The principal's office.

It was no person's land for us students. Getting sent there meant you were in Trouble, with a capital T. It resided at the end of the faculty building's western wing, second floor. Isolated and proud as it should be. Throughout the summer I have daydreamed about the moment I made my way to the principal's office to request permission to withdraw from the Idol Candidate Program. In a way I'm, getting what I want but...

Not like this.

In my fiction, I would walk confidently to the principal's office, inform her of my grievances and ultimately my case for accepting my request for an honorable resignation from the Idol Program but instead...

"Keep up, Miss Wakabayashi," said the accompanist.

"R-right."

I trailed the accompanist, I feel my anxiety, the vile beast, roaring triumphantly with my heart under its claws.

"We are here."

We stood before twin doors made of dark wood with breathtakingly intricate engravings of Mirai. He tapped his ID at the lock and the indicator lit green. The accompanist then opened the door.

"W-what did I do exactly?"

"I am not informed of the purpose of your summoning."

"..." I had no response but pause.

"The principal will come shortly, please wait inside."

I just nodded and went in, my heart beating fast. The doors closed behind me. After I set myself at the chair across the principal's desk, I fixed my gaze at my lap as an effort to detach myself from the reality of the situation; to pretend I was not there. Still, from my peripheral vision, I could tell that the office was majestic. Everything was big, shiny, and...important. Portraits of previous principals lined the walls, jeering critically at the student sitting across the principal's desk as if saying 'who's this little troublemaker?'

I sat there alone in silence. I waited there for what felt like hours, but most likely it was minutes. The most unbearable minutes.

Finally, the door opened again.

"Ah, you are here already."

I tried to turn around but the chair was too heavy. The unexpected obstacle to proper etiquette made me leap to my feet to make up for it and the rush threw me off-balance.

"Y-Yes. Ohayou gozaimasu." I squeaked as I corrected my footing and looked up.

"Sit down, Miss Wakabayashi." said Principal Deeta Fujioka as she passed me and to get behind her desk to sit at her own chair, more luxurious and comfortable than mine. Then she smiled at me.

I froze. I felt like a prey cowering in front of a particularly playful hunter.

"Miss Wakabayashi?"

"Y-yes?"

"Sit."

And I sat.

"You must be wondering why I called you here," said the principal.

I bowed my head down and shook my head quickly.

She let out a small chuckle and clasped her hands.

"It's my first day today," said Principal Deeta with a frankness I felt I did not earn. "Something I've been looking forward to for so long now, being a principal of such an esteemed academy. It's still hard to believe that I'm finally here," she gestured to the room around her.

"Bu-" I almost blurted out something, but I recovered and closed my mouth. My curiosity and my anxiety fought and resulted in my hand closing my mouth. Ganymede Academy is surely more esteemed, but that doesn't matter, I shouldn't interrupt.

"Of course, it did not come easy." the principal continued. "For a post like this, they dissect not only your career but also your personal life. Whether or not you are an exemplary follower of Mirai. How dedicated you are to the Idolship, etcetera, etcetera."

"It's a big responsibility after all," she leaned forward to look me in the eyes. "We don't want radicals with wild, unholy ideas to contaminate our academy, do we now?"