Chapter 69: Wrap Party ①

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Translator: Soafp

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““I-it's finally over…””

The special event, which felt both long and somehow short at the same time, finally came to an end.

The three of us—me, Nodoka, and Airi—sat deeply in our folding chairs, completely drained, letting our bodies sink back into the backrests.

Nodoka turned to Airi.

“Senpai, where would you rank this compared to all the part-time jobs you've done?”

“…Pretty high up there. Let's see… about as tough as moving jobs, I'd say.”

“Isn't that one of those jobs that's famous for being brutal?”

“Yeah. It's been a while since I've been this tired.”

I felt it again today too.

…Physical labor really isn't my thing.

“Sponsor-sama, so you were here?”

Kokoa, now changed out of her outfit, approached us while handing out drinks.

“We should be the ones bringing you refreshments. Sorry about that.”

“No, no! You helped out so much—really, thank you!”

Kokoa bowed politely.

In moments like this, she's genuinely well-mannered.

It was tough, but it felt worth helping.

“Are you heading straight home after this?”

Just as I asked that—

“Ah, wait a second!”

Kokoa quickly pulled out her phone and snapped a selfie.

Apparently, she was going to post it on Twitter with a thank-you message.

“Alright, let's move on to the next part of the schedule!”

“…Huh? Isn't it over for today?”

“The work is over! But now we're going to practice!”

“Practice? At this hour? Do you have a lesson scheduled?”

“No, just self-practice.”

Even after dealing with that many fans, she should've been exhausted.

Yet she still had the energy to train.

All I could do was be impressed.

We got back into the hire car and headed to a rental studio near Kokoa's apartment.

“Do you usually go to practice by train after work like today?”

“Yep! That's why, honestly, getting driven like this is super convenient! Sponsor-sama is the best~!”

“Haha…”

A bad thought crossed my mind.

The other four members—who didn't seem to get along well with Kokoa.

They must know which train lines she uses and which station she gets off at.

(That popularity gap really was brutal…)

Only Kokoa's line had a huge crowd.

The other four lanes were practically empty.

It was painful to even look at.

If they felt jealousy or resentment toward Kokoa, it wouldn't be strange at all.

(…I hope I'm just overthinking it.)

Kokoa casually opened the door to the rental studio.

She probably rents it regularly.

It was a soundproof studio—definitely not cheap.

Since we had nothing to do there, me, Nodoka, and Airi sat on the floor and watched her practice.

“I'm really looking forward to seeing the practice session of the active idol Miyoko-san. I'm sure it's on a level us normal people can't even imagine?”

“Don't put unnecessary pressure on me! And it's not Miyoko, it's Kokoa, secretary!!”

After warming up, Kokoa started playing music and began dancing seriously.

Gone was the smiling idol from the event—her expression was completely focused.

A girl younger than me, working this hard, sweating like this…

It made me genuinely want to support her.

“Give up on leaving me! Before I plant a landmine in front of your house♪”

…As usual, I still can't get used to the lyrics.

---

The next morning, after safely seeing Kokoa back to her apartment—

With tense fingers, I switched on the morning news.

Not just me—Airi and Nodoka were also staring intently at the TV.

“Last night around 9 PM, on the JR—”

The moment the news about a train accident involving a person came on, my heart froze.

No way…

My mouth went completely dry.

“—according to the fire department, a man in his 30s was confirmed dead at the scene. Due to the accident, train services were temporarily suspended—”

Even though it felt inappropriate, I let out a sigh of relief.

The one who died wasn't Kokoa.

But I couldn't save that man in his 30s.

In the end, all I can do is try to keep myself and the people close to me a little further away from misfortune.

Just to be sure, we kept watching the news.

“—today's lucky color is yellow!”

All three of us let out a sigh of relief.

There was no report of any train accident involving Kokoa.

The only thing mentioned was the lightning accident from the guerrilla live.

“Airi, just in case, can you contact the agency and confirm that Kokoa is safe?”

“Got it.”

Airi stepped into another room with her phone, then came back shortly after.

“She's fine. Apparently she's in a lesson with everyone right now.”

“I see.”

I had suspected the other members might've done something out of jealousy, but it didn't seem that way.

If it had been an attack targeting Kokoa, a random man in his 30s wouldn't have been the one to die instead.

(…Yeah, it's probably not that extreme.)

