"Would you consider signing with and becoming an idol?"
"Huh?"
At my question, she seed bewildered, and I couldn't help but smile at her wide-eyed expression. Did I rush things and throw her off?
Yet, her voice had this captivating power.
Even if it wasn't with , with her talent, soday, there would've been an offer from managent.
"Um... I have to finish today's performance first..."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll wait until the performance ends."
I slightly nodded, apologizing to her, then decided to watch her performance from a distance.
Leaning on a small chair, she sipped warm tea from a thermos, then started singing with a different tone from earlier, captivating the audience.
Though each passing day flies by,
I always feel our hearts are close by,
Saying it's fine if we're not together,
Trying to act strong, but it's just mixed sighs.
Jewels left within passing seasons,
Lost precious pieces of an incomplete puzzle...
Like the way snow blankets the streets so white,
May this album be filled with mories~
With a microphone near her lips and eyes closed, she shone beautifully under the streetlight.
Her ballad for the upcoming winter seed to embrace us warmly like fresh snow.
As another song ended, people cheered and applauded, showing their support. Then, she confidently smiled at the crowd before sharing more of her self-composed songs.
"Thank you. Thank you, everyone."
Her enchanting voice had gathered quite a crowd around her.
Inside her guitar case, there was a considerable amount of money, even if just a single coin, yen being a hefty currency...
As she arranged her folding chair and I approached, she stood up, looking at .
"Oh... You're still here?"
"It's not an empty statent. I know I was all over the place earlier, but to formally introduce myself..."
"No, I just wanted to sing. I never aid to beco a singer."
Huh? She cut my words sharply, hastily arranging her guitar case on the floor.
"No, that's..."
"Sorryyyy!"
She dashed away without looking back, leaving just staring blankly.
"What... did I do wrong?"
&
"Hmm? So, she ran away?"
"Yeah. I felt like I beca so terrible person..."
After dinner, I accepted the coffee Yuki handed over, wrapping my hands around the warm mug. She sat on the opposite sofa, stirring the ice cream visible on the cup lid.
"Maybe it was a sudden proposal that caught her off guard?"
"Nyaaw~"
"Akoo~ We're here for you~"
Yuki hugged Haru, the cat comfortably nestled between her legs.
The little rascal, who never dared to scratch Yuki, struck a perfect 'bread loaf pose' on her thigh.
As I gently stroked near the tail with thin fingers, the swaying tail tickled her nose.
"Haha, tickles~"
Taking a sip of the warm coffee, I asked her,
"Even though it's a pet, isn't it risky for a pregnant woman?"
"I asked the doctor, and it's not particularly risky. Still, during Junhyuk's business trip, Haru's been so affectionate, making laugh all day long."
Haru, now lying on her lap, was a cat she brought ho one day after visiting her parents.
Kijyoji, where Yuki's hotown was, was known for its abundance of stray cats.
The locals regarded these cats as part of their daily lives, occasionally leaving food on the walls for them.
Yuki's mother always had a bowl of cat food in their small yard. One day, a kitten seed to have separated from its mother and lingered in their garden for a while.
Unable to leave the thoroughly soaked kitten in the pouring rain, her mother brought it inside, cleaned it up, and placed it in the sun the next day. But the kitten's mother never showed up.
How beautiful did that little white kitten look in Yuki's eyes then?
Working overti at that ti, feeling lonely even on weekends in the empty house, Yuki imdiately brought the cat ho.
That evening, coming ho from work, I was greeted by a never-before-seen white kitten, gazing up at .
"Who are you...?"
"Oh, Junhyuk. This is Haru the cat. I brought her from my parents' place today."
"Oh? Did your mom keep cats?"
"No, it's a stray from Kijyoji. Seems like the mother abandoned her, so she's wandering around the garden alone..."
"Hmm... So, without a word, you just brought her here?"
"Can't we keep her?"
"Well, there's nothing we can't do, but... hmm..."
As I kneeled down, facing the kitten, a chubby paw flew towards .
"Kyaaah!"
"Yikes!! Haru!!"
From the very first eting, the guy who punched my face with a cat-like expression was, as expected, "Suneom"...
Even after that, Yuki seed cool towards , just as much as to others, but the one who was particularly icy towards was none other than Haru, the cat.
At that mont, after Yuki had finished off an entire ice cream and placed an empty cup on the table, she asked , "But why do you keep going to indie bands in Harajuku?"
