Chapter Text
It was the miracle that I desperately needed…
It could only be one thing…
…Fate!
The two gasped in unison.
“Look! C’mon Jimmy!” Grian called out to him with a laugh, running ahead as the other continued to stare in wonder.
Right when he was about to follow, someone stopped him.
“Take one!” They said with a smile, holding out a flyer to him. He looked curiously at it, about to take it before a gust of wind shoved every single flyer out of the person’s arms.
“I’ll help you!” He said to the stranger before taking off, running after the flyers that were being blown away by the wind. They had all landed where Grian was, a mess on the ground of the square.
He crouched down to pick each one up, Grian assisting him as he did so when one blew away again, just before he could grab it. He let out a whine of frustration, running as he chased after it, bumping through crowds of people to get to it while simultaneously trying to make sure the flyers in his arms didn’t fall out.
He caught up to it as it landed on the ground, though right as he caught the corner of it, another burst of wind got him. The force catching him off guard and making him drop all the flyers he had just collected. He groaned, looking up to run ahead and collect them once again.
And that's when he saw it.
A TV screen outside of a building, text displayed on it. Love Live! Second winner school idol…
He never had something special. He never had something that was his something special. He wanted to be captivated by something, he wanted to put his best foot forward but his feet never knew where they were going.
Until then.
Today’s the day! Their school’s entrance ceremony. Each club had their own table set up, cherry blossom leaves falling down on them as people handed out flyers and students roamed the area.
And then there was Jimmy…
“School idol club!”
It could be heard from anywhere.
“Join the school idol club starting this spring!”
He shouted out, using a plastic megaphone, holding up a small sign saying ‘School idol club’ with culb crossed out before the last word. He had a headband wrapped around to cover his forehead, reading ‘Idol love’ and though he was pretty tall, he stood on top of a box.
“School idol club! Sign up today and don’t delay!” He called out, not a single person near to hear except for Grian who was handing out flyers to advertise the club to the few students that passed.
“You! You! C’mon embrace your inner idol!” Each flyer Grian tried to give was rejected, Jimmy noticed it but pretended not to.
“The school idol club wants you! Don’t you want the idol club too?”
…And they were met with silence, each student passing around them and at this point Grian had given up on handing out flyers. Jimmy stood dead still. This was the least movement he had made all day. Only a bird chirping could be heard.
Grian looked up at him with worry. “Uhhh… Jimmy?”
He leaned forward, crumbling under the pressure of disappointment.
“They all just ignored me…” He trailed off with a whine, on the brink of tears. “Why does no one wanna sign up?” He asked, turning his head towards Grian. “We’re so… COOOOL!” He shouted loudly, leaning his head back as he screamed to the sky.
A thud ran through the house, making Jimmy’s older brother, Scott, raise an eyebrow in question.
“What was that?” He asked, turning his head away from the TV to look over at Pearl, their older sister, who was washing the dishes just a few feet behind him.
“If I had to guess, I would say Jimmy.” She replied with a small sigh.
Scott rolled his eyes, “Is this about idol nonsense again? The noise is gonna bother our customers.” He said matter-of-factly, turning back towards the TV as he took another sip of his tea.
“I asked him to keep it down.” Pearl replied simply, causing Scott to scoff.
“He’s living in a dream world! Things work too differently way out here in the country!” He replied, speaking loud enough for Jimmy to hear from upstairs.
Though Jimmy couldn’t hear him, rubbing his back which he had just fallen onto, Grian sat on the bed across from him with his phone in his hand.
“Oh man that one hurts…”He mumbled to himself, sighing in disappointment.
“Anything injured?” Grian spoke up, though Jimmy definitely heard the snicker he let out when he fell.
“Nah! Only my pride!” He said, voice chipper as he stood back up again as if he had never fallen in the first place. “Whatcha think, hm?” He asked, twirling around before leaning forward, holding up a peace sign beside his face.
Grian made some sounds, holding up his phone which had a photo of a popular idol on it, one in the group Jimmy was inspired by, and then looked at Jimmy. “Well…” The other simply laughed happily, unbothered by his reply.
“Looks good to me!” He half lied, doing a mock-salute, glancing back down at his phone as Jimmy cheered happily.
“So are you really serious about this club?” Grian asked him with a raised eyebrow, looking up at Jimmy.
