Arc-1 Ep-05
Today’s lesson starts with dance.
Since we sixth-generation trainees haven’t debuted yet, we don’t have any original songs of our own. So for now, we practice dancing to our seniors’ tracks. Today’s assignment is a fairly recent number from our internal group, Sustema Solare. We’re learning the choreography for the backup dancers as part of our standard training.
There are four of us participating in today’s dance session.
First up is Sayaka Matsunobe, the oldest among us—though she’s only a first-year high school student, so still quite young. Coming from the countryside and having passed her audition through another idol training school, she gives off the vibe of a vice-captain. With a tall frame—the tallest among the eight sixth-gen trainees—and a short, boyish haircut, she seems well-suited for cool, androgynous roles. The agency’s probably banking on her to draw in a female fanbase.
[T/N- Sayaka Matsunobe possibility means Pine's delicate and elegant fragrance , I will add name's meaning from now on]
Next is Sakiko Furusawa, a third-year middle schooler. She’s from the countryside too, and moved to the city alone after passing the audition. Now, she lives in the agency’s dorm, balancing both school and idol training. Like Nozomi and me, she didn’t come from a training school, but she’s been looking downcast lately—probably homesick, which worries me a bit. Her appearance—shoulder-length black hair and a fairly average build—doesn’t really stand out.
[T/N- Sakiko Furusawa - Sakiko means Supporting child and Furusawa means old Marsh]
Then there’s Chie Sekiguchi, the youngest of the group and a first-year middle schooler. She’s a local, and a product of our agency’s idol training school—basically a homegrown talent. She joined the school in sixth grade and passed the audition in less than a year, making her a rising star. As for her look? Pure loli. She’s the designated “little sister” type of Sistema Solare, with a petite frame and zero curves—she could easily pass for an elementary schooler.
[T/N- Chie Sekiguchi roughly means gateway to reflective wisdom]
All three of them are quite pretty in their own right, though naturally, they don’t quite measure up to Nozomi or me.
Under the supervision of our female instructor, the four of us dance through the song with the backing track playing. Since we’re still in the early stages of our training, the instructor frequently pauses to give corrections, which makes the session less physically demanding and, overall, relatively easy.
Sakiko ends up getting the most corrections. Sayaka and Chie, both from idol schools, move decently enough. As for me, I sail through the choreography—thanks to my god-given cheat abilities… stamina issues notwithstanding.
“Hmm… Furusawa-san, you’re having the most trouble here.”
“S-Sorry…”
“Phew… Let’s take a quick break to reset. Matsunobe-san?”
“Yes, got it. Five-minute break, everyone.”
Perhaps sensing Sakiko’s mental exhaustion, the instructor calls for a pause. I take a seat beside Sakiko, who’s quietly sipping from a water bottle she pulled from her bag, and I crack open my own bottle of mineral water.
A glance around shows Sayaka and Chie sitting apart from us, catching their breath. Since all four of us are from different cliques, we don’t tend to stick together during breaks.
“…You okay, Sakiko-san?”
“Yeah… Thanks, Mikuri-chan.”
She gives me a strained smile. Being consoled by someone a year younger—if only by a little—must feel a bit embarrassing.
“Ugh… I thought I could dance reasonably well, but when you’re surrounded by people aiming to be idols, the gap really hits you.”
“But you’ve got the best stamina out of all eight of us, don’t you?”
“Well, maybe because I grew up in the countryside. I used to run around outside a lot when I was little.”
That stamina is something I genuinely envy. Even when everyone else is collapsing from fatigue after practice, Sakiko heads home full of energy.
“I’d kill for your dance sense, Mikuri-chan.”
“And I’m jealous of your stamina. Want to trade a bit?”
“Haha, if only we could. Too bad.”
Chatting and laughing during the break seems to lift her mood a little. Her smile softens, and the tension in her shoulders fades. It’s nice to see.
“All right, break’s over!”
“Okay~”
“Got it.”
The instructor signals the end of the break. Sakiko pops up right away and extends a hand to me.
“Let’s do this, Mikuri-chan.”
“Yeah.”
Her soft hand pulls me up, and I grip it back. Honestly, a little physical contact with a cute girl is always a plus. I give her hand a playful squeeze as we line up again with the others. You’d think Sayaka, being the oldest, would be the one to offer that kind of support… but maybe not. The training school kids might see each other more as rivals than comrades. As for me, I just want to get along with all the beautiful girls here.
“Let’s pick up where we left off.”
With that thought, I throw myself back into the lesson. In this garden of beautiful girls, I want to bloom right alongside them.
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“Huff… huff…”
“Your dancing is amazing, Kayanuma-san, but you burn out way too fast.”
“S-Sorry… huff… I-I think I’m… phew… lasting longer than before…”
I used to be completely wiped after just ten minutes of dancing. Now I can push through for twenty. That’s progress, right? Still, the other three seem totally fine, and Sakiko isn’t even winded.
“Meanwhile, Furusawa-san still has plenty of energy.”
“Yes! Stamina’s my strong point!”
“Hmm… If we could just combine Kayanuma-san and Furusawa-san and split them evenly… No, that wouldn’t work. We’d just end up with two average idols.”
My dancing and singing abilities, bestowed by a self-proclaimed god, are supposed to be top-tier on a human level. Trading that away for stamina? Unthinkable.
“For now, Kayanuma-san, take a break and observe. Rejoin once you’ve recovered.”
“Okay~ Got it.”
“All right, the other three, let’s continue.”
Dragging my heavy, overworked body over to the wall, I lean against it and watch the others continue dancing. Unfortunately, none of them have much going on physically, so watching their movements doesn’t offer much… visual reward.