What's a School Idol?[]
Maybe it's late to be asking, but what do you think?
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Story 1 |
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Riko: *Hum* 
Hanamaru: You look like you're in a good mood, zura. Riko: Hee, hee. I was just thinking how great it is that we've become real school idols, and it made me smile. Ruby: Yeah. We've even got a name and everything. Everyone in Aqours is a true-blue school idol now! Dia: I understand where you're coming from, but aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourselves? Kanan: It's true this point, Aqours is still standing at the starting line. We've got lots of work to do. You: We've gotta start discussing what kind of songs we should pick, and what our costumes should look like. Mari: And how we can make our performance extra shiny, so we get really popular! Yoshiko: I want a song that's appropriate for a fallen angel. Something cool and beautiful at the same time. Riko: A fallen angel song... Is that something all of us will be able to sing? Hanamaru: I could probably handle being a temple fallen angel, I guess. You: Do you have any ideas, Chika? You: Huh? Where'd Chika go? Riko: Oh... I could've sworn she was here a minute ago. Mari: Perhaps she went to the classroom or the roof. Let's go look for her. Chika: *Sigh* Ruby: Hey, there's Chika! Chika: Hrmm... Mari: What's wrong, Chika? Riko: Are you not feeling well? You: If your stomach hurts, I'll give you a tummy rub. Chika: T-Thanks, but it's not a stomachache. Chika: I've just had something weighing on my mind lately. Yoshiko: Whoa, hold your horses! It's not like you to suddenly get all philosophical, Chika. Chika: I just keep thinking about it all day, every day. *Sigh* How am I supposed to live like this? Kanan: Is it that serious?! Hanamaru: Maybe we can help. Dia: Chika, please tell us what's going on. Perhaps we can help you solve your problem. Chika: Okay... Thanks, everyone. Chika: I've just been wondering... After all this talk about school idols... Chika: What the heck IS a school idol?! You, Riko: Huh? You, Riko: Whaaaaaaat?! Yoshiko: You're just now asking that?! Chika: I mean, I'm not ignorant. I know what school idols are like. Chika: They're super cute, and they have this... this... This aura about them! Ruby: An aura? Hanamaru: I'm not sure what an aura is. Ruby, do you have one? Ruby: I don't think so. Hanamaru: Well, if you don't have one, then I definitely don't. Chika: I thought when we became school idols, our lives were gonna completely change. Like... Student: Whoa! That's Chika Takami, the school idol! Student: We should all go and greet the idols together. Student: Let's scatter rose petals all around the school entrance for when they arrive. Student: Then we'll give them a big round of applause as they walk by! You: Whoa, whoa, WHOA! That's nuts! Kanan: Chika... you've got quite an imagination. Riko: If people made that big of a fuss every time we arrived, we wouldn't even be able to come to school anymore. Chika: A-Ah, ha, ha... Maybe you're right. Chika: We've got all these ideas about what we want to do, but we haven't decided on anything concrete. Chika: When I think about what the next step should be, I get so overwhelmed that my head starts spinning! Riko: Chika, you're really worked up, aren't you? Mari: So, to put it in simple terms, you want a specific definition of what a school idol is? Chika: I... think so. Hanamaru: I see. Perhaps you want to go back to the basics of a school idol? Kanan: I don't think there's a very strict definition for school idols... but I wonder. You: Yeah! Heck, every high school girl in the world is a school idol! Riko: *Giggle* I think that might be going a little too far. Ruby: Well, isn't any high school girl who sings and dances technically a school idol? Riko: It's not like you have to take a test... Yoshiko: Aqours is already a super-popular school idol group in the underworld. Dia: We're not talking about the underworld. We're talking about Uchiura. Yoshiko: Yohane lives in Numazu, not Uchiura. Riko: Maybe there's something other school idols have that we don't. Kanan: Well, we haven't been at it very long. You can't blame us for not being that good at it. Chika: Ability is part of it... but there's something more. You: Something bigger and more important than raw ability? Mari: Hmm. If we can figure out what it is, we might make more progress. Ruby: I'd be so happy if I could get even a little bit closer to all my favorite school idols. You: The school idols in the magazines are definitely different from us somehow. Here, Kanan. Take a look. Kanan: Hmm... Now that you say that, it does feel like something's different. Dia: *Gasp* Mari: What is it, Dia? Did you figure it out? Dia: Yes. This is just a theory... Dia: But the difference between us and other school idols is... Chika: Is... |
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Story 2 |
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| Dia: Is that all the other school idols...
