“Kyaaa!” I hugged the girl’s neck tightly, spinning around before we both suddenly fell over.

“Ah, sorry…”

We looked at each other for a minute, then we both smiled and laughed.

“It’s been a while, Naanya.”

“Sou ne.”

“Wait, what?!” Miki and the others stepped out. “Mako, you know her?! Like, you guys seriously met before?!”

“Mako, you do understand this is the Owada Nana, right?”

“The star 15-year-old actress under Full Moon productions!”

“The ace of Shinjuku Girls!”

“And the lead role of Inui Maiko in Sailor Zombie! THAT Owada Nana!!!”

“I was also the female lead, Hiroko-chan, in the AKB49 musical.” Nana said, standing up.

“Mako, how can you know someone SUPER famous like her?!”

“She and I went to the same elementary school.”

“MAJI?!”

“Un!”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US BEFORE?!”

I just laughed nervously as Nana helped me up.

“I had to transfer schools often because of my dad’s work. When I turned 14, I passed the first gen auditions to join Shinjuku Girls. I never expected to become the ace, though.”

“You get a lot of attention!”

“Right? I was there when you were performing on the talent competition. Those fans went crazy!”

“I also saw the news segment for Sailor Zombie on TV. You pretty much made that show a hit.”

“Wouldn’t it be the other way around?”

“They made a video game for it!”

“The same happened when I became the female lead for AKB49. All of the fans were going absolutely insane!”

“Eh~? I bet they’d think you’re—”

“OI!!!!!” Miichan’s sudden loud voice broke our conversation.

We just looked at each other and laughed it off.

“Sorry, Miichan. But, it’s been so long since I’ve seen Naanya, I wanted to catch up.”

“I get that, Mako. But…” She suddenly went silent. What happened?

“Hey, today’s my day off, y’know. How bout we go somewhere? Just the two of us.”

“Really? Is that alright?” I asked Miichan.

“Well…” she looked at the both of us as we made puppy eyes at her. “I guess I can’t say no.”

“Yatta~!”

“Nee, where should we go?”

“I know this really nice café just down the block.”

“Then let’s go!”

“Alright, we’ll be going, Miichan!”

“Un. Bye.”

Even though I saw her smile before we left… why did her voice sound as if she was sad?

…..

“Mako…” Miichan looked at a picture sitting in Mariko and Yuko’s old office. It was when the cafe first opened up, Mako was standing in the center with that bright smile on her face.

“Miichan. Let’s play.”

“She hasn’t changed…”

She then got a text. It was from Yuko.

“I had a dream, about Mariko.”

“Eh..?”

“She wasn’t in her miko outfit, though. She was wearing a black robe. It was dark… She was after me…”

“It can’t be…”

The other girls saw Miichan had a worried look growing on her face.

“Miichan, everything okay?”

“Ah, yeah…”

Miichan put down the photo, quickly hiding a tear coming down her face.

“Oh, God, why does it have to be now?”

…..

“*The Dachou Club?!” I said as we both sat down, looking through our menus. Naanya and I were talking about her past experiences as an idol.

“Yeah. They were guests during the gameshow.”

“What did they make you do?”

“It was this gag, um… Pyo-pyo obaasan.”

“Pyo-pyo obaasan? I’ve never heard of that.”

“Well, after I did it, no one laughed, so I pretended to get mad and stomped on the ground and…”

“*THEY ALL JUMPED!” We said at the same time, laughing.

“I knew it!”

“*Mayuyu was there, too, and she did it.”

“Eh?! You met Mayuyu?!”

“Yeah. I’ve worked with AKB members before, but they were mostly younger generations. Mayuyu, though. She is a true idol.”

“I can guess. That’s nice~. I wanna meet Mayuyu~.”

The waitress came and brought our drinks, then we ordered what we were eating and gave her the menus.

As we waited, I looked around the cafe.

“This is a good cafe.”

“Yeah. I heard tonight they have karaoke.”

“Eh~? Really?”

“Un!”

“We’ll have to try then.”

“Maybe~”

She giggled as we both sat and smiled. It’s been so long since I’ve seen her, it feels like forever. It’s nice we’re still such good friends even though we’re idols now.

“Nee, Mako…”

“Hm?”

“Do you still remember our promise?”

Our promise. The one we made back in grade school, before Naanya left.

“Of course I do.”

How could I forget?

“Then let’s do it. We’re both gonna aim to be big stars!”

“We’ll be the brightest stars in the sky!”

“To think, we finally made it.”

“Mm… I dunno, Mako.” She suddenly said, a wide grin on her face.

“Eh?”

“I think there’s still some things we need to do.”

“Like what?”

“Hmm… I don’t know yet. But, that’s what I feel.”

I guess she is right. There’s still a long ways for me, in fact, all of Tentomu chu to go. And plus, Naanya doesn’t know… who we really are.

“Nee, Mako.” She stood up, taking hold of my hand. “Let’s sing.”

“Eh?” She dragged me up onto the stage, handing me one of the microphones. “What song?”

“You’ll know…”

As she held my hand and we both walked up the stage, the music started playing…

Ah… I do know this.

She looked at me and smiled, telling me to start. We both nodded.

Bouenkyou sotto nozoita yozora ni
BIIZU no you na hoshi no hikari yo

Mabataku tabi ni KIRAKIRA mabushikute
Tameiki ga dete kichau

It’s been forever since I heard her sing. And compared to then, when we were just little kids, it sounds beautiful.

