“–I’m sorry, it wasn’t an appearance I should have shown to my fans.”
Nekoto-chan, who was confused when I called out to her, smiled a little later as if to cover it up.
It seems that she didn’t realize that she had called my name after all.
If she had, she wouldn’t have tried to cover it up like that.
Then I should pretend not to notice her too, as I had originally planned.
That’s what she seems to desire.
“Idols are human beings. There are times when you want to cry.”
“But you have to smile for your fans. And it’s not something you can talk about with your fans.”
Nekoto-chan continued to smile with tears in both eyes.
I saw that her hands were clasping her skirt tightly around her knees.
I’m sure she’s trying desperately to stifle the emotions that make her want to talk.
After all, this girl is stronger than she appears.
However, I needed her to open up here.
“Kya!! Wha, Wha,…What are you doing?”
When I took off my jacket and pulled it over her head, Nekoto-chan looked up at me as if she was very surprised.
It was obvious that she would be upset if I did this, but her reaction was much greater than I expected.
Her face was bright red and she was still shy as ever.
“If no one’s watching, it’s all right to talk to yourself, isn’t it?”
“Oh…….”
I’m not sure if she realized what I was trying to say, but she seemed to have noticed something.
Then after scurrying around and looking at the surroundings, she looked up at my face again with an expression of clinging on to something.
I nodded, and she slowly and deeply pulled my jacket back over her head.
“–For what have I been working so hard for……?”
The words that came out in a voice laced with sobs were something that would have felt sudden if I didn’t know anything about the situation.
I guess the words she wanted to say came out first because she was now able to let out the feelings she had been forcing down.
It’s not a problem for me, as I already understand the situation, and if Nekoto-chan is this distraught, there will probably be confusion in her memory later on.
Even if I knew about Clara-chan, she’ll be under the illusion that she might have told me.
Well, it would be best if she could explain Clara-chan from her own mouth so that it would make sense.
–After that, Nekoto-chan continued to pour out her feelings like an unstoppable stream.
I continued to listen in silence while paying attention to my surroundings.
In short, Nekoto-chan felt that it was meaningful for the three of them to work together, and if any one of them was missing, she would feel that the time she had worked so hard for was being trampled upon.
I only know her from the time she started to become popular, but I’m sure the three of them have been working together for a long time.
Even though she knows that the office made the right decision, she is still a kid and can’t convince herself.
However, it’s not necessarily her fault.
In fact, it was because she was a good, straightforward girl that she couldn’t accept such a dismissive decision.
After all, I’m glad that I like this girl.
–The first time I met her – well, the second time to be exact, but she hasn’t changed since then.
The first time I fell in love with her was at the first idol concert that Minato and his friends forced me to go to.
There, I was separated from Minato and his friends after a phone call from someone and I happened to find a little girl who was lost.
The girl, who seemed to have been separated from her parents due to the crowd, was taken care of by a small person wearing a hood before I could call out to her.
I was suspicious of the hooded person in the crowd and followed him, fearing that a child might be getting kidnapped. But the hooded person immediately tried to take the little girl to the security guard.
I was about to leave, thinking that there would be no more problems, but the little girl’s unexpected behavior stopped me in my tracks.
It was a little girl who clung to the hooded person and refused to leave.
Seeing this, the hooded person also gave a false idea to the security guard and started looking for the parents again.
It was about an hour after the start of the concert when the girl’s parents were safely found.
The hooded person left the girl with her parents and immediately ran off.
I was curious as to what they were doing in such a hurry, so I followed behind. And that’s how I witnessed it.
I saw the face of a cute girl with a cat-ear hairstyle come out of the hood.
–Yes, the suspicious person wearing the hood was Nekoto-chan.
Probably due to some last-minute circumstances, Nekoto-chan had found a lost girl at the concert venue where she was supposed to rendezvous with her group.
The show was delayed because she wasn’t there, and the manager was scolding her like crazy.
Apparently, she didn’t have her phone with her at the time and didn’t have any way to contact him.
