Before this chapter begins, just to let you know that the songs that I have used before this chapter will appear again in the '2nd Season' of this story. Kind of like Aikatsu Step!, episode Solo and Start Line! appearing in the first season and then the second of Aikatsu Stars!

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Our dreams are rising and our hearts are singing. Aikatsu Dreams is about to begin!

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Kazuna

"Epiphany presents: It's Time For Us To Shine! Presenting your hosts..."

"Asami Ogawa of Aurora Symphony!"

"Akane Fukada of Sapphire Melody!"

"Megumi Kobayashi of Aurora Symphony!"

"Kaguya Matsuda of Sapphire Melody!"

"We're the four stars of Stardust Academy, here to shine!" Epiphany chorused together. They each did their own pose, then spun around, then finally Megumi raised her left hand in the air and Kaguya raised her right. Asami and Akane, who were in the middle, we're back to back. Asami extended her right hand to the audience and Akane her left. The background then changed from a simple white one with tiny stars to a backdrop filled with colour and tiny sparkles.

"Today, we'll be reading some fan letters, answering your questions, tell you all about the latest news here at Stardust Academy, and make some special announcements!" Asami listed, smiling happily.

"The first announcement we would like to make involves Scarlet Rock, a Premium Rare coord and Akane!" Kaguya declared. The camera shifted to Akane.

"That's right! Tomorrow afternoon at 3:50 pm, I'll be realising my new premium rare coord for my brand, Scarlet Rock!" Akane said, bubbling with pure excitement and delight.

"I've haven't seen Akane this happy since yesterday, when we had pavlova! You're so cute Akane! I could hug you to death!" Megumi exclaimed, squishing Akane as she cuddled her.

"You ARE hugging me to death!" Akane said, annoyed.

"My favourite dessert is the creamy bully!" Kaguya said happily.

"It's Crème brûlée Kaguya" Asami said, giggling.

"Whoops" Kaguya said, sticking her tongue out. "What's your favourite dessert Megumi?" she asked.

"Tiramisu! It's just so elegant and mature like, and it tastes amazing!" Megumi sighed happily. She turned to Asami.

"I've always like parfaits!" Asami commented. "I would love to eat some now!"

"And I would love it if you would all ZIP IT" Akane shouted. It was almost as if Akane's scream caused her teammates to almost fall backwards, like if a strong gust of wind had just blown by.

"Scary..." Kaguya said.

"Ahem. Anyways, everyone is welcome to attend!" Akane said, smiling brightly.

***

"Hiya Akane! Did you miss me? I am irresistible after all" Souta said, waving as he approached Akane.

"Go away" Akane said flatly.

"Awww, you did miss me didn't you?" the boy said, smirking.

"Go back to kindergarten. Go away does not translate to I miss you" Akane said, turning her head away from him.

"How about after we finish work, you and I go get something to eat?" Souta said, winking.

"I know! How about after we finish work, I go and STUFF YOU INTO A DUMPSTER!" Akane shouted in Souta's face.

"You really are hot-headed you know. But doesn't this take you back?" Souta asked.

"What do you mean?"

Souta smiled at Akane. After a moment, Akane remembered that it was around this time that a certain encounter changed her for the better.

***

"So, as you can see, the Kiseki audition is one of the biggest auditions of all time!" I concluded.

"Ooh!" Emi started clapping. "So if this is spread out over three days, when's the first day of the audition?" she asked.

"Tomorrow at 1 pm sharp!" I told Emi. "The second day is two days before Halloween, and the last day of the contest is after Valentine's Day."

"Oh...I won't be able to join then..." Emi commented bitterly.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I'm going to be baking cakes tomorrow" she replied.

"CAKES?"

"Yep! The school's having a mini baking contest at 1:05 pm tomorrow, and it'll end at 3 o'clock" Emi said. "I already put my name down, and the winner is supposed to get a rare hair accessory that you can design yourself!" Emi said excitedly. I glanced up at the clock.

"I'm going to go jogging now, so see you soon!" I said as I put my food tray away.

I could not stop stressing the whole night. Akane was the current face of the Kiseki company. Every two years the muse changes. This company was one of the largest, since it sold NEARLY EVERYTHING. They had their own food products, their own electronic products, their own furniture. The list just keeps going on and on. Every year, a new product is released. Akane had passed the audition when she was a first year at Stardust Academy. Now, I wanted to do the same.

***

"Hey Emi!" Miru said, taking a seat next to Emi.

"Where's Kazuna?" Hanaka asked, sitting down.

"Still training for today's audition" Emi responded.

"You okay Emi? You seem a little worried" Miru asked anxiously.

"I'm just hoping that Kazuna hasn't overworked herself. She's been stressing out since yesterday" Emi added.

"Someone should tell her that the first audition is simple" Hanaka said. "I searched it up last night, and the company revealed what the first audition was. The contestants get one minute to hand out as many flyers as they can. The top ten will go to the next round."

"Why though?"

