Chapter 3

# Chapter Three — "I Wish I Were a Hamster"

### 3.1 Junko

The door to Lina Fujimura's office opened once more, though this time she had been expecting it… more or less. It was early evening, and most of the idols who reside in company housing will have returned from school, eaten dinner, and would now be doing homework, practicing, or doing whatever sorts of things teenagers get up to in their off hours. For my new group mates and I, that meant descending upon our producer and figuring out exactly what needed to be done in order for us to become a functioning group act. More specifically, it meant that Lina needed to know about the last girls Rinko was interested in recruiting so she could do her part, and then we could get serious once we knew exactly what our specific strengths and weaknesses were as a collective.

    Once we were all inside her office - Chiyo had been waiting outside for someone else to arrive first, and Megumi and Dam-Bi walked in separately not too long after - we claimed the pair of stiff, almost like-new couches that lined two of the office's walls. We needed to decide on a name for the group, so we started tossing out ideas from the top of our heads - none particularly great - while Rinko skipped over to the large, almost ridiculously sized desk on her own.

    "So, Lina!"

    "What is it, Rinko?" Our producer sounded tired, despite having almost certainly not done much of anything all day besides playing on her phone.

    "We still want quite a few girls, but a lot of them are still in training for a while…" Those girls couldn't be accounted for until they passed their exams, so it would probably be months until they were contacted - if they even passed and *were* signed to I MY ME, and assuming our group was successful enough to warrant an expansion in membership at that point. "But! There's some girls who I know we can totally snatch if we try!"

    Lina remained unamused and unenthusiastic, her face remaining so unchanged that it may have been mistaken for stone for anyone not used to it.

    Except stone would probably look more lifelike…

    "Okay, and who exactly are they?" She grimaced at the world in general, wasting no time in asking for Rinko's demands as though she were conducting some sort of hostage negotiation.

    "Well, first off, we need Kanon Mitsuboshi! She's a new idol who just got signed, and she's starting for real in a few days! She's super cute and according to her file she hasn't been assigned a producer yet! So…"

    "So?"

    "Sooo, that'll be your responsibility!" She delivered the assignment excitedly, flashing a peace sign. While I couldn't see her face from the sofa, I was nonetheless positive that she was cutely sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth… one of the moves I'd seen her spend hours practicing in front of our mirror. Lina shuddered at this, being obviously unimpressed. "I know you can get her! Once you do, we want Minori Takagi, Eimi Inagawa, Akari Kanjiro, Mayuko Ueno…"

    The list was promptly cut off by Lina barely halfway through.

    "Stop!" Lina spoke with enough force that even Rinko couldn't keep talking. This garnered the attention of my fellow idols, whose chattering had gotten more excited with each name that Rinko rattled off. Of course they had - each of the girls on her list were amazing in their own rights. They were also, however, all established idols with successful solo careers - some going back years - and unlike Dam-Bi none of them could be described as a close friend, if they even had any idea who we were at all.

    In other words, we had precisely zero chance of convincing any of them to join us, and I had a feeling that so many "nos" after a string of easy "yeses" would be disastrous for our morale, not to mention Rinko's motivation. I quietly stood up from the couch and walked over to my best friend, placing a hand gently on her shoulder as I prepared to give her a dose of "tough love" alongside Lina's tough… tolerance? Indifference?

    "Rinko, if you're going to do this you have to think about it seriously. I can get that Mitsuboshi girl for your group if she doesn't have a producer lined up yet." Lina conceded to just a single one of Rinko's wishes. "But getting an established idol away from their producer would be nearly impossible for a bunch of reasons."

    "And…" I added, being careful to speak softly despite my growing frustration. "…just how big are you planning on making the group, Rinko?" All she had said previously was various descriptors that all meant "large", but exactly how large had never been clarified or defined. While I knew that "ginormous" meant, roughly, "very big", what did it mean to Rinko? Seven girls? Eleven? Fifteen?! "I thought we selected so many candidates so we'd have options when some turned us down, but everyone so far is on board. We're quite large as it is with even six of us… It'll become more difficult for everyone if you just add people into the mix without thinking about how they'll mesh with the rest of the ensemble."

