Our dreams are rising and our hearts are singing. Aikatsu Dreams is about to begin!

---

Emi

I pressed the replay button one last time. The video of Epiphany's latest live started again. As I sat watching the live, my friends were discussing our upcoming performance.

"I can't wait for our performance!" Hanaka said with genuine enthusiasm.

"Neither can I! We've come so far!" Kazuna exclaimed excitedly.

"I am a stegosaurus ready to pounce! This performance is gonna be the best!" Miru leapt into the air.

"It definitely will be! But I wish we knew where the venue was..." Kazuna muttered. Earlier, Kazuna, Miru, Hanaka and I went to see if it was possible for the four of us to use the auditorium. Miss Hiroki said that she was happy for us to perform, but not in the auditorium, but at a 'surprise venue' that would we revealed later.

I said nothing. My friends turned to me, expecting me to say something. When I didn't, they asked if something was wrong.

"No, not really..." I said quietly. Kazuna, Hanaka and Miru exchanged glances.

A second later, Hanaka and Miru were dragging me away into a dark room. Kazuna then shined a torch in my face.

"I though interrogations had those old retro lights or something like that" Miru whispered to her.

"The school doesn't have those lights" Kazuna whispered back.

"Um...I'm hungry..." I said, sighing as I wished for food.

"She's okay" Hanaka said flatly.

"Hmmm...alright Miss Miharu. Why did you look upset before?" Kazuna said sternly.

"R-right...well, I'm not really upset, I'm just realised something..." I said, smiling softly.

Hanaka and Miru dragged me out of the room and I found myself back in me and Kazuna dorm.

"What did you realise?" Kazuna asked.

"Well...I thought we were ready for our performance...but if we want to give it our all, we need to work harder!" I said determinedly, standing up.

"That's true! But you were saying about how you were so excited for the live and that we were ready this morning..." Miru looked up as she was deep in thought.

"Hehe, well, I read this article Epiphany wrote AND IT TOUCHED MY HEART" I said, as tears started to pour from my eyes.

"Of course" Kazuna and Hanaka said with blank expressions.

"And...I was just thinking, but why don't we come up with our own song, instead of using Epiphany's?" I suggested.

"Huh?"

"I just think that, since we still have three days to go, we can come up with our own song and dance!" I told my friends.

"But we only have three days to go..." Hanaka said.

"So? We've learnt that despite everything, we can't give up! This song will make our live special, and it will really reflect us! Let's do it!" I said, doing a fist pump in the air.

"I'm for it!" Kazuna said, grinning.

"So am I!" Miru announced.

"I guess you can count me in too! And why don't we explore the city to get ideas?" Hanaka proposed.

"Yeah! We're bound to get some inspiration from town! Let's go!"

***

"Where to first?" Miru asked, searching the town for a dinosaur-themed place.

I spotted a bakery nearby. "Can we all go to the bakery?"

"Okay!"

"Sure!"

We opened the door and heard a bell ring. This was bringing back memories of when I was in our bakery, and the little bell would ring whenever someone stepped inside. It had become a familiar and enchanting tune to me. I smiled fondly, and I felt all warm and fuzzy. This feeling had a place within my heart.

"Ah, welcome! Oh! You four are those new idols!" the lady behind the counter said in a welcoming tone.

"Yea! We're Miru, Hanaka, Emi and Kazuna!" Miru grinned. "Got any stegosaurus cakes?"

"N-no...but we do have a special offer! If you purchase one of our non-decorated cakes, you can decorate it however you like only a bit extra!" the woman said.

"That sounds great! Could we have one non-decorated cake please?" I asked.

"Just one?"

"Yup!"

"Sure! Follow me!"

As we followed the woman, Miru leaned over to talk to me.

"Only one?"

"We can all decorate the single cake together!" I said cheerfully.

We entered a huge room where a few other people were decorating their cakes. We took a table and started to decorate it.

Hanaka got some delicious frosting and covered the cake in a light pink, then adding green frosting at the bottom of the surface to give a rose impression.

Kazuna took some edible beads and formed two snowflakes on the frosting, one on the left, other right.

Miru crafted a small, edible stegosaurus and placed it in the center of the cake.

I got some edible star-shaped sprinkles and sprinkled them all over the cake before adding our names to the free space on it.

After it was completed, we happily ate away.

***

"Yum! That was delicious! Where to next?" Kazuna asked.

"I know just the place! And it's not far from here!" Miru stated.

We all followed her as she approached a music shop.

"A music shop?" Kazuna, Hanaka and I tilted our heads to the side.

"I can't really play any instruments, but I love the piano! I know it sounds weird considering that it's me, but I really do love it! I can play one song!" Miru declared, running inside.

"You're Emi, Kazuna, Hanaka and Miru right? Well, it's not everyday that four amazing idols turn up, so go ahead and play!" the owner said.

Before she began, I found a violin. I started to play a bit.

"YOU CAN PLAY THE VIOLIN?!" Kazuna and Hanaka stared at me.

