Arc-2 Ep-12
32
After lunch, we drove about an hour to the second autograph venue. It was the same store chain as the first, so our escort rep stayed the same.
“Event starts at four—rest until then.”
“Got it, Takamori-san.”
“Only thirty minutes~”
“Toilet break first, then behave yourselves.”
Sub-manager Matsuzono-san wasn’t in the waiting room—probably off coordinating with the venue staff. He was male, so he often got kicked out during costume changes anyway.
After Takamori-san gave us the schedule rundown, we took turns at the restroom, changed, and transformed into idols once more.
“Now beginning the Sistema Solare new album autograph event!”
“Woooo!!”
“We’ve been waiting!!”
The store staff’s announcement was met with cheers and applause from the fans lined up outside. Slightly fewer than the morning crowd—still close to a hundred people.
“From sixth-gen: Mami Ichihara-san, Yuna Kanaya-san, and Mikuri Kayanuma-san!”
“Mikuri-chaaan!!”
“Mami~~!!”
Since it was Mami-san’s hometown, the cheers for her were especially loud. Mine dipped a bit, and Yuna-san’s were almost nonexistent. The power of hometown support—unquestionable.
Yuna-san smiled like she didn’t mind. Whether she really didn’t, though, was anyone’s guess.
“As you all know, Mami Ichihara-san is from this city. Could we have a few words?”
“Yes… I’m Sistema Solare sixth-gen’s Mami Ichihara. Um… This is my hometown—”
“Mami, congrats! So happy for you!”
“Th-Thanks.”
Mami-san handled the representative greeting, while Yuna-san and I added a few friendly lines beside her—and the event began. Just like the morning session, most of my visitors were male fans.
But here, quite a few of Mami-san’s acquaintances showed up too. Right now, a high school girl was chatting with her in an oddly familiar tone. Judging by Mami-san’s stiff smile, they weren’t exactly close. More like overly familiar.
“Let’s have a reunion soon!”
“D-Difficult, but… if our schedules match…”
“…Time’s up.”
“Ehh! …I’ll text you, Mami!”
“Y-Yeah. Thanks for coming.”
Once the staff gently guided her out, Mami-san let out a weary sigh.
“Next… CD, please.”
“Ah, yes.”
A rare request—a CD signing instead of a shikishi. Curious, I looked up. A cute middle school girl stood there. Not idol-level cute, but definitely class-top-tier pretty.
“…Ehe. I came anyway, big sis.”
“M-Mutsumi!! You really came!!”
Mami-san’s voice rose—rare for her. From that, it was clear enough—the girl was her sister.
“Mmph. You don’t have to sound that annoyed.”
“Geez…”
“Mami. Sign first.”
“Right.”
Mami-san quickly signed the booklet and passed it to Yuna-san.
“…Handshake?”
“Nah. Let Yuna-san and Mikuri-san handle that.”
“Ah, okay.”
Facing her sister, Mami-san showed a side we almost never saw.
“Yes. Miku.”
“Got it.”
“Yuna-san, take care of my sister.”
“Haha! Of course~ we’re teammates.”
While Yuna-san signed and shook hands with the sister, I signed next and slipped the booklet back into the CD case.
“Mikuri-san, please look after her too.”
“Yes. Though honestly, she looks after me more.”
I returned the CD to Mami-san and shook hands with the sister. Physical contact with a cute girl—always a plus.
“Seriously… Don’t say weird stuff to them.”
“Just asked them to take care of you. Oh, and a shikishi too, please.”
“Fine, fine—go already.”
“Jeez… I’ll be cheering for you. Do your best, okay?”
“Thanks~”
“Thank you.”
Taking the signed CD from her sister, she bowed politely to me and Yuna-san before leaving. As her figure disappeared from view, Mami-san sighed deeply.
“Hometown’s always like this…”
“Yuna-san and I live near the agency—same deal every day.”
“For sure~ high school was such a pain~”
We three sighed in unison—then the staff spoke up.
“Next… shikishi, please.”
“Y-Yes.”
The next visitor was another middle school girl. Probably her sister’s friend. I smiled softly and continued.
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“Good work today.”
“Good work.”
“Early morning tomorrow~”
“First flight out.”
“Once we’re done, it’ll feel lighter.”
Naturally, that last comment came from Mami-san. After the event, we got a bit of rest, then had dinner just with the ff・Fortissimo team.
“Mami’s staying at home tonight, right~?”
“Yeah.”
“Rare chance.”
“Be a good daughter.”
We were staying at a business hotel near the station, a bit nicer than usual. Mami-san’s family home was nearby.
“Tomorrow’s not as early, so that’s a relief.”
“Let’s sleep early tonight~”
“Matsuzono-san, Takamori-san—you two should rest up too.”
“Yes. Once prep and reports are done, we’re turning in.”
“Oversleeping and being late would be a disaster.”
“No way all of us would oversleep~”
Yuna-san laughed at Takamori-san’s deadpan tone. At least one of us would wake up on time. As for Mami-san, her family would make sure she did.
“Mami-san, how’re you getting home?”
“Dad said he’d pick me up if I called. Mikuri-chan.”
“Dads are always soft on their daughters~”
“Mine too—three older brothers, and I’m the baby girl.”
“Four siblings, youngest daughter—definitely spoiled rotten…”
We chatted lively over dinner, laughing between bites. The two agency staff watched over us quietly until we finished eating.