The Portal of Zeta: iDOLM@STER Neo Vision

[ZetaFlare]

Aida Momoko's Route, cont.

Early on, Momoko shows off her fandom for 765Pro idol Miki Hoshii. Believing her to be the only girl prettier than herself and a big reason why 765Pro is as successful as it is today, Momoko looks up to Miki as a role model, admiring her talents, gorgeous looks, and uncanny ability to get the job done with relatively little effort. Some of the clothes Momoko wears (particularly her casual and stage outfits) are very similar to what Miki wore early on in her career (1st Vision). Momoko hopes to one day become as pretty and popular as her idol one day. If Miki makes it look so easy, Momoko believes it should be just as easy for her!

Momoko continues to perform brilliantly while somewhat improving her bland, off-key singing voice. Once her unit claims victory in their first festival appearance, Momoko begins to trust Kenji a bit more, believing he really does know what he is doing after all. Kenji curiously asks how Momoko was able to perform so well with such confidence early on. Momoko claims it only comes natural to someone as pretty as her. Wanting a more detailed answer, he asks if she may have had some past experience performing on stage. Momoko then reveals she once worked as a café maid one year ago. During Maid Lives, she would often partake in karaoke or dance covers of songs she really enjoys. To her, everyone loved her whether she was serving sweets or dazzling performances. Unfortunately, she only managed to maintain her job for ten months. With the café facing budget strains, the manager instated a hiring freeze and Momoko, along with a couple other maids, got laid off. Not willing to give up performing after all the attention she garnered, Momoko decided to audition as an idol, hoping to walk the same path as Miki. Her first attempt failed because of her poor singing. When she auditioned with ZetaPro, the President believed her skills could use some improvement, but he saw potential in her after being able to perform in sync with another girl she hasn’t known before (Hikari). Now that she has reached Rank E, Kenji can really see her experience starting to pay off. However, Momoko still believes she is the main reason her unit has gotten this far. Kenji gets a little worried, wondering if she will ever come to her senses one day…

Thinking about her old maid café, Momoko decides to pay a visit to have a snack and see how everyone is doing. Unfortunately, a couple of the maids are not too happy to see their former coworker. They cannot believe Momoko has the gall to come back after they got rid of her. When the maids were debating on who to lay off during the hiring freeze, Momoko was on the top of their list. Some of them found her painfully annoying, especially seeing how she would almost always try to hog all the attention for herself. Some disapproved of her dying her hair pink as it made her look too rebellious…almost skanky. Some really could not stand listening to her during karaoke nights, yet she would always manage to sneak into the lineup somehow. They feel as though the only reason the manager let her stick around is because she was a fan favorite. Everyone found her really cute. She would always put on a smile and a cute act for the “masters” she served. Momoko is shocked, unable to believe what the maids said was true. How could they have wanted to lay off their prettiest maid first? The two maids silence her and ask her to leave. A couple of other maids who supported Momoko try to step in claiming this isn’t how a maid should treat her mistress, but it is too late. With her angst at its peak, Momoko runs out the door. As she walks home, her stress turns to tears (this event will drop her tension harshly, so you’ll have to work overtime to get her back up to speed).

On the unit’s next meeting, Kenji notices Momoko looking a little down. However, Momoko claims she’s just fine. The rest of the day goes on from there, but Kenji cannot help but wonder what the matter is. A couple of successful outings later, she gets over it.

Momoko knows how the Sunny Beach Festival even attracts 765Pro’s idols. She is excited to be able to perform there, hoping to notice or be noticed by her idol. Much to her disappointment, she discovers Himeko is suddenly booked to perform in 765’s place. Momoko calls Himeko’s bluff. “You think you’re prettier than me?” Himeko’s actions clearly speak louder than her words as she singlehandedly makes short work of her opponents. She proceeds to mock Momoko. Momoko claims to be pretty, but her false beauty is nothing compared to a princess’s natural beauty. It does not really help that the idol she based herself from is no more than a lucky S-L-U-T who should not even be considered an idol. Momoko tries to make Himeko take back what she said about Miki, but Himeko claims she’s just too simple-minded to know the truth. To her, Momoko is a disgrace to all idols and really needs to stop embarrassing herself.

Back at the office, Momoko immediately blames her partners for “her” loss. She claims it is because of her that the unit has achieved modest popularity. The other two are simply backup dancers who only serve to hold her back. Momoko then demands that the President disband the unit and allow her to continue solo. This will shock even Hikari. Kenji has no choice but to interrupt, unable to believe how foolish she is acting. Momoko has no idea how much the other two members contribute to the unit. They are just as important as the leader. If anything, she is the one holding the unit back because she thinks about no one but herself. Besides, Miki may have made her job look like clockwork, but it almost never works like that in reality. Kenji knows from experience that effort breeds success. Momoko will seriously need to start doing her part in order for the unit to get back on track. Momoko cannot take Kenji’s lectures anymore and snaps at him, claiming he has no clue how she really feels as she storms out of the office. Kenji has no idea what to do with her. The President just tells him to give her some time. He knows she is probably stressed out from the unit’s defeat. He’s seen situations like this during his time as a producer—younger idols cannot handle stress well and will try to say anything to defend their pride no matter how invalid it may be. Kenji cannot help but worry about her. It’s hard to understand a girl of Momoko’s age sometimes. What can she really be thinking?

(to be continued)

[liza94]

Maybe I could add some what-if scenarios in the future...like what would happen if Karen came across Kagura (considering their VAs in a certain spin-off anime)? Hmm?

It sounds scary.... but do it!

In SP, there are events with the rivals after you gain required namber of fans, before or after your work. (You will see a "Should I drop by somewhere?" or "Should I walk slowly today?" choice, choose to do it to see the event.) There is a special one on Rank A or B (I don't remember well) when you can choose to spend the whole day with the rival instead of the idol you are producing. Those events are so funny! Hibiki searches for her animals, Takane deals with her new lifestyle and Miki sleeps everywhere. I think it's the main goal of SP - to show that being rivals doesn't mean being mortal enemies, that you can be friends with your rivals. The members of NAZO lack those funny situations outside of IU.

