Did I ever mention that I'm in Paprika Private Academy, a school with academically and liberally talented students? (Wow, my vocabulary...)

Naturally, I'm in Class A, the section with smart people like me. I get along with the students in my class, but I live by my motto 'Mind your Own Business, because academic professionalism is the key to Proficiency."

Outside Class A, people think living by that simple saying makes me 'a girl who knows too much'. I'm meticulous, in other words, a perfectionist in my fields, so what else can they expect?

But sometimes, I hope that I'd have a chance encounter or something, to add a little color to school life.

"Iris!"

It was Erika, she's in 6th Grade now, but she acts more mature than me, to be honest, and has a high rank in the social status bar. Plus, she's more interested in hanging out with the middle-schoolers.

"Erika-chan, how's everything doing?" I asked casually.

"Fine. Did you enjoy PriPara yesterday?" She asked.

"I sure did!" I gave a close-eyed smile. "I'm sure glad Headmistress Gloria removed that PriTicket Ban of hers." I whispered.

"I know. Well, I'd better get back then. See you later or something." She said.

Just then, my phone rang. I received a text.

"Iris, come to the Student Council Office. I have something to tell you."
-Mireille

"Minami-chan? What's she need from me? Must be urgent, gotta run!" I said and dashed.

As I was running through to get to the Student Council Office...

I guess I'd say I was about to get my chance encounter.

"Ahh!"
"Hey!"

"Yo, watch where you're going!" I shouted, holding on to my knee as I was standing up.

"Sorry, Hitomi-san!" A boy with dark purple-ish hair said.

"Who are you, nerdface?" I asked.

"I am not a nerd! I have a name, you know! I'm Kazue, Kazue Koichi, 2nd Year, Class C. Nice to meet you." He said.

"Wow, getting mad and getting calm plus an introduction, weird..." I said.

"Sorry for bothering, you must be in a hurry, Hitomi-san." Kazue said, as he prepared to leave.

"Wait, why are you wearing gloves?" I asked. "That's odd..."

"Oh these?" He asked.

"Wait, Hitomi-san is THE Iris... And I was really in a hurry that's why I had to wear these stupid gloves and hide those. Better take care of those at home..." [Kazue was actually thinking]

"I was in a hurry for a lab project, that's all." He said.

"I see." I said. "Goodbye now. Hope we meet along the halls again sometime. You're quite interesting."

"Sure." He said, walking away.

I finally arrived at the Student Council Office.

"Mireille, what did you want me for?" I asked.

"Headmistress Gloria found a prowess in you, so she wants you to lead the organization of the School Festival here at Paprika. You'll meet the rest of the crew soon." She said.

"Really? Cool! I'm up for it!" I said.

"Good. You may leave now." Mireille said.

After school, as I was in the garden area, I heard a pleasant sound.

It was the sound of a flute.

"Wow, it's good music." I said to myself.

"Thank you, Hitomi-san."

"Wait, Kazue, right?" I said.

"That's me! I've been playing the flute since I was little. Soon I wanna play the violin too. Do you play any instrument, Hitomi-san?" Kazue asked.

"Please, please, Kazue. Call me by my first name. Iris." I said.

"Okay, Iris." He said.

"I play the piano, and a bit of guitar, but I'm better on piano. Tell you the truth, it's amazing how you play the flute. I sucked at that." I said.

"Wow, the school nerd speaking slang." Kazue laughed.

"I'm a normal person, Kazue." I scoffed.

"Huh... Do you even speak this much to ANYBODY, AT ALL?" He asked.

"My family, and home friends, yes. But in school, well, you're basically the only one." I said. "But if you're planning to harrass me soon after being so sociable to you, you are an absolute madman." I kidded.

"Haha, I respect the ladies, count on that." He winked.

"Hah. Random question," I began. "You ever heard of PriPara or anything? I mean, my cousin Erika tells me that even some boys know about it." I said.

"PriPara? I've heard about the place. I have one--- I-I mean two sisters who're idols there. One was an idol, my elder sister, Agnes, before she moved to America to be with her stupid boyfriend, but let's not talk about it any further." He said. "And the other's.... Uhhhh... Charlotte, yeah, Charlotte. The second daughter, she's frequently in PriPara..." I noticed he was fidgeting.

"What's the stammer?" I asked.

"Nothing." He cleared his throat. "Then I have my younger sister, Celine. She's in elementary here, in 5th Grade." He said.

"Wow, you're the only boy, what a bummer." I said.

"FINALLY, SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS! Thank you Iris!" He leaped onto me to rub my head and hug me.

"Woah, woah woah, Mr. Koichi, NO HUGS." I pulled him away.

"Sorry. But honestly it's fun talking to you. Let's be friends!" He said.

"Sure!" I winked. "But I'd love a brother than Lorelei, though. Better company. Got a boyish side." I said.

"I could be your twin brother. Haha." He laughed. "How is it legal for you to share all the info to only me?" He asked.

"It's just legal." I said. "And why are you still wearing those gloves?"

"My hands got burnt during that experiment, I took off my gloves to get new ones and a classmate spilled hot water on me, these are new. I changed them." He said.

[Koichi thinking: I'm such a total idiot for telling such crap.]

"Anyway, better get home, I have stuff to do." He said.

"Me too. Your fault for keeping me off time." I laughed.

"Well sooorryy Ms. Hitomi." He chuckled.

"Psh, just leave." I said.

(Somewhere else in Paprika...)

"Woah, the fabled Nerd socializing..."

(Iris POV)

"PriPara Change, Complete!"

"Iris-chan, someone's come looking for you!" Pastelle called to me.