"Well, I had a slightly interesting idea..."
"Are you planning another ga?"
In response to Yuki's question, I shifted my mug to my lips, grinning slightly. "No, the project I'm working on this ti isn't just about gas."
With a sowhat knowing tone in my reply, Yuki, who had been nodding, gently stroked Haru's back and said, "Our boss just got a new exclusive patent, you know."
-
"Singer audition?"
As we finished the presentation for the new project, the employees gathered in the conference room were all looking at with puzzled expressions. I tucked the laser pointer into my suit and nodded in response to Kawaguchi's question.
"Yes. We'll select representatives for each region, maybe around nine in total...?"
"What!? Nine people?"
The conference room buzzed with excitent at the announcent of an unprecedented nine-mber female idol group formation.
"What on earth is Director Kang Junhyuk thinking? I can't grasp it at all now..."
"Yeah, exactly. We're not even a managent company; why an audition for a singer?"
Picking up on snippets of conversation amidst the murmurs, I confidently responded with a smile, "Don't worry. Once the auditions are done, we'll dive into full-fledged ga developnt."
"A ga?"
Seated among the conference room attendees, Kawaguchi, not quite comprehending my words, asked , "Of course. We're Pentagon, a ga company. However, this project is..."
Before continuing, as I paused montarily, the room's employees looked at with impatient expressions.
Bowing slightly, gripping the table with both hands, I continued, "We plan to create a ga situated between reality and virtuality. And I firmly believe that with this project, we'll garner trendous responses from gars for the next ten years."
My confident declaration left Kawaguchi and the Pentagon employees staring at with astonished expressions.
But you know... What should I call the genre once this ga is made?
Virtual Reality Idol Ga?
No, no... It should be sothing more systematic and compelling...
While the employees were lost in thought, contemplating the genre of the ga, I, after a while, exerted more pressure with my hands on the table and smiled.
Right. If I were to label this ga, 'Real Idol Developnt Project' sounds like a good fit.
-
The next evening.
After work, I headed back to Takeshita Street in Harajuku in search of the singer-songwriter I'd t before.
Arriving near the spot where I'd t her two days ago, I hastened my steps upon hearing guitar sounds sowhere. But why did the guitar sound a bit odd?
Hoping against hope, I turned the corner where a bench was placed, almost running, but as soon as I heard the first notes of the song, I stopped dead in my tracks.
"It's not her."
Darn it. Did I co for nothing? Is she not here today...?
Where she had previously sung, an indie band clad in bizarre costus was belting out a song with tearing voices.
"Murder Mt. Fuji!! Defile Tokyo Tower~!!"
... What on earth is that song? Why kill Mt. Fuji, and why defile Tokyo Tower?
"Whoaaa~!!!!!"
"Yeaaaahhhh~!!!!"
Feeling like staying here any longer might drive crazy, I swiftly left the place, wondering if she might have been replaced and singing sowhere else.
But no matter how much I looked around, I couldn't spot any singer-songwriter with a similar voice to hers, and eventually, it beca pitch dark.
Rumble...
As hunger struck since I'd long passed dinnerti, I stood on the street for a while, scanning the surroundings.
"Where have I ended up? Going back now feels odd, but should I grab sothing to eat first?"
I called Yuki on my recently activated phone, informing her that I'd have dinner and then head ho.
"Ugh... I bought stuff to make sothing tasty..."
"Sorry. I'll just grab sothing quick here."
"Got it. Co back not too late."
"Yeah. See you in a bit."
While walking down the street, I spotted a yellow signboard at the end of an alley.
'Kishimori Ran?'
Normally, a ran shop that nas itself after the owner tends to be above average.
Hungry and in a hurry, I nodded slightly, making my way to the end of the alley with the yellow sign.
Click.
Although the iron door was quite stiff, upon catching a whiff of the savory pork bone aroma, I ntally exclaid bingo and stepped into the shop, where I was greeted imdiately.
"Welco~~"
The mont I heard the gentle voice of the woman, I halted my steps into the shop.
"Custor...? Is sothing wrong?"
With an abrupt action, she ca closer to , and as our eyes t, she tightly gripped the tray she was holding to her chest.
"Oh, it's not what you think!"
"Hahaha... Please don't misunderstand. I just ca because I was hungry."
>
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