Chapter 4


TL: Akabane


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Momo-chan, the girl I like, was suspected of having a love affair with me, and I was the one in the photo. I wonder what kind of face she would make if I told her the day before yesterday. Just imagining it makes me laugh.


And now, she has said something outrageous. Probably, it's the worst thing to say in front of her fans.


"Do you want to quit ...... idol?"


"Yes."


Wow. I must have misheard her.


In a word, that sucks. It's like having the source of life taken away right in front of my eyes. I was a serious otaku, so to be honest, it's more than a little hard. I was under the impression that she would continue to be an idol even with the allegations of infatuation.


"I'm really sorry about that ....... I know it's not something to say to the cheerleader, but ......."


That's what she says, but I find myself seriously about to cry. I'm 32 years old, single, and my idol has been alleged to be in love with someone, and she's declared that she want to quit being an idol. What am I supposed to live for?


Well, I knew I was going to be told something bad since I was in this situation. I was prepared to get involved in a lot of things, but I never thought she wanted to quit. ......


"......Uh, yeah. I just don't understand the situation. It would be helpful if you could explain it to me."


I thought I had taken the initiative, but I let go of the reins in dismay. There was no strength in my body. I look at her in front of me with empty eyes. It's too boring to talk about half an hour before the end of my lunch break.


"......Let's start with the press coverage. They've been following me for the past year or so. It was about the time that Sakura Romance was becoming popular. That day was no exception."


"Ah, yes."


"It was completely my carelessness that I dropped my wallet. I am not at all at fault with the cheerleader who picked it up. But the fact is that it was published in a weekly magazine. Even though it wasn't."


She explained at length, but it was as if she hadn't heard half of what was going on. This is what I mean by the sky above. It was that Aimi Momoka in front of me, and yet I didn't even want to look at her face right now. She was so cute and I liked her so much.


"I'm the reason why it was put up like that."


I thought her voice sounded more resonant than before, probably because the guests around us had started to leave. If she didn't keep the volume down, she could have exposed herself. And yet, she did not change her tone. She seemed distracted by the words she was about to say.


"After that, I was directly confronted by a reporter. About my relationship with you. So--"


"You don't think we're dating, right?!"


I huffed at the sudden turn of events and suddenly raised my voice. My instinct not to make Momo-chan a war criminal kicked in. She was not the only one surprised by this, and the restaurant was a little buzzed. I apologized flatly and urged her to speak.


"No, it's not!　Oh, no, no, it's not, but it's ......."


"What......?"


I guess I said something similar. Looking at it this way, Momo-chan is very easy to understand. In other words, she is the type of person who cannot lie.


If you say that's just wishful thinking on your part, I'll nod my head and say, "Of course it's better than lying."


"--It's clouded. Give me the answer."


"In what way?"


"I don't know."


You did that. They say silence is affirmation, and that's pretty much what she did.


I'm sure her comments were on there, too, if you ask me. I thought I had calmly read through everything, but apparently not at all.


However, I should say that it is a quintessential photo weekly magazine to put out the word "passionate love" with that much information. They are the kind of people who live by exposing people's private lives. They are just vain people who misunderstand the meaning of journalism. That is how I have always despised idols whenever I saw them in love. That hasn't changed.


"......Why did you do that?"


It is a simple question. Momo-chan is a little out of the loop, but I think she is basically a serious girl. I didn't think she would willingly put her foot into a negative campaign like that.


"No way. Is it because you want to quit?"


I was strangely perceptive today. No, anyone who thinks about it calmly can see that. But she seemed to appreciate it. I guess she was still feeling a little bitter about it. It must have been difficult for her to say "I want to quit" to someone who was supporting her.


She nodded her head and pursed her lips. She looked too beautiful to quit.


"I'm too old, and I'm a liability in the group."


"No, you're not!"


The line came out as quickly as it came out. It was not until after the words had been completely conveyed to the other person that I realized I was defending her.


Her expression at that moment was impressive, as she seemed to be huffing and puffing and somewhat on the verge of crying.


Within the group Sakura Romance, there are probably positions that only the members themselves know where they stand. It is the same in the company.


At least, I think she is at the top in terms of performance. Not only within the group, but in the idol industry as a whole. She thinks so from the bottom of her heart, which is probably why she said those encouraging words on the spur of the moment.


"I think Momo-chan is a good singer and dancer, and I think it's Momo-chan who is leading the performance. It's just the opinion of one fan, though."


"Thank you .........."


She said a little shyly, which was very cute and made my heart flutter. I remember saying the same thing at the handshake session. I wonder why she looks prettier now with light makeup than she did then.


Lunch break will be over in about 15 minutes. But I felt it was wrong to cut her off now. Somehow. It wasn't because I was a fan, but it was a decision I made when I saw her as a person.


"So then, Blue Rose is a your back-up account?"


"Yes. It's my account from before I debuted."


"Oh, so that's what it is."


In a sense, it's a back account...in today's SNS, it's rare for a young person not to have one. I didn't think Momo-chan had made her SNS debut with an official account.


"But I didn't think it was you. ...... I'm honestly beyond surprised."


"I knew that you were the cheerleader."


"What?"


My heart races as she says something I never thought I'd hear. I looked at her, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, and instead of subsiding, a flush appeared on her face.


"You used to talk to me a lot when we shook hands."


"Wait, you remember that?"


"Yes. Not everything, of course, but I remember the cheerleader."


I almost cried in a different way than before. Momo-chan is really very nice girl. She doesn't have the typical idol false smell, and I wonder why she would say she wants to quit.


I've been a fan of hers since I became a fan, and I've been going to her handshake meetings frequently. I went because I wanted to meet her if I could. Once I went, I was hooked.


To be honest, I had no desire to be remembered. Many of the other fans tried their best to make an appeal to be remembered and wore the same clothes every time they went.


But I wasn't like that. Just looking at her made my stress disappear. She drew the line somewhere between me and the world I live in.


"Then how did you find the account?"


"You said it yourself. You said you have an account called "Cheerleader."


".........."


Where did I draw the line?


I'm really trying to get Momo-chan's attention, huh? To be honest, I don't remember saying anything like that. Humans are such convenient creatures.


"That day, too ...... that's actually what happened."


"That day?"


"I saw you in front of the convenience store, so I tried to talk to you."


It seemed that the conversation would not end during the lunch break.




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