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The Portal of Zeta: iDOLM@STER Neo Vision

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liza94:

--- Quote from: ZetaFlare on July 11, 2014, 06:35:40 am ---Then again, I could use PowerPoint to map out some stories in the style of visual novels.

--- End quote ---

It would be great! ;D

ZetaFlare:
Karen Hoshikawa's Route, cont.

The other idols are glad to have their leader back. Everything runs smoothly from there. Even the gossip panels exposing Karen’s mixed blood don’t bother her. She has read these magazines before. Most of them are all full of balderdash anyway.

Karen is a little unsure about entering the IU. She knows the competition is heated up and the judges can be very strict. One false move could spell disaster. She also fears they might show bias towards non-Japanese idols. Kenji tells her not to worry at all. Now is not the time for that. Her unit could not have made it this far without her help. Not too many idols are given this opportunity, so ZetaPro might as well take a shot. Besides, what better way for Kenji to fulfill his promise than with one of Japan’s biggest idol competitions? Karen agrees and gets prepared to take on her preliminary audition with a smile and loads of energy. Unfortunately, her confidence is drenched upon realizing that her unit has been placed in the same competition block as NAZO. Himeko knows Karen has already gotten a taste of NAZO’s full power. Figuring Karen still doesn’t know when to call it quits, Himeko decides to use this opportunity to teach her that a “half-breed” like her does not deserve to be an idol. As NAZO leaves to practice, Karen notices Himeko looking a little concerned herself. Kenji is curious himself as to why, but he asks the unit to wipe away their thoughts of NAZO for the moment. Now is the time to focus on the task at hand. Karen’s performance wows the judges enough for her unit to pass, although they still place a distant second to NAZO. Himeko cannot believe the results. She knew from the start NAZO would claim the top seed, but seeing who made second makes her believe that clearly the judges were way too soft. Himeko figures Karen might have told some pathetic sob story to get the sympathy of the judges. She might have bragged how she was superior (in looks and talents) to all the full-blooded Japanese girls. Maybe she even bribed them. That’s what to expect from foreigners. Kenji has had it with Himeko’s prejudice and decides to take a stand in Karen’s defense. According to him, Karen has not done anything of the sort. It was her hard work and strong talents that allowed her to come this far. What’s better, her fans don’t seem to care whether or not she has mixed blood. Those that do judge her are really missing out. Why can’t Himeko just accept the fact that Karen is the real deal? Himeko is greatly offended. “Shut your trap, peasant! Do you have any idea who you are talking to? I don’t care what it takes…I will make you kneel before your queen!” Kenji claims he will make Himeko realize Karen’s true potential, but his words fall on deaf, bigoted ears. With a final reminder that half-Caucasians shouldn’t be idols, Himeko storms out of the audition site to find her partners. Still, Kenji and Karen feel as though Himeko is still stressed out about something.

Back at the office, Kenji notices that Karen has been blushing and staring intently at him all through the ride back. She asks to speak with him in private after everyone else leaves. Karen, feeling a little infatuated, finds it hard to tell Kenji the truth. Thinking something might have come over her, Kenji wonders what’s going on. Karen believed Kenji’s actions at the IU prelims were gallant and gentlemanlike. The way he defended her against Himeko’s insults made her feel like he was a brave prince defending his delicate princess from the spell of an evil witch. The way Kenji had always supported her throughout her idol career at ZetaPro felt like he could have been the dashing, kind male lead in all those romance stories she has read. Karen knew it! The destined one she’s been waiting for all her life was right in front of her all this time! It was not Seiya after all…it was Kenji! Kenji feels awkward and does not know what to say. He tries his best to explain, but Karen misunderstands and takes his words as a proposal! Karen has fallen in love with her producer (man, does this sound familiar)! Kenji is at a loss for words. "What in the world have I gotten myself into?"

