*April 11th, 12 AM*

(Maiko's Room)

The alarm clock rang.

"Huh.... why did the clock ring so early...?"

She rubbed her eyes and turned off the alarm.

"12 A.M..."

She then looked at the calendar.

"It's April 11th..."

"HEY HEY HEY!"

"Guess what it is today!"

(Kazue's Room)

His phone alarm rang at 12 A.M.

"April 11..."

"Wait..."

*Screen reads: Goddess's Birthday😚😚😚*

Even his wallpaper was Maiko's photo... what a weirdo.*

Maiko: It's...
Kazue: It's...

*Simultaneously, they both say*

Maiko: My Birthday!
Kazue: Her Birthday!

"OMGOMGOMG Definitely have to text her." He said to himself.

Kazue started speed-typing.

"Heya Mai-Mai, Happy Birthday, maybe we could celebrate in the café you like so much. It's near my place
😉😉" He sent.

(Maiko POV)

Maiko had already recieved the message Kazue sent.

"Hah. Weird. Emoji overload." Maiko laughed as she started texting him back.

Maiko: Isn't it too early to send a message? But thanks for the greeting, Kazue. Don't call me Mai-Mai though. And srsly, Take Café? Maybe...

Kazue was happy she replied. "She's going with the flow! Awesome! And she said maybe, good enough!" He thought.

Kazue: It's better than forgetting. 😊 What if I don't want to not call you that, Mai-Mai-chan?

Maiko laughed at the message.

Maiko: Better get to sleep. Still have class, you know?

Kazue sighed as he texted.

Kazue: Okay. Sweet Dreams, ya' Dancing Queen. Good Morning. Lololol

Just as Kazue was going to bed, he started thinking, "How long will I have to fight this feeling?"

He put a hand in his chest.

"My heart's beating so fast..."

He lay down to sleep, and put down his phone, which still showed Maiko's picture as his background.

"I... love you..." He mumbled as his eyes closed.

(That Morning in School...)

Maiko had her headphones on and was dancing around Paprika Private Academy.

"Yeaaaahhh, oh yeah yeah!" She grooved to the beat without a care.

"Wow... I sure did have the best sleep in my entire life." Kazue said to himself.

"Yeah, yeah, uh, let's dance!" Maiko was saying while dancing.

Kazue was walking to the classroom until...

"Ow!"
"Ouch!"

The two bumped into and accidentally toppled into each other.

Kazue was holding on to Maiko's shoulders for support, and he was blushing.

"Uh.... Kaz?"

"O-Oh! I am so so sorry! Maiko, seriously, I am! I just had to ruin your day like this, I didn't mean it!" He spoke quickly.

"Woah, wait, wait, wait. It's okay, Kazue. I should've looked at where I was going, I had my headphones on and all..." Maiko helped Kazue up.

"You should get going to class too! You wouldn't wanna be late!" Kazue said as he ran.

Just as Maiko was heading the opposite direction to get to the classroom, someone called her.

"Maiko?"

She looked back.

"Oh, Masaki-san! What brings you to me?" She asked, surprised.

"Love." He said as he handed her a box.

"Happy Birthday, My Princess." He rustled her hair.

"What's this?" Maiko asked.

"Open." He said.

She did as told. "Oh, awesome! I've always wanted these sneakers, how did you know?!" She said, hugging Masaki.

Instead of being in class, Kazue was secretly watching.

"She DID NOT just do that!" He thought as he continued watching.

"Oh, sorry. I was... overwhelmed." She said.

"It's okay. Your embrace was... warm. I knew, you posted it online." He showed her his phone.

"Thank you! You don't know how much I feel grateful for giving me this thing!" Maiko said.

"Don't mention it. I'll always be in your heart." He said as he left.

"Not if I can help it." Kazue said to himself, enraged.

(After School, Iris POV)

"IRISSSSSS!!!!!"

"DAMN THAT BASTARD MASAKI!"

"I wanna beat the crap outta him! Bring me the Taekwondo dummy please." He said.

"Chill. Don't let that affect you too much." I said. "And you might break the Taekwondo Dummy, though, seeing you're hella mad right now." I said.

"What would I do to beat what he just gave her?" Kazue asked me.

"A poem! I saw one of your poems before in your classroom desk when I came inside when you were dismissed. She'd definitely like it!" I said.

"A poem you say?"

"Masaki!" Kazue turned back to see him.

"I'll take you on. If it's for the Birthday Girl. Best poem wins." He said.

"This is War!" Kazue declared.

"You're on, you good-for-nothing piece of trash." He said.

"Bastard." Kazue said as he walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A couple minutes later, they were finished, and they spotted Maiko.

"Kazue, Masaki. What's up?" She said.

They cleared their throats.

