I know you're all curious about Shogo! But! Hey, what about me!? Didn't anyone notice my name!?"

Toma wrote his name into the notes app on his phone, and held it up like he was flashing an official badge.

"Huh?" Aoi said, putting his fist to his chin in thought. "What is it? It does sound familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it..."

"Oh, maybe it's the name of an influencer?!" suggested Kantaro. "Like, a beauty or fashion influencer!"

Toma shook his head at Kantaro's guess. Then, he pointed to his memo app and he puffed out his chest proudly. "No, for you see... my name has a super lucky number of strokes in it^[1]!"

The awkward silence that followed was deafening.

He was imitating a joke that he had heard a popular boy in his class make back in highschool; right as he was feeling the sinking dread of Did I completely screw that up? and a chill began to gather in his spine, he was broken out of it by the sound of laughter. Shogo had begun laughing.

"Y-your stroke count is... ahaha! You can't tell stuff like that just by looking at it, can you?"

Okay, got a laugh, we're safe.

Aoi chuckled softly, and Kantaro was busy tapping away at his phone as though he were doing something very important.

"Hi... kage... To.... ma... hey, what? Your stroke count's awful! Toma, I just put that into a diagnostic site and it says your results are 'Terrible'! 'Terrible'!"

"No way! Wait, hold up, I've never actually checked," Toma said, "is it really terrible?"

"Isn't all of this stuff all just random guesswork?" Aoi said with mild exasperation, but Kantaro did not let up on his mission.

"Let's see..." Kantaro said. "It says here that it's very unlikely that things will go well for you..."

"No way, this is a terrible way to kick off right before my debut!" lamented Toma. "This is awful, I'll have to stop being Toma, you'd all better start calling me Oh No-Ma!"

A even louder round of laughter broke out. Just as Toma had been hoping for, the issue of Shogo's father got sidelined.

"Ah, looks like everyone's here!"

Just as the laughter died down, the producer arrived, and their conversation was cut short. Toma, feeling like this was a truly fortunate stroke of fate, breathed a sigh of relief. The new unitmates, all of whom now felt a little excited and scattered, all sat up straight and listened intently to what the producer had to say. They received a brief overview of their future prospects, production policies, and the lesson curriculum. The producer drew all manner of abstract diagrams all over the white board to illustrate the points that he was making.

"So, we will be conducting these lessons under the assumption that you will be a unit," he said. "So for the time being, your goal is to debut at the WINTER WINNER of SUPER NOVA festival -- or, we just call it WWSN for short -- which will be held at the end of the year."

Toma heard the sound of someone swallowing loudly; he wasn't sure if it was himself or someone else. After all, even though WWSN was a medium-size festival, it had quite the reputation. It was organized by the parent company that ran this very agency. Many new artists debuted there, and moreover, it was customary for everyone debuting to perform a Phantom Live, so debuting there drew a lot of industry attention. It was entirely possible that they would be standing shoulder to shoulder with famous artists signed to their label; it could very easily fast-track newbies for stardom.

If everything went smoothly, Toma and the others would become idols in under a year's time.

Shogo, a talented former child actor; Aoi, who possessed an inherent aura; and Kantaro, whose innocence was sure to make people love him.

Their backgrounds, their visuals, and their characters.

They could do it. This group could become sure of it. Toma -- who had dreamed for so long of being an idol -- was filled with a thrill of conviction.

I'll do my best. Compared to everyone else, all I've got is just some constructed visuals. All I really am is someone who's just always dreamed of being an idol. But that just means I'll support everyone all the more. And I'll definitely become an idol.

As though to prevent the warmth of his beating heart from flowing out, Toma clenched his fists in front of his chest.

"Ah, and one last thing..."

The producer erased the white board and drew some large letters. Five letters were arranged such that the curves were interposed between the straight lines, and he circled the word he wrote. Toma's eyes, as well as those of the others, were immediately drawn to it.

"'VISTY'. That will be your unit name."

Each of them said it quietly to themselves, turning the sound over in their mouths.

VISTY-- if they had to guess what it meant, it probably came from vista-- like "scenery" or "view". It felt like a beautiful scene that stretched on into the distant future.

Toma treasured that sound, and tucked it away deep inside his heart.

I think I'll go with the flirty playboy type persona, thought Toma, and it seemed to work out well for him. The overly-familiar and flippant personality was very useful for modulating the distance between himself and others. In terms of aiding communication, the character he had made for himself worked particularly well with Kantaro.

"Hey, hey, Toma! What do you think? It's perfect, right!?"

Kantaro showed Toma a picture that he had taken on his smartphone. His face was slightly flushed following a lesson, and he was posed with his cheek against a water bottle. Toma had recommended the photo app that he had used, but to tell the truth, he had only learned about it from the internet quite recently. He didn't let on about that fact.

"Wow! Yeah, it's super cool. It's totes flattering!"

"The 20-degree angle that you showed me is amazing!" said Kantaro. "And this app is great, too!"

"I know, right? But come on, like you'd ever doubt VISTY's beauty expert~?"

"Who decided on that as your role?" Aoi said as he passed by, smiling wryly as he wiped the sweat away from his forehead with a towel.

"Good work out there, Aoi~. Hey, by the by, aren't you super good at hiphop dancing? You've totally done this before, right?" said Toma.

"No, I'd never really done it before this," said Aoi. "I've been watching dance battle videos and practicing on my own when I go home after lessons, but... I'm nowhere near as good as Shogo."

"Oh, man, don't even get me started, Sho-chin's skill is totally on another level. So maybe it's you that has experience with it before after all?" Toma said, pointing dramatically at Shogo.

Shogo pulled a wry smile of his own. "I don't have any experience with it, either," he said. "But I think maybe the bits of training I had with sword fighting and action acting back from when I was an actor probably helped. I'm glad if it's getting put to some use." He was sweating, but he wasn't out of breath like Toma and Kantaro were. Just from his demeanor, you could tell that the issue wasn't so much physical strength as it was about technique.

"Man, that's really god tier~!" said Toma. "This truly is the legend of the great and mighty Shogo we're witnessing. You really have got the air of a true leader, huh~?"

"Ah, it's not like that," said Shogo. "Performance skills are important of course, but I think it's really important for idols to have strong personalities, like all of you guys have. And besides that, you're older than me, Toma."

"Hey, hold up, pump the brakes!" cried Toma. "We're basically the same age! ... ... but, if you're serious about it, how about it? Toma as leader-- what'd'you guys think about that?"

"Yeah, nope."

"I don't think so."

Kantaro and Aoi both replied without a moment of hesitation.

"Hey, come on~! That's too cruel~!" Toma lamented. "If I became leader, we could all be a Gyaruo Quartet done up in sparkly makeup! And our tagline could be, 'Hey, you're looking knightce'!"

"Toma, I think that's a little..."

"Even Sho-chin says no! I'm slain!"

Of course, Toma knew that it was a given that Shogo would be the leader. Kantaro and Aoi surely knew that he was just kidding, as well. Shogo had the most experience, skill, and the most stage presence; Toma was joking around and going out of the way to egg him on because he was still being a bit reluctant. The person who becomes the pillar for the group, and everyone being able to accept that, was absolutely crucial for any unit. Toma had seen his fair share of entertainment industry drama through online news and weekly magazines. So, he felt like this set of members weren't going to have any problems. For the time being, anyway.

All of a sudden, Aoi and Shogo were engrossed in a conversation about dancing. Meanwhile, even though Kantaro had already posted his selfie, he was leaning against the wall and fiddling with his phone. This was a very common sight during break times.

Should I talk to him?

Playing the part of the playboy was going pretty well thus far, but Toma wasn't exactly a bright and shining kind of person by nature. Every time there was a lull in the conversation, he felt adrift.

For the time being, Kantaro -- with whom he shared a common interest in taking selfies -- was the one he felt the most comfortable with. Perhaps it was time for him to start learning to initiate conversations himself.

He took stock of Kantaro's facial expression; it seemed smart to avoid the subject of social media. Searching his memory, Toma recalled seeing Kantaro just before.

"Hey, Kantaro~ Gotta ask, do you listen to a lot of music, normally?"
Toma winced at himself, thinking that this was a lame way to start a conversation. Kantaro didn't look up from his phone, but he did respond.

