Arc-2 Ep-34

"...It’s such a shame. To think I’m in a different room from Mikuri-chan..."

"Chie feels the same..."

"It’s the result of the lottery, so it can’t be helped."

"But..."

"You two, Kayanuma-san looks troubled. It’s already decided, so no more complaints."

Shion-san scolded Nozomi-chan and Chie-chan, who had been clinging to me. The reason was that we had drawn lots to decide the room assignments for the sleepover.

I ended up in Sakiko-san’s room, together with the sixth-generation leader and Yuuna-san. The remaining three would stay in Mami-san’s room.

"We have to take showers in order, so hurry and let her go already."

"...It can’t be helped."

"I... will endure..."

Lately, these two had become extremely attached to me, probably because they were starting to compete with one another.

"Well then, Nozomi-chan, Chie-chan. Good night."

"Good night."

"Yes. Good night."

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"Phew~ Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Here you go, Furusawa-san."

Sakiko-san had finished her shower, and now we were ready to simply sleep. Her original bed would be shared by her and Yuuna-san, while the borrowed futons were laid out on the floor for me and Shion-san.

Both were single-sized, so it would be cramped for two people, but that didn’t bother me. On the contrary, having our bodies so close would give me a perfect excuse, so I was all for it.

"Leader, what did you think of those girls earlier~?"

"What do I think... as idols?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hmm... What does everyone else think?"

Yuuna-san, who still didn’t seem ready to sleep, asked Shion-san. Perhaps because it was a delicate topic, she hesitated for a moment before passing the question along to the rest of us.

"Eh~ Mikuri-chan?"

Sakiko-san must have found it difficult to answer as well, because she handed the question to me.

In this situation, perhaps it was better for me, virtually guaranteed to become a popular member in the future, to speak first.

"Well... let’s assume they debut in shusu-Solare."

"Assume?"

"Objectively speaking, I think it would be difficult for them to rank high enough in popularity polls to earn nicknames."

"「「「...」」」"

The room fell silent, probably because they hadn’t expected such blunt words from me. It was certainly a harsh assessment, but I didn’t think it was incorrect.

"That’s... true. That might be the general perception."

"It would be good if they could at least be chosen as candidates for the eighth generation."

"But the eighth generation has that rumored little girl~"

As expected, everyone else also couldn’t envision a bright future for them. If only they had joined before the fifth generation, things might have turned out differently.

"As I thought, entering Fortisimo’s training school right at high school enrollment is too late."

"Yeah, our program tends to prioritize younger girls~"

I wished they hadn’t said it so plainly. Shion-san herself only joined Sistema Solare in her second year of high school, even though the rule was to enter at the start of high school.

"I think it all depends on their efforts from now on. I heard the training school is short on talent."

"Assuming that elementary-school girl gets picked for the eighth generation, there’s still one spot left."

"That will depend on the level of the audition applicants, so we can’t really know yet."

If the applicants are of low quality, more trainees from the school might be admitted into Sistema Solare. Ultimately, it all depends on what the management decides, so there’s no point in us speculating.

"By the way... Mikuri, do you have any new solo jobs coming up~?"

At that point, Yuuna-san brought up a new topic. She really didn’t want to sleep yet, it seemed.

"Solo work? There is something, but whether it’s new is questionable."

"Eh, there is? What is it this time? Drama? Movie?"

"It’s a commercial. Apparently a sequel to the previous one."

"The one you did with Miho Miyashita-san?"

"Yes, that one. This time it’s for a cold beverage, from what I heard."

The hot beverage commercial that aired from early December until the end of February had apparently been well-received. With two super-beautiful girls in it, the view count on the official channel uploaded to video-sharing sites was enormous.

Naturally, there would be momentum to shoot the same concept with the same cast again.

"Is it already confirmed?"

"Seems like it. Shooting starts next month, and it’ll air in the summer."

"Heh~"

"It’s summer-style costumes, so I hope the weather is nice on the shooting day."

Since it was April, it shouldn’t be cold, but warmer weather would still be preferable. This time it’s a location shoot in a town a little outside the city. Not an overnight trip; considering the schedule, it’s within day-trip distance.

"I want solo work too~"

"Everyone thinks that, right?"

"The basic rule for Shusu Solare is that solo jobs don’t come until after the first year. Look forward to it after the big festival."

"Yeees."

The rare exceptions to that rule are me, Nozomi-chan, and Rina-san. In other words, unless you have a special background like Nozomi-chan or beauty on the level of me or Rina-san, you’re expected to quietly study and gain experience during your debut year.

"Speaking of which, we really should sleep soon or tomorrow’s lessons will be tough."

"Wow, it’s already this late?"

"This dorm is close to the agency, so I could keep talking longer~"

"No way. Sleep is important."

"Yes, let’s go to sleep."

Yuuna-san resisted, but when the three of us slipped into our futons, even she finally gave in.

"Ah, please leave the night light on. It’s my first time in a new place, so complete darkness would be troubling."

"It’s fine, I always keep the night light on anyway. I’ll turn off the main light now."

Once the exchange between the leader and Sakiko-san ended, the lights went out.

In the dimness, I lay shoulder-to-shoulder with Shion-san and closed my eyes.

"Well then, good night."

"Good night~"

"Good night."