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.