Now Karen will sometimes act lovey-dovey and directly flirt with Kenji during some communications. If Sakura is in her unit, while she is still caring and supportive of Karen, her advancements towards Kenji are making Sakura feel a little jealous…

Once Karen reaches Rank A, she can hardly believe how many people are accepting her for the person she is. She is more than eager to show off her ever-growing abilities to NAZO, especially after ZetaPro receives their writ of challenge to appear at the Harvest Moon Festival. She is not even scared of Himeko’s skills or insults anymore. Unfortunately, the performance is cancelled due to a sudden pyrotechnic malfunction. While Karen tries to escape from the flames, she feels something shove her to the ground. She tries to get up on her own, but the fire is raging out of control, making it difficult to move even a muscle. With the situation growing desperate, Kenji has no choice but to rush in and carry her out to safety. While Karen catches her breath, Yamato suddenly arrives before ZetaPro. He finds it hard to believe a half-breed could become this nationally popular. Everyone knows how much several people hate foreigners, even those of partially-foreign blood. ZetaPro must have been using dishonest tactics to promote her, just like the other common-class companies. Karen must have promoted herself as a total S-L-U-T, doing everything in her power to provide as much “service” to her dimwitted fans as possible. Kenji refutes Yamato’s lies, claiming it was her raw talent and determination and his constant care and support that led to her unit’s popularity. Besides, people have been more accepting of “half-breeds” than ever before. Karen’s fans don’t care that she’s a little different. Their beautiful and talented goddess continues to shine in their hearts. Yamato scoffs at Kenji’s defense of Karen, claiming it’s just a sorry middle class excuse for hiding their weaknesses.

Yamato soon gets a call from the staff member who shoved Karen to the floor during the stage fire. Yamato commends the man on a job well done, claiming this event might make Karen realize that not everyone is as accepting of her differences as she believes. Maybe this might break her confidence…

Back at the office, Karen blushes as she clings to Kenji, thanking him profusely for saving her from the burning stage. He truly is the brave prince from her dreams she is destined to be with. Kenji wonders if that trip might have been an act to get him to heroically rescue the damsel in distress, but Karen tells him she really was in distress—someone pushed her down as she was trying to escape. Concerned, the President immediately sends a call to the Harvest Moon Festival’s staff, informing them of the incident during the performance. Karen’s a little worried that the person who shoved her could have hated her for being half-Caucasian, but Kenji tells her perhaps it was just an accident. Even if this guy really did shove her on purpose, there are still thousands, maybe millions of people who still support her. One lone hater shouldn’t dampen her spirits like that. Karen thanks Kenji once again as she heads for the door, promising to return the favor one day.

(to be continued)

liza94:
Haruka-Master Karen, GO! I root for you!

ZetaFlare:
Get ready for another "Kenji x" moment!

Karen Hoshikawa's Route, conclusion

On the day of the opening ceremony of the IU finals, Karen overhears a conversation between Himeko and Yamato. Karen is surprised to discover that Himeko is also a foreigner…a full-blooded one at that. What’s even more surprising, Himeko too is uncomfortable being an “Englishman in New York.” It seems that beneath her snobby princess-like aura beats the heart of a lonely, scared, and different girl. As Himeko passes by, Karen gets her attention, stating she can hardly believe how similar she is to Himeko. She tells her she should not feel concerned just because she’s a little different from everyone else. Karen has learned that over the course of her idol career. Both of them really have talent worthy of their popularity. Besides, look how popular Himeko has become over such a short time with NAZO’s other members! Whether she be British, Japanese, or of some other origin, her loyal followers all bow to their perfect princess. Himeko gets angry, thinking Karen was eavesdropping on her chat with Yamato. “Just like a peasant…sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong!” She goes further claiming Karen does not know her at all and they are far from alike. Himeko runs back to NAZO’s van in tears.

As Karen grows more and more flirty with Kenji, she has caught the attention of Yamato’s spies, who are quick to send the information to their employer. Yamato chuckles, figuring this would be the perfect opportunity to put a halt to that overrated half-breed’s career once and for all.

