Arc-1 Ep-15

 The beginning of August, when the Reidaisai festival—where we’re set to debut—is held.

News arrives that a song written exclusively for the sixth-generation members, one only we can sing, has been completed.

That said, we won’t be performing it at the Reidaisai. The festival is mainly for announcing the results of the popularity poll, and as new members, we’ll only be introduced and give our greetings. The completed song will instead be performed at the mini-lives held after the festival.

So, we still have to practice it thoroughly before our debut. Furthermore, it’s already been decided that the song will be included on an album CD releasing around November.

This is standard practice for generation-specific songs, so both we and the fans accept it as normal.

“Alright, it’s finally time, everyone!”

“Yeah, it really feels like things are getting real now, doesn’t it?”

Our debut introduction will take place at a small live house next to the agency building, and the eight of us head there together.

Apparently, until the fifth generation debuted, lower-ranked members and newcomers performed mini-lives here every weekend unless other events were scheduled.

Since Rina Takechi’s debut with the fifth generation, however, the mini-lives have been packed out every time, with fans unable to get tickets.

To solve this problem, the agency hurriedly purchased a nearby defunct live house, renovated it, and made it the new mini-live venue.

The plan had been to return to the original live house once Rina-san ranked higher in the popularity poll and stopped performing at mini-lives, but since Nozomi-chan and I will now be appearing as new members, they’ve decided to keep using the newer venue.

The small live house beside the agency will likely remain in use primarily for practice. Well, with a standing capacity of just 300, it’s nowhere near enough anyway, I think.

I heard that three years ago, the very first Reidaisai was held there with folding chairs set up, but starting from the second one, they began renting larger venues.

This year’s venue has an even bigger capacity, and it will also be broadcast late at night on local terrestrial TV and several independent UHF stations.

That’s probably thanks to Tomomi Uchikawa raising the group’s profile and Rina-san exploding in popularity.

For regions outside the broadcast area, it’ll be uploaded to online video platforms after airing, which means my beauty will finally be revealed to the entire country.

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The song we’ll be performing already has its choreography tentatively completed, with singing parts and stage positions all assigned.

That said, since the eight of us will be crossing paths on stage, there are some details we won’t know until we actually try it out.

First, we’ll confirm those details before finalizing the choreography. The lyricist, composer, and choreographer are introduced to us, and they explain the song’s concept. From their explanation, it feels like a typical idol love song.

Then, we’re handed lyric sheets marked with the lines each of us will sing. We listen to the song once while following along with the sheets. This song is exclusively for the sixth generation, and no other members will ever perform it.

Of course, each generation has its own exclusive song, and we sixth-generation members can’t sing theirs either. As our very first song, the singing parts and stage positions are distributed evenly.

All eight of us get a chance to sing at the center of the stage. For most members, the only time they ever get to sing solo in the spotlight at center stage is in their generation’s exclusive song.

“…The song doesn’t have a title yet, but what do you all think?”

My first impression, after hearing it, is that it’s exactly the sort of song you’d expect an idol to sing. Whether that’s good or bad, I’m not really sure.

“W-We’re going to sing this…?”

“It’s… amazing. Will I really be able to memorize it?”

“It’s a great song, right!?”

Well, since the other members seem excited, it must be a good song. Either way, we don’t have any say in the matter, so this will be the very first song we perform publicly as the sixth generation.

Next, it’s the choreographer’s turn. He has all eight of us stand in our designated stage positions. Under his direction, we rotate and move between positions in a circular pattern. At first, the song is played at a slower tempo, and as we get used to it, the pace is gradually increased.

Since we’re only moving between spots and not yet dancing, it goes smoothly enough pretty quickly. Well, there are individual differences, of course, but thanks to our training, there aren’t many mistakes.

“…Alright. I think there’s room to make the choreography a bit more complex…”

The choreographer mutters to himself, and with that, today’s session ends. We’re given CDs with the demo track and told to memorize the lyrics and practice on our own.

We’re also sternly warned over and over to keep it absolutely confidential. Well, if it leaked before the official announcement, it wouldn’t be surprising if our debut was canceled.

The choreography will be finalized soon, and from now on, practicing this song will become the main focus of our lessons.

“The song’s finally done, huh?”

“Yeah, it really feels like it’s happening now, Nozomi-chan.”

“…I’m getting more nervous, Mikuri-chan.”

We didn’t move around much today, but since it’s the hot season, we decide to shower before heading home.

“If you’re already this nervous, you won’t make it to the Reidaisai.”

“I’m starting to catch your nerves just being around you…”

Some members head into the break room, so only four of us go to the shower room. Besides me and Nozomi-chan, it’s Sayaka Matsunobe-san and Sakiko Furusawa-san—a less experienced pair.

“Aren’t you nervous, Sayaka-san?”

“It’s not like I’m not nervous. But I’ve seen people debut from the training program before, so…”

She comes from a different training program than the one attached to ff-Fortissimo. Sakiko-san, like me and Nozomi-chan, didn’t come from a training program, so she probably feels the same way about memorizing everything.

Well, to be honest, I’m not that nervous myself. That said, without my god-given cheat abilities, I’d probably be so nervous my stomach would hurt.

No, actually, if I didn’t have those abilities, I probably never would have even thought of becoming an idol, so that’s a moot point.

“I might not be able to sleep until the debut…”

“I might lose my appetite too. Well, that could be good for dieting, though.”

“I don’t think anyone here needs to diet.”

“With lessons this tough, there’s no way we could ever gain weight…”

Chatting about these little things, we arrive at the shower room door. Alright, time to enjoy the sight of three beautiful girls in all their glory.