I grinned. "I'm not a professional, but I can play a couple of songs!"

I put the violin down afterwards and turned to Miru. She began to play a short song, and it was fantastic! We applauded her, and the stegosaurus idol beamed.

***

"I think it's time for a snack!" I said, my mouth beginning to water as we passed all the treats and food shops.

We stopped to get a bite to eat. There was a food truck outside the park. We got some food, then found a table in the park.

"Hey guys, can I show you my favourite video?" Hanaka asked,

"Is it about you?" Miru asked flatly.

"Tempting, but no."

Hanaka got out her Aikatsu mobile and showed us the video.

It was a story about a young girl who always felt like she was trapped and shrouded in darkness. But one day, she found light, and walked towards her new future.

"That...was...beautiful" I said, tearing up.

Kazuna and Miru agreed.

"I didn't think you watched these kind of videos Hanaka" Kazuna said.

"Well, they are nice once in a while, don't you think? Still, Emi watches wayyyy more of these 'inspirational videos than I do" Hanaka chuckled.

***

"Okay! I'm going to take you guys to see someone special to me!" Kazuna said jubilantly. She knocked on the door, and an old woman opened the door.

"Hi Granny!" Kazuna hugged her grandmother.

"Kazuna! My, how you've grown! Do come in!"

Kazuna's granny made us some biscuits.

"We can't stay long Granny" Kazuna said, slightly sad.

"That's fine dear" she replied. When Kazuna went out into the garden, her grandmother turned to us.

"Thank you three for helping my granddaughter. I am very grateful."

"Your welcome! But what do you mean...?" I queried. Hanaka face-palmed.

"Kazuna has always been a quiet person, but you three are helping her come out of her shell little by little! She's starting to find her individuality, and I can't thank you enough for helping her do that!" her grandmother said, smiling. "Thank you."

***

When we got back from the town, we started working on our song right away.

"The song should reflect us!" I commented.

"A stegosaurus?" Miru asked.

"No" Hanaka said bluntly.

"Something important to us" Kazuna added on to my sentence.

"How amazing I am?" Hanaka asked.

"No" Miru said bluntly.

Kazuna and I worked on the song while Hanaka and Miru came up with the actions. Even after Hanaka and Miru had to leave, we still worked on our song. After an exhausting night, the song was completed. And so was the dance. 

The next day, we woke up early to practice. After tweaking bits of the dance, we managed to perfect our performance. We continued to practice until the day of our performance.

This was our song, and I couldn't wait!

 ***

"Are we really going to an amusement park?!" Kazuna and I stated in unison.

"You betcha darlings! To reward your hard work, the school is organising an event to go to the nearby amusement park! Anddd, our darlings Emi and Kazuna, along with Sapphire Melody's Hanaka and Miru darlings, are going to be performing there!" Miss Hiroki said, beaming as she looked at the class.

"Wait, really?" Kazuna and I said blinking.

"So this is what Miss Hiroki meant when she said that she had a surprise venue..." Kazuna muttered.

"This is great!" I stated cheerfully. 

"Thank you Miss Hiroki!" Kazuna and I called out.

***

"This is so exciting! This stegosaurus is SO ready for a great, fun time!" Miru started to jump and twirl.

"For once, I agree with Miru. This is gonna be the second best thing to me" Hanaka grinned.

"I'm just really excited to perform together!" Kazuna smiled.

"Yeah, I'm just bursting with excitement right now that I can't wait!" I beamed.

"Hehehe, I'm so excited hehehe" an annoying voice said. I had completely forgot that is wasn't just our two classes going. It was the whole of our year. This fair was really big after all.

"Was that supposed to be an impression of us, BECAUSE SAY THAT AGAIN, I DARE YOU" Hanaka scowled menacingly at Ryuu. The latter just looked bored.

"I think he mastered what you've been saying perfectly" Takeo said, appearing next to Ryuu.

"THIS STEGOSAURUS WILL KILL YOU! ROAR!" Miru then lunged for Takeo.

"Right...okay...why were you even eavesdropping on us in the first place?" Kazuna queried as she raised an eyebrow.

"We weren't. You guys are just really loud" Ryuu said flatly.

"Why were you even standing close to us though? Most of your class is over there" Kazuna pointed to a large group of students.

"Because we're allowed to walk around as we please until the bus comes" Ryuu told her.

"And, Ryuu wanted to be closer to his girlfr-" Takeo began, until he was interrupted by Ryuu, who had a dark aura surrounding him.

"Do you want to die?" Ryuu asked in a scary tone.

"No sir" Takeo mumbled.

"Everyone, gather in your classes. Your teacher will take attendance" a teacher said.

"Ugh, I feel like a five year-old" Ryuu muttered as he walked off.

Kazuna and I waved goodbye to Hanaka and Miru before we boarded our bus.

The whole bus ride was so much fun! Towards the end, everyone sang a song together. And to think that we were having a swell time when it was only the bus ride!