"The company said it was because they want someone who can draw people to their shops."

"That makes sense...kind of..."

"I guess what makes this challenge hard is that there are so many people competing, and everyone competing has to be a skilled idol, and they all need to have a spark of some sort" Hanaka said.

"Aren't you entering too?" Miru asked, turning to Emi.

"You mean the Kiseki audition?"

"That's the one!"

"Well, no, because I'm entering the school's bake-off."

"So are we!" Miru replied, gesturing to herself and Hanaka. Emi smiled warmly.

"I'm going to go find Kazuna" Emi told the other two, standing up.

"But the contest starts in thirty minutes!" Hanaka mentioned.

"I'll be back before then!" Emi said, running off.

***

"Is that so?" Akane muttered, looking up towards the sky. Emi had accidentally bumped into Akane, and when Akane asked why she was in such a rush, Emi explained to her what was going on.

"And I don't know what to do. I want to help her, but there's barely any time left..." Emi said, looking down at her feet.

"This brings back memories..." Akane said.

"Um...I don't quite understand..."

Akane smiled at the confused Emi.

"Two years ago, when I entered Stardust Academy, one of my many dreams was to become the next muse of Kiseki. I had witnessed the previous audition on television, and now I wanted to be the muse myself. I became so focused on that one goal when the Kiseki audition came around that I ignored everything and everyone around me, including Kaguya. On the day of the second audition, Kaguya was set to leave for England for four months" Akane said. Emi didn't say anything, but was clearly shocked.

"I wasn't thinking of anything else but to make one of my dreams a reality, but after the first day of the Kiseki audition, it hit me that I was doing something wrong. I had passed the day one audition, but was in last place. While I was stressing out for the upcoming audition that day, I met Souta."

"Souta Fujimoto from Just Soar?" Emi asked to clarify.

"Yeah. He's really annoying, but I won't forget what he said to me that day."

"As I was walking back and forth, stressing out, Souta came up to me."

***

"I think you need to slow down a bit" Souta said to Akane.

"Who are you?" Akane asked, annoyed.

"Souta Fujimoto!"

"Soda Fujimoto?"

"SOUTA Fujimoto, from class Blazing Symphony" Souta corrected. "And you're Akane Fukada from Sapphire Melody right?"

"What's it to you? And how do you even know me?" Akane asked Souta.

"From the Kiseki audition! I saw your name and profile picture on the list of people that are moving onto today's audition! And your also in a unit with Kaguya Matsuda" Souta said.

"That's correct" Akane said quietly.

"You stressing out?"

"Of course I am! I still don't know what I'm doing wrong..." Akane mumbled.

"I've always loved trains...my father is a train conductor!" Souta said out of the blue.

"I don't care."

"But if a train goes too fast, you can miss out on all the scenery!" Souta said, sighing.

"But the faster the train goes, the faster you'll reach your destination" Akane replied, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right, but think about it. If you're going to fast, you can go off-track and lose sight of what you're aiming for. You won't be able to see what lies close by if you only focus on one thing" Souta said. Akane's eyes widened.

"And besides. When trying to reach your goal, doesn't the journey matter as well? You have to go at your own pace to appreciate your surroundings. And another thing. If a train is zooming past you, how can you admire it's beauty?"

"Trains aren't necessarily the most beautiful thing in the world" Akane said flatly.

"But some people think that they are. Because those people notice the spark a train has when it's not rushing past them."

"Trains don't have that kind of spark."

"You're missing the point!" Souta said, a bit irritated. "What I'm saying is that you need to slow down and take a few deep breaths. You have to realise that there are so many people around you who are trying to help you achieve this dream. But if you are only focusing on one thing, you can't see all those opportunities and people right next to you. They're like the scenery that you aren't appreciating. And by not relaxing and taking things at your own pace, people can't see the spark you have. You're like an incomplete train. You have to find what you need first before you go full speed ahead."

This time, Akane completely understood.

"By the way, I heard that Kaguya's leaving today. If you don't catch up to her, you might let an unforgettable chance or experience slip away. More importantly, you're letting a precious bond slip away" Souta said, walking away.

***

"What happened afterwards?" Emi asked softly.

"I totally forgot about the competition for a brief moment. I rushed back to my dorm that I shared with Kaguya, but she had already packed away most of her valuable possessions. Afterwards, I ran straight to the school gates to see Kaguya put her trunk in the boot of her family's car. I ran faster than I ever had before and hugged her right then and there. She was a little confused at first, but after I apologised to her, and told her that I would be patiently waiting for her return, she gave me an accessory card for my performance, and said that she forgave me. We promised to root for each other. After seeing her off, I rushed back to the audition, and decided to take things at my own pace and have fun with it so that the judges could really see my own spark!" Akane said, smiling.

"I won the audition, and when Kaguya came back, the two of us put on the most outstanding live show we had ever put on at that time" Akane said. "Anyways, time is running out. The train has almost reached it's destination. See you."