“Yep!” He replied, holding out a sign you’d put on a door to him. The words ‘School idol club’ written on it, this time without any mistakes. Grian’s eyebrow raised even further, giving him a look of slight bafflement and confusion.
“I plan on setting it all up right after we start the new term!” He continued, bringing the sign to his chest with a smile.
“Okay? Any members?” The other asked him as Jimmy sat down beside him.
“As of right now, nobody.” He didn’t sound particularly bothered about this, “Unless of course you count me, myself and I.” He joked before sighing. “You’re already in swim club…” He ended with disappointment in his voice.
Grian put his phone down on the bed, frowning slightly. “No offense but this school idol thing seems kinda sudden..”
Jimmy gave him a look of confusion, turning his head to look at him. “It does?”
“Well, yeah. I mean it’s not like you’ve ever taken any sort of interest in club activities before so… What’s the deal?” He asked, eyes following him as he stood up, back facing Grian.
Jimmy simply shrugged, turning around to face Grian with a smile. Grian simply hummed in reply, picking up his phone and turning it on before his eyes widened in surprise and he jumped up.
“If we don’t hurry we’ll miss the bus!” He shouted urgently, Jimmy copying his expression as the two ran out of the house, Pearl scolding them for using the guest entrance while Jimmy shouted that it was an emergency.
“Thank goodness they stopped for us…”
The two sat at the end of the bus, bags in their laps as they rested on each other's backs.
“We’d be super late if we had to wait for the next one.” Jimmy continued, pulling a new flyer he made which Grian looked over at with curiosity.
“You already made a new one?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yep! Nothing wrong with being prepared.” He replied proudly, turning his head to look at the other. “Plus I’m super excited!”
Grian sighed, turning his head away as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, it’s just…” He trailed off, not finishing his sentence causing Jimmy to look at him with confusion and curiosity.
“Something wrong?” He asked, to which Grian looked back at him with what seemed to be something like a fake smile.
“Nope! I’m super excited too, I’ll do my very best to help you out, Jim!” He said, as confident as possible.
Despite his words, there they were at school, sitting on the box Jimmy had been standing on just the day before. Absolutely exhausted from spending the entire day trying to get people to join, though every single person ignored them.
“The school idol club needs people like you!” Though he said he would try his best, Grian’s voice was filled with close to zero enthusiasm, the exhaustion of the day getting to him. “They’re like.. crazy popular.” He didn’t even know what he was saying anymore.
Jimmy sighed loudly in disappointment, hanging his head low in defeat. He didn’t hear Grian’s reminder not to rush it all at once, it felt like the universe sent him a gift as he looked up and he saw them.
Two people walking side by side, bags in hand. They caught his attention instantly. The one on the left had long pink hair and blue eyes as well as a light pink cardigan overtop her uniform, smiling as she spoke to the one on the right who had tan skin and short dark brown hair. He could tell they were both students, wearing the same uniform he had on. The same off-white double breasted blazer, long sleeves and gray cuffs with two white stripes around them, the same gray pleated skirt and shirt collar that matched with the pattern of the cuffs. Though there was one difference, the bow around the collar was a yellow instead of the red Jimmy and Grian had on, indicating the two strangers were first years.
And Jimmy knew that instant that they had to join.
“Woah, they’re gorgeous—” Grian started before he fell backwards, the sudden disappearance of Jimmy supporting his weight making him topple over.
“Hiya!” Jimmy chirped, right in front of the girl’s face. She simply stared at him with shock and surprise. “Ever thought of becoming a school idol?” He asked her, more chipper than ever.
“Z-Zura?” She replied in confusion.
“Zura?” He repeated with a furrowed brow, to which she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
“Forget I said anything!” She replied quickly, Jimmy shrugged it off just as quick.
“Anyway, you two should become school idols! I promise our club will be tons of fun! I’m sure you’d both be very popular!” He continued on with enthusiasm, letting out a happy hum. “So, what do you think?” He asked, looking at both the strangers.
The girl just looked confused and slightly scared, dropping her hands away from her mouth as she spoke again, “You want us to be idols…?” She asked, though Jimmy’s attention diverted to the person behind her.
He was glaring at the poster, a hand at his chin as he read it. Jimmy quickly moved the poster in different directions, the other’s head following along exactly.
He laughed, grinning from ear to ear “Are you interested?” He asked him, pulling down the poster to look the other in the eyes.
