Heeey, Karin!

What's up, Ai? You came all the way to the third years' classroom…

Wanna do a sleepaway training camp with me this weekend? It'll be like a mini one for our final stretch!

You're as impulsive as ever, Ai.

I know, I just thought of it!

So, can we? Can we?

Fine, fine. Let's do it.

Yesss! We'll do girl talk all night long!

Ugh, please don't make it sound like a cheesy teen movie! It's embarrassing!

No! I wanna have some girl talk time!

[Fade in/out.]

*Snore*

Ai? Hey, Aiiii!

Huh?! Was I just asleep?!

*Giggle* You must be tired. Go get in bed if you're sleepy. You'll catch a cold sleeping out here.

Phew, we worked really hard during our mini training camp. I don't get tired easily, but I'm exhausted!

The day was jam-packed. We started with a morning run, then basic training after that, and after lunch we practiced our singing and dancing, then did a workout after dinner.

We got sooo much done!

So, why did you want to suddenly do a training camp?

Hmm… To fan the flames of our fighting spirit!

Fighting spirit, huh. Does this have anything to do with our previous conversation?

What previous conversation?

When you talked about school idols in the wild.

You don't miss a thing, do you, Karin?

That's exactly it!

I want to compete against Setsu and think, “I won!”

To be completely honest, I want that so badly that it's a big reason why I transferred to the Association.

I feel the same way. I want to catch up to her, and then surpass her someday. Setsuna is my ideal school idol.

But Karin, didn't you say you wanted to be like Lanzhu before? I thought you were following Lanzhu's example.

Yeah, I'm following Lanzhu's example because she is the very image of perfection.

It's a long, long road ahead, but I think it's within my reach if I persevere…

I think I can get to Lanzhu's level someday. I believe in myself.

Karin…

But it's different with Setsuna.

We talked about it before, didn't we? Setsuna goes above and beyond at everything, from singing and dancing to working the crowd.

But that's not what's most amazing about her… I can't put it into words.

It's like there's a whole world that only Setsuna can create.

Even when I was a total newbie school idol before, I could tell right away how amazing Setsu is.

Same. I don't think I could ever be quite like her. That's why she's my ideal.

But because she's my ideal, that's exactly who I want to challenge. Do you know what I mean?

Yeah! I want to challenge her and win.

I want to do things my own way, and surpass my ideal with my own merits and charm.

Oh wow! I didn't realize we were so alike. I want to take her on seriously and go beyond what she can do. And while I'm at it, I want to discover something new about who I am.

You said it.

I rebuilt myself from the ground up here, in the Association. If there was ever a moment to overcome a challenge, now is the time.

I want everyone to be floored by the new me.

That's including you, Ai.

Totally. All of us are competing against each other.

I don't just want to beat Setsu. I want to beat you and Lanzhu, Kasukasu, Rinari, Shizuku, and Shio-ti, too. Everyone!

You're all my ultimate rivals, so I want to win!

Man, this is a great conversation. It's like we're in the prime of our youth! I feel like you and I have gotten a lot closer too, ever since we transferred to the Association.

It's true. Normally, I avoid these conversations that sound like lines from a cheesy teen movie.

Ahaha! You totally love them, don't lie!

Yay, somehow I'm not sleepy anymore! Let's keep chatting until morning!

Yeah, okay. Only if you can stay awake, though.