Emi watched Akane leave. "T-thank you! I will not forget what you've taught me today. I-I look forward to seeing your new premium rare!" Emi said, bowing before hurrying away. Akane turned back and smiled, before she left too.

***

The contest was on our school grounds this year. I stood on the sidelines, waiting for the contest to begin. We were just told what the requirements were for the first audition. Our school had let the general public come in for the bake-off. There were also a few stalls set up. It was like a mini festival that Stardust only hosts every two years when the Kiseki audition comes around. However the school does host annual festivals, such as the seasonal ones.

"Kazuna!" Emi called.

"Emi?! What are you doing here? The bake-off is about to start!" I told her.

"It's not as important as you are. You're my precious friend! When I was doubting myself, and when those girls were gossiping about me, you were there. You stood up for me! I may not be able to do much, but I can tell you this. You need to slow down and take a deep breath. Show everyone the spark that only you have!" Emi told me, her eyes sparkling.

"Emi!...I'm sorry..."

"What for?"

"I've been too focused on myself. I didn't even wish you luck...I'm sorry" I said regretfully.

"You don't have to say sorry! But if you don't make it through to the next round, that's when you need to apologise. But not to me, but to yourself. For not showing everyone what only you can do" Emi said, smiling. I smiled back.

"I'm going to win! Just you wait!" I said, grinning. Emi grinned back, but quickly turned around and started heading to the main building for the bake-off.

"Emi! One more thing!"

"Yeah?"

"I believe in you! You can do it!" I called after her. She grinned at me.

"We both can!"

***

"Congrats Kazuna! You did it! You're going through to the next round!" Emi exclaimed, hugging me.

"Congrats to you too! You won the baking contest!" I said happily. Emi showed me her accessory card.

"Wow, it's beautiful!"

"Thanks! I'm going to use it for my first solo performance!" Emi said cheerfully.

"Let's go watch Akane's performance now!" I said.

"Sure!"

***

Akane held her premium rare cards in her hands.

"Akane Fukada, making another unforgettable memory!"

(Title: Zooming Tune ♢)

(Music: Dancing Days (short version))

(The following song is Dancing Days AIKATSU☆STARS! I could not find an off-vocal version of this song, so imagine our lyrics in place of the ones sung. This song does not belong to me)

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Coord: Rocking Race Coord (Yes, this whole coord is the Girl's Flag coord. I tried to match some items but they didn't look that great together)

Accessory:

Our Lyrics:

Akane: The tune in my ears is louder than ever before, oh

This must have some special meaning, oh

The tune is calling me, making me happy. It's my time!

Singing along with the song, it's zooming past me

The happiness is in the air

I see that spark of joy every every every where!

Listen to the sweet melody and play it

My voice sings along to this sweet tune, this is my time to shine

Zooming tune

My zooming tune

This tune, yeah, zooming tune

Play this tune

Always play this zooming tune

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Special Appeal: Dream Unchain Rock (Basically a combination of the Star Unchain Chord and the Passion Beat Appeal. The idol is surrounded by several chains adorned by diamond gems. The idol breaks apart three chains with her arm and hand, then before turning around a guitar appears in the idol's arm, and when she faces the audience, she strums down on the guitar. There is NO Premium and Rare version)

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The crowd went wild.

"Akane's awesome!" I exclaimed.

"Though Asami's still my favourite, Akane truly is amazing!" Emi said, her face glowing with pure excitement. She started jumping up and down.

"You really are filled with energy huh?" I noted.

"I can't help it! Akane's performance really makes me feel like to move about work harder at my Aikatsu! Okkkayyy! I'm gonna fly to my dreams!" Emi declared, running off.

I giggled and ran after her, and at the same time Akane was waving to everyone before stepping off the stage.

"Good work out there Akane!"

Akane turned to see Souta grinning broadly.

"Thanks Soda" Akane said in response, smirking as she turned away from him.

"Stop with the Soda already" Souta grunted. "But your welcome!"

"I didn't mean, 'thanks for the compliment' you know" Akane said. She sighed heavily.

"Then what did you mean? Thanks for being so dashingly handsome?" Souta asked, smoothing his hair with his hand.

"Not even close" Akabe said, whacking him on the head.

"Oww!...then thanks for what?"

Akane smiled. "...For showing me the route I needed to take..." Akane said to herself.

"My little Akane is growing up!" Souta said, shedding a tear as he hugged Akane.

"I am not your little Akane" Akane spat unhappily.

Souta stood up straight and smiled.

"You know, there's this train museum nearby. Wanna check it out later?" Souta said.

"Not with you I don't" Akane replied.

Souta turned away to sulk.

"But I might make an exception this time. Seeing a train museum might be fun. Full speed ahead!"

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I hope you enjoyed today's chapter! Me and Kaylee are proud of this chapter! We hope to improve in the future! If you have any suggestions, let us know! And if you see any typos, please tell me so I can correct them!

Also note that the two weeks before the next Kiseki audition is NOT two weeks in real life. Just so ya know.

Till the next chapter!