Kazue: What more to yearn for
What more to aspire?
Than a goddess, beautiful to the core
Who never fails to inspire

Masaki: Yes, you can admire a goddess
Any time, any day
But the love I express
Is more than words can say

Kazue: A star so far
That shines so bright
Has left a mark in my heart
And never out of my sight

Masaki: What's more to this fantasy
That this lad is to tell?
I'm more of the reality
That you're a true belle

Kazue: A goddess is superior
Just as yourself
With you in the mirror
I've fallen for your spell

Masaki: A goddess is worshipped
A Princess revered
But in my arms, I'm sure of it
You will never be severed.

The poetry ended.

"Bravo!"

"I love poetry! I'm a sucker for those. I liked how both of you said that. What were those for?" She asked.

"We were just testing how good our skills are for English class. 2nd and 3rd years have the same poetry project since Ms. Takashi's also the 3rd Year's English Teacher." Masaki lied without being obvious.

"Which one's better?" I asked her.

"Oh, I thought both of them were collaborating..." Maiko said.

I facepalmed at how Maiko thought the whole stint was.

It was [apparently] a tie.

(PriPara)

"How in the world do you plan a surprise for a girl like Maiko?" Charlotte told me.

"I wanna tag along!"

"Erika! Good timing!" I said.

"Why not we pose as a Dream Team? But it isn't a Contest Entry." She said.

"But a Team needs 5 Members." I said.

"There's me, You, Charlotte, Maiko and..."

"Yoo-hoo~!"

Wait a minute...

"LOUISA?!"

🎂👹🎂👹🎂👹🎂👹🎂👹🎂👹🎂

"Yes, Louisa-san." Erika said.

"Don't blame me. Erika invited me over." She said. "Anything for Maiko. She's turning 15 after all." She said.

"Faker..." Charlotte mumbled.

"What was that?" Louisa asked.

"Oh nothing, darling. I'm just agreeing on your statement." She said.

"So all we have to do is practice last minute, stat! Maiko hasn't arrived, she's busy at home and it'll be a while till she gets here. Let's go, now!" Erika said.

So we practiced the routine, and Erika had the Theater decorated in time for the Live Show.

"Hey guys. You told me I'd be in a Live Show with yo---"

"Go go go, Maiko-san! I have the ticket you're gonna be using!" Erika said.

"Okay." Maiko nodded.

"And, Louisa-san, a token from me." Erika gave her something.

"A Cyalume Charm! Finally, a chance to defeat those UltraMIC girls!" Louisa smirked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Please scan the necessary PriTickets. You may also scan Friend Tickets if needed." Meganii instructed.

For Iris-chan, the Neon Rockin' Comical Coord from Candy Alamode.

"Going for Retro Rock, just one of the styles Maiko loves best!"

"Neon Rockin' Comical Coord~!"

For Louisa-chan, the Neon Color Party Coord of Fortune Party."

"Comfy and ready to party, Louisa!"

"Neon Color Party Coord~!"

"Then for Charlotte-chan, the Lunatic Baby Coord of Holic Trick."

"Maiko loves even clothes with the colors of Baby Monster!"

"Lunatic Baby Coord~!"

"For Erika-chan, the Checker Dancer Coord of Twinkle Ribbon."

"Dancing is the life of the Birthday Girl!"

"Checker Dancer Coord~!"

"And for the beautiful Birthday Girl, the Miracle Surprise Birthday Coord of Baby Monster."

"Enjoy what your friends have prepared for you!"

"Miracle Surprise Birthday Coord~!"

We all came on Stage, on the platform where Making Dramas occur.

"Hey, Maiko-chan! I know this is your special day. Everyone knows, in fact!" I said.

"And can we hear your screams for the Dancing Queen?" Erika poimted her mic to the audience to let them speak.

"Happy Birthday, Maiko-chan!" The audience screamed in chorus.

"For the one and only Dancing Queen, this Dream Performance is for you!" Charlotte said.

"Don't worry. You know this song well. You can easily dance along." I smiled.

"Lucky Surprise Birthday!"

"Dream Theater Live, Switch On!"

We sang "Lucky Surprise Birthday!"

Charlotte: Honto ni supesharu na pātī no hajimari wa
Maiko: Doki doki shichau yō na mahō kakerareta mitai
Iris: Naisho de sagashiteta anata no suki na koto
(Pikku tto pikku appu!)
Louisa: Atsumete shimai konda bokkusu ni ribon no kakete

Erika: Yorokonde hoshī
Maiko:bikkuri sasetai
All: Uraomote mitai na kimochi
Maiko: Itazura to
Charlotte: yasashisa ga
Louisa:Hiraite
Iris: hiraite
All: Kongo shichau JACK IN THE BOX (Let's Party)
Erika: Sa~a hajimeyo!

Louisa:Surī
Charlotte: tū
Iris: wan
All: Happī bāsudei￫YOU!
Saikō no tanjōbi! (for YOU!) O.me.de.to.u
Odoroi chatte ureshisō na
Egao wo misete ne (Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!)

"Fairy Change!" Maiko led the group.

"Cyalume Fairy!" Everyone chanted.

Maiko and Charlotte's Wings were the Cool Cyalume Wings.

