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Alicia sat down at her desk, reading her recording software. She put on her pink, strawberry-themed headphones, and put her microphone in place. Finally, she adjusted her ring light, positioning it so that its pink glow would illuminate her face in just the right way.
She took a deep breath, making herself comfortable in her chair and squeezing the Bonbonribbon plushie she kept on her lap.
“You ready?” Kitty asked her. Alicia turned to her best friend. She was sitting on Alicia’s bed, away from the cameras. Alicia nodded.
“Okay… three, two, one… go!”
Alicia clicked the button, and she was live. She smiled at the camera, starting her very first stream with the intro she spent plenty of time coming up with.
“Introducing the Strawberry Idol… Alicia! Chuu Chuu!” She cheered, blowing a kiss to the camera with both hands.
As she started introducing herself, Kitty viewed the stream on her own phone. There weren't that many people watching, she noticed, seeing that the view count was fluctuating between twenty to thirty people. She recognized most of these accounts as their classmates, some of the maids that worked for their families, and even her older brother Keith. She read through the chat. Most comments were encouraging, while others questioned what she was going to do during the stream.
“Well, then, let's get started!” Alicia continued. “Everyone, welcome to the first ever Idol Talk segment, where I talk about all the idols I adore and force you viewers to listen!”
“Since this is the first one, we're talking about a personal favorite group of mine, Strawberry Kiss! A trio of middle school girls composed of Amy Cinclaire, Blossom Campbell, and Nicole Stephenson!”
Alicia showed a picture of the group in question, a photo of their Christmas mall performance taken from the audience rather than an official source.
“They began their training at this startup talent agency, Diamond Studios, about a year ago. They recently debuted with the song I Wanna Be Your Lover! just a while ago, and I have to say…”
Alicia pressed her hands against her cheeks, blushing and grinning.
“I became a fan immediately! I'm totally one of the Chuus now! Blossom is definitely my favorite. Her cheerful smile is so adorable!” Alicia giggled.
“Back on topic… today I want to talk about Strawberry Kiss’s new single, Fruit Bat!”
She showed a group of promotional images on screen. There was an individual shot of each of the members, as well as a group photo. The girls were costumed and posed in the image of the song. They stood in front of backgrounds covered in greenery, fruits, and flowers.
“Along with new outfits, everyone's changed up their hairstyles too! Amy and Nicole with loose curls, Blossom with a braided bun… aw, man, Nicole's expressions are making my heart pound like crazy…!” Alicia giggled again.
“Right! The costumes! Unlike the typical cute idol outfits they wore during their debut, they're now wearing graceful, fairy-like costumes, complete with wings and flower crowns!”
Alicia then pulled up Strawberry Kiss’s WeTube channel, and clicked on the music video for Fruit Bat.
“Now then, let's watch the music video together! It'll be my first time seeing it along with all of you, so this'll be my authentic reaction!”
After the stream, Alicia sighed, throwing herself onto the bed next to her friend.
“I don't ever think I've spoken that much before. Kitty, my mouth feels dry…”
“I've got you.” Kitty laughed, handing Alicia the water bottle she left on her nightstand. The blonde took it graciously, drinking almost half the bottle in one sitting.
“So, how was it?”
Alicia removed the water bottle from her lips, and smiled brightly.
“It was tiring… but fun! I can't wait to do my next one! I've already got so many ideas! I could do simple chatting streams, or give everyone fashion advice. I could review sweets, sing karaoke, show off Diamond Boulevard… I can do all sorts of stuff! The possibilities are endless!!”
“The chat was pretty lively, as small as it was.” Kitty added. “I noticed you got some more Starstagram followers too. Some of our classmates and, ugh, Keith.”
Alicia giggled.
“He's so supportive. I wish he was my older brother!”
“You don't want an older brother at all, Alicia.” Kitty retorted, grimacing. “Trust me. Keith is always eating the chocolate I save for later, even when I've hid it! How does he keep finding it?!”
Alicia giggled again. Kitty sighed.
“Anyway… what are you gonna do for the next one?”
“I'm gonna sing!” Alicia said definitively, jumping off of the bed. She rushed over to her desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a spiral notebook with images of Bonbonribbon on the cover. She went back over to the bed and opened it. “I've already made a list of everything I wanna sing.”
