Arc-2 SS-14
23
Side Story
Kae Higashiyama 3
2026
As soon as the curtain fell and the other members began relaxing or chatting while moving from the stage into the wings,
I walked straight past them without stopping, headed through the backstage area, and instead of going to Seven Satellite’s dressing room, slipped into a toilet at the far end that almost no one ever uses.
Still in my full idol costume, I entered the last stall and collapsed onto the closed toilet lid.
“Damn it… damn it. I was just one spot away…”
Even though I doubted anyone would wander into a bathroom this remote, I still kept my voice low.
I knew I shouldn’t say anything out loud, but in my current state of mind, staying silent was impossible.
While hiding in the deserted, deathly quiet toilet, the reality crashed down on me: for the first time since the second Reitaisai, I had failed to earn a nickname.
Back then, it had still been tolerable.
Dwarf Planet didn’t exist yet, so even losing my nickname, I could deal with it. My popularity ranking had been 12th, there had only been one graduate until then, and even that had been someone who retired from the entertainment industry due to health issues.
But this time was different.
My rank had fallen with every Reitaisai, and now I had lost my nickname at 22nd place.
Even I couldn’t identify anything that might let me climb back up next year, and management surely felt the same.
Which meant the word “graduation” was becoming frighteningly real. No, they were definitely going to push me toward graduation.
If I graduated at next year’s Reitaisai, what would happen?
At least I wouldn’t be thrown out on the street immediately; looking at past graduates made that obvious. Most likely, I would remain under Fortissimo’s umbrella, lose all singing work, and be forced to focus solely on acting or variety shows.
The problem was that not a single former Sistema Solare member had managed to find success afterward.
Of course not.
If someone had the talent to make it on their own after graduating, the agency wouldn’t let them graduate from Shusu-Solare in the first place.
Graduation was simply a polite term for removing people who no longer contributed, even if they stayed in the group.
Even last year’s former captain was struggling.
She had managed to secure drama roles, but never a lead, not even a regular supporting part.
Most were one-off appearances, her variety show bookings had dried up, and now stage plays were her main source of work; seeing her on TV had become rare.
Someone ranked below her, like me, would start from an even worse point. To be blunt, I knew my reputation among agency staff was terrible, so they probably wouldn’t invest much effort in me.
I desperately wanted to cling to Sistema Solare, but I had no idea how.
“…If I can somehow delay graduation by one year and get one more chance at the popularity vote…”
Honestly, being demoted to the mini-live group was nothing but humiliating, yet if there was even a small chance to climb back up, I could endure it. But if there was no chance at all, appearing in a mini-live would feel utterly meaningless.
Still, if I refused, I might not even remain in Sistema Solare long enough for next year’s Reitaisai, let alone stay within Fortissimo.
(Damn it… no matter where I look, everything is pitch black…)
I lowered my head onto my hands resting on my lap and kept muttering when suddenly, I heard voices outside the stall.
(Huh? Who would come all the way to a bathroom this far out?)
I absolutely couldn’t let anyone see me here.
I froze, slowed my breathing as much as possible, and tried to erase every trace of my presence.
“…Right after the show ends, even the bathrooms are packed.”
“Let’s finish up quickly and get back.”
Judging from the voices, there were two people.
I heard the sound of stall doors opening, so they had gone into the ones near the entrance.
From how young they sounded, they were probably Sistema Solare members, but I didn’t recognize their voices. They weren’t veterans or high-rank members; they had to be part of the mini-live group.
(Hurry up and leave already.)
Just as I thought that, the two finally exited their stalls at more or less the same time.
At the sinks, I heard the water running, and then they began talking about the Reitaisai.
“But the top ranks didn’t really change much, right?”
“Yeah. There was some shuffling within the internal groups, but two newcomers entered and two people got pushed out to make room.”
“Well, I’m relieved that she was one of the ones pushed out.”
“Exactly. Management will definitely make her graduate now. I’m really glad.”
“She made the atmosphere awful. I don’t know if she was just oblivious or incredibly thick-skinned, but I really wished she’d noticed already.”
“Right? Does she even understand how much trouble she caused everyone just by being there?”
Heat flooded my head.
There was no doubt they were talking about me.
People who couldn’t even break into the upper popularity ranks had no right to speak about someone who was both their senior and also unpopular.
(No… no… If I cause a scene here…)
“If she had been just one rank higher, we’d have another year of her, so I’m relieved.”
“Seriously. One more year would’ve been tolerable even if we had to stay in the mini-live group together.”
“I kind of wish she’d just quit already.”
“It could happen, right? She might throw a fit like, ‘Me, in a mini-live?!’ with that bloated pride of hers.”
“Ugh, that really sounds like something she’d say.”
“Haha.”
(…You little…!)
My vision went red. I grabbed the small cabinet inside the stall, yanked its door open with force, and stepped out of the cubicle where I had been hiding.
The two girls, startled by the loud bang, turned around, and the moment they saw me, their faces drained of color.
“W-why is Senpai…?”
“Higashiyama-san…”
~~~End~~~