"Yeah, lots of different stuff. Mostly a lot of hiphop."

"For real? I love hiphop too. What was it that you were listening to before the lesson? In your earphones, I mean."

"Ah..." Kantaro blushed a little and glanced away. "That was, uh... well, it was just, a track. That I made myself, as a hobby."

"That you made!? Kantaro, you can compose music?"

"Eheheh... I mean, it's pretty simple stuff," said Kantaro. "I just use a music production app on my phone. ... you wanna listen?"

"Can I?" Toma said. "Yeah, I'd love to check it out!"

Kantaro let Toma borrow his wireless earphones and began to play a song from his app, looking a little embarrassed as he did so.

The intro featured a soft string melody; it was followed by a four-on-the-floor beat with snares that sounded like hand claps. Then, there was the relaxed electric piano part, too. It was a cheerful, but gentle sound; it was the kind of music that seemed to immediately bright and uplift everyone who heard it. Toma listened intently, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow, this is amazing! Did you really make this, Kantaro!? You're a real trackmaker!"

"I told you, it's super simple! I bet you could make it, too, if you just downloaded the app, the stuff I make is nothing special..." Kantaro said. "... and in the end, it's not like I'm racking in the views."

"No way!" said Toma. "That's not something just anyone can do! It's great! ... really, it's seriously great."

"Hey, c-c'mon, knock it off! Don't start praising me so seriously out of nowhere like that!" said Kantaro. "And on top of that, keep it a secret, okay? I haven't been posting on social media lately, and I only told you just 'cause it's you, Toma." Embarassed and uncomfortable with Toma's sudden change in demeanor, Kantaro tried to abruptly change the subject. "... so, uh, anyway, not to abruptly change the subject, but Toma. Do you ever watch "Music lilac" on A-TV?"

"Ah? Oh, yeah, I watch it all the time. I watch it when I want to chill out and turn my brain off."

"Then take a look at this," Kanaro said, and showed him his smartphone screen. It was open to a social media app. After all, the subject had returned to social media regardless. On the screen, an account with a default icon had posted an extremely long message.

Toma's eyes widened for a moment, and then he tried to brush it off. "What's this?" he said. "Friends of yours or something?"

"No way!" said Kantaro. "They're talking about a scandal that happened ten years ago."

"For real? Ten years ago, all of us were basically toddlers," said Toma.

"Todd-...? ... anyway, point is, the one who caused this scandal used to be an idol at our agency... and, y'know, isn't it true that A-TV hasn't used any idols from this agency since that incident? I've never seen any of our company's idols on Music lilac." Kantaro frowned, looking uncharacteristically serious.

At first, Toma tried to laugh it off, but seeing how serious the frown was, he was given pause. "Well, I dunno about that," he said, "but first of all, that show treats idols pretty badly, doesn't it? I mean, that station just doesn't have a lot of music programs on it, so maybe it's just a coincidence?"

"Yeah, but y'know, everyone's saying the same thing all over social media. And there's lots of sources for it, too. That host really made the host of Music lilac back then really mad..." said Kantaro.

Toma vaguely remembered the rumor. But, in reality, there shouldn't have been any sources to back it up. He remembers that the host had denied anything had happened in an official comment that he made.

"Hey, Toma," said Kantaro. "Don't you think this agency is going to give us a serious disadvantage as idols? I mean, not like we can go anywhere else, but... I dunno, is it really okay for us to debut with this company...?"

He didn't have much time to think. Toma thought quickly. "Ah, who can say? But I'm sure it'll be fine, right? Like, we're the strongest. Even just in terms of visuals, we're totally the strongest around. We're so good-looking they won't be able to keep us off TV, right?"

"... ugh, what do you even mean by that?"

When Toma laughed, Kantaro couldn't help but laugh along. It seemed he was put a little bit at ease.

He was definitely overthinkin things. A-TV was also currently producing dramas using talent from their agency. But, Toma figured that listing counter-evidence would just make Kantaro dig his heels in more.

It had gradually became clear over the course of a few days that Kantaro's relationship with social media bordered on obsessive-compulsive. It seemed like something had happened to him at another idol training school before he came to this one, and-- ... well, in any case, it was clear that getting on his case about it wasn't going to help. Toma tried to keep the conversation as positive as possible, steering it towards subjects like how to take the best selfies, what cosmetics were trending, and fashion.

At times like this, it was best to change the subject. And he had to do it carefully so that it didn't seem forced; it had to be about a subject that was relevant and practical. The goal was to redirect his attention to other, more serious matters.

"But, speaking of all of that, Kantaro," Toma said. "About Shogo... or, rather, about Shogo's father."

"Ah... yeah?" Kantaro said, furrowing his eyebrows. That alone was all Toma needed to see to know there was no need to elaborate further.

"Shogo, I think, kind of doesn't want to bring it up."

"Oh, was I right after all, then?"

Toma chose his words very carefully so as not to sound like he was being confrontational. "Yeah, it's legit~ I knew you'd have a hunch about it. I mean, you're really astute, Kantaro. You really keep in the loop with things," he said.

"I mean, Shogo's not exactly subtle," said Kantaro. "He acts really unnatural whenever it comes up. ... but, do you think Shogo's gonna be okay? Carrying around a burden like that."

"What do you mean?" said Toma.

"I mean, the trial test. That's coming up soon, isn't it?" said Kantaro. "That.... metal stuff. I hear that using the real deal causes some pretty intense side effects. They say it can trigger really bad traumatic flashbacks. So if Shogo's really worried about his dad, then..."

"Ah... oh, yeah, that."

Toma did know all of that already. It wasn't uncommon to see people screaming in agony as they suffered from their trap reactions being posted all over peoples' alts or burner accounts on social media. When Toma and the others had been scouted, they took a preliminary test to make sure they had an aptitude for the metal. But, they had never experienced the effects of using the real thing.

"It's two pairs at a time... you and Aoi are doing it first tomorrow, aren't you? Are you sure it's gonna be okay?" said Kantaro.

Even setting aside the addiction to social media, Toma was quickly realizing that Kantaro was extremely quick to give voice to his concerns and anxieties. Considering him as a member of the group, it was actually a good thing. Making it so that anxieties could be shared, putting a problem into words and making it concrete, was quite important.

So, Toma took it upon himself to hit back Kantaro's serves. Just as he wished someone had done when he was a kid, Toma laughed off the anxieties. "Hey, I'm sure I'll be fine. After all, my skin's never had a bad reaction to any of those high-end makeups with lots of new ingredients, y'know?"

"I don't think that applies here!!"

Toma said it and laughed, so Kantaro laughed too, so it was only natural to assume that things would be alright.

Phantometal was the key at the center of Phantom Live performances. In the modern world, where hiphop had permeated its way through all of the music scene to the point that they were inseparable, Phantom Lives were simply an unavoidable aspect of and format for performing music. Modern idols had gone along with the movement, and so they were starting to incorporate Phantom Lives into their performances as well. The effects of the performance, 100% synchronized with the true inner self of the artist who made it, could not be fully replaced by screens or projection mapping.

Toma love the idol-style Phantom Live performances. He loved the stages that gave body to the inner selves of those twinkling stars, the stages that feel like the audience is bathed in a source of light. Of course, he loved those stages that came head-on at the audience with an aggressive personality and strong message, too, but there were many people in the world who wanted a phantom that comforted them, entertained them, and brought light into their life.

Thus, Toma decided he would step up to the challenge of doing Phantom Lives. He would use Phantometal.

He figured he would be fine. Trauma, flashbacks-- he'd been through that plenty of times just as a side effect of being alive. And he was aware that he had a very fragile heart; so, he figured, if he could handle it, then surely the other members had nothing to worry about, either. After all, though they were still unpolished, they were all still sparkling stars who shone bright even during their rehearsals.

At least, that was what he thought until the time actually came.

Things quickly went extremely wrong.

He couldn't stop sweating. He could physically feel his pores opening. His hand, clapped over his mouth, felt like it was swelling all the way down to the tips of his fingertips; he felt like he was going to be sick.

"Uhg..... ugh.... ng..."

