Nono Shibusawa 

My name is Nono Shibusawa! I’m a 16-year-old freshman in high school!
I live in a town that’s… well, pretty rural, and I’ve always dreamed of living in the city someday.
But that doesn’t mean I’m unhappy with my everyday life, okay? My parents are kind, and I get along well with my friends.
…It’s just that I have this vague unease, like, “What do I really want to do?”

Then one day, I decided to challenge myself with a solo dance for our school festival performance.
My dance club is pretty famous, and some of its alumni even became professional dancers.
I love dancing, so I practiced really hard.
It seems my club friends filmed me practicing with their phones and uploaded the video online. Then… it got surprisingly well received!

At the actual festival, people who’d seen the video came to watch our performance, and the event was a huge success!
…I got praised by my senpais too, and I felt so incredibly happy!

The video my friend uploaded online remained popular even after the cultural festival ended, and the view count kept increasing.
Not only that, but more and more people started asking for a new dance video…
I felt a little embarrassed, but since I wouldn’t get another chance for people outside my club to see my dancing, I decided to make a new video myself this time.

I chose the ending theme from a popular anime, since I really loved its pop-style melody.
I came up with my own choreography and danced to it.

That dance video instantly trended and hit 10,000 views in no time!
I was totally shocked.
I never imagined so many people would watch my dance…

The response wasn’t just online; it reached the real world too.
In a small and quiet town like ours, rumors spread fast… Students from other schools who heard about my video started coming to watch me dance after school.

(Ugh, I’m happy… but kinda embarrassed.)
Having so many people stare at me in real life was way more nerve-wracking than I expected.
But then something even more nerve-wracking happened to me! A famous dancer who’s an alumna of the dance club heard about my online buzz and came to see me dance!

“Watching you reminds me of myself back then.”
“R-Really!?”
“Yes. Your single-mindedness, how you pour your heart into dancing… it’s just like me.”

I never imagined a senpai active as a professional would say something like that to me…
My heart was pounding with joy!

“…But that turn in your dance earlier? Maybe it would be better if you did it like this?”

She improvised an arrangement of my dance moves right there and then, showing me how.
(Wow… amazing! The sharpness is totally different! People can move like feathers like that!)

“…What do you think?”
“It was absolutely wonderful! I never imagined that my dance could look so captivating…! I’m so moved!”
“I just made a little adjustment.”

After that, we talked about all sorts of things. Dancing, love, and she even told me a little about how she lives as a professional in Tokyo.

“You’ve got real potential. Keep up the good work!”

My senpai encouraged me like that. I became even more dedicated to dance, determined to live up to her expectations!
Before I knew it, my dance videos were getting around 100,000 views, and they started getting featured on compilation sites more often.

…Seeing my video views go up online really made me happy.
But I hadn’t realized that being seen by so many people meant receiving so many different opinions.

“…Ugh, more weird comments today…”

Lately, my videos have started getting flooded with aggressive, harsh comments. And I don’t know how they found me, but I started getting terrible messages on my social media every day too…

(…If this is how painful it is, maybe I should just quit dancing?)
After thinking that, I stopped uploading videos for a while. I started skipping dance practice, too.

Then one day, I reunited with a senpai who came by as an alumna of our club.
She seemed to sense something instantly when she saw my lackluster dancing and asked me what was wrong. I confided all my worries to her. Then…

“Maybe quitting dance isn’t such a bad idea? If you’re just an amateur who wants a little attention, then stay right where you are. Keep listening only to the words that suit you.”

…Her words were harsh. But thanks to that, I realized just how much of an amateur I really was!
And at the same time, I thought…
(I want to stand in the same world as her…!)

Driven by her tough encouragement, I threw myself into studying dance.
Focusing on becoming a pro changed more than just my technique. My mindset shifted too.

I read all kinds of magazines and researched training methods like strength exercises on my own, putting them into practice.
I used my saved allowance to see various stage performances and movies, striving to broaden my expressive range.

…That’s how I poured all this material into my mind and body, throwing myself into dance practice.

I had only one wish.
(One day, I want to become a professional dancer and stand on the same stage as my senpai!)
…That was all it was.

Even though I started uploading dance videos again and the hate comments kept coming, I wasn’t swayed by those words anymore.

(No matter what anyone says, I have to walk my own path!)
…I carved that thought deep into my heart and kept dancing day after day.

My videos still had hate comments, but lately, supportive comments and praise far outweighed them.
Among them were many warm messages from fellow dance club members saying things like, “Watching Nono dance makes me want to do my best as well.”
Before, getting supportive comments just made me happy. But now, it meant more than that.

“…I want to dance in a way that makes the people who take the time to watch my videos even happier!”

I’d learned to channel that into motivation for my next piece.
Maybe my passion paid off… Before I knew it, my dance videos had surpassed a million views.
(But I can’t stop here! I want to dance more lightly, like a bird! I want to dance on a new stage!)

