[IC]めざして!! Top Idol!!! Chapter 1: Birth of a Unit.

[Code: PIRULUK]

Kagari stood up once Hiroki had finished packing.

"Well then, perhaps we could move around and explore the building? I, myself, would like to take a look at the music studios on the 39th floor. I believe it would be wise to see the place we will be working at, up close."

She turned around and faced the other two girls.

"What do you think, Yukimura-san, Izayoi-san?"

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

Ring stood there with her eyes closed and arms crossed. "Lucky shot? Just who the hell do you think I am?" She smirked. Grabbing the ball from the floor, she locked eyes with Gunther. You might have beaten me at running, but this is my come back. She took a deep breath and threw the ball high in the air. Her foot stepped forward, her whole body following the motion. Her right hand raised high over her head and smacked the ball hard just as it came down. "HAH!" Ringo gave a warcry as her hand made contact with the ball, exhaling the air in her lungs.

[Hiss13]

"I'm personally more interested in seeing some the recreational facilities--the karaoke area or reading room, specifically--and the library. I wonder if we can also gain access to the roof as well or if there's an observatory in this building…" She spoke while having her face turned to the other two before pushing herself up off the bed. "But, I guess we can start from the recording studios and work our way up from there."

"Alright, we can start with the recording studios if that's fine with Hiroki-chan."

[Chevaleresse]

"That's fine with me, I really want to see the studios. Do you think we have to use the practice studios all the time? I'd like to be able to work on stuff in my room." Hiroki moved toward the door, getting ready to go down the elevator and to the studios. These rooms are huge. If they're this luxurious, imagine what the rest of the building looks like?

[Code: PIRULUK]

Kagari ushered the other 2 girls down the corridor and into the elevator, scanning her ID and hitting the button for 39F. As the elevator rolled down, she tapped her foot on the floor and hummed the tune for "RE@DY? AND CHANGE!!", the audition song. It happened to be one of her favorites, and she knew the tune for it perfectly.

The elevator doors opened to reveal another corridor, just as long as the corridor on the dorm level, but each door was not solidly completely opaque; each door was a light beige coloration, with a clear glass window. Throughout the corridor, vibrations could be felt, and very muffled music could be vaguely heard. Kagari ran up to one of the windows and looked in, then gasped. What greeted her was the view of a large dance studio the size of their apartment. One wall of it was completely covered by a mirror, and in it was reflected the image of three females dancing with spirit and vigor, along with a fourth clapping her hands, forming the rhythm. Kagari's eyes widened and she quickly stepped back, hyperventilating.

She turned to the other two girls.

"Oh. My. God. It's...it's Ryuugyuu Komachi!"

((OOC Note: pre-existing idols from various idol anime/real life out there will be making cameos in this RP. In the universe of this RP, all existing production studios were bought over by YUSAPRO, but YUSAPRO left the day-to-day management and events of the idols to the heads of their respective production studios. Basically, all the takeover did was to give the other production companies access to the Hope Complex's facilities. The base management philosophy and principles of each production agency did not change at all.))

[Hiss13]

The scale of the place was something else. Even though she had seen the building from the outside, it was still quite difficult to grasp the sheer magnitude of this building. As she walked down the vibrating corridor, she watched Kagari go up to a door and experience what could only be called a complete fangasm as she made her aware of the famous 'Ryuuguu Komachi' unit being in the room she was just looking at.

Ruri's curiosity was mirrored by the swishing of her ahoge so she looked into the window herself. Sure enough, the girls from that famous unit were definitely there. She took a few steps back since she did not want to disturb whatever work they were doing and turned back to the others.

"First the big multi-purpose building and now connections with idol units from other production groups…will this company's scale ever cease to amaze me?" she uttered in amazement.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

As much as Gunther didn't want to admit it, she was actually a bit uncertain of herself. And unnerved. With a steely focused demeanor, however, she swallowed down her sudden unease and took aim at the ball. This time she managed to nail the ball and send it back to Ringo.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

Ringo's body never left it's active stance. When Gunther hit the ball, Ringo was already running towards it. This time she hit it overhead, aiming for the sidelines of the court. Let's see. If I make her run around by throwing the ball to opposite sides maybe she will sweat then... She mused. This is probably the sport where I have the biggest advantage, I have to capitalize on it!

[Chevaleresse]

Hiroki's eyes widened. "Do you think they're recording something new? That'd be so cool if we were here for that." Hiroki hadn't really ever been close to anyone that could be considered famous, unless one considered twenty meters away in a crowd close, so she was excited to meet the group. "I wonder what they have to say about the life of an idol. If we can talk to them, that is. I'm sure they're busy."

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

... And within six or five rounds of screwing up and missing the ball but managing to return it a few times, Gunther suffered utter defeat. Sure, it was a 7-4 in favor of Ringo, but... Strangely, not humiliating, the girl realized in surprise. I don't feel like pummeling myself into the ground for losing. What is this? Too wrapped up in the unfamiliar feeling, Gunther didn't really notice how hard she was panting from all the running and jumping and, well, moving around. Sweat glistened on her shoulders, down to her arms, and trickled down the sides of her face.