It was disgusting. It was so disgusting. Toma ran his hand across his face. The skin under his palm felt rough. Even the slightest brush felt like it was raw and irritated.

"No, no, no. My face, it's, it's not..."

The Phantometal trial test took place in a room at the back of the training facility. Creating a phantometal illusion for the first time was far more powerful than he could ever have anticipated-- but his first trap reaction, in its turn, was more nightmarish an experience than eh could ever have imagined.

Even after his plastic surgery, he had never been truly confident deep down-- wondering if it had been enough to hide it, whether there was something still wrong with his face even now. The trap reaction amplified that fear a thousand times over, assailing him with the overwhelming power of its illusion.

"Ugh... ah... ng..."

He tried desperately to stifle his sobs, but he couldn't stop the tears.

He closed his eyes tight, hoping that it would make time pass by quicker. But the nightmare slithered its way in behind his eyelids. The flickering lights that danced behind the darkness of his eyelids wriggled until they came together into a human face-- his father's face. He drew the iron closer, his face contorted in anger. Toma shook his head, and his vision blurred. Then, the light changed shape, taking the form of countless children, all pointing at him and laughing uproariously.

His head was tingling. His breath was shallow. He was taken by the bizarre sensation of something buzzing at his nerves, like there were thousands of tiny foreign things wriggling around underneath his skin. When he touched his face, he could feel his skin sloughing off. So he touched his face again and again, trying to re-confirm its shape to himself, trying to tell himself that it wasn't true. The pain from the touch burned hotly, and he couldn't not remember the feeling of the iron. The burn shouldn't have been there anymore.

"No... no, no, no, my skin feels so rough... my face, my--...!"

He reached for the compact in his pocket, but he stopped himself. The rational part of his mind told him that if he looked in the mirror right now, he would completely lose control.

This was a living hell. He never imagined that every single one of the phantom rappers that he had seen were suffering like this--

And then, he realized, and he jerked his head up. He wasn't the only one undergoing the trial.

"... Aoi?"

In the corner of the room, Aoi huddled there, leaning against the wall. No sound escaped his lips, but it was clear that something was very wrong. His face, which Toma could peek over his shoulder, had gone deathly pale. Hunched over as though he was trying to fold his chest inward, his back trembled on and off.

"Aoi!!"

Stumbling over to him, Toma placed a hand on Aoi's shoulder. He shook it off with a wordless movement. When he turned to look at Toma, his face was awash in tears. With chattering teeth, the sound that came from Aoi's barely-parted lips was not a scream, but instead... a stream of apologies.

"... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I was ever born, it's not Mom's fault, it's mine... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry I could't be born... right..."

Aoi seemed to be shrinking smaller and smaller. It was as though he was trying to fold himself completely in on himself, trying to return to the state he was in before he had ever been alive. His eyes were open wide, staring at some vision that Toma could not see. The intermittent sound of whistling betrayed the fact that he was struggling to breathe.

This is really bad.

Toma was washed over by a sense of crisis. The stress that Aoi's trauma was causing him seemed to be taking a toll on his body. Aoi was clutching his abdomen, and his voice was growing fainter by the moment.

Toma racked his memory. Because trap reactions involve unrooting deep-seated trauma, it was generally considered preferable (partly for the sake of privacy) for the artists suffering them to overcome them on their own, without outside assistance. For that reason, there were no staff members from the agency training center present. But, they were told that if they absolutely could not handle a trap reaction on their own, they could call for help using the provided intercom.

"We'll call the infirmary-- no, we'll call an ambulance. I'll just call the staff and--!"

"Don't!"

Aoi screamed. His voice was charged with a complete and unilateral rejection. Startled, Toma froze.

"... you can't. That's... anything but that." Aoi grabbed his clothes, and, like he was trying to retreat inside of a shell, pulled them around himself to try and hide his body.

As the initial shock faded away, a thought occurred to Toma. There had been a disclaimer regarding Phantometal usage when he had signed the contract with the agency. He remembered it well; he'd studied it closely, as he had been genuinely interested in the subject of Phantom Lives. There had been a section detailing trap reactions, and it included descriptions of several cases where a person's biological rhythms played a significant role in the effects.

His slender frame. His clear, resonant voice. Several pieces of the puzzle that was Aoi clicked together all at once in Toma's mind.

Could it be that he's...? he thought, but after considering it for a moment, he realized that it was no use to speculate. Even if he knew what it was that was causing Aoi's suffering, it wouldn't matter if he couldn't do anything about it. The only thing he was completely sure of was that Aoi absolutely did not want a doctor involved; and yet, he couldn't simply leave Aoi to his own devices. Aoi was clearly in a precarious state; if he wasn't pulled out of his trap reaction, his body would surely give out. Toma was the only one that could help him. He was hit with a wave of urgency.

He thought and thought frantically-- and while he was thinking, he realized that his own distress had subsided slightly. Being concerned about Aoi had distract him from his own trauma.

So then...

He hesitated for a moment, but he couldn't come up with a better plan. Toma wasn't reliable enough to offer real support, but he didn't have it in him to just ignore Aoi's pleading cries for help.

So, Toma took his everyday compact mirror out of his pocket. He told himself that it was fine. What he had to do now didn't require any courage at all, and he didn't need to think about it. He just had to surrender himself to his own weakness.

He looked into the compact mirror, and fixed his eyes upon his own face.

At once, his skin began to tingle. The mirror image, twisted by the illusion, began to fester and rot before his very eyes.

"Ah... aaaaagh!!"

Aoi noticed quickly that Toma's behavior had changed. "Toma...?"

When Aoi looked up, he saw Toma scraching at his own face. His neatly-trimmed nails were tearing at his skin, leaving red welts in their wake. Toma didn't seem to notice at all; he just kept grabbing at his skin like he was trying to tear his own face off.

Aoi's countenance changed drastically, and he stepped in to intervene. "W-what... what are you doing, Toma!! You can't, you have to stop!"

"No, no, no, my face, this-- this isn't my face!!" Toma didn't hold back, allowing everyone of his feelings to spill forth. He was simply giving into his own baser instincts. "It's not me! This-- this face! If it hadn't happened... m-my face wouldn't look like this...! Please, please, don't laugh... please stop laughing...!"

It was Aoi's turn to regain his composure. He had just seen for himself the kind of traumatic experience the trap reactions dredged up. He reminded himself to take slow, deep breaths. He straightened his slumped shoulders. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs, and then he exhaled slowly, letting the discomfort go with it.

This was, of course, not enough to fix everything.

But there was Toma, suffering right in front of him. There was somebody who was trembling, his heart in pain. When someone like that was in front of him, what kind of person did he want to be? The sound of Toma's crying helped Aoi remember.

"... Toma."

Even though he was still crying, Aoi managed to reach out to Toma. He touched Toma's cheek, aching from the tears and the fresh wounds, and gently lifted his face. With his other hand, he softly closed Toma's compact. "... it's okay. You don't have to look at... a distorted mirror like that." And then, Aoi managed to smile. "Look. Your true beautiful self is reflected in my eyes."

A real prince would say something like that and wipe away their tears. When he heard those words coming out of his own mouth, reflecting the reality that he had managed to build atop his ideals, the voice of the illusion faded away from his ears.

Once he had the chance to gather his thoughts, he realized that his ploy had been a success. It took about ten minutes for him to completely come own; but even so, in the end, both Toma and Aoi had been able to shake off their traumatic reactions. The first thing they did was wipe away their tears. Then, to avoid being dehydrated, they both made sure to drink a lot of fluids. Their faces were swollen from crying; their makeup was ruined; both Toma and Aoi looked terible.

Once they settled down a bit, there was a short silence, which Aoi was the first to break.

"Hey. Toma."

"What's up?"

"You deliberately set yourself off in order to make me to step into the prince role, didn't you?"

"... ah--" Toma took a sip from his water battle. His throat, dry from crying, was soothed a little bit. "I wouldn't say I made you do it... but, yeah, I guess I just thought that, hey, Aoi's really like a prince, right? Maybe he'd help me out? I suppose."

Aoi wiped the corner of his eye with his thumb. "Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to remember the person I want to be."