Kitty took the notebook from her and glanced over the list of songs, which was written in curly cursive with a glittery pink gel pen.
“Five songs…” Kitty mused, handing the notebook back to her friend. “These choices suit your image. Though, this many songs might be difficult for you to sing with your current stamina…”
Alicia laughed awkwardly.
“I… know. I was hoping you could help me practice…?”
Kitty nodded.
“Of course.”
“Thank you!!” Alicia cheered, pulling Kitty in for a hug. “You're so talented, Kitty. Maybe this way, some of it will rub off on me… Thank you so much for helping me with all of this! I know you don't have to, so I really appreciate it!!”
A frown found its way onto Kitty's face, but she quickly removed it.
“...You’re welcome.” She said, after pausing for a moment. “And you don't have to thank me. I do it because I lo... because you're my friend, Alicia.”
The next day, the girls met in a soundproof room in Hamilton residence to practice their singing. The room was set up with microphones and speakers, a couch, and drinks prepared for them courtesy of the Hamilton family’s staff.
Removing the microphone from her lips, Alicia finished the song she was singing, breathing heavily afterwards.
“W-Well…?” She asked expectantly, breathless. “How did I do, Kitty…?”
Kitty thought for a moment.
“You did well.” She said, smiling. “Though, during the high notes… you seem to be straining yourself a bit. Your voice is pretty high pitched already, so it sounds a little off.”
Alicia listened to the critique sincerely while drinking the strawberry milk that was left to her. She then nodded, and jotted down the words in her notebook.
“Got it! I'll try to improve on that!”
“That’s good. Because… I really love your singing. And I want other people to hear it, and fall in love too.”
Alicia giggled, blushing.
“I've gotta hurry up and get better so I can sing for everyone, then! Come on, let's try another song already!”
“Alright. You wanna get a refill first, though?”
Alicia nodded.
“That would be nice, yes.”
They went up the staircase to enter the living room, Kitty first. At the top, she paused, hearing a muffled conversation.
“What's going on?” Alicia whispered, confused.
Kitty turned to her and put a finger to her lips, signaling for her to be silent. Alicia nodded, understanding. They quietly moved so that they could both peek through the crack in the door, watching their parents idly talking on the couches while drinking tea.
“...And how is your daughter doing, Oliver?” They heard Kitty's father say, referring to Alicia’s father. “It seems the girls are doing voice training in the basement today.”
Alicia's father sighed.
“I really hope she quits this pop idol nonsense someday… Even after failing so many auditions, that girl just can't seem to know when to give up.”
“Isn't that a good thing? She's following her dream earnestly, after all.” Kitty's mother stated. “Even Kitty continues to practice her singing and dancing after all this time. Sometimes, I even hear her come up from the basement at night. She's working so hard.”
“Um, maybe you should scold her for that…?” Alicia's mother suggested.
“We should, but it's just so endearing. We can't just tell her to stop when she's that darn cute!” Kitty's father chuckled. “I'd say, the lack of sleep is punishment enough. She'll feel it in the morning.”
“Well, I can't argue with that logic.” Alicia's father added, laughing as well. “Some nights, I'll see the lights on from underneath Alicia’s door. I'm sure she's working hard on that ‘streaming’ thing of hers, whatever that is. I heard her talking about planning for it before.”
“It's so difficult to understand the youths these days…” Kitty’s mother sighed. The other adults laughed at the comment, and they moved the conversation to another topic.
Kitty quietly closed the door. The girls wordlessly headed back down the stairs. They stood in silence for a moment, before Kitty angrily punched a pillow on the couch.
“Do they think this is just some kind of joke?! That it's just a hobby, some kind of entertainment to me?!” She yelled, frustrated. “They don't get it, the way I felt when I heard that song for the first time, when I saw Willow dance so freely… ugh, they don't get it at all!!!”
She threw herself onto the couch, groaning.
“‘Cute.’” Kitty repeated, bitter. “Kitty Hamilton is not cute! I'm… I'm a cool and fierce rapper! Damn it, why don't they understand…?!”
Noticing her silence, Kitty looked up and over at Alicia, who was standing with her hands clasped together.
“...Alicia? You okay?”
“Papa wants me to quit…” Alicia whispered, disheartened. Harsh memories flashed through her mind, from the criticism the judges at auditions have given her, to the degrading words she wished she didn't tell herself.