There's a difference between bullying out of jealousy and actually trying to kill someone.

And even if they felt inferior to Kokoa's talent and popularity, they're still people working toward their dreams.

If they crossed that line, their lives as idols would be over.

They wouldn't throw everything away like that.

“But she seems a bit down.”

“Hm? Why?”

Because of the tension with the other members?

That wouldn't be surprising, but…

“She apparently knew the man who died.”

“…Ah.”

Just a cruel twist of fate.

That's something I can't do anything about.

Suddenly, Nodoka grabbed my cheeks with both hands and pulled my face closer.

“Hey, you did your best, and Kokoa is safe! That's enough, right!”

“Y-yeah…”

“So stop making that face, and let's go eat something good!”

She's right.

I did everything I could.

There's nothing more I can do.

And it's not like I'll be involved with Kokoa again anyway.

“…Thanks. Yeah. We didn't get to celebrate yesterday, so let's at least do it ourselves.”

“Celebrating without the person involved is kind of funny.”

“What should we eat? Sushi? Yakiniku?”

“Sushi sounds good, but for stamina, yakiniku might be better.”

“Airi?”

“I'd say yakiniku too.”

Once again, the two of them helped me a lot.

Especially Nodoka's idea to use a car—even if it meant buying one—was the most effective.

Maybe she's actually the most flexible thinker among us.

“Alright, then dinner is yakiniku outside. Nodoka, see you in the evening.”

“Huh? Why are you sending me away?”

“Hm? Don't you have your own stuff to do?”

Nodoka puffed out her cheeks.

“I'm staying by your side the whole time! That's why I even brought Anna-chan!”

…That Anna-chan, who woke up early, is now asleep in her room though.

Seeing this side of Nodoka—how much she likes me—I had no comeback.

Airi chuckled.

“Ren-kun, you should properly reward Nodoka. You were going to do that, right? Today's perfect.”

“Y-yeah! Y-you have to do that! You promised you'd definitely do it this week!”

Nodoka's face turned bright red.

By “that,” she probably meant the “tongue-kissing” promise.

Embarrassing or not, she clearly wants it.

“And today's also the day we make requests from you, right?”

“Oh… right.”

“Let's just do everything at once. Before dinner.”

I thought I was prepared, but I'm still not used to situations like this.

At least now I understand why Nodoka agreed to that outrageous proposal.

…Honestly, the fact that both of them like me—and even accept a two-timing situation—still feels unreal.

“Alright. Let's do it after lunch. And today, outside.”

“Nodoka-san, he says it's outdoor play today.”

“O-o-outdoor play!? A-and in broad daylight…?”

Nodoka gulped.

But she didn't resist at all.

Normally she should refuse—maybe she really is kind of a pervert.

“You've got the wrong idea. Not like that. It's just awkward to do it at home. I was thinking of getting a hotel.”

Doing that at home with my mom and Anna there would be way too risky.

It could get really awkward.

My mom would probably pretend not to notice… but still.

Nodoka's eyes widened.

“A-a hotel… like a l-love hotel!?”

“That's nice, Nodoka-san. You wanted to go to one, right?”

“T-that's not true!?”

“You bookmarked one because the food looked good, didn't you?”

“Ugh…”

Oh right—that incident where she accidentally opened a love hotel page instead of showing me Animate.

Feels like a long time ago now.

Nodoka pulled out her phone and showed me the screen.

“Um… if we're going anyway, how about h-here? It's close, and the food is supposed to be good. Maybe we could just have lunch there too…?”

I was planning on booking a regular hotel, but…

Well, this is a place she wanted to visit someday with her boyfriend.

It's not like it bothers me.

“Alright. Let's head out around 11.”

“O-okay…”

Nodoka squirmed shyly, mumbling,

“Hehe… my first love hotel with my boyfriend…”

Apparently, in her mind, I'm already her boyfriend.

Seeing how happy she looked, I didn't have the heart to correct her.

And then—

Ding-dong—

The intercom suddenly rang.

We weren't expecting any visitors, and I hadn't ordered anything.

Maybe a delivery for my mom?

Not thinking much of it, I stood up and checked the monitor.

But the moment I saw who was on the screen—

I doubted my eyes.

“This is the sponsor's house, right~? Your idol has arrived!”

Bright red hair. Jirai-style fashion—

Kokoa was standing right outside my front door.