"No way, I oughta be the one thanking you... I mean, you spent all that time rubbing my back, right?" said Toma.

"I think I'm starting to get it. You just act flirty when you're trying to cover up your embarassment, don't you?" said Aoi. He completely hit the bullseye, and Toma was struck speechless. At the sight of Toma like that, Aoi laughed a little bit. "... but, maybe you should be sure not to take roles like that in moderation, too, okay?"

"Ah... yeah. 'Roles like that'? Yeah, my real role is VISTY's beauty expert, right?"

"Who decided on that as your role?"

They fistbumped each other and laughed. The laughter echoing in that room was completely different from the laughter in the lesson room just the other day.

The days passed by like the falling rain, and summer soon arrived.

Over summer break, Toma went to the training school as much as he could and took intensive lessons. Even in the air-conditioned lesson room, the lights shone so bright that it would be easy to mistake it for the midsummer sun. Those scorching-hot days passed by as well.

Every day, the sweat that flowed down his face served as proof of the results of his efforts. Every day, it felt like his cells were slowly being replaced by those of a true idol.

It was deeply fulfilling. Even so, the anxiety over the live event that Toma and the others were aiming for grew steadily. WINTER WINNER of SUPER NOVA... the true nature of WWSN had become clear.

It was a night when the burning-hot air had lingered long after sunset.

As Toma left the lesson room after finishing up an extra practice session, Shogo greeted him.

"Good work today, Toma."

"Ah, Sho-chin. Is something up, or were you just waiting for me?" said Toma.

"I was just practicing in the soundproof room. Rap is way harder than I thought it was going to be," said Shogo.

"For real. But I mean, we're kind of just flying blind, aren't we?"

They walked along and chatted. The vending machines at the far end of the hall contained mostly sports drinks and mineral water, but Shogo bought a cream melon soda from the one on the furthest end, and then he turned to Toma. "What'll you have?" Shogo asked.

"Huh? Ah, don't worry about it, you don't have to treat me," Toma said.

"No, it's fine. I've just got some points on my e-money card, but there aren't a ton of vending machines that accept them."

"In that case," said Toma, "I'll take a tea."

They took their respective drinks and leaned against the wall, twisting open the bottles. Toma glanced over at Shogo, who was downing his melon soda in big gulps.

"Are you out of gummies?"

At Toma's question, Shogo tilted his head. "Huh?"

Toma continued. When he was confused, Shogo's face sometimes looked almost childlike. "Well, you always eat something sweet when you're tired, right?" he said. "So I was wondering if you were replacing it by drinking something sweet."

"... nothing escapes you, huh, Toma?"

Toma got the sense that Shogo's smile was a genuine one. He had felt that he and Shogo in particular had been growing closer naturally. It was probably their being similar ages and their fundamental earnestness that made them get along well. Of course, Toma had been able to make friends thanks to his University Debut, but he was realizing that true friendships may be something that developed slowly and subtly, like this.

"The training facility was closed yesterday, right?" said Shogo out of nowhere. "What do you usually do on your days off, Toma?"

Toma chose his words carefully. "Well... I go prowl around at cosmetics stores. And I watch makeup tutorials, too?"

"Is there anything except for makeup?" prodded Shogo.

Toma couldn't think of any other hobbies he had that would be in line with his playboy image. Telling a complete lie would probably just come back to bite him later, and more than that, he didn't want to waste this time-off conversation with Shogo with lies. "... well," he said, "I also build plastic models."

"Really? That's really skillful, Toma... I guess you'd be good at painting and stuff, because of all the makeup?" said Shogo.

"Yep, yep. Actually, painting plastic models is pretty similar to doing your nails," said Toma. "You polish it, then prepare a base coat, apply the color, and let it dry patiently. It's super satisfying when the top coat goes on evenly."

"I made a couple myself, a long time ago," said Shogo. "They were the main robots from an anime. I just assembled it by following the step by step instructions, but it still turned out really cool."

"That's alright. But," Toma said, "I guess you don't make them anymore?"

"Yeah, I don't," said Shogo. "My dad... ... well, it's not like he forbade me from making them or anything. But he just looked at me with an expression that made it clear that he thought anime was stupid. So I just never really wanted to, after that."

"Ah, I dunno," Toma said. "I think people ought to be allowed to like whatever they like. I guess a lot of fathers kind of end up thinking about their sons as their possessions, and they get upset when things don't go the way they planned."

"Have you ever felt that way, Toma? About your dad, I mean."

"Yeah. All the time."

"I see."

Shogo's gaze was fixed at the opposite wall. Toma didn't look towards Shogo's face, either. He just coincidentally was redirecting his own gaze in the same direction.

On the wall there was a bulletin whiteboard. There were a bunch of internal-use advertisements for WWSN posted there. There were plenty of other trainees from the same year at their training school, each divided into several units, and all of them were aiming to debut at WWSN. On the day of the event, a bunch of sponsors and higher-ups from within the industry would be attending and privately evaluating all of the performances of the newcomers debuting all together, as well as taking stock of the audience's reaction. It was said that the amount of support they would receive from production going forward would hinge on how well the newcomers performed at this event.

Put simply, this event also served to filter out a lot of the aspiring idols from the current crop of hopefuls. Naturally, their producer hadn't explained it to them like that; but rumors were already circulating within the training school. Neither the trainers nor the producer directly denied it, so it was pretty safe to say that it was a bit of an unspoken open secret. As the rumor spread, the atmosphere at the training school got tenser by the day.

But the real problem was that it was starting to increase the friction beween the trainees.

"Heyyyy, good work today."

They heard a voice that was drawn out into a viscious drawl.

When Toma turned to look, he saw a face he really could have done without seeing right now. He had dancewear primarily in black and braided hair. His eyes were sharp and intense. A stoic face with sunken cheeks. His smile more like baring fangs than a show of friendliness; it was the type of smile that Toma disliked on instinct. Even so, Toma returned the greeting before Shogo did.

"Oh, hey, Takaya. Good work to you, too~"

Compared to Toma and company, Takaya's unit took much stronger influence from hiphop, and they were known to be some of the most ambitious trainees at the training center. Toma had seen him during a dance lesson, and had been really struck by the sharpness of his movements, like a razor blade dancing in an empty vacuum. While he hadn't made his background well-known, it was said that he'd gone through a lot of hardship of his own. Despite already being talented as a performer, Toma had witnessed firsthand the way he sweated hard to hone his skills every day.

But, that hungry attitude had manifested itself in quite the unpleasant way. As Takaya had begun focusing on participating in WWSN, and as the atmosphere at the training center had gotten tenser for everyone, his agressive behavior and provocative words had gotten worse by the day.

Takaya purposefully approached Shogo, gesturing with his own water bottle. "Hah, Shogo, that's a pretty cutesy drink you've got there. Wow, I'm sooo jealous. I always avoid super sugary stuff like that. I can't give a good performance if I don't stay in shape."

Toma swiftly tried to interject. "Hey, it is cute, isn't it? It's cream melon flavored. The new packaging is great, too, so it's really popular at the moment. I guess that even idols can follow the trends t--"

"I wasn't talking to you. Do I know you?"

Toma was silenced immediately. Takaya's hostile tone reminded him of the classmates who bullied him all the way up until high school. It was enough pressure to immediately make him shrink back.

Then, it was Shogo's turn to step forward in Toma's defense. "Takaya, knock it off. Did you just come here to pick a fight with me?"

"Hey, you're making me sound so bad," Takaya said dismissively. "I wasn't trying to pick a fight. I was just joking. God, guys who have always been protected by their daddies are so sensitive."

Shogo's words had already trailed off, but Takaya did not stop.

"So, I heard something interesting. Your track is going to be produced by Shake., it sounds like?"

"... it does seem that way," Shogo said, nodding cautiously. Shake. was a hitmaker who had worked with many artists, and was well-known by the public. VISTY's members had been really shocked to receive a song from such a big name; but clearly, Takaya took it as foul play and spoke with clear suspicion.

"No, no, it's not something you can just play off like that. If Shake. is in charge of your debut, that means they're really confident in you, doesn't it? Wow. Good for you. It's like you've already won before you even compete."