“Your character is forced.”
“You don't have any talent.”
“You’re not good enough.”
“You lack the skills to become an idol.”
“No one would be a fan of a girl like you.”
“Your dreams will never come true.”
“You will never be good enough.”
“You will never get to become an idol.”
She felt like crying, though no tears came out. Kitty stood up and walked over to her, pulling her into a hug from behind. Alicia turned around and met her eyes. Kitty put her hand on her cheek.
“We're gonna prove all of the wrong, okay?” She said, attempting to comfort her. “The two of us, we're going to become the shiniest diamonds in the world, the brightest stars in the galaxy!”
After a moment, Alicia nodded, smiling.
“Y-yeah! We will!”
Kitty smiled as well, and removed her hand.
“Oh, but, Kitty? You're wrong about one thing.”
“Oh yeah? About what?”
“You are cute.” Alicia winked.
Kitty blushed.
“Wha- Whatever. Fine, I'm ‘cute’. Happy now?” Kitty mumbled, picking up a mic. “Now then, let's get back to work! Wanna try something different? Practice rapping next? It could be a good skill too.”
“Maybe later...”
“Absolutely no delusions; with my sappy feelings,
A worthless da-da darling!
Absolutely no innocence; with my sappy feelings,
A worthless da-da darling!
Hey, darling! Chuu!”
After finishing the song, Alicia moved her mic away from her mouth so no one apart from Kitty could hear how heavily she was breathing. Even though she hadn't been singing that long, she was already getting exhausted. She was just staring out, but she really needed to learn to pace herself better. Lucky for her, the training with Kitty paid off, even if it was just a little bit. Usually, she would have only been able to handle singing three songs in a row.
“...And that was Darling Dance!” Alicia laughed, still out of breath. “That song was a bit different from my usual image, wasn't it? I really like it, so I hope you all enjoyed it too!”
She took a quick sip from her water bottle.
“Alright! Time for the final song of the stream, everyone!”
She clicked a button on her keyboard, playing the instrumental of the song. She took a breath, and sang with the rest of the energy she had left.
“Baby, baby! Baby, wanna be a brand new girl?
Baby, baby! Baby, wanna be a brand new girl?”
She sang the song as she always did, cheerfully, and with a big smile on her face. She didn't let herself focus too much on the live chat- as to not risk messing up or forgetting the lyrics- but with all the cheerful emojis she saw people send, she knew she was doing a good job at getting the audience fired up.
“Step one, makeup, it's so good!
Step two, my favorite heels are cool!
Step three, take a big deep breath!
Okay, ready to go!”
She sang out the chorus with full power.
“Hey, brand new girl! Both hands are full of dreams~!
If I embrace them, I’ll dramatically step into the world!
Hey, brand new girl! Unfading one and only~!
Memories with you, I’ll never forget, always!
Goodbyes are not forever, my friends!”
A few days later, Alicia ran into Diamond Middle School’s class 2-A excitedly, interrupting Kitty and her solitary lunch break.
“Kitty, look, look! Look at this!!”
“I'm looking, I'm looking.” Kitty said, staring at the phone screen Alicia had thrust into her face. She took the phone from her. “What’s this?”
“Look at these statistics! The singing stream blew up!” Alicia squeed. “This is the most views I've ever gotten! That's more people than the amount of people that go to our school!! You know what that means?”
Alicia giggled to herself, grabbing her notebook from her open schoolbag and flipping it open to a page with large words written in the center within a circle of strawberry and ribbon stickers. She showed it to Kitty.
“It means… it’s time for my very first live performance!” She cheered, reading the words aloud.
Kitty blinked, feeling somewhat conflicted.
“...Do you think you're ready for this?”
“I know I'm ready, Kitty!” Alicia said with determination, sitting down on Kitty’s desk. “And my fans are definitely ready too! I've got all my plans written down right here!”
She flipped through the pages.
“Since it's free, I'm going to sing at Diamond Plaza, right in front of the fountain on a Saturday. I've already planned out the song I'm gonna sing, how I'll hype up the audience, and for my outfit… um, I'll just wear my regular training clothes! It's no big deal!”
Noticing Kitty's lack of response, Alicia suddenly felt nervous.
