Chapter Text
Hands frozen in the air as her breathing finally steadied, Minori came out of her concentrated state. Breathing heavily, her eyes darted between the judges, none of which were looking at her, but instead back down at their papers. The person in the center of the panel, a middle-aged man with a deep frown on his face, glanced at her headshot and directed his sharp eyes back at her. As much as she tried not to flinch at his scrutinizing gaze, her hands shook anyway. The woman next to him slid her paper in front of him, and he nodded seriously before she took it back.
With one final look at Minori, hands folded, the man spoke calmly. “Thank you for giving us your time, miss, but it’s not going to work for us.” Her jaw tightened, trying not to let out a disappointed sigh. After every rejection, it had gotten a bit easier to do so. Instead, she beamed, letting her hands drop in front of her.
“That’s alright.” Her mom had said that it was good to be respectful, even when things didn’t go her way, “ Thank you for this opportunity!” The man nodded at that, raising his arm to motion to the door.
“Would you let the next girl in-” was the last thing Minori heard as she shuffled out the door, head still raised high, not drooping until she was sure the coast was clear. She failed. Weeks of choreographing her own dance, drilling the lyrics into her head, and performing her heart out for every person that would let her didn’t seem to make any sort of difference in the end. She had been so hopeful about this one, since it seemed to be friendlier to beginners, but she was still wrong.
It was almost time for school, as well. Once that started, she’d be swept up with work and catching up with her friends. This would be her last chance for a while, and she missed it by a mile.
The hallway to the exit felt longer than when before, lined with girls, all just as hopeful as she was. She couldn’t help but close her eyes, wishing them more luck than she had. As she pushed the door open, a spray of water pushed against her suddenly. Outside, rain was pouring down in sheets, even though she had sworn the weather had been forecast as sunny that morning. If she had known, she would have brought an umbrella!
Well, she would just have to walk, then! With her pack lifted above her head, Minori made a mad dash for the next sight of shelter. Before she could get a few steps out, a voice rang out next to her. “What are you doing?” She froze, her head snapping next to her, where a girl around her age looked at her curiously. Something about her was strangely familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. Did she go to her school? Wait a moment, she asked her something!
“Me? Oh, I’m just going home!” Minori explained cheerfully, pointing up the street. The girl stared at her for a moment, an almost incredulous expression on her face.
“I know that-” the girl interrupted herself with a huff, folding her arms, “I mean, what are you doing, going out there without an umbrella?”
“An umbrella,” Minori echoed her, fiddling with her hands, “I forgot to bring one!!” Unsure of why this girl was so upset with her, she toed the sidewalk awkwardly. “What are you doing,” she replied, ducking back under the protective awning of the building.
The girl blinked, seemingly surprised at the question being turned back on her, before looking to the side sharply. “I’m, uh, going into this building for something.”
Minori’s face lit up at that, finally finding a common thread she could grasp onto. “Me, too,” she shouted suddenly, before reining herself back in, “or, I was!” This had the opposite effect of what she intended, as the girl just tensed up more, hugging her arms to herself.
“You say that like you already failed,” the girl mused, glancing back at her.
“I did.” Minori nodded, light and careful with her words, “I was turned down.” That earned a raised eyebrow from the girl, who let her arms relax as she walked closer.
“Wait, for real? They rejected you in the audition room?” The girl gawked at her, almost offended for her sake. “What kind of unprofessional quack show is this?”
Minori squeaked at that, waving her hands rapidly in front of her. “No! They were very nice about it. I’d rather know how I did right away instead of later,” she yelped, reasoning with both herself and the girl, who didn’t look entirely convinced.
“Right.” The girl huffed again, tapping her foot rapidly on the hard pavement. Minori followed her gaze to the door of the building, and then it hit her. She wasn’t mad, she was nervous.
“You’re gonna do great!” Minori sidled up to her, smiling brightly. The girl snapped her head back to look at her, an embarrassed look on her face.
She quickly shook her head, lumbering away to sit on the curb. “You don’t know that.”
Minori quickly trailed after her, flopping down next to her. “I know that you came all the way through the rain just to be here, and you stopped me to make sure I wasn’t going into the rain without an umbrella! You must care a lot to do something like that.” The girl’s grip on her hands tightened before dropping to her sides.
“Everyone in there cares a lot,” she whispered, tapping her fingers against the curb, “what makes someone like me so different?” Minori thought for a second before continuing.
“You defended me when you heard that I got rejected immediately. You called them quacks!” Minori giggled, and the tips of the girl’s ears went pink. “That took a lot of guts, I’d say. That’s what makes you different.”
The girl looked at her, that incredulous look back with a vengeance, before a slight smile grew on her face. “Typically, agencies are looking for the opposite of a girl with a bad mouth, but-“ she huffed, the noise closer to a laugh than a sigh, “-if you say so.” Something about that made Minori beam just a bit wider, which wiped the softer look off the girl’s face. “Why are you still here,” she snapped before catching herself and pointedly looking off into the rain, “I mean, um, the storm’s only going to get worse, you know.” Minori followed her gaze, and she felt herself pale a bit. The once-heavy rain had quickly turned into an utter downpour over the course of their conversation. She was so absorbed in cheering this girl up that she hadn’t even noticed.
