#iv ft4

[lilac-melody]

Fantasia LOVE&KISS Novel Masterlist

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Epilogue

[meltylandartchive]

this is for me and the one other ivhiyo liker in existence and nobody else

[yume-fanfare]

it's real ft4 hours

[kie-kois]

gender envy

[lilac-melody]

Fantasia LOVE&KISS Novel Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional translator

Masterlist here

🎤

After rehearsals, Aizou visited the live house that Iv rented. In between their busy schedules, Aizou and Iv make time for singing lessons. What they do was always the same: Aizou sang on stage, and Iv listened to him from the other end of the venue.

It was a repetitive process. After the two-hour lesson, Aizou sat down on the chair that Iv had brought out for him.

“I think you've got a better voice now than you did at first,” Iv made coffee for two and offered him a cup.

“You think so?” Aizou asked, glancing up at him. “I didn’t realize it myself, but I feel like I can hit pitches that I couldn’t, before. I felt like I was being tuned.” He chuckled and raised the coffee to his lips.

Iv leaned against his desk with a small laugh. “Just a little longer...” He muttered to himself.

Immediately, Aizou thought that he wouldn’t be able to do it.

“You should have more confidence, Aizou. You should realize by now that you have more potential than you think.”

“I’m not sure about that...Yui also told me that I can do things that I don’t seem to be able to do...I wonder if that’s how people see me?”

“Is it possible that, from their perspective, you can do more?”

“I think that you think too highly of me.”

“You think so?” Iv looked at him with a small smile.

“I can’t do many thing...” The words unlike Yujiro nearly escaped his lips, but he swallowed them back along with the coffee that Iv made.

“This is serious, then,” Iv muttered and sighed, “does this mean that we chose you at the auditions because we think too highly of you?”

Aizou, who was about to bring his cup to his lips again, froze.

“At that time, there was only one person who should have been accepted. One of the two finalists was supposed to be chosen. But we chose both of you. It wasn’t just Yujiro.”

“Iv...”

Iv smiled at him and patted his shoulder. “So prove to me that our decision was the right one, okay?”

(I’m not even sure what you saw in me...)

_

When Aizou returned home, he turned on the light and collapsed onto the couch in the living room. The door soon opened and his brother came in while holding Kuro. Since he was the one in charge, he should be the one feeding her. His brother went to the kitchen and shuffled through the fridge.

“Hm...we don’t really have anything. Hey, you want some sushi? Your treat, of course~”

(I don’t give a shit!)

Aizou frowned and ignored his brother, standing up and grabbing his bag. He walked over to his room before pausing halfway. “...Hey...” He spoke up.

Ken, who was going through the cupboards to look for a cup of noodles, glanced at him.

“...Was...was I a decent singer, back in elementary school..?”

When he asked in a hushed voice, his brother rolled his eyes and looked at Kuro. Kuro, who had been curled up cozily in his brother's arms, purred affectionately.

When Aizou was in elementary school, he used to sing all the time. In music class, the teacher praised him a lot. His mother entered him in a singing competition because hiss teacher suggested that he should try it.

Most of the children who enter competitions are those who take singing lessons or are members of some choir.

How could he, who was not under the guidance of a teacher, win the competition? Was it just luck? My brother thought for a moment and then turned his head.

“Well?”

Asking him was a waste of time. Aizou sighed.

“I don’t know if you were really all that good, but I know that you were always singing,” Ken finally said, putting a kettle on the stove and waiting for the water to boil. “...Do you want a bowl of katsudon?”

(I really don’t give a shit!)

Aizou stormed inside of his room and slammed his door shut instead of replying.

He began to study his math reference book and textbooks, when he suddenly heard Kuro’s mewls.

It had been about two hours since he had locked himself in his room. It was past eleven o'clock by the time he looked at his watch.

(Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten dinner yet...)

He got up and came out of his room, finding Kuro sitting on the floor. His brother was nowhere to be found, so he must have gone out somewhere. 

(Dammit, if you’re not going to be home, at least turn off the lights!)

He didn’t have any time for grocery shopping, so he didn’t have any ingredients to make anything. Hopefully, though, there was one more cup of noodles left in one of the cupboards, unless Ken got to it first and ate it. Aizou headed to the kitchen, hoping to find it.

He stopped partway there, spotting the cup of noodles on the table. On top of it was a sticky note with the words “you can have it” on it.

He must have gone out to a convenience store or went to a small restaurant.

Underneath the noodles was a DVD case. Aizou picked it up and found that it was a DVD of the competition in which he had participated.

“I didn’t know we still had this...” Aizou muttered.

He sat on the couch in the living room, staring blankly at the images of the competition on the TV.

Kuro, who had climbed into his lap, yawned as if she were completely bored and became engrossed in grooming her fur.

When his name was called on the DVD, his elementary school self, hand outstretched, walked out from the side of the stage. It was obvious to anyone watching that he was completely nervous.

He bowed his head and began to sing to the accompaniment of the piano. When it was over, there was a huge round of applause. No matter how many times he saw it, he couldn't really feel it. Even if he was told that this was him, it didn't feel right.

He could not feel the excitement and elation that he should have felt at that time in this video.

Was it always like this?

He thought he could have sung a little better than he did in his memory of that time. It was shortly before his parents divorced that he stopped being able to sing.

It was the day he was returning from an annual festival at a nearby shrine with his brother. They bought masks from a stall while they walked up to the shrine, and he played target practice with his brother, ate hot grilled corn, and bought candy apples as a souvenir for his mother, who was waiting at home.

His brother had laughed at him and said, "if it's mother, she'd rather have fried squid," but he thought she would definitely be more pleased with the candy apples than the fried squid.

He had spent all of his allowance, and it suddenly started to rain, so he put up an umbrella and hurried home. He was walking in front of the station when his brother suddenly stopped. Aizou called out to him, but he did not move, so he looked in the direction of the station to see what was wrong.

Their father was holding a woman he did not know on the shoulder as if she was his girlfriend. At home, he was always fighting with their mother and was always in a bad mood. Their father wore a smile that he never showed them at home when he was with that woman.

“Eh...why..?” His voice leaked out.

“Dad...he said he was working late today...”

Aizou hadn’t understood at the time. Their father didn’t notice that they were there. He didn’t notice, because he was going somewhere with a woman, and they were getting into a cab together.

Aizou had tried to stop him as quickly as he could, but his brother grabbed his arm and pulled him back painfully hard. He turned around in surprise and his eyes were covered by his brother, who reached out from behind him.

“Why...”

“You don’t need to know,” was all his brother said. “If you don’t see it, if you don’t hear it and you just keep smiling, then maybe you’ll forget all about this.” With that, his brother slowly removed his hand.

By then, his father and the woman were already gone, and his brother wore a stiff smile on his face.

“Let’s go home...mom’s waiting for us.”

“Yeah...”

It was not long after that that their father left them. Aizou hoped that singing would cheer up his mother, who cried every day, and make her smile again. However, it seemed to be only grating on his mother's ears.

“You’re too noisy, stop singing!”

He was shocked by what he was told, and he found himself unable to sing. He could talk, but when he tried to sing, he felt as though he couldn't breathe, as if he were drowning under water.

His singing voice was gone, and he was sure that was his punishment.

💮

As the performance date neared, the number of magazine interviews and appearances at events increased. He was reminded that the day of the performance was only about two weeks away, and he became more and more nervous by the day.

In the midst of all this, a rehearsal was held in which they actually put on their costumes and used props.

Yujiro stepped out in front of Rino, who played the role of the princess, as she entered the scene where he has a direct confrontation with the princess, who was being controlled by the dragon.

Okido, the director, called Yujiro and Rino together and repeatedly instructed them on this important scene.

“If you want us to beg for forgiveness, I can do so.”

“Oi!” Aizou protested angrily, his hand on his rapier. But Yujiro held an arm out to intercept him. He left his bow in Aizou’s hands and walked to the princess, holding the rose sword.

“…It’s a small price to pay to save her life. We don’t want to waste it either.”

“Ho. You’re so much more understanding than that idiot over there.”

“And of course, I will give you back this sword. It belonged to your father. It is not ours to keep.”

The guards tried to stop him, but backed down at the princess’s command.

“I hope you can forgive our insolent behavior,” Yujiro got down on one knee. He picked up the foot of the princess and brought his lips to the toe of her shoe, before his gaze suddenly snapped to the princess’s.

The actors and crew members watching around them watched the tense performance with bated breath. Rino, too, was a completely different person from her usual calm and collected self, completely inhabiting the role of the princess who had been manipulated by a dragon.

It was as if the two were showing everyone just how good their acting skills were.

The director, Okido, kept his hand on his chin and did not take his eyes off the two performers. A small, satisfied smile crossed his face, as if he were saying “this is what I wanted to see.”

“But...I refuse to be loyal to you. When I am finished here, I fully intend to leave this castle. However, before I do, I want the reward I was promised for fulfilling my end of the deal!”

Yujiro’s strong tone echoed throughout the rehearsal room, and it gave Aizou gooesbumps. Involuntarily, his grip on the hilt of his rapier tightened.

(He’s come so far and we’re almost finished...)

From the first reading of the script, Yujiro's voice inflections, pauses, and the tempo of his dialogues were so good that it was hard to believe that it was his first time on stage, but it was a far cry from the days when he was a newcomer.

His dialogue and movements had changed dramatically. When rehearsing in this way, Yujiro's acting pulled him in and he almost forgot that he was on the stage as well.