“Kitty? Wh-what do you think? Is it a good plan?”
“Uh, yeah. It is.” Kitty replied hesitantly. “...You're really sure you're ready, Alicia?”
“I’ve been doing well enough in our training, haven't I?”
“You are, but… I'm not talking about your skill level…”
Alicia looked down, swinging her legs back and forth.
“I mean… yeah, I am worried no one will show up.” Alicia admitted, shrugging. “But… I'm so tired of waiting! I want to sing more than anything!”
Alicia’s fists grasped at her uniform’s skirt, and she pouted. Kitty, noticing her resolve, got her things together and stood up.
“Well, let's go then.”
“Huh? Go where?”
Kitty grinned at her.
“We've got to prepare everything for your performance. Starting with your dance! Let's go practice before break is over!”
Alicia gasped, and then smiled.
“Yeah! Let's go!”
After changing into their training clothes, the girls met in the field behind the school to practice their dancing. Kitty clapped to the beat while Alicia danced.
“Pause!” Kitty stopped her. Alicia fumbled a bit, almost tripping over her own legs and she forced herself to a halt.
“Sorry.” Kitty apologized, laughing a little. Alicia pouted. “You're off beat, and you missed a couple of cues.”
Alicia sighed, sinking to the ground.
“Can we take a little break?”
Kitty nodded, and sat down as well.
“I dance like I have two left feet… maybe this is why I keep failing auditions…” Alicia mumbled. “Oh, well! I'll just cheer myself up by ego surfing~!”
Alicia hummed, opening her Starstagram account. She smiled at most of the comments she saw, until she saw one that made her pause, her smile faltering for a moment.
“What’s wrong?” Kitty asked, suddenly full of nerves and worry. “Did someone say something weird to you…?”
“No, no, they're just… asking me when I'm going to officially debut, that's all!”
“...Oh.”
There was an awkward silence between them, before Alicia decided to try to change the mood.
“H-hey, c’mon, let's listen to the song I'm gonna sing!”
“...Sure.”
Alicia pulled her frayed earbuds out of her schoolbag and plugged them into her phone. “I should really buy new ones…” She mumbled.
Kitty took one earbud, and Alicia took the other. They rested their heads together, listening to the song Alicia chose. Afterwards, Kitty stood up and stretched.
“That was a good break. Now, let's run some laps! Five times around the whole field!”
Alicia groaned loudly.
“Kitty…!” She complained. “You demon…!”
“Okay, I think you're being a little dramatic.” Kitty said, laughing.
Alicia walked into Megan's Bakery, Kitty following closely behind her and holding up Alicia’s phone to record.
“Welcome!” The young girl at the counter said, hearing the bell on the door ring as the entered.
“Hi, Maria!” Alicia said cheerfully, going up to the counter.
“Are you filming?” Maria whispered in Alicia's ear, leaning over the counter.
“Yeah!” Alicia replied, whispering back. “Think of it as free advertising? Do you have any suggestions for us?”
Maria nodded with a smile, grabbing some sweets from behind the display case.
“Since Alicia loves strawberries, I recommend this strawberry cheesecake cupcake! And for Kitty, I think you'll like these fudge cookies.”
After preparing the desserts in a box, Maria looked directly at the camera and winked.
“And for anyone watching Alicia’s stream… if you visit us and prove yourself to be a fan of Alicia, I'll throw a little something extra into your order!”
“That's such a good deal…!” Alicia gasped. “Thank you, Maria!”
“You still have to pay, though.” Maria said. “Mama's trying to run a business here!”
All three of the girls laughed. Alicia and Kitty paid for their treats, and left the building to sit at the small seating area outside. The camera on her, Alicia took a bite into the cupcake with pink frosting, rainbow sprinkles and a strawberry on top. Her eyes widened and sparkled after the fact, having clearly enjoyed it.
“Wow…! Maria and her mama are really good bakers, everyone! I hope everyone in the area gives them a chance someday!”
Kitty and Alicia spent the rest of the stream visiting other shops in the plaza and trying out their desserts. At the end, they went to the fountain in the center of the plaza.
“Next weekend, I'm gonna be performing live right here! It'll be livestreamed, but if you happen to be in
the area, I'd love it if you'd stay and watch!!”