How was she going to get home at this rate? The plan to run back home was half-baked at best, and that was when it was only sort-of pouring! Minori looked back at the rain, deliberating with herself on what to do. It wasn’t a very attractive option, but it seemed like running was the most solid idea she had. Sure, she would get soaked, and her mom would scold her for putting herself into danger, but she had to get out of this place, somehow! So, she pressed one foot behind her, ready to break into a run to the next roofed shelter in the distance. Before she could take another one, she felt a cold weight press against her hands.
“Wait,” the girl, suddenly right next to her, shook her head firmly, “you can’t seriously be thinking about going out there without anything, right?” Minori looked down, and a purple, polka-dot-patterned umbrella was sitting in her grasp.
She turned it over in her hands, feeling the silky material against her fingers. “I can’t take this. It seems really nice!” The girl let out a sharp sigh before grabbing it and opening it up before handing it back.
“Don’t be stupid. I don’t need it right now. Go home before it gets worse,” she insisted, motioning to the rain plummeting down outside.
Minori just looked up at the umbrella, and a smile settled into her face. “This really is cute. Where did you get it?” She turned around in just enough time to see the girl’s face flush a light pink as she shrunk into herself.
“Shut up. It’s not important,” she muttered, shuffling back over, “Just have it.” Minori stared at her blankly before taking the girl’s hands.
“Thank you, thank you!” She squeezed them tightly before the girl ripped her hands away like she had touched a hot stove. Minori’s face fell at that, and she mentally kicked herself for grabbing someone she just met out of nowhere. “Oh! I’m really sorry. I wasn’t thinking about whether you were okay with that. I should have asked-” The girl quickly shook her head, taking a breath.
“No, it’s fine. You, uh,” she fiddled with her palm slowly, “just caught me a bit off guard. You gotta ask before you just snatch people’s hands like that.” Minori nodded slowly, drawing her own hands back into herself. People were always saying that she was too much, and now it was making someone upset! Today really wasn’t shaping up to be her day, after all.
“Could I have your phone?” Minori’s head snapped back up at that, and she tilted her head in slight confusion. A hand was held out expectantly to her, and despite herself, she handed it over. The girl took it and slowly typed something into her phone before handing it back. When Minori glanced down at it and then back up at her. The girl shifted on her feet, suddenly less confident than she had been the entire time. “I put my LINE in there,” she stuffed her hands into her pockets, glancing at the floor pointedly, “so I can get my umbrella back.”
Minori blinked, before a light giggle bubbled up in her throat. “Thank you! I’ll make sure to return it.” She quickly opened her phone, clicking on the new icon, and typing a quick “Hi!!! I’m the umbrella girl! My name’s Minori! It’s nice to meet you.^ᴖᴥᴖ^”
A light buzzing rang from the girl’s pocket, and she fished out her phone to check. After a few seconds of glancing the message over, she snorted. “I should have expected that you’d message like a dork,” while the sentence she spoke was a bit harsh, her tone was surprisingly fond. Without messaging back, the phone was promptly stuffed back into her pocket, and she glanced past her and pointed. “You should probably get going before it gets worse.” Minori turned around to see that the rain had thinned out slightly, and she nodded.
“You’re probably right,” she gripped the handle of the umbrella tighter, psyching herself to go out into the rain, which was quickly picking back up into a storm. “Thank you again for the umbrella!” Minori took a step before whipping back around. “You’re gonna do great, I just know it!” The girl scoffed lightly at that, shaking her head.
“Yeah, yeah,” she waved her hand dismissively, “I’ll try.” Minori smiled at that, but a yell stopped her from turning back around. “And, um-” the girl looked into her eyes and snapped her mouth shut for a moment, almost chewing on the words she was about to say, before resolving not to say them at all. “Don’t die out there.”
Minori laughed again at that, holding the umbrella above her. “I’ll try,” she echoed, whirling back around towards the pouring rain, just catching the girl’s face falling into a deep frown.
“That’s not a thing you try,” were the last words she heard before she charged out into the storm, now armed with some kind of shelter from the elements raging around her. From there, it was a mad dash back to her home. Well, her rough approximation of where home was, at least. The rain was coming down so heavily that it made it tough to see the sidewalk ahead of her. Still, she could make out the streets on the signs as she passed them, so she had a decent idea of where she was. There was no one else around but her, so she had to rely on herself to find her way back. The pounding on top of her umbrella got louder with every passing moment, and the wind was pressing hard against her as she trudged forward slowly.
How long had she been out in the rain, anyhow? It felt like time had slowed down to a crawl, but the rain slammed onto the umbrella just as fast as ever. While she mused, a strong gust of wind blew against her, ripping the umbrella soundly out of her hands. Minori yelped, chasing after it as fast as her legs would take her. Reaching out her arms to the farthest she could, she just barely gripped the handle, tumbling under the nearest awning and straight onto her stomach.