“Sounds cool! Do you put on concerts?” He asked, clearly filled with a similar excitement to Jimmy.
Jimmy shook his head with a hum, “Well I mean- not as of right now! But I’m still putting everything together, that’s why I need someone cute like you!” He said with a smile.
The brunette’s expression instantly fell and the other girl quickly covered her ears.
He let out a loud squeal, so loud it made Grian, who had only just been coming back over to them, cover his ears as well. His face was bright red in embarrassment, the shade matching the color of the bow in Jimmy’s uniform.
“Who are you calling cute!” He shouted, pointing a demanding finger at Jimmy, who was utterly confused.
“Sorry about him, Bdubs has a tendency to er… react like that to compliments.” The other apologized for him with a sheepish smile.
Jimmy stuttered, about to respond when he heard a yell from behind them, making the brunette— presumed to be Bdubs— run behind the girl.
Suddenly there was another in front of them, short brown hair with a green streak in it, wearing the same uniform as Bdubs and the mystery girl. He held his head in his hands, mumbling something about his legs while letting out some sounds of pain before what seemed to be his bag fell after him, landing directly on his head. Which then in turn made Jimmy put two and two together and realize he fell out of the tree…
Jimmy crouched down, trying to look up at the other’s face with confusion. “Hey are you gonna be okay—?” He asked, brows furrowed in concern.
His sounds of pain turned into laughs slowly, his shoulders rose up and down with each laugh. “Where have I landed? It's so lowly!” He spoke in a dramatic manner, moving his hands away and to his sides as his head moved to look at all of them in an animated fashion as he did so.
The group of four jumped back in surprise, letting out a startled sound of confusion and fear.
“Oh no he’s brain damaged!” Jimmy spoke first with genuine concern, to which the stranger simply laughed.
“No, not at all!” He continued on in the same dramatic tone, “Ordinary humans such as yourselves could never comprehend the greatness standing before you!” He said with a confident look, closing his eyes in pride as he held a peace sign with his left hand in front of his eye, his thumb sticking out as well.
Grian took a step back in alarm, Jimmy giving a worried look as he glanced down at the stranger’s legs. “Okay, I’m more worried about your legs though…” He trailed off, poking one with a finger causing the other to let out a strangled sound of pain, holding back a tear.
“Pain is just a state of mind! For this fragile meat vessel is too temporary!” The other’s continued to look at him as if he was absolutely crazy, except for the pink-haired one, who was more looking with confusion and thought.
“You might assume that I am one of your own kind, but in fact I am Giovanni the fallen angel! Oops, I probably shouldn’t have revealed my true identity, guess there’s no—”
“Oh! Joel!” She spoke up, making his rant stop instantly. He looked at her with raised eyebrows, startled and surprised by her sudden interruption. She stepped forward, making Jimmy back off as she got a better look at so-called Giovanni— Or Joel?
“Oh my gosh, it is you!” She said happily, he looked even more startled than before. “It’s me, Lizzie Shadows! From kindergarten, remember?”
“Li-zie Sha-dows?” He repeated, emphasizing each syllable, “I know not of who you speak, you insolent girl…” He replied with a sour expression.
She squinted her eyes, glaring at him as she spoke “Rock… paper…”
“Scissors!” They said in sync, Lizzie throwing a fist down— rock, while Joel threw some twisted thing, his thumb, index and ring fingers sticking out.
“I know those scissors!” She exclaimed, looking at him with excitement, “You’re definitely Joel!”
“That is a human name!” He shouted, hands balling into fists as he shot his hands down to his sides. “I’m Giovanni the fallen angel, got it?!” He exclaimed, starting to walk away from the others. “Gi-oh-va-ni!!!” He called out loudly, holding the last i sound as he took off into a sprint.
“Hang on!” She replied, running after him, to which Bdubs shouted her name and took off after her.
“Get lost!” Joel— Giovanni? shouted, not daring to turn his head around to look at Lizzie.
“Joel! Don’t run off!” Lizzie called out after him, running just a few feet behind.
“Slow down!!” Shouted Bdubs from behind the both of them, holding his arms out as he attempted to catch up.
Jimmy stood up once the three had run off, laughing to himself. “That was strange… Oh well, I’m gonna recruit those three later!” He said confidently, turning towards Grian who just chuckled in reply.
