*SHINODA FAMILY DINER - VENUS FORT - ODAIBA - TOKYO*
A short trip later, all the school idols had entered the diner.
CHIKA: "Whoa! Talk about an impressive turnout."
AKI: "Yeah, let's hope they don't eat us alive after our error."
HANAMARU: "Zura..."
RIN: "Nya..."
AKI: "Relax, you two; mistakes happen. But it's up to us to correct them."
ELI: "Right, I'm sure we can turn this meeting around, somehow."
A familiar face greeted me among the sea of school idols seated in their booths.
KAITO: "Akihiko! Hey, you weren't kidding; this place is packed to the ceiling!
Business is booming today! I've never seen the place so full!"
AKI: "Thanks for letting us hold our meeting here, Kaito. I appreciate it."
KAITO: "Anything to help the School Idol Festival kick into action!
I'm gonna be there to cheer Kanata on!"
AKI: *Chuckle* "I'm sure she'll appreciate it."
KAITO: "...Huh?"
AKI: "Eh?"
KAITO: "You're not going to freak out about that?"
AKI: "Those days are behind me, Kaito. It was weak and insecure of me to turn on the fans who show so much support to the girls.
When you could have finished me off at my lowest point, you, Shiro, and the others were there to pick me back up.
Even after the horrible things I did...
So, please know I've got your back if you've got mine."
KAITO: *Sob* "...Akihikoooo! Bring it in, buddy!"
*HUG*
AKI: "ACK!"
*SQUEEZE*
KAITO: "I'll cheer on the Club with everything I've got! I won't let you down!"
AKI: "C-Could you let me go at least-? You're crushing me!"
KAITO: "Oh! Sorry, guess I don't know my own strength sometimes, heh."
AKI: *Cough* *Gasp* "That makes two of us..."
REINE: "There. I've brought everyone here as you asked. Are you sure this is the right place?"
AKI: "Yeah, thanks. Kinda bad that we had to meet for the first time like this."
REINE: "How about we start over?"
AKI: "Let's. Nice to meet you; I'm Akihiko Suzuki, I'm the Chairman of the School Idol Festival Planning Committee."
REINE: "Reine Saeki here! What's up!"
AKI: "You're the Chitose Bridge School Idol Club leader, right?"
REINE: "Sure am! I'm really good at dancing, so I'm pretty confident in my abilities as a school idol."
AKI: "Oh really? Care to demonstrate?"
Using the space we had available, Reine busted a move.
REINE: "What do you think? Pretty cool, huh?"
AKI: "Yeah."
REINE: "...Well, that's a terrible reaction."
AKI: "Huh?"
REINE: "But it's all right, I'll change your mind. At the School Idol Festival!"
AKI: *Laugh* "I look forward to it. Thanks again for bringing everyone here."
???: "Wow! It looks like you're having fun over here, Reine!"
REINE: "F-Fumie!"
AKI: "Oh? Another member of your club?"
FUMIE: "That's right! I'm Fumie Nishimura."
AKI: "Akihiko Suzuki, School Idol Festival Chairman. Nice to meet you."
FUMIE: "Look at all the people gathered here. So many new friendships!
Wow! Being a school idol is just intense! It's all friendships and hard work leading to success!"
AKI: "Pretty much, but it's also important to unwind and take a break occasionally."
Unless you're me, that is.
FUMIE: "True! Lately, I've gotten into this sports anime to the point where I've memorized all the lines. But seeing this amount of school idols in one place? It blows that out of the water!"
AKI: "Oh, another anime fan, I see. Something tells me you would get along well with Setsuna."
FUMIE: "Th-The legendary Setsuna Yuki?!"
AKI: "That's the one."
REINE: "Hey, Ru! You've gotta come over here; it's the Chairman!"
RU: "Eh?! U-Um..."
AKI: "Ru?"
RU: "Ru Tara..."
Hmm, something tells me that this girl is pretty shy.
AKI: "Akihiko Suzuki, School Idol Festival Chairman. It's nice to meet you."
RU: "..."
AKI: "..."
RU: "I'm not very...good at appearing in front of people..."
I was right.
AKI: "Oh? But you're a school idol. So there has to be a reason you became one."
RU: "I used to...play sports...and do other things...but right now...school idol things...
AKI: "May I ask why?"
RU: "I wanted... I wanted to try being more proactive..."
AKI: "I see, well, welcome to the meeting."
???: "..."
Eh? Is that girl...painting?