[ZetaFlare]

Aida Momoko's Route, cont.

If Momoko becomes involved in the Black Pearl Festival against 961Pro, she will lash out at Kuroi, telling him he could have easily won the IU and swept the IA awards last year if he kept Project Fairy along. How and why he got rid of Miki (his most talented idol without a doubt…in Momoko’s opinion) is beyond her. She is far from the incompetent, unfocused, laid-back girl Kuroi claims her to be. To Momoko, 765Pro heavily profited from 961Pro’s mistake.

Momoko is so happy from all the popularity she has garnered upon reaching Rank C. She feels confident that maybe even Miki might notice her by now. However, that night, Kenji spots Momoko at a stone bridge looking very depressed. He can hear her talking to herself…about the maid café she once worked for…about her life at school and at home…about her fans, rank, and popularity…about her future as an idol. Feeling worried about what she is mumbling about, Kenji tries to strike up a conversation with her. Momoko immediately gets defensive, suspecting he has been stalking her. Kenji asks her to calm down. He can pretty much tell something is troubling her. Momoko claims she was just thinking too much and it is not any of Kenji’s business. Kenji is not willing to give up. He cares about her too much. How is he supposed to help her cheer up when he has no idea what is making her miserable in the first place? Realizing that her petty excuses are pretty much useless now, Momoko decided to come clean with him. All her life, she has felt unnoticed and worries about failing in public. She would follow all the trends she read about in magazines. She would wear the cutest, most head-turning clothes she could get her hands on. She would join in on conversations about the latest hot topics…or about Miki. She would participate in every possible karaoke night. However, even though she been able to make a few very close friends, nobody seemed to pay much attention to her. Feeling desperate, Momoko resorted to questionable methods in order to shine the spotlight in her direction. During her school’s lunch hour, she would sometimes break out a stereo and put on a karaoke performance in front of everyone. Other times, she would get possessive and clingy over guys she liked and would go to any lengths to convince them to go out with her. Needless to say, while some people simply ignored her, others considered her antics painfully annoying. After Momoko’s idol debut, when she visited her old maid café one day, a couple of her once-fellow maids told her she was on the top of their “to lay off” list after the hiring freeze. She wanted to be the star. She wanted all eyes on her. While she was sweet to the people she served, she was pretty bratty with the other maids. It did not even matter that Momoko was a fan-favorite among the café’s customers…some of the maids clearly wanted her out of the picture for the greater good of the café. Once she got laid off, she began to feel very insecure, fearing all that popularity she garnered will soon be lost. Then she thought about auditioning as an idol. While Miki’s success greatly inspired Momoko, the biggest reason she became an idol was to get people to truly notice her. Miki makes it look so easy. Perhaps it could be just as easy for Momoko. As Momoko finishes her little flashback, she says to Kenji, “There. Are you satisfied now?” Kenji tells her that being an idol is never as easy as it seems, despite Miki’s accomplishments. Momoko’s recent success has not come from the attention she received, but from the hard work she exerted. The unit’s popularity did not come from Momoko’s efforts alone, but also from the efforts of her two talented partners who, despite her occasional childish behavior, really do care about her. The fans can really see from the unit’s performances they really do care about their careers. Even though she believes it may be a little too much to remember, Momoko seems to understand what Kenji is saying, thanking him for the chat.

Their conversation did not go unnoticed, however. Adding a little spice to what they heard, Yamato’s spies turned the chat into a hot scoop for gossip columnists. According to some of their articles, Momoko’s only purpose as an idol is to become popular. All she thinks about is herself, not caring in the least about her fans. They go further saying she finds ways to mask her serious lack of talent and will promote herself in suggestive manners just so that she stays in the spotlight. Momoko reads the magazines and is horrified, thinking she will drastically lose fans if they find out about this and believe the slander to be true. Kenji says that will not be true. Most of these articles throw in false accusations just for the sake of getting attention in their own right. That’s how they sell. As long as she keeps up the good work she put in up to this point, she should be fine. Momoko wants to agree with him, but still feels deeply worried.

Momoko is very eager to enter the IU. Not only will it allow her to gain more recognition, but considering the reformed Project Fairy’s growing popularity, she might be able to meet her biggest inspiration! On the day of the IU preliminaries, Momoko finds Project Fairy as soon as ZetaPro enters the doors. She immediately runs up to Miki, telling her how she’s a big fan of hers and how she wants to one day become as pretty and talented as her. Miki feels a little uncomfortable and annoyed by Momoko’s advances. She gives a rather unenthusiastic “thank you” as Hibiki calls her back to her group to sign up. Feeling a little embarrassed, Momoko looks for ZetaPro but cannot seem to find them in a sea of idols. Checking back on his idols, Kenji notices that Momoko has gone missing. He is deeply worried, but knows she could not have gone very far. Luckily, Kaito is able to find her pretty quickly. Kenji scolds her for running off so suddenly without telling him. With idols from all over the nation singing up to audition, she could get lost very easily among the crowd even with her pink hair. Momoko apologizes, claiming she saw Miki and had to talk to her. Kenji says it is no excuse, claiming she should not allow her impulses to override her morals. Later, Momoko’s joy is quickly turned to fear upon discovering that ZetaPro has been placed in the same competition block as NAZO. Himeko arrives and laughs at the scared look on Momoko’s face. Pretty much convinced that Momoko is scared of her, Himeko is glad to be able to teach her the error of her ways now that she will face the full power of NAZO. Much to Himeko’s surprise, ZetaPro manages to pass the audition by placing second. However, the gap between first and second is immense. Himeko believes Momoko’s success is nothing more than a fluke. Momoko always thinks she’s the prettiest when she knows there will be someone out there who is prettier than her (Himeko is referring to herself). She cares about nothing but her own success. She will always lose because she is a spoiled brat. As long as NAZO exists and Momoko continues her foolish act, her spotlight will always belong to Himeko. All of a sudden, Momoko’s parters and Kenji stand up for Momoko. “Spoiled brat? You’re one to talk!” Sure Momoko may act a bit selfish and may not make the best decisions from time to time, but her partners still trust her as a leader. She is not masking anything…she really does have talent and it’s beginning to show. She may be inspired by an idol who gained near effortless success, but Momoko really does put a lot of effort into her work and she doesn’t even know it! Himeko simply laughs. If the concept of “friendship” is the driving force of this unit, they will be easy pickings later on in the IU. If ZetaPro wants any chance of making it into the finals, they should get rid of that wannabe Momoko. As NAZO leaves, Momoko appears deep in thought…