[Code: PIRULUK]

Kagari could only watch on as the famous idol unit danced and danced and practiced and practiced. Sweat poured off their heads in scary amounts, but they showed no sign of stopping or slowing down; every time the song ended, they restarted it and began practicing again.

Hiroki beside her said, "I wonder if they're recording something new?" But Kagari knew. The song and dance they were doing was Smoky Thrill. It was a song they were famous for; you could almost call it their signature piece. This was the first song ever performed by the unit Ryuugyuu Komachi, and the song that carried them to fame. It was a song they should be intimately familiar with, and yet they kept practicing this same song, over and over.

Why? Did they feel there was anything lacking in the song? Did they feel like they were not yet quite perfect? It made no sense to Kagari. From her perspective, the performance of Smoky Thrill she had just witnessed was the best iteration of it she had seen, even counting their live concerts. From her perspective, it was already as perfect as perfect could be.

But Ryuugyuu Komachi proved her wrong. With every practice run, every practice sequence she witnessed them perform, the song got even better. Sometimes it was obvious, sometimes it was subtle to the point of near nonexistence, but each time, there was improvement, and the song was even more perfect than the last. But even so, none of the runs were anything less than perfect.

Was this what it meant to be an idol? To never be satisfied with yourself even when you appear to have accomplished perfection? Kagari wondered; would she be able to live up to these demands, to hold herself to these standards?

A fire began blazing in the depths of Kagari's soul. It was not a question of whether she could or could not do it. She just had to do it. She had to look forward and move forward without looking back, without fear, without indecision, without doubt.

...that is what it means to be an idol.

Hiroki had wondered whether Ryuugyuu Komachi would have anything to tell them about being an idol. She had then lamented that they seemed "too busy" to do so. Yet Kagari felt, at that moment, that the very fact that they seemed busy was lesson enough for her.

"Yukimura-san, there is no need for them to tell us anything. Just watch them. They're already telling us the most important thing."

[Hiss13]

The other two were completely entranced. Ruri was not surprised though. There was a certain sense of awe that she could feel from watching the unit practicing their signature song.

As such, Ruri turned back to the window and simply continued to watch through it with an expression of relative aloofness. She continued to sing along under her breath while watching the girls as they continued to slowly but surely refine their performance.

She could not help but crack a smile. After all, what she was seeing in front of her was the high levels of perseverance and determination of idols--that which was needed for an idol to bring smiles to the faces of everyone who watched.

She simply nodded at Kagari's reply to Hiroki. "Though, I would personally say that it's more of a matter of simply showing as opposed to telling and doing it in a way that only idols can."

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"How was..." Ringo had to stop talking to catch her breath. "... That?" She was breathing incredibly hard. All of her energy and strength was put into that match. And I beat you rival. She grinned. I actually beat you. She had a warm feeling of satisfaction, similar to the one when she won the contest. However, this feeling increased ten fold when Ringo took a closer look at Gunther.

"That's..." She blinked twice. "That's sweat!" Ringo jumped and fist bumped the air with a loud 'yahoo'. "So the Russian Robot Gun-Chan 3000 does sweat!" She smiled at the other girl, and held out her hand. "Good game Gun. We're even now. Come on, I'll buy you a drink or something."

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

RUSSIAN.

ROBOT.

GUN-CHAN.

The 3000 slammed into Gunther before she could even think of shaking Ringo's hand. Metaphorically. Shaking her head vigorously again, she muttered, "This is a weird feeling. I usually hate losing. What in the name of Putin...?" It took her a while before she took the other girl's hand and shook it. Guess she couldn't just call Ringo "the other girl" now, though. Sure, Gunther hated being bested, but a true woman of the sports knew when to suck it up and admit their defeat. Swallowing down the just now peeking emotion of irritation at her loss, she said, with a hint of her smirk-like grin showing, "At least you'll keep me on my toes... and a drink sounds good. But, after a shower... The sweat's getting to me."

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

She gave Gun a firm handshake. The type that says 'I respect you but we are rivals'. "Come on let's go." Ringo lead the way, going up the stairs again and to where they were before. She entered the shower rooms, and threw her bag to a corner. As she started taking off her clothes she looked at Gunther from the corner of her eye. She looked down, then back at Gun, and then turned to face the wall. I wonder... Her face turned a shade of darker red.

"Y-yo Gun. Tell me when you are about to get into the showers alright?" Ringo said, a bit shyly.

[Chevaleresse]

"Oh." Hiroki didn't really have anything else to say. The scene seemed to be making more of an impression on the other two girls than herself. She simply continued to watch the group, wondering what the other two were trying to say. They were being pretty cryptic, and she wasn't really sure why. Hiroki thought about her own reasons for that audition and wanting to become an idol instead, rather than trying to puzzle out what the other two were trying to say. Popularity would be nice, sure, and idols lived in luxury.