One day, while I was thinking about all this… I received a scouting email.
“…'Studio KHD'. W-wait! Isn’t this the agency my senpai belonged to when she debuted!?”

With trembling hands, I opened the email. It said, “We would very much like to scout you as one of our talents!”

“…This is it! This is my chance!”

Overjoyed by the scouting email from the agency my idolized senpai once belonged to, I replied expressing my desire to join.
(But… what should I tell Dad and Mom?)
I wrote about my current situation. Then…

“We’re delighted by your passion. However, this is a crucial life decision. Please discuss it thoroughly with your parents and gain their approval before coming here.”
That was the reply I received.

(It’s my dream! I have to tell them!)
I was already in my third year of high school. I knew I’d eventually have to tell my parents about my future plans.

“…Alright!”

Determined, I honestly explained my dream to my parents.

“Dad, Mom… I want to become a professional dancer someday. That’s why I want to move to Tokyo!”
“Huh!? A dancer!?”

They had assumed I’d go to a local university. Plus, they didn’t seem too thrilled about me being fawned over online… At first, they looked displeased.

But in the end,

“…It’s the path you chose, Nono. Go forward with confidence.”

They said that, and supported my future with smiles!

So, after graduating high school, I moved to Tokyo.
My first time in Tokyo! My first time living alone!… Honestly, everything was so unfamiliar, my mind was in a panic! Still, I was filled with excitement. I could finally study dance seriously! I could become one of the dancers at Studio KHD!

…Though, even as an affiliated dancer, I was still very much an amateur. My days were spent attending school to study dance seriously, practicing at the agency in the evenings, and working part-time jobs at night to earn my living expenses.
It was an unfamiliar life, and I made plenty of mistakes at first…
“Can I really make it from here on out?”
I often felt anxious about that.

But what supported my weak-hearted self was, of course, my beloved dance… and also the friend from the same agency who worked hard practicing together with me.

She was the same age as me, but unlike me, she was originally from a prestigious girls’ school in Tokyo.
She also joined Studio KHD because she admired the same senpai dancer I did.
Sharing that same admiration, we hit it off instantly and started practicing together!
Our relationship… wasn’t just about being good friends. It was stimulating, pushing each other to compete and grow!
And together with her… I finally got to enter a dance contest!

“I thought I was giving it my all, but I didn’t even make it past the preliminary auditions… I guess I still have a long way to go.”

It was my first contest. A very prestigious one, considered a gateway for young talents.

“…If I win this, I can take my first step into the professional world…!”
Thinking that, I danced the best I possibly could with what I had.

But… the result was a crushing defeat.
I didn’t even make it past the preliminary round.
The judges’ feedback was that my “basic skills were lacking.”
My friend managed to get through the preliminaries, but she didn’t win any awards.
(Even so… she’s so much more talented than I am.)
I felt like my friend had become this incredibly unattainable, distant figure, and I couldn’t help but tremble.

…After all the judging ended, I watched from the audience as the contest winner beamed a radiant smile on stage.
When I clapped for the winner… tears of frustration streamed down my cheeks.

But I quickly wiped away the tears and clenched my fist tightly.
“…I wasn’t nearly good enough! This is the professional world… I won’t lose! Absolutely not!”
I resolved to level up even more!

After failing the contest, I threw myself into dance lessons with even greater intensity.
But no matter how much I poured myself into dance, I couldn’t quit my part-time job. I wanted to ease my parents’ burden as much as possible.

Inevitably, my life became a cycle of lessons and work.
A friend around my age, whom I met at my part-time job, often said this to me as I lived desperately, drenched in sweat and tears:

“You don’t have to push yourself so hard… You only live once, you know? You’d be wasting your youth if you didn’t do more fun things and shine!”

…Sure, seeing my friends dressed stylishly, hanging out at trendy spots, and smiling happily with their boyfriends, I did feel envious sometimes.

But my youth is dance!
In this very moment, drenched in sweat during lessons… I was confident I was shining brighter than ever!

My friend at the agency must have felt the same way. After all, she practiced just as hard as I did… With her working so hard, how could I, technically inferior, just go out and play?

Another chance came our way for me and my friend, who were pushing through tough lessons every day.
My idolized senpai was now a world-renowned dancer with her own dance team.
We entered an audition for a chance to join that team and debut as backup dancers!
(…I have to win no matter what! I want to be the champion!)
I think my friend felt the same way.
We shook hands and promised to compete fairly.

…On the day of the audition, everyone performed spectacular dances.
(But I won’t care about anyone else’s eyes! I just need to carve out my own beat! Weave it with my fingertips, play free sounds with my palms! That’s my dance!)

And the result was…

“…I won!? Y-Yaaaay!”
My friend sincerely congratulated me on my victory.
And not just her…

“I knew you’d make it here… Welcome. To the professional world.”
My idolized senpai smiled warmly and extended her hand to me!
I gripped that hand firmly, bathed in the spotlight, and resolved.
(My story begins now… I’ll keep playing my beat forever!)