    My words were harsh, but I tried to keep my voice delicate and sympathetic, even comforting. Even if I was a little sad over losing my partner in our duo, I had also been swept up in Rinko's excitement at this new enterprise. I just didn't want Rinko's wings to melt if she tried to soar too close to the sun. I'm not sure I could bear *both of us* aloft if that happened.

    "Well, that's all fine then! Lina, just worry about getting Kanon, I'll handle the rest of-"

    "Rinko. Please…" I glanced back at my new group mates, pleading wordlessly for just a little bit of help.

    "Instead of trying to get all of them at once, why not let her pick just one and try? You never know, maybe she'll say yes." Dam-Bi added her opinion for consideration, though it wasn't exactly what I had hoped it would be. "I mean, she did manage to convince all of us!"

    Chiyo smiled at this and voiced her approval for Dam-Bi's compromise. Megumi also gave a smile, nodding her head in silent agreement. Rinko was overjoyed, truly touched by the support she was getting from our friends - even the ones we had only known for a single day.

    "Yeah! Just one! Seven's a lucky number, right?"

    Lina and I sighed, almost in unison, once it became evident that this was the course nearly everyone wanted to take.

    "Okay, fine. But just one! And it'll be your responsibility to recruit them!" Lina had relented to Dam-Bi's plan. I shot her one of my nastiest looks.

    *Traitor!*

    Lina simply looked away from us and picked up her phone, placing a call and requesting that Kanon Mitsuboshi be assigned to her effective immediately. Yet again, Rinko was going to miraculously get her way, regardless of whether she was deserving of it or not.

    We rejoined the group on the couches, leaving Lina to finish her call. Despite leaving her plenty of room between Chiyo and myself, Rinko squeezed onto the smaller of the two sofas between our other members.

    *I hope she's not mad at me…*

    There was still a sort of tense atmosphere in the room after the small spat, causing the five of us to settle down into an uneasy silence. Suddenly, there was an entirely out of place sound that caused the majority of us to jump in our seats.

    "SQUEAK!!!"

    Chiyo's face turned beet red. Rinko grinned as she dropped down from the couch and crawled on her knees past me and over to Chiyo, staring intently at the girl's chest. I almost shouted at her out of surprise over the unacceptable behavior before I traced her gaze closely. The breast pocket of Chiyo's overalls was moving. Not a lot, but everyone quickly realized that even a small amount of movement was more than a pocket should move by itself. The other girls were looking around in horror, their feet raised off the floor, no doubt thinking that a mouse or some other rodent may have made its way into the building, and that where there was one there were likely to be more. The squeaking continued every few seconds, and soon all the girls caught on that it was indeed coming from Chiyo's pocket. We all stared for different reasons, wondering what could be the source of the sound. Dam-Bi looked fairly terrified, while Megumi wore a look of quiet concern. Lina yelled for us to be quiet. I was moderately curious - being fairly sure as to the source of the sound - while Rinko looked like, well, her usual happy self.

    Before any of them could even theorize about the source, a tiny peach colored hamster popped its head out from Chiyo's breast pocket. All the fear and anxiety in the room quickly changed to excitement as everyone gushed over the adorable little hamster… myself included. Chiyo delicately scooped the little teddy bear hamster into her hands and presented her to the group hesitantly.

    "I didn't mean to bring her, but she looked so lonely…" She blushed, dropping her head in embarrassment.

    "Nonono, it's okay! Please! I want to know EVERYTHING about her!" Rinko squealed with glee. "I love her already!"

    Chiyo's expression quickly changed from a shameful blush to an excited flush. She stood up with a large smile on her face, now holding out the hamster more confidently.

    "Her name is Momo! My parents got her for me as a gift, and she's been with me ever since, like, literally. I take her everywhere with me - even to school sometimes! I've always been in love with hamsters, so Momo is my perfect friend!" Chiyo went on and on for around ten minutes, barely stopping to take breaths, talking about her love for hamsters. She even described in detail how much and why she wished she could be a hamster.

