"Umi, are you psychic?!" Honoka Kosaka asked in surprise.
"Anyone could have thought of that!" Umi Sonoda said helplessly.
Honoka Kosaka suddenly went behind Umi Sonoda, then rubbed her shoulders, trying to butter her up.
"Great, then it's settled. Let's go ask a teacher to start an Idol Club right now!"
"I refuse!"
"Why?!" Honoka Kosaka asked, puzzled by Umi Sonoda's refusal.
"But look, they're so cute and sparkly! And you can't wear these kinds of outfits in everyday life." Honoka Kosaka still seemed reluctant to give up.
"Do you really think doing this will attract students?" Umi Sonoda asked, looking at Honoka Kosaka with a serious expression.
"Um... We just need to get popular, right?" Honoka Kosaka said, sounding unsure.
"The school idols in that magazine work as hard as professionals and take being idols seriously. Someone like you, Honoka, who's only curious about it, won't be able to see it through." Umi Sonoda continued, "I'll be honest with you: becoming idols is impossible!"
If we were going to do it, the three of us would do it together.
On the rooftop of Otonokizaka, Senba Gari stood alone, troubled as he looked down at the scenery. Staring at his left hand, he once again remembered the day Muramasa had defeated him in an instant. As his left hand trembled again, Senba Gari murmured to himself.
"Have I really started to fear those guys? And what exactly did Unicorn mean by what it said after I woke up?" At the same time, Senba Gari recalled the words Unicorn had given him after he regained consciousness.
[Kid, you look so troubled that I'll give you a hint. Remember, what you're confused about is exactly what you've lost.]
"What I'm confused about is exactly what I've lost? Aaaah, that doesn't clear anything up at all!"
Senba Gari scratched his head in frustration. Suddenly, a noise from the rooftop entrance caught his attention.
"Click."
"Eh, Mr. Senba, what are you doing here?" After opening the door, Honoka Kosaka saw Senba Gari on the rooftop and asked him.
"Oh, nothing. There's just something on my mind, so I came up here for some fresh air. What about you, Honoka?"
"Well, I thought of a way to solve the school's closure crisis, but Umi won't agree." As she spoke, Honoka walked over beside Senba Gari and looked down at the scenery. Neither of them noticed the pair of eyes watching them.
"She doesn't agree? Can you tell me what your idea is?" Senba Gari asked curiously.
"It's school idols."
"School idols? I see. I think I know why Umi doesn't agree." Senba Gari seemed to understand.
"Really? Then please tell me, Mr. Senba!" Honoka Kosaka looked at Senba Gari curiously.
Senba Gari took a moment to gather his thoughts, then began to explain.
"It's simple. Don't think becoming a school idol is easy. School idols are still idols, and they need to practice hard and create new songs for every performance. It's exhausting. I think Umi refused because she realized that. You've been childhood friends since you were little, and you know each other very well. She might be afraid you're only caught up in the excitement and will lose interest after a few days. In the end, it's up to you to prove that you'll really stick with it."
"Uh, well..." Honoka Kosaka hesitated.
Suddenly, a clear, lovely singing voice accompanied by piano music reached Senba Gari and Honoka Kosaka, catching their attention. Honoka followed the sound and left the rooftop.
"Hey, Honoka, where are you going?" Senba Gari called after her when she suddenly headed off, but Honoka was already following the song.
"Jeez, that girl really does love making trouble for people. Oh well, I'd better go see. That voice must belong to that girl." With that, Senba Gari followed Honoka Kosaka.
"Hmm? Was that my imagination? I feel like someone was watching us on the rooftop." When Senba Gari reached a certain stairwell, he looked toward a spot, puzzled. "Never mind." Then he hurried after Honoka Kosaka.
Outside the music room, Honoka Kosaka followed the song there and peered inside through the glass in the door. A red-haired girl with shoulder-length hair sat inside, playing the piano.
"Honoka, could you slow down a little? Honoka?"
After catching up with Honoka, Senba Gari spoke to her, but Honoka Kosaka didn't answer. She was simply listening, entranced, to the girl's piano playing and singing. Senba Gari followed Honoka Kosaka's gaze into the room.
"Ding."
"Clap, clap, clap."
"?!"
As Maki Nishikino's piano music came to an end, a sudden burst of applause startled her. She looked up and saw Honoka Kosaka clapping excitedly, while Senba Gari stood beside her with a helpless look. Then Honoka Kosaka opened the music room door and went inside. Senba Gari followed her in.
"That was amazing! I'm so moved," Honoka Kosaka said, walking up to Maki Nishikino.
"Not really," Maki Nishikino said shyly.
"You sing so well, and you play the piano beautifully. You're as cute as an idol, too."
When Honoka Kosaka said that, Senba Gari could see Maki Nishikino's face turn noticeably red. Maki Nishikino stood up and started to leave, but Honoka Kosaka stopped her.
