“Producer-san, I’m here!”
765 Productions’ Producer looked around the bustling subway station to find where the voice of the person he was supposed to meet up with was coming from. The train had just arrived, meaning a sea of people were currently flooding out into the station.
A small, dainty hand and a pink sweater sleeve caught his eye. After the person between them walked to the left, the Producer found her. She was wearing a hat and glasses to disguise herself from being recognized, but the chestnut-colored side ponytail and golden eyes giving him a warm greeting were as unmistakable as her smile.
Kasuga Mirai, the 14-year-old energetic center of 765 Million Stars, had finally arrived.
“You’re late,” the Producer said to her.
“Dehehe,” Mirai responded, putting her hand to the back of her head. “I was watching TV at home and the time just flew past me.”
“At least you’re finally here,” her Producer sighed.
“I got a new hair clip! Isn’t it cute?” She turned so that her ponytail was facing away from him. Keeping her bangs out of her face was a pink clip, with a star shape at the end of it. “It’s a star, like with your new project!”
Her enthusiasm was as boundless as ever. He had mentioned the company’s future plans before to her, but he didn’t expect her to remember the details of it.
Still, he had asked her to accompany her today for a reason.
“Shall we go?” her Producer asked
The two exited the station quickly, with the Producer leading the way for the smaller girl through the crowded area.
As they left the doors, the warm sun hit the Producer’s face. He put his hand over his eyes to shield him from the sun while they adjusted.
“It’s so pretty today!” Mirai said. “I should have just biked here.”
“Then you would have shown up even later than now,” her Producer laughed in response.
Spring was in full bloom today, with the skies being a crystal-clear blue and the cherry blossom trees baring their pink petals for the world to see. The sun’s gentle beams made it warm enough to go outside without a jacket, although the spring breeze was keeping the day from getting too hot.
It was the perfect weather for an audition.
The Producer led the way through Tokyo’s streets towards 765 Productions’ new office, occasionally checking his phone to make sure when to turn. The main office and theater were nearly on the other side of the city, making the subway the best mode of transportation to get close to the new office.
“I can’t believe 765 is going to be hiring more girls!” Mirai said while they walked. “It feels like yesterday that we started the 39 Project.”
“The President felt like it was time to start something new. It’s all thanks to you and the other Million Stars for taking the company to where we are now.”
“More girls to meet and make friends with, watching them glittering and shining on the stage, I’m so excited to meet everyone!” Mirai said, beaming. “I’m so glad that Haruka-san asked me to come with you today.”
That overwhelming eagerness was probably why when Amami Haruka had to cancel her plans and attend the practice for a drama today, she picked Mirai to go instead of her.
Today, the two of them would be helping in the audition process for 765 Productions’ newest endeavor, Supernova!!!
The project consisted of a new branch separate from the 765 All-Stars and Million Stars. The NeoStars would help usher a new group of idols into the spotlight, while the rest of 765 would help them train and practice until they finally got on their feet. Auditions had taken place for a month now, with several girls having been hired in and starting their journey already.
After ten minutes, Mirai and her Producer reached the new office. It was around the size of their current one, although the bricks were much newer, and the windows clearer. A large sign on the roof with the numbers “7 6 5” greeted them.
“Producer-san, is this it?” Mirai asked. Her Producer nodded. “It’s so new!”
The Producer followed Mirai inside after she ran in. The 14-year-old idol had already run to the right, where the elevators and stairs were.
“The elevator works here!” she said, hovering her finger over the buttons. “What floor are we going on?”
“This floor, actually,” the Producer responded. “We’ll be meeting them in practice room C…”
To his chagrin, Mirai had already entered the elevator and pressed some buttons to go up. She smiled sheepishly as the doors closed on her and the Producer was left alone on the first floor.
Thirty seconds later, he heard a pair of footsteps running down the stairwell next to him. Mirai came running out of it, her breathing a little heavy. “I’m sorry!”
The Producer gave her a weak smile in response. “Let’s just get to the practice room.”
“Okay!”
The seating area on this floor had several chairs where other girls were sitting at, presumably all girls who were there to audition today. From a quick glance, he saw that they were all various ages and for a few of them, different ethnicities.
Today, they all had the same goal of becoming part of 765 Productions.
“Is that Kasuga Mirai?” the Producer heard a girl whisper behind them as he walked by.
“She’s even cuter in person!” another one responded.
“The audition sheet didn’t say that there’d be actual idols here!” a third girl said.
“I’m even more nervous now…”
This floor was made so that the new idols had room to practice on. As such, every room leading from the waiting area led to different practice rooms for dancing, singing, and acting. The layout for all of them was similar, with foam-tiled floors, full-length mirrors on one wall, and soundproofing in all of them.
Today, they would also have audition tables.
The Producer led Mirai into training room C, where two familiar faces greeted him behind the audition table. One of them would be meeting Mirai for the first time.
Brown eyes framed by oval glasses scrutinized the idol standing next to him. Her brown hair was styled into two braids sitting on the shoulders of her black business suit. Two strands of hair poked out of her head like antennae. “You’re late, Mirai. We had to do six auditions by ourselves.”
“I’m sorry Ritsuko-san!” she responded. “I was just watching TV and the time just flew past-”
Akizuki Ritsuko cut her off. “I’ll personally be watching over your lessons this week.”
Mirai groaned, hunching over in defeat. Ritsuko was one of 765 Productions’ legendary All-Stars, and the producer of subunit Ryuugu Komachi. When she wasn’t being an idol or producing, she helped the Producer to lighten his amount of work by helping the girls train and coordinate lessons. Today, she was helping with auditions.
“You must be Kasuga Mirai-san,” the other person in the room said to Mirai. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m 765’s new Producer.”
Mirai looked up at the Producer, her eyes wide. “Producer-san, are you getting replaced?!”
Her Producer laughed. “No, no, it’s not that. The President just thought that I should get help with so many new girls coming in, so I recommended an old friend of mine from training.”
Mirai sighed. She turned to the new Producer, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you!”
“We may not be working together much, but I look forward to our work in 765!” the new Producer said.
Ritsuko looked at her watch and moved to turn on the camera that was next to the table. “It’s time for the next audition, let’s sit down.”
“The new Producer is pretty,” Mirai whispered to him as they sat down.
The clock on the wall opposite of them said 4:30. The next audition would be any second now.
Mirai was practically bursting with excitement. “You should try looking a little more professional,” her Producer whispered to her.
“I’m just so excited to see her! I love idols, and I have no idea who I get to meet until she’s here! I hope she’s sparkling.”
“You probably walked past her when we went in,” her Producer chuckled.
Two knocks came from the door, and a girl entered the room shortly after. Her neat hair was the color of the cherry blossoms outside, and she was dressed in a simple one-piece complimenting her skin. Her hands tightly clutched a handbag that had several books and pens peeking out of it.
“Pardon my intrusion,” she said. Her voice was pleasant and well-mannered. “My name is Kanagawa Hana. I like flowers and romance novels, and I want to find my own love story in life. It’s nice to meet you.”
When she rose from her bow, she looked at the desk of people in front of her. She looked away quickly when she made eye-contact with Mirai’s Producer. Her soft eyes were the color of the sky.
The newest project for 765 Productions was just beginning.