Itsuka watashi mo
Uchuu no katasumi de
Dare yori kagayaku hi made
Kono SUTEEJI de odoru

MINISUKAATO de
Yousei ni henshin e
OODESHON wo ukete miyou
RESSUN wo ganbatte

MINISUKAATO de
Yousei ni henshin e
Goukaku dekitara
NEXT STAR

Being alone, performing with the others, I always felt my heart race. But, right now, being with Naanya, I feel like our hearts are one.

I’ve never felt like this with anyone else. She’s my best friend. And being with her, it was like…

It was like we knew each other since forever.

“Nee-chan!”

Nee-chan. She only called me that in grade school. She said it was because I was like a sister to her, plus I was a year older.

Why did that thought from so long ago come to mind, I wonder. Maybe because we got to see each other once again, like this.

We left the café happily, holding hands as we reminisced about the performance.

But then, Naanya suddenly stopped. Her hand gripped onto mine tighter, and her hair was covering her eyes.

“Naanya?”

“Hey, can I ask a weird question?”

“What?”

“What if.. I kept a secret from you?”

“Eh?”

“If you found out.. I was keeping a secret from you, would you.. hate me?”

A secret? Did something happen?

She suddenly pulled me closer and hugged me, laying her head on my shoulder.

“Nee-chan…” Again, that nickname. “Please, say you won’t hate me..!”

“Naanya…” I patted her back and broke the hug. “I could never hate you, no matter what. You’re my best friend.”

“Really..?”

“Of course. You and me, we made a promise,” I held out my pinky. “And I intend on keeping it. Nee?”

She nodded and wrapped her pinky around mine. “Right.”

I suddenly felt my phone vibrate and saw I got a text from Miki.

“Miichan says she wants to meet us for something important. Better hurry, Makocchi!!”

“Ah, I’d better go. Work.”

“Okay.”

“Bye.” I waved bye to her as we parted.

“Bye… nee-chan.”

…..

“I’m here!” I opened the door to the office and saw everyone already sitting at one of the tables. “What’s so important?”

“I received a letter from Mariko.” Miichan said as she opened the envelope.

“Mariko?!”

“Here’s what it says… ‘Everyone, how are you? I’m fine. I received info from the Senate that the Princess was awakening soon. I need all of you to awaken your full power and find her before the Akuma do so she can be protected. I’ll be sure to pray for you. –Mariko’.”

“A princess?”

“Wow, that’s amazing! We’re gonna meet a real princess!”

“Ah, that’s not all. ‘P.S. I’ve been checking up on your progression as idols. Especially you, Mako. Here’s a little something for you.’ Ah, in here…”

Miichan pulled out a small *protection charm, and it had my name on it.

“She made that?”

“What did you expect? She is a miko, after all.”

“Ah, right.”

I took the charm in my hands, but when I touched it…

“******!!!”

Then, my world suddenly out…

“Mako!”

…..

Owada Nana returned to her empty apartment. The darkness closed in on her; she didn’t even bother to turn on the light.

She walked towards her bed, dropping to her knees and buried her face in her arms, crying. She held the necklace in her hand, gripping onto the blue crystal. At her side was a picture of her and Mako, when they were much younger.

Just then, she felt a presence in the room. She turned her head and saw a cloaked figure. He took off his hood and revealed to be Kyoya.

“Why?” she asked him through her tears. “Why.. did you give me my memories back?”

“I’m sorry, my dear. It was for your own good.”

Nana broke down in more tears, the memories playing through her head like an old movie.

“Who would want to remember… such a sad past?”

“I understand what you’re going through is painful. While there is happiness, there is always sadness. Light cannot exist without darkness.”

“Or darkness without light…” she replied, finishing his sentence. “‘The light destroys the dark, the dark swallows up the light. Never gaining, never losing, never succeeding, never failing’.”

“Never to end.” They both said at the same time.

Nana remembered the day she was awakened clearly. It all started one day, while she was walking to work, time froze around her.

“Owada Nana, your time for awakening has come.”

Kyoya had put her under a deep sleep spell so she could regain her lost memories of the past, and placed her inside a crystal capsule, frozen, until the day finally came.

When she attained the crystal she bears around her neck, her powers and memories reawakened, revealing to her everything she had once been, and what she was destined to become.

“You knew this was going to happen.” Kyoya spoke as he sat beside the bed and caressed Nana’s head.

“Yes, but… Mako…” She wiped away her tears, picking up the photograph. “I thought she would’ve remembered by now. She still doesn’t remember me. Us. What we were.”

“Her awakening will come soon. Time heals, Nana.”

Nana slowly got up, setting down the photo.

“You wish to sleep?”

“Yes. I think I need the rest.”

“Understood.” He slowly got up, about to leave, but then turned to her once more. “Do not fret, my princess. We shall regain both of them. The Crystal of Life, and your precious light.”

He disappeared, leaving Nana alone, in the painful, lonely darkness.

She sat down on her bed, hugging herself as she tried to fight the rest of her tears.

“Mako… my light.”

========================

Footnotes

*1. The Dachou Club - A comedy trio.

*2. Jumping act - A comedy act famously owned by Dachou Club, where one stomps, and everyone else jumps by reaction.

*3. Watanabe Mayu - An idol and current ace of AKB48.

*4. Omamori - A Japanese amulet that is said to bring its bearer good fortune. It is also used for protection.