    "You're so passionate, Ms. Watanabe!" Megumi was as impressed as the rest of us by the change in Chiyo's demeanor. "Back in Kyoto at my family's inn, we have a fish pond. I used to spend a great deal of time feeding them and playing my koto for them. I often thought it would be wonderful to become a Koi fish! They're so elegant!" She spoke with her usual elegance and flair which, to my mind, easily surpassed that of nearly any fish.

    All of us looked at each other, having a shared epiphany that this was a great way to connect as a team. Rinko continued this topic of conversation.

    "When Junko and I used to live in the city, we found a cat during the winter and took it in as our own! Arti was like our baby, and he has the prettiest white fur! He's so soft! But when we became idols we gave him to Junko's dad to take care of because we couldn't bring him here, but I'm sure he loves him just as much, and he sends Junko lots of pictures! I love our kitty so much! I think I'd wanna be a sloth tho! They're kinda cute too and they really know how to take their time!"

    The seemingly random way her story about our cat went off course elicited a round of laughter from everyone.

    "Seems like you could learn a thing or two from them." Lina murmured, pulling her face away from the phone for a second, just loud enough for us to hear. We erupted into even louder laughter - I for one had no idea Lina even possessed a sense of humor - and then turned to Dam-Bi, whose turn was up next.

    "I've always really liked koalas! I don't have extensive knowledge on them like Chiyo and hamsters, but I still think it'd be fun to be one!"

    The girls looked to me next, as the only one who remained to reveal what kind of animal she would want to be.

    "Hmm… a fox, maybe? I've always admired them. They're quite lovely!" I spoke sweetly, trying to match the energy of the girls around me. All the girls laughed, though I'm not sure what exactly was funny, and continued to discuss different animals they found cute or interesting, like puppies and red pandas. Lina glanced over at us and even smiled a tiny bit before covering the phone's receiver with her hand and cutting them off.

    "Hey, guys, make sure you're thinking of a name for your group. Focus."

    "You're right! Let's get back on track, girls!" The mood from before the conflict had been fully restored. Rinko excitedly pulled five pencils, each a different bright color, out of her bag and set a stack of blank papers on the table. "Our goal for today is setting up the group's general formation, as well as thinking up some cool names!"

    Rinko became more serious than she had been so far, actually doing a decent job of keeping everyone on track. All the girls went immediately into brainstorm mode, writing down potential names, discussing them, eating snacks, and workshopping the formation. Rinko, when she stayed focused, was actually proving to be fairly good at this.

    Thankfully, the formation was figured out pretty easily, despite our membership not necessarily being fully settled. All the girls agreed that Rinko's aura exuded leadership, and that with her singing talent she would be the best option for the center, even if she was a bit… eccentric, at times. My "passionate allure", as Megumi called it - giving me an exaggerated wink as she did so - was decided to be complementary to Rinko. Not to mention we'd been training together for as long as we'd been idols, so we could already coordinate fairly well - so it was decided that I would be on Rinko's right, the same side I'd been on for our debut. Dam-Bi - our most successful idol by far - would provide her strong visual flair to Rinko's left. For the time being, Chiyo was placed to my right, and Megumi to the left of Dam-Bi, with Kanon taking a place next to her if Lina was successful in her current endeavor. This was how we would train for now, changing things as needed if or when we secured our additional members.

    Lina finally put down the phone, having finished her long conversation, and called Rinko to join her at the desk.

    "Mr. Shishito said she's all ours. I'll be meeting with her tomorrow and she'll be starting shortly after that. Please, I'm begging you, try to have a name picked out by then."

    We all responded "Yes, Ma'am!" in unison like proper idols, all of us with smiles on our faces. With this, we were one step closer to debuting as a group and, as a result, to reaching our shared dream. The awkward silence that followed made us realize that we'd been in the office longer than we were welcome, and that this was our cue to leave Lina alone before she had to kick us out.

