Arc 3 Ep-05

"--Thank you very much. I'm sure the fans watching at home are delighted as well."

"I can almost hear the yellow screams."

"Yes... Well then, let us welcome our final guests of the evening."

"Everyone from 'Sistema Solare'!"

The previous male idol group's segment had ended, and following the MC actor and assistant announcer’s introduction, we stepped forward.

Several TV cameras turned toward us, no doubt broadcasting our images straight into living rooms across the country.

"Hello, good evening."

"Good evening!"

"Good evening~"

"""...We are 'Sisitema Solare'!"""

For the very first time, I delivered the standard line and struck the adorable pose. The fans watching at home were surely cheering loudly in front of their screens.

"Good evening. Welcome."

"Yes, good evening."

"Good evening."

The MC first exchanged greetings with our leader, Mutsumi-san, and our ace, Rina-san. My turn would come after the assistant brought up the Reitaisai and introduced the change in members.

"It's been about a month and a half since your last appearance?"

"Yes. Last time was right after the new single release."

"...And since then, 'Sistema Solare' has held a popularity vote, and a member change has taken place."

"That's right. Please introduce her."

"Certainly."

A space opened between the leader and the ace, and I stepped into it. With the appearance of the new super-extremely beautiful girl, viewers who had not heard of me before were surely glued to their screens.

"Nice to meet you♪ I'm Kayanuma Mikuri, Terra of 'Sistema Solare'♪ Pleased to meet you♪"

Clap clap clap clap

My friends, the earlier performers, and the program staff all applauded the greeting I had practiced countless times in front of the mirror.

Even to my own ears, it was unbelievably cute, and I was convinced I had just made countless more men fall for me.

"Pleased to meet you. I am the host, Motooka. This is your first live terrestrial broadcast, Kayanuma-san, but you don't seem nervous at all..."

"No, of course I'm nervous. It just doesn't really show, apparently."

"That is a valuable trait for someone in show business. Many people stiffen up so badly their faces freeze."

I carried out the scripted exchange with the MC exactly as rehearsed. Since we had gone through it once beforehand, everything progressed smoothly without any issues.

"--We look forward to seeing more of your success."

"Now then, everyone from 'Sistema Solare' will be performing for us. Kayanuma-san, please give the song introduction."

"Yes... This will be my first performance since joining. Please listen to 'Supercluster'."

"Thank you. Here we go."

After I finished the introduction, we all moved to the center of the studio at the MC’s cue.

I took my position in the formation, struck a pose, and waited for the music to begin.

"...Here it is. 'Supercluster' by the new 'Sistema Solare'..."

As soon as the MC finished speaking, a short intro played and Rina-san lifted her microphone to her mouth. When her part ended, it was finally my turn.

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"""Light that has crossed billions of years~~~♪"""

The pain from my right-hand injury was mild enough that I could endure it with a smile, and once we finished singing, we held our final poses and waited for the song to end. After a moment, the music stopped and the lights slowly dimmed.

"Commercial break!"

"Good work~"

At the staff member’s cue, we returned to the MC and assistant announcer. My role was complete; after the commercial, Rina-san and Tomomi-san would handle the talk segment with the MC.

After that, it would move on to the ending, so my part in Music Window was essentially over.

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"Yes. Good work, everyone. Tomorrow will be your first day off in quite some time. Please spend it without overexerting yourselves."

"Understood."

"It feels like it has been forever~"

"We were so busy with the Reitaisai, after all."

The internal group "Schus-Sola" had the entire Sunday off the following day.

The Sunday after that, the final one in August, was scheduled for a large-scale festival, and most days from Monday onward would be focused on practice for it. Members with individual work would have a particularly tough time physically.

Saturday was also a music festival day, but that one was for "Dwarf Planet" and "Seven Satellite."

In other words, Nozomi-chan would have tomorrow off as well. Not that we had any plans to hang out.

Nozomi-chan had been just as busy as I was, both before and after the Reitaisai, all the way through the end of summer vacation.

Moreover, since she did not have the god-cheat, she probably had it even harder than I did.

And once the second semester began, things would become even more hectic.

Since we were still in compulsory education, the workload was lighter than I had expected. 

Last year, Rina-san had apparently received no such consideration and suffered a great deal, so we were being treated more gently in comparison.

With the current ace Rina-san present, there was no need to overwork me that much.

Though I had already been warned that once I entered high school, I should brace myself, so perhaps I should not expect to attend high school in a normal way.

Thinking about such things, I was driven home by Fujiyama-san. It seemed that as one of the double aces and still a middle schooler, I was being handled with great care by the production company; my father and brothers were grateful for the ride home.