Holy cow, I've reached 5 digits!
Merry Christmas, ZetaPro fans! Here's my late gift for you: an origin story involving Kenji, Sakura, and Asuka! I promised one in an earlier post. Now I shall keep my promise and follow through!
From Humble Beginnings
It was a lovely spring day at the park. Young Kenji and Sakura were walking home from school together hand in hand. Even back then, they were two peas in a pod. Nearly everybody in their class knew this too. As they were walking through the park, Sakura began to hear a beautiful sound in the distance. It sounded like a young voice singing. Curious as to where the voice was coming from, she and Kenji followed it to a fountain in the center of the park where they found a happy young girl with ribbons in her hair. Sakura was fascinated by the girl’s singing. She could tell she was having lots of fun bringing smiles to the faces of all the other children who gathered around to listen. Kenji really enjoyed the girl’s voice too. He could tell her singing was not quite perfect, but he could see the passion and dedication in her eyes. Kenji could tell the girl loved to sing. Being a blossoming musician himself, he has experienced that same feeling before. As the girl finished her little concert, she revealed to her audience that her name was Haruka before she left for home. Kenji and Sakura soon departed the park themselves. On their way home, Sakura soon finds herself humming the same song she listened to at the park. Once she reached the song’s chorus, she began to sing its lyrics. Kenji laughed. He was thinking about Haruka’s song too. Sakura told her close friend that listening to that song really made her day. Once they reached the intersection, Kenji and Sakura went their separate ways as they headed home for the evening.
As the weeks went by, Sakura would always swing by the fountain in the park after school to watch Haruka sing. One day as she was walking home with Kenji, she told him something she has been thinking about for a few weeks now. “You know what, Ken-kun? That girl we see at the park…Haruka…she’s so fun to be around. I love listening to her sing. And I always seem to think about her songs every time we walk home afterwards. I think she inspired me. I want to become a singer just like her so I can make people smile too!” Kenji really liked the idea. “You have such a cute singing voice, Sakura-chan. I think you’d make a fantastic singer.” “Oh! Ken-kun! You really mean it?” “Of course I do. I’ve actually been thinking about becoming a musician one day. It’s like our parents and teachers always tell us…you can be anything your heart chooses to be.” “Aww, thanks Ken-kun! You’re so sweet!” Sakura hugged Kenji as the two friends went home for the evening.
Sakura soon devoted her heart and soul to her singing. She got a karaoke set for Christmas and used it often singing along to her favorite pop songs. While her voice sounded like it could use a bit of polishing, her parents were very impressed, believing their daughter was turning into an idol just like the ones they saw on TV. Sakura’s eyes lit up when she discovered these idols. She admired their cute outfits and their happy, upbeat songs. She even joined her school’s choir in order to hone her singing talents and continue doing what she loves the most. Every night she does karaoke, whether at home or at a café’s open mic night, Sakura would always don a cute, fluffy outfit inspired by those idols. Weeks later, Sakura soon discovered Kenji’s musical talents after he won a talent competition with his piano piece, just beating out the performance of his greatest rival Yamato. Kenji and Sakura eventually decided to team up, believing they could accomplish even more if they combined their constantly growing skills. Kenji played the piano while Sakura sang and sometimes danced along to his music. They performed in several talent competitions and school festivals where they gained modest popularity. Sometimes, Sakura’s choir teacher allowed her to perform an idol-style solo during a choir concert.
Asuka, one of Sakura’s classmates and closest friends, became Sakura’s most devoted fan. Asuka has known Sakura since they were in elementary school. At first, Asuka was not a very happy girl. She felt lonely all the time, especially considering her family’s situation. None of the other students really wanted to talk to her either, which made matters worse. However, once Sakura decided to sit next to her in class and eat lunch together, everything changed. Asuka felt so much happier upon making her first real friend. Once Sakura introduced her to Kenji, they became fast friends. Like Sakura, Asuka also developed a passion for music as she can both sing and play the piano wonderfully. She really wanted to be able to sing, but not a lot of people listened to her. However, things changed once Sakura overheard Asuka singing to herself one day. Sakura soon inspired Asuka to join her in the school’s choir as well as the small music group she established with Kenji. Asuka loved being able to perform alongside her best friend. It did not take her very long to get used to wearing the same cute outfits as Sakura. Kenji, Sakura, and Asuka decided to name their music group Tenka (meaning “sky fire”), inspired by using kanji from each of the singers’ last names. Tenka promoted itself as a “just for fun” idol unit backed by a piano rather than prerecorded music. They perform “just because they love to perform.” The talented trio went on to become very successful, gaining popularity amongst the students in their school and earning several rewards in talent competitions around the prefecture.
The members of Tenka eventually went on to their first year of high school. One day just after the school bell rang, Sakura excitedly runs up to Kenji holding a poster. “Hey, Ken-kun, look at this! A mall in Yokohama is holding a really big talent competition! Asuka told me she is free that weekend! Let’s go audition for it! What do you say?” Kenji was quick to accept her offer. It has been a while since Tenka got some real action anyway. Kenji, Sakura, and Asuka spent the next week and a half practicing a brand new song after school while the girls worked on the idol-style choreography. The upcoming Saturday was the day of the audition. As the judges called Tenka up to the floor, they entered confidently knowing their song by heart. Asuka wound up tripping halfway through the song, but she recovered very well. Three days later, Kenji got an email from the talent competition staff. Despite Asuka’s mistake, Tenka passed their audition and have earned a spot in the big show. The judges were very impressed and could tell Tenka practiced their routine very diligently. As Kenji forwards the message to Sakura and Asuka, they are both thrilled by the news. They could not wait to show what they have got at the mall’s competition. It doesn’t matter if they win or not. As long as they can be able to perform and bring smiles to their audience, that’s all that matters.