Mine and Louisa's wings were the Pop Cyalume Wings.

And Erika's wings were the Lovely Cyalume Wings

Sapuraizu! (Kyā!) Saikō no puraizu! (for YOU!)
Pu.re.ze.n.to♪
Kyō kara motto
nakayoku natchaou
Omedeto~ DEAR MY FRIEND!￫YOU!

Happy birthday! to you (Yeah!)

As we were flying around, we were saying our messages.

Iris: Happy Birthday, Maiko! Hope you continue to be full of energy!

Charlotte: On behalf of us two UltraMIC girls, Happy Birthday, darling!

Louisa: You know what? You're not half bad as I thought. Hah, better than the other two you-know-whos.

Erika: Happy Birthday, Maiko-san! You seem like an older sister to me now and a very good friend, hope our friendship stays strong!

Maiko: I'm so lucky to be in PriPara and have amazing friends like you! Thank you all so much!

We landed on a giant cake with a giant cyalume candle and monster decorations.

(Just imagine the decorations are cute monsters)

"Exciting Birthday Party!" We declared as we ended with a Making Theater. [What you call the end of a Dream Theater Live].

Once the show ended and the stage was blank, Charlotte grabbed Maiko's hand.

"I can't hide it from her anymore!" She thought.

"Come with me, Maiko." She pulled her out.

"W-what?!" Maiko said, surprised.

"Don't tell me..." I thought to myself.

"Erika, Louisa, stay.here." I warned them. "Just please."

"Huh?" They wondered.

(Outside the venue)

"Maiko, Iris knows about this, and its time I let you know too. Since I don't want you celebrating your birthday without letting you know the truth." Charlotte began.

She handed Maiko an envelope, and she opened, and there was a letter.

"Dearest Maiko Megami,

I know it's your birthday today. And surely I'd expect that once you read through this entire thing, you'd slowly get hurt. Emotionally.

I've been hiding this from you, but it wasn't in school where we first met.

It was in PriPara.

I was walking with Iris until I saw you dancing. You captured my heart in an instant. And I realized...

I was in love with you.

And I was walking with Iris as Charlotte.

What do I mean when I say this you ask?

It clearly means...

That Charlotte and Kazue are one person.

This is me.

I know that it's hard to believe. And now that you know, I don't think my future with you will be any brighter. It's just that it was through influence from my older sister that caused me to be like this.

If you know Agnes Aimiwa, I'm that little girl alongside her, Aria.

Agnes is my older sister. And Aria is what she named me. My brown hair, I changed to purple, just so I can hide that truth.

There goes another secret opened up to you. Surely you won't love a guy, or should you say, girl in disguise, with so many cover-ups. So many lies. But I just wanted you to know, because I really wanted to let my feelings for you free. Because my heart madly beats for you.

I'm still waiting for a sure answer if you feel the same, anyway. You can tell me anytime, anywhere.

Everytime I see you with Masaki, I'm jealous. And I think that his love isn't real, and he's not for you at all. And that you're MY destiny...

But I will forever accept the uncertainty

If I really will be the man of your dreams.

You will always be my goddess...
And you shall always remember that I love you...

Yours Truly,
Kazue/Charlotte

P.S. I wrote this the same time I wrote the poem.

"Charlotte!" I called, then I saw the scene.

Charlotte was down on her knees.

"I'm so sorry, Maiko...! I should've told you sooner. Hate me if you want, shun me as a friend if you want. I'm good-for-nothing, bring in all those hurtful words, I'll take it!" Charlotte cried.

"Kazue... Hurt his own feelings." I mumbled as I watched.

Maiko helped her to stand.

"Your message is clear to me. Kazue."

"You took the words out of my mouth. It's really unclear if I'd officially like you to the next level or not. We're still not of age. But I'm happy..."

Just as Maiko said those words, a lady came to eavesdrop [Meaning she didn't hear Maiko mention Kazue's name a while ago.]

"I'm happy that you told the truth. And there MIGHT just be a chance for us. Just let me have some time to think about it. But for now, I say I never even liked you in my life. Don't let me be the center of your life every single day. You might get hurt." Maiko patted her shoulder.

"Okay." Charlotte nodded.

I just sighed as I watched the two hug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What if he's been crying similar tears as this girl?"

"All these years..." The lady walked away.

(Next Chapter Preview)

Iris: Kazue?

Kazue: Yeah?

Iris: Sorry for mentioning, but what if Agnes does come back?.

Kazue: I told you before, I'd shun her out since I'm the only man of the family.

(PriPara)

???: Hello, PriPara! Mama's back!

Iris: Who's this?

Maiko: Seems to ring a bell...

???: Hello. I simply adore your style and your perfect purple hair. Adorable... just like...

Charlotte: I challenge you, Now!

Iris & Maiko: EHHH??!!

Iris: Next Time on PriPara: Breakthrough!

Maiko: You Came, I Challenge!

All: Till Next Time!