### 3.2 Junko

    Passing down the hall outside Lina's office in a clump, the unanimous feeling was that we didn't want to end our meeting just yet. We had just witnessed the official birth of our as yet unnamed idol group, and we all agreed on at least one thing - we *really* need a name. Dam-Bi was the one to have an idea of how to come up with one.

    "Since we're an idol group, and we're all idols, the most sensible way to think of a group name is to go and do idol things!"

    This is how we all ended up in a mad dash back to our rooms to change into practice gear before meeting upstairs in one of the gym's dance rooms.

    Securing a medium-sized space, we had ample room for everyone to move around as we brainstormed. Each of us spread out to do our own thing while we spitballed potential names at each other. Dam-Bi started to bounce around energetically, moving her feet rhythmically - like she was jumping an invisible rope - while mumbling names to herself.

    "What about something edgy, like 'Angelic Zero'?" She offered her thoughts aloud to the group. "Sounds cool right?"

    We all nodded hesitantly, not wanting to disappoint our midnight-haired friend, though I don't think anyone was entirely sold on such a generic name.

    "While that does sound nice, I think this group would be well suited by something more mature." Megumi proffered a suggestion of her own. "If I may, I think the name 'Shiratsuyu' might work better. It means 'beautiful white dew'. I think it's very fitting."

    I turned towards Megumi, who was reading a novel with a title that I had never heard of, and politely asked for her to elaborate. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean by 'fitting'?"

    Megumi slowly closed the book in her hand and smiled at me calmly.

    "Well, I think that since this group is so unique and filled with such beautiful and talented girls, our name should reflect those aspects."

    "Well then we could also name it something like 'Konayuki' or 'Yukimajiri'." Chiyo jumped into the conversation, still stretching her legs. "Those sound pretty nice too. Momo and I love it when it snows because then it gives me even more reason to cuddle up with her!"

    "All your ideas are great, but it still doesn't feel right. I want our name to be unique, just like us! These names could describe any idol group! I want something that could only be ours, you know?" Rinko paused as she got up from the center of the room where she had been laying. "I don't think we can make a proper name until we have our full group. Or *at least* get to meet Kanon…"

    Everyone went quiet after that, only the squeaking shoes in the adjacent rooms giving any indication of what this space was really meant for.

    Rinko was, in a way, right.

    It wasn't worth trying to rush something so important when it was possible it would be invalidated so quickly. Still, having a few ideas already in mind wouldn't hurt, right?

    Dam-Bi, as she seemed to have a knack for, broke the silence with a soft "hmm". Oblivious to the attention this brought her, she looked up at the ceiling and rubbed her chin with her thumb and index finger in a pondering fashion. She then pressed her other thumb against her temple and shut her eyes, deep in thought. After a moment, she addressed the elephant in the room.

    "Hanarin, I think it's important that we talk about the final member you wanna get. I think-"

    "I'm so glad you brought it up! I've actually been thinking about that this whole time!" Rinko's energy piqued back up right away, and her voice along with it. Despite only knowing they existed due to the squeaks of their shoes, I felt as though I could feel the glares of the girls in the practice rooms surrounding us even through the walls.

    I gestured to Rinko, urging her to quiet down. Sadly, my silent plea went unnoticed as she continued her pitch.

    "I was looking around at us and thinking about all the girls I want… and I realized, nearly all of them have black or brown hair, and we already have both of those, but we don't have a blonde yet!"

    *Here it comes…*

    Everyone else looked slightly confused by her statement, and I can't blame them. Hair color, while it's true that some idol groups use it to great visual effect, wasn't really the most important metric on which to judge an idol. On top of that, it isn't like we were particularly lacking in variety as it was. Counting Kanon, and assuming the photos in her company file are up to date, it was technically true that we didn't yet have a blonde member - unless you used a very loose definition to classify Megumi's tea-colored hair. We did however have two brunettes of different hues, a ravenette, platinum white, green, and of course my pink locks. Hardly lacking for variety.