It was as if he was really in “the other world” and he sometimes found himself arguing with him in earnest. What he was playing now was not the partner he knew. It is not Yujiro of LIPxLIP.

This was Someya Yujiro, who had been unable to perform on stage as an actor for a long time, but has continued to dream of being on stage, and had continued to practice and work hard alone in the shadows.

Everyone present, including the staff, was watching him intently. No doubt, it would be the same on the stage.

He was going to stand on the same stage with Yujiro and perform as an equal.

He felt like he was suddenly being reminded of how absurd that was, and he started to break out in a cold sweat.

Aizou gripped his arm tightly with his hand. He knew how much Yujiro cherished LIPxLIP as a unit and how big his dreams were for it, and how much he was always trying to protect them with everything he had.

That was probably the reason why he had clashed with Okido. The magnitude of the feelings he held was the same for him.

In order to make his dream come true, he chose Yujiro as his partner in order to keep standing on the stage he had set out to reach. Together, they could see places and see worlds that he could never reach on his own. He believed that they could show that world to the many fans who followed them.

And yet...he thought they were always fighting, but when did they start to lean on each other so much? They’d been telling each other that they were dragging each other down.

After a fifteen-minute break, Yujiro returned to his chair, grabbed his towel, and wiped the sweat off his face. Aizou watched him from a distance.

(...He’ll end up carrying my baggage as well...)

If they were going to stand on the same stage together, there were things they had to overcome.

Yujiro suddenly turned to him. When their eyes met, a puzzled expression crossed his face.

Aizou discreetly clenched his fists at his sides.

(I have to overcome Yujiro...)

How could he have forgotten that? The wall that had been standing in front of him since that day at the audition had always been there.

Aizou turned his head away, his lips pursed in a pout, and strode swiftly out of the practice room.

He needed to be able to lighten Yujiro's burden. He couldn’t leave his own luggage with his partner and make him do all the work.

He refused to let him do that.

💮

Aizou stood at the center of the stage in the venue that Iv rented, and he closed his eyes. He began singing, which Iv listened to, leaning against the railing in the back of the room.

When he finished, Iv gave him a rare round of applause. He started walking over, and Aizou walked down the steps of the stage.

“That was perfect. This concludes our lessons- the rest is up to you now.”

“Thank you!” Aizou bowed. Ever since he had started taking lessons with Iv, Ikezaki had praised him, saying that his pitch had become more stable and his voice had improved. With this, he would be able to perform in the show. “It’s all thanks to you...I’ll definitely send you tickets so that you all can come see the show.”

“I don’t know if you want those guys over to watch the show, I doubt they’ll be able to sit still and watch it quietly,” Iv said, his brows furrowing in worry.

Aizou laughed. “Maybe so, but...I’m indebted to all of you. Oh, I’ve been declining Yui’s invites to ramen lately, so tell him I’ll definitely go next time!”

“Only if it’s a place where the ramen isn’t spicy and just tastes good, right?” Iv smirked lightly.

“Yes, please...” Aizou replied, and Iv laughed warmly.

“The performance is coming up. How’re you feeling?”

“I don’t know...but I just have to give it everything I got.”

He was sure that there were a lot of things he was missing. He would be lying if he said he wasn't anxious about how the audience would feel, but he had no choice but to believe in what he worked so hard to achieve over the past few months and show it on stage.

Even if he failed, even if people laughed at him, he knew that this was all he had right now.

“Right...and I think I’d be happy to go, and take my boys along with me.”

Aizou nodded.

“Oh, and, Aizou,” Iv looked like he was just remembering something. “You said before that you can’t do a lot of things, right? But you should appreciate what you have more. You can do a lot more than you think you can, and a lot of people really love you.”

Aizou stared at him in confusion.

Iv laughed at him. “You really don’t get it. One day, you’ll realize what you took for granted was a special gift given to you. So until then, keep what I said in mind,” he patted Aizou’s shoulder and grinned at him.

(A special gift given to...me...)

🎤

A rehearsal was held in the venue that the play was going to be held in.It was the final rehearsal, all of which would be performed as on the day of the performance.

As Aizou headed out onto the stage, all ready to go, clad with his makeup and costumes on, his other costars were gathering one after the other.

Aizou watched as the crew busily moved in and out of the stage, waiting out of the way offstage. The big props had already been placed on the stage. The round lights on the ceiling were flashing with red and blue lights, as if they were making final checks on the lighting.

The curtain was up, so he was able to see the audience seats lined up almost like a staircase. He was getting really nervous.

“Aizou-kun...” A shy voice called out.

Aizou turned and saw Rino, standing there wearing her own makeup and white dress costume. Her hair was done up as well, with a golden tiara on top of her head.

“Inokawa-san...”

“It always makes me nervous,” Inokawa Rino stood by him, staring at the audience seats with sparkling eyes.

“Even you get nervous, even though you’re used to this kind of stage?” Aizou asked, surprised.

“I do! The anxiety never truly goes away, but...it always makes me happy being able to stand on stage,” Rino explained, then smiled. “But...this is all thanks to you. You’re really amazing, you know?”

“Ehh, you’re more impressive than I am, though...”

“I love actng, and I’ve been doing it since I was a little girl, that’s all.”

(That’s still impressive, though.)

Aizou listened as she continued to talk.

“I know Aoi-chan didn’t want to be in this play...but I did, and I ended up pushing her too much...I felt horrible about it. But after your ad lib that day, she started having more fun during rehearsals. And it’s no thanks to me...it’s thanks to you. It's not only Aoi-chan. I’ve also really enjoyed the rehearsals since then. I think the same goes for the staff and everyone else. The atmosphere at the site has become better and brighter. I think Okido-san feels the same way.”

“Eh, the director?” Aizou blinked.

“Yeah, he seemed to be having a good time, didn’t he?” Rino laughed.

“Well...the first time I met him, I thought he was pretty harsh,” Aizou said, putting a hand on the back of his head.

He was as strict as ever, but he laughed at a few ad libs Aizou did, and he even changed the direction of how some scenes went to fit in with the ad libs.

“Yujiro-kun’s been the same. He was so tense at first, but even he seems to be a bit more relaxed.” And if she was saying that after rehearsing with him, it must be true.

(I had no idea...)

Though he did notice that Yujiro no longer had grim or frustrated expressions during rehearsals, probably thanks to the fact he no longer clashed with Okido.

“What you did was amazing. You’ve moved so many people.”

“Ah...I really didn’t do much,” Aizou said with a wry smile.

Rino only smiled and put a small bag in Aizou’s hand. The contents of the transparent bag were lemon-colored candies.

The color and shape of the candy resembled the legendary jewel that Aizou would obtain after defeating the dragon.

“Let me bestow upon you, brave traveler, our country’s famous Mystery Jewel Candy!” Rino said in a theatrical tone, before laughing. “Let’s do our best!” She ran off.

(Mystery jewel candy..?)

Aizou glanced at the bag and sighed, a small smile crossing his face.

Rino caught up with Aoi, who realized that Aizou was glancing over at her. She raised a fist, as if to say “let’s do our best!”. 

Aizou held up a fist in response.

Rino giggled a little at the exchange and Aoi quickly lowered her fist with a pout, and the two girls rushed off while giggling, clearly enjoying themselves.

(They really do seem like close friends.)

As he watched them leave, Yujiro came out in his costume, greeting the staff.

“Aizou, Yujiro!” Manager Uchida waved to them to come backstage. Aizou suppressed a sigh and walked over.

“...What are you holding?” Yujiro asked.

Aizou held up the bag of yellow candy. “It was given to me by the princess herself. Amazing, huh? I think they’re going to be sold at the booth tomorrow for the performance.”

 “What is this? Or, rather, when did it even become part of the merch?” Yujiro frowned.

Suddenly, the bag was snatched out of his hand. “Ah?!”

“I think I’ll take it, since you don’t like sweets!”

Aizou only sighed in exasperation. “I really can’t let my guard down around you, huh.” It was stupid of him to show sweets to the local sweet-tooth.

After they received their rapier and bow from Manager Uchida, a staff member called out to them. “Rehearsals will start in fifteen minutes!”

“Good luck to you both!” Manager Uchida smiled.

“Yes!” Both Aizou and Yujiro replied. They shared a look, before bumping their fists together, just like they always did before a live show.

💮

Moonlight shined through the crumbling ceiling of the dimly lit, abandoned cathedral. This was the scene where Aizou and Yujiro, surrounded by the guards, quickly pretend to be traveling performers to escape.

Yujiro raised a chair that had collapsed in front of the organ and sat down.

“...I’ve never sung in front of people before!” Aizou rushed to Yujiro, whispering his complaint.

“I haven’t either.”

“I don’t know any song! No hometown ones or lullabies- nothing!”

“Then just sing something random. I’ll accompany you.”

“Don’t be reckless. There’s no way we can match a song out of the blue!”

Yujiro grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to him. “You can either sing recklessly or get caught and thrown in jail!”

Aizou pushed Yujiro’s hand off of him. “Don’t complain if I mess up!” He faced the guards.

“Well? We’re waiting!” The guards comments started flying in, and Aizou’s heart pounded as if it were a real performance.

“Sing louder!”

Listening to the taunting voices of the guards, Aizou took a deep breath. If he faltered here, the whole scene would be ruined. He knew this song by now, he’d practiced it many times with Iv. Yujiro started to play the organ, the sound filling the venue. At the sound, Aizou looked up. It felt as though he’d been patted on the back.

(Really, the role...I’m ready for it...)