She led me to the café and I sat down. There I saw a girl with purple hair and eyes, covered by sunglasses. Her daily coord basically looked like this:

She took off her sunglasses and took a sip of her coffee. "Iris, right?" She asked.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"You might know my brother *ehem* Kazue. I'm Charlotte his s-sister, yes. His sister." She said.

"Yes, Ms. Charlotte. Nice to meet you." I said.

"I saw your performance yesterday. You were good, but you could've done better, in my opinion. But I still say you were amazing out there." She said.

"Thank you." I said.

"I want to be friends with you. I've taken an interest in you, and I see that you've been friends with my *sip* brother. So you may seem nice." She said.

"Sure." I smiled.

"Charlotte!"

"Oh, Felicity. I know, I'll be there in time." She told her mascot friend.

"If you'd like, you'd come see my show later on." Charlotte said, returning her attention to me.

"Of course." I nodded.

She came near me. "Very well, darling. And surely you'll learn from me being a veteran and all. I'm sure soon you'll show me more of that prowess, Iris. Ta tah!" She said, walking away like a fashion model down a runway. "Felicity-chan, let's go!" She said.

"Right away, Charlotte-chan." Felicity followed excitedly.

"Wow, that Charlotte was, sassy." I told Pastelle.
"Kazue must not be close with this one." I thought.

"You could say that again, Iris-chan. Let's go to her Live show! We might get late!" She said.

(Meanwhile, Charlotte POV)

She came to the changing station.

"Please scan the necessary PriTickets." Meganee said her usual lines. "You may also scan Friend Tickets if necessary."

"PriPara Change, Start!"

"Your royal air and sassy personality makes you worthy of wearing the Beauty Queen Coord, because you are a beauty queen in yourself, Charlotte-chan!"

"Now get on stage and prowl loud!" Meganee said.

"Beauty Queen Coord~!" Charlotte posed.

(Iris POV)

Finally, Charlotte appeared onstage.

"Charlotte-chan!"
"Queen Charlotte!"
"You're so cool!"
"So beautiful!"

Those were the people's shouts.

"My loyal servants." She laughed. "Fiest your eyes on the most..."

"Beautiful!"
"Talented!"
"And sexy..." (she said that part in a flirty tone) girl who deserves the crown.

"Yours Truly!"

"Aaahhh!!!" The crowd's shouts grew louder.

Charlotte sang "Solar Flare Sherbet" (Full ver.)

Ai obiru taiyō no flare sherbet
Kankaku wa mujūryoku ni shite
Mune kogasu yūwaku no proto planet
Dakishimete yo more romantic

Moshi kōya no hoshi hitori tatazumu hikari areba sore wa watashi
Tatoeba shinkai tayutau mirai sukui ageru no wa watashi

Kui no nai asu wo minasai
Sekai wa dare no tame nan no tame mawatteru to omou?

Kimi wo utsu taiyō no flare sherbet
Namida wa byōsatsu shite ageru
Hanayaka ni odorimasho proto planet
Tsuite oide more romantic

Tada matsu dakenara inu demo dekiru
Sa~a arittake no buki motte yami wo kirisaku wa
Yagate kibō to watashi no mitsugetsu ga kuru

Itazura ni toki wo miokuru nante fool!
Sono-goe wa kono uta wa naze kikoeru no ka?

Sora tokasu taiyō no flare sherbet
Nē oshiete ageru wa watashi wa
Inochi kara eien e proto planet
Umarekawaru romansu

Ai obiru taiyō no flare sherbet
Karoyaka ni hirugaesu mubō
Uruotte hohoende proto planet
Rikuesuto wa iranai wa

"Making Drama, Switch On!"

In her Making Drama, she was entrapped in a cage of thorns.

"I'm a girl who hides secrets, just like any other..."

"And only someone who understands the silhouette can know them..."

As Charlotte's voice spoke, a silhouette of a boy with glasses similar to Kazue appeared, and beating heart sounds were heard as it appeared and faded.

"Isn't that..." I gasped. "No, it's just a Making Drama." I thought.

"I am locked, not ready to go out and be free..."

"No one can solve...."

"The Riddle of Her Royal Highness!"

Koko ni aru taiyō no flare sherbet
Ichido ajiwaeba mō toriko
Ai moyasu yuiitsu no flare sherbet
Yume ga yume wo yobu

"Cyalume Change!"

As the lights grew dim, her clothes changed to the Holic Trick Cyalume Coord.

Ai obiru taiyō no flare sherbet
Kankaku wa mujūryoku ni shite
Mune kogasu yūwaku no proto planet
Dakishimete yo more romantic

"That was spectacular, Charlotte-chan!" I complimented.

"Thanks. And a Making Drama expresses an Idol's true feelings, and soon you'll discover the answer to the Queen's Riddle." She said.

"Goodbye now, Iris, darling." She gave me pecks on both cheeks as some friendly gesture. "For real though, we're friends from now on!" She waved to me.

"Okay, Charlotte-chan!"

(Next Chapter Preview)

Iris: Wow, who would've thought I'd meet Kazue's sister, Charlotte? I'm getting along with the Koichi Family so fast...

Kazue: Minami-san called me over to be your crew for the school festival?

Iris: KAZUE?!

Kazue: At your service!

(PriPara)

Iris: You were great out there, Charlotte!

Charlotte: *wide-eyed* Beautiful...

Iris: Who are you looking at? Who're you calling beautiful?

Charlotte: I-I am, duh!

???: Iris, Charlotte, I like your style! Let's be friends!

Iris: Came outta nowhere.

Charlotte: She knows how to groove...

???: I Dance Till Death. I live by it!

(School)

Kazue: A new classmate? (*gasps*)

Iris: Next Time on PriPara: Breakthrough!
Dance Beats, and Heart Beats

Iris and Charlotte: Till Next Time!