Signing off, she waved goodbye to all her viewers, and Kitty ended the stream. Afterwards, they looked at the comments that were left on the video.
“Look at all these comments.” Alicia giggled. “Seems like Maria's also getting some fans. Maybe I should force her to collab with me someday!”
Putting her phone into her skirt pocket, she looked at Kitty, who was still looking at the streams results on her own.
“Hey, Kitty?”
“Yeah, what's up?”
She took Kitty's hand with both of hers, her cheeks pink. Kitty almost dropped her phone from the shock. She quickly put her phone in her own pocket, giving all of her attention to Alicia.
“Thank you, Kitty. So much. Thank you for being my friend, and… um…”
She brought Kitty’s hand up to her lips and kissed the back of it. Kitty squeaked, blushing as well.
“Thank you for helping me reach for my dreams!” Alicia giggled, the flush on her face growing brighter.
And so, the next weekend, Alicia stood in front of Diamond Plaza’s fountain, a speaker on each side of her, a microphone in her hands, and a nervous smile on her face. She messed with her bangs, making sure they were picture perfect for the event.
She nodded to Kitty, and from behind the camera, she started the stream on cue.
“Introducing the Strawberry Idol… Alicia! Chuu Chuu!” She cheered, and just like any stream, she blew a kiss to the camera with both hands. Afterwards, she talked for a bit, doing her best to get the audience excited.
“Before the performance starts, and while we wait for everyone at home to log on, I'm gonna start off with my call and response! It's the same as my intro. When I say, ‘Introducing the Strawberry Idol…’, you say, ‘Alicia!’, and I'll respond with ‘Chuu Chuu!’, got it?” She said, ending with a wink.
“Ready? Introducing the Strawberry Idol…”
She called. But there was no one there to respond. No one in front of her apart from Kitty, who awkwardly stood behind the camera, unsure of what to do. Sure, there were people responding in chat, but she couldn't see it.
“Oh, right… I'm- I'm streaming. I can't hear their response. I can't read the chat. I don't even know if I'm reaching them. What if… what if this was a mistake? What if they're all just making fun of me…?”
Just then, a girl with a black bob and red bangs appeared before them, wearing a uniform neither of them recognized. She looked between the two of them, and then bumped her elbow against Kitty's.
“Hey, aren't you gonna cheer on your friend?” She questioned her.
“Wha- Of course I am!” Kitty said defensively.
The girl laughed under her breath, and then directed her attention to Alicia.
“Sorry, idol girl. I just got here. Mind repeating that call and response for me?”
“Wow, she's- she's so cool! I gotta make sure I put on a good performance! Ah, I'm getting a little nervous now…!” Alicia thought to herself, getting flustered.
“R-right!” Alicia stammered. “For our new audience members and people joining the chat, when I say, ‘Introducing the Strawberry Idol…’, you say, ‘Alicia!’, and I'll respond with ‘Chuu Chuu!’, Alright?”
“One more time! Introducing the Strawberry Idol…”
“Alicia!” Both Kitty and the mystery girl cheered.
“Chuu Chuu!” Alicia giggled.
And finally, it was time for the performance.
Kitty started the music, the song spilling out of the speakers. A handful of passerbys looked towards them at this moment, a few of them even coming over to see what was going on. Alicia put on a smile, and began to sing and dance.
“I'm now the cutest ever…
After you dumped me I'm the cutest ever!
This is when the maiden strikes back!”
Alicia continued to dance and sing, a huge smile on her face. As more people joined in to watch the performance, her smile only got wider. A spin, a smile, a wink, another repetitive dance move. She was having the time of her life.
“After you dumped me, I'm the cutest ever!
This is the most thrilling moment of my life!
I'm the cutest ever!
Admit it, this is when the maiden strikes back!”
She was sweating, she was even messing up at some points, forgetting lyrics or dance steps. But she didn't care.
“I'm the cutest ever!!
After you dumped me, I'm the cutest ever~!!!”
She finished the song with a pose. The small group of people watching clapped when the performance was over. The cool girl that was watching the performance clapped as well, before moving on, seemingly having important business to attend to.
“Thank you for watching my performance! Shout-out to all the Berries watching at home! Once again, I'm Alicia Hall, a-and…”
Alicia gave everyone a large smile.
“My dream is to become an idol!!”