He had to pretend to improvise a song while pretending to be a traveling performer. It really was a reckless idea- but when the organ started playing, he started singing, his voice spreading throughout the venue.

(Huh..?)

Aizou, who had been singing slowly with his eyes downcast, opened his eyes in confusion. The light of a blue-white light, which looked like moonlight, was shining from above. When he sang in his lessons with Iv, he didn't use a microphone.

Even though the microphone was picking up his singing voice properly this time, he was surprised at how much it sounded. It was totally different from his usual live performances. The resonance of the deep organ played by Yujiro combined with his singing voice spread out to envelop the entire venue. It felt good and made him want to raise his voice even more.

(I’m...doing really well, aren’t I?)

He didn’t know if it was the effect of the lessons, the acoustics of the venue, or the tuna mayo rice balls he bought and ate at the convenience store in the morning, but it was different from usual. The sound was stable and he could sing as he wanted.

The high notes, which had been difficult during the lesson, came out beautifully, and he subconsciously clenched his fists.

Suddenly, he remembered the DVD of the competition that he had watched repeatedly in the living room of his apartment. At the time, he couldn't remember anything, so he just watched it emotionlessly.

But now, he felt as though he’d been pulled back to that day's competition venue. He could even remember the cool air and smell of the dry, air-conditioned hall.

When it was his turn, the announcer called his name, and he nervously stepped out onto the stage, with the dazzling lights.

The woman who had been accompanying him was sitting at the piano. She stood in the middle of the stage and bowed with a perky smile, and the audience applauded. One of the people who clapped so loudly that it was embarrassing was his mother, who was sitting in the audience. So he knew immediately where his parents and brother were sitting.

When he saw their faces, he suddenly felt relieved and relaxed. It was the same feeling he had when he was jumping up and down and singing in the living room at home. When the piano accompaniment started and he began to sing, his voice sounded better than when he was singing at home or at school, so he was comfortable, and he sang as loud as he could, wishing he could reach many more people.

(Yes, I...I was singing just like this...)

He almost laughed at what he was doing. It really was something he had done back then.

He had been so afraid to revisit his memories. There were many things he didn't want to face. But they weren’t all bad memories. It was the same with the competition.

He was so happy to win that he jumped up and down.

He put all of those memories together, threw them in a box, and put them in the deepest part of his mind so he wouldn't see them or remember them anymore.

No matter who he sang for or won, it seemed useless and no one needed him. But as Iv said, it was a gift given to him. It was not that there was nothing special about him.

What he was looking for, what he needed, was inside him from the beginning. He had not lost the key to the box where he kept his precious things. All he needed was the courage to open it.

He found himself unable to hear the organ. All that was echoing in the hall was his own singing voice. Yujiro stopped accompanying the organ in the middle of the song, even though it was not supposed to be staged that way.

As soon as Aizou finished singing, the tears that had been building up spilled out.

When he finally looked up as the afterglow faded, he saw that the people playing the role of the guards had also forgotten their roles and were staring at him with stunned expressions.

The next line was supposed to come in.

Aizou looked at Yujiro, who was staring at him, his eyes wide with surprise. 

Suddenly, he heard the sound of crackling applause from the empty seats. The director, Okido, who was watching from the middle of the first row, was clapping his hands. As if following his lead, the scriptwriter and Ikezaki, who had taught him dance and singing, sitting on either side of him, also started clapping. The staff members who were watching from the back of the second floor also began to clap.

Even Yujiro started smiling and applauding him.

The guards looked at each other and clapped while they laughed, looking impressed, even though it wasn’t the day of the performance.

Aizou squeezed his eyes shut and bowed.

On that day, the day of the competition, he felt the same. He’d been laughing proudly while standing on that stage.

💮

After the rehearsals were finished, the staff and his costars all came up to him, and started telling him “good job!”, referring to the scene with the song in it. Even Okido slapped Aizou’s shoulder and left without a word.

He must have gotten a pass from him.

(Really...I made it just in time...)

He knew he was ready for the challenge of tomorrow.

Strangely enough, he didn’t feel any anxiety.

Was this was self-confidence felt like? He felt like he could sing any song, any number of times. He sang his song during rehearsals, but it still didn’t feel like it was enough.

(I’m getting a little carried away...)

He felt like he was floating around in the air, and he couldn’t stop smiling. In any case, he was in the mindset of wanting to run through to the final day of the show while staying on top of things.

On the stage, the staff was clearing away the castle set and preparing the snowy mountain set. Behind it was a set of stairs that one could climb up. During the performance, smoke resembling a snowstorm or a snow plume would paint the stage white. The stage would be illuminated by snow, so it would be quite a beautiful view.

Smoke was used in the rehearsal that had just taken place, but since they were only going to do a final check of each scene, only the lighting was being used.

Yujiro received his bow from a staff member and climbed up the stairs of the snowy mountain. The staff on stage hurried off the stage with their tools.

(It’s almost time...)

Aizou put his hat on his head and was about to tie his rapier at his hip when he heard a clank. He looked up.

Yujiro’s bow dropped down the stairs.

And Yujiro, who had stopped mid-step, started to collapse, his body falling backwards. Aizou’s eyes widened and he threw his rapier out of the way, before he jumped forward as fast as he could, skipping a few steps as he went. He managed to catch Yujiro just in time, but ended up stumbling and falling on his ass.

Staff members ran up to them.

“Yujiro! Aizou! Are you okay?!” Manager Uchida looked worried.

“I’m fine...” Yujiro breathed, slowly trying to stand on his own. However, his face was extremely pale, and he nearly collapsed again. Aizou caught him and quickly slung his arm around his shoulder, slowly standing up with him.

💮

Yujiro was driven to a hospital and returned to the office by 6pm. When he asked, Manager Uchida told him that Yujiro was resting in the break room.

“Haa...” Aizou sighed in relief, and went to go check on him.

According to Manager Uchida, he was just weak from lack of sleep and hunger. Manager Uchida was also relieved and called Okido to report the incident as well. Aizou heard that the director was also very worried.

It was a good thing his body moved as quickly as it did. If Yujiro had fallen and gotten injured, it really wouldn’t have been good.

“...Haven’t you been eating?” Aizou asked, sitting across from Yujiro at the break room table.

Yujiro shook his head as he ate a rice ball. “I’ve been so busy, I ended up forgetting...” He mumbled, looking guilty. He was probably thinking about the uproar he’d caused.

“You forgot...you know it’s important to take care of yourself,” Aizou frowned. He’d noticed that during breaks, Yujiro would be napping and never touched his bento.

(I guess he hasn’t been sleeping much at home...)

“Well...I guess it’s my fault, partially. I’m your partner, so I should’ve been watching out for you better,” Aizou muttered, putting a hand to his forehead in distress.

“Ha?” Yujiro stared at him.

Aizou rested his elbows on the table and his cheek on his hand as he turned away from his partner.

“I’m...glad that you’re still acting the same, though. But are you going to  be okay for tomorrow?”

“I’m fine. I was just hungry, and sleepy.”

“Damn...don’t you normally eat well at home?”

“I haven’t been.”

“Why not? Don’t you eat sukiyaki everyday?”

“Who eats sukiyaki everyday?” As Yujiro reached for his second rice ball, the door suddenly banged open, causing both boys to jerk at the sound.

“Yujiro, Aizou! I heard what happened!” It was the president, who ran over and squeezed them in a hug. “I can’t believe that we’ve been making you endure hunger to the point of collapse, and as president, I can’t overlook this! Tonight, I’m taking you to a yakiniku restaurant for a little pick-me-up!”

“Then I’m going to go research a place where we can eat top quality meat right now!” Manager Uchida pushed her glasses up and ran out of the room.

“You two, get ready. The meat is waiting for you!” The president winked and left the room, shutting the door behind her. It was silent for a moment, before cheers erupted from the hall.

“Some special yakiniku, huh...” 

They glanced at each other and stood up. “Yay!” The two boys grinned at each other and high fived.

💮

The first day of the play was over. There were no major mistakes or problems, and the audience reaction was better than Aizou had imagined. The endless applause at the curtain call was still ringing in his ears even after the show was over.

Manager Uchida later told him that the performance was well received on social media.

It was not only the actors. Everyone involved, including the backstage staff, had worked together over the past few months to make the play a success. Aizou was more than happy that they appreciated that. The success of this first day was won by all.

The fans who came to see the show that day said, "It was great! I was so moved!”

Aizou was happy to receive the comments and impressions from the fans who came to see the show. He believed that they got to know them in a way that they could not show in their usual live performances or other jobs.

With the heat and afterglow of the performance still lingering, Aizou went to take another peek at the stage before leaving.

A few staff members were still working backstage. 

The lights in the auditorium were off, with only the stage lights on. When he reached the edge of the stage, he found a fan left behind. He bent down to pick it up.

(This is Okido-san’s...)

After the meeting took place, he must have forgotten about it. Aizou laughed slightly as he remembered Okido getting frustrated and banging his fan all over the place during practice. It took a lot of hard work to get here.

But he managed to get through until today. He sat down and gazed at the uninhabited seats. Thinking back on the stage, he felt as though he were in a dream, as if he really was in another world.

Someone came over and sat by him.

“Being on stage is really fun...” Aizou said to Yujiro.

He now knew how Rino felt when she said she was happy to be on stage. He couldn’t wait to see the stage tomorrow and will probably not be able to sleep tonight with all the excitement. The anxiety and pressure that he had felt at first was not an issue for him at all anymore.

“Everyone laughed a lot, didn't they? Some of them were even crying afterwards.”

