Tales of a Girl Named Tsukiko

“Tsuuuuki!” Sayori whines. “When are you gonna let other people reach #1?”

Her question almost flies over Tsuki’s head as the shorter idol finds herself distracted by the girl standing all alone. Madoka Garcia, currently #2 on the charts, has made a name for herself with her mysterious presence. Tsuki definitely sees the appeal, but does she have to be like that off stage too? She and Sayori try to befriend her, but always manage to run into a wall. Does she not like them?

“Did you get distracted by Garcia again?” 

“No!” Tsuki snaps back, before almost walking into a literal wall. “I heard you the first time! I just haven’t the faintest idea of what I could do about the ratings.”

The tall girl giggles. “Gosh, you talk like a princess or something!”

An old movie star is what Tsuki tries to evoke, but princess works too.

“We should start calling you Tsuki-hime!”

“Tsuki-hime?” She mulls over her newfound nickname. “I like it.”

“Pfff, of course you would.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Cambridge, your recording session starts now!” In the midst of their conversation, a staff member calls for Sayori.

“Ah, I gotta get going now!” Sayori trips over herself as she follows the staff member. “See you later, Tsuki!”

“Knock ‘em dead, darling!”

Sayori winks at Tsuki, who pretends to swoon. What better way to show her the kind of praise she deserves?

Now alone, Tsuki takes a moment to reflect on the past three months. The scoldings she got from her actions at the competition seem so distant now. She smirks at the memory of her stepmom stifling laughter after Tsuki described how she tricked the talent scout. The others were stunned into silence, but her other mom later admitted being impressed. However, they were mostly concerned about the contract. Her mothers tried to do everything in their power to negotiate it over with the Jiyu Records executives, but they couldn’t do much after Tsuki had already signed. They also found out how hard it would be to ground her now that she doesn’t live with them anymore. Instead, Tsuki has her very own apartment in the big city! She misses her parents, though.

Her music career flourishes more than she ever could’ve imagined. With the two singles she has released so far, both debuted at #1 on the Musicon charts. Seeing her own gapped smile on the cover of magazines and flyers still catches her off guard. It’s exhilarating. Not taking her fame for granted proves to be challenging. Tsuki finds herself sharing the same stage as disco legend Donna Stone, shooting the breeze with renowned crooner Takeo Fujisaki; she even managed to bump into one of her favorites, Kenji Kezwick, and he doesn’t even perform anymore! He just happens to be managing a band that sometimes performs on the same shows Tsuki does. She’s aware this life won’t last forever, and it may not even last very long, but she can’t imagine how something like this could end. It’s only been three months, and everyone in Jiyukoku knows her name.

It’s not all glamor and glitz, though. As she walked around the building, she finds herself slowly being crushed under the weight of boredom. Sayori and Madoka are the only kids close to her age, and while the older musicians are nice, they’re usually too busy to keep Tsuki entertained. Since she has a busier schedule than everyone else, there are often times where she’s one of the few artists there. Loneliness and curiosity are her only friends. These ‘friends’ now lead her to one of the upper floors of the building, where a board meeting is being held. With her long hair trailing behind her, Tsuki sneaks over by the door to listen in.

“I have to admit,” The voice sounds like that of an older woman. Tsuki remembers it belonging to President Lucy Hawthorne, CEO of Jiyu Records. “When you signed on three children instead of one, I was about ready to cast you off the payroll!” Tsuki admires her hearty laugh.

Mr. Fredrickson’s nervous laughter can be heard from inside. 

“Ah, yes! It was all my idea!” He claims as if he didn’t get swindled by a 13-year-old. “Why settle for one superstar when we could have three?”

“That’s a nice sentiment and all, but as it stands, we only have two. Matsudo and Garcia’s sales are skyrocketing, but according to reports from the finance team, Cambridge doesn’t seem to have the same staying power.” Hawthorne pauses. “It’s a shame, really. The girl has a wonderful little voice, but she’s just a liiiittle bit too awkward to match the stage presence of the other two.”

Tsuki’s mood shatters. It’s true that Sayori’s singles reach the #11 spot at best, and she never did quite overcome her stage fright, but if she has just a little more time, things will surely turn around!

“We’re going to have to drop her.”

While Tsuki wants nothing more than to kick the door down and demand why they’re giving up on Sayori, one thought keeps her grounded. They’re adults. They probably know what they’re doing better than I do. Her feet carry her away from the boardroom and down the stairs. She has no idea where she’s going, nor does she care, but keeps walking anyway. The idol can’t stop thinking about what President Hawthorne said. How can she let go of Sayori so callously? The CEO has always been so nice to Tsuki and Sayori, too. Why is she suddenly turning on such a sweet girl? Tsuki feels her gut drop as she thinks of Sayori. She doesn’t look forward to breaking the news to her best friend. It’s going to break her heart, and break Tsuki’s heart again in turn. Will it even be right to let her know? 

“Hey. Tsukes.”

Over to her left stands Madoka Garcia, nonchalant as ever. Somehow, she manages to make grabbing a can from the soda machine look cool. Tsuki blinks at her. The lump in her throat from crying combined with the sheer shock of Madoka initiating conversation with anyone, let alone her, makes it hard for the younger girl to speak.

“Ah.” Madoka notices her confusion. “I just realized I’ve never called you that out loud.”

Tsuki manages to laugh a little. “You think of me as Tsukes?”

After guzzling down some of her drink, Madoka nods. The corners of her lips turn down slightly. “Hey... Are you… okay?”

“I’m... fine.” A tear runs down Tsuki’s cheek. She flicks it away.

“You got a favorite drink?”

“Oh, no, please, you don’t have to buy me anything!” Tsuki laughs, a few more tears falling. “I’ll pay for it myself!”

