“Now approaching Sector 8 of the Old Velithra Ruins—all Idols, please prepare for landing.” The ship’s intercom echoes with a sterile, synthetic tone.

  A faint buzz hums in my ear as the vessel tilts into descent. The engines whine lower and lower until—thud. The airship lands with a gentle shake that ripples through the floor.

  I take a deep breath. My leg bounces without me realizing—until a firm squeeze around my hand steadies me.

  Tama peeks over and grins. “We got this!”

  I nod back just as the ship’s door unseals with a hiss. Warm light floods in. The brightness hits my eyes like a flash grenade, forcing me to squint until my vision adjusts.

  A figure waits at the center of the landing pad—arms folded neatly behind her back, posture straight, stance wide.

  It’s a girl, taller than the rest of us, her pale blue augments lined with silver accents. At first glance, they look standard—until I realize her shoulders are fully mechanical, her limbs connected straight into metal joints. Only her hands remain human, smooth and natural-looking. Some manufacturers pride themselves on making prosthetics that realistic.

  I recognize those details instantly, but I keep myself composed. I’ve been preparing for this the entire flight.

  I can’t make a fool of myself again… not in front of her.

  Music flares from distant speakers. A swarm of drones bursts into the air like a cloud of metallic fireflies, each one locking its lens on our faces as we step off the ramp.

  We were now live.

  Tama’s still holding my hand as the airship lifts away. A few drones zip in close, catching every blink and breath. Kanna and the white-haired girl are already at the front of the group. Kanna wastes no time claiming attention—blowing kisses, twirling her skirt, her augments flashing with rhythmic pulses of light.

  Professor Hisame strides forward to stand beside Reina and they exchange a brief nod. A drone hovers overhead, spotlighting them both.

  Then Hisame claps her hands—one sharp sound that cuts through the crowd. Instinct kicks in, and everyone straightens into formation like we’re back in basic training.

  “Alright, everyone!” she calls, voice crisp and commanding. “You’re about to begin your Live Orientation Mission!” She points toward the hovering drone above her. “And as you can see, you’ll have a small army of these things watching you the entire time. I’d recommend getting used to them quickly, because from now on, at least one will be following you every day for the next four years!”

  A sigh slips from my lips, but I already knew this was coming. Idols are always on camera—every blink, every breath, every screw-up broadcast to whoever feels like watching.

  If I want to be like Reina, I’ll need as many drones pointed my way as possible.

  But… how am I supposed to do that with Kanna stealing all the spotlight?

  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

  ?????: OMI! I love Kanna Koleida, she’s so pretty! ???

  ??_????: Yeah! Her augments are so ?shiny?

  ?_???-?: I heard that they were made by Idol Corp in collaboration with NeoWave ET.

  ?????: No wonder! I love NeoWave, they sponsor all the best idols.

  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

  -????-: Who are the two blondies holding hands? ??

  ??_??: I think their names are Tama and Buni? They were late for the DID’s speech and met in the lobby.

  ?????: Probably some low AC Idols trying to get some extra spotlight by standing out. ???? Their meeting looks totally staged, and the hand holding is a bit much.

  ?????_?: Nuuuuu! The hand holing is cuuuute~ ??????

  ?-??-??: Yeah, and Tama has an S-Rank AC! She doesn’t need to cheat to steal the spotlight!

  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

  Reina steps forward and lifts a hand to her mouth. “Ahem! Alright everyone, I’ve just sent the mission details to your HoloNodes. Open them up and add them to your Heads-Up Display.”

  I look down at the module on my wrist and focus. My holo-screen flickers to life, and the message she mentioned appears.

  At the bottom is an option: Add to HUD. I tap it, and the data overlays my vision—top-left corner, just under my name and Sync Data: heart rate, Sync Rate, AC stability. Tama’s vitals sit in the top-right, as we already linked up.

  “Your mission,” Reina continues, “is to locate and retrieve a Data Crystal within Sector Eight of the ruins. If you leave the sector or fail to return with the it by the end of the day, you’ll have to retake the mission another time.”

  That sounds simple enough. My radar augments should make it easy to find the crystal and avoid any stray Eidolons. Should be a crepe run for someone like me. And I don’t see Kanna with any antennae on her head.

  A giggle slips out—just loud enough for Tama to notice.

  “You excited to meet your Idol, Bunny-Chan?” she teases.

