Arc-1 Ep-12
The first Sunday of July. With the debut discussions looming, everyone is starting to feel a bit on edge.
“Good morning.”
“Morning! Let’s do our best today.”
“G-Good morning…”
“…Morning.”
After arriving at the agency and changing into practice clothes, I head to the break room where the sixth-generation trainee candidates gather before lessons. Today, three people are already there before me. Shion Owada, who always arrives the earliest, Mami Ichihara, and Sayaka Matsunobe. Sayaka-san, a first-year high schooler, is a striking beauty who seems like she’d look incredible in a masculine style and would probably attract a lot of female fans.
Since my aim is to win over female fans rather than male ones, I secretly view her as a rival and haven’t gotten too close to her. Personally, I prefer princess-like girls over princely types, after all. She seems to sense this, and with the uncertainty of whether we’ll debut, her greeting feels somewhat distant. Mami-san has overcome her recent slump and is beginning to regain her energy. The agency staff, along with Shion-san, who is practically the leader of the sixth-generation candidates, must have worked hard to support her.
I haven’t asked, and no one has told me exactly what they did. But if she couldn’t debut after all this, I don’t even want to imagine what would happen to her. That’s why I’m pretty sure she’ll make it. If Mami-san, who was at the highest risk of not debuting, is fine now, then I figure the rest of us will be fine too. I’m guessing the sixth generation will debut as an eight-member group, though I don’t know what the other seven are thinking.
“Morning~!”
“Good morning!”
“Good morning.”
The next to arrive after me is Yuna Kanaya. Following her, Chie Sekiguchi and Sakiko Furusawa step into the break room. Now, all seven of us except Nozomi-chan are here. As I return their morning greetings, I can’t help but notice that Nozomi-chan, who is usually strict about punctuality, still hasn’t shown up.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Less than three minutes after Sakiko-san and the others enter the break room, we hear a knock followed by the sound of the door unlocking. When the door opens, standing there is Yamamoto-san from general affairs.
“…Everyone’s here. The president wants to see you before lessons.”
“Y-Yamamoto-san, Nanazawa-san hasn’t arrived yet…”
“She contacted us saying she’ll be absent today due to family matters. …Let’s go.”
Led by Yamamoto-san, the seven of us leave the break room and head toward the president’s office at ff・Fortissimo. During the walk, no one says a word. Everyone must realize this is about whether we pass or fail for our idol debut.
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The president’s office is located at the far end of the first floor. You’d think it would be on the top floor, but I heard from someone that our president likes to be hands-on and finds going up and down stairs a hassle.
'Knock knock knock'
“…Come in.”
Yamamoto-san knocks on the imposing, high-quality door, and a calm, deep voice answers from inside.
“Excuse us. I’ve brought the seven sixth-generation trainees.”
“Thank you.”
With Shion-san leading, we enter in order of school year. We had discussed this before and decided on this order for situations like this.
“Sorry to call you during a busy time. Could you line up here?”
“““Yes!”””
We line up in front of the president’s grand desk, with Shion-san at the far end. I’m sixth in line, with only Chie-chan behind me. Normally, Nozomi-chan would be in front of me, making me seventh.
“Now… I’m sure you can guess why I’ve called you here at this time—”
As Yamamoto-san stands off to the side, the president leans back in his luxurious chair and begins to speak. He’s close to fifty, but looks younger than his age, though his demeanor doesn’t quite match that youthful appearance. If he’s aiming for a dignified, authoritative presence, he might be better off embracing his real age instead of holding on to a youthful image. While I’m lost in these thoughts, the conversation moves forward, and finally, the words we’ve been waiting for are spoken.
“—Nozomi Nanazawa, who isn’t here, and the seven of you have all been selected to debut as sixth-generation members.”
“…Huh!?”
“R-Really!?”
“Is that true, President!?”
The room bursts with excitement, and several of us can’t help but blurt out in surprise. Shion-san, our de facto leader, speaks up impulsively to confirm with the president.
“Haha, of course. I wouldn’t lie about something like this. You did well, Owada.”
“P-President…”
Having endured a long struggle in this agency’s training program, Shion-san is overwhelmed with emotion. Her dream of debuting as an idol finally realized, her eyes well up with tears, and her voice trembles as she addresses the president.
“The other six of you worked hard and gave great effort too. Honestly, I thought one or two of you might drop out, but…”
“Ah…”
One person lets out a faint sound at the president’s words. As expected, all eyes turn toward Mami-san, who now becomes the center of attention.
“I’m thrilled that the sixth generation will consist of eight members. …However—”
At this point, the president’s tone shifts. His voice drops to a deeper, more serious register as he scans our faces.
“This isn’t the finish line. You’re only just standing at the starting point.”
He’s right. The sixth-generation members haven’t accomplished anything yet. A tense, electric atmosphere fills the space between me and my fellow trainees. Well, with my god-given cheat abilities, I’m confident my future is bright, but for now I read the room and put on a serious expression, locking eyes with the president.
“There will be tough times and hardships. But don’t ever forget to keep pushing forward.”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
“We’ll do our best.”
Hearing our responses, the president gives a faint smile. He’s probably looking forward to the business potential of his new assets—like me or Nozomi-chan, for example.
“…Now, Yamamoto-kun.”
“Yes, sir.”
Yamamoto-san, who had been standing in the corner, moves to the door of the president’s office. When he opens it, a woman in her thirties steps inside.
“Excuse me, President.”
“Yes, come in.”
I realize at once that she’s one of the managers for Sistema Solare. If I remember correctly, she serves as a sub-manager for the main group, Shusutema Solaré.
“Some of you may already know her, but this is Sachiko Taneyama. She’ll be the head manager for the sixth generation.”
“I’m Sachiko Taneyama. I’ll save the detailed introductions for later.”
“She’ll be dedicated to the sixth generation for a little over a year, until next year’s festival. If you need anything, rely on her.”
We each respond while glancing at Taneyama-san. It’s only natural, since she’ll be the agency staff member we’ll interact with the most for the next year or so.
“That’s all from me. …Taneyama-kun, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Understood. …Everyone, let’s move to another room. …Excuse us, President.”
“Mm.”
We all bow to the president, who nods deeply like some big shot, and leave the office. Next, we’ll probably do introductions in another room before starting lessons.
[T/N- You Would notice in this chapter 6th gen number alternate between 8 & 7 , cause when refer to as 7 it was indicating all the present, so it excluded Nanazawa, 6th gen member as follows -
1. Mikuri Kayanuma. (MC) (6th gen)
2. Nozomi Nanazawa. (6th gen) (Probable Female Lead )
3. Shion Owada. (6th gen) ( Defacto group leader)
4. Mami Ichihara. (6th gen) (Country girl 1)
5. Sayaka Matsunobe . (6th tallest among 6th gen , boyish, from countryside, oldest in 6th gen , 1st year highschool)
6. Sakiko Furusawa (6th gen , countryside 3)
7. Chie Sekiguchi (6th gen , homegrown, loli-type)
8. Yuna Kanaya (6th gen, sex appeal)]