"You're from Otonokizaka Academy, aren't you? I can tell from your uniform," Kyren said, his tone polite, but laced with curiosity.
Eli Ayase nodded, brushing a lock of her golden hair behind her ear. "Yes. That's right, Kyren-kun."
Otonokizaka Academy—while prestigious and steeped in tradition—had recently fallen on hard times. It wasn't exactly a surprise that someone might recognize the uniform, though something about Kyren's gaze made it feel a little too knowing.
"I heard your school might be shutting down soon. Is that true?" Kyren asked, almost too casually.
Eli's eyes narrowed slightly, suspicion flickering behind them. "Where did you hear that?"
She wasn't being paranoid. As the student council president, Eli had only been informed of the impending closure two days prior. And yet here this stranger was—someone she'd just met under a bridge in the middle of the night—speaking about it as if it were public knowledge.
Realizing he might have gone too far, Kyren quickly backpedaled, scrambling to cover the slip. "Ah, just a guess, really. From what I've read, Otonokizaka's enrollment numbers have been dropping for a few years now. Two full classes last year, only one this year... If it keeps going, there might not even be enough students for a class next term."
His delivery was smooth, almost too smooth.
Eli, for her part, wasn't convinced. If anything, the boy's familiarity with the school's internal affairs only deepened her suspicion.
Why does he know so much?
Perhaps sensing the weight of her silence, Kyren hastily added, "My mom used to be a student there. I've always been curious about her alma mater."
It was a shaky excuse—vague, impromptu—and as soon as he said it, Kyren realized he may have said too much again. She hadn't even asked why he knew all that. Now, it just sounded like he was trying to hide something.
Get a grip, man, he scolded himself. You're usually calm. What is going on with your mouth tonight?
Eli didn't respond right away. Her gaze drifted toward the shadows between the bridge's beams, eyes thoughtful. The truth was, the threat of closure had been looming like a thundercloud over her school life. Some of the girls had proposed becoming school idols to attract attention and hopefully new students. But to Eli, that plan was… naïve. Being an idol wasn't all glitter and applause—it was sacrifice, hard work, and heartbreak. And she doubted the others understood that.
But then—wasn't this boy the one that Honoka had mentioned? The one who helped them…?
Before she could finish the thought, Kyren spoke again.
"If Otonokizaka is struggling so much, have you considered merging with another school? A co-ed one, maybe? That could fix the enrollment issue."
The question caught her off guard.
A school merger? The idea was unheard of. "That's not possible. Otonokizaka has been a girls' school since it was founded. Breaking tradition for convenience... it's not that simple."
Was it fear? The kind that came from spending a lifetime surrounded only by girls, only to suddenly share classrooms with boys? Kyren had seen enough anime to recognize the trope—co-ed mergers always brought tension, especially from girls' schools who found themselves on unequal footing afterward.
He pressed on. "What about school idols, then? UTX Academy became number one practically overnight because of A-RISE. They drew students in like moths to a flame. Isn't that worth considering?"
Eli sighed. So we're back to that topic, she thought.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to become a real school idol?" Her voice was calm but edged with something weary. "It's not as easy as throwing on a cute outfit and singing under a spotlight."
"I can imagine," Kyren replied. "But you can't know for sure unless you try, right? Just because something's hard doesn't mean it's impossible."
He paused, watching the rain trickle off the concrete in glimmering streaks. "Besides, the challenge is what makes it worth it. Sure, guaranteed success feels nice—but it's the uncertain road that really stirs something in us. If people are too scared to even try, then they've already given up."
Eli looked at him, a flicker of reluctant admiration in her eyes. He wasn't entirely wrong. But his words—idealistic, sincere—only revealed how little he truly understood. She could hear it clearly now: he was an outsider. Someone who admired idols from afar but didn't grasp the cost.
"Giving your heart to something… and ending up with nothing in return. That kind of loss is hard to describe," she murmured. "Being a school idol means hours of dance rehearsals, vocal training, planning performances... It eats up all your free time. And in the end, if no one notices, all of that effort—gone. That kind of disappointment can crush a person."
"I get that. But maybe that's why it's important to choose why you're doing it." Kyren's voice softened. "Whether it's to save your school or simply because you love it—either reason is valid. In the end, both paths lead to the same place."
"Sometimes, it's not about success. It's about the journey—about knowing you gave it everything you had. Even if you fail, that's a kind of victory, too."
He fell quiet for a moment, his eyes distant. The patter of rain echoed above them, steady and meditative.
A memory surfaced—an old online game he used to play, the kind with teams and rankings. In that game, there were always players called "actors"—people who joined not to win, but to goof off, to play their part however they liked. They drove everyone else crazy, especially those obsessed with victory. But in a strange way, those actors were the ones who reminded him what fun actually looked like.
Sometimes, if you care too much about the end result, it ruins everything. Maybe it's better to just enjoy the process and let go.
Maybe school idols were like that, too.
"If you join just to save the school, the pressure becomes unbearable. But if you do it for fun, to share something beautiful with the world... then even the same stage feels lighter. Less like a battlefield. More like home."
Eli stared at him, quietly stunned.
Was she... overthinking everything? Had she focused so much on outcomes—on saving face, upholding tradition, avoiding failure—that she'd forgotten what drove Honoka and the others in the first place?
It wasn't just about rescuing Otonokizaka. For them, being school idols was joy. Passion. Expression.
Maybe that was enough.
Maybe that was everything.
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