Arc-1 SS-08
08
Side Story
Kae Higashiyama
2025
I scream into my room, pounding my favorite pillow against the bed.
“Even falling in Dwarf Planet!? Seven Satellite!? Don’t screw with me!!”
In my very first popularity poll, I just barely managed to enter Sistema Solare. So why have I been slipping ever since—both in rank and in votes?
“I worked hard, didn’t I? And this is the result!?”
My fists weaken, and I collapse against the pillow, chest heaving. It’s crushing—when effort refuses to bear fruit.
“Haa… haa… Everyone’s just…”
I’m tired of the manager hinting about graduation. I’m tired of the other members building walls around me. Who the hell do they think carried Sistema Solare all this time?
It was us—the first-generation members, the ones who built this group from the ground up. And yet, all the spotlight gets stolen by fresh faces like Tomomi Uchikawa and Rina Takechi.
“…And the fans are just as bad. Jumping ship just for looks.”
Fine. I’ll admit it. Next to those two, I don’t quite measure up in beauty.
“Damn… Whatever. What’s done is done.”
Even if it pisses me off, the results are set in stone. I’m 18th place-stuck in Seven Satellite.
“My new nickname is Callisto… Sure, it sounds better than Ganymede or Titan, but it’s only because my rank is so low.”
It has a nice ring to it, yet every time I hear it, bitterness floods in. The only reason I got that nickname is because of a pathetic vote count.
Still, at least it’s something. If I had lost my nickname entirely, the pressure to graduate would’ve been unbearable. No. I have to raise my votes next year. I have to climb back up.
Even if there are still four people below me now, two more newcomers are expected to rank high next year.
“…Mikuri Kayanuma and Nozomi Nanazawa, huh?”
This year’s additions already brought Sistema Solare to 48 members. That’s enough, right?
But the production company keeps chasing numbers. I heard the president let it slip—
They want 50, maybe 60 members. Ideally in the low 50s. Best case, right at 50. Which means, with more newcomers coming in, even more members will be forced out. And everyone knows whose name is written on that list.
“No way!! I’m not ready to quit yet!”
Our production company might dominate the idol business, but in acting? They’re still crawling.
Sure, Tomomi Uchikawa landing drama leads has helped, but it’s not enough.
If I graduate now and try to switch to acting, they won’t be able to push me anywhere near the top.
That’s why I can’t leave Sistema Solare. Not yet. Not like this.
‘Tete-te-tette-te-tete, ton-tore-tette-ro-ro-rete-roron!’
My phone, tossed aside earlier, suddenly explodes with its ringtone. It’s not family. Not friends. They’d know better than to call while I’m fuming over today’s results.
“It’s them. …Figures. Ahem… Hello? …Shut up! More importantly, did you guys actually put in the work to get people voting for me!?”
~~~End~~~