“The part that you ad-libbed was pretty funny, too.”

“Well, I am an idol and entertainer,” Aizou said confidently.

Yujiro rolled his eyes and laughed. “What? Who told you that one?”

“Morita-san did.”

He had even came and saw it, and he sent him a message saying how moved he was. FT4 had come as well, with Iv sending him a message about how they were all looking forward to it. They’d even given them flowers to celebrate, with a large flower stand brought from a flower shop standing proudly in the aisles.

“...Your mother. Did she come?”

“No, my family has a performance in Kyoto, so she’s been over there for a while. My brother is performing there...”

“Oh, I see...”

(So you haven’t been eating dinner, I’m guessing...)

He should have maids who could make him dinner, but if he’s been working into the late night, he’d be too tired to eat.

“You said she’ll be back by the last day, so maybe she’ll come see it then?”

“It’d be nice if my father saw it too.”

Aizou knew that Yujiro was always desperate for his father’s approval, and was always upset because he never received it.

Yujiro's decision not to leave the stage back then was probably not only out of rebellion against Okido, but because he wanted his father to see the seriousness with which he took on the challenge. That was why he stuck with his decision. Yujiro still wanted his father’s approval.

“If I back down now, then it’ll just confirm everything he’s said about us!”

His words hadn’t just been about Okido, but his father as well, who’d told him at a young age to give up.

“...You really want him to see you now, huh. Am I wrong?”

Yujiro looked down. “...Who knows? It’s probably not a good idea anyway.”

“You can probably bring your mother here. I mean, it’s only the premier of your first play, not kabuki. I’m sure if they saw you now, they’d reconsider...”

“It’s not that I want to go back. There’s nothing for me there now,” Yujiro murmured.

“I know,” Aizou said quietly. He’d asked Yujiro about it once, and he said that he was the one who chose the new path to become an idol.

“Father is father, and there’s nothing I can do about that. I think he didn’t have a choice in telling me to give up...”

“...Were you never allowed to stand on the kabuki stage?”

“There’s no way he would have let me. It was only my brother who could have...”

(That’s really messed up...)

If he had no intention of letting him perform on stage, why did he let him practice? It was cruel to put so many expectations on a child, only to rip his hope away from him.

Well, Aizou thought so, but since this was Yujiro's family, there was probably a lot of complications and reasons.

He continued to listen quietly as Yujiro spoke.

“But...once we went to a shrine to dedicate a dance there. I think it was for some sort of festival? Anyway, I was pretty upset because I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to do it, but...my brother let me do it, actually.”

“Heh...dance? Like a miko does?”

“It was a cool shirabyoshi dance. My father taught me how to do it before, so I went up to the shrine’s hall, danced to the flute, and everyone who was watching me applauded for me...but I was really upset afterwards. Because I knew that was the end of it,” Yujiro smiled bitterly, “but I knew that was the best my father would allow me to do at the time.”

Aizou listened silently and slightly opened the fan that Okido left behind.

He knew his father's situation and feelings, so he couldn’t even tell him that he wanted to be on stage any longer. But he never gave up and kept trying, and that was why he was here now.

Yujiro was the real winner, as he’d never given up.

(Really, he’s so stubborn...)

Aizou snapped the fan shut. “Hey...do you still remember that dance?”

“Eh?” Yujiro glanced at him. “Um...I’ve probably already forgotten it. It’s been a long time since I’ve done it...I haven’t danced it since that day.”

“You liar,” Aizou smirked and tossed the fan to Yujiro, who managed to catch it, looking surprised. “It would be a waste if you learned that entire dance only to perform it once. You should dance to it.”

Yujiro raised his eyebrows in confusion. “Here?”

“It’s fine, isn’t it? I’m here- I’m the only one watching,” Aizou smiled at him and walked off the stage.

This wasn’t the end. This was going to continue for a long time.

His stage- no, their stage would continue to grow.

“...I told you, I don’t remember it,” Yujiro sighed, as if he were troubled. He opened his fan once and snapped it shut. When he looked up, his expression had changed, as if he were motivated.

Aizou sat in a special seat in the front row and stared at Yujiro as he slowly danced with the fan in his hand. He claimed that he didn’t remember, but there was no hesitation in the movement of his feet or his hands. 

There was no way Yujiro would forget the dance once he learned it. With the open fan in his hand, Yujiro quickly crouched down. When he stood up, he spun around in slow, flowing movements. He must have been dancing his heart out to the sound of the flute when he went up to the shrine's dance hall.

(I always knew you were amazing...)

Aizou smiled softly and kept those words to himself.

At that moment, he heard a few voices whispering.

“Don’t push!” Then the sound of something falling over was heard.

Aizou and Yujiro looked offstage in surprise to see Okido being crushed by several staff members. Apparently, he had been secretly watching Yujiro's dance there. Even Manager Uchida was with him.

“What are you doing..?” Yujiro asked them coolly.

Everyone got up in a panic.

“I’m here to pick you guys up!” Manager Uchida said, pushing her glasses up.

“I’m just here to get my fan!” Okido crossed his arms arrogantly, but his gaze was averted to the side.

(Really, what were they doing...)

Aizou got up and walked onto the stage to stand by Yujiro.

“But...really! That was a beautiful dance!” A female staff member told Yujiro, her eyes sparkling. The other staff members all nodded and grinned, murmurs of “I just witnessed something ethereal!” and “I’m so glad we stayed!”.

“Thanks...” Yujiro muttered curtly, looking like he was trying to hide his embarrassment. He closed the fan and handed it to Okido. “Sorry. I was just borrowing it.”

“I think I’m going to Yoshitsune and Shizuka Gozen for my next play!” Okido declared. 

The staff all gasped.

“And I want you two to be the main characters!” He pointed at Aizou and Yujiro, who shared a look.

“...Well, that’s fine, but who’d play Shizuka?”

“Eh, won’t it be you?” Aizou blinked.

Okido nodded. “That dance just now was just like Shizuka Gozen’s...”

“See, even the director thinks so!” Aizou pointed out, causing Yujiro to wrinkle his eyebrows.

“I’m not giving up the role of Yoshitsune. Aizou, you should be Shizuka Gozen. You’d be a better fit.”

“I wouldn't be, though! I’ve worked really hard on my abs!”

“Your abs won’t matter. No one would see them!”

“It should be the right person for the right role!”

“Hm...if that’s the case, then you might do better a Benkei than Shizuka,” Yujiro put a hand to his mouth and laughed.

“That’s good enough, I guess...my abs won’t go to waste, that way!”

“Yoshitsune or Benkei...very well! It’s decided then!” Okido raised a fist in the air. “You two will be the stars, of course!” He patted their shoulders.

“If you want to offer them a job, you'll have to go through me, the manager!” Manager Uchida pushed her glasses up, causing the lens to shine.

“We’ll...talk about that later, then,” Okido said nervously.

(Uchida-san, you are strong...)

The first day had only just ended, and already he wanted to start running toward the next one. It made him want to open up more possibilities for themselves.

(I want to try more things...)

He would not let the dream they had one day end as a dream. They will turn it into reality. The power to do so was already within them.

So all they have to do is keep going, without fear.

Even in the midst of a storm, even in the steepest mountains. As long as they kept going, one day they will reach the world of “hope” that they had always wanted.

Until that time-

Aizou, who’d been staring out at the audience seats, looked over at his partner, who was standing next to him.

Yujiro glanced at him at the same moment, their eyes meeting.

They were definitely thinking the same thing.

With that in mind, the two of them started laughing.

[lilac-melody]

Fantasia LOVE&KISS Novel Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional translator

Masterlist here

🎤

“Good morning!” Aizou greeted everyone louder than usual as he entered the practice room.

 The other actors and staff had already arrived and greeted him back with “Good morning!”

There was about an hour left until Okido arrived. Aizou put his bag on the chair and took out his script, which was covered with sticky notes. The most important thing to think about right now was how to make this play a success.

He wanted to make it an unforgettable performance that the audience will be hooked on. This was no time to be clashing with Okido.

They needed him in order to make the stage perfect- he was supposed to be their strongest ally.

(Even that teacher wants this stage to be a success...)

Their desire and enthusiasm may be stronger than their own. Otherwise, they would not have stuck to it from the beginning. There was no way he would think it was okay for the stage he was directing to fail.

“Alright...” Aizou muttered to himself, gripping the script tightly in his hand. “Kurashita-san,” he called out, and Kurashita Aoi, who had been stretching, turned around to look at him.

“Good morning, Aizou-kun. You’re here early.”

“Good morning. Sorry to interrupt you, but can I talk to you, real quick?” Aizou knelt down beside her.

“What is it?” Aoi asked warily.

“Here, look...” Aizou showed her his script.

“Ehh, you wrote so much!”

“I did a lot of reading yesterday and I was thinking that...well, I’d like to change the dialogue a little bit between your character and mine.”

At once, Aoi, who had been staring at his script, snapped her head up to look at him in shock. “Change it?!”

“Well, not change per se, but more like...slip in an ad lib or something,” Aizou explained.

“Haa...are you serious right now?” Aoi stared at him. She was probably concerned about what Okido would say if they changed anything without permission.

“I know that Okido-san might get mad at us, but...” Aizou himself was nervous too.

“Right? But you’re going to do what you have written on the margins, right? Well, I can’t do it! No way!” Aoi shook her head rapidly.

“If he gets angry, then I’ll apologize!” Aizou said.

“Why did you decide to...suddenly do something like this?”

