“Let’s start then, the first-ever meeting of Aramara Academy Idol Club!” Harue said brightly. “We can start with introductions.”

  “Hold on for one moment,” one of the newcomers said. Despite the fan she was covering her face with, James recognised her from the school assembly.

  Ogasawara Junko flicked her fan closed with a practised motion and used it to point at James. “Are we letting boys join the club now?”

  “Boys can be idols too,” Harue said mildly. “And the school has strict guidelines about enforcing gender equality. But no, this is Suki’s boyfriend, James St John, and his roommate, Kageya Mitsue. They’ve graciously allowed us to share their breakfast table today.”

  Despite the mildness of Harue’s response, Junko reacted as if she’d been shot. The stricken look on her face lasted only for a moment, though, before being wiped away.

  “I’m deeply sorry,” Junko said to James. She bowed her head. “I didn’t realise I was being an ungrateful guest.”

  “That’s fine,” James said cautiously.

  “However…” Junko continued. “Is it not common for management to forbid idols from having boyfriends?”

  “If we get management,” Harue said, “then they can take it up with Suki. I’m not going to tell Suki she can’t have a boyfriend.”

  The glower on Suki’s face said she wasn’t going to be told that either. James took her hand under the table, and that expression cleared right up.

  “Right! So, introductions!” Harue said. They went around the table, giving their names and a few details about themselves. Harue and Kana neglected to mention they were spirits, but Harue did mention that she was proficient in several traditional musical forms as part of her training as a shrine priestess.

  The new girls were suitably impressed by that, but it made James wonder what they were hiding. Junko wasn’t keeping her grades a secret; apparently, her high scores were what got her the speaking role at yesterday’s Assembly.

  The other two girls were both friends of Junko’s. One of them, Shimada Kaori, had been with her since elementary school, and the other, Toudou Ema, had started in the same school but had spent middle school at a martial arts academy. They were both pretty in a conventional Japanese way. Kaori’s face was a little rounder, her eyes a little darker, and her hair was longer than Ema’s.

  Neither of them was a patch on Junko, whose glossy blonde hair had been styled to cascade behind her like a wave. Her skin was pale enough that she might have been Caucasian. James couldn’t tell if it was skincare or makeup, but she practically glowed.

  The fan snapped back into place as Suki was explaining that she had been trained in all sorts of performing arts, including song and dance. From the looks on the new girls’ faces, they seemed a little taken aback that there were others in the club with more performing experience.

  Kana, of course, did not confess to any prior experience in entertainment, but her icy beauty and forbidding aura made it hard to think of her as lacking in any way.

  “That’s great!” Harue said when the introductions were complete. “Don’t worry about a lack of experience. Idol club is about learning to be an idol, and having Suki here just means there’s someone to teach you the skills we’ll need.”

  “I’m not sure I’m much of a teacher,” Suki said. “But I’m happy to try.”

  “We don’t have to worry about instruction,” Junko said confidently. “There are numerous companies that specialise in getting idols ready for the stage. I’ll have Father buy one and devote themselves to training us.”

  James stared at Junko in shock, and he wasn’t the only one. He noticed, though, that Kaori and Ema weren’t completely surprised. Their smiles just got a little strained.

  Just how rich is she? James wondered.

  “Hmm,” Harue said. “Is that a good idea, though?”

  “What?” Junko exclaimed. “We want to be the best, and for that, we need the best support available!”

  “Do we, though?” Harue asked.

  “Of course we do!”

  “But… I mean, it’s Idol Club, not Idol Corporation. We shouldn’t be about making a marketable product, we should be having a fun high school experience, you know?”

  “Uh… fun?” Junko just looked confused. The other two girls had thoughtful looks on their faces, and Suki nodded in agreement. Kana kept up the same disdainful expression she’d had since the girls arrived. Knowing what he now knew, James was pretty sure that meant that she hadn’t understood a word of the conversation and didn’t want to reveal that fact.

  Harue pressed on. “I mean, an Idol Club should be about making friends and music. Dancing together, making costumes and performing in front of everyone! Don’t you think paying someone to do part of it cheapens the whole experience?”

