Arc-2 SS-05

“Come work hard with me next year♪ I’m really looking forward to sharing the stage.”

I whispered sweetly into Mikuri-chan’s ear, then released her from my arms. Even though she had been sweating on stage, she smelled wonderful. I

was sad to let go, but it couldn’t be helped.

There would be plenty more chances to get closer from now on. I gave her a smile and parted. Lately I’ve been so busy that I head straight to jobs and hardly ever stop by the agency building.

Because of that, the chances to meet the girl I’ve secretly had my eye on—Mikuri-chan—have decreased.

At best we exchange a greeting and a couple of words when we pass in the hallway. Still, having any chance at all is better than nothing. My best friend from high school, whom I’ve liked for years, I’ve only seen twice this year.

She’s a university student and busy, so our days off rarely line up. Well, being an entertainer means my rare days off usually fall on weekdays too. So, frustration has been building up.

In the middle of that, the Sistema Solare full concert gave me an opening, and I ended up going overboard. During rehearsal I managed to act like a proper senior, but…

“You really have taken a liking to that girl, huh, Erika.”

“You thought I was joking, Suzuka?”

She’s one year older, but we’re same-gen second-years and both ranked high from the very first popularity poll, so we’re close. That said, since I like cute younger girls, it’s not in that way.

“No, I know very well you love cute girls.”

“Cute idols heal me just by looking at them.”

“I don’t really get that feeling.”

Suzuka gave a wry smile—she really is the cool type. I draw the male fans; she draws the female ones. That difference might be why we stayed good friends.

“Mikuri-chan, was it? She’ll probably rank high in next year’s poll.”

“Yes! She’ll join our group too!”

“Why did you put so much force into that?”

Since Mikuri-chan and we have different fanbases, we don’t feel threatened by her. The same goes for Rina-chan, Tomomi-chan, and the members who fill the little-sister role.

The ones likely to drop are the two who placed eighth and ninth this year.

“Come on, let’s change and shower quickly. The ones behind us are probably waiting.”

“Okay.”

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Because we’re the top popularity group, we get priority for everything. Even though we were onstage until the very end, we get to use the showers first.

Honestly, I think they should let a few people shower during the encore, but that’s show business for you. If you want priority, gather more popularity.

Sixth-gen Mikuri-chan is dead last in line. Rina-chan, who had just finished showering, was last in line last year too.

“Excuse me, going ahead.”

“Yeah. Don’t catch a cold, Rina-chan.”

“There’s heating, I’ll be fine.”

“Better not let your guard down.”

“Yes, Suzuka-san. Heading back to the waiting room.”

Wrapped in a bath towel, she left the shower room.

“We should hurry too.”

“Looks like a line behind us.”

Because I talked with Mikuri-chan and came back with Suzuka, we were the last ones. I rinsed off the sweat lightly, dried myself with a towel, and picked up my bath towel. I’ll take a proper bath again at home, so this is enough for now.

“Phew…”

Suzuka must have thought the same; she stepped out of the shower booth almost at the same time.

“Erika… haven’t your breasts gotten bigger again?”

“No way. Because of work they measure me often, and my chest size hasn’t changed.”

She looked at me in my bath towel for a moment and said that. The only things that have changed recently are my waist and hips. How exactly is a secret.

“Anyway, let’s go. We have tomorrow too.”

“Right. But even after tomorrow ends, we’ll be busy for a while~”

For popular idol group members like us, December through New Year is peak earning season, packed with jobs.

We might get one day off after the first three days of January at best. And that will probably be spent just recovering from exhaustion and sleep debt.

“First things first—tomorrow. Once that’s over, the next few days won’t be too bad.”

“Then it gets busy again toward New Year’s Eve—that’s been the pattern these past two or three years.”

We’re used to it because we have experience, but it’ll be tough on first-timer Rina-chan. As her senior, I should use this chance to get even closer. Of course, I still have to deepen things with Mikuri-chan too.