In the venue, with lights moving all around, the stage simply shone while that girl, the girl they saw as an idol, moved and dazzled everyone from the stage. There stood Hoshizaki Ren, watching his idol in great wonder as his eyes glittered into four-pointed stars; he could only move the lights he held in his hands while he looked at her.
When the private concert, accessed by lottery, ended, Ren got his idol's autograph along with a phrase: "Even in your hardest moments, shine with all your strength." He didn't know it then, but that girl was trying to convey her thoughts to him emotionally; although he didn't understand at the time, in the future he would know exactly what it meant...
Little Ren was writing, taking notes of everything he saw on stage: how his idol moved and sang. Watching some videos of male idols, he noticed he could adapt those behaviors into a more masculine style, something entirely new—an hybrid between the traditional style of female idols and the modern style of male idols, his own unimaginable style in the industry.
Ten-year-old Ren had to return from the institution after studying; he described himself as "mediocre" since he was average in every area of the institution. His sister, one year older, Aoi Hoshizaki, was an excellent dancer with an angelic voice, and his sister two years younger was a marvel at drawing and adapted to any study. But he had no talent; he was simply mediocre at a genetic level. "You're useless." "Can you do anything that can't be easily replaced by anyone else?" Those were the phrases that filled his head; he was simply not useful beyond the bare minimum.
His older sister always encouraged him, which made his bright eyes awaken.
—"Little brother, look at your eyes, they're dim. Stop crying. You can be much better than this. Do you remember what that idol told you? 'Shine even in the hardest moments.' Take her advice; she knows how she became so famous."—
Aoi exclaimed with an unmatched brightness in her eyes. Ren truly improved a lot emotionally after hearing that level of wisdom. He was determined: to stop being mediocre, he had to stand out at something through practice. Being so passionate about music and dance, he decided that would be his skill to excel at. He began preparing from age ten, training until he was sixteen, studying singing techniques and breath control in depth. He made himself known through social networks by doing covers, and today... today he is simply from another world. Working for Ko-ei Productions, he has two albums with his team—a group of three girls and two boys—but he stands out splendidly. All the major agencies and producers in Japan fight to set their prices as high as possible to secure his contract. At the concert, all eyes were on him alone; they easily reached ten thousand subscribers on YouTube, and he now spends most of his day with his group.
There stood Haruto Aizawa, a tall boy with black hair and hazel eyes. He approached Ren while watching him; Ren was working at the computer, analyzing and studying how to perfect his singing even more. His eyes looked heavy with deep dark circles and he could barely keep his back straight.
—"Hey, Ren, this will lower your productivity. If you fall, the whole group falls, and we have a release in two days."—
Haruto said while gripping Ren's shoulder with his right hand.
—"Haruto, precisely for that reason I must work so hard. I can't rest."—
Ren said, trying to keep his concentration with his eyes almost closed. At that moment the "click" of the door interrupted the conversation. It was Yamada Airi, also known as Ri-chan, a YouTuber and streamer obsessed with cats, with short pastel white-lilac hair and bright sky-blue eyes; she had a strange obsession with wearing cat ears even in private life. She simply entered the room a little sleepy in her pajamas. She was drowsy and startled to see them there, since it was five in the morning.
—"Whaaat!? But did I just discover a weird cult of hidden things?!"—
She exclaimed, frightened as if she had uncovered a state secret, but Ren didn't turn to look at her; only Haruto glanced at her with his usual indifference.
—"We could ask the same."—
Haruto replied, returning the question. She only turned her gaze to the right with a little embarrassment and squinted eyes.
—"Uh... well... I came to get my phone, which I usually leave here because in my room it distracts me and keeps me from sleeping well..."—
Ri-chan said without yet looking at Haruto.
—"You have very little self-control over yourself..."—
Haruto responded with a disappointed face.
—"It's not my fault that people's comments are so funny."—
She replied while taking her phone and unplugging it from the charger.
—"Well, I only came because I saw a light through the window, and I found Ren enslaving himself."—
She said while looking at Ren; Ri-chan responded with a slight laugh while covering her mouth with her right hand.
—"Hehe, sorry, it's just that Haruto's description makes me laugh."—
Ri-chan exclaimed while looking away, slightly embarrassed.
Ren woke up a little more and already seemed more normal.
—"I know what we'll do, the reason we're going to motivate ourselves—I have it right in my mind!"—
Ren exclaimed enthusiastically; Ri-chan and Haruto only looked at him confused.
—"What will it be?"—
Ri-chan said with a smile as she looked at Ren.
—"I hope it's something really motivating."—
Haruto answered, looking at Ren with indifference. Ren turned and looked at them with a confident smile.
—"We will become the most well-known musical group in Japan!"—
He said confidently; reactions were immediate.
To be continued....