Back at the office, Momoko tells everyone that what happened at the IU preliminaries led to a bit of a revelation. She cannot believe her partners and her producer stood up in her defense after she made them put up with her angst, selfishness, and annoyance. All this time she took them all for granted despite the fact that they cared for her very much. Momoko gratefully thanks everyone for their support. To make up for it, she promises to be a better team player from now on. Kenji is not quite sure if she is just leading them on and will go back on her word, but Momoko crosses her heart and tells him she will try her very best. Kenji is very proud of Momoko for deciding to change her ways for the better. He never thought she had it in her. If anything, she really has everyone else to thank.

(to be continued)

In SP, there are events with the rivals after you gain required namber of fans, before or after your work. (You will see a "Should I drop by somewhere?" or "Should I walk slowly today?" choice, choose to do it to see the event.) There is a special one on Rank A or B (I don't remember well) when you can choose to spend the whole day with the rival instead of the idol you are producing. Those events are so funny! Hibiki searches for her animals, Takane deals with her new lifestyle and Miki sleeps everywhere. I think it's the main goal of SP - to show that being rivals doesn't mean being mortal enemies, that you can be friends with your rivals. The members of NAZO lack those funny situations outside of IU.

Ha! I see what you mean. However, in all fairness, consider NAZO too busy with their idol work to have any time for idle chit-chat. Think of Yamato's guidelines similarly to Shiraki and I-1 Club in WUG...as in they are idols first and human beings second. Besides, Yamato did declare war against ZetaPro (though we don't know this until after the events in the Harvest Moon Festival). He has pretty much convinced NAZO (aside from Maya, who only sees them as more opponents) that they are the enemy and should not get involved with low-class trash like ZetaPro.

So if anything, blame Yamato and his elitist "big business" standards.

[ZetaFlare]

Before I get started, I have another change in VAs to announce. Tamaki is now voiced by Nao Touyama.

Aida Momoko's Route, conclusion

For the next few weeks, Momoko decides to spend some free time with her partners to get to know them a bit better and establish a strong friendship. She is especially friendly towards Hikari and Tamaki.

Momoko can really feel the progress she has made from her lessons and leisure time with her partners. When NAZO challenges ZetaPro to a showdown at the Harvest Moon Festival, she feels as though she is ready to take them on this time. She puts on her best performance to date, flowing brilliantly with the rest of her unit, but the performance gets cancelled halfway through the song due to a pyrotechnic malfunction. Yamato shows up to pick up NAZO and mock ZetaPro. The fact they hired someone like Momoko to be an idol is proof of the weakness of smaller, common-class companies. She is nothing more than a generic angsty teenager fueled by a foolish, immature dream of becoming popular. The only reason she is so successful now is because she is pretty. In reality, she is nothing more than a talentless attention whore. ZetaPro seems to find the sneakiest ways possible to mask her lack of natural abilities. Nobody is going to like her because she is immature and annoying. Over time, all of her popularity will simply fade away. Momoko, feeling pent up, exerts her frustration towards Yamato. She may be pretty, but her cuteness is not the only reason for her success as an idol. With her awakening talents getting stronger and stronger every day, her management has nothing to mask…they have not masked anything at all even early on in her career. Sure she originally became an idol because of the attention she could garner and inspiration from the success of her role model Miki, she gained something over the course of her career that’s far more important than being popular—friendship. Despite her selfish antics now and then, her partners still had faith in her and cared for her. Now she understands the true value of friendship and unity and no longer takes it for granted. Yamato laughs at her, claiming she’s just having another angst attack. Kenji defends her, claiming she is true. Yamato cannot help but laugh at them both. Is Momoko’s producer gullible enough to spoil her? If so, NAZO is pretty much guaranteed to win the IU.

Back at the office, Kenji is so impressed with the progress Momoko has made. That was the best performance she has put on so far until it got interrupted. It is becoming apparent that not only are her true talents beginning to take flight, but she is becoming a much better team player. The unit is really starting to think and act as one. This is the power of unity. Momoko does not seem to understand this power. Kenji explains how simple it is. Rather than thinking about herself, she thought about the entire unit, allowing her to sync her thoughts with those of her partners. Momoko is amazed. All this time she believed it was because of her lessons. As long as she continues to believe in the rest of her group as much as (if not even more than) she does in herself, this power will get even stronger. Momoko tells everyone, “I may be pretty, but we are even prettier altogether! No one’s as pretty as us!”

On the day of the IU finals opening ceremonies, Momoko cannot help but overhear a conversation between Himeko and Yamato. While her rival still claims to be perfect, she feels a little insecure being fully British. She fears that if word gets out (especially about her real name), all the fame and fortune she has will be destroyed and she will have absolutely no chance of winning the IU. Yamato angrily makes her snap out of it. He made her a regal princess idol because she is the definition of pure perfection and proof that the upper class is superior in every way. Her competition will bow to her like the goddess she is. Momoko can’t believe her ears. Much like herself, it seems that Himeko also tends to hide her insecurity behind a confident, self-absorbed persona…Himeko with her foreign blood and Momoko with her fear of being invisible to others. As Himeko walks on by, Momoko decides to chat with her. She finds it hard to believe how alike they are. They may argue a lot about who is prettier, hate to lose, and are fueled by a desire to become loved by their peers, but deep down, they both feel just as insecure. Himeko gets snappy at her, claiming they are far from alike. She has always been the better, prettier, and more successful of the two because she is a princess. Momoko laughs, figuring she would react like that. Momoko tells Himeko if she told her the same thing, she would probably react in the same manner. With her frustration at its peak, Himeko runs back to Yamato’s limo, claiming she will win no matter what it takes.

