5th of January, 10:15 am, Ichigo Productions' talent studio
"... And now the news. The police have now officially declared Hikaru Kamiki, founder and CEO of Kamiki Productions, as missing. He was last seen over 12 days ago and reported missing shortly after, when he didn't show up to the premiere of his new movie. The police suspect that he was abducted. If you have any information regarding this case, please inform your local police force… Now on to the weather…"
Ruby turns the TV off as the door to the studio is cracked open and Keiko's head peeks in. The rest of her body follows shortly after, when she sees her two new colleagues waiting for her.
"Hello, I'm sorry for letting you wait."
Keiko bows deeply as she speaks.
"Don't worry ab-"
Ruby is interrupted by Miyako, who was standing out of Keiko's field of view.
"If this happens again in the foreseeable future, then you're out."
Keiko is slightly startled by Miyako's harsh tone, but quickly regains her composure and turns towards Miyako, still bowing down.
"I just- I'm sorry"
She remains in that position for a few moments before Ruby attempts to alleviate the tension.
"Come on, you don't have to bow down. We are all friends here."
Ruby says while walking over to Keiko, placing her hands on her shoulders, slowly guiding her posture back to normal. A surge of enthusiasm shoots through Ruby as she touches Keiko for the first time, even when it's just the fabric of her shirt.
"See? Not that hard."
Miyako clears her throat, prompting all 3 members to look at her.
"We should get going. We're already behind on the schedule. But first, the important topics. Mem-Cho, do you want to introduce her to the idol world?"
Mem-Cho, who was sitting on top of a table, pushes herself off of it and strolls over to Keiko.
"Alright, do you want to go by a stage name like I do, or would you rather want to use your real name like Ruby does?"
Keiko's reply follows quickly, like she came prepared for the question.
"I want to go by Keiko, but I would like to keep my family name private."
That's another similarity.
Mama did that too.
Maybe Mama was reincarnated as Keiko.
Keiko is fifteen, and mom died when I was little...
No, there's no way, stop thinking that, Ruby.
You shouldn't space out on her first day.
Ruby returns to her senses just when Mem-Cho asks her next question.
MEM-Cho: "Okay. Then it will be just Keiko from now on… Are you familiar with how new idols are incorporated into groups?"
Keiko: "Yes, I am, I will start in the background and watch, learn and adapt until I'll eventually be a full member."
MEM-Cho: "Almost. You would be correct in a bigger group, but we're only 3 people, we can't have anybody trying to hide behind us, we would need to be more people for that to work."
Keiko: "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't-"
Ruby: "Why are you sorry? No need to be sorry for anything. Mem didn't expect for you to know the answer anyways."
Keiko remains silent, so Ruby continues.
"I know this is harder than you expected, but you will have to be visible from the very start."
"I don't know if I can do that, though."
More than just a hint of self-doubt is in Keiko's voice. This makes Miyako sigh, which earns her an evil glance from Ruby.
"We picked you out of hundreds of contestants. I don't think you can, I know it."
Ruby takes a few steps towards a door, gesturing for Keiko to follow her.
The sunlight greets the four of them as they enter the small private gym. It is equipped with a vast array of equipment, ensuring that nobody ever has to wait.
"Welcome to our top-secret private gym. Isn't it awesome? We got all of this for ourselves. Well, mostly, we still have to share with the other talents of Ichigo Production, but our schedules don't overlap on most days."
Ruby walks around the room, gesturing towards the various tools while talking.
"This is where our day begins, usually with about an hour of warm-up and light training to stay in shape."
The three of them start their workouts. Miyako watches over them as Ruby and Mem-Cho show Keiko their usual routine. Thirty minutes later, they are done and move on to the next step.
They move onto the vocal training, normally they would do this part individually, but since their priority isn't to practice themself but to teach, they do it together this time, showing Keiko tips on how to keep her voice stabilized while moving around and performing.
Miyako notices that the time is almost up, so they shift their focus; now they all practice performing as a trio rather than on their own. The first few times are horrendous, Ruby and Mem-Cho manage to stay intact, but Keiko either starts too early, too late, or gets distracted by Ruby's and Mem-Cho's voices.
Towards the end of the session, they finally manage to all stay in rhythm for longer and longer periods of time.
"Ahh, finally."
Ruby stretches herself while looking up at the clock hanging above the door.
"Time for lunch."
Ruby walks over to her bag and pulls a bento box out.
"Let's all eat together!"
Ruby's voice sounds enthusiastic, momentarily forgetting about everything that's unfolding around her.
Keiko, on the other hand, has her gaze lowered to the floor.
"I don't have anything prepared."
Ruby slowly lowers her arms, her enthusiasm fading as her head turns slightly. She's looking confused.
"No problem at all, then we could just head to a cafe, we have enough time."
Ruby puts the Bento back into the bag before walking back over.
"I don't have any money… I mean with me right now."
Keiko's words prompt Ruby and Mem-Cho to look at each other for a second before Mem-Cho replies.
"No problem, we can pay for you."
Keiko stays silent for a moment, her eyes still fixated on the floor.
"But the cafes in this area are really expensive… I wouldn't be able to pay it back currently."
The room falls eerily quiet once more, the air around everybody feeling heavy as nobody knows how to respond. Just a moment later, Ruby starts pulling on Keiko's sleeve, dragging her towards the exit while replying.
"That's no problem at all. We planned on inviting you anyway."
They leave the studio building. By now, Ruby had stopped pulling on Keiko. Now she quietly trails behind them on her own. They look left and right before crossing the street once they see that no cars are coming, aiming for a small and quiet cafe on the other side of the road.
They enter and sit down close to the door; only a handful of other guests are in the cafe, all of whom look like they are elderly people. They barely managed to sit down when the waitress was already standing next to them, ready to take their order.
Ruby orders pancakes and a green tea; for dessert, she gets a bowl of anmitsu. Mem-Cho decides to order Omurice and a melon soda. Keiko remains quiet at first, only speaking when she notices that the waitress is silently looking at her.
"Uhm, I would just like a black coffee, please."
Ruby looks over at Mem-Cho once more, clearly understanding what Keiko is trying to do here.
"Wait."
The waitress, who was already a few steps away, turns back around to them.
"She reconsidered, she wants the same thing I ordered."
The waitress pulls her machine back out, noting it down before walking away.
"Why?"
Keiko's voice is quiet and uncertain, a strong contrast to the confident girl who performed in front of them days prior.
"We noticed that you look quite frail. No offense. But the fans would definitely appreciate it more if you had 5kg more on your rips."
Ruby remains silent, listening to Mem-Cho's explanation.
We noticed that?
No, we didn't…
I see what you're doing here.
Mem-Cho is really smart.
5 Minutes later, their food arrives. Keiko doesn't want to show it, but Ruby still notices the way her eyes sparkle while looking down at the food.
The rest of their practice day passes by in a breeze. Ruby and Mem-Cho support Keiko to the best of their abilities. Keiko, who initially struggled, becomes visibly more comfortable with the surroundings as time passes by.
"Keiko, let's spend some time together. Are you free?"
Ruby's voice sounds just as enthusiastic as earlier.
"Okey, I had no plans for this evening anyways. Are you also coming along, Mem-Cho?"
Keiko turns her gaze towards Mem-Cho while speaking.
"I'm sorry to disappoint, but I have something important to do. Next time I'll come along too, promised."
Mem-Cho turns around and walks a few steps before stopping and turning around, a smile on her face and her tone softer now.
"Also, you can call me Mem, too. Just like Ruby does."