Arc-3 Ep-27

 When you are living through busy days, New Year’s Eve arrives before you even realize it.

Today is the day of the “National Song Contest,” which effectively marks the closer of work for the year.

As for the “This Year Music Award,” unfortunately, we did not win the grand prize.

Fortissimo, the group I belong to, is strong in acting-related work, yet we are still rather weak in the music field, and the label that releases our CDs is not a major one either.

Because of that, we have little affinity with this kind of award race.

For the record, since “Black Globule” was nominated for the grand prize, we received the Outstanding Work Award.

As a female idol group, we are likely being evaluated as flowers that brighten the venue.

Well, the band “FROM 200X,” which won the grand prize this year, has achieved three consecutive victories, so there is a high possibility that things will change next year.

If the president and the other upper management members put in effort at this stage, perhaps next year’s grand prize might even go to a song of ours from Sistema Solare.

It is a story nearly a year away, but it’s fine to hold at least a little hope.

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The appearance of our internal group, “Sistema Solare,” is scheduled for the latter half, around the middle of 9:30 PM.

“Dwarf Planet” is in the first half, at the start of 8:00 PM, and the dressing room preparations are arranged so that they don’t overlap.

The song for Dwa-Pla is “Oort Cloud,” once again a song released after Nozomi-chan joined.

Moyu-san stands at the center, with a formation of four members surrounding her.

“Well, let’s do our best.”

“There are many appearances besides singing, after all.”

Large idol groups are expected to serve as liveliness factors as well, so we are given a fair number of turns.

Naturally, we also have to appear on stage at a certain frequency.

“It’s busy, isn’t it?”

“Well, there’s also the treatment of being flowers.”

“You say that about yourself?”

“It’s a fact that that aspect is expected too, isn’t it?”

As the start time approaches, more members begin chatting to relieve their tension.

Conversely, there are also members who quietly close their eyes, trying to calm themselves.

“I’m starting to feel nervous.”

“I’m still fine, I think. Nozomi-chan.”

She belongs to a different group, but in the dressing room we essentially stay together.

Since we are from the same generation, it’s natural behavior, and there probably isn’t any particular sense of incongruity.

“Mikuri-chan really doesn’t get nervous, huh.”

“I think it’s different when I’m singing. For the rest, I’m just one among the crowd.”

For the opening segment of the song contest, all the performers present at the venue gather together on stage.

In that situation, I plan to behave quietly, holding my breath so that I don’t stand out.

Even so, my rare beauty will probably draw attention.

Due to the popularity vote rankings, I will most likely have to stand next to Rina-san.

Moreover, among all the performers at this song contest, there are no beauties who can rival either me or Rina-san.

There are none among the guest judges either, so it can’t be helped that we inevitably stand out.

Still, the women will probably have their eyes drawn toward the popular male idol groups.

“Shall we head to the stage soon?”

“Yes, Fujiyama-san.”

“It’s finally time~”

“Let’s do our best for about four hours!”

“It’s a long event, isn’t it?”

While chatting noisily, we leave the Fortissimo dressing room.

As we move toward the stage as a single group, familiar faces I’ve often seen on television are heading in the same direction, both ahead of us and behind.

“…It feels kind of strange.”

“I know. Because everyone around us is a celebrity.”

“You all are celebrities too, you know?”

Perhaps she overheard the conversation between Nozomi-chan and me, because Mutsumi-san cut in with an exasperated tone.

“That’s true, but…”

“Because most of them are people we’re meeting for the first time at this song contest. It even felt strange when we went to greet them.”

“Ah. For me too, the first time felt like a dream.”

“I also remember feeling uncertain about whether it was real.”

As expected, many of the members seem to have experienced a similar strange sensation.

If we had had more opportunities to meet celebrities through other work, perhaps it would have felt different.

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Fortissimo’s standing position is around the middle of the women’s side, on stage left.

Near the center, which serves as the boundary with the men’s side, stand enka masters and veteran performers boasting double-digit appearance counts.

The edges are occupied by first-timers or singers and groups whose popularity or recognition appears somewhat lower.

On the women’s side, to the stage-left side of Sistema Solare, stands an idol group similar to ours.

“So our neighbors are Elemental 9999, huh.”

The group name is read as Elemental Four Nine.

It is a popular female idol group composed of four teams of nine members each, making a total of thirty-six members.

Unlike Sistema Solare’s system, once a member belongs to a team, there is no change until graduation or retirement.

The four teams, “Salamander,” “Undine,” “Sylph,” and “Gnome,” compete with one another in popularity.

Their little sister group is “Titania 999,” read as Titania Three Nine.

This group consists of three teams of nine members, and when a vacancy arises in the upper-tier Elemental 9999, popular members are promoted.

The team names are “Elf,” “Cait Sith,” and “Fairy,” and both groups derive their names from spirits or fairies.

Incidentally, they have a longer history than Sistema Solare and, as a female idol group, once held the position of the largest and most popular.

Recently, however, due to the presence of Rina-san and me, they have become evenly matched with us, or rather, some say they’ve been overtaken.

Moreover, it is the very group I had planned to join before entering Sistema Solare.

If Rina-san had not debuted as a fifth-generation member, there was a strong possibility that I would have joined them.

In that case, I wouldn’t have met Nozomi-chan either, which makes fate feel mysterious.

Even so, Elemental 9999, which fans call Ele Nine, has multiple members who qualify as considerable beauties.

There may not be any absolute top-tier beauties in the entertainment world like me or Rina-san, but they still boast overwhelming popularity and stand as a female idol group in a rival relationship with Sistema Solare.