“Because...I can’t go on like this. If I had better acting skills and more experience, I would have done things differently, and I wouldn't have pissed off the director in the first place. But...I can’t be envious of what I don't have now, and I have to make do with what I do have.”

He didn’t have the power to significantly change the status quo. He didn’t have the power to move people. Still, he couldn’t just give up and abandon the fight while his partner was fighting alone.

“I just want to change how things are right now, even if it’s only a little bit,” Aizou concluded, looking at her with a serious expression.

Aoi glanced back at his script, her brows furrowed for a moment. After looking over the scipt once more, she suddenly giggled, as if she couldn’t hold back anymore.

“But...will this be interesting..?”

“You bet! I’ll definitely make it interesting and entertaining!” Aizou’s eyes lit up as he enthusiastically spoke.

Aoi blinked and smiled, almost as if she were saying “it can’t be helped.”

“If the director gets angry at you...then I’ll apologize with you.”

“Thank you, Kurashita-san!” Aizou grinned and clenched his fists in excitement.

💮

“Fifty!” Aizou cried out in exaggeration. 

“There may have been more, given some traveled in groups.”

“Was it some sort of mystery jewel exploration quest?!” Aizou asked, and risked a small glance at the other actors. He and Aoi continued their scene, a bit louder than before.

“Maybe they’re visiting places relating to the jewel.”

“So you do have it! Does that mean that the jewel is something that’s easily made?”

“When my father was alive, the inn was thriving and the town was busy because of it. They sold souvenirs such as replicas and pendants of the jewel all the time.”

“A jewel pendant?! That sounds interesting! I think I’ll buy one...that is, if it’s still for sale!”

“Unfortunately, they’re sold out. The artisans have already left.”

“Agggh! I should have come earlier!” Aizou punched his hand lightly in frustration.

“Mysterious jewel cookies, mysterious jewel pudding, and mysterious jewel buns were also very popular, with lines going out the door!”

“They should bring them back to revitalize the town!”

“But the trend is gone!” Aoi took out her handkerchief and made an “oogie!” noise as she wiped at her tears.

“Then that means we’re the ones being played by the trend!” Aizou cried out.

The atmosphere of the practice room started to ease up, and the staff and other actors started laughing.

“...What was that about...mystery jewel buns?” Yujiro mumbled, pouting a bit, almost as if he’d forgotten his role.

Aizou looked at Okido nervously as somewhat painful memories of the first day of rehearsal, when they had a reading session, came back to him. He was prepared for the possibility of being scolded. But Okido stroked his beard as if he were trying to cover up the fact that he was about to laugh.

However, a small chuckle still escaped Okido’s mouth. He caught Aizou glancing at him and straightened up.

“What exactly...was that, just now?” He asked.

“I’m sorry! I thought that this would be slightly better, so I added it in!” Aizou bowed to hide his gulp. It was definitely different from the first day of rehearsals, as this time, this was all intentional.

The staff and actors all stopped laughing, and Aoi walked over to Aizou.

“I helped too. I’m sorry!” Aoi bowed with him.

“...And you two came up with this?”

“Yes, we did!”

“I thought of it on my own, and I asked her to do it with me.”

The two had answered simultaneously, and glanced at each other.

“Aizou-kun thought of it, but I thought that it was interesting,” Aoi clarified.

“I got Kurashita-san involved, so it’s my fault!”

“I’m sorry!” Both Aoi and Aizou bowed.

“But...” Aizou continued, “I didn’t come up with this to make a joke out of it. I wanted to make the audience laugh. I came up with it in all seriousness,” Aizou stared at Okido, hoping that he understood.

Yujiro stared at Aizou with wide eyes.

Okido remained silent, looking as though he were deep in thought.

“I suppose that it is a little bit better now...” Okido mumbled to himeself, the corners of his lips quirking up in amusement.

“Um...what was that..?” Aizou glanced at him, trying to get a good read of his expression.

“Start again from the top. Aizou, try doing it with the intention of covering the other person’s lines at a faster tempo than before.”

“Y-Yes! I’ll do it!”

“And make sure you do it as loud as you are now, otherwise your voice won’t reach the audience,” the director smirked lightly as he crossed his arms.

“Got it!” Aizou replied with a smile.

Aoi put her hand on her chest and sighed in relief.

This was the first time the teacher called him by his name. And this was also the first time he’d been given proper advice. He wondered if he had been accepted.

After rehearsals were over, Aizou sat down on a bench in the dimly lit hallway and exhaled, tired.

It was probably because he had been so tense all the time. After that, he was coached thoroughly, but he never got angry with him. He was also sure that he got the hang of the art of dialogue, thanks to him.

(I knew he was an amazing man...Okido-san...)

“Aizou-kun, good work today,” Aoi came up to the vending machine and called out to him as she selected her juice.

“Good work today,” Aizou replied with a smile. “Thanks for earlier, Kurashita-san. You really saved me, back there.”

“Well, it was you who thought of it...I just went along with it.”

“But if you hadn’t gone along with it, I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” Aizou pointed out as Aoi pushed a button, a can of coffee falling out of the machine.

“I thought it was amazing...I could never do something like that. The truth is...I hated this stage. Okido-san is famous for being strict...and I'm not as good at acting as Rino-chan, so I didn't have the confidence. But I thought if Rino-chan was going to do it, then I had to do it too. Rino-chan would be shocked if the diretor said something bad to her. I felt like I had to protect her. We're in the same office, and she's my most precious friend,” Aoi smiled bashfully and grabbed the coffee can.

(Come to think of it, Kurashita-san does work a lot with Inokawa-san...)

“Whenever the rehearsals started, the director was always yelling at us...and everyone was always intimidated...and I couldn't say anything, and the atmosphere here was so bad that I wished I had never done it. It wasn't fun at all...and all I could think about was how I wished it would end sooner. But today was a lot of fun. When everyone laughed, I knew that I wanted to make it a great show and that I had to do it. If someone changes, everyone changes...” She held the coffee can out to him. “I’m really grateful. Thank you.”

(Grateful, huh...)

Maybe they were able to break through the stifling atmosphere just a little bit. If so, it was probably a good thing they did it. It was much better than being in anguish and not being able to change anything.

“Thank you, Kurashita-san,” Aizou accepted the can of coffee from her.

“Yeah...good luck. I’ll see you later,” she waved to him, before leaving. Aizou sipped the coffee from the can and looked over the script.

“Good work today.”

“Yeah, you too,” Aizou said absently before blinking in confusion. He looked up, and to his surprise, it wasn’t a staff member or a random actor. There by the vending machine was Yujiro, getting a can of chocolate milk. He glanced over at him.

“A-ah...I mean...good job today...” Aizou quickly rephrased when their eyes met.

It was unusual for Yujiro to greet him like that.

“How...how did you come up with that?” Yujiro asked. He looked like he was torn between being impressed or stunned.

“Well...I guess it’s a plan for a quick fix?”

Yujiro, who was drinking his chocolate milk, choked a little and quickly put his hand over his mouth. “Okay, but...mystery jewel buns?”

“I was just thinking about ways to make it more interesting...” Aizou muttered, before shrugging. “I tried it in my own way.”

“Well, Aizou...I have to admit, it was pretty interesting, and the pace was well done.”

“I think making the director laugh was the biggest accomplishment.”

“And to think, I thought you were sneaking around and plotting something big...” Yujiro brought his can of chocolate milk to his lips, which were upturned into a relaxed and genuine smile.

“Well, it worked, so...” Aizou stood up and threw his empty coffee can in the trash, before showing his script to Yujiro with a small grin on his face. “I’m going to start practicing more, and I want you to join me. We have the most scenes together, but we haven’t practiced at all together! So let’s give that stone-faced director a good show!”

“...That’s fine with me, but I won’t join in on anymore of your weird ad libs.”

“But why? I thought of so many!”

“Why don’t you practice with somone else then? I’ll never, ever do it!”

Aizou quickly hurried after Yujiro, who started to walk away.

“It made everyone laugh, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you mean. Are you trying to woo your costars? How inappropriate.”

“I’m not trying to woo anyone. Don’t misunderstand me!”

“Maybe more rumors will start up.”

Aizou froze, staring at him. “You...you were eavesdropping that day, weren’t you?!”

“It’s your fault for talking in the hallway,” Yujiro grinned at him, gently swaying his can of chocolate milk.

💮

In the following week's rehearsal, Aizou performed the scene in the abandoned cathedral with Yujiro.

“H-hey...are you going to be alright?” Aizou asked anxiously.

“You should be more worried about yourself on that one,” Yujiro replied brusquely.

The way he said it, which was without any cuteness, was just like his partner. Aizou almost forgot his role.

“Huh? You’re not going to make me sing, are you?”

“Stop trying to make things difficult. I don't care if your singing is good or bad. If you are not a good singer, just say that your throat is sore today.”

“You make it sound easy..!”

(Huh..? This scene seems easier to do today...)

Maybe it was because they had practiced many times together in the music store's practice room on the way home from rehearsals. The lines that had seemed to be somehow out of sync seemed to fit together perfectly today. Maybe it was because of this that the dialogue came out of his mouth naturally, without him even being conscious of it.

(Yujiro’s acting seems different too, doesn’t it?)

Yujiro was adjusting well, and Okido hadn’t yelled at him again. The dialogue with the guards, which Yujiro had to redo many times, was not interrupted once today.

At the end of the scene in the cathedral, the director stopped them. “Alright. That was good. Go ahead and take a break,” Okido nodded, standing up from his chair.