With the air knocked out of her lungs, she held the umbrella tightly against her chest, squeezing her eyes shut to let the storm take its course. What was she thinking, trying to fight nature of all things! She shakily opened her eyes, reaching inside of her pocket for her phone, and typing in her mom’s number. Pressing it to her ear tightly, she listened to the phone ring over and over again. This went on for a minute or two before Minori hung up, tucking her phone beside her. She sat up, listening to the storm pound against the awning, before her eyes settled on a grasshopper, just a few feet in front of her. It was unbelievably tiny, just the size of her fingernail. When it turned to hop back out into the rain, Minori shrieked, dropping the umbrella to dive forward to catch it between her hands. “No!” Quickly, she brought her cupped hands close to her, hooking the umbrella with her leg.
She took a moment to glance between her fingers, and, thankfully, the grasshopper was still there. Strangely, it didn’t try to hop around or escape her grasp, either. It stayed perfectly still, body faced in her direction. Baffled, Minori lifted the hand that was covering the top half of her makeshift trap, and the grasshopper made no motion in response.
“You’re a bit odd, aren’t you, Mr. Grasshopper?” Minori mused lightly, bringing down a finger from her free hand to lightly tap it on the head. Still no reaction. “Well,” with a bright giggle, she set her hand back into her lap, watching the rain start to slow, “There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m a bit odd, too!” Lifting the grasshopper to her eyeline, she watched the wind push its antennae for a while. “Do you think that girl will message back?” With a deep sigh, she leaned back against the nearest wall that was still protected from the weather, taking out her phone. Still no service. “I hope she did well at her audition,” Minori murmured to the grasshopper, before laughing boisterously. “Better than me, at least!”
With a good-natured huff, she brought her knees to her chest. “I was coming home from an audition, you know. That was the 51st,” she hummed, carefully stroking the insect’s tiny head, “51 auditions, and I still haven’t gotten past the second round.” Dropping her hand softly, she glanced back to the storm. “Do you think it’s me?” She looked back down at the grasshopper, who just stared back up at her blankly. “Am I doing something wrong?” A warm feeling was quickly gathering behind her eyes, and she brought up her free hand to swipe at them before it could overwhelm her completely. “I don’t know why I keep trying, when it always goes the same way-” a buzzing noise beside her interrupted whatever was coming out of her mouth, and she quickly fumbled her phone into her hands.
The first messages that popped up were, predictably, from her mother. There were quite a few, with half asking about her audition, and the other half asking if she was caught in the storm. She smiled, typing a quick “I’m safe, Mom! We can talk about the audition when I get home.” She really was lucky to have a family that cared enough to make sure she was okay.
Just as she was about to put up her phone, another notification appeared on her screen. It was a LINE message, this time. Excitedly, she opened the app up to find a single one.
“I realized that I didn’t message you back. I did okay at the audition.” It was her! She sent a message back! Minori held her breath, waiting to see if she said anything else. The typing notification would load and then disappear for a moment. Finally, after about a minute of that cycle, a new message popped up.
“Thank you.” was all it said.
“For encouraging me.” came right after, and Minori could feel her eyes misting again. Warm feelings of pride and joy grew in her chest, and she relaxed for the first time since she stepped into that audition building. That’s exactly what she had wished, for someone else to succeed where she couldn’t. The sun shone down on her gently, the rain clearing out at last, and it felt like a new sort of beginning.
Maybe it was alright that she hadn’t made it. If the idol world wasn’t for her, then all she could hope for is people like that girl, who would speak their minds. The kind of idol that hopeless people like Minori could believe in. If that’s as close as she could get to her dream, then she could be content with that.
So, she reopened LINE to congratulate her new friend, when the grasshopper finally hopped out of her hands and towards another puddle. Minori gasped, running to catch it again. “Whoa! Hold on, Mr. Grasshopper.” She gently scooped it up into her hands, stepping over the puddle and across the street to a patch of grass. “There you go,” kneeling, she set it back down, waving with her free hand, “thanks for listening to me! Be safe!” The grasshopper hopped down from her grasp, settling down onto the ground. Where it landed glinted against the sun, which caught her eye. Curiously, she crouched down to get a better look.
It was a clover. A three-leafed one, but, with her luck, she hadn’t expected anything more. Still, this one was gorgeous, shimmering a glossy green in the sunlight. It almost reminded her of an emerald, settled into a band of grass and dirt. Transfixed, she reached out to touch it. The grasshopper didn’t move as she approached, but when her finger touched the velvety leaf, the crystalline green shifted to a bright iridescence. The entire plant began to glow, covering the grasshopper, and then the tips of her fingers. Minori gasped, trying to bring her hand back, but it wouldn’t budge. The glow slowly absorbed her hand, then quickly traveled up her arm. Barely having enough time to scream, she was overtaken, and the world went white.