"We have no intentions of resting on our laurels just because of the song we were given. We're idols, after all, so we have to actually impress with our performance," said Shogo.

"That's a pretty dark joke, don't you think, Shogo-sensei?" said Takaya. "I mean, you're speaking as someone who just flippantly quit acting and wound up here, and has just spent a couple months learning to dance and perform? No way you're not going to crash and burn."

"... I don't know about that. We're putting in a lot of effort. No matter what experience we do or don't have, the only thing that matters on stage is the results." Takaya's blatant needling didn't seem to faze Shogo, and he responded without wavering or flinching.

But that was as far as it went. Toma had been dreading the entire time when he would play that card, and just as he feared, Takaya played it straight on the table without a hint of remorse.

"Of course, guess that things are different when you're the son of a big-name actor. You've got connections."

Shogo momentarily stopped breathing. "... -- my dad has nothing to do with this."

"Of course he does, you moron," Takaya fired back. "A bunch of spineless nobodies like you are debuting with the backing of such a big-name composer? What explanation is there except nepotism and favoritism?"

"... what's so wrong about the agency putting its backing behind a promising unit that they have hope in?" said Shogo.

"It's the way you said it, asshole. Oh, my dad's got nothing to do with this. That spoiled-ass brat attitude of yours pisses me off," said Takaya. "Is there any reason why you're getting so much attention that isn't because you're Yamato Takumi's son?"

"It's... it's because of our own abilities." Shogo's face, even down to his lips, had started to go pale.

This was rapidly spiralling out of control. Toma decided to interrupt, even if he couldn't make it seem casual. He steeled his lower abdomen and tried to hide the trembling in his voice. "Okay, ooookay! That's enough! Look, Takaya, you can fight all you want, but I think you're going overboard--"

Takaya was undeterred. "If you're just eating off your parents' dime, don't you dare pretend you're working hard for it. Fucking spoiled nepo baby."

"...--"

A burning heat, as though his blood were suddenly boiling, filled Toma's head. Before he could even think straight, he raised his fist. He hadn't felt this way since the time that he stepped between his father and his mother. Fortunately, though, his fist never connected.

Shogo intervened between Toma and Takaya, physically embracing Toma tightly.

Over Shogo's shoulder, Toma could see Takaya's face as his nostrils flared in a snort.

"So you really are just a spoiled nepo baby who doesn't even have the guts to fight," he said. "What a waste of time." And Takaya walked away down the hallway.

Toma's feet instinctively tried to give chase, but the weight of Shogo leaning against him stopped him.

"... urghk..."

"Shogo? ... Shogo!" When Shogo groaned into his chest, Toma's anger evaporated in an instant.

The sound of running water echoed around the restroom. Shogo was slumped over the sink, rinsing his mouth repeately.

"Ugh... blech..."

Toma had heard from Kantaro that Shogo couldn't stop vomiting during their metal trial, either. Considering his affinity for sweets, it really seemed that Shogo's stress tended to manifest most strongly in his digestive system.

"... you okay, Shogo?"

Toma (who had quickly changed his shirt) stroked Shogo's back. His back trembled over and over, as though something were raging inside of his body. There was nothing left in his stomach for him to throw up, but it was as though he were trying to expel something without a shape. Perhaps he was trying to vomit up his father's blood.

"Ugh... Dad... it's all about my dad... again, I... I even quit acting, but even now..."

"... yeah. Yeah."

Toma kept stroking Shogo's quivering back. He was trying to communicate that he was here, to try and convey the warmth of another person through his palm. When he had suffered from his trap reaction, only then had he realized how reassuring it was to receive a human touch; he owed a deep debt of gratitude to Aoi for that.

"... am I..." Shogo retched. "Am I really worthless...? After all, I... urgh... if I weren't my father's son, I'd just be a nobody, I wouldn't have any value at all..."

"You're not worthless."
Toma would be gentle and supportive, and to gently brush aside any words of self-deprecation.
"You're not worthless. You're the one out of all of us who's always working the hardest. Even when things are at their hardest, like this, you never miss a single lesson. You even practice on your own. ... I've seen you do it this whole time."

"... gh..."

"No matter how tough things get, you never break. That's really a testament to how incredibly strong you are..."

The hand stroking Shogo's back began to move a little more slowly, because Toma was devoting more of his resources to thinking. It wasn't that he was thinking about anything particularly difficult, but he was bracing himself for the unbearable awkwardness of what he was about to say.

"You know," Toma said, "I always tell people that I just got scouted on the street out of nowhere and decided to become an idol for the fun of it. But... the truth is, I've always admired them. Idols, I mean."

"..."

Toma continued. "When I was a kid, I had a real downer of a personality... so idols seemed completely dazzling to me. Even just viewing them through a screen, it felt like they were stars who lit up the entire world."

"... gh..." Shogo nodded a little bit, and then covered his mouth.

"So when I became a trainee here, I was actually so excited from the word go. But I was actually super nervous about it, y'know? Of course I had admired idols, but when I honestly thought about whether I had what it took to be one, it didn't seem real. So..." Toma took a deep breath and then let it go. "When I first saw you, Shogo, I thought, oh, man. This guy's really gonna become one of those stars^[2]."

"... you mean me?"

"Yeah. When I first saw you, even before I heard your name, you just seemed to be shining so brightly. I thought, 'ah man, he's a real shining star, just like the idols I've always admired'..." He just spoke honestly, and let the wave of embarassment come on delay. As if to signal that he was done speaking, Toma lightly patted Shogo on the back. "So, it's fine. Truth is, I'm a huge idol otaku, and I thought that you were shining bright! You can trust me on this way more than whatever that clown said."

"Toma..."

Shogo seized and swallowed back the wave of nausea that threatened to resurface, and he rinsed his mouth with water again. Then, he splashed water on his face, and with hands wet he pushed his bangs back and smoothed his hair down. The coldness of the water helped to reset his mood a little bit. "Toma, about earlier... thank you. For getting mad on my behalf."

"Huh? No, shouldn't I be thanking you for stopping me?" Toma said. "That was a really close call~. Violence is super dangerous, and besides that, I've never been in a single fight."

"Yeah, retaliating with violence is a no-go." Shogo, turning around, still looked pretty pale. It seemed that the nausea hadn't completely subsided yet. But nonetheless, something hot welling up inside him brought some of the flush back to his face. "We're idols. If this is a competition, then we'll have to decide it with how we perform on stage."

"That's more like it, mister Leader."

"Honestly, I'd kind of been unsure about it until now. I wasn't sure if I was really cut out to be hte leader... but, if you believe in me as an idol, Toma... then I'll put my mind to it right now and do it."

They fistbumped. Shogo's voice got a little stronger.

"I'll definitely lead VISTY. I'll lead us to a place where we can shine like the stars."

"... yeah!"

Toma thought to himself that Yamato Shogo really was the cornerstone of VISTY. He was an idol who shone with true brilliance. With Shogo leading them, there was nowhere VISTY couldn't go. That's what he thought. At that moment, he really, really believed it.

And the passion that the incident with Takaya had sparked continued to fuel VISTY even after summer had come and gone.

Both the singing and dancing in Shogo's performances had become even sharper than before, and with Shogo at their heart, the rest of VISTY's energy increased as well. From Toma's point of view, it was around this time that VISTY underwent a metamorphosis. Their path, which had been a little uncertain as they steered towards their debut, now seemed to have gained a real sense of purpose.

But the goddess of fate was fickle and cared not for the hopes of people.

A scandal that would shake the industry struck right around the times that the leaves were starting to turn on the trees. That day, dark clouds gathered in the autumn sky.

"... hey! Hey!! What are we gonna do about this!?"

It was during a break in their lessons. Kantaro, with face pale with shock, showed them all the sensational headline on his smartphone.

"... how'd it go, Shogo?"

The room, in which the members of VISTY were gathered, had an oppressively tense atmosphere. Shogo, returning from the office, shook his head in response to Aoi's question.

"The producer just said he would give us more of an explanation later. ... but, if we can't get a replacement track ready soon, I'd say there's an eighty to ninety percent chance that we'll be dropped from participating in WWSN."

"That's..." Even Aoi, who was usually so good at playing the calming role, couldn't hide his shock.

