She would say "Be back at 4 pm!" and then her father would show up and kiss his wife on the cheek. Her father would approach her and take her to school. She's only 14 after all. She would go to school, get bullied, someone gets bullied, or her teacher, Miss Tachibana would get bullied. It's a common thing. She and her teacher were both halfies. Canadian and j.a.panese.

The usual Asian jokes would be everywhere. Eika would look out the window that was never there. She would tap her fingers on the desk, making a melody in her head, and someone would toss a piece of paper behind her head.

After school, she would rush out of her cla.s.sroom and head towards the city to explore things for herself. Her parents would never allow her and ask her to come home right away, but, she wouldn't obey.

She would push herself into the crowd and let the wonders of the city life envelope her. She lives in the wilderness away from these glorious street lights. As she walked down the sidewalk, she saw a long line of customers waiting in front of a store called Iceberg. It's a famous ice cream store because of an idol group named Majestic, but, they retired years ago.

If she saved enough money, she would go here and buy some ice cream for herself.

But today, her life routine was no more.

"Here you go! That's your 31st stamp for this month!" The cas.h.i.+er hands over the member card to Eika after she pressed the sticker on her beloved collection. Eika squeals in delight. Only three more stamps she gets to have the rare coupon that gives you 10% off the menu! You only get to receive this coupon once you attend idol concerts!

"Thank you! Thank you!" She cheers. She takes the tray away from the cas.h.i.+er and heads to a table near the television screen. She takes a bite as she watched the current channel showcasing today's recording of 4RS, a rising girl group that's said to be the next big thing after Majestic. People around the cafe were singing along with the group.

Eika hums her song in her head. She wasn't a big fan of idols like the fans inside the shop are. Iceberg was the home for idol music fans. The segments end with 4RS bowing their heads. Their fans got up on their seats and clapped loudly for the girls.

Eika smiles to herself and claps on her own. She checked her wrist.w.a.tch and was about to leave, but, everyone's movements started to slow down, their eyes are focused on the screen.

An advertis.e.m.e.nt came out of nowhere. The fans who were waiting for the next group to come out were ticked off and made complaints, but, they stopped when the screen flashed an announcement in bold letters.

'Ace Academy, Global Auditions: Ongoing! Print out your application and submit ten songs via email. Visit MSquare Theatre at the expected date if your application is approved!'

'Iceberg customers who attained 30 stamps get to have a slot for auditions seats!'

'Are you ready to be the next big thing?'

Everyone was silent for a moment. It didn't last until chaos erupted in the room and everyone searched through their purse for the stamp card. Some yelled excitedly, some were disappointed, and some could hardly care less. Eika, on the other hand, was bewildered. She didn't even notice that the woman in the register held out an application and a ticket for her.

"Miss Miyamoto? You earned 31 stamps, am I correct?" The woman asked with a clipboard at hand. Eika's head turns to her, and she nods in confusion. The woman smiles, "Congrats, Miss Miyamoto! You're one of the few early birds!"

Eika couldn't comprehend what's going on. She checked her wrist.w.a.tch. It's 3:59 pm. The shop was in chaos. The tv was disconnected. Everyone was screaming at the top of their lungs.

Here she is, on her seat. The life that she thought would be a routine shattered and the song that she made inside her head was louder than before.

She opens her mouth and says, "But miss, I am not a bird."