Episode 155 - Thrilling Carat☆

Thrilling Carat☆ (トキメキカラット☆) is the 155th episode of Aikatsu! TV anime series and the 3rd episode of its "4th Season". The episode aired on October 15, 2015.

Story
''The now hottest Jewelry brand "Thrilling Carat" is holding a CM audition, and Akari Ōzora, Sumire Hikami and Hinaki Shinjō have been invited to participate. The three did a lot of research about Jewelry despite their busy schedule in order to pass the audition, and enjoyed it very much. Inspired by the trio, Nono Daichi and Lisa Shirakaba decides to join in on researching...!''

Summary
Waking up before her alarm clock, Nono is observed by Lisa, who asks her what is going on and reminds her they aren't home anymore. Nono is shocked until she remembers they are at Starlight School for idols, then she confesses that it still doesn't feel real. Although its early, the girls decide to go for a jog, and while running around the school grounds they come across Akari and a van. They great each other and Akari offers to let them come and speak to her should they need any help or have a question. Nono and Lisa thank her as she insists they don't need to be so formal with her, boarding the van as they head off.

Later, Akari, Sumire, and Hinaki sit in the cafeteria as Akari recalls running into the girls that morning. Suddenly, they get a message from Orihime and are called to her office, where she reveals pictures of a jewelry collection. Hinaki is able to recognize the brand and comments on it's popularity, which Orihime confirms. She mentions that there is a commercial and they had come to Starlight to look for audition applicants, and she wished to include Luminas as one of the contenders for it. They quickly agree to enter and head off.

In class, Nono and Lisa are introduced to the other students. While Nono proves to be a natural when speaking to everyone, Lisa is a bit awkward at first; only to express embarrassment after Nono calls her by her nickname. To their surprise, they see that they share their class with Hinaki and Sumire.

Once it ends, they run into Juri again and thank her for her help when they came for their entrance audition. She tells them to think nothing of it though, and they explain to Akari that Juri was the one to show them around. Juri momentarily expresses confusion after the word "mightily" until they explain its meaning, then she tries it out for herself, deciding she likes it.

In the Cafeteria, Nono and Lisa get to know Rin and Madoka, but they claim to already know them from seeing them on television. To Lisa's confusion, Madoka uses the same nickname that Nono usually uses for her, complimenting how cute it sounds. Nono then excitedly goes over what she knows about both girls and expresses glee after Rin comments on it while Akari and Lisa watch them. It's then Akari suggests they grab some lunch and the group pick a table to sit at after getting food. During the discussion, Nono and Lisa chat about how idol-filled the school is.

After lunch, Lisa and Nono head out to the training room to jump on the trampoline as the other classmates watch. Then they head into another room for vocal training, where the teacher compliments the girls for their practicing so much in the past and encourages them to keep going, then they finish the day with some dance training with Johnny. Nono expresses how much fun they had, only for Nono to excitedly chat about Johnny referring to them as "honey's", but Lisa is surprised everyone seems to know her "Lisappe" nickname.

In bed that evening, the girls chat more about their excitement for the next day. They decide they have to continue working hard, but as Nono resumes speaking she realizes Lisa has already fallen asleep. She decides to turn in for the night.

The following morning, Akari and Sumire study in the library as Hinaki grabs more books. Nono and Lisa show up to find them in there and question what they are doing. They recognize the jewelry books and they explain their plan to enter the upcoming audition for the jewelry brand. They ask if there would be a written exam to go along with it, and learn that the girls are expanding their knowledge in hopes of shining even further for the commercial. As Hinaki joins them again, Nono and Lisa mention how much they admire them. Hinaki then decides since they have a chance, they should take advantage of the timing and switch their studying to a quiz show format. Hinaki starts by asking, "the meaning of a ring chances depending on which finger it is on. Explain which finger is used to express love and why". Akari struggles to think of an answer, and Sumire chimes in with "the left finger, because the wedding ring goes there". Excited by how fun this looked, Nono asks if they can join them too. As Lisa gently scolds her, the girls agree to let them play too.

Later, the girls head to the Cafeteria. But they focus more on studying the jewelry, rather than eat or drink. Nono finds an article about Birthstones and shows the page to Lisa, only to happily point out her birth month of January, so she has a garnet. She goes on to point out that Lisa, whose birthday is in December, has a turquoise. Akari calls over to them and asks about April, and they show Akari the Diamond before Hinaki reveals her birthday is in June and asks about hers, then she points out that Sumire has an October birthday. They look up June to find a pearl, causing Hinaki to compliment how mature pearl accessories look. For October, they reveal that Sumire has an Opal, which they deem befitting.

Suddenly, Yuu calls out to Akari and joins the girls. Nono is very excited and reminds Lisa that she is in the fashion magazine they read. Nono asks Akari how she knows Yuu, and she explains that she was her original roommate when she first joined the school. Yuu is quick to tell Nono and Lisa that she would like to be their friend and she brings up how Luminas plans to enter the Jewelry audition. She came to lend them a hand and shows the girls her ring collection- which may just be glass beads, but she did do the band designs. The girls are very amazed with the pretty rings, and Yuu explains how she's learned the Hokkaido dialect. She had a recent gig there.

The girls are surprised to know that Yuu designs jewelry, and she explains to them that as a model, she normally wears accessories for the photographs. So she figured it would be fun to design some. She takes out a ring and shows the girls how it looks before mentioning that she wouldn't be surprised if they have the girls take some test shots wearing their rings, so she thought they could practice with hers. The girls get right to work, with Yuu complimenting them for doing really well. Nono and Lisa eagerly watch, with Nono proclaiming that she would go and buy a bunch of them if this photo training was a commercial.

They begin to observe the rings and Lisa tries one on, spotting it from the entire selection and commenting that it is the one she is automatically drawn to. Nono compliments it's mature look and they happen to see the others watching them, causing Akari to recommend that they enter the Audition too. She takes them to see Orihime and she agrees with the idea, saying it sounds interesting. She asks Nono and Lisa if they want to and they agree.

On the day of the auditions, the girls stand around in the waiting room as Luminas, along with Nono and Lisa take their turns in the speaking portions. Followed by Luminas posing for photos, with Akari claiming that their love of jewelry and teaching really paid off. She reveals that both groups managed to pass both parts of the audition.

While in the waiting room again, Nono and Lisa observe a box full of rings. They chat about how they can each choose one to wear for the final audition while two men watch from from afar. They deem Nono and Lisa to be very fresh and comment that they may need to change their plans now- as they originally had only intended on selecting three girls. With that, the eventual winners are announced, with Luminas chosen, along with Nono and Lisa. They are surprised, with the trio congratulating them as Nono excitedly calls to tell her mother the good news. Lisa attempts to get her to wait as the others watch with amusement.

To celebrate the new commercial, the girls put on a concert. While preparing to go on stage Nono and Lisa discuss their families back at home before they change attire and head out, performing "Lucky train!".

After the performance, it is revealed that their families were watching. They continue as the full commercial is shown, with both moms expressing a desire to purchase some of the jewelry now.

Characters

 * Akari Ōzora
 * Sumire Hikami
 * Hinaki Shinjō
 * Nono Daichi
 * Lisa Shirakaba
 * Juri Kurebayashi
 * Rin Kurosawa
 * Madoka Amahane
 * Yū Hattori
 * Matsuri Hasegawa

Trivia

 * Nono and Lisa are revealed to be in the same class as Sumire and Hinaki.
 * The song Promise Carat is heard for the first time.