  “I—well—I—” Junko spluttered. She fluttered her fan nervously in front of her face.

  “I agree,” Suki said. “I don’t want to subject my performance to some professional’s idea of what is marketable.”

  “Well, we can discuss it more later,” Harue said. “We need to figure out the basics of the club, like the officer positions, first.”

  “Of course,” Junko said, rallying. “We should start with holding an election for the President. I—”

  “Oh, but before that!” Harue interrupted. “I need to announce that I’ve secured Hatakiyama-sensei as our club advisor!”

  James noticed a flash of anger cross Junko’s face at being interrupted, but when Harue mentioned Hatakiyama-sensei, Junko choked on her own retort.

  “Hatakiyama-sensei?” she finally managed to say. “How did you manage that?”

  “I spoke to him last night,” Harue said casually. “He doesn’t have a club since the music club folded, so he was available.”

  “But how did you get past— uhm—that is, I heard that they weren’t allowing students into the teachers’ residential area.”

  “I have a family connection,” Harue said smugly. “I take it everyone’s in favour of him as our advisor?”

  “I’m not,” Suki said firmly over the chorus of agreement.

  “You can’t be against Hatakiyama-sensei!” Junko declared. The other two newcomers agreed fervently, almost jumping out of their chairs in outrage.

  “Now, now, calm down,” Harue said. “Suki has her concerns, which I understand. We need to address those concerns, instead of shouting at her.”

  There was the briefest of pauses before Junko bowed her head and hid behind her fan.

  “I apologise, I lost my composure there for a second,” she mumbled.

  “It’s forgotten,” Harue assured her. Then she turned to Suki.

  “I’m not sure you do understand my concerns,” Suki said.

  “I don’t agree with ‘em, but I understand them just fine,” Harue said. “They are reasonable concerns, and these guys—” she gestured at the new girls, “—aren’t helping. But. It’s not like that.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “So you say,” Suki said doubtfully.

  “I know him. You don’t. The school says it as well.”

  “They do… which makes me doubt the school’s commitment to their students’ safety,” Suki grumbled. James gasped.

  “Only now?” he asked incredulously. Suki gave a stifled giggle.

  “Take the time to see for yourself,” Harue said. “You don’t have any evidence, and this will give you a chance to collect some.”

  “Evidence of what?” Junko put in. “You’re saying that as if Hatakiyama-sensei has committed some crimes.”

  “I’m already in his music class,” Suki said. “I’ll get to see how he… operates, regardless.”

  “You were in music from the start?” Kaori said enviously. “Everyone tried to transfer into it yesterday, but the school said the class was locked.”

  “And the second-year units have a prereq of a first-year music class,” Harue said sympathetically. “If you weren’t in already, you missed your chance.”

  All three of the new girls groaned in dismay, while Harue winked at Suki.

  “Looks like we’re going to be classmates!” she said brightly.

  Suki’s eyes narrowed. “That’s the first I’ve heard of you taking music,” she said. Harue only grinned.

  “Anyway!” Harue said, breaking up the girls’ commiserations. “Hatakiyama-sensei did have a few conditions we have to agree to before signing up.”

  “Whatever they are, we agree to them,” Junko said. “We have to.”

  Harue rolled her eyes. “Number one,” she said. “We can’t advertise that he’s our advisor or use his image on any promotional material.”

  “What?” Junko exclaimed. “But if we let people know that he was here, everyone would want to join! We’d be the biggest club on campus!”

  “I kind of think that’s the point,” Harue mused. “It wouldn’t do to take everyone away from the other clubs.”

  “I guess we can live with that,” Junko groused. Under her breath, she muttered, “Maybe we can start a rumour or something.”

  “Don’t even think about it,” Harue warned. “The next condition is that we only recruit first-years.”

  “That’s great!” Junko said. “It means we won’t have any older students lording it over us.”

  “Is that allowed?” Ema said. “I think there are rules about restricting membership.”

  “There are,” Harue agreed, “But this condition comes from the Student Council, so I think they’ll be okay with it.”

  “If you say so,” Ema said doubtfully.