Kantaro, voice trembling, was also clearly distraught. "So, then, what's gonna happen to our debut...?"

"... ... they said they'll give us an opportunity to debut sometime after next year."

"We can't do that!!" Kantaro shouted. "WWSN is really super well-known online, and our agency only pushes idols who have participated in it! If we lose that, our value's gonna crater!"

His words only fueled the other members' anxieties, but they were true. He put into clear words the free-form unease that everyone intuitively understood. If they missed out on participating in WWSN, their debut stage was probably going to be on a far smaller stage. With the phantom live movement only getting more popular by the day, the demand for showy productions was increasing, too. For pop artists like idols, whether or not they're able to make their debut starting out on a big stage can absolutely be a matter of life or death. They had truly begun to understand the importance of it as they learned about the industry from the inside as trainees.

But just stewing in anxiety wouldn't be any help. Attempting to calm down the frazzled Kantaro, Toma took a step forward. "Well, y'know... maybe we can just find another trackmaker? We don't have to stick with Shake., right? Maybe we can try to find someone else to do it."

Shogo shot it down. "Apparently, they can't arrange for it on such short notice. Composers are all busy during the winter, and everyone who's affiliated with the agency are already working on other projects."

"Yeah, but..." Toma stammered. "Surely, there's at least someone...?"

"It takes a lot of time to file and finalize an order like that, and then there's the time it takes to actually make the track... they'd also have to work out lyrics, choreography, and all the performance details. To make it happen in time for WWSN, we'd have to work at breakneck speed starting immediately," Shogo said. "Put simply, they told me it just wasn't realistic."

Toma could feel his knees growing weak. Kantaro looked like he was going to cry. Even Aoi, his expression gloomy, muttered weakly.

"No matter how you cut it, without a song... without a track, we can't perform. It's so frustrating... for all of our hard work to be undermined by something like this..."

"Without a track..." Toma automatically glanced at Kantaro.

I bet Kantaro could do it, couldn't he?

Even though they were an idol group, it wasn't unusual for a hiphop unit to have a member serve as the trackmaker. In fact, it could even be a strength if someone who understood the unit from the inside was the one making the tracks. Kantaro surely knew what Toma was thinking from the way that Toma was looking at him, so he quickly averted his eyes.

There was no way he could simply say it. Even though the suggestion had popped up in his mind, he kept it to himself. He had promised to keep it a secret.

The important thing was that, just as their excitement for their impending debut was mounting, a complete freak accident had occurred, leaving the members of VISTY frustrated and disappointed. If he just blabbed that, oh, Kantaro can make music, everyone would cling to that idea for dear life. He couldn't imagine how much responsibility that would drop right on Kantaro. In fact, it wasn't just the burden of expectations-- it would be shifting the blame onto him. So that meant that no matter how good an idea was, it was a total non-starter.

So the silence hung heavy in the room.

Toma glanced around. Aoi was still frowning, but it didn't seem like he was ready to give up just yet. Toma felt the same way. They were just one step away from their dream. They couldn't just stumble and give up here.

He glanced around as his mind began to move as well, and he met Shogo's eyes.

"..."

Neither of them spoke, but just looking at Shogo's face, he understood his feelings. He had always been good at reading expressions. Shogo's eyes, and the furrow of his eyebrows, spoke clearly.

There's something, isn't there, Toma?

Toma glanced away for a moment before he met Shogo's eyes again. Then, he just barely nodded. That was enough to communicate between the two of them.

Shogo nodded in return. I understand. It's too early to give up just yet.

The best course of action was hard to know. But, as a leader, it was his responsibility to show off a determination to not give up. Shogo tok a deep breath and let it go emphatically. He steeled himself and opened his mouth.

"Well, then I'll make a track."

Everyone else was speechless. Neither Aoi nor Kantaro, nor even Toma, had any response to that.

After a few seconds of silence, Aoi -- still confused -- piped up. "You'll make... Shogo, have you ever done any of it before? Like composing or arranging?"

"Not once."

"Uh, Shogo, this may not be the time to joke around..." Aoi said apprehensively.

"I'm not joking," Shogo responded. "I'll get the equipment and the software and I'll learn how to use them."

"Hey!!" Kantaro snapped. "It's not as easy as that! You don't know the first thing about trackmaking! Even gathering samples is really hard! Even if you crammed to learned the theory and the knowledge, there's no telling how long it'd take you to actually figure out how to use the tools..."

"But I'm going to," said Shogo.

"It's totally impossible!!" Kantaro said.

"But we don't have any other options, do we?" said Shogo, and Kantaro flinched under his unwavering gaze. Toma couldn't help but wonder-- did anyone but him notice that Shogo's hands were trembling even as he puffed out his chest?
Shogo looked around at each of his teammates in turn, raising his voice. "I don't want to just give up. Even if there's only a one percent chance of success. ... Do we really want all of the effort we've put in to go to waste just because of something like this? Are we really okay with VISTY being the kind of frivolous dream that can be crushed by some random adult's problems?"

Aoi bit his lower lip hard. "I'm not... I'm not okay with that! I don't want to give up, either. I can finally see myself becoming the real idol I've wanted to be... I don't want to just give up before I have the chance to reach out to someone who needs it."

"If that's the case," said Shogo, "then I think it's worth it to try, even if it seems stupid, right? We haven't gone far enough enough yet to just give up without trying everything we can. ... Idols are supposed to shine brightly and give courage to people who need it, right? So if we want to be idols, we can't just throw in the towel that easily, either."
Shogo placed his hand on his own chest and looked straight ahead-- to where Toma was standing.
"I want to be an idol who shines like the brightest star in the sky. When the darkness of night falls, I want to be the first star in the sky to guide someone. ... so I don't want to burn out before I ever get the chance to shine."

Ah, this is bad. My makeup's gonna run. That was the first thing Toma thought, no matter how inappropriate a response it seemed. But if he didn't force back the heat that was spreading out to the corners of his eyes, he knew that the tears would start flowing. But, just then, Shogo's next words almost made those tears stop all at once.

"So I'm going to go to a used music equipment shop. I need to go buy a drum kit."

"... huh?" Toma blurted. "Hey, Sho-chin, hold up, isn't that a bit too much of a U-turn? What are you talking about?" Toma was utterly bewildered, but Shogo was dead serious, to the point that it felt surreal.

"Well, hiphop songs have drum sounds in them, right? Like, kick drum and snare and all that."

"Well, yes, but I'm pretty sure that's not..." Toma trailed off, but Shogo kept on.

"And if I'm going to make the main melody, maybe I should get a piano, or an electric organ? And I'll need to find a book on composition, and it's important to say within budget, if I can get the books on the cheap--"

"OH MY GOD STOP!!" At long last, Kantaro spoke up. He was dragging his hands through his own curly hair, and though there were tears in his eyes, he was narrowing his eyes with serious intent. "Just stop! I'll do it! Just sit down, you amateur!"

"Huh? Kantaro? You'll...?" said Shogo.

"I want it too... I want to be the brightest star on that stage of dreams! I don't want to just fade out like this! I was finally going to become an idol, I can't just accept not being even able to take my place at the starting line!"
As Shogo blinked in surprise, Kantaro closed the distance between them. "Shogo, you're working really hard on stuff like dancing and your technical skills, but you're completely clueless about what's trendy! You don't even know how to give cute fanservice! You have no idea what kind of songs are even popular right now!"

"Well, that's true, but..." Shogo defended himself weakly, but Kantaro kept going.

"And what are you talking about with getting a drum kit! This is an entertainment agency, so they've got to have a sample library, and if you just ask, I'm sure the producer would cooperate, right? We should actually make use of the resources we already have!"

"Ah, I guess..." Shogo said, but then Kantaro wheeled around and began walking out. "... huh, Kantaro? Where are you going?"

"HOME! I'm going to get my PC with all of the hobby tracks I've made that we may be able to use! Shogo, ask the producer about what sample sources and equipment we can use!"

The door slammed shut behind him with a loud bang, and Kantaro's quick footsteps quickly faded away into the distance.

Shogo blinked rapidly. Then, he realized that he had a mission, and he started to move. "Okay, sample sources and equipment. Got it. I'll go do that now." On short delay, Shogo ran off too.

