EE Chapter 15

# Chapter Fifteen - "Cloudy with a Chance of Idols"

### Junko

    It's been several days since we've returned from our holiday in Kyoto, and the atmosphere has been… restless. When Rinko first decided to form Interlunium, so much happened so fast it was a wonder that those first steps were possible with only the two of us. Now though, with her heart set on expanding membership in the group, the same amount of effort has been split between three times as many idols, and that means that instead of a frantic race from one task to the next we've had a leisurely stroll as the girls we've invited to audition take a few days to prepare their material. Without any new routines to learn, it felt like we had scarcely left Kyoto. This is how Rinko and I found ourselves restless, finding ways to fill our time until the weekend by meeting friends for coffee, exercising to work off our weekend of indulgence, and taking leisurely strolls down to a park not too far from our dorm when we got too nervous, letting the chilled winter air calm our jittery dispositions.

    "What are you doing?!"

    "Relax! It’s totally fine. Don’t you trust me?"

    "Of course I trust you. But I'm not sure I trust that tree. It must be ancient. And besides, we need to be-"

    My roommate took off running at full speed, arms trailing behind her awkwardly, and used a bench under the tree in the center of the park to launch herself onto a low hanging branch before scrambling to grab the main trunk. She grunted lightly as she started to scramble upward. That's Rinko. Half Japanese, half Korean, half squirrel…

    "We really need to be conscious of our appearance now that we've debuted…" I repeated my broken thought, strictly to myself, as she was now too far away to hear me without raising my voice. Scanning the park, it was nearly empty. We had passed by an older woman with two kids acting not too differently from Rinko as we entered, and a pair of old men sat on a bench chatting some way away from the enormous cedar, but the rest of the area seemed as devoid of life as the trees were of their greenery. I took a seat on the same bench Rinko had used for her impromptu gymnastics and watched nervously as she climbed ever higher.

    "Aren't you getting a bit high up? The tree doesn't look very sturdy." I shouted into the boughs, anxiety beginning to overtake me.

    "Junko! Don't worry! I know what I'm doing!”

    "That's what everyone says before something bad happens! Just come down from there!" I called out to her again, a bad feeling creeping over me as my plea fell on deaf ears and Rinko ascended higher up the towering form.

    "I'm so close! Just a little more…"

    Close to what? She had already climbed high enough to make me anxious, but that was barely a quarter of the tree's height. To my horror, Rinko's foot slipped from a knot in the trunk and gravity took over. Just like Icarus, Rinko had ascended too far too fast and was being punished for her hubris. I watched helplessly as her hands snagged a branch just long enough for her to slow her descent, before her weight pulled her fingers free. I closed my eyes. I couldn't bear to watch any more. A moment passed, then another, then even a third, but there was no heart-shattering cry of pain or soul-rending thud on the grass, just a rush of wind followed by an unfamiliar voice.

    "Awhoa! Are you ok?!"

    I slowly opened my eyes and took in the new scene. Rinko was suspended in midair, held aloft by an unfamiliar girl in a light blue jacket. It took a few seconds for my mind to catch up to the input from my eyes and comprehend what had happened.

    "Rinko!"

    My best friend was perfectly fine. In fact she appeared better than fine, flushing a rosy pink from the excitement and staring at her savior in that way she never seems to look at me. The girl was, objectively, quite lovely, with vivid orange hair put up in a high ponytail, just slightly disheveled as if to say "look how hard I just worked to save you, darling." Her eyes are a standout feature as well, an intense blue the color of a cloudless sky. It's wonderful that she showed up when she did, but did she really have to be so cute too?

    Sigh. Redheads…

    Why is there just something about redheads…?

    "Wow, an angel…" Rinko muttered, clearly delirious from the fall. The girl's face started to take on a similar shade as Rinko's before she came to her senses and broke her trance. "I-I mean. Thank you! Uhh…"

    "My name's Hoshino! Aha! It wasn't any trouble at all, really."

    "Thank you so much for saving my friend! I'm sorry she caused so much trouble. She's headstrong, but sometimes she's a total klutz." My comment caused Rinko to pout, but she wasn't able to keep it up for long since it's as true as it is unflattering. She switched to pursing her lips, as though she were thinking hard about something. *Like the girl who **still** hadn't set her down…* Not that Rinko was making any fuss at all over that…

    "It's no problem at all! I'm just glad that my run took me through the park on my way home! Who knows what could've happened if I hadn't been passing by."

    "Well I'm really grateful for you coming by when you did. We both are. Sorry again for all the disruption. We'll just get out of your-"

    "Hoshino? Why does that…" Rinko trailed off before a look of surprised delight appeared on her face. "Wait! No way! You're *Akira* Hoshino, aren't you?!”

    "Yeah! That's me!" The girl shouted with a mix of amusement and surprise. "Uh, how did you know?"

    "You're with I MY ME!”

    "I am! Wait! Ohmygosh! YoureRinkoHanazawa!" It was the girl's turn to look smitten as she realized exactly who it was she had been cradling.

    "You got your invitation, right?!”

    "I did!" The girl answered excitedly before looking away from Rinko and accidentally meeting my gaze. "Awah! You're Junko! Wow! You guys really are with Interlunium!"

    "That's correct! I'm Rinko, and this is Junko, another group member and my beautiful best friend!" That least bit caused me to turn away from the other girls briefly. Why does Rinko only say stuff like that at times like this? I let out a loud cough to pull myself together before facing them again. With any luck I merely looked chilled from the winter air instead of embarrassed. My efforts, it seemed, were for naught, as the other girls were absorbed in their own exchange. One much too rapid for me to comprehend.

    "Ohmygosh! Iwasatyourdebutwithmyfriends! Weloveditsomuch!"

    "Youpassedexamsright?! Ijustknowyoulldogreatatauditions! Youresocute!"

    I tried my best to keep up with the fast-paced conversation, but to no avail. It was as if they were speaking an entirely different language. One based on Japanese and with some common factors, but I could only catch bits and pieces. And forget about getting a word in…

    "Juuunko! Can't we just let her in without a tryout?! She's definitely gonna get in! Just look at her!"

    This caused Akira to gasp in shock, bringing some well needed silence to the conversation before she rediscovered her voice. "No way! Are you for real?"

    "Yeah!" Rinko exclaimed, her smile somehow growing even brighter. "It's gonna happen anyway! This way there's less work to do!"

    "Rinko!" I scolded. "We agreed to make that decision as a group. We can't ignore that and decide for everyone."

    "Oh! Akira, I'm sorry. Junko's right… But you'll still get a yes from me! I promise!" The brunette apologized while scratching the back of her head, giving her new friend a sheepish grin. "You'll still come and audition, right?!"

    As if the energy had never left the girl, she easily matched Rinko's enthusiasm. "Of course I will! Except… Well, there's maybe just one, teeny-tiny little problem…"

    "Akira, what's wrong?"

    "Well, it's actually about the auditions. See, it's kind of a long story, but basically-"

    "Wait a second!" Rinko cut off the girl forcefully, causing both of us to make a shocked face. "If it's a long story, could you let me down first? Don't get me wrong, I've never felt so safe, and you're *really* comfy, but…"

    "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I can't believe this whole time I've just been…" The girl turned red with embarrassment as she set her payload down on the bench a few steps away. Rinko gave her a teasing wink, which only served to embarrass her further before she joined her. I took a seat on the opposite side, ready to hear what the girl had to say.

    "Well you see, the thing about the auditions is…"

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