    "Minori Takagi has brown hair, and it's really close to Megumi's… Mayuko Ueno has black hair, I think. Plus, she's an older girl, so I really doubt she would have been interested in our group in the first place… Who else did you mention…?" Chiyo squinted as she tried to remember all of the names Rinko had said back in Lina's office. Rinko turned to her quickly, causing her to jump back nervously.

    "You remembered half! You're missing Akari Kanjiro, who's also a brunette, and you missed the girl that I decided on…"

    The rest of the girls, save for Chiyo who seemed uncomfortable by how closely Rinko was looking at her, had given up on trying to remember and were looking at our leader in anticipation. She made no moves to give up her secret so easily, keeping them focused on her as she looked from one to another, expecting more guesses. Megumi eventually asked the obvious.

    "Ms. Hanazawa, can you remind us of who that was?"

    Rinko pouted, seeming upset that they had all forgotten.

    "Eimi Inagawa! You know! Beautiful blonde, super talented, one of the cutest girls I've ever seen in my life! If we're gonna succeed, we'll need her for sure!" Rinko spoke passionately, despite seeming a little upset that her fellow idols had so quickly forgotten her top pick. Chiyo's eyes widened as soon as Rinko said *that* name.

    "How did I forget?! I've been a fan of Eimi since I first got into idols! She's so amazing, honestly I can't even imagine being in the same room as her…"

    "Do you really think we can get her?! That would be incredible! She's really popular!" Dam-Bi spoke with the same overly hopeful tone as Rinko did whenever she talked about Eimi. Megumi seemed excited as well, though she contained it much more skillfully, nodding her head aggressively to the ravenette's statement.

    They ranted and raved on and on about '*Ei! Mi! Inagawa!'* for a considerable amount of time, discussing her music, dancing, personality, and where they'd place her in the group. The conversation was a cacophony of debate regarding if she would actually agree, how they'd love to work with her, or the ways she would practically guarantee the group stardom.

    *Since none of them are going to come back to reality on their own…*

    I propped myself up and shuffled into the circle with the rest of the group.

    "Rinko, this is exciting and all, but what's the plan? How are we going to recruit her? We can fantasize all we want but it won't mean anything if we don't actually get her." Rinko hid her face behind her hands to hide the look she made as I burst her bubble. I wasn't necessarily trying to disrupt everyone's mood, nor call her out like this in front of everyone. I only wanted to make sure that they were being realistic. I turned away, embarrassed myself, but Rinko immediately made her way directly next to me. When she tapped my shoulder, I found that she had stuck her face close to mine - so close that our faces nearly touched when I turned my head. I had to be blushing as pink as my hair, but with her being *this* close, *this* unexpectedly…

    I was unable to move, captivated by the grinning face in front of me.

    "Junko." She paused, perhaps waiting for a reply I couldn't muster. "I was actually thinking about that all. Last. Night."

    All the other girls got even more excited, as Rinko pulled away from me back to the center of the room to tell everyone her master plan.

    "You probably all know this already, but Eimi's having a concert tomorrow night… and I just so happen to have ***three*** tickets!" She reached a hand into her bag, pulling out and displaying an envelope containing said tickets to the three squealing girls. Each of them cheered, but I still wasn't convinced that this constituted a plan.

    "Okay, so you're going to go to the concert, but then what?" My tone was, perhaps, too harsh. Rinko's smile didn't waver though.

    "It's simple, really! I'm just gonna go backstage after and try my luck!"

    All the girls' expressions went blank for a second before laughing and giggling.

    "Well, if anyone can do it, it's you, Rinko." I couldn't help laughing at the absurdity of it, cradling my forehead in my palm. Rinko perked up, taking the compliment to heart, even though I wasn't sure I'd meant it as all that much of a compliment.