Aizou sighed and grabbed his water bottle from his chair, opening the cap and drinking from it. As he did, he saw Yujiro leaving the practice room, followed by Okido.

(Yujiro...)

Suddenly, he was worried that the two were going to clash again. He hurried after them anxiously.

“Okido-san,” Yujiro stopped and turned to Okido.

“H-hey,” Aizou rushed towards Yujiro, hand outstretched and ready to grab his arm. However, he stopped halfway when he saw Yujiro’s serious expression.

“Tell me. What was the difference between today’s performance and yesterday’s?” Yujiro stared at Okido.

Okido was silent for a moment. “You don’t know?” His tone wasn’t angry or scolding. He sounded calm.

Yujiro’s eyes lowered, and he shook his head. “No, I don’t know. I played the same role and I didn’t change anything.”

“Well...until now, you were the only one on stage. But now, you have your partner by your side. That’s how it is.”

Hearing Okido’s words, Yujiro slowly raised his head.

“Your peformance today wasn’t bad. Both of you,” Okido glanced at Aizou, who was standing by Yujiro now. “That’s just the way it is.” He walked away, and a staff member rushed after him.

“...I’m not buying that,” Yujiro muttered.

(Well, the director’s rage at the time was unreasonable...)

Half of him knew that they were just being stubborn, but the other half knew that Okido was also right.

“I guess he was right. You just needed your partner who you respected with you,” Aizou grinned at Yujiro jokingly while Yujiro glared at him in dissatisfaction.

“What are you talking about...it’s not like I respect you! Jeez. What’s the big deal? You’re just a daikon.”

“Don’t call me a daikon!”

“You said it yourself. You said that your acting isn’t that good.”

“That was before! I’m progressing and improving everyday! If you think I’m going to stay a daikon forever, you’re sorely mistaken!”

“Haa?! You flubbed your lines three times today, didn’t you?! And then you had to cover it up with some random adlib!”

“That was the arrangement! And...well, for my dialogue, I did mess up, but only because...today’s lunch was rice balls with pickled plums instead of tuna mayo...”

“What, you’re blaming your faults on pickled plum rice balls?”

“You were the one who took all of the tuna mayo rice balls! We only had two, so you should have given me one!”

“No! We played rock, paper, scissors twice, and you lost both times!”

“But you’re supposed to be the one who’s willing to give up one thing for your partner! Don’t pull my leg and say I’m inadequate for you!”

At that moment, Yujiro stepped on Aizou’s shoe with his heel. “I’m not giving my tuna mayo to you!” He huffed out, turning to face away from Aizou.

“What are you talking about...you’ve never given me anything..!”

(You really aren’t cute at all!!)

🎤

“Stop! Aizou-kun, can’t you expand your voice a little more?” He was interrupted in the middle of the song.

“Eh, ah, yeah..!” Aizou stammered quickly.

After the singing and dancing lessons, Aizou was told by Ikezaki to stay and receive special instructions. The song that Aizou sang was the one that Yujiro accompanies him to. No matter how many times he sang it, he still did not get an OK.

“I know you can sing well, but...this is mediocre. You can do better, can’t you?” The teacher looked completely troubled as she ran her hand over her chin.

Aizou himself felt that his voice was not developing. It may be that the songs were difficult to play, and it was hard to get the right notes. Moreover, everything was different from the way he usually sings at recordings and live performances, from the way he sings to the way he puts emotion into his voice.

Because he couldn’t find the right way to sing, he was consistently shaky and unsteady. He was aware of this, even without the teacher's advice.

Ikezaki looked at her watch. “Alright, that’s all for today,” she said. Aizou frowned.

He really didn’t think he’d catch on very easily.

_

Yujiro had to work on a photoshoot, so their manager came to pick him up as soon as the practice was over. When he went outside, it was raining as predicted.

Aizou opened his plastic umbrella and walked out into the night. His performance was much better because of Okido's enthusiastic guidance. He was a strict man, but as expected, he had trained several famous stage actors.

He did not yell at them as he used to do, and if they did not understand something, he would come forward and show them how to act it out.

Thanks to him, Aizou knew exactly what was wrong and how to fix it. Under his guidance, all of the actors' movements visibly improved. This must be Okido's true power as a director. He could see why the president thinks he is a talented person.

Indeed, this director was an extraordinary talent. His anger must be due to his overflowing passion. That's how he understood it. As for Yujiro, he was still more strict with him than the other actors.

This was not because he was angry at Yujiro, like he was in the beginning, but because he recognized Yujiro's acting ability and was trying to raise it even higher than it was now.

Maybe because Yujiro knew this, he listened intently to the director, who instructed him with large gestures.

The staff and other actors also began to talk to him more often. The atmosphere in the rehearsals had improved, and it must have been much easier to perform than before.

(I think I can handle the acting part...)

Aizou let out a sigh as he walked along the riverside path. A drop of water fell from his umbrella and soaked his shoulder. A car with its headlights on drove quietly past.

The most problematic thing right now was the song. And that was not going to be easy to solve.

(I have to do something about that...)

Everyone's enthusiasm for the stage was growing by the day. The information had been released and ticket sales have already begun, so there was no backing out.

According to the president, the advance reservations were already sold out for all days. That was why the fans had such high expectations for the show. The same was true for the office and everyone else involved.

Aizou had no choice but to go on stage with determination, and since he was going on stage, he couldn’t let them down with a disappointing song.

When he was in elementary school, he, surprisingly, won a singing contest.

If only he had continued singing then...

If he hadn’t stopped being able to sing...

He couldn't help but regret now that he had been away from singing for so long. There could have been many reasons for his previous lack of ablity.

His parents' affair and divorce, his mother, his brother.

He could speak, but when he tried to sing, he lost his voice. When he went to the hospital for tests, there was nothing wrong with him and they said it was probably due to stress.

He didn't really understand it at the time, and he thought it was because he had asked god to not be able to sing anymore.

After he started playing his father's guitar, he was able to sing again, but he didn't want anyone to hear him sing like before. There was no one who would listen to him.

He would just hum along while practicing on the guitar. Even if he had sung in a choir with his classmates in middle school, his voice would have been barely audible.

It was the best he could do back then. But the time he spent being idle was something that he couldn't help but feel regretful about. If he had used that time more carefully, he would have become a different person than he was now.

The reason he felt this way now was because he had far too little time for the things he needed to do. He wished he had more time.

People around him won't wait for him to grow up.

(It’s easier said than done though. There’s nothing I can do...)

As Aizou thought to himself, he heard a voice call out to him.

“You look distressed.”

He looked up, only to see Iv, the leader of Ft4, leaning against the railing of a bridge with his umbrella over his shoulder.

“Iv..? Why are you here?”

“I’m on my way home from the office.” He seemed to be alone, as the other members were nowhere to be seen. Though, since he was the manager, he probably had a meeting or something alone.

“Yui’s been worried about you. He keeps saying, ‘Aizou’s been in bad shape and keeps turning down my invites for ramen!’ ...so, what’s going on?”

Instead of answering, Aizou laughed awkwardly.

He didn’t think he was in bad shape, but when he turned down Yui’s invitation, complaining in his reasoning of “my singing isn't in good shape.”

(Iv could probably...no, I can’t ask him to do that...)

He knew Iv was busy, there was no way he could ask him to make time to help him with his singing.

“...Aizou, do you have a moment, right now?” Iv asked.

“Eh?” Aizou glanced up at him.

“Well, you look like you want to talk to me about something,” Iv laughed.

Aizou pressed his lips tightly together and looked down. It was true, he did need him right now, but still. He looked up at him with a serious expression.

“Then please take care of me!”

💮

After exiting a taxi through a narrow road under an overpass, Iv urged Aizou to walk with him. They passed through, and Aizou saw a concrete exterior building with a parking lot. Across the road had a fenced-in railroad track where trains pass by, cutting through the rain.

(Is that a music venue..?)

Aizou looked at the neon sign at the entrance. The front lights were off, as though it were closed.

Iv unlocked the door and walked in without hesitation. When Aizou entered next, the lights snapped on. The ceiling of the spacious floor was covered with pipes running vertically and horizontally, and a number of lights were attached to the ceiling. In front of them was a stage, but the equipment had been put away and only a microphone stand remained in the corner. On a desk at the edge of the stage was a laptop, a keyboard, and a controller used by the DJ, with a bunch of sheet music and files scattered around it. On top of that, headphones were placed there like weights.

“Woah...amazing...” Aizou muttered without thinking.

Iv grinned at him when he heard him.

“You rent this place, Iv?”

“I'm just using it until the next taker comes along. But it's not bad, right? I like it because I can concentrate on my work. I have everything I need here.”

(So this is Iv’s hideout...)

He supposed this was the place where he grounded himself and cleared his head, like the music store practice room was for Aizou.

“Well, let’s get started.”

Aizou, who’d been staring at the ground, whipped his head around to look back at Iv.

“R-Right!” He said.

“What song are you working on right now?”

“I’m supposed to sing this, with Yujiro accompanying me on the organ, but I can’t seem to sing it at all,” Aizou gave him the sheet music. Iv looked it over and suddenly laughed.

“Don’t laugh, that’s mean...”

“Aizou.”

“Eh?” Aizou glanced at Iv as he skimmed the music.

“You got a lot of guts to sing this with only the organ as your accompaniment. But...” Iv put a hand to his chin. “I think it suits you.”

After a light vocal practice, Aizou stood in the middle of the stage, and Iv moved to the very back of the empty floor, turned toward the stage, and leaned against the railing of the audience partition.