  I freeze. “Wait, that’s right—I’ll actually get to talk to her before the mission!”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  My face burns. Holding myself together this long around Reina was hard enough, but now I have to speak to her? What do I even say?

  Reina and Professor Hisame start greeting the Idols one by one. Some shake hands, others get extra instructions. I duck behind Tama, using her as a human shield.

  “Oh wow…” Tama mutters, inching forward with a nervous grin.

  What do I say? This is her first impression of me—I have to make it count.

  The white-haired girl steps up next. She gives Reina a short nod, one Reina returns before the girl walks off. Then comes Kanna.

  Kanna approaches slowly. Reina extends her hand—

  “Hmph.” Kanna huffs, turning away without a word.

  My blood boils. I leap out from behind Tama before I even think. “How could she just snub Reina like that?!”

  “Bunny…?” Tama murmurs, but it’s too late.

  Kanna glances over her shoulder with a smirk. “Do you really want to do this again, in front of your Idol?”

  But I don’t care. “I know you don’t like Reina or whatever, but you could at least show an ounce of respect to a Veteran Idol!”

  Reina watches silently, her expression composed but curious.

  “As if I need to respect the falling star who refuses to retire,” Kanna snaps. She turns a cold glare toward Reina. “You should’ve graduated after your fourth year. You’re just a washed-up old hag at this point.”

  Reina’s face doesn’t move—no anger, no surprise—only that same unreadable calm as Kanna turns away and joins the white-haired girl.

  I let out a long sigh, but a soft touch on my shoulder makes me flinch. I turn—and she’s right there.

  Reina Narumi.

  She stands close enough that I can feel the hum of her augments, her hand warm and steady on my shoulder.

  “What is your name, child?” she asks, her voice sharp but gentle at the edges.

  Drones drift toward us, lenses whirring as they zoom in. Their lights paint the air around us in faint halos. I freeze, words caught in my throat.

  No—now isn’t the time to fall apart. I need to be strong.

  I close my eyes, pull in a deep breath, and force the words out.

  “Rika. My name is Rika Kisuragi.”

  She smiles, and the world tilts.

  “That’s an excellent name,” she whispers, before raising her voice for the drones. “Tell me, Rika—why did you want to become an Idol?”

  I blink. The question hits harder than I expect. I became an Idol because of her—because watching her fight made everything feel possible. But how do I say that without sounding like a total fangirl?

  “I wanted to be someone who inspires people,” I manage, the words tumbling out on their own. “I grew up watching your missions, your broadcasts, all of them. They filled me with hope—real hope—and I wanted to give that feeling to others. I wanted to be like you.”

  Reina’s smile softens. “If you want to be like me, then I have only one piece of advice.”

  She releases my shoulder and takes a single step back, the sunlight catching on her silver augments.

  “Don’t try to stand out. Your natural talents will shine if you simply act as yourself. For me, that meant completing my missions as efficiently as possible and taking down enemies quickly, wasting no motion. Follow that, and you’ll become exactly the kind of Idol you’re meant to be.”

  Don’t try to stand out… complete missions as efficiently as possible… take down enemies as quickly as possible.

  I nod, forcing a confident smile. “You got it! I’ll do my best!”

  And just like that, it’s over. Reina moves on, greeting the next pair.

  Tama exchanges a few quick words with her, then turns back to me with a grin.

  Before long, we’re walking toward our transport—hearts pounding, drones trailing close—ready for whatever waits in for us in Sector Eight.

  ?

  Sqwaaaaqaaa!!!

  A metallic shriek rips through the sky. The Flying Raptor Eidolon dives overhead—a metal beast the size of a train car, turbine wings howling as they slice the air in violent bursts.

  Tama and I sprint across the crumbling rooftops of the ruins, chased by the screaming wind of its engines. The bird swoops down, claws out, and I spin on my heel to face it. I draw my Sync Pistol, aim, and fire a burst straight into its wings. Sparks flare as the shots connect, throwing it off balance. It slams into the next building with a thunderous crash, explosions rippling through the structure.

  The roof groans beneath us, cracks spreading fast.

  “Run!” I yell.

  We bolt for the next building. I trigger my spring legs and launch forward, clearing the gap with ease. Tama’s still behind me, her heavy augments firing bursts of thrust as she sprints to keep up.

  “Tama!” I shout, panic spiking. “You’re not gonna make it!”