Momoko’s unit faces Project Fairy in the semifinals. As much as she really wants to allow Miki to advance to the finals, Kenji does remind her of the important reason ZetaPro entered the IU to begin with. Miki recognizes Momoko from the preliminary bouts and is surprised. Here she was thinking Momoko was simply a fangirl and didn’t have what it takes to make it big…and look where she is now, right in front of her squaring off in the IU semifinals. Momoko is eager to show her idol what she can do. ZetaPro defeats Project Fairy, much to Miki’s shock and Kotori’s dismay. Miki asks for Momoko’s name, which she will remember very well. Later that night after Kenji’s run-in with Iori, Project Fairy shows up as well. Miki tells Ryuuguu Komachi they should keep an eye on ZetaPro. They have come such a long way on their journey, especially Momoko. If anyone can beat NAZO now, it’s them. Momoko is so excited to be recognized by her biggest inspiration!

Yamato is getting desperate. He is willing to do anything he can in order to expose her as a fraud.

The next day, Momoko looks a little reluctant. She is the last to finish dressing up and she doesn’t even run through her performance with the others. Later that evening, Momoko still hasn’t shown up backstage yet. Kaito did check with all the guards…they did not see her leave the venue, so she could not have gotten very far. Kenji checks outside and finds Momoko behind the staircase leading indoors sulking. Kenji is worried and wonders what’s wrong. It’s getting very late. If she does not make it backstage in time, ZetaPro will wind up losing the finals by default. All this time Momoko has felt guilty for acting so selfishly to her unit ever since they first met. At first she thought they were only meant to back her up. As they tried to sync with her, she thought they were trying to steal her spotlight. Then there were her countless misjudgments of her partners and producer. Momoko apologizes for her foolish behavior, not feeling too confident that Kenji will forgive her. Kenji does forgive Momoko, knowing she had no bad intentions whatsoever. Still, that is not the only thing bothering Momoko right now. She has been having second thoughts on putting on a performance this big. She fears she will mess up in front of so many people and be forgotten again. If her unit loses, it will be all her fault. Kenji begins to understand why Momoko fears being unnoticed, telling her not to seek attention as proof as an idol, since her hard work to become one was the proof all along. Momoko does not know what to say. Feeling inspired, she hugs him and promises to go out there and give it her all.

Momoko arrives on stage for a mic test. It does not seem to work. She tries to fiddle with the mic’s switch, but to no avail. She even tries to tell the stage crew that something is wrong with her mic, but it seems like they won’t listen. As Yamato and NAZO approach ZetaPro, Kaito arrives with a CD. Earlier, Kaito overheard a phone conversation between Yamato and the disc jockey. Instead of an off-vocal version of Momoko’s song, they planned to use a disc containing a prerecorded version and give Momoko a bum mic. It turns out Yamato planned to frame her as a lip-syncher. Kaito’s interrogations made the phony disc jockey squeal on Yamato. He then asked him to play the off-vocal version so that Momoko can truly display her talents. Kenji cannot believe Yamato would sink so low. He’s just not willing to accept the fact that Momoko really is talented and makes a fantastic idol. The rest of the finals go on normally from there…

ENDING

Momoko feels as though it was not just her talents that matured over the course of her career. She, herself, has matured as a person. By shedding her self-centered nature, she was able to gain such great friends among her partners. All her fans truly recognize her not just because of her pretty face or pink hair, but because of her dedication to her career and her love for them. To show her thanks, Momoko decides to give back to the community that cared for her so much. She donates some of her earnings to the maid café she once worked for, saving it from near bankruptcy, bringing its economy back up to a more-than-stable status, and giving its name national renown. The maids (even the ones that hated her in the past) love her and fully support her. Some even perform covers of her songs during maid lives! Momoko doesn’t even care that she’s so popular anymore. As long as everyone around her is happy, so is she.

One afternoon, Kenji gets a text message from Momoko, inviting him to meet her at the park a block south from the ZetaPro office. Oddly enough, she has been eating onigiri. The reason Momoko called Kenji over was to thank him not only for guiding her to a highly successful idol career, but helping her mature as a person. She also thanks him for always having his eyes on her as he watched her grow. To make up for all the times she has taken Kenji for granted, Momoko will put all her faith and trust in him as she moves forward in her path of success. As Momoko hugs Kenji, she notices that her last onigiri is missing. Miki suddenly appears and eats it! Momoko gets a little frustrated, but then laughs it off once she discovers the thief is her idol. Miki tells Momoko she was just the person she needed to see right now. At first, Momoko appeared to be nothing more than a naive teen backed by fangirlish dreams, but now Miki can hardly believe how alike she and Momoko are! It's not just because of their love for onigiri. Both of them wanted to be noticed. Much like Momoko felt when she was laid off from her maid café, Miki felt the same way after she found out she was not accepted into Ryuuguu Komachi, considering how much publicity they have been getting since they formed. Now look at all the attention they have been garnering! Sure Kotori may be her new producer, but Miki is always asking her honey to keep an eye on her as she and her partners continues to progress and dominate the top of the charts. Miki can clearly see why Momoko is such a big fan of hers now. Momoko has become such an amazing idol worthy of her popularity. Miki believes she and Momoko might become good rivals if she keeps up her success. Who knows? Maybe they might even be allowed to perform together one day, considering they take very similar approaches while performing. Momoko gasps with excitement. "You really mean it?" Miki knows it. They shake hands. As Miki heads home, she apologizes to Momoko about her onigiri. Momoko laughs and says it's just fine, saying she had quite a bit to eat earlier in the day anyway. Momoko, unable to contain her intense happiness, hugs Kenji with all her might. To be able to be noticed by her biggest inspiration...it's like a dream come true.

(I hope my plan for Yamato to sabotage Momoko was a good one...)

[ZetaFlare]

Who should I do next...Hikari or Hinata?

[liza94]

Who should I do next...Hikari or Hinata?

Do Hikari next, please!

And yes, I'm still sad because of lack of interactions between the members of ZetaPro and NAZO.   It feels like... a conversation between Haruka-Master and Chihaya-Master!