“Um, Iv! Are you sure I don’t need a microphone?” Aizou asked, baffled.

All he had in his hand was the sheet music. And Iv was in a position that showed he was listening, which probably meant that he won’t be accompanied by a keyboard this time.

“This is fine. Just sing like you’re trying to deliver your voice to me!”

The two were shouting, and if they spoke any quieter it would be a struggle to hear from the distance. It wouldn’t be easy to deliver his singing voice to him from that far away- and besides, this was the song he was struggling with.

(Even the teacher said my voice doesn’t develop...)

Nevertheless, he had to try.

He lowered his hand that held the sheet music and looked up.

Iv was the only one listening on the large floor.

Aizou took a deep breath and began to sing.

[lilac-melody]

Kono Sekai no Tanoshimikata LipxLip Novel Masterlist!

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3A

Chapter 3B

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

@koizumicchi translated the prologue and chapter 1 and has translated chapters 5 and 6, so please go follow her if you haven’t already!

[lilac-melody]

Kono Sekai no Tanoshimikata LipxLip Novel Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional translator in any way, so please be mindful when you read!

Masterlist here

In the waiting room at the audition venue, the participants all waited for the starting time. Aizou sat in a chair in the corner and casually watched everyone else.

(So...this is the second part of the audition?)

There were so many people waiting that there wasn’t enough places to sit for everyone.

The number bade that had been distributed to Aizou at the reception was number 560.

How many people were at the second screening?

After the second screening was the final selection, and the number of people will be narrowed down drastically.

After all, only one of them could make their debut after being selected to be an idol.

(Man...I’m really sweaty)

Aizou felt nervous and gripped his hands together tightly.

Of course, this was the first time he’s auditioned to be an idol. Although he understood the details of the examination, as it was written in the documents, the skill level of the participants were also judged, and he had no idea what the standards were.

There were surely other people who’ve auditioned before among them.

(Ugh, this is bad...everyone looks really confident.)

Aizou took his headphones out and put them on to keep himself calm. He couldn’t let himself care about other people. He had to concentrate on the production.

(It’s alright. I’ve prepared for today)

Preparations had been underway since the day he got the notification that he passed the first screening. He ran and did muscle training, and he practiced singing and dancing repeatedly in the park on a hill that he often went to.

He also thought about his answers for the interviews.

He did this all on his own without a teacher to guide him. Though, those who were serious probably needed to get a teacher.

(I wonder how good it’ll be based on my ability...)

He looked at the other participants while listening to music. The age range for participation was stated on the application guidelines was from 13 to 18 years old.

It seemed there was mostly high school students, though like Aizou, there were also junior high school students.

There was a boy with a badge that read 410 leaning against a wall in a distance. He wasn’t very tall, and he had a slim physique. He was probably a junior high school student. He had long hair and was reading a book silently.

The History of Idol Culture.

It looked like a very difficult book.

(Is he that serious....is it for the interview?)

Perhaps the boy realized he was being watched and spun around, glaring at him with an expression that clearly said “stop staring”, before hiding his face behind his book.

Aizou felt annoyed by that attitude.

(No one’s watching him, though...is he self-conscious?)

He turned away and continued to play his music.

(He looks dark and thin...is he okay? This guy...)

It looked like he was also aiming to be an idol, though he didn’t seem used to auditions.

(Well, this guy won’t be a rival. He doesn’t seem to have a very good personality...)

Aizou didn’t want to get involved with any opponents before the audition. He closed his eyes, his music still playing.

“Wow! There’s so many people here! Everyone looks so cool!” A loud voice suddenly shouted. Aizou turned his gaze to the doorway.

There was a boy who came in, looking around the room with big, wide eyes. Other participants started whispering, asking “what?” “who’s he?”

(And now this weird guy is here...)

Aizou frowned.

“I’m Ichigoya Kanata! Nice to meet you!” The boy greeted everyone cheerfully, without any worries.

“Kanata, don’t get too friendly. We didn’t come here to play. This is an audition.” Another boy came in, his eyes narrowing.

Even though the waiting room was overcrowded, the boy had a strikingly pretty and organized appearance.

(Are they also junior high school students..? High school students, maybe?)

Well, age didn’t matter.

“Aww, but I want to get along with everyone I meet! Oh, this is Kaido Asuka! He’s my best friend! It’s nice to meet you~!”

The boy who had been introduced bowed awkwardly. “Thank you...”

(This is a solo audition. They’re here together.)

Both of them had Kansai dialects. The audition probably collected people from all over the country.

“...Hey, stop, Kanata, let’s go!”

“This is my favorite candy! It’s delicious, so eat up!” The boy who called himself Ichigoya Kanata started distributing candy to all the participants.

Most of the participants who were nervous were probably feeling worse.

(What are you, a grandmother?)

Aizou avoided making eye contact, but Kanata was getting closer and closer while handing out candies.

“Let’s all do our best!”

When he stopped in front of Aizou, he smiled, showing off his white teeth, and offered him a candy.

Aizou decided to ignore him, turning away from him with his eyebrows furrowing. Kanata’s whine of “I’m talking to you~!” had no effect on him.

“Hey, are you listening~? Hello~?” Kanata poked his face with the stick of candy. 

The boy named Kaido Asuka wrapped an arm around Kanata’s neck and pulled him away.

“Kanata, some people are concentrating, so don’t get in their way.”

While they spoke, he approached the boy who’d been leaning on the wall. He seemed to have an undisciplined personality. Kanata presented a candy to the boy with a smile, but the boy 410 refused with a quiet “no thank you”.

As expected, Kanata looked disappointed as he withdrew the candy.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.” A voice said from the doorway. Aizou, the boy who had been reading, Asuka and Kanata all spun around, and all the participants went quiet. A tense air was spread in the room.

“Alright, the second screening for the idol audition will now start!” A woman wearing a suit and glasses guided the participants who were gathered in the waiting room. Aizou removed his headphones, and the boy reading closed his book.

✨

The idol examination had started, but Aizou was in the second half. It would take a while for his turn.

The boy with the badge 410 had resumed reading in the meantime.

Looking at the clock on the wall, it’d been about two hours since the audition started.

“The judges are Full Throttle4!”

“FT4?! Really?! Yes!”

(FT4..!)

Aizou felt shocked and turned his gaze to the crowded participants. They were a popular vocal and dance unit.

(I didn’t know they’d be here?)

It wasn’t mentioned in the recruitment guidelines. Aizou studied their songs and dances by watching live DVDs of them. To think that he was going to perform in front of them, it made his heart pound louder with nerves.

(This is bad...I’m going up soon...)

He didn’t want to show any bad songs or dances. He didn’t want to seem laughable.

“Are you going to be okay alone? Should mama follow you?”

“I’ll be okay. I’ll contact you when I’m done, so wait outside for me!” A boy, who could have been mistaken for an elementary kid, was talking to his mother.

“Do your best, Takkun! You’ll definitely pass!” The mother held up her fist in encouragement.

“...Gross.”

“...Gag.”

Aizou turned around when he heard the voice of someone next to him who’d muttered at the same time as him. It was the boy 410, who was now staring at him.

“...What do you want?”

“What?” The boy asked.

“You said something just now.”

“That’s my line.”

Aizou’s brows raised. “What? I don’t know you.”

“And I don’t know you. I don’t understand why you’d say you don’t know me when you’re the one who talked to me first.”

“You looked at me and said something annoying!” Aizou’s voice grew louder. The boy sighed, as though he was tired of the conversation.

Aizou hated it. He hated his face and his attitude.

(He does have a bad personality after all, this guy..!)

“What was that sigh for?”

“I’m sighing because I feel sick. I have a very important audition and I’m getting involved with such an idiot. It feels terrible to be caught.”

Aizou roughly grabbed the collar of the boy’s shirt with both of his hands and yanked him up, glaring down at him.

“You...are you trying to start a fight?”

He felt the worst now too. He had been trying to concentrate, but now that focus was ruined.

“As soon as you get angry, you resort to violence? That’s the trait of stupidity.” The other laughed mockingly at Aizou.

“You..!”

(I’ll show you who’s stupid!)

“Hey, you guys!” The woman in the suit from earlier quickly stopped them. “No fighting! If you two have an issue, you’ll be disqualified immediately!”

Aizou, who was glaring at the other boy, gritted his teeth and let go of him.

(You can’t be an idol with such a bad personality!)

Angrily, Aizou turned away from him. The other boy seemed annoyed, and muttered, “I never want to see your face again.”

✨

Maybe it was because of the argument, but Aizou had forgotten his tension. He opened his hand and noticed he was sweating. He clasped his hand tightly closed, muttering “okay!”.

When their group was called, they moved down the hall. The boy 410 was with him. Apparently, he was in the same group. He didn’t like it, but he couldn’t complain.

If they fought again, they would be sent off.

It would be pretty stupid to get disqualified because he was fighting someone he just barely met.

(If we get involved next time, I’ll just ignore him..!)

He decided this and waited on the stage. He looked at the judges seats. The members of FT4 were all sitting side by side.

(They’re really here...)

He’d only seen them on TV and DVD.

They seemed bored of watching the participants step forward and perform their songs and dances. Sometimes, a couple of them yawned.

Due to the amount of participants, the examination was long.

The boy who came in with his mom was dancing and singing in the center of the stage. He was probably nervous, as he sounded off-key. The judges laughed a bit.

Others were just plain, and no one seemed to be standing out.

However, he didn’t know about the first group, as he hadn’t seen them.