Little did he realize, he had accidentally dropped the club flyer during all the commotion.
A voice spoke up from behind them, “Are these flyers yours? Were you the ones passing them out earlier?” They asked, causing the two of them to turn around to face them in surprise.
He wore the same exact uniform, this time the bow being swapped to a long teal tie with a flat bottom and a gold clip on the side, a gray strap of cloth with a white line in the center replacing where a knot would be. The person had short golden yellow hair, bangs pushed back and being held neatly with white clips. He looked down at the flyer in his hands, the two only getting a side profile of him.
“I wasn’t aware we had a school idol club here at Seimei High School so perhaps you could enlighten me.” He turned around once he finished speaking, red eyes staring daggers into their souls.
Grian simply stared in shock, which then turned to fear as Jimmy spoke. “Are you a new student at this school?” He asked with an innocent smile, to which Grian shot him a look and got closer.
“He’s not a new student silly, he’s actually one of the third years!” He whispered to him, Jimmy’s expression switched to one of surprise. “And more importantly— He’s the school council president.” And Jimmy’s expression turned even more shocked.
“No way!”
The two were inside what seemed to be a sort of office of a room, the president sitting down on a desk in front of the window with his hands propping his head up. Jimmy stood across from him nervously, Grian standing outside of the room and attempting to look through the door’s window.
“Basically you were recruiting new members for a club you have yet to apply for, furthermore you have not yet received permission to start said club.” He spoke, ice cold eyes piercing through Jimmy’s soul.
“Was that against the rules?” He asked with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head as he spoke. “I wasn’t trying to cause trouble or anything I’m just really excited about this club so I might’ve jumped the gun a bit!”
The other didn’t seem at all impressed by this explanation. “Uh-huh and how many more members do you have?” He asked, picking up the piece of paper that was sitting on the desk. “There’s only one name written on the form you gave me.” He stated, glancing up at Jimmy.
“Well if you count me? Uh… just me.” He said simply, voice breathy and squeaky from nervousness.
“I see…” He replied with a disappointed look, hands wrinkling the sides of the paper as it shook in his grasp. “May I remind you that you actually need five members to start a new club?”
Jimmy chuckled nervously, “That’s exactly why I was trying to recruit people, silly!” He said with a flap of his hand.
The president stood up, slamming the paper down on the desk, making Jimmy almost jump back in surprise. He winced, the action hurting his hand causing Jimmy to giggle quietly.
The other let out a sound of frustration, pointing a finger at him as he shouted. “You’re in no place to be laughing!” He shouted, making Jimmy freeze up in nervousness and surprise, mumbling a quiet sorry.
“Anyway as it is I simply can’t accept this application. It’s far from complete.” He stated, crossing his arms as he sat back down, Jimmy let out a whine and a “What” in protest, but Grian opened the door to speak to him before he could do more.
“C’mon, Jim…” He trailed off, trying to get the other to leave.
“I’ll submit it again when I have five members.” He stated firmly, to which the president simply rolled his eyes.
“Well, you’re free to do whatever you want, but don’t get your hopes up when it comes to getting approved.” He said matter-of-factly.
Jimmy let out a sound of confusion, “Why wouldn’t it be?” He asked, to which the other simply stood up again, fingertips pressing onto the table.
“Because as long as I’m the student council president, I will never allow a school idol club to form here!” He shouted.
“That’s not fair!”
Jimmy sighed loudly, Grian giving him a sympathetic look as he rested his head on a short wall at the end of the boat.
The two were heading back from school on a fishing boat, going to visit a friend rather than go home. They sat at the end of the boat, the sun setting behind them giving the reflection in the water a warm hue.
“Well that was a complete bust..” Jimmy grumbled, “I mean, what does president grumpy pants have against school idol clubs anyway?” He asked, head not moving to look up at Grian.
Grian glanced off to the side. “I don’t think he likes them…” He mumbled, making Jimmy raise his head in surprise to which he quickly turned around to hide his face as he spoke fast. “Okay- Well- A while back one of the girls in my class tried to start an idol club too but she also got rejected.” He explained, guilt in his voice.
“What?!” Jimmy shouted in reply, “Did you know that this whole time?!”
“Sorry!” Grian replied, turning back around to face him with guilt on his face. Jimmy let out a dramatic wail, turning around to hang his head off the side of the boat.