I'm surprised there wasn't much interaction between Momoko and Miki. The Visual Queen of 765pro would tell a lot of things to Momoko, she went though the same situation, after all.

[ZetaFlare]

Do Hikari next, please!

And yes, I'm still sad because of lack of interactions between the members of ZetaPro and NAZO.   It feels like... a conversation between Haruka-Master and Chihaya-Master!

I'm surprised there wasn't much interaction between Momoko and Miki. The Visual Queen of 765pro would tell a lot of things to Momoko, she went though the same situation, after all.

Hikari it is then.

Oh! I ought to think about editing the ending. Now that I've read it again, it seems a little rushed. Maybe I could have Miki arrive around the time she's talking to Kenji about what she has accomplished after the IU.

EDIT: Look back at Momoko's ending. I added a final scenario involving Miki.

[liza94]

Now Momoko's ending is one of the best!

[ZetaFlare]

Before I get started on another Story Mode route, I have a few changes in image songs to announce. Hikari's image song is now Real (from Dream C Club). Kotone's is now DragonLady (from Dream C Club GoGo).

Are there any other genki-overload songs I could use for Hinata? I'm thinking Love Shine or Viva Happy right now, but if there are any others that you could imagine Yayoi singing, let me know.

Shiori's going to be tough too. I'm thinking Eternal Snow due to a lack of epic ballads (from Full Moon o Sagashite), Senbonzakura (Vocaloid), or Tsuki no Shizuku (Dream C Club).

Now on to Hikari's route!

Kasugano Hikari’s Route

Kenji first meets Hikari in one of the office’s practice rooms. He notices Hikari on the floor rubbing her ankle. Apparently, she had tripped herself while practicing her dancing. However, she is not determined to let that stop her at all, so she stands back up and starts her routine again from the top. Kenji can really see that Hikari has spunk and determination just like the President described her. Hikari suddenly stops and notices Kenji. She immediately assumes Kenji is a stalker and slaps him across the face. Slightly shaken, Kenji believes she is the type who is quick to react. Once he comes to, he tries to explain himself, but Hikari interrupts and shouts, “Get away from me before I call the cops!” As soon as Kenji quickly tells her about her upcoming debut, her mood changes instantly. Bursting with excitement, Hikari feels more than ready to show Japan what she is truly capable of. Still, she wonders why Kenji never told her in the first place. Kenji claims Hikari could not let him react as she was constantly interrupting him and treating him like a common pervert. Hikari responds, “S-shut up! You just surprised me, okay?”

Believing Kenji is not qualified to be her producer at all, Hikari demotes him to the role of manager, much to Kenji’s confusion. She declares she will be the one to handle all of her unit’s jobs, seeing that Kenji is intellectually incapable of doing so. It’s almost like she believes she is the one in charge of him. The President snaps her out of it, claiming she needs a producer in charge of her in order to officially make her idol debut. Still, in order to have Hikari acknowledge Kenji as her producer, he must first prove his talents. Until then, he is but a mere manager to her.

One evening on the week after Hikari’s unit reaches Rank E and claim victory in their first festival, Kenji gets a call from Hikari as he is on his way home. She had two long practice sessions at school today, so she asks him to see her home. Once he receives directions to Hikari’s school, Kenji calls Kaito for assistance, driving to school in Kaito’s van. Hikari is waiting for them wearing rhythmic gymnastics apparel. As Hikari gets into the van, Kenji expects thanks, but Hikari just replies, “H-hey! Don’t look at me like that! I-it’s not like I trust you or anything! You just happened to be nearby! It was convenient for me, that’s all! Jeez!” Kenji just chuckles slightly, figuring she would respond like that. Still, Kenji wonders why Hikari wound up staying after classes so late. Both her competitive dance squadron and rhythmic gymnastics club had meetings today. The leotard she is wearing now is what her club wears during interschool meets. Hikari has been actively involved in dance and gymnastics since she was in elementary school. Kenji is impressed. As he watched her perform, he can see her talents and passions have clearly carried over into her idol career. To Hikari, being able to perform such graceful routines is one thing, but what she really loves about her after-school groups is being able to compete against rival schools, challenging her skill against others who have similar interests and abilities to her. The thrill of the competition eventually led to her inspiration to become an idol. She is well aware of how fiercely competitive the idol industry can be. Kenji believes she is doing a great job so far. Still, as they get closer to home, he notices Hikari looking out the window with a slightly depressed look on her face. He asks what’s wrong. “N-nothing’s wrong with me, okay? It was just a long day, that’s all!” Kaito arrives at Hikari’s house. Hikari thanks him, but still sees Kenji as just a manager. That compliment he gave her earlier is not going to cut it. Still, Kenji can almost seem to sense that something is bothering Hikari. Could there be more to her aspirations than just being able to compete?

Since I got Kagura involved in Sakura's ending...and considering the slight lack of interactions with NAZO...I actually plan to have Hikari's NAZO rival involved in her ending. Stay tuned!

[Maka]

I like Eternal Snow for Shiori, tbh.

[liza94]

I like Hikari, I wonder, what is her mystery?

[ZetaFlare]

Sorry about the slight delay. I got Fairy Fencer F in the mail yesterday and it's pretty addicting!

Kasugano Hikari's Route, cont.

Hikari seems to be excited to be able to participate in the Sunny Beach Festival. She knows the event draws several well-known idols, figuring it would be the perfect opportunity to face a challenging rival. Once there, Hikari catches a glimpse of her opponent and gets chills down her spine. Kenji wonders what’s wrong, but Hikari claims she was just thinking too much about the performance. Unfortunately, her unit is blown out of the water by Maya. Hikari finds it hard to believe she is meeting the highly-successful competitive dancing prodigy face-to-face, never expecting someone like her to become an idol. When Hikari tells Maya she performs in her school’s dance squadron which competes against other schools around the nation, Maya is very surprised. She never figured she would meet a fellow dancer-turned idol. While she is still pretty disappointed from the lack of challenge Hikari provided her, Maya is rather intrigued by Hikari’s past experience. She prompts Hikari to keep improving her skills, looking forward to the day they will be able to face off again.

