Arc-2 Ep-13

At night, I had been thinking about going to visit Yuna-san’s room, but because we had to get up early, I didn’t have that kind of leeway.

I, a middle school girl, went to bed at a time unthinkably early, but I slept soundly until my phone alarm rang.

After that, I hurried to get ready, finished breakfast at the business hotel’s buffet, and it was already time to head out.

Mami-san, who had stayed at her parents’ home, had been driven here with her family by her father, and together we got into the minivan that Matsuzono-san had rented.

Our luggage was separated and loaded into the regular car that Takamori-san had rented, and with the two-vehicle setup, we headed toward today’s autograph-session venue.

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“Thanks, both of you. For the autographed shikishi for my little sister.”

“That much is nothing~”

“With how many we’re writing yesterday and today, you know.”

Mami-san thanked us for the autographed shikishi her sister had wanted. For something like that, I’d be fine writing any number. Only when giving them to beautiful girls, though.

“How was your first visit home in a while?”

“Hmm. It’s been over half a year since I moved out, but it felt like time had stopped—nothing had changed.”

“That’s a feeling people like Miku and Yuna, who still live at home, wouldn’t understand~”

“I do want to try living on my own, but when I look at someone like Mami-san or Sakiko-san, it seems tough.”

And also, I’d like to bring home a cute girl I like. Since we’re both girls, it would feel safe, but once she comes to my room I’d turn into a wolf. No, it’s not like I actually intend to do anything.

I’d properly court her, then invite her over.

“We’re still in the agency dorms, so it should be easy, though.”

I gaze at Mami-san, who gives a faint, wry smile. She’s not bad, but if I were to get all yuri-yuri in a deep way, I’d want someone cuter. At bare minimum, Nozomi-chan class.

If she were Rina-san class, I’d have zero complaints. It’d be wonderful. Well, if her personality or inner self were really terrible, that would be impossible, though.

Otherwise, maybe someone like Erika Wakisaka-san. Her face is about on par with the rest of the cohort aside from Nozomi-chan, but that body is highly rated.

When I look at her gravure bikini photos, I always think she’s got a great body. I may have lost that thing between my legs, but I’d love to bury my face in that F-cup cleavage.

“In the production dorms, it feels like even your private life is being monitored~”

“If you ask, they’ll prepare meals, they’ll do your laundry, and for that rent it’s cheap, you know.”

Listening to the two in the back seat talk, I look out at the scenery passing by the car window.

Considering how long we’ve been riding, we should be getting close to the destination.

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“…Finally, back at the office.”

“Now that it’s over, it feels short~”

“It doesn’t feel like tomorrow is Monday and school starts again.”

By the third autograph session, it had basically become assembly-line work. Unlike the first one, or the second which was in Mami-san’s hometown, there was nothing notable—just an ordinary autograph event.

After finishing that, we had lunch, moved to the airport, and flew back. While it was still light out, we arrived at the production company’s own building.

Now that we were officially Sistema Solare members, we could proudly use the front entrance.

I carried my hand luggage out of the car, entered inside, and saw the reception desk, but since it was Sunday, the beautiful receptionist was absent.

“I’ll go report to the president. Everyone, …let’s see. Please wait in an available meeting room or the break room.”

“Understood.”

“Someone contact us later with the location.”

“Got it~”

“I really am relying on you.”

Seeing Matsuzono-san head toward the president’s office on the first floor, we aimed for the General Affairs Department on the upper floors.

Takamori-san was moving the company car we had ridden in to the parking lot.

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“We’re back now.”

“Ah, welcome back. Your first autograph session must’ve been tough.”

“Well, yes… By the way, is there any open meeting room?”

“In that case, please use the Fourth Meeting Room. I think Matsunobe-san and the others are there.”

“Sayaka-san and the others are already back?”

“Just a short while ago.”

“I see. Understood, we’ll head to the Fourth Meeting Room.”

“Yes.”

When we asked a male employee in General Affairs about meeting room availability, he told us that Nozomi-chan and the others had already returned and directed us to the room they were using.

In a smaller meeting room further upstairs, it seemed the three members of Sayaka-san’s team were present.

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“…Excuse us.”

It wasn’t guaranteed that only sixth-gen members would be inside, so I entered in a polite manner.

“Oh, Mami and the others came back too?”

“Looks like we were just a little later than you, Sayaka-san.”

The three from our cohort welcomed us in the Fourth Meeting Room.

“Where is Taneyama-san~?”

“She went to report to the president.”

“Same as Matsuzono-san, then.”

There were twelve chairs around the big table, but of course, I sat next to Nozomi-chan.

“Good work, Mikuri-chan.”

“Nozomi-chan, good work.”

She looked at me with a gentle smile. I placed my luggage by the wall beside my chair and looked back at Nozomi-chan’s cute face. There was no trace of exhaustion in her expression.

“How was it on your side?”

“We had three sessions, and overall a little over three hundred people, I think?”

“I see. We also had three, but I don’t think it reached three hundred.”

Sayaka-san and Mami-san chatted, and the remaining Yuna-san and Sakiko-san talked among themselves.

“How was it~ being back home?”

“It was good. I got to see my grandparents too.”

“Oh really~ Did they come to the autograph session~?”

“They did. It was a little embarrassing…”

Within the sixth-gen, faction-wise, Sayaka-san and Yuna-san were the training-school group, while Mami-san and Sakiko-san were the rural general-admission pair, but their combinations today were different.

Well, now there’s also the faction of me and Nozomi-chan, and then everyone else. It’s not like things are tense or anything, though.

“Did anything special happen?”

“Special… maybe just that Mami-san’s little sister came?”

Thinking about Nozomi-chan’s question, I couldn’t come up with anything noteworthy. At most, a cohort member’s family coming to the autograph session.

“Other than that, the food was good. What about your side, Nozomi-chan?”

“For my side, I think the only thing was that Sakiko-san’s grandparents came.”

“Well, yeah, nothing especially unusual is going to happen.”

While we enjoyed chatting with the cute girls, there was a knock, the sound of the lock turning, and the door opened.

“…Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone.”

“Thank you for waiting.”

The ones entering were Taneyama-san and Matsuzono-san, who had gone to report to the president’s office.

“Good work. What was the president’s reaction?”

Representing the six of us present, vice-leader Sayaka-san asked. In response, the sixth-gen managing supervisor smiled.

“He was in a good mood. He said these two sixth-gen teams drew more people than expected.”

“On the other hand, it seems other places had many locations where the turnout was poor.”

We did well, but it seemed the other autograph sessions hadn’t gone as smoothly. As expected, teams without standout members like me and Nozomi-chan must have had it tough.

“I see. Before coming here, with the fifth-gen—”