“Why didn’t you say something earlier then…” He whined, tone dramatic.
“You were so excited, I didn’t wanna ruin it for you..” The shorter replied with a frown. “I heard a rumor… Supposedly the president comes from a really old family full of post officers or something.. Anyways, all my classmates think that’s why he’s so serious… and why he thinks school idols are ridiculous.”
Jimmy frowned, looking up at the sky as he extended an arm out, watching a seagull fly high above them.
“There’s nothing ridiculous about them…”
They arrived on land after ten or so minutes, standing outside of a diving shop where they spotted just the person they wanted to see!
“You guys are late, I thought today you had early release.” He spoke, turning to face the two. He stood on the porch of the shop, Jimmy and Grian across from him on the sidewalk. He seemed only a year older than the two, wearing a blue skin-tight diving suit, the color similar to his eyes. Short brown hair and some peach fuzz making him easily recognisable to the two of them.
“Well, we did, but we got a little side-tracked.” Grian replied with a sheepish smile, hands on his hips.
Jimmy handed out a plastic bag up towards the other, “Here! Straight from mom with tender love and care.” He said with a smile.
The other leaned over the fence of the porch, resting his arm on the fence. “Her love usually involves oranges.” He commented with a slight smirk causing Jimmy to huff.
“If you don’t want mom’s love, tell her yourself!” He replied, playfully angry as they walked up onto the porch. The other simply laughed.
They took a seat at the table, the other continuing to move various diving equipment as Grian spoke up.
“So, Skizz, is there any chance you’ll come back to school this term?” He asked, tracing patterns onto the surface of the table with his finger. The other, Skizz, simply shrugged in reply.
“Well, it’s hard to know for sure at this point, there’s a lot to do here.” He said, corner of his lip pulling into a frown as he picked up an oxygen tank he was moving around with a grunt. “And dad’s bone is still healing up so I can’t really say.” He continued as he placed it down.
“That’s too bad… I was gonna see if you wanted to sign up as well.” Jimmy spoke up with a frown, looking down at the table as his hands gripped the sides of the chair.
“Sign up for what?” The brunette asked, adjusting the knobs of the tank as his back faced the two of them.
Jimmy smiled with a small hum, “Since you asked, I decided to become a school idol!” He said happily. Skizz’s expression faltered at the words, grip tightening around the knob.
He took a breath in through his nose. “Oh yeah?” He asked, letting go of the knob, “Just remember that while you guys may be second years, I’m a third year student so…” He trailed off, moving around more.
“I remember!” Jimmy spoke, closing his eyes and holding clasped hands up to his chest. “But you’d be amazing—!” He was cut off by Skizz shoving dry fish into his face.
“From mom with love.” He repeated what Jimmy had said earlier, crossing his arms with pride as the other took the fish in his hands. Grian simply laughed at him.
“Aw man, dried fish again?” He complained, to which Skizz snickered.
“If you don’t want mom’s love, tell her yourself!” He repeated once again with a laugh before continuing with what he said earlier, “But yeah, that’s how things are. I’ll be back at school as soon as I can.” He spoke, tone softening. “In the meantime, keep me in the loop, okay?” He requested with a smile, tone lightening up again.
Jimmy was about to reply when he was interrupted by the loud sound of a helicopter flying over them, wincing at the noise. The three of them looked up, Grian and Jimmy with curiosity while Skizz looked with a frown and furrowed brows.
“Hey, what’s that noise?” Jimmy asked, glancing over at Skizz.
“Probably Scar.” He replied, glaring up at the helicopter above them.
The sun was now setting in the sky, the bus dropping Jimmy off near his house in front of the beach.
Jimmy frowned, walking by himself down the sidewalk as he stared down at the flyer in his hands. He had to make this work… somehow he would make this work. That’s what he told himself, at least.
A gust of wind suddenly made the flyer drop out of his hands, he groaned a curse as it flew towards the beach, only a short metal fence made out of pipe blocking him from rushing over to get it.
And that’s when he saw him.
There was a boy standing at the top of the concrete ramp down to the floating dock. He seemed to be about Jimmy and Grian’s age, though his back faced him, short ivory black hair that screamed neat and tidy on his head. Though he wore a different uniform, dark blue blazer and a blue skirt with red lines in a plaid pattern.