Back at the office, Hikari looks depressed. A blowout loss like that hurts her like nobody’s business. She does not even care that Maya is part of NAZO. A loss is a loss and Hikari is not willing to take it. She knows about Maya…every professional and competitive dancer knows her name, even school troupes. Maya has been performing at a national level for almost ten years, winning several championships and the envy of even adult competitors. Hikari immediately blames Kenji for her unit’s loss. To her, he is so incompetent as a producer, he is not even worthy of being her manager anymore…now he’s just a nuisance who only serves to impede her progress. Kenji is flabbergasted. He is doing all he can to satisfy her. He tries to tell her that losses happen and her trio can always find a way to climb out of their hole. It’s still not enough for Hikari, however. She demands the President replace him next week, then tells her partners to train like mad in the future. Hikari claims that ZetaPro cannot afford to lose again, especially to NAZO. She storms out of the office doors in a fit and can be heard bawling outside. Kenji cannot believe how ungrateful Hikari is acting now. The President tells Kenji not to worry. He is not willing to fire his trusty producer after just one loss. All she needs is a little time to calm herself down and get over her humiliating defeat. Still, Kenji is concerned. Just what caused her to fly off into a rant like that?

Meanwhile, Maya is talking to her producer, excited how she met someone who is similar interests to her in the earlier festival. The producer then snaps at her, claiming her opponents are the enemy. If she expects to become the best and master her dancing, she must destroy all enemies. Seeing how this unit was so easily defeated by Maya alone, he figures they are no longer a threat to his plans.

Hikari is still a little sore next week, but gets momentum back on her side after a couple of successful outings. Defeating 961Pro/Ryuuguu Komachi really helps her spirits going. However, a couple of days after the festival, her positive streak is about to get snapped. The captain of her school’s dance troupe has decided to let Hikari go. Hikari just cannot seem to keep up with her teammates as the gap between them steadily got wider and wider. The team’s scores have steadily decreased over the past three major competitions since she became a regular in the rotation. Combined with her occasional rude and annoying behavior, the other members have considered Hikari a burden to the team. Hikari claims she tried her best, but the decision was almost unanimous. Hikari exits the school feeling heartbroken.

The following work day, the President, Kenji, and the other two idols are surprised to discover that Hikari has not shown up yet. She is usually very punctual. Kenji tries calling her on his cell phone, but there is no answer. Worried, Kenji decides to go outside and search for her. He finds Hikari in a depressed state on one of the picnic tables outside. Kenji asks Hikari what’s bothering her, but she claims she’s fine and that she hasn’t had much sleep last night after practicing so much. Kenji is not falling for her lies. He can pretty much tell something is wrong. Everyone else is worried about her, especially seeing how normally punctual she is when it comes to her idol work. Hikari snaps at Kenji, thinking he is sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. She suddenly stops, realizing the jig is up. Hikari then tells Kenji what happened with her dance squadron. It wasn’t just that on her mind either. For a while now, Hikari always thought she was being left in the dust of her peers when it comes to her abilities. Every time she would take one step forward, everyone else would take two or even three. Her grades at school aren’t as high as she would like them to be either. No matter how hard she tries, she just can’t seem to catch up. This complex eventually carried over into her idol career. She fears that while her partners have gotten much stronger, she remained the same since her debut. Facing Maya did not help in the slightest. While she really does enjoy the thrill of the competition, the real reason Hikari became an idol was to prove to everyone that she’s better than they give her credit for. This is why she said she never wanted to lose anymore. Kenji understands now…a classic inferiority complex. Still, he tells Hikari he never saw her as a weakling at all. She’s quite the spectacular dancer and her vocal and visual skills are constantly improving. She makes a spectacular idol. Besides, Hikari does not have to be absolutely perfect in order to prove her true strength. Losses happen. Rather than mope about it, all she has to do is shake it off, get angry, and go after the next challenge. Hikari apologizes for causing Kenji and her partners so much trouble, especially after the Sunny Beach Festival incident. Kenji tells her she shouldn’t let that bother her anymore…use the past to shape the future. Not wishing to embarrass herself, she makes Kenji promise her never to tell anyone about this conversation. She will never forgive him if he did. Kenji does agree to her promise as long as she gets straight back to work. Hikari arrives back at the office much to everyone’s delight.

(to be continued)

[ZetaFlare]

Kasugano Hikari's Route, cont.

While Kenji did keep his promise, Hikari’s chat does wind up reaching the ears of RyuuseiPro’s spies who immediately send their hot scoop to gossip columnists. Hikari reads the slander (claiming she got thrown out due to her lack of talent and violent misconduct towards the captain) and immediately assumes Kenji squealed on her and broke his promise. She yells at her producer and even slaps him hard in the face. The President defends Kenji, claiming he is always true to his word…he would never break a promise like that. It’s more likely someone overheard her conversation and sent it to gossipers. They would usually do anything to make a buck. Kenji adds those magazines are usually full of bull anyway. They usually say things like that just to get people to read their articles. Besides, Kenji crossed his heart when he made his promise to her. Hikari trusts him…but only because the President says so.