  “I do say so! The third condition is that there will be no private or impromptu meetings. All meetings must be scheduled and include at least a quorum of the executive council.”

  “I like the sound of that one,” Suki said.

  Junko sniffed. “It hardly seems necessary. I was looking forward to—in any case, we don’t have any choice. It’s acceptable.”

  “Great!” Harue said. “Let’s move on to choosing our President!”

  “I will be President,” Kana said, speaking up for the first time. “It is the only suitable position for me.”

  Harue rolled her eyes. “Big talk, considering I had to explain what the title meant,” she snarked. “But I’m fine with it.”

  “Actually, I believe that I am more suited for the role,” Junko retorted, snapping her fan shut for emphasis.

  “What a foolish notion,” Kana sneered. “As if anyone could compete with me.”

  The two girls glared at each other.

  “Egos,” Harue sighed.

  “Do you not want the position, Harue-san?” Kaori asked timidly. “Idol club was your idea, after all.”

  “Nah,” Harue said. “I’m more concerned about getting things done, you know? I leave the spotlight to others. Oh, and no honorifics between idols, Kaori, that’s the rules!”

  “Hard to commit crimes when the spotlight is shining on you,” Mitsue muttered, so softly that only James could hear him. Or so James thought until Harue sent a mischievous wink in their direction.

  “So we’ve got two people who want the role,” Harue said. “Any others?”

  She looked around the table, but no one else spoke up.

  “Okay then,” she said slowly. “I guess, if it comes to a vote, that you three will vote for Junko, and the rest of us are going to vote for Kana?”

  Hesitant nods all around.

  “No offence, Junko—” Suki paused and swallowed the honorific with a glance at Harue. “You seem like you would be perfectly fine as President, but I’ve known Kana for longer and would be more comfortable if she were the leader.”

  “That is perfectly understandable, Suki,” Junko said. “And Harue is correct, a certain amount of familiarity between fellow idols is to be expected.”

  She shot James a look that said the familiarity was not extended to him.

  “Hmm, yes, well, this is a pickle,” Harue said with a grin. “We’ve only just started, and cliques have formed already! This is great!”

  “Is it?” Ema asked. “How are we going to determine this? Get another member?”

  “No, no,” Harue replied. “We have to break down the clique barrier between us!” She gestured expansively at the group. “It’s our first Challenge of Friendship!”

  “If you say so,” Suki said doubtfully. “How do we proceed, then?”

  “I think your idea was good,” Harue said earnestly. “Let’s go around the table and say why we’re voting for our choice. You start, Kaori.”

  “Um.” Kaori squeaked. “I’m voting for Junko because… well, she’s always been in charge. Since elementary school. She’s just smarter, bolder and more beautiful than all the rest, so it just made sense. Makes sense.”

  Junko preened at Kaori’s words. She started to speak, but Harue held up a hand.

  “Uh, huh, that’s about what I thought. Ema, is it the same for you?”

  “I suppose that’s basically it,” Ema agreed.

  Harue took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said. “Leadership and strength of character—those are good things to base a Presidency on. Our President is going to be leading us, and they’ll have to deal with the Council for funding and event requests—I bet you’d be real good at that, Junko.”

  “I would,” Junko said proudly. “I’ve been on student councils in the past, and I fully expect to be part of this one in a year or two.”

  “I’ll bet,” Harue agreed. “The thing is, Kana is pretty good at those things, too. She’s a fighter, and she’s not going to let the Student Council roll over her, no matter what they try. Now, it might be fun to have the two of you go head to head to see who’s better… but that would be un-idol-like.”

  “Unseemly,” Junko agreed. Kana just snorted with derision.

  “But there’s another part of being the President,” Harue continued. “And that’s their vision for the club. Junko, you’ve got some pretty strong ideas about how to move forward, don’t you?”

  “Of course,” Junko declared. “I still think that professional support is the only course forward. We shouldn’t be performing in homemade costumes when we could just have proper ones fitted. Song composition, venue arrangements… there’s so much that isn’t just performing.”

  “Yeah, that’s how it’s always been, hasn’t it, girls?” Harue asked the other two. “Junko makes the plans, and you just follow them.”