Jimmy could see only a bit of his face, he had a mustache which was surprising but not uncommon for someone his age, as well as red eyes filled with determination.
He looked at the stranger with curiosity, until he suddenly took off his blazer revealing a white dress shirt underneath it that made his expression shift to one of confusion and surprise.
The skirt came off after that, revealing black skin-tight shorts that went just over his knees. Jimmy’s mouth opened in shock as his eyebrows raised. The shirt came off after that, along with a blue bow that had been around his neck, revealing the short-sleeved one piece wetsuit he had been wearing under his clothes.
And then it clicked in his head.
No way he’s gonna swim in April, right?
The stranger started running, and Jimmy started moving before he could think.
He dashed, grabbing onto the lower half of the stranger’s body as they stood on the edge of the floating dock. It shook as the person struggled to get out of his grasp, Jimmy trying to keep him from jumping off the dock.
“That water is freezing, you can’t swim!!” He shouted at them with urgency, though they continued to try and be free of his grasp.
“Let go of me! Get off! I have to do this!” They shouted back, trying to take steps closer to the edge as Jimmy continued to try and pull them backwards.
His life felt like it flashed before his eyes, and before he could barely react the two of them were both screaming, toppling into the water with a giant splash.
The two were sitting on the shore now, Jimmy had gone and grabbed two towels for them. He was still in soaking wet clothes, but he didn’t mind. He stood with a towel wrapped around his shoulders, while the stranger sat on the sand, knees tucked into his chest.
“Are you okay? The water’s not super warm yet.” He spoke, draping a towel over the other’s shoulders. He sat down on the stone steps that are the entrance to the beach, just behind the other. “There are dive shops open if you really wanna swim that badly.”
The other inhaled, looking up towards the water that stretched in front of the two of them. “I wanted to hear the sound of the ocean…” He speaks, voice quiet and gentle as he looked down again.
“Like inside the ocean?” Jimmy asks with confusion, drying his hair with the towel. “But what for?” He asks, brow furrowed as he looks at the back of the other’s head.
When he’s met with silence, he sighs and hangs his head low in disappointment. “Nevermind, I guess it’s none of my business…” He starts in dramatic disappointment before his tone quickly lights up, “But seriously, why do you wanna hear it?”
The other laughs softly. “The thing is...” He pauses, clicking his tongue. “I’m composing a song for piano.. But no matter how hard I try I just can’t seem to capture the sounds of the water.” He sounded a bit embarrassed by it.
Jimmy simply stared in wonder. “Woah… that’s awesome! It’s amazing that you can write your own music.” He replied with a bright smile. “Do you go to school around here?” He asked the stranger.
“Tokyo.” He replied simply, Jimmy gasped in shock.
“No way! You came here all the way from Tokyo?” He asked in surprise, the other frowned.
“It’s complicated.” He replied, looking down at the sand. Jimmy stood up and moved to sit beside him.
“Nah, I think that’s awesome.” He replied with a grin. “Oh!! Do you know any of the school idols there?” He asked with enthusiasm, turning his head to look at the other.
The stranger turned his head to look at Jimmy with confusion. “Did you say school idols?” He repeated, puzzled.
“Yep!” He replied with a nod, “Tokyo is supposed to have tons of famous groups, which one is your favourite?” He asked with excitement.
“I’m not following…” He replied, to which Jimmy gasped in surprise.
“You mean you don’t know?!” He started, standing up and brushing the sand off his skirt. “School idols are people that well- go to school and perform in live competitions and stuff like that!” He explained, walking around to be in front of the other.
“They’re not famous, are they?” He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.
“Oh my gosh, they’re totally famous! And sometimes, if a group is good enough, they could even get to perform at the dome!” Jimmy spoke, turning around and extending his arms out to his sides, he turned his head to talk to the other again. “If it makes you feel any better, I only learned about all this recently.”
“Really, now?” The stranger asked, looking up at him curiously. “I’ve been so involved with my piano playing.. so I guess I never even knew they existed.” He continued, looking down at the ground.
“You wanna see ‘em?” He asked, turning around with a smile. “They’re so cool, trust me on this!” He said confidently, putting his hands on his hips.
“Like you mean watch them right now?” The other asked, looking up again at Jimmy who put his phone in his face.
“Yep! There’s tons of recordings of them, look!” He said, pressing play on a video that was set to a quiet volume. On the screen were various girls in their school uniforms, dancing and singing along to a song.