On the day of the IU prelims, Hikari tries her best to hide her lack of confidence, claiming she is stoked about being able to compete against so many well-known idols. However, once she discovers her unit has been placed in the same block as NAZO, her anxiety clearly begins to show. Maya, however, is looking forward to be able to face Hikari again. She has been paying attention to her recent performances and is quite impressed with the improvements she has made since their previous encounter. Maya can really tell Hikari has come a long way. Now that she faces all three members of NAZO, Maya hopes Hikari shows off everything she has learned so far and performs with absolutely no holds barred. Kagura interrupts and bashes Maya for trying to encourage Hikari. Kagura can see the fear in Hikari’s eyes. Not only is Hikari the enemy, she is also a helpless weakling who cannot do anything without her partners’ help. If anything, NAZO should be teaching Hikari her place. Hikari tells Kagura, “I-I’m not scared! Can’t you see I’m…e-excited to be able to compete against the biggest unit in the nation right now?” Himeko laughs at Hikari’s lies, then tells her not to cry once she beats her unit (and her dreams) to a pulp in the preliminaries. As Kagura and Himeko head out to practice, Maya tells Hikari not to listen to them and give everything she’s got. ZetaPro manages to pass the audition, but wind up placing a distant second to NAZO. Kagura and Himeko are surprised that Hikari is able to pass, but Maya knows she had it in her all this time. Still, Maya knows Hikari can get even better, especially since the gap between them is still pretty wide. Himeko claims Hikari only passed because her partners have grown skilled enough to save her weak hide. Hikari does not stand a chance. She’s already far behind nearly everyone else competing in the preliminaries…so far behind, in fact, that she is starting to become a burden to her unit. All Hikari has done was dig a hole for herself that has gotten so deep she cannot get back out. Hikari is quick to snap back. “S-shut up! You don’t know me! I am not a burden! I’m a better idol than you think!” During her display of temper, a tear rolls down her cheek. Kagura cannot believe how immature Hikari is acting right now. She can tell Hikari is pretty much terrified of NAZO right now, knowing they are way out of her league. Hikari should give up now before she embarrasses herself, her unit, and her company. As NAZO exits the venus, Maya looks back at Hikari with slight concern. Was fear really holding Hikari back? Still, she wishes Hikari the best, looking forward to their next showdown.

Back at the office, Hikari’s partners are showing intense concern for her. Hikari tries to defend her embarrassment by claiming she’s just fine, but everyone (even the President) know that is not what her tears are trying to convey. How are they supposed to help her if they don’t know what’s wrong? Hikari, faced with the inevitability of the situation, decides to spill the beans. Not only does she suffer from an inferiority complex, but she’s scared of Maya, believing she is way out of her league. No matter how hard Hikari trains and no matter how much her talents continue to improve, she feels as though there is just no way she can catch up to Maya. She believes what Kagura told her to be true—that she’s weak and completely helpless without her partners backing her up. It reminded Hikari of what her dance troupe’s captain told her when she let her go. Plus, Hikari is kind of jealous of the other two idols. She feels as though they have come so far while she remained the same person she had always been. She feels the only way to become strong is to defeat Maya, which seems almost impossible. Kenji speaks up, telling Hikari her beliefs are not true. She really has become so much stronger since her idol debut and she can only get stronger still from here. She does not need to win every single time to prove her true strength—all the effort she puts into her work, lessons, and performances is proof enough. Besides, she has everyone at ZetaPro there to support her all the way. All she needs to do now is have confidence in herself. Whatever happened to her enjoyment of the thrill of the competition? She came into the idol world knowing how competitive it is…shouldn’t more skilled idols inspire her to work harder and keep improving her skills? Hikari thanks everyone for the pep talk, but warns never to tell anyone about what she told them…it would be so embarrassing to show any sort of weakness.

Hikari decides to spend some time with her partners in order to bond with them and learn some new techniques and tactics in how to continuously improve her abilities. “I-I just felt like it, okay?”

On the day NAZO challenges ZetaPro to a showdown at the Harvest Moon Festival, Hikari still feels a little unsure about her new and improved skills. She knows she will have to bring her A game and then some if she wants to have any chance of defeating Maya. At the festival, Kenji is impressed that Hikari is able to perform at a level almost equal to Hikari, but the performance is cancelled due to a pyrotechnic malfunction. As Yamato arrives to pick up NAZO, he stops by ZetaPro to mock them. The fact they promote someone like Hikari is proof that low-class companies would do anything possible to make a buck. To him, Hikari is nothing more than a talentless hack and a cowardly weakling. Feeling sympathetic for such a poor and unfortunate soul, they let her become an idol and spoiled her with a false sense of strength. As she continues to get popular, she begins to think she is stronger than anyone else. The foolish staff is just making her avoid the inevitable truth. Once a weakling, always a weakling…nothing Hikari can say or do will change her fate. Kenji tries to defend her, but his words fall on deaf ears. As Yamato prepares to take his leave, he boldly reminds ZetaPro that the elite upper-class unit NAZO is destined to win the IU. Hikari and the others should just give up and accept their fate because of their cheap business practices.

Back at the office, Kenji tells Hikari that she put on her best performance so far until it got disrupted. It was almost as if she was performing at Maya’s level…it’s the truth. Hikari feels pretty proud of herself. While she replies, “Naturally,” she thinks to herself, “Wow, have I really gotten that better? SQUEE!” Truth be told, she is not afraid of Maya or even Yamato now. If she is able to perform at NAZO’s level, she can really prove her strength to not only her peers, but to the entire nation! Maybe she can change her fate!

(to be continued)

[ZetaFlare]

Kasugano Hikari's Route, cont.

After the opening ceremonies of the IU finals, Hikari overhears a conversation between Maya and Yamato. Maya is eager to see what kind of challenge her opponents have to offer. She specifically has her eyes on fellow dancer Hikari, who has come such a long way since she made her idol debut. Yamato, however, is disgusted with her upbeat attitude, believing that her time with Hikari has made her too soft. According to him, if Maya ever expects to master her dancing and become even stronger, she must show no mercy to her enemies (especially low-lives like ZetaPro) and squash them like the insects they are. Let’s not forget that it was these low-class dogs that killed her parents in that brutal gang war she was caught in so many years ago. Yamato really does not want to fire Maya after she was able to use her earnings to settle in a nice quiet home away from that crime-infested dump full of painful memories. Hikari can hardly believe that Maya had to put up with such a tragic past despite her incredible success. Maya notices Hikari and decides to talk with her. Hikari tells Maya she heard everything. It almost sounds as though she feels as though she has to win in order to save herself. Hikari says she pretty much felt the same way when she debuted as an idol…as if she had to win in order to show her peers just how capable she really is. Still, they both really enjoy the thrill of the competition the idol world provides (or, at least Maya really does). It was their skill and determination that led their respective units this far already. Who knows? They might be able to face off for the championship. Maya is proud to call Hikari her rival.

EDIT: Never mind. I think I've got an idea.

