Arc-2 SS-11
20
Side Story
Shion Owada
2026
(...Ah... Right, I stayed over at the dorm last night...)
I stretched my right hand above my head, searching for the smartphone I had placed there. Once I found it safely, I checked the time displayed on the screen.
(Nn... About ten more minutes until the alarm goes off...)
As usual, I had woken up before the alarm.
In the entertainment industry, where being late is absolutely unacceptable, this was one of my few habits I could be proud of. Though I wondered whether I could maintain it once work got busier and my sleep became insufficient.
(If only I could get just a bit more work... Well then, time to get up.)
I shifted slightly and looked to my left. There, a fellow sixth-generation member was sleeping soundly. The extraordinary beauty, regarded as the ace of the sixth generation, lay completely defenseless, her sleeping face exposed.
(...She really is cute.)
Mikuri Kayanuma.
Among all the celebrities and candidates I had met so far, she was a superlatively beautiful girl, on par with Rina-chan, whom I had considered the most beautiful. I figured that from now on, Sistema Solare would likely be led by these two.
And I had been chosen for the sixth generation not only to support her, but also the girl named Nanazawa Nozomi. She was an important figure for Fortisimo as well, someone with the faint influence of a major corporate group behind her.
If she became an ally, TV programs and commercial work from her sponsors could follow; if she became an enemy, those opportunities might instead go to a rival group. Not directly, but the president had implied as much when I was selected as a sixth-generation candidate.
Because of that, I had to keep a careful watch on both of them, while also managing relationships with the other sixth-generation members.
(For now, everything seems fine... Though it’s hard to say it’s thanks to me.)
Chie-chan, who came from the same training school, had grown attached to Kayanuma-san, and even the quiet Ichihara-san talked with her frequently. She got along reasonably well with the other three as well. The internal situation was entirely different from the fifth generation, who were a year ahead.
To prevent the sixth generation from turning out like that, I had to keep things moving.
(Really... If only Megura-san put in a little more effort...)
I almost wanted to complain to the fifth-generation leader, who had also come from the training school. Of course, I could never actually say it out loud.
(I can’t exactly say that to someone older and from an earlier generation...)
Rina-chan probably didn’t want to cause me any trouble either, so she never came to me for advice. The fact that she rarely acted as part of the fifth generation might be my only consolation.
Ring ring~ Ring ring~
Lost in these thoughts, my smartphone’s alarm suddenly rang, signaling it was time to wake up.
I hurriedly stopped the sound and began waking the three who were still sleeping soundly.
"Okay! It’s morning! All three of you, get up!"
"Suu... suu..."
"Nn, nuu..."
"... "
Nobody stirred. They were surprisingly difficult to wake up.
"Come on, Kayanuma-san, wake up."
I started with the girl sharing the same futon as me. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I gently shook her. She let out a troubled moan and slowly opened her eyes.
"...Nn, ah, auu..."
"It’s already morning. Time to get up."
"Uu... haa... Sh-Shion-san... Good morning..."
"Yes, good morning. Make sure you wake up properly. I’m going to wake the other two now."
"Fuhaaai~"
Still not fully awake, Kayanuma-san lifted her upper body but remained in a daze, frozen in place. I almost laughed at how ready she looked to fall back asleep, but held it in and moved on to wake Furusawa-san and Kanaya-san, who were still asleep on the bed.
"You two, get up. If you dawdle, we’ll run out of morning time."
~~~End~~~