The stranger scooted closer to get a better look, frowning in disappointment. “They’re er…”
“Awesome?” He interrupted with enthusiasm.
“I was gonna say—” He paused, “Well they look kinda… average.” He said, looking up at Jimmy. “I mean like! Normal— in the best way! I just thought they’d look more like… celebrities, since they’re famous idols and all.” He said with a shrug as Jimmy took a few steps back, though he didn’t seem upset. He had more of a pleasant expression on his face, making the stranger more confused.
“I agree.” He said simply, making the other furrow his brow in confusion.
“What?”
“I’ll admit, it really surprised me too.” He paused, talking a few steps closer to the shoreline, letting the water wave over his feet. “When you talk about piano, I can tell you’re super passionate about it, to the point where you jump into freezing water just to write a song better.”
He leaned forward, picking up a rock and throwing it across the water. “I’ve never had that sort of feeling before…” He said, a small frown tugging at the corners of his lips. “Y’know something?” He said, turning his head slightly to look over at the stranger, who looked at him with curiosity in return.
“I’m normal too. If you look up normal in the dictionary, you’ll probably see a picture of me next to it. No matter what I did, I never stood out.” He spoke, tracing circles in the sand with his foot. “To be fair, it never really bothered me, ‘cause if everyone is special then nobody’s special, right? Time just sped by, and before I knew it, I was in my second year of high school.”
His tone then swapped into something more dramatic in playful, “Not cool! I had to act fast and evolve into JimJam the awesomely normal monster before I become permanently normal!” He spoke, making various hand gestures. “So.. roar!” He said, crouching so he was face to face with the other. He backed off, smiling brightly as he made various sound effects. He paused, laughing a little as he glanced back at the stranger, to which he simply laughed softly in reply.
“Then I saw them… on that day, everything changed. They were just average highschoolers, but when they were all on stage like that… they shined like the sun! And then that’s when I thought, huh, I wonder if I could be like that… How cool would it be to stand on that stage and move as one person? I wanted to be like them, I wanted to shine as bright as they do!” He spoke, each word filled with enthusiasm as he smiled out towards the water.
“I listened to all their music instantly, everyday 24/7! I watched every single video online, I memorized their lyrics, I knew I wanted to do this with my own friends… I wanted to inspire people like me, I felt passionate. But mostly, I learnt that I want to shine.” He finished, confident in his words.
The stranger smiled, tilting their head slightly to the side. “Thanks a lot..” Jimmy turned to look at him with confusion. “Your story is seriously amazing.. I’ll work hard, too.” His words were genuine.
“Really?” He asked in disbelief, the other nodded.
“Really. I’m rooting for you, chase your dreams!” He replied.
“Thanks!” He said with a smile, before remembering that they still somehow didn’t know each other's names. “I’m Jimmy Solidarity, by the way! I’m a second year student at that place.” He introduced himself, pointing towards his school that was just across the water, “Seimei High School.”
“We’re in the same grade.” The other comments, standing up and walking beside Jimmy. “I’m Mumbo Jumbo, and my school is Inja High School.”
“Seriously?” Grian asked him, raising an eyebrow in question.
The two were at the bus stop outside of the school, sun high in the sky as Jimmy had the club application paper in his hands.
“Yep! I know it sounds absolutely crazy but I wanna try asking Tango to approve the club again.” He spoke, full of determination.
Grian frowned, “Jimmy…”
The other interrupted him before he could speak, spinning around as he gripped the paper in one hand, the other hand pulling down a fist “That day will definitely come! That’s what they sang about in their song, right? So there’s no way I’m gonna give up now!”
Grian’s expression shifted into a warm smile as something within him clicked. “Since you’re so determined..” He paused, a hint of mischief in his eyes as he tapped Jimmy’s shoulder, making him turn his head towards the shorter before Grian snatched the paper out of his hands with his other hand with a “doink!”
“Hey! C’mon!” Jimmy shouted, turning his head around as Grian leaned the weight of his back against Jimmy’s making him calm down in confusion.
“Y’know, ever since you and I were in elementary school I’ve always wondered what it would be like to do something really crazy together..” He said, looking down at the paper in his hands.
“What are you talking about?” The taller asked, puzzled as he glanced behind him at Grian.