If that was the case, she should have left the little girl with the security guard at that time, but she couldn’t do that either.
Maybe the girl had noticed Nekoto-chan.
Children can be more perceptive than adults sometimes.
And Nekoto-chan, who couldn’t leave the anxious little girl alone, putting the little girl’s feelings ahead of her own, even though she knew she would get scolded later.
That’s how kind and wonderful she was.
I only wish she could have thought of a better way to do it.
Well, maybe that’s why I’ve been interested in her since then.
A girl who is straightforward to the point of stupidity.
I found her to be very attractive.
I don’t want her to change, and if she’s suffering, I want to help her.
I don’t think I would normally be able to get involved with an idol, though.
So I’m grateful for my good fortune in being able to have contact with her.
There are things you can do because you can get involved.
“–This is just my own soliloquy. I think it’s very nice to be able to think about the people around you first. But I also believe that sometimes there is no need to stifle your own feelings. It is not uncommon for a forced understanding to reverberate later, and for the feelings to be shattered.”
After Nekoto-chan finished her soliloquy, I told her what I thought, though I called it a soliloquy.
Naturally, there’s no way she won’t have a reaction if I do it like this.
“But if it is so ……, what am I supposed to do ……?”
Perhaps because she’s already finished talking to herself, Nekoto-chan’s words reverted to polite speech.
By the way, even though we are classmates, Saotome-san has always been using polite language towards me.
Since we’re classmates, we should be able to use casual language.
…..although I was very happy to see Nekoto-chan using casual language.
“Um……?”
“Ah…… excuse me.”‘
I was pondering on my own in a different direction for a bit, when Nekoto-chan called out to me, looking anxious, even if she didn’t show her face from inside her jacket.
It’s not a good idea to turn my attention to something else right now.
I took a deep breath to cool my head and decided to answer her question.
“I think you should do what you want to do.”
“Eh……?”
Hearing my words, Nekoto-chan peeked out of the jacket and looked up at me.
That’s why I covered Nekoto-chan’s face with my jacket again.
This is not only to make Nekoto-chan aware of her private space but also to prevent the paparazzi from proving that she is Nekoto-chan even if they take pictures of this place.
Even though I’m wary of my surroundings, I don’t want the paparazzi to show up when I become distracted like I just did.
It was a precautionary measure, just in case.
“I think it’s best to do what you want to do, Nekoto-chan.”
I try to keep my voice as gentle as possible and say something that will push her back.
“But…. they didn’t listen to me…..”
She had just said earlier during her soliloquy that her hopes had been rebuffed by her manager.
I guess that’s why she was sitting here all alone in a corner.
“Don’t worry. As long as they know you’re being serious about your feelings on this, you’ll be fine.”
“My feelings.. ?”
“Yes, that’s right. The manager probably thinks that Nekoto-chan’s current feelings are just temporary emotions. I’m sure he’ll listen to you as time passes. So, let them know that you are really serious. It doesn’t matter how many days it takes, it’s worth it to keep appealing.”
Yes, no matter how many days it takes, if Nekoto-chan means what she says now, she has to keep appealing.
If she doesn’t, I’m sure this very kind girl will keep holding back.
“Are you sure that’s all there is to do ……?
“That’s all, you say? It’s not as easy as you might think to get your point across even when the other person is angry about it. However, if you continue to appeal to them, I’m sure they will relent on the matter.”
“………… I understand. Then I will continue to ask them not to remove Clara-chan.”
Her voice was firm and strong as she said this.
I could see her eyes through the jacket, and I knew I didn’t need to worry anymore.
And I understood exactly what Nekoto-chan wanted.
Now all I had to do was make sure that Nekoto-chan was not disappointed.
–After making sure that there were no paparazzi lurking around, I took the jacket from Nekoto-chan and left.
Then I made a phone call to someone.
I made a phone call to my childhood friend, who is the shrewdest person I know in this world, and is also my client–
TN: Background work time.. The suggestions for new projects are welcome.
Please read : New Project Suggestion
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