Arc-2 Ep-48

“First popularity poll ever and you nailed second place! That’s the greatest feat since last year’s Rina Takechi-san!!”

“Yes. As expected, Takechi-senpai’s wall was really high♪”

“No no, this is a rank you can be absolutely proud of.”

I continued the conversation with the two MCs, my smile beaming with genuine joy at having achieved second place. Since that was genuinely how I felt, there was no need to act.

“I think so too♪ All of this is thanks to everyone who voted for me.”

“I voted for you~!!!”

“Me too~~~!!!”

“Really!? Thank you so much♪”

I made a point to catch the audience’s cheers and convey my heartfelt gratitude. This kind of steady support would surely pay off in the future.

“Looks like a lot of the fans here in the venue voted for Kayanuma-san.”

“Seems that way. ...By the way, speaking of Mikuri-san, the drama you made your debut in has been receiving excellent reviews.”

At that point, the female MC brought up the drama I was appearing in. Her main profession was acting, and since she was more than a full cycle older than me, our potential roles wouldn’t overlap for quite a while.

“Is that so? If I’ve contributed even a little to its popularity, I’m happy♪”

“More than a little—I think you’ve contributed a lot.”

“Yes. If we ever get the chance to work together, I’ll be in your care.”

“No, please let me learn all sorts of things from you.”

Being second place allowed me a fairly long segment in the conversation. Afterward, I shared behind-the-scenes stories from the drama and discussed the challenging moments, doing my best to entertain the fans in the venue.

“──Well, we’d love to keep listening, but the staff just gave us the ‘wrap it up’ signal.”

“Already that much time has passed?”

“““Eeeeeh!!!”””

“We wanna hear more~~~!!!”

“Miku-ri~n!!!”

As the MCs began winding things down, disappointed cheers rained down from the audience. I responded with a cute wave, which only amplified the volume of their cheers.

“What amazing support. ...Then, one last word for the fans in the venue and watching on TV, please.”

“Yes. ...Um, thank you so, so much for giving a still-rookie like me this many votes. I want to keep working hard to live up to your support from now on.”

“Yes! Let’s all look forward to Kayanuma-san’s future activities.”

“Indeed. That was sixth-generation member Mikuri Kayanuma-san. Thank you very much!”

“Thank you very much!♪”

Amid thunderous cheers and applause, I bowed and returned to my original spot at the back. On the way, I glanced at the upper screen; my vote total was only slightly higher than third-place Tomomi-san’s.

Compared to the gap between her and fourth-place Erika-san, it was undeniably a close race.

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“...Well then, all that remains is the announcement of first place!”

“This year the total votes increased quite a lot again.”

“Yes! Sistema Solare is growing more and more popular! Who on earth is this year’s number one!!”

Even though only one person remained, the MCs continued their energetic hype work. I couldn’t help thinking it might have been simpler to announce first and second at the same time.

“...I’m sure everyone already knows, but... let’s announce it anyway.”

“Yes! For the Fifth Sistema Solare Reiteisai popularity poll, first place is!?”

“First place is!?”

“Of course it’s this person! Fifth-generation member, Sol — Rina Takechi-san!!!”

“Rina-chuwa~n!!!”

“Rinaaaaa!!!”

“““Uooooooo!!!”””

Screams and deep roars from the packed fans washed over us on stage. The volume seemed just slightly louder than when my name had been called.

“...Her first back-to-back championship!”

“Yes! Congratulations, Rina-san!”

“Thank you very much. This is all thanks to the fans.”

Rina-san stepped into the spotlight and began speaking with the MCs. As expected of someone winning for the second time, her confidence was complete and effortless.

“Look at this! The vote count is incredible too!?”

“Yes, I’m truly grateful for all the support♪”

I glanced at the screen; it was not as overwhelming as the female MC made it sound.

The gap between her and me was roughly the same as the gap between me and Tomomi-san.

If the difference between Tomomi-san and Erika-san was three, then each step inside the top three was about one. It was fair to say a notable margin had opened between the top three and everyone else.

“──Then, could we have one final word for the fans in the venue and watching at home?”

Lost in thought, I realized Rina-san’s segment was already nearing its conclusion. No, that was just my perception; in reality, she probably received more time than I had.

“Yes. Thank you always for your support. Please continue to take care of Sistema Solare from now on♪”

“Popularity poll first place!! Fifth-generation member, Sol — Rina Takechi-san!!”

“Thank you very much!!”

“““Uwaaaaa!!!”””

“Kyaaaaaa!!!”

“Rina-ri~n~~~!!!”

Finally, Rina-san gave a deep bow, and the other members gathered around her in a circle to offer congratulations. I stayed quietly at the back of the group, just a little late.

No, even though I had earned second place, it wouldn’t feel right for a freshly graduated rookie like me to stand at the very front.

“With these results, second-place Mikuri Kayanuma-san receives the nickname Terra. Third-place Tomomi Uchikawa-san receives the nickname Uranus. All others remain unchanged.”

After the female MC announced the nickname changes, the male MC stepped forward to deliver the closing remarks. Unlike the year-end comprehensive concert, the Reiteisai has no ending song performance.

There were members visibly shocked by the popularity poll results, so that choice made sense. The fans might have felt disappointed, though.

“...And so, the Fifth Sistema Solare Reiteisai is approaching its conclusion.”

“Everyone in the venue, everyone watching on television—did you enjoy it?”

“I had fun too, but I’m sure the fans felt it was too short!”

“Yes! I’m already feeling like ‘It’s over already?’”

“It really is a shame, but we’ve reached the closing moment!”

“Then, everyone!”

“See you next year at the Sixth Sistema Solare Reiteisai!”

““Goodbye~~~!!””

The moment the MCs began their final words, we on stage broke the circle, lined up side by side at the front, and began waving. The order was random, but I ended up with Nozomi-chan and Chie-chan on either side of me, waving and calling out our farewells.

Technically, as second place I could have stood closer to the center without issue, but somehow I ended up here. Well, since I would likely have fewer chances to interact with the two beside me from now on, this position was nice in its own way.

And so, smiling and radiating charm toward the place where my name had been called, my second Reiteisai came to its conclusion.