“Number 410.”

“Yes.” The boy who was involved with Aizou earlier turned to the front and walked to the center of the stage. He probably caught their eye due to good posture.

(This guy...he was so cocky, I’ll laugh at him if he sucks at this.)

At first glance, he didn’t seem nervous.

“I’m Someya Yujiro. Thank you for having me.” The boy bowed before looking up at the ceiling lights that were lined up and taking a breath. 

Light started shining in his eyes, and he smiled dazzlingly. He turned to the front and started singing. His relaxed voice spread throughout the hall, and the judges of FT4 raised their heads in interest and listened carefully.

His pitch was good, his emotions were good, and his vocal range seemed wide.

(That annoying guy...)

It was completely different from the other participants. His voice, as he sang the chorus to his song, drew everyone in, including himself.

Did he have voice training classes? He wasn’t singing a beginners song.

Aizou gripped his hands tightly.

(I’m confident in my dancing, at least...)

He couldn’t lose. Only one person was going to be chosen.

Yujiro moved away from the stage after he finished and stared at the palm of his hand. Aizou gripped his own.

(He was able to sing properly...and there was a response...okay.)

The judges reactions weren’t bad either.

When he remembered that look on his face while standing in the lights, Aizou’s mouth loosened.

He wasn’t going to give this up, if he had a chance, he had to seize it with his own hands.

“Number 560.”

He looked back at the voice of the staff and saw the boy heading back. Yujiro’s eyebrows raised sharply.

_

(That annoying guy...)

In the waiting room, the guy had his headphones in and was listening to his music.

(And to suddenly get entangled because he said something like that...)

Yujiro could have mistaken what he had muttered, though he remembered the glare on his face while gripping his shirt.

(He’s a sloppy guy with unkempt bed hair like he just woke up, he has a bad taste in clothes, he looks stupid, but I guess he might be able to sing...)

If he couldn’t, then he should just go home because there was no saving him.

Yujiro crossed his arms and looked towards the stage.

The guy who advanced to the center of the stage shouted out. “Shibasaki Aizou! Thanks for having me!”

He sang a fast paced rhythmic song with a dance performance. His voice was sharp and he had a rigorous dance, and it captivated the judges.

The members of FT4 laughed happily.

While dancing freely, he easily did difficult looking dance moves, and had an incredible sense of balance. He also included acrobatic movements like a one handed handstand.

His eyes were bright and his expression was lively.

He looked completely different from when he was scowling with his headphones on.

Watching him dance, he noted that he wasn’t even short on breath, so he definitely had some physical strength.

His voice echoed throughout the hall, and his voice extended beautifully.

(Hey...what did he say his name was....)

He didn’t like him, but he was very eye catching, especially compared to the other participants.

He didn’t know how many people would be in the final selection, but he was sure he’d be among them.

But only one person could win the idol audition.

(I won’t lose...)

Yujiro watched the dancing boy with a genuine expression.

When the song was over, he bowed to the judges with a satisfied smile.

✨

After the song and dance screening, it was time for the interview screening.

Participants sat in chairs lined up on the stage and answered in nominal format.

“Please tell us your motivation for becoming an idol.” The person who picked up the microphone was the president of the agency called Mobius, and was also a judge. It seemed she was also the organizer of the audition.

“I like entertaining people, so I want to be an idol and make my fans smile!”

“Being an idol has always been my dream.”

“I have an impure motivation, to be honest. I just want to be popular with the girls, ahaha...”

Participants answered one after another. It was an expected question, and everyone probably prepared their answer in advance. Everyone prepared a formal answer.

“I want to be the best idol in the universe and make everyone in the universe happy!” Ichigoya Kanata answered energetically, his voice cheerful and face full of confidence.

“Well, you have to start with the earth first!” Asuka, who was sitting beside him, smiled a slightly bitter smile.

“No, the bigger the goal, the more rewarding it is. What’s Asuka’s goal?”

“Eh? I’m...a partition!”

“Asuka is the same as me.”

“I haven’t said anything yet!”

They probably forgot they were on stage, as they went at their own pace.

There was laughter from the judges seats.

(After all that...how annoying.)

Yujiro gave them a side glare. He didn’t like the fact they were getting so much attention. He also had watched their songs and dances. The singing of Kanata was by the far best, even rivalling Yujiro, who was confident in his singing.

The members of FT4 were also amazed by Asuka’s dance.

Yujiro didn’t think anyone would rival him, but it didn’t seem to be the case. But as expected, people came from all over the country.

(They’ll be judged well...)

His fighting spirit ignited.

When he looked sideways, the boy of 560 was looking at those two with similar eyes. When they noticed they were staring at each other, Yujiro turned away with a grimace.

The next question was for the boy of 560.

“I don’t know what exactly an idol does...” The boy suddenly looked at the judges. “But I want to sing!” He had the same bright smile as when he was dancing on stage.

_

The next person was Yujiro.

“Honestly, I don’t have to be an idol, I just...” Yujiro looked directly at the judges seats after a moment of hesitance. “I want to be on the stage.”

Yujiro’s face as he answered shined.

Aizou couldn’t lose.

✨

“And this concludes the end of the second audition screening. Thank you for your hard work.” The woman in the suit entered the waiting room and told everyone this. The participants all stood up and started leaving. Everyone’s voices grew lively, probably due to the tension being released.

Upon leaving the venue, Yujiro sighed.

The sky was already dark, and the store and street lights shined brightly on the sidewalk.

(It’s finally over...)

He did everything he could. All he had to do now was wait for the results.

“Hm, it’s over.”

“It was really fun! Asuka, I want to eat some pudding! Pudding, pudding, pudding!”

Asuka and Kanata came out talking happily.

“Don’t say pudding so much, you’re not a child. So where do you want to eat pudding?”

“Eh? Over there, over there, over there!”

“That’s too much...”

They were two people who went at their own pace the whole time, from beginning to end.

Did they believe they could pass the second screening easily? They might believe that no one rivalled them. Yujiro watched their retreating backs with a look of disinterest.

“Gross.”

“Gag.”

He heard a voice speaking at the same time as himself. He looked next to himself and saw the boy with the badge 560. He was getting real sick of this guy.

“...What?”

“What do you want?”

“You said something to me just now.”

“What? I didn’t say anything. Do you think everyone’s watching you all the time? You’re too self conscious, you know?” The other replied in a rude tone.

Yujiro took a deep breath.

“Because I want to sing!” He imitated the voice of the other from the interview, and his face dropped to annoyance. “Are you a child or something? Even kids have better answers. If you want to sing, go do karaoke.” He waved his hand with a dumb expression.

If he came to the audition with only that feeling, then taking him on seriously would be a nuisance.

The other turned away from him.

“I want to stand on the stage~!” He was getting revenge, as he imitated Yujiro’s voice. “Didn’t you stand on the stage earlier? You got your wish.” The boy 560 shrugged.

Yujiro glared at him, and he glared back. 

(After all...this guy’s the worst!)

“Please return home immediately!” The woman in the suit raised her voice, “oh, it’s you two again!”

The boy made a disgusted face. “Well, I hope I never see you again!”

Yujiro glared at him. “Oh yeah?! I’ll make sure I never meet you again no matter what! And if we do, then don’t call out to me!”

“Who would call out to you!?”

The two turned away from each other aggressively with loud “hmph!’s”, and started stomping off in different directions.

(I can’t believe I had to see such a stupid face!)

✨

President Tamura and Manager Uchida remained at the large venue where the screening was conducted. The boys of FT4 were with them.

“Ah...fighting like that in public...how problematic...” The manager, Uchida Mayu, sighed and felt a headache coming on.

Before and after the audition, 410 and 560 kept arguing.

“It was fun to watch. It’s stupid to have a fight at an audition, though.” Megu of FT4 laughed while sitting on an audience chair. He was the smallest among the group.

Yui, who was sitting beside him, agreed.

“But those two aren’t bad at all, huh? Not as good as I am, though.” Dai answered, holding his fedora back with his finger.

“If they trained well, they could be really good.” Rio said with a serious expression.

The members of FT4 were impressed with them. Certainly, compared to the other participants, the two were shining more brightly when they sang and danced. They were outstanding.

“No matter how talented you are, you can’t make it if you don’t have cooperation!”

It wasn’t just annoying if there were scandals or problems, it was also a big pain for the office. Those two were people they had to watch out for.

“Hey, president...” Manager Uchida looked at her.

President Tamura was talking to a boy with glasses at the doorway.

“Thanks to you, the audition was exciting. Thank you very much.”

“They had a good experience here, thank you too, President Tamura.”

President Tamura and a boy with glasses shook hands with a smile. 

Manager Uchida walked up to the two of them. “President, who’s this?” He was a boy about the same age as the participants. Maybe a high school student. He had been watching the audition from the audience chairs.

“Maeda-kun. He helped liven up this audition.”

Manager Uchida tilted her head to the side. “Helped liven..?”

The boy named Maeda noticed his phone ringing. “Excuse me,” he murmured and answered the phone. “Yes, Asuka, are you and Kanata together....eh? Pudding? Oh...good.” As he nodded, Maeda left the venue while talking.

Mayu wasn’t sure who he was, but he knew the president. He seemed like a calm and mature child.

“Tamura-san.” Iv of FT4 called out to President Tamura, walking over. “Did anyone make your heart flutter?”

When asked, President Tamura grinned in satisfaction. “Yes, I found it.”

Manager Uchida handed over some documents with their photos and profiles.

“Mobius’ first memorable idol is decided.”