  Ema and Kaori both nodded.

  “They’re good plans,” Kaori said.

  “Sure, but haven’t you ever wanted to step out of her shadow? Not because you’re oppressed or anything, but just to give it a go on your own terms?”

  “Well…” Ema said. She trailed off without finishing.

  “If we make Junko President, then we’re as much as putting her ideas over ours,” Harue said. “She’s hard enough to argue with as it is.”

  “How would this be any different if Kana were President?” Junko protested. “Why should her plans take precedence?”

  “Well, that’s the thing,” Harue said. “Kana doesn’t have any plans for the club. She doesn’t know the first thing about idols.”

  “I know many things about idols,” Kana objected.

  “You don’t know anything about idols that I haven’t told you,” Harue said with amusement. “I know you haven’t looked up anything about them.”

  “That is true,” Kana admitted.

  “That’s why Kana should be President,” Harue said. “She wants to lead, but she’ll let us determine the direction.”

  “Nonsense,” Junko declared. “A leader should provide a direction for the rest of the group to follow!”

  “That might be true of a lot of things,” Harue said, “But I don’t think it’s true for this. Being in an idol group is about everyone having a chance to shine!”

  Junko huffed, and the fan came back, waving energetically. “Don’t be ridiculous, I—”

  “Um,” Kaori interjected timidly. “I kind of like the sound of that.”

  She flinched back as everyone looked at her. Junko had an outraged expression on her face.

  “Kaori!” she said plaintively. Kaori looked away.

  “Sorry, Junko,” she said. “But if it’s just for one club… what’s the harm? It might be fun.”

  “Fun!” Junko exclaimed. “You—”

  “Looks like we have a decision!” Harue interrupted. “Four to two, agreed?”

  Junko shot another betrayed look at Kaori but nodded reluctantly.

  Filling the other positions went much more smoothly. Junko accepted the Treasurer position like it were a consolation prize, and Harue became Secretary with no objections.

  “Great!” Harue exclaimed. “I’ll help Kana fill out the forms, and then once it’s official, we can schedule a meeting with our advisor.”

  Junko perked up at that, but Harue pressed on.

  “So I think it would be premature to make any big decisions until we’ve heard from him, but everyone should think about any themes or songs that we want to do. I’ll post the next meeting on the Line group, and we should all start heading off to class!”

  The group broke up, Junko pointedly not accompanying Kaori as they left. James stayed at the table, as did Suki. They were planning on walking to class together.

  Before they left, though, James addressed Harue, who was still sitting at the table, looking pleased with herself.

  “Who are you, and what have you done with the real Harue?” he asked.

  “Huh?” Harue replied. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean… You were so nice,” James said. “All that talk about friendship and letting others shine.”

  “She was very manipulative, though,” Suki said thoughtfully. “Despite some setbacks, I think everything worked out the way she wanted.”

  “I was worried for a moment, but I was acclaimed as President, as you said I would be,” Kana said. “I approve.”

  “She promised you the position?” James asked.

  “It was her requirement for joining,” Harue said. “As for being nice, that’s what I want from Idol Club. Just some fun, dancing and singing with other girls. Junko will turn it into a whole career if I let her.”

  “Aren’t you hiding your real self, though?” James asked. “What happened to sly Harue?”

  Harue laughed. “What makes you so sure that sly Harue wasn’t the lie?” she asked.

  “Was it?” James asked. He didn’t think it was.

  “Hmm, that’s an American thing, isn’t it? Be true to yourself and all?” Harue said thoughtfully. “I think I heard that in a movie once.”

  “Is that not a Japanese thing?” James wondered.

  “Mnm, not really,” Harue replied. “It’s more like, suppress everything that makes you an individual for the good of society.”

  She made a face.

  “Bleah. But I don’t have a problem with being who I need to be, for as long as I need to be, to get what I want.”

  ran with it. In the process, Junko became my nemesis.

  Love Lives. I had very specific ideas about what I wanted the club to be, and Junko had very different ideas. Terrible ideas. I had to fight her every step of the way to get to my vision of the club and I hate her so very much.