“I’ve got swimming… but I can split my time!” He said before grabbing a red pen out from his bag, turning around to use Jimmy’s back as a surface to write on.
He held up the paper to Jimmy, in the name section on the paper was Grian Xelqua under Jimmy Solidarity. Grian simply smirked at Jimmy, handing him back the paper though he knew a genuine smile was hidden under there.
Jimmy couldn’t care though, eyes watering with tears as he took back the paper. “Grian…” He whined, lip quivering in an almost comedic fashion. “You really mean it?” He asked, sniffling. Before Grian could reply, he was wrapping the shorter up into a hug, dropping the paper in the process. “Thank you!”
“You’re crushing me!” Grian yelped, letting out a sigh when Jimmy let go of him, though he kept an arm over his shoulders.
“Alright! We’re gonna be the most awesome school idols this world has ever seen!” He cheered.
“JIMMY!” Grian shouted in alarm as the paper fell directly into a puddle.
They were back in the school council president, Tango’s, office. The two of them stood nervously in front of him as he stared down at the wet application paper. He propped his chin up with his hands, elbows on the desk and fingers intertwined.
“I can’t believe you have the audacity to turn in such a water-logged application. Additionally, you only managed to recruit one other person.” Though his tone was serious and scolding, he was clearly baffled by Jimmy’s abilities to mess up that bad.
“I won’t apologize! I’m committed to this club and I’ll do whatever it takes to start it! I know you’re just testing my resolve ‘cause deep down you want me to succeed—!” He started speaking, cut off by a grumble from Tango.
“You’re delusional!” He snapped, standing up and getting in Jimmy’s face as he slammed his hands on the desk. “I told you before that I will never approve your application!” He shouted.
“And why’s that?!” Jimmy snapped back, slamming his hands down on the desk as well, getting in Tango’s face making the other back up.
“Because I’m the student council president and I say we don’t need school idols here!” He shouted, getting more angry by the second.
“And why’s that?!” Jimmy shouted back, to which he glared in response, letting out a sound of anger. Both of them ignored Grian asking for them to stop.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you! Even if you do start the school idol club, can you compose your own music?” He snapped, to which Jimmy looked at him with confusion.
“What…?” He asked, making Tango look at him with pure and utter bafflement and confusion.
“In order to enter the Love Live competition, each group must perform their own material and that’s only one of the multiple obstacles you’d have to overcome to become a school idol.” He paused, inhaling and adjusting his posture.
“There may be students in Tokyo who can compose, but you won’t find anyone here who can do the same.”
The two sat at the far back of the classroom, laying their heads on their desks. The two of them had given up on convincing Tango very quickly,
“Not one single person signed up..” Jimmy whined, “I can’t believe the student council president was actually right.”
“Yeaaah, starting a school idol club is a lot tougher than I thought.” Grian replied, glancing over at Jimmy.
He huffed, lifting his head up to look at Grian. “I’ll just learn how to write music!”
The other simply laughed, “By the time you’re good at it, we’ll have graduated.” He teased with a playful eyeroll.
Jimmy whined, “True…” He huffed before their attention was brought to the teacher.
“Listen up, everyone.” They spoke, the classroom quieting down. “We have a new student joining our school today.” They continued, glancing over at the door. Whispers quickly spread throughout the room.
And that’s when he walked in.
The same black hair, the same mustache, the same everything.
It was him. Only this time, in a matching uniform.
“I want you all to do your best to help him feel welcome, okay?” The teacher finished, before Mumbo spoke up.
“Hello everyone, I just transferred from Tokyo.” He started, hands clasped together as he spoke. “I’m Mumbo Jumbo, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
And Jimmy’s face lit up with joy.
“It’s a miracle!” He shouted, bolting up in his chair causing Grian and other classmates to look at him with confusion. Mumbo stuttered in surprise.
“Jimmy! It’s you!” He said in shock.
And that moment was the start of everything!
It was like a daydream, he could picture it right then in there. Him, Mumbo and Grian, dancing together and being idols together. It almost felt real, the dancing and the singing. He bolted up to the front of the classroom despite the teacher telling him to sit down.
“Mumbo! Let’s be school idols! We’ll have so much fun together!” He spoke, hand extended out to the other. Sure, he barely knew him, but there’s no way he’d say no, right?
Mumbo laughed softly, Jimmy almost thought he’d say yes.
“I’m so sorry!”