    "Now here's the problem. There are three tickets and five of us, so - sadly - two of you will have to stay behind." The laughter died down, as a serious expression spread across all the girls' faces. Or at least it averaged out to be very serious. Megumi seemed mildly disappointed at the news, and Dam-Bi had the same look you would expect to have after being told you were going to a concert and then having it clarified that there was only a fifty-percent chance the ticket was for you. Chiyo rounded them out, looking like she was already about to cry. "Of course, I'll be going since I got the tickets, and Junko will have to accompany me to recruit Eimi, So that leaves one more…"

    Rinko's excited expression turned to one of deep concentration. She put away the tickets and set down her workout bag on the practice mat then stood up straight, keeping her eyes closed as everyone stared like hungry puppies, waiting for her to give them their treat.

    Suddenly, a bit dramatically, her eyes opened and she thrust her now empty hand in the air.

    "The third member to attend the concert of Superstar Mega-idol Eimi Inagawa will be decided by a tournament of rock, paper, scissors!" Her hands went through each of the motions like she was the star of a magical girl anime. First her right hand clenched into a fist high above her head. Next was her left arm held out straight-fingered in front of her, palm facing upward, which then met with her first as it clapped down in a giant, full-armed scissor motion. "Round one, the three of you will play a game together until only one is left. The winner will then sit out while the two losers play a game against each other. Whoever wins that game will play the winner of the first game in the finals, and whoever wins that match will come with us! Are all players ready?!" Her voice was stern and intense, despite the entire situation being rather silly.

    "Yes!" They cried out intensely in unison, then sat on the mats facing each other in a triangle. Dam-Bi and Chiyo seemed to be taking this as seriously as Rinko, however Megumi looked as if she was just excited to be playing a game with her new friends. They all set up to play - what little setup there was, since the game only requires you to use your hands and nothing else - and began without much hesitation.

    "Get ready! Rock, paper, scissors!" Rinko sounded off with the overdramatic cadence of a gameshow host.

    The girls revealed their choices, with both Dam-Bi and Chiyo choosing paper and Megumi choosing rock.

    "I'm already out?" She groaned, although didn't seem too disappointed by the outcome.

    The green-haired girl began to sweat profusely as she prepared for the second match. Her opponent looked excited at her first victory, but didn't show a hint of worry.

    "Rock, paper, scissors!" This time, Dam-Bi picked scissors and - unfortunately for Chiyo - scissors beat paper. Chiyo fell back onto the training mat as she realized she had lost.

    "Ahh, darn it!"

    "It's okay Chiyo, there's still round two! Get ready!" Rinko commanded more than spoke, getting fired up over this tournament of her own design. Chiyo shot up straight, determined to win this round. She was slightly put-off by Megumi - who was silently smiling at her, cool as can be - but was still ready to try her best.

    "Rock, paper, scissors!" Chiyo had chosen paper yet again, but to our surprise Megumi had also repeated her first throw.

    "I guess I lost for good!" Maintaining her smile and composure, Megumi bowed out of the competition gracefully with a wink. She scooted over to Rinko and myself, joining us on the sidelines eagerly watching as Dam-Bi and Chiyo squared up in front of each other.

    "This is it. The final battle between group mates. Everything rides on one throw. Winner takes all." I found myself commentating as dramatically as Rinko, having gotten caught up in the competition playing out in front of me. This sudden change in character caused Rinko to look at me with surprise, then smile. It's not like I've been *trying* to be difficult. I just…

    "All together now!"

    **"Rock, paper, scissors!"**

    Chiyo had closed her eyes, nervous to see the results.

    "Tie!" Rinko screamed. "Once more! Rock, paper, scissors!"

    Chiyo's eyes closed again, as she continued to sweat and shake. She slowly opened them and looked over to Dam-Bi, whose immaculately painted nails were clearly displayed. Paper.

    "I win!" Dam-Bi shouted as excitedly as I'd ever seen - she was honestly reminding me a bit of Rinko in her behavior, which I guess explains their friendship - as she took her hand and lowered it over Chiyo's. The hamster loving girl fell backwards again, shedding tears over her loss.

    "My one chance to go to an Eimi concert… and it slipped between my fingers!"

    "Don't worry, Chiyo! Once she joins our group, we'll get to rehearse and perform with her! That's even better, right?"

    "You're right!" Chiyo sat up quickly, wiping the tears away with her sleeve. "Good luck tomorrow, you three!"

