”****-chan.”

”***Mako-chan!”

"Mako-chan!" I hear Miki calling me. What happened?

I woke up in an unknown room, Miki and Nana standing beside me. I was lying down on a couch, covered by a pink blanket.

"Where am I?"

"This is Mariko-san’s office."

"Mariko-san?"

"She’s one of the judges. You passed out during auditions after she told everyone you were the leader of our new unit."

I slowly got up, holding my head.

"So, that wasn’t a dream?"

"Center, Leader, Ace… Kojima Mako!"

"It was real?!"

Miki hugged my arm. “Isn’t this awesome?! The three of us are a unit, together, and you’re the leader!”

"Yeah, but…"

"There were so many talented girls who came to the audition. Why only us three?"

Just then, the door opened and the short haired judge walked into the room. She smiled at us.

"Mariko-san…"

"You okay, Mako-chan?"

"Uh, yeah, I’m okay. Just a bit shocked…"

"About the audition?"

"Yeah…"

"Mariko-san, why did you pick just us?"

"And why is Mako-chan leader? There must be a special reason she got this position, right?"

"I’ll explain everything, but… what I’m about to say is true."

There was a serious tone in her voice, so we all sat down on the couch and listened to her.

"The three of you have something very special about you. This ‘special’ thing will be needed to help me and the others with something very important. Only you can do it."

"Just us?"

"It’s something that only a chosen few can have."

"W-what is it?"

"It’s powers. Great powers that can do amazing things. We need girls like you with these powers to help us in our mission."

"What?"

"It’s like an experiment. If we can find a way to harness and control this power, we can complete our mission."

My hands were shaking a bit. All these thoughts were making me nervous, I didn’t know what was going to happen next.

"So, we… have powers?"

"Yes. Only, we’ve just discovered this power. We don’t know what it is or what it can do, but we know the girls who hold it are very special."

"They haven’t been awakened yet…"

"How do you know it’s there?"

"I could see your auras."

"Auras?"

"A human’s aura creates a special kind of energy. You had the strongest, brightest aura out of everyone, Mako-chan. That’s why you’re the ace."

She got up from her chair and opened one of the drawers in her desk, pulling out three small boxes. She gave each of us one of the boxes and sat back down.

"These will help you harness and control the power that corresponds with each of your auras."

When I opened the box, there was a small ring inside it. It was a golden ring with a red jewel, encircled by diamonds, and had a bright red ribbon tied into it.

I looked at Nana and Miki, and they had the same thing, only Nana’s was a light sky blue and Miki’s was a shining golden yellow.

I slipped the ring onto my finger, watching the gem glow. It must be reacting to my aura.

"Magic rings?"

"The gems in your rings are able to stimulate the energy from your aura to create special wavelengths to activate the magic."

Nana and I nodded, staring at our rings, but Miki was giving her a clueless look.

"In other words, it’s like what happens in a Sailor Moon manga or such."

"So, you just say a few words, or do something that activates the ring’s power…"

"And, poof. You’ve got magic."

"Oh~. OK~ I get it now. We’re like magical girls, that’s SO COOL!"

"Anyways, it’s already late. You guys should get home," Mariko said as she handed us our bags.

"Wait, isn’t there more to this?" Nana asked.

"Yeah, this is a lot to take in."

"Don’t worry. We’ll talk more later tomorrow, meet me here in the morning."

I took my bag and started walking out of the office, until Mariko tapped my shoulder. I saw her smile at me and she whispered in my ear.

"Are you gonna be okay with being the leader?"

I nodded.

"Good, and don’t worry. I’ll have a surprise for you tomorrow." Then she winked at me.

I sure hope it’s a good surprise, the look in her eyes was… indefinite.

Once I left, me and the others took the train home together. It was good that we all lived so close together.

Still, I knew that I wouldn’t see them at school. They were in totally different places. It would be nice if we all went to the same school, though…

Oh well…

…..

The next day

I got up early that morning to get to the agency, It was Saturday, and I was wanting to be sure this wasn’t some big scam.

I took the first train and sat down, listening to my music. Nana and Miki weren’t with me yet.

Maybe they already went…

I got to the agency building and walked in, checking my phone.

I saw a text from my mom.

"Congratulations on passing the final audition. I’ll be watching you, so be sure to do your best. Love, Mom."

I smiled, looking at the text, then put the phone back in my bag and headed up the elevator.

I kept thinking of what Mariko-san told us.

"So… we’re going to be mahou shoujo idols, huh?"

"I’ll have a surprise for you tomorrow."

"And just what is this surprise?"

I walked out of the elevator and found her office. Slowly, I took a deep breath and opened the door when…

"Wah!"

*CRASH*

"Ehh?!"