AKI: "Who are you?"
NAGI: "Nagi Shiraki."
AKI: "I'm Akihiko Suzuki. Um... What are you doing?"
NAGI: "I paint pictures."
AKI: "I see... How is life as a school idol?"
NAGI: "I'm kinda bad at exercise."
AKI: "Oh..."
NAGI: "It's depressing."
AKI: "Yeah."
NAGI: "Splash, splash. Paint paint."
AKI: "Well, carry on."
???: "Don't mind Nagi, she's the gentlest, sweetest girl ever. But when she's got a paintbrush in her hand, she gets very serious."
AKI: "Understandable."
NANAKA: "I'm Nanaka Morishima, by the way."
AKI: "Akihiko Suzuki. So, uh... how's life as a school idol?"
NANAKA: "It's pretty lively. Usually, I work for the school newspaper. However, one day there weren't any big scoops to be found, so I thought, 'why not?' and decided to become a school idol.
I figured it would help me get that in-depth personal angle in the article I want to write."
AKI: "Interesting; I bet there will be much to write about today for you."
NANAKA: "You bet! I've got my paper partner Akemi right here with me!"
AKEMI: "Hey! I'm Akemi Kikuchi. I'm a girl who's always running around with a camera in her hand."
AKI: "So you're a photographer, hm?"
AKEMI: "Photos are pretty amazing because they can capture a single moment in time..."
AKI: "Agreed, I actually know a girl who is a pretty good photographer. You should see some of the great shots she took of the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club."
AKEMI: "Wow, that sounds amazing!"
AKI: "Be sure to take many photos of this meeting, okay?"
AKEMI: "I sure will!"
???: "Go, go, Akemi! Take a picture for you and me!"
AKI: "Eh?"
AKEMI: "Oh, that's Saki."
SAKI: "Saki Shimozono. I'm a cheerleader, so I'm always off to the side, cheering someone else on."
AKI: *Chuckle* "Looks like you and I will get along very well.
I'm somewhat of a cheerleader myself, rather than the one being cheered."
SAKI: "It's not a bad thing, being on the receiving end of the cheering."
AKI: "I imagine not, but that isn't really my thing."
SAKI: "Whenever I'm getting cheered on, I know I can't slack in my performance!"
AKI: "True, the crowd does give you that energy, huh.
Eh?!"
I felt something long and hard poke me in the back.
A TELESCOPE that is, get your head out of the gutter.
Who brings a telescope to a school idol meeting?
Nevermind that, who brings a telescope to the city? You can't see shit here with all the lights!
AKI: "I'm Akihiko Suzuki, nice to meet you."
YUU: "I'm...Yuu Aizawa."
AKI: "Yuu, hm?"
Oh, I see, with two U's. Not to be confused with my cousin, Yu, with one U.
YUU: "..."
AKI: "...?"
YUU: "That's it."
AKI: "Surely that's not all you have to say."
YUU: "...Huh?"
AKI: "What's with the telescope?"
YUU: "I like to...look at stars..."
AKI: "Well, I doubt you'll find many in the sky over Tokyo. But you'll find a lot of stars in this diner." *Laugh*
YUU: "..."
AKI: "Oh, you're not laughing."
YUU: "...I'm really embarrassed. So that's it. Bye-bye."
Oh come on!
Ugh, I really made her feel welcome, didn't I?!
Gah... I can feel the embarrassment coming, myself.
???: "Ah, don't worry about it. Yuu can have her head in space sometimes."
AKI: "Thanks. Who might you be?"
IRUKA: "Iruka Suda. And you're the Chairman, right?"
AKI: "Correct."
IRUKA: "Do you do a lot of management?"
AKI: "It's pretty much all I do."
IRUKA: "I've been swimming for practically forever. Since I was little."
AKI: "I see."
IRUKA: "My best stroke is the butterfly. You know, the one where you use the dolphin kick!"
AKI: "I'm not that strong of a swimmer, I get tired out pretty easily.
What about your school idol life?"
IRUKA: "Hmm? Being a school idol? What was that again?"
AKI: "...Y-You're kidding, right?"
IRUKA: "Um... Oh... That thing where I'm dancing and stuff. Yeah I'll do my best in that."
Did...we send messages to the right people?
Because uh... Chitose Bridge seem like a pretty strange group of girls...
???: "Those Chitose Bridge girls may seem like a handfull. But they're sweet when you get to know 'em."
AKI: "Huh?"
An English speaker?!