***

"What ride should we go on first?" I asked.

"I wanna go on the carousel! THERE'S A DINOSAUR SEAT-THINGY!" Miru rushed towards the ride and practically flew onto the 'dinosaur.'

"There's no way I'm going on such a childish ride" Hanaka sighed. Somehow though, we all ended up on it.

"Do you guys wanna go on the bumper cars next?" Kazuna asked. And that's where we went next. Ryuu, Kaito, Yuto and Takeo were also there. It was a ton of fun to bump into Ryuu's bumper car over and over again. Hehehe~

Afterwards, we went a bunch of different rides. I skipped the roller-coasters, drop towers and pendulum rides and instead went to the food stalls and mini game stalls too.

At one stall, I found Ryuu. Well, sort of. I was in the line and he joined the queue.

I tried my luck with the clown game (the one where the clown heads turn, and you have to throw the ball in it's mouth) but I failed miserably. "And I really wanted that stuffed elephant eating a pizza slice..." I sighed and moved out of the way.

I watched Ryuu try. On his first two tries, he did as bad as I did. But on the third try, he scored. The kind man let him choose any stuffed toy. He picked the one that I WANTED. The elephant eating pizza. As he passed me, he tossed the elephant.

"You can have it. Stuffed animals are for five-year olds anyway" Ryuu said.

"Awww, it's adorable!" I hugged the elephant. "Now Elly has a friend! And ya know, maybe you're not that bad after all" I grinned. Ryuu looked like he wanted to say something, but he just turned his head and walked away.

***

At long last, it was time for our performance.

"Emi Miharu, like a dreaming miracle!"

"Kazuna Hitori, ready to shine like a star!"

"Hanaka Jukashi, I'm the light in the dark!"

"Miru Akari, giving it my absolute all!"

"Aiiiiikatsu!" we all place two of our fingers together to form a four-point star, then lifted them into the air. We high-fived the two people next to us with our hands, then got our cards.

(Title: Our☆Aikatsu!)

(Music: Aikatsu☆Step! (short version))

(The following song is Aikatsu☆Step! by AIKATSU☆STARS! Imagine our lyrics in place of the ones sung. Aikatsu☆Step! does not belong to me.)

https://youtu.be/U7_PyO9mn18

Coord: Flower Dream Coord

Coord: Snow Dream Coord

Coord: Vivid Dream Coord

Coord: Bubbly Dream Coord

Our Lyrics:

Together: 1, 2, 3 and Aikatsu!

It's time to start anew

Emi & Miru: Running towards the road of wondrous dreams

Together: 1, 2, 3 and Aikatsu!

Our memories are in full bloom

Kazuna & Hanaka: Overtaking the light to reach stardom!

Together: Leaping straight to the unseen future!

Emi: This cheerful feeling is shining deep within my heart

Miru: This melody is filled with courage and is cheering me on

Emi & Miru: Let's dance and sing to this sweet, familiar tune

Kazuna: Our individuality is like a shimmering star

Hanaka: It guides me in the darkness to the future

Kazuna & Hanaka: It's like a reminder to never give up

Emi: This special magic

Miru: Is within reach

Emi: It's lighting

Miru: Up the way

Together: The path that my friends and I will take

Kazuna: My unbreakable will

Hanaka: Shall never fade

Together: Let's make a miracle happen

Together: 1, 2, 3 and Aikatsu!

It's time to start anew

Emi & Miru: Running towards the road of wondrous dreams

Together: 1, 2, 3 and Aikatsu!

Our memories are in full bloom

Kazuna & Hanaka: Overtaking the light to reach stardom!

Together: Let's chase the starlight together! Let's go!

---

Group Idol Aura: Consists of rainbow stardust, gold and silver stars, clouds, rainbow music notes, and circling them are stars connected to gold lines.

---

Special Appeal: Shining Four Appeal

---

I hugged my friends as soon as our performance ended. It had been such a huge success, and marked our next steps as idols. I wanted this group - me, Kazuna, Hanaka and Miru - to become a reality. I wanted us to become the next top idols of Stardust Academy!

When we let go, we waved at the cheering audience before exiting the stage.

But, we still had some time left before we had to leave. So I proposed an idea.

"Let's all go to the Ferris Wheel!" I said, grinning.

***

Slowly, our compartment was making it's way to the top. We admired the view all the while, and once we got to the very top, there was no denying that this was the most incredible view out of all of them!

We could see the whole amusement park, and all the glowing lights that were reflected in the water.

"This radiance is overflowing!" Hanaka said, eyes sparkling as she looked at the view.

"I could stay up here forever!" Miru said happily.

"Woah! You guys are right, this view is amazing!" Kazuna said as she pressed her face up against the glass and looked at the view beneath.

I smiled.

"And our journey will be just as breathtaking! Aiiikatsu!"

---

Aaand done! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you find any mistakes, let me know! For the next two days, I'll be publishing a chapter each day! I hope you stay tuned! See you at the next chapter!