Karen leads her unit to victory in the first two rounds of the IU finals against Jupiter and Project Fairy. She finds Project Fairy particularly interesting knowing all three members are different in their own way—another natural blonde (though Karen is unaware of Miki's "true colors"), a mysterious silver-haired maiden, and an Okinawan. At least she knows she’s not the only particularly “unique” idol competing in the tournament.

The next morning on the day of the IU finals, Karen receives an ominous red letter with a dragon motif. Yamato has captured several romantic moments between Karen and Kenji on camera and film. Imagine the reaction of the general public when they realize the idol they love so much has been going steady with her producer. Perhaps she might have asked him for…a little bit more than just romance? Yamato then threatens her to drop out of the IU, surrender to NAZO, and quit her idol career or suffer public humiliation from the release of all those exposing images. He does have friends in high places, so he makes sure Karen agrees to his demands because the entertainment industry is better off without filth like her. Kenji cannot believe Yamato would stoop so low. He really does not know what to do, but Karen is not willing to give everything up after all they have been through. Not even an ultimatum like that will keep her from seeing things through to the end, especially after the promise she made to Kenji. ZetaPro will eventually find a way.

Later that evening, Kaito gets big news from the staff. The staff of the Harvest Moon Festival found the man responsible for pushing Karen to the floor during the stage fire. They got him to confess to his actions and will let him off with just a suspension if he testifies against the person who put him up to this. As Yamato confidently approaches ZetaPro looking for a response to his ultimatum, the staff member rats him out—Yamato was the one behind the whole ordeal! He believed Yamato gave him the orders as a message from one of his superiors. Kenji is just about to snap at his rival. First the ultimatum, now this…what does Yamato intend to get out of all this? Yamato wants to prove once and for all that foreigners, even half-foreigners like Karen, do not deserve to be idols, claiming them to be a disgrace to Japan’s entertainment industry. He always found some way to cover up the truth about Himeko, especially since she is also of the upper class. The reason why he had Karen knocked down during the Harvest Moon Festival fire was to teach her that while people have become more accepting of foreigners over the years, there are still people who frown upon them. Since his plan to use her crush on Seiya against her ultimately failed due to Karen’s sudden discovery, he figured getting that message across might discourage her from further idol activities. If Karen refused to comply to his ultimatum, he planned to use every American stereotype in the book to not only ruin her image, but the images of so many other Americans in Japan, whether they be of full or partial blood. Karen butts in. She has learned quite a few things over the course of her career with ZetaPro. One, sure there may still be bigoted anti-foreigners out there, but her fans love her just because she is an amazing idol with incredible beauty and talent. They don’t seem to care about her origins at all. Two, being an idol is not just about trying to win the love of one guy (like Seiya or Kenji); it’s about having fun, spreading joy, and captivating the hearts of their entire audience. Yamato can’t stand any more of Karen’s preaching. Kenji demands Yamato to cut out his shenanigans and fight fairly for the IU finals. The rest goes on from there…

ENDING

Kenji has noticed that Karen has left the office relatively earlier than expected after coming back from Tokyo Dome. Just as he’s about to head home for the night, he gets a text message from Karen, asking him to meet her under the biggest tree at the park a block south from the office. Once he arrives, he finds Karen underneath the tree wearing a pink kimono. Kenji is surprised. From what Karen told him, she usually doesn’t wear traditional Japanese clothes. Still, he remarks that it looks very cute on her. Karen tells him the reason she is wearing a kimono is to thank Kenji for helping to shape her into the girl she is today. She has learned that appearances alone don’t define who she really is. Rather than trying to focus on what her crushes would like, she follows her own heart and does what she likes to do. Karen also admired all the care and support Kenji gave her, especially when he stood up for her against closed-minded anti-foreigners. At first Karen thought of Kenji as the dashing prince or gallant knight in shining armor from her past daydreams, but she is starting to believe this could be true love. After confessing to her producer that she truly loves him, she embraces him tenderly and gives him a quick kiss. This moment clearly was her fairy tale’s true “happily ever after.”

liza94:
How sweet! ^-^  Who is next?

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