Dia: Have a fashionable, metropolitan style about them! Mari: Metro...politan? Chika: Oh... Oh! Chika: W-When you put it that way... Yoshiko: I don't buy it! Aqours is totally fashionable and metropolitan. Ruby: I get it. I think all school idols are fashionable! Kanan: Maybe urban school idols are just more stylish in their everyday lives, as well. Ruby: Yeah! Their outfits and accessories are to die for. Ruby: I cut out my favorite pictures from my magazines and save them. I want to dress just like them! Chika: So the school idol aura that we're lacking comes from being trendy and fashionable. Riko: Eh, heh, heh... I'm glad we found an answer, but at the same time I kinda wish we hadn't... You: The truth hurts. Riko: I wish I'd brought some of that with me when I moved here from Tokyo. I'm sorry, everyone. Mari: Oh, come on. This whole "metropolitan" thing is way too vague. I have no idea what we're talking about! Hanamaru: *Sip* Ahh, this tea is so good, zura. Ruby: Hanamaru, you're so relaxed. Hanamaru: We are the direct opposite of urban stylishness, zura. Hanamaru: It's futile for us to even try to become city girls, zura. Chika: All this seems so beneath her! Dia: Well... It's true that we're lacking in the urban style department. Chika: Maybe if we can get some of that style, we'll become way more popular! Yoshiko: I would like to know how they write their songs, and how they make such fancy costumes. You: Do you think we can still learn this late in the game? Kanan: I don't think we'll completely transform ourselves, but we might come out looking a little more trendy. Mari: That settles it! Dia: Huh?! Mari: Unmotivated school idols are not shiny. Chika: Mari? Mari: Let's do it, girls. Let's make ourselves fashionable! Mari: Then, we'll grow by leaps and bounds as school idols! You: Okay. Then I move we start investigating the city! Ruby: Yes ma'am! Yoshiko: Leave it to me. This stuff is Yohane's specialty. Dia: Let's examine all our magazines and fin the differences between those idols and ourselves. Hanamaru: Look at this... There are unnatural amount of people crossing this intersection. Kanan: Wow, you're right. Why're all those people there? Is there a festival or something? You: Well, it's a city. I bet this was taken right after a big concert let out. Chika: Oh, good call! You, you're so smart! Riko: Ah, this is the Shibuya intersection. There are always huge crowds crossing there. Kanan: Always? Like, every day? Even in the afternoon? Don't tell me there're that many people around at night, too. Yoshiko: No way. Night is when the fallen angels come out! Everyone else is sleeping soundly in their beds. Mari: Heh. You all are so sheltered. In the city, adults are bust even late into the night! Yoshiko: You're kidding... right? Chika: Do people in the city not sleep at night? When do they sleep? In the morning? Ruby: But it's so dark at night. They could all trip and fall into a ditch, or even the sea! It's too dangerous. Hanamaru: I don't think there are ditches or seas in the city, zura. Ruby: Oh, I see... Wow, that's awesome! Chika: We've visited Tokyo before... You: There were so many people, and just so much things, it felt like we were in another country, right? Chika: Yeah! Just getting out of the train station was tough enough, it was even harder to get about outside! Dia: In summary, if we're going to take on the world, we need to become more capable all-around. Dia: I'm ready for the challenge. We've got not shortage of opponents out there! Ruby: Sis, Tokyo and Uchiura are both parts of Japan... Kanan: Hold it, hold it. Those fashionable city idols aren't enemies for us to fight. They're role models we should pattern ourselves after! Mari: Well, now that we've depressed ourselves with how lacking we are compared to the metro school idols, what say we cheer ourselves up with a shopping trip? Yoshiko: *Sigh* This shopping trip was such a let down! Hanamaru: I thought Numazu would be good enough for what we want. Ruby: I wanted a purse like the one I saw in the magazine... *Sniffle* Dia: Don't cry, Ruby. Here, I'll wipe away those tears. Ruby: Okay... Chika: I was hoping having the same things as the city school idols make us just like them. Kanan: If we can't have them, we'll have to find another way. Yoshiko: You think it'll be enough to give ourselves a really fashionable vibe? Hanamaru: If we're gonna experiment, we might as well go all in. Maybe a miracle'll and we'll all turn into trendy city girls! Chika: I want to become like a big city school idol as soon as possible. You: Then let's go out there, get some fashionable outfits, and become school idols with crazy powerful auras! Chika: Yeah! Riko: Tee-hee. Let's do it! |
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Story 3 |
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Yoshiko: Are you kidding me?! 
