Arc-2 Ep-45
65
“...Well then, let us resume the popularity poll result announcements.”
“Ooh. Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for—the rankings that come with nicknames.”
“Yes! All the Sistema Solare members have also lined up on stage.”
The moment the female MC declared the restart, we stepped out from the wings and formed a line at the back of the stage. The twenty-one people whose names had not yet been called took the central positions, while the remaining members (excluding the 7th-generation rookies) divided into two groups and stood to the sides.
Unlike the announcements for twenty-second place and below, the members of the inner groups Sistema Solare and Dwarf Planet were in different costumes, so the stage looked far more dazzling. Within that glittering formation, Nozomi-chan and I quietly stood near the back, along the edge.
“Then, here we go! ...For the Fifth Sistema Solare
Reiteisai popularity poll, twenty-first place is!?”
“Twenty-first place is!?”
“...Third-generation member, Europa —”
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The announcements for the Seven Satellite slots down to fifteenth place proceeded smoothly. Naturally, my name had not been called, and neither had Nozomi-chan’s.
That meant she was now confirmed to be in Dwarf Planet or higher. As a result, two second-generation members who had been in Dwarf Planet dropped to Seventh Satellite and had their nicknames changed.
Thus, this year’s Seven Satellite ended up consisting of seven people: three from the second generation, and one each from the first, third, fourth, and fifth generations.
“With this, this year’s Seventh Satellite members have been decided!”
“That’s right. That leaves fourteen people, yes?”
“Yes! We are running a little behind schedule, so let us move straight to the fourteenth-place announcement.”
“Here come the five members who will belong to Dwarf Planet!”
“...For the Fifth Sistema Solare Reiteisai popularity poll, fourteenth place is!?”
“Fourteenth place is!?”
“...First-generation member, Pluto —”
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Still, Nozomi-chan’s name was not being called.
An atmosphere began to spread suggesting the possibility that the two rookies might be heading straight into the inner group Sistema Solare.
“...For the Fifth Sistema Solare Reiteisai popularity poll, eleventh place is!?”
“Eleventh place is!?”
“Sixth-generation member, Nozomi Nanazawa-san!!”
“““Oooooh!!!”””
““Uwaaaaa!!””
“Nozomi~n! Congratulations!!”
Her name finally appeared.
That meant the two of us would be active in different units for the coming year. She likely felt the same way, because she exchanged a complicated smile with me before stepping forward into the spotlight at the front of the stage.
“...Congratulations. Nozomi Nanazawa-san.”
“Your very first popularity poll and you are eleventh, straight into Dwarf Planet!?”
“Thank you very much. I never even dreamed this would happen.”
She carried her conversation with the two MCs with a bright, poised smile. While watching her, several members in costumes different from my basic one were beginning to look visibly restless. Only ten people remained whose names had not yet been called. That meant last year’s top nine plus me.
Since my place in the top ranks was essentially certain, it followed that one person would inevitably drop to Dwarf Planet. Naturally, that one person was most likely one of the members who had ranked in the lower single digits last year.
“Then, one last word please.”
“Yes. Thank you very much to everyone who supported me. I will work hard to live up to this result, so please continue to cheer for me in the future as well.”
“We’ll cheer for you~!!”
“Nozomi-ojōsama~~!!”
“Oh, what amazing cheers.”
“Indeed. ...That was sixth-generation member Nozomi Nanazawa-san. Thank you very much.”
“Thank you very much.”
She gave a graceful bow and, just like the members before her, returned to my side.
“Good work.”
“Now it is just Mikuri-chan’s turn.”
I answered with a wide smile without speaking, then turned my gaze forward once more. The tenth-place result was about to be announced.
“...Well then, next is tenth place.”
“The last person who will belong to Dwarf Planet.”
“That is right. ...Then, for the Fifth Sistema Solare Reiteisai popularity poll, tenth place is!?”
“Tenth place is!?”
“...Second-generation member, Uranus — Moyu Kawakami-san!!”
““Uwaaaaa!!””
“Again~!!”
『Kawakami Moyu』
She was the little-sister-type girl in the second generation, a very cute beauty who would turn nineteen this year. Her misfortune was that a first-generation member existed who could be considered an upgraded version of the same little-sister archetype.
Every popularity poll, she lost votes to that overwhelmingly popular first-generation member and could never quite reach the single-digit top ranks. In the first poll she had placed eighth and received the nickname Uranus, managed to retain it in the second poll, but fell to tenth in the third and became the newly created Dwarf Planet nickname Pluto.
In last year’s fourth poll she bounced back to eighth, reclaiming the Uranus nickname from the previous bearer who had dropped below tenth, but unfortunately this year she had fallen back to Dwarf Planet yet again.
The pasted-on smile of the girl walking toward the front of the stage contrasted sharply with the relieved expression of the member who had been ninth last year.
Whether one seized glory or not through the popularity poll affected their entire future as an idol. Even a single rank was something idols fought desperately to raise through sheer effort, and that hard work was what led to success within the idol group.