When the dust had settled, only Toma and Aoi remained in the room.

"Toma, you knew, didn't you?" said Aoi. "That Kantaro knows how to make tracks."

"Hm? Uh, maybe? Now that you mention it, he may have said something about it once..."

Aoi smiled wryly. "If you want to be an idol, you're going to have to get way better at playing dumb." He shrugged. "But I think this was for the best. This really was a situation where Shogo needed to take the reins as leader."

"It matters a lot who the one to say it is, don't you think?" Toma agreed.

"And thanks to that, Kantaro got motivated to take action of his own accord, didn't he?" said Aoi. "... well, surely we don't want to just let the two of them shoulder all of the burden, right? Let's do what we can to help."

"Okiedokey. Well, when you think about a live performance, you've gotta put some thought into makeup, so just leave that to--"

"That's not what I mean. Let's start brainstorming phrases that we may be able to use for lyrics, matching whatever image we think Kantaro is likely to make," Aoi sai. "Let's make sure our first step isn't one that will go to waste."

"Man, Aoi, you really are reliable..."

"Well," Aoi said, "I am a prince."

They pulled out the whiteboard, and together with Aoi, Toma began to brainstorm.

After a while, Shogo had returned and informed them that the producer had given them the OK. Then, after a bit longer, Kantaro returned with a laptop.

It would certainly not be easy to debut using a track that they made themselves. But even so, the world looked a bit brighter to Toma. At the time, they were all putting their noses to the grindstone, but they were all keeping their eye on the future and wanting to have the chance to shine. They pushed their schedules back as far as they possibly could, and so the whole of autumn was spent pushing themselves to their absolute limits. But thanks to Kantaro's efforts, eventually, a melody created exclusively for VISTY was born.

In the less than three months that followed, a lot had happened. The completed track needed to be re-adjusted to fit the length requirements and audio environment of the performance, and because of the delays, they often had to keep practicing dancing and rapping all the way until dawn.

But every moment they spent, every drop of sweat that fell, every time their emotions clashed-- every spark that flew just served to illuminate the future that was so shrouded in darkness. They mapped out the tiny stars by feel alone, and wove their constellation into the dark future, creating a dreamlike view. And it was all by their own hands.

And then, finally...

They were backstage.
"Everyone, are we ready?" Shogo -- dressed in a pastel performance outfit -- spoke in a voice that he deliberately kept as calm as possible.

"I'm fine... but I'm a little nervous," Aoi confessed. He gripped the sleeve of his tuxedo-inspired outfit. "I didn't expect the air backstage to be so cold."

"The lineup is set up so that newcomers are sandwiched between famous artists, so the atmosphere is really intense... and we're really supposed to perform here my song here..." Kantaro's outfit was quite cute, and had him in half-length shorts; his voice was trembling a little.

"The audience's energy is so high that it's making it hard for me to relax, too," Toma said. "If you think about it, we're going to be compared to the incredible show that real pro idols put on, aren't we...?" Toma's outfit was centered around a light yellow color; his color scheme was the brightest of all of the members, and put honestly, he was probably going to be the most eye-catching one of the four on stage.

He had checked himself in the mirror countless times backstage. He was worried about how his makeup was going to settle on his skin, because he hadn't slept very well the night before, but he'd done his best to try and counteract it. Today, he couldn't neglect even a single strand of hair.

"Well, starting today, we're professional idols, too," Shogo said, and when he said that, everyone looked at him. "We've done everything we possibly could up until today. We've worked on polishing every skill we have so that we can shine. The song, the dance, the lyrics... everything we've made is ours. So any cheers we receive here are for us alone. They belong to us." As if letting his own words sink in, Shogo quietly closed his eyes, and then slowly opened them again.

He reached one hand out towards the other members of VISTY.

"No matter what happens, we're standing here today, shining with our own unique brilliance. Nothing makes me happier than being able to share that light with everyone."

"Shogo..." Aoi sai softly, then placed his hand atop Shogo's. "Today, I'm going to be the prince I've always dreamed of being. Let's go and bring those dreams to everyone else too."

Kantaro slapped his own cheeks lightly, then reached his hand out atop Aoi's. "If we can manage to stand out and not be outshadowed by our senpais, we'll definitely go viral."

And then, Toma pulled himself together and put his hand in to join them. "We've come this far, so we have no choice but to keep this high energy rolling! Let's do our best and get this showtime on the road!"

"Seriously, why are you talking like that? Do you think maybe you're dizzy after pacing around in circles so much?"

"I'm afraid there's no saving Toma now. We'll just have to do our best to go along with whatever it is he's doing."

"H-hey! Kantaro, Aoi, aren't you two being way too cold!?"

"Toma, you always put us at ease," said Shogo. "Your cheerfulness is always such a help to all of us."

"Noooo, Shogo!" chided Kantaro. "We all KNOW that but you can't just SAY it."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Shogo, your straightforwardness is a good thing," Aoi said gently, "but putting it into words so directly makes Toma uncomfortable."

"Ah, I see... well, sorry about that, Toma. I'll treat you the new butter scallop flavored gummies when we're done."

"No, hold on, why am I on blast here!? And you'll treat me to WHAT flavored gummies!?"

Their usual friendly atmosphere unfurled. Their familiar laughter echoed around them. Toma realized that being together with this circle of friends was a place that he could feel at ease.

Things were still tense. The crisp winter air filled his lungs, and it chilled him down to his very blood. But he was sure that his body could still move. He would just do the way it the way he always did, together with everyone.

"Next up will be VISTY, please."

"Okay! Let's go, everyone!" In response to the staff's summon, Shogo began to move, and the others followed in his steps.

The stage, with the lights low, was empty. This moment was VISTY's alone.

Then, the screen shone with bright neon, and colorful lights lit up the entire stage. Their bodies began to move on instinct along with the familiar melody of the track.

Their debut live performance had begun.

It was a truly surreal time. A sparkling light envelope the world. The ticking hands of time seemed to slow down, but it continued to urge them forward. At Shogo's signal, all four pressed a kiss to the metal that had been prepared especially for them to use.

As the illusions sprang forth from their hearts, cheers of delight rang out from the audience.

At that moment, Toma saw something from his place on this dazzling stage.

With their dance moves practically ingrained into their very bones and the lyrics etched into their souls, they put on their performance. But in contrast to the stage that was so brightly lit, the audience before them was entirely shrouded in darkness.

But from within that darkness, there were several lights shining brightly.

Ah.

It was like looking into infinite mirrors. The audience all wore the same face that Toma had worn that day so long ago. Their penlights danced in the darkness; the lights in their eyes reflected Toma and the others back at them.

It was like seeing countless stars twinkling in the night sky.

Ah. That's right. That's where the stars really are.

Toma realized it, and he was sure that the other members of VISTY felt the same. The reason that idols can shine so brightly is because they are the ones who are lit up by those infinite stars. The reason they wanted to shine was because people looked for them to shine. Because everyone dreamed of them, they were able to give form to everyone's dreams. It was the light from their audience, from their fans, that turned idols into shining stars.

A star reflecting the light of other stars. That was what an idol was.

Before he knew it, Toma was dancing with a spring in his step, as light as the illusory glow of the twinkling neon lights. He wanted this stage to reach every last one of the stars that was shining on them, even to the very back of the audience.

The glittering time passed by. The music stopped, and the lights grew dim. The cheers brought with them the winter wind. The MC kept the energy rolling and introduced VISTY. He introduced each member by name and the spotlight shone on them, and each member would give a brief appeal.

Toma's turn came after Shogo's.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" The mirror he was speaking to was all of the stars in the audience. If he looked into their eyes, he could see his ideal self as much as he want. "That would be me-me-me! I'm TOMA!" And in front of him were all of the stars that illuminated him. "All of you starsStella! I love you!"

That day, Hikage Toma became an idol.

Together with his shining companions, he became part of a beautiful scene like a brilliant constellationVISTY.

"... I see. That is why you call them Stellas..." Kei said, rolling the sound of the words around in his mouth, as if he only now understood their meaning. "I, too... I too have seen that star's light, so I understand. All of the Stellas gave us light, and so VISTY was able to sparkle. That must be why when I was there, the world seemed to shine."