Yoshiko: You're a school idol. You're telling me you've never heard of macaroons?! Hanamaru: I really haven't. Honest, zura. You: I've heard the word before in school idol songs. I always wondered what they were. Yoshiko: Pfft... You guys know nothing about metropolitan fashion. Yoshiko: Although, to be totally blunt, everyone here except for Yohane is a country bumpkin. Dia: Yoshiko, you're just like the rest of us. Yoshiko: I know I've only just moved here from the underworld, but I can already tell there's a huge difference between Uchiura and Numazu. Kanan: True... I guess there is a bit of a gap. Yoshiko: Numazu has a population of around 200,000! You: All right, Yoshiko! Teach us everything there is to know about macaroons! Yoshiko: You see, macaroons are special things you wear in your hair! Riko: Huh? Yoshiko: In other words, they're hair accessories! Chika: Really? Wow, you sure know your stuff! Yoshiko: I know, right? Also, a little known fact is that macaroons actually originate from the underworld. Hanamaru: Hunh... I'd love to decorate my head with one, zura. Riko: Excuse me... Riko: Umm... I think macaroons are a kind of pastry. Yoshiko: What?! Chika: Whoa, really? Riko: They're round, pastel-colored little cakes. At least, I'm pretty sure they are. Ruby: I see! Macaroons sound delicious. Hanamaru: *Glare* Yoshiko: Wh-What're you looking at? Yoshiko: I just got this world's macaroons mixed up with the ones from down below, that's all. Hanamaru: Yoshiko, don't lie, zura. Mari: wait, wait, don't tell me! You've transformed into Lie-hane now? Yoshiko: N-N-N-Never! I wasn't lying! Please, as if I didn't know what macaroons are. Yoshiko: I'm the personification of truth and honesty. Mari: Acting like a know-it-all isn't becoming of a school idol. It's very uncool. Yoshiko: I-I did know, I swear! Ruby: I was thinking the other day how nice it's be if there was a burger joint or coffee house on the way home from school. Ruby: I won't drink coffee because it's too bitter, but it sure feels cool, right? Kanan: Good idea! Too bad we've got such limited options around here. Mari: What say we create our own fast food place right next to Uranohoshi? Riko: Huh?! Mari: If Uchiura lacks something, we should get to work and make it ourselves! You: Wow! That's the kind of have-it-all thinking I'd expect from a rich girl! Chika: A hamburger joint, a crepe place, a donut store... Oh, what about a trendy knick-knacks store? Yoshiko: You think this will make us more fashionable? Hanamaru: This is gonna be awesome. Maybe we'll turn ourselves into real city girls. Kanan: All of us discussing a new song while sitting together at a hamburger joint would make for a pretty cute pic. Ruby: Oh, I'd love to do that! Chika: I see, I see! So this is how urban school idols operate. Kanan: Our after-school meetings would be even more fun. Mari: So we all agree? The plan is to make a combination hamburger joint, crepe place, donut shop, and knick-knacks store next to the school building! Dia: I object. Mari: Why? Think about how much more fun our school life would be. Dia: I don't see any way this idea would be profitable. Chika: Why's that? Dia: Isn't is obvious? Because we'd have no customers. Mari: You've gotta spend money to make money! Dia, you just don't understand how businesses operate. Dia: *Growl* Dia: Please don't make me repeat myself. We can NOT do this! Mari: Dia, you're such a killjoy! Chika: P-Please, don't fight! Chika: *Sigh* You: Moving on... It looks like we've learned one thing from this discussion. You: Only city girls can be urbane! Hanamaru: All that work for such a sad conclusion, zura... Kanan: Well, it is what it is, right? Ruby: We can't be cute like the girls from Tokyo without living in Tokyo ourselves... Hanamaru: Sorry, Ruby. I wish I could've been more help. Chika: *Gasp* Is that the only option we have left, then?! Kanan: D-Don't tell me you're gonna move to Tokyo! You: Huh?! I can't just pick up and move! That's going too far! Dia: It seems like I'll have to use my abilities to build Uchiura up into a huge metropolis. Yoshiko: That's impossible! Kanan: Even if it were, it'd take decades to get to that point. Mari: Wait. Hanamaru: Yes, Mari? Mari: Heh, he. We mustn't let this end on such a sad note! Mari: Let's save the idea of becoming fashionable for another day, and go back to the topic of figuring out what school idols really are. Mari: Why don't we try to look at what makes a school idol from another point of view? |
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Story 4 |
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| Chika: What is a school idol...