When she inserts a coin and selects her drink, it doesn’t come out right away. Madoka elbows it, and two cans fall into the slot.

“I guess I’m lucky.” ‘Lucky’ is one of the last words Tsuki would describe herself as, despite just doing so.  

Madoka nods, then sips more of her soda. Tsuki stands next to her as she opens up her can. The two drink in silence for a minute or so.

“So... you like cats?” Stumbling upon a chest of rare gems is more likely than hearing Madoka’s voice this much. It’s beautifully monotone. While confused at her question, Tsuki feels honored.

“I love them!” Tsuki responds. “I was going to ask my parents if I could get one, but then... well, this happened.” She laughs.

Madoka nods a couple times.

“Do you like cats, Ms. Garcia?”

Madoka nods again, then pulls something out of her jacket. A strip of cat pictures unfolds.

“These aren’t mine.” Madoka begins. “I hang out at the pet shop a lot. Some are from around the neighborhood.”

“They’re so cute!” For a split second, Tsuki thinks she sees a smile on Madoka’s face.

The older girl takes another swig. “I wanna save enough to buy one. It’s why I became an idol. By the way, thanks.” She nods.

“Oh! You’re very welcome, darli-- I mean, Ms. Garcia! You have such a beautiful voice, it would’ve been a shame if you didn’t get the opportunity! Wait.” Tsuki remembers something. “Doesn’t our apartment building not allow cats?”

“Nope.”

“Then how will you be able to have a pet cat?”

“Guess I’ll have to retire.”

“Wh-what??” Tsuki barely manages to hide her frustration. Her best friend is about to be fired after barely being given a chance, and Madoka’s just going to throw in the towel for a cat? There has to be some deeper reason. “Do you... not like being an idol?”

“It’s okay. I like performing.” Madoka shakes her soda can to gauge how much is left. “Getting to look at the camera equipment photographers use is cool. Maybe I’ll save up for a camera too…” She looks fondly at her cat photos.

“And then you’re gonna quit??”

“Ah?” Madoka snaps out of her daze. “Ah, yeah. Probably.”

“Why?” There has to be a reason for this that isn’t cat-related. Tsuki won’t believe anything else.

“Well…” Madoka tilts her head back. “The pay is… not what I expected. Paying for food and rent leaves my pockets pretty much empty. I’d ask my mom to help me out, but it feels kind of silly, being an idol and all.”

Madoka’s words don’t make sense to Tsuki at first, until she remembers that her parents send her extra money. Suddenly a lot of things become clear to her. Why her parents send her an allowance even though she’s an idol, why her moms are mad about the starting salary listed in the contract, and why Sayori doesn’t have enough money to buy ice cream for their sleepover all points to one issue. Jiyu Records only pays them the bare minimum. She feels so bad for Madoka and Sayori. Thanks to her parents, Tsuki’s able to indulge a little here and there, but what if the others don’t have that? They work just as hard as she does, they deserve to have something extra!

“I’m also not a fan of having to talk to people all the time. Makes it feel like I owe them my personality or something.” The older girl leans against the wall. “Can you believe some people think I’m... cool?”

“Why of course I do!” Tsuki doesn’t understand any of what Madoka just said. Being known by all sounds like a dream, and talking to people comes easy to her. “Hey, I was just thinking. My mothers gave me an allowance, and I was thinking of splitting it with you and Sayori.”

“Oh… Nooooooo, I shouldn’t have said anything about the money thing.” Madoka presses her soda against her forehead. “You don’t gotta give me your allowance.”

“I insist!”

“I can’t.”

“I promise you won’t have to pay any of it back! It’s my money to spend, and I choose to spend it on you guys!” Tsuki stands proud, dearly hoping that this makes her look cool.

“...No thanks.”

Madoka takes the last sip of her soda as she walks away. Tsuki sighs, knowing that she can’t change her mind. As a last ditch effort, she tries something else. “Tomorrow night, me and Sayori are having a sleepover. You’re invited, if you wanna come…”

Madoka stops in her tracks, not turning around.

“I’ll think about it.”

Tsuki is ecstatic. “Thank you Ms. Garcia! We’ll be glad to have you!”

“...You can call me Madoka.” With that, she descends down the stairs, tossing her empty can into the nearest wastebasket. 

Tsuki spends a couple minutes reeling over being on the first-name basis with Madoka. Friendship is imminent. Wait until Sayori hears about this! Tsuki thinks to herself.

Wait until Sayori hears about losing her job.

That particularly rude thought echoes in her mind as she begins to descend the staircase. Before she knows it, she arrives at the bottom of the stairs, standing face to face with none other than her best friend.

“I finished my recording session!” She chimes. Tsuki almost can’t bear to look directly at her. Suddenly, Sayori’s smile fades into concern. “Tsuki. Have you been crying?”

“Yes...” Tsuki confesses. “From shock! Garcia said she might be able to come to our sleepover!”

“You asked her??”

“Yeah! We just had a little chit-chat upstairs. She even said I can call her by her first name!”

“Lucky!!”

“Here.” Tsuki hands her the other can of soda she got earlier. “She told me to give you this.”

“Really??”

“Anything for you, darling! Even Madoka thinks so!” Tsuki can’t help but relish in her friend’s happiness. “By the way, don’t worry about getting the ice cream, I’ll handle it!”

“Thank you, Tsuki!” Sayori opens up her soda can. “This’ll really help me get ready for the performance tonight!”

“About that…”

“Huh?”

Tsuki places both hands on Sayori’s shoulders, staring her directly in the eyes. “Promise me you’ll do your absolute best tonight.”

“Sure!” She looks a little confused at Tsuki’s sudden intensity, but otherwise remains unsuspicious. “I’ll do my very best!”

“Good.”

Maybe she’ll have one last shot.