Arc-2 Ep-35

 Spring break ended, and I advanced to my third year of middle school. With the new grade came a shuffle of classes, so the faces in the classroom had shifted somewhat.

That said, my position remained unchanged. As the school’s sole idol and an active performer, I held a unique place in the class. I wasn’t exactly being shunned, but people still seemed hesitant to approach me.

Well, once the big festival in August passed and my idol activities truly picked up, I would probably attend school even less, so this arrangement was fine.

◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆

“—And that concludes the opening ceremony. Be careful on your way home. …Over to the duty students.”

“Stand. Bow.”

“…Ah. Kayanuma, do you have a moment?”

“Yes? That’s fine.”

“Then come with me to the career guidance office.”

“Understood.”

The opening ceremony had concluded smoothly, and I had planned to head home for a bit before going to the agency building when my homeroom teacher, a man, called out to me. Since he mentioned the career guidance office, it was probably regarding high school entrance exams.

“…Sensei, you’re my homeroom teacher again this year?”

“Y-Yes. The principal and others were concerned that a new teacher might have difficulty communicating with you, Kayanuma.”

“I see. Thank you. I’ll probably miss more school starting in the second semester, but please take care of me.”

“…Likewise. I look forward to another year with you.”

I followed him down the hallway, chatting a little.

It seemed that because of me, I had ended up with the same homeroom teacher as last year.

I felt a bit guilty that an ordinary public middle school had to accommodate a super beautiful girl who was also an active idol.

◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆

“Please come in and wait a moment. I’ll call the other teachers right away.”

“Understood.”

After opening the door to the career guidance office, the teacher said that and headed to the nearby staff room. I entered the office and surveyed the unfamiliar interior.

(It’s rather sparse. Though, I suppose it does feel like a career guidance office.)

Along the walls were shelves filled with documents, while two folding tables and four metal chairs occupied the center of the room. Everything looked exactly as one would expect in a school setting.

I ignored that and moved closer to the window.

Drawing aside the white curtains, I looked out over the sports ground, where students who had already begun preparations for club activities were scattered about.

“Jumping into club activities right after the opening ceremony must be tough…”

I murmured to myself as I watched the students organize their equipment. They were probably second-years now. Unaware that an active idol was observing them, they worked diligently to finish preparations before the arrival of the new third-year seniors.

◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆

Knock knock

“Yes.”

I responded to the sound of knocking. When the door opened, three adults entered, led by my homeroom teacher.

“Sorry. We took a bit longer.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Good. Then, please sit over there.”

I took a seat on the designated metal chair, while a young woman in her early twenties sat beside me. Across from us sat a man in his fifties, and next to him my homeroom teacher took his place.

“Kayanuma-kun, the reason we called you here today concerns your high school advancement.”

“Yes.”

The first to speak was the man seated directly in front of me. He was the vice-principal of the middle school. Since passing the audition, we had discussed many things to balance school and idol work, so I knew him fairly well.

The woman beside me was the assistant homeroom teacher. I guessed she had been called to prevent the situation from being me surrounded entirely by men.

“We’ve never had a student quite like you at our school before.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“So we arranged this meeting to hear directly from you.”

Indeed, at an ordinary middle school like this, there was likely no precedent for a student in my position making high school decisions. Well, I had already discussed matters with Taneyama-san, the Genarel manager for the sixth generation, and we had tentatively decided on a direction.

“I see… I did discuss this with my manager, and I do have a tentative preferred high school.”

“…And where would that be?”

“The entertainment course at Private K University Affiliated High School.”

Rina-san was supposed to enroll there this year. In fact, the entrance ceremony might already have taken place.

“Private K University Affiliated High School, entertainment course…”

“…Vice-principal, are you familiar with it?”

“I know the advanced and regular courses at Private K University Affiliated High School. Either way, it’s a challenging school with high academic standards.”

Yes, honestly, it was difficult to get in. Even the entertainment course, designed to train potential advertising figures, had limited spots and was extremely competitive. I had heard that only one or two students from Sistema Solare were admitted each year.

However, once admitted, life as a celebrity became considerably easier. The entertainment course had very relaxed attendance requirements, and somehow students could advance and graduate even with minimal attendance.

That was precisely why the agency wanted to place me there, anticipating my busy schedule.

“They say the agency has the expertise, so we can leave that part to them.”

“That’s a relief. Phew…”

The vice-principal exhaled deeply, evidently relieved. It seemed he had been stressed about managing a student idol’s high school selection with no prior experience.

“They say it will probably be fine, but even if I don’t get in, I’ll attend a high school with an entertainment course. The agency will handle it.”

“Understood. When the time comes, we’ll contact your agency.”

“Yes. I’ll inform my manager as well. It might be faster if the contact comes from the agency.”

The agency would likely manage that smoothly.

After all, they wanted me to focus on my work.

“Yes, please do. Well then, that concludes today. Be careful on your way home.”

“Understood. …Excuse me then.”

“Take care.”

“Goodbye, Kayanuma-san.”

I stood, greeted everyone, and headed toward the door. After bowing once more, I stepped into the hallway and exhaled deeply.

◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆―――――――◆◆◆

(I ended up a little late.)

After changing shoes at the lockers and stepping into the schoolyard, almost no current students remained. Instead, the new first-years and their parents, who would attend the afternoon entrance ceremony, were already starting to arrive.

“Ah! Isn’t that Mikuri-chan over there!?”

“Eh!? No way, it’s really her~!!”

“…She really does go to this middle school~”

“She’s really cute…”

I walked gracefully toward the school gate, a light smile on my face, amidst the stares and excited voices of the new students and parents who had spotted me.