  But she just laughs, her grin wide and fearless. “No worries! I’m not falling behind that easy!”

  The floor collapses beneath her feet—then she rockets upward, fist punching the air. The momentum carries her high across the gap. She lands in a perfect roll and finishes in a dramatic pose that looks straight out of a highlight reel.

  I can’t help but let out a quick laugh—but it dies as the Raptor bursts from the rubble again. It flaps its massive wings, firing a volley of missile-feathers that scream toward us.

  Tama stomps hard, tearing up a slab of concrete with her augmented arms. She braces it like a shield as the feathers slam into it, explosions hammering against her stance.

  “Hold it—!” I leap from behind her, swinging a heel-kick to deflect the ones that slip past, plasma blade flaring across my foot. “Your turn!”

  She grins, spins, and hurls the slab like a discus. The Raptor rolls aside midair, dodging the projectile before diving down to land. Its shadow swallows us.

  The ground shakes as it stomps, but I vault aside and counter. My spring legs compress, and I launch forward, twisting into a spinning hook kick. My heel-blade ignites, slicing clean through one of its claws.

  The Raptor screams, turbines shrieking. Tama charges in with a thunderous punch, but the creature blasts us back with a burst of wind. The shockwave throws us off our feet. It lifts off again—crippled but airborne, just out of range.

  “Shoot, we can’t take this thing down if it keeps flying away!” Tama growls, slamming her fists together.

  I groan, ears ringing from the turbine shrieks. “We’re not built for this! We’re both ground units!”

  The Raptor banks sharply, turning for another pass. Blades snap out along the edges of its wings—it’s charging.

  I glance around. No way to dodge it in time. If we run, it’ll catch us. I can’t jump high enough to clear it—not while carrying Tama.

  Then I spot it—the hole Tama ripped in the roof earlier.

  “Tama, follow me!” I shout.

  We sprint straight toward the oncoming blur of metal and light. The wind tears at my face, engines screaming closer. At the last possible second, we dive through the hole—and the Raptor’s wings cleave straight through the roof above us.

  We hit the floor with heavy thuds, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs.

  The world goes white with dust. Chunks of debris rain down, clattering off our augments. Somewhere above, the Raptor shrieks one last time—then the sound of metal crashing through concrete echoes from a nearby building.

  I lie on my back, coughing, chest tight. My ears ring as I blink through the haze. Activating my radar augments, I lock onto the Raptor’s signal. It’s still moving—barely.

  The feed pings red as the creature drags itself upright, only to stumble when its ruined leg gives out. It scans the ruins, searching for us, but sees nothing. After a moment, it hovers back into the air, wings sputtering. It perches on a half-collapsed tower, hesitates, then turns and flies off into the distance.

  Tama groans beside me, pushing herself up. She heaves a broken slab of concrete off our backs and tosses it aside with a metallic clang.

  I sit up, hacking dust from my throat, my lungs burning. When I finally look up, Tama’s right above me on all fours, her grin as wide as ever.

  “You alright, Bunny-Chan?” she says, voice bright even through the static crackle of her comms. “That was some real quick thinking you pulled off there!”

  Heat rushes to my face. “Y-yeah!” I stammer, wriggling out from under her. “W-we just need to hurry up and find that data crystal…” My voice drops. “We already wasted a lot of time fighting off that Eidolon.”

  Tama drops her gauntlets with a heavy thud. Before I can say another word, she scoops me up in a tight hug, spinning once with a laugh.

  “We did it, Bunny-Chan!” she cheers, her voice echoing off the broken walls. “We sent that sucker running!”

  “H-huh? Wait—” I start, but then I spot them—half a dozen drones circling overhead, their lenses glinting red in the dusty light.

  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

  ?_??-????: I can’t believe they actually made it out!!! ??

  ??_????: That’s crazy—I legit thought they were toast.

  ?-?_?-?_??: Two ground units surviving a Sky-class Eidolon?

  ?????: Did you see the way Tama moved during that fight? Girl’s built different ???

  ?????_?: OMI, and the part where she landed on top of her at the end?? ?????????? ICONIC

  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

  Right. We’re still live. Every move, every word—broadcast to everyone watching.

  Tama lets go, flashing me another toothy grin before turning to grab her gauntlets. She slings them onto her arms with a hiss of compressed air.

  “Come on,” she says, tilting her head with that same sly smile. “We’ve got a mission to finish.”