She started to see what the other girls were saying. They were trying to perfect their routine, and being the best they could be. The same as her. Well, not quite the same, but close enough. "I get it," she said finally.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

Gunther had just stepped inside, after hanging her drawstring bag on a hook near her chosen cubicle, when Ringo called out. "What? I'm already inside," she said, her voice followed by the sounds of cloth sliding over flesh, light footsteps, which in turn was followed by the ring of metal as she hung her clothes on the metal frame of the now-closed door- without her knowledge, the penguin hat had landed upright, its face turned in Ringo's direction. Not long after came the squeak of a knob turning, and a shower head hissing to life.

Inside, Gunther let the water wash all over her, sweeping away the sweat and filth she gathered during exercise and travelling to the complex. "Ahh, xолодный." Gunther always enjoyed the sensation of clean cold water cascading down her body, especially after training. All the nonsense people spouted about how difficult it was to get in the shower in the morning never made sense to her. What good was a shower if it wasn't refreshing and as deliciously chilly as a strong flowing river in the winter?

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

All of the sounds reached Ringo's ears at once. The shower, her voice, all of it. Damn it that makes it way harder. She turned around, and grabbed a towel to cover herself. The penguin hat was looking straight at her, as if encouraging her. "You are right, I'll try my hardest." Ringo nodded, and gave a thumbs up to the penguin. She took the lightest of steps, quite as a cats paw, light step by light step making her way towards the shower. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the door knob.

Her plan was to open the door just so slightly. However, it creaked incredibly loudly. Cat litter! Bunny droppings, and horse shit. Since she was found anyways she opened the door. She got a good look at Gun, and was satisfied. She has a really pretty body... But I have the bigger chest! She mentally cheered to herself. But then she was hit with a sense of dread. Her first instinct was to run. At a lightning speed she couldn't hope to reach earlier, she ran towards another one of the showers, got in and locked the door from the inside. "I'm sorry GunBot I just wanted to..." Telling her I wanted to compare bust sizes won't work! Who would think that's a good reason for peeking!?

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

The door opened. Leafy green eyes stared. Then the door slammed shut and another door closed, its lock clicking.

"'TCHYO ZA GA 'LIMA?!" came a scream from Gunther's shower. It actually took her a few moments to register what had happened. Now that it kicked in, she didn't know how to feel-- sure, she was fully confident and aware of her beautiful, well-built yet clean-limbed body, with lean muscles well-toned but not to the point that her shapely figure was obscured by rough bulk. That didn't mean she was all right with anybody suddenly peeping in on her, though! "Why?!" she followed up, audibly frustrated and flustered, unable to think of anything else to shout.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"Like uhm..." Man she's pissed. "It was part of the competition." She pressed her index fingers together. "I wanted to see who the bigger... Bust." The blood was rushing to her face, making her feel hot. She turned on the shower, and started her shower in silence. Eventually she added. "I win, by the way." Ringo grinned. Looking down, she wasn't the curviest girl out there. But her bust was big, and obviously bigger than Gun's. "So that makes us 2-1 in my favor."

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

"... Are you kidding me..." murmured Gunther, putting a palm to her face. To add insult to injury, Ringo pointed out that she was winning. "This wasn't part of the contest! And you could've just asked, suk--" Did I just. Did I--

A long silence followed as Gunther bonked her head on the bathroom wall repeatedly.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"Well I tried to ask, but you were already in the shower so your forced my hand!" She added a tch sound at the end, as she kept washing her body. When she was satisfied, and squeaky clean she left the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She found her bag, and pulled out a fresh set of clothes. She also pulled out her glasses, which she put on first. Humming a tune, she started putting on her clothing. Wait did Gun say something earlier? Did she want me to see her... Her face reddened a bit at the thoughts, but she shook them away.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

With a grumble, Gunther finished up and, opening the door ever so slightly and shutting and locking it quickly soon as both limb and bag were inside safely. In a few minutes, she emerged in an orange women's sweatshirt with the words "Muay Thai" printed on the chest and tiger stripes on the arms, denim knee-length capris, and the same sneakers she'd worn earlier. This time, as she passed Ringo, she held the penguin hat in her arms in such a way that it covered her bust area. She was silent.

... Up until she reached the door to the gym. "I still have the better body, so technically, we're even." With a swagger to her every move, she exited the shower room, deciding to wait for Ringo outside. I'm not losing, no matter how many times you try to mess with me, she thought, obstinately.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

Ringo followed after Gunther with a grin on her face. I'm getting under her skin. She's getting annoyed, and it's so funny. "Do you wanna go up to the bar and we can go for the drink I promised you? Or do you want to check out some other place?" Placing her hands behind her head, she looked up at the ceiling. Just how tall is this place. I wonder if we could go up to the roof it would be pretty fun.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

With a finger twirling a few strands of her hair idly, Gunther stared ahead. "Suppose we could take the drinks out and look around some more." There wasn't a particular place she had in mind, but there were a ton of floors to check out in the building. And, if she remembered correctly, just as many that the attendant hadn't entailed or said that they could visit. Offices, probably? Floors for manufacturing things like merchandise? "Where do you want to go? I can't think of anywhere to start."