Then there was trouble. Asuka weak constitution failed her once again, causing her to fall ill five days before the competition. She had to stay home from school for a few days to recover. Kenji and Sakura were worried. Even if she does manage to fully recover in time, her lack of practice time could put her at a disadvantage. Asuka did not mind, however. Although she had her routine memorized, she decided to constantly run through each and every detail in her mind rather than pushing herself. She told the other two not to worry and just keep on practicing without her. Sakura, however, did not really want to. If Tenka needs to rehearse their song, they should do it all together as a trio. Tenka just is not Tenka unless all three members are present. Kenji reluctantly agreed with her. Practicing his piano part on his own is one thing, but what’s the point if the girls cannot sync their parts to his?
At last, the day of the competition arrived. Asuka was feeling better but still was not quite at 100%. Once Tenka was dropped off at the mall, they decided to run through their song one more time before taking the stage. Even though they haven’t practiced it for a while, their rehearsal went excellently. Kenji, Sakura, and Asuka soon deduced the secrets of their skill…the power of unity. While they were clearly not the best pianist and just-for-fun idols in Japan, they made up for it with their strong, unbreakable bond. Tenka was chosen by the staff to be the final performance of the afternoon, which made the girls a bit nervous, but Kenji did not worry. In the past, he learned a trick for situations like this in other talent competitions. Rather than watching the competition, he would always stick around in the back room thinking only about his performance. While all of the other applicants were performing, Kenji, Sakura, and Asuka huddled up elsewhere and had a little chat just to drown everything else out. It was finally Tenka’s turn to perform. Their song was Subarashiki Shin Sekai. They perform better than ever before. The girls’ singing and dancing flowed perfectly with Kenji’s brilliant piano part. Three hearts beat as one. It was as if the trio was speaking to each other through their minds. Even Asuka managed to perform masterfully even though she was ever so slightly under the weather. The crowd cheered, much to the delight of Kenji and the girls. However, the trio was shocked when the competition’s winner was announced. It was Tenka! As they receive their grand prize plaque, they explain to everyone that the glory did not matter to them. They only entered the competition just to be able to do what they love doing the most—playing music, singing, dancing, and making everyone that watches them happy. Nearly all of the mall’s attendees give Tenka a standing ovation.
There was an even bigger surprise to come. One of the competition’s attendants eagerly appeared before Sakura and Asuka. At first they believed they have made a new fan, but it turned out this man was actually the famous idol producer Yashiro Ryuuzaki! Now the President of Zeta Production (called ZetaPro for short), he was visiting Yokohama in order to scout new talent. He figured the mall’s talent competition would be the perfect place to find potential idols. As he watched Tenka’s performance he could tell there was something special about Sakura and Asuka. Not only were they very talented in their own rights, but they possess a sense of unity the likes of which he had never seen before. President Ryuuzaki then offered the girls an opportunity to audition at ZetaPro and become professional idols, believing they had real promise. Sakura gasped with delight. Her eyes lit up. To be able to become a big-time idol just like Haruka, the girl who inspired her to become a singer in the first place…it was like a dream come true. Sakura eagerly accepts the offer. Figuring her friend and partner accepted his offer, Asuka decided to audition too. Still, Sakura felt a little uneasy. If she became a real honest-to-goodness idol, would she be able to see Kenji as often as she used to? Kenji was not really worried at all. She was finally given the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to live out her dreams. Whatever Sakura and Askua decide to do, Kenji would always be there to support her. Kenji and Sakura hug each other tenderly before they pack up and head back to the parking lot to be driven home.
One week later, Kenji got a phone call from Sakura. It turned out she and Asuka passed their audition with flying colors. She decided to gather Tenka together at a nearby ice creamery to celebrate. While the mood was very bright and cheerful among the trio as they enjoyed their sweet rewards, Sakura was still worried this could be the last time Tenka would be able to get together. Later that evening after Kenji, Sakura, and Asuka returned home, Kenji soon finds a new email that perks his interest. It was sent to him from President Ryuuzaki. According to the email, the President was also really impressed with his role in Tenka. He could tell Kenji was a very kind, thoughtful young man and a very capable leader. The two girls seem to like him very much and have established a strong unity with him. The President offers Kenji an opportunity to work for ZetaPro as the company’s producer, figuring someone with talents and skills like Kenji’s could certainly carry his idols to places beyond their wildest dreams. Kenji was surprised. He never thought there could be any idol producers his age. Still, he was very eager to accept after getting permission from his supportive mother. Once Kenji sent his response, the President quickly replied back, asking him to do him a favor. “Please do not tell anything about this to Sakura and Asuka. I want to surprise them. It will be our little secret until the time is right, okay?” Kenji replied again, promising to keep his secret safe.
The next weekend, Kenji put on his best business casual clothes and hopped into his mother’s car as he prepared for his first day as ZetaPro’s producer.
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