A True Self? Do I Have One?

Throughout the whole tour, Eika and Hikaru chatted for a long time. She couldn't help but be relieved that she had given Hikaru a chance to befriend him or maybe it's the other way around. She's the weird one here. Most of their classmates were given them judging looks but, Eika didn't care. She was happy she at least made a friend.

Nel stopped in front of two buildings outside the main building. He pointed at them. "That's the girl's dorms and the one there is the boy's dorms. Boys cannot enter the girl dorms and likewise with the girls," He said precisely, jotting down on his clipboard again. Eika made sure to remember where to go. She checked her phone and, there's an app called A-zone where her class schedules, her dorm number, a map of the school, and e-money balance are all in one phone. This app is exclusive for Ace Academy students.

"Sir! Is there any curfew?" One of their classmates asked and, Nel turned his head swiftly to him.

"Why, yes. There is. You must be at your dorms by 8 pm. If you get lost at night time, it will take us a year to find you," Nel confirmed, and everyone somehow tried to hold in their laughs. Nel raised an eyebrow and gasped in disbelief.

"You don't believe me? This school is 10,000 square meters alone. Two times as big as Bill Gates' Home," Nel walked away from the shocked faces of their classmates. They glanced at each other. Their jaws reach down the floor and, Hikaru threw his arms in the air.

"This is a palace! Witchcraft! Insane!" He exclaimed, and Eika was right about the place around here made her feel much smaller. She made a mental note about it.

They hurried to follow Nel into their classroom. When he opened the door, it was like a small lecture hall with a bunch of instruments placed away in a cabinet and a grand piano a the center. Everyone took their seats and, when Eika sat down near the windows, Hikaru sat beside her. He didn't have anyone to sit with anyways. He knows everyone sees him as weird.

"I know it's your first today and today, we are going to do something fun," Nel smiled and, everyone in the room started to whisper to one another in excitement.

But it died down when his smile dropped into a frown. "If I mean by fun, I meant projects,"

Everyone in the room erupted with complaints even Hikaru cussed to himself which surprised Eika. "Mr. Kang, Nel, sir, projects on the first day? Legit? Shouldn't we talk about the grading system? or where to get to the bathroom?" He asked, and everyone agreed with his statement.

Nel slammed his ruler down at his desk and, everyone bolted up from their seats. Eika tried not to look like she was about to run out the door.

"If you can't handle projects then, please walk out the door then," He stood up from his seat and wrote on the blackboard.

'Introduction Song'

"You'll be introducing yourselves, that's your first project." He dropped the marker to the side and picked up his guitar. "I don't want any introduction. I want a song," He emphasized. He played a few chords showcasing a song that he made. The girls started to swoon remembering the days when Nel first debuted as an idol.

"A-a song?" Eika blurted out. They are going to create songs in the first week?!

Hikaru smiled cheekily at this. He's amused. For a second he thought this project was going to be a pain but, this was much better than he expected. He raised his hand and somehow that spiked Eika's nervousness.

"Are we allowed to have partners?" Hikaru asked, and Nel nodded in response. He stood up from his seat, slamming the ruler on his palm.

"Yes, of course. What do you want? By friends or by enemies?" Nel asked the whole class and everyone picked by friends, of course, but in the end. Their classmates are partnered up with friends and enemies.

Luckily, Eika was able to be partners with Hikaru which is a relief.

"You'll be making an introduction song. Make this song like it's your debut song. A song where your audience will get to know who you are as a performer," Nel declared. He glanced down at Hikaru and Eika for a moment before he continued. He shoved his hands on his pocket.

"But keep in mind, you're a team basically, both of you would have to create an identity of who you are as a team," He finished, he left everyone to discuss what the topic of their song would be. Eika scooted towards Hikaru. She took out a notebook from her backpack.

"That'll be no problem for you, ain't it, Eika Jane?" Now he got her names reversed. "Any thoughts? Ideas? How about we tell each other what kind of people we are so we can get some ideas?" Hikaru asked, noticing that Eika approached him.

"We barely know each other, it's crazy that Mr. Kang is asking us to show an identity of ourselves," Eika ran her fingers through her hair. "Maybe we can make a song on why we want to be idols and our motivations?" She suggested, writing down her idea on her notebook. She couldn't help but observe Nel who's surveying everyone in the room with a bored face.

There was a time he heard one of his solo songs. He's a trusted producer by the industry. Companies recruit him every day to write a song for their artists. She remembered watching an interview of him in the Iceberg store.

"Sato, what do you think is important for a song?" She turned her attention back to Hikaru who was doodling random things in her notebook. She gasped and snatched it from him. Hikaru nodded slowly, thinking of an idea. He twirled the fluffy pen on his hand.

"Motivations and becoming idols are good suggestions, but I guess we're going to need something more to that! Something more..." He searched through his mind and wondered what could they possibly be lacking. "How do you view your life so far...?"

Eika stopped breathing for a second. Her stomach twisted at that. She crossed her arms.

"You know? Like that feeling when you feel like your heart is gonna drop and, your stomach is gonna churn but it's all good in the end?" She said weakly. She pressed her finger on her temple.

"What about you?" She followed up.

"Well, bitter people always claim that there's always an end in a happy ending." For the first time in a while, Hikaru shows off a melancholic smile.

"If there's an ending in everything, there's also a finish line to hardships and pain, right?" He scratched his neck out of embarrassment. "I-I mean, we can make a song about how we think we can conquer the challenges before us through ways we didn't think of,"

That's not a bad idea..." Eika said sincerely, she noticed the smile on his face and she wondered what are the meanings behind it but, she didn't want to force any unwanted questions.

"Your deadline is in two weeks before acquaintance party," Nel announced. The discussion has died down. "I'm going to pass these papers on what to bring for the acquaintance party,"

Eika grabbed the notice from someone's hand and, she read the contents carefully and, her jaw dropped to the ground. A beach rave party!? She's going to die!

"A beach rave!? That's so friggin' rad, dude!" Hikaru exclaimed, staring at their adviser. "Wait, don't tell me..." He squinted at Nel and pointed his finger at him and asked, "Are we going to perform our song at the party?"

"Why, of course, Mr. Sato, I take pride in my students," Nel said confidently. He sat down on his chair to enjoy everyone's reactions.

"Demon," A student whispered to his seatmate and, Nel shot a glare at him.

"Quiet down, Mister Suzaku! But I'll be picking only one song to be performed. Do your best, all of you." He encouraged them even though some of the students groaned and he let out a small smirk.

"If you can't handle my projects, what if your producers stacked you with songs? Will you groan?" He raised a brow and, his students could only sigh in defeat.

"W-wah! S-Sato! Can we do this!?" Eika exclaimed. Her fingers shivered in front of her. She placed them immediately on her lap to stop it. Hikaru patted her on the back. He laughed confidently but, he was nervous too.

This is a chance of a lifetime!

Eika smiled at his enthusiasm. At least he's having fun while she tried to sort out her feelings. Showing her true personality? What is it even? Does she have one? Can she even sing the words that won't come out of her back then?

Seeing Hikaru excited and happy, she needed to toughen up. This is the fate she chooses for herself. If she ever wants to be an idol, she has to do this but, the thing is, can she even make it though?

Was she going to be part of the 600 who dropped out?