"It's really dazzling when you see it from up on stage," Toma said, laughing as he looked up at the starry sky.

But Kei lowered his eyes and looked instead at the shadow at his own feet. "I've come to realize it again. How magnificent the brilliance that you and the others were able to create, and how dazzling that world truly was. And so... I also realize the magnitude of what I betrayed."

"But it was for Rokuta and Itsuki, right?" Toma said. "You've got your own reasons for what you did."

"I don't regret that," Kei agreed. "But even so, I want to face the path that I've chosen. It was a wonderful time... I don't want to simply turn away from it."

"Kei..."

"You won your dreams with your own strength, with your own sound. That's what made it so wonderful. That's why all of the Stellas were so capitvated by all of you. Even to me, you were all dazzling stars, each dancing with the sound and light on stage." Kei reached out his hand towards the stars and then closed his hand into a fist, as though he were trying to catch them in his hand. Then, he placed his fist against his chest, trying to bring the stars in line with his heartbeat. Instead, a suffocating pain began to grow from deep in his chest.

"Hey, Toma. From your perspective... how did I appear to you, suddenly appearing in the dream that you had created together?"

"... how were you, huh?"

He knew he would never forget it. Immediately after their debut, their producer informed them that they would be gaining a fifth member. And honestly, he was extremely confused. They had barely had the chance to savor their initial success and had been about to move forward as four, and hearing about this new addition had originally filled him with nothing but anxiety.

But the day they met, when Kei first appeared before the rest of VISTY, he...

"Well, you were like the sun, weren't you, Kei?"

"I was...?"

"Yeah. I knew it from the moment I first saw you that you were... ah, man, you were on another level." He had been an absolute light that had illuminated the entire world. It was the kind of power that really forced you understand the meaning of the word talent, whether you wanted to or not.
"Unlike us, who were like planets that shone when we were lit up by a star, you were a light that truly shone on your own... that's what I thought. The atmosphere you had and your rapping were on a totally different level from us."

"I don't think that's tr--"

"But for real, after you joined us, Kei, VISTY became amazing. We became superstars in no time flat."

"... yes. I remember that. I'll never forget it. How VISTY always shone so brightly."

"But after you left, it didn't last. We had forgotten, I think, that we had to keep polishing ourselves; if we stayed clouded, we wouldn't be able to shine no matter how bright a light was shining on us. ... so..."

Honestly, there were a lot of things he had wanted to say to Kei, and some of them were very resentful. But things were different now that he realized that Kei had cherished VISTY as well. Because he realized that Kei, too, had been saved by the brilliance that he saw from on stage.

The size of the vessels may be different, but what filled them up was the same.

So, Toma made a vow again, in front of his fifth companion.

"So, I'm not going to forget it anymore. I'm going to keep polishing the VISTY that we've created together."

"... yeah."

Toma looked at Kei. Kei looked back at him, and their eyes met. Under the starry sky like this, he couldn't help thinking that Kei truly did shine like the sun.

He really is dazzling, Toma thought, laughing and squinting his eyes a little. "I think it'd be nice if we could keep having little pizza parties like this after we're done on stage, don't you?"

"I agree. ... If we could do that, I would be... very happy." Kei chose his words carefully, and narrowed his eyes happily. He looked at Toma, who was bathed in the light spilling out from the windows of the sharehouse.

Suddenly, the window opened.

Shogo and the others all popped their heads out; all squeezed together into the window frame, they were all quite cramped together.

"Toma, Kei, you've been outside for ages; is something wrong?" Shogo asked.

"Yeah, Toma!" said Kantaro. "Rokuta and Itsuki are too strong at games when they team up! You've gotta come in and help us!"

"There's still some pizza left," said Aoi. "It would be a shame to let it go to waste."

"Kei," said Itsuki, "the karaage is almost fully depleted into Rokuta's stomach."

"Hey, no, that's not it!" Rokuta objected. "Kei-chan was getting full, so I'm just eating more to make up for him!"

Toma and Kei exchanged looks and blinked at each other. And then, a mischievous grin broke out across Toma's face.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, I've been hogging Kei! To tell you the truth, Kei wanted me to teach him how to do super sparkly makeup!"

"Huh?" Kei froze, his expression clearly reading, but I never said anything like that?

But before he could react, Toma began pushing at Kei's back to shove him back inside. "You said you enjoyed being an idol, after all, so shouldn't 1Nm8 get a bit more of their sparkle on? I bought this mascara that makes your eyelashes suuper long, so come on, let's try it out on you!"

Seeing this exchange, Shogo nodded solemnly. "I see. If we are going to be equal rivals, then we'll have to compete at full strength in all regards. I'll help."

Aoi, understanding what Toma was doing, smiled. "Well, if we just leave it up to Toma, it will all look a bit too gaudy. I'll help you look smarter. Kei, are you interested at all in leather jackets? How about fingerless gloves? I think they'd suit you."

Kantaro interjected as well. "What are you guys trying to do with Kei!? Once your makeup is done, the first priority is taking a selfie! Then you have to touch it up with an app and upload it! ... well, I guess I have no choice, I'll have to teach you how to use the app."

"No, I don't really know much about social media..."

As Kei grew increasingly confused, Rokuta jumped in to contribute.

"Yeah! Kei-chan always forgets his phone at home. Itsuki-nii never looks at his, either."

"Even setting aside the matter of social media," Itsuki said, "Kei often forgets his house keys as well. It's rather troublesome. Whenever he hasn't come back for some time, I become concerned that he has gotten lost."

At Rokuta and Itsuki's anecdotes, all of VISTY widened their eyes in shock. Shogo frowned slightly, and Toma followed suit.

"Kei, you still haven't stopped that bad habit of leaving the house empty-handed?" Shogo said. "Don't you remember that time you left your key card in your hotel room during a live tour and you said you'd learned your lesson?"

"No, no, no, we have to have a come-to-jesus about this, don't we? Calling it now, VISTY x 1Nm8 Emergency Meeting!"

"Kei..." Aoi lamented. "I told you so many times to double check before leaving the house, didn't I?"

"I still can't believe you can just go outside without your smartphone," said Kantaro. "Are you from prehistoric times or something"

"Well, when a song occurs to Kei-chan," said Rokuta, "he really forgets everything else. Isn't that right~?"

"This is a learning opportunity, Kei," said Itsuki. "Let us borrow the wisdom of your former comrades and come up with an actionable solution."

Kei -- with a somewhat troubled expression on his face, but still smiling -- was dragged back into the sharehouse. "... I feel, somehow," he said, "like I am the youngest one, today."

Toma and the others began to laugh at his words. The night was only deepening with their lively atmosphere.

Before he returned inside, Toma turned back to look at the night sky again.

So many things had to have happened for the events of tonight to be happening now. Not just the beautiful parts of the journey, but also the funny and distorted parts as well.

Longing from the bottom of his heart for the stars, he had started running, only to end up spinning his wheels and going nowhere. ^[3] He had tried to keep up appearances and act tough, but in reality, he had often been so anxious that he could cry.
He had been blinded by the light and built everything up with lies, and then at one point, everything had fallen apart. It wasn't a beautiful constellation; it just was a tangled mess of twists and turns. Even so, when he picked it apart, he found that it had all been connected. It was a little bit out there, but it all added up. So, he was sure that they could continue in the same way. Even if they couldn't shine like the sun, they could add some color to the night sky.

Sometimes, things got tangled again, so they stopped, untangled it, and weaved it back together into something new. And just like that, nights like this would be created, where they could laugh together under the same sky as that sun.

"Alright~! The night is young! Let's keep this high-energy showtime on the road!"

The constellation's vista expanded, shining even in the shadows.

Even in tonight's ever-darkening sky, endless stars continued to twinkle.

[1] This entire conversation revolves around a certain superstition that certain stroke counts in the kanji in a person's name can be lucky or unlucky. [Back]
[2] The word he uses here is literally "star" as in the celestial body, not "star" as in a celebrity. This is probably obvious from the surrounding context but I wanted to clarify. [Back]
[3] This entire passage, from this sentence onward, heavily references Toma's verse in LINGER. [Back]