[ZetaFlare]

Kasugano Hikari's Route, conclusion

Hikari manages to keep her cool against tough odds and advance to the finals. Getting desperate, Yamato decides to pay a visit to Hikari’s former dance squadron’s Twitter page for his next plan. In his post, he claims Hikari became an idol as an act of revenge for getting rid of her. Apparently, she got angry and jealous with how much the other members were progressing so she decided to show them she is better than them. She is so determined to be the absolute best she is willing to pull any trick in the book (no matter how dishonest) and make all her rivals suffer. Her company’s management only made matters worse by spoiling her and giving her a false sense of strength. Yamato wonders if part of the reason Hikari was let go from the squad was due to her rude behavior. To finish his post, he asks the squad to convince Hikari’s fanbase to betray her…that they are following a snobby, rude, violent, incompetent weakling who does not deserve their adoration.

On the way to Tokyo Dome the following day, Kenji gets a call from a member of the stage crew. Apparently, a group of people outside the dome are protesting against Hikari. Some are looking pretty unruly as if they want to have a piece of her. Hikari gasps. So many fans betraying her…how could this happen so soon? As soon as ZetaPro arrives at the dome and Hikari exits the van, some members of the mob toss garbage at her shouting, “Weakling!” “You are no idol!” “Go home!” “You’re just jealous of NAZO!” The guards are forced to restrain the mob while ZetaPro heads inside. Kenji tells the idols to ignore what happened outside and just focus on the performance later on. He is pretty much convinced the staff will not let creeps like them inside the gates. While the other members head to the dressing room to prepare for the finals, Hikari is scared stiff and falls to her knees next to the exit door.

Yamato soon gets a call from one of the dome’s staff members. From what he hears, his plan is coming together perfectly. Hikari’s spirits are dampened. Once it comes time to open the gates, he can lay the coup de grace. Little does he know someone is eavesdropping on him…

During practice, Kenji notices a familiar voice wailing in the background. He checks outside and notices Hikari crying her eyes out. It turns out the mob of traitors outside really got to Hikari’s head. Now she is starting to feel incompetent. It does not really help they are facing NAZO, with not just one, but three sensational idols who have gained national acclaim since they were children. Hikari believes if ZetaPro loses here, it will be all her fault. No matter how strong Hikari may have become, she fears she is still no match for Maya. Kaito arrives with even worse news. Some members of the mob have managed to make their way past the guards and are vandalizing Hikari’s fans’ banners, signs, etc. The staff is doing their best to hold them back but they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep Hikari from performing. Even worse, a group of dancers in black and green warm-ups appear to have been leading the charge. Hikari recognizes those colors—that’s her school’s dance squadron! They haven’t done anything objectionable yet but they have been convincing some of the crowd that Hikari is incompetent and detestable. Hikari is so bummed out that she has lost the will to perform. Kenji tries to cheer her up, but she is still not swayed by his inspirational words. Suddenly, who should show up but Maya? Hikari is a little embarrassed to have Maya see her like this. “Moron! I-I am not crying! *sniff* I-I just have something in my eye, that’s all! Jeez!” Maya laughs, figuring she would react like that. She knows Hikari is a lot better than what all those people claim. After she has gotten so much better and come so far in her career, Maya is not willing to let Hikari give up everything now…not while they are able to perform at an almost equal level. The mob and the numerous betrayals were all set up to get Hikari’s goat and keep her from performing. Earlier, Maya overheard a phone conversation with Yamato. Some of the guards at the front gate were working for RyuuseiPro and allowed the restless traitors through to wreak havoc on Hikari’s performance. Besides, look how many true blue fans she has acquired! All those cheering people who have always been dedicated to her know her true strength…not from winning, but from her effort and determination. That’s what makes a fantastic idol…as well as dancer and rhythmic gymnast for that matter. Hikari has a big concert to perform in tonight. If she quits now, she would be letting her fans, her partners, her producer, and especially Maya down. Besides, Maya wants to be able to face Hikari’s unit at their full strength. Maya gives Hikari a hand and helps her stand back up. Kenji knows that Maya is right. Hikari is only weak if she lets herself think she is weak. Now is the time to get out there and show everyone what she can really do. Hikari wipes her tears. “Okay. I’ll go…but only because Maya told me to! I’m not gonna let her show me up again!” Kenji gets a call from Kaito. The stage crew and the real guards worked together to clear the dome of the mobsters. It’s safe for Hikari and the others to perform now. Kenji and the idols are glad to hear the news as they head for the stage.

Yamato is surprised to see Hikari back on her feet ready to face NAZO. Kenji can hardly believe that Yamato would stoop so low as to take advantage of Hikari’s inferiority complex. Yamato claims it was for her own good. She really is inferior, but his nut of a father instilled a false sense of strength in her. Yamato is willing to make NAZO slap her silly with a reality check. Maya tells her producer to stop his cowardly charades. She helped out Hikari so they could play on an even field—so they can both go all-out. Before she performs, her dance captain walks up to her. Earlier, Maya came up to the team and they were fooled by Yamato’s lies. She apologizes for giving Hikari so much trouble, worrying she probably will not be able to forgive her. Hikari does forgive her…but only because Maya set things straight, baka! With everything straightened out and her fans cheering for her all the way, Hikari is ready to prove her true strength!

ENDING

Hikari feels so much more confident in her natural skills now. She meets Kenji one night to tell him some exciting news. Hikari was unanimously invited back into her dance squadron! Earlier, Maya convinced the squad they gave up too soon on a late bloomer. She might not have been as skilled as many of her other members, but her effort and determination were what truly made her a strong performer. Ever since she became an idol, she has gotten over her complex and continues to get better and better. Hikari may have her quirks (especially during her tsundere moments), but Maya is proud to find a good rival in her. Hikari is embarrassed to tell Kenji this…but she really has him to thank for helping her realize her true strength. It looks like Kenji has finally earned Hikari’s respect and right to be treated as her producer. She may be back in her squad, but she will continue to perform as an idol to find even more skilled rivals. Now Hikari can feel as though she is telling the truth when she says she enjoys the thrill of the competition!