    "We're counting on you!" Megumi added with a sly grin.

    That matter decided, and exhausted from all of today's excitement, we agreed it was time to head to bed, as tomorrow was going to be a very busy day. Heading back to our rooms, Chiyo parted ways with us first, followed by Dam-Bi and Megumi as they continued past our floor to the first level of the dorm. At last, it was just Rinko and I.

    "You really think you can do it?" My best and oldest friend was wearing a contented smile across her slim, rosey lips. It was a welcome sight after our altercation earlier, and I hoped she wasn't holding it against me. At least not for long.

    "Of course! So long as you're helping me along, I think we can do anything!"

    My steps slowed down before stopping completely, my head suddenly feeling boiling hot. I hadn't expected that sort of flattery, especially not now, and it caught me completely off guard.

    "Hey, Junko? Are you feeling sick? Your face is really red."

    There was a moment of silence between us, and the only thing I could do in that moment was stare at Rinko and be stared at in return. This touching scene was ruined - as they always seem to be - by a sudden sound, though this time it was my own laughter that spoiled the truly delightful moment. I placed a hand on her shoulder, steadying myself and regaining my composure.

    "I'm fine! But come on, let's hurry to bed. Tomorrow's another busy day for you! School work, group names, and recruiting everyone's favorite idol, Eimi Inagawa, right?"

    Rinko's smiling face twisted into a look of shock and panic.

    "Oh no! I didn't even start my homework yet!" I continued to laugh as she sprinted off, following behind her at my own pace.

    Even though our lives are about to change, I guess some things will always stay the same.

    *I… may be ok with that.*

    Despite returning only minutes before me, I opened the door to find Rinko violently scribbling down guesses to her math homework. I took off my shoes and grabbed my bookbag from the closet, retrieving my own copy of the assignment and walking it to our desk.

    "Here, copy mine. Get to sleep soon, okay?"

    Rinko looked grateful for the help - more grateful than some math answers warranted - and even began tearing up slightly.

    "Junko, you're the best."

    She began to scribble down the answers furiously, while I went and did my skin routine, then climbed up into my bed. I felt a lot better now about the twist my life has taken. Different, as it turns out, doesn't necessarily mean bad. There was, however, still one thing nagging at the back of my mind.

    "Hey, Rinko, where did you get those tickets anyway? Don't they usually sell out super fast? And cost a lot?"

    Rinko continued to focus on her writing, answering without looking in my direction.

    "Oh, those? Well, Eimi goes to Kikyo All-Girls School, and she's in their really nice idol program. She gives out free tickets to her class since there aren't many girls in it. A bunch of 'em do. I'm friends with a couple of the girls in her class, but they weren't able to go for some reason, so I begged them for 'em until they gave 'em to me. I've had them for like a week now, but I wasn't sure how I'd use them until today." She must have considered this adequate explanation, seeming too distracted to explain anymore. It answered one question but brought up others. Namely what else she would have used the tickets for, or who she had been planning on going with, or why Eimi's classmates had given up their tickets to Rinko so easily, but it more likely than not had worked out for her for the same reason it always did - just because she's Rinko, and it's impossible to not give her what she wants. But it's late and she needs sleep, so I decided to leave those mysteries for some other time.

    "Goodnight, roomie. See you in the morning."

    "G'night, Junko!"

    Over thirty minutes passed according to my alarm clock, but despite feeling - at last a little bit - generally content, I found myself restless, unable to get comfortable no matter which way I situated myself in my bunk. I glanced down at Rinko, who was still sitting at her desk, scribbling on a piece of paper. By the looks of it she had finished with her homework, but was still awake… for some reason. I shuffled in bed so I could see what she was working on, having learned in the past that I could get a good look if I poked my head quietly over the side. Rinko was murmuring to herself while writing down a list of words I couldn't quite make out, but I could clearly read the large heading, triple underlined at the top of the page.

    "Group Names".

    I watched her for a while, working as hard as I had ever seen, until at some point I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

\_\_\_\_

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