Dream Star

Yori brushed her forehead against Lila"s, as she took the contract from her, "I will, thank you, Lila."

Lila"s gaze softened, "En, please do your best."

.....

When she stepped out, and the announcer said "Moonlight Entertainments Kogami Yori" she could hear the voices of displeasure in the crowd. Indeed, announcing something like this now may look like she"s trying to curry favor from the judges. Lila didn"t have to explain the situation to her; she more or less guessed what was going on.

However, she ignored it, and then the music played.

When Yori first entered idol tournaments; it was clear that the media"s focus would be on her. As nice as it seemed like. It caused her plenty of problems like having outfits destroyed, accidentally spilling coffee or tea on her. There was a dangerous one recently; someone tried to push her down the stairs. Honestly, her fellow females can be quite scary. But despite the ugliness of the entertainment industry, Yori loved her job and everything about it. The ugly, the good, the painful part. She loved and embraced it all.

However without Teras.h.i.+ma Lila, without the guidance of her dear friend and her mother that she looked up to this wouldn"t be possible.

----
Yesterday Rooftop of the Dream Stars Second Round Audition Venue

" My very own light."... She supposes those who inherit the dancing genre as their forte do hold some sort of similarities with each other. Jae-hee said it too didn"t she?

Yori nodded, "Since you"ve said that, I"ve been thinking about it a lot."

The Lila who was like the sun to her was someone whom she admired and respect, yet it felt like there was still something holding her back. But after her friend met Austin Kiryu, it felt like the angel who was trapped in a cage could finally break through it and spread her wings and fly. When Yori saw that, she understood that there was still something more to Kogami Yori the idol.

"Even though I was already a splendid idol back then, I realized that there was still something missing. Lola too, as amazing as she was when she first debuted, realized that there was still something missing in her stage."

"That ability not to be satisfied every single performance is exactly like Sumire. Out of all the things she could have gotten as a resemblance."

Her sweatdropped, "Aren"t they both just stubborn?"

"You think so? It"s one of the traits that separate them from everyone else."

"Is that so? People see it as them being reckless. But," she trailed off and smiled softly, "It"s these two that have lead the idol world and brought them to greater heights than ever before. If Lila wasn"t the one leading my Generation, and Sumire-san with yours, I"m sure that the idols today wouldn"t be s.h.i.+ning this brightly."

That"s right. Everybody has noticed it by now. No matter how dense or clueless they may all be. Yori is sure that everyone could see it; whether they are idols. The entertainment industry has evolved to such an extent because of the vibrant and light that came from those two.

Her mother too smiled, "That"s right. Yori-chan you too, want to bask in that light, not just as support but as an irreplaceable partner. You know, I came here to give you one last talk. But it turns out there"s no need for that; you"ve fully resolved yourself haven"t you? "

" Well, you can still take your time to think about it if you don"t. But if you already do, then the whole world has yet to hear it. If you have it, scream it out loud to the ends of the universe. "

"Is that why you said those words last time? Did you already know?"

Her mother smiled, "Want to know something? My heart was always fully charged up back then before a stage because I was always thinking about the one I love, as well as the memories and the emotions behind such feelings. Yori-chan too, you have your precious friends don"t you?"

"Yes. They are all very important to me...I want to stand on the same stage as them properly."

After that stage, they all understood it, even without confirming and discussing it amongst themselves. It was something that was already understood. The reason why they were able to s.h.i.+ne our very brightest; because we were basking in her light. They were standing beside her.

"Indeed, you really be just fine even without any more advice from me."

"I"ll definitely beat you. And show you the power of the next Generation."

A generation of idols that don"t have to be lead by the legendary Generation.

"That"s the spirit. I"ll be putting everything I have on the table, so come at me with all you"ve got. "

"Understood! Tomorrow I will show you my greatest performance yet."

"I"m looking forward to it."

"Yes," Yori made her way over to her mother. and extended her hand out.

"Save that for after you win."

That"s right; there"s no use in a handshake if she fails. Failure isn"t an option anymore. But she will not forget these happy and joyful feelings anymore. She won"t forget to make the audience smile with her performance. And these budding feelings in her heart.

------

Like she told her mother, she doesn"t want to dismiss these feelings anymore. These emotions that came from her journey and then meeting Lila again. In the past despite how talented she was, Yori knew she often made clumsy mistakes. There was always something lacking in her performance. No matter how skilled she was.

Her performance always lacked that special spark that would move people"s hearts. A perfect performance is not necessarily a good one. Or rather it"s those people who are flawless and rely on their talents that end up hitting a dead end and facing a wall, eventually. Yes, people like herself.

But it"s different now, in contrast to back then she has learned a great deal from everybody. From all the people she considers precious and from those who aspire to be like her. Back when they were younger, she first performed with Lila.

Many people compared the two of them because of the influence of their parents. There were those who trash-talked her and caused her problems. Many people said Lila was better than her. But during those times Lila defended her and said...

"Is there any need to compare us? Both of us are friends, and we want to convey our important feelings together."

Yori chuckled slightly at the memory; truly it"s because of Lila that she got this far. If it weren"t for her, then she wouldn"t try this hard. It"s because of Lila that she realized that she isn"t restricted to a small stage. That there are endless possibilities in this world.