Yoshiko: What is a school idol? Dia: It feels like we're taking a test with no right answer. Hanamaru: Yeah, like philosophy, zura. Ruby: Mari, have you figured out what school idols are yet? Mari: No. I've never really thought about it like this before. Chika: I see... Mari: But I think if we just take our time reflecting on school idols, we'll find our answer. Kanan: Reflecting on school idols is the answer... Hmm. You: What exactly do you mean when you say we should reflect on them, Mari? Mari: For example... What if we all think about what it is about them that we personally like? Mari: Maybe then we can figure out what things school idols need to have, what they should do, and so on. Dia: Hmm... What do we like about school idols? Ruby: Oh, oh! Pick me! Dia: What is it, Ruby? Ruby: The thing I like most about school idols is how cute they are. Dia: Oh, Ruby... *Chuckle* I know what you mean. I'm the same way. Ruby: Dia... Hanamaru: I think it's awesome how they do everything themselves, zura! They write their own songs, and they make their own costumes. It's all done within the group. Riko: That might be one of the biggest differences between school and professional idols. Yoshiko: True. I also want to make sure I properly represent the world I come from. Kanan: Not costing as much money is another upside, but most of all, I think there's a lot of value in making things from scratch. Ruby: Yes, yes! Just trying to come up with costume ideas makes me giddy. You: Sometimes you have to work through the night when you cut things too close, but that's part of life, too! Mari: I can't get enough of the glowing, shining smiles that seem to be on every school idol's face. Kanan: How about you, Chika? Chika: What do I like about school idols... Chika: I guess... I like how they give me the motivation and courage to work hard. Chika: I know I don't usually think about things in such depth, but when something's on my mind... Chika: I worry constantly about what I should be doing, and it ends up paralyzing me from doing anything. Chika: The end result is that I want to act, but can't. Mari: Chika... Kanan: Like how you've been obsessing over this question of what school idols are. Chika: But when I listen to school idol songs, something inside me says I've just gotta get up and get goin'! Chika: It doesn't matter if it goes perfectly, or even well. I feel like those songs give me the courage to try. Chika: I hope that someday I can become that kind of school idol, too. You: You sure do love school idols, huh, Chika? Chika: Yes. I can't believe I lost sight of something so important! Chika: I feel like I've got all of you, and countless other school idols pushing me from behind. Chika: We need to band together and give it our best shot. It doesn't matter if we get confused about the next step! Chika: At some point, one of us will figure out what that next step should be! Dia: I'm... speechless. Riko: Chika, you're leaving the hard parts for other people to do! Chika: B-But- Kanan: Oh, it's fine. We'll all think about it together! Hanamaru: I'mma put my back into it, zura! Ruby: I'll do my Rubesty! Yoshiko: With Yohane at your side, Aqours has nothing to fear. Mari: *Chuckle* Everyone's so shiny right now. Mari: Aqours is standing at the threshold of school idolhood. Chika: Yeah... maybe so! Chika: I guess I'm just not suited to all this heavy thinking. Heh, heh, heh. Dia: I wouldn't say that. Chika: Dia? Dia: I'm glad we made time to think in-depth about who we are, and what we want to accomplish. Chika: Oh... Thank you! Riko: *Giggle* There, there. Chika: I think we might just make it as school idols. Mari: You, you said earlier that every high school girl in the world is a school idol. I think you may have been on to something there. You: Mwa, ha, ha. Nothing escapes You Watanabe's piercing insight! Riko: Well, may be we can't achieve urbane sophistication, but hopefully we'll find another area where we can be competitive. Chika: Yeah! Chika: All nine of us need to do our very best! |