"This is a little sudden..." Honoka Kosaka said, looking at Maki Nishikino expectantly. "Have you ever thought about becoming a school idol?"
"What are you talking about? That's ridiculous." Maki Nishikino walked around Honoka Kosaka. As she passed Senba Gari, she glanced at him discreetly, then left.
"I guess so. Haha..." Honoka Kosaka said with a strained smile.
"Looks like I'm not needed here. But Honoka, I think you'd better get past Umi first. I'm leaving—I still have to prepare materials for class." Senba Gari patted Honoka Kosaka on the shoulder, then turned and left.
Gokuraku Jodo, flirt, flirt, flirt—
At the Archery Club, Umi Sonoda stood with a bow and arrow aimed at the target in front of her. An archer had to clear her mind to hit the mark, but just as Umi Sonoda was about to focus, an image flashed through her mind.
She was surrounded by glow sticks and cheers, an idol on a dazzling stage, calling out to the audience below: "Let me pierce your hearts~"
Her arrow veered completely off course and lodged in the dirt beside the target.
Aah, what am I thinking?!
Umi lowered her head to hide her flushed face, trembling all over.
"How strange. Umi actually missed."
"Ah, no. I was just distracted for a moment." She said that, but her gaze kept wandering. Then Umi raised her bow again...
"Love arrow shoot~"
The same scene appeared in Umi's mind again, without warning.
More than a dozen arrows missed the target, almost all of them lodging in the dirt. For Umi, this was utterly humiliating!
Aaaah! Stop thinking about it! Stop! Please, don't think about something so embarrassing. My ears are practically smoking!
Umi rolled around on the ground. "I can't! I can't have any distracting thoughts!"
"Umi, come with me." At the Archery Club entrance, Minami Kotori came over to Umi Sonoda and pulled her outside.
"It's all Honoka's fault. I can't concentrate on practice at all," Umi Sonoda said gloomily to Minami Kotori as they walked along the path.
"So you're a little interested in being an idol, too."
"No... That's..." Minami Kotori's words clearly left Umi Sonoda hesitating.
"I still don't think it'll work out..."
"But Honoka's always the first one to say things like that." As she said this, Minami Kotori and Umi Sonoda both remembered how Honoka Kosaka had led them up a tree when they were little.
"When we're having a hard time, she always pulls us forward."
"Because of that, we've gotten into a lot of trouble, too." Umi Sonoda remembered how they had almost fallen that time.
"That's true." Minami Kotori couldn't help giving a wry smile.
"Honoka always asks too much of us," Umi Sonoda grumbled.
"But Umi... have you ever regretted it?"
"..." Minami Kotori's words left Umi Sonoda deep in thought.
"Look." When they reached a corner of Otonokizaka, Minami Kotori gestured for Umi Sonoda to look.
Umi Sonoda walked over and saw Honoka Kosaka practicing dance steps by herself. But when she turned, she tripped and fell onto the ground.
"Ouch!" Honoka Kosaka cried out in pain, then said in frustration, "This is really hard... Everyone else can do it... All right, one more time."
"123." Honoka Kosaka got up and practiced the dance steps again.
"Umi, I want to give it a try." Minami Kotori turned to Umi Sonoda and smiled gently. "What do you want to do, Umi?"
Umi Sonoda looked at Minami Kotori, then at Honoka, who had fallen again. A faint glimmer stirred in her eyes.
"Ow... Damn it!" Honoka Kosaka lay on the ground, groaning in frustration. Suddenly, a slender hand reached out in front of her. She looked up and saw Umi Sonoda in her Archery Club uniform, offering her a hand.
"Umi..." Honoka Kosaka couldn't help saying.
Umi Sonoda looked at Honoka Kosaka gently and said,
"There's no point in practicing alone. If we're going to do this, all three of us have to do it together."
"Umi..." Honoka Kosaka looked at Umi Sonoda, deeply moved.
Umi Sonoda simply gave Honoka Kosaka a warm smile.
Inside the teachers' office, Senba Gari watched Honoka Kosaka and the others through the window, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"Looks like those three girls have reached an agreement. I'm curious to see how far they can go."
Suddenly, a voice came from beside Senba Gari.
"Mr. Senba~ Would you like to go on a date with me after work~?"
"No! And I've already told you, Ms. Fukagawa, I'm not interested in you at all!"
"That's all right. I don't need you to be interested—I just need you to be 'sexually interested'~"
Hearing that, Senba Gari's face went pale. He shouted,
"That's even less likely!"
You're the one I choose!
In the student council room, Honoka Kosaka, Umi Sonoda, and Minami Kotori stood in front of Eli Ayase.
"What's this?" Student council president Eli Ayase asked, looking at the club application form in front of her.
"An application to start the Idol Club," Honoka Kosaka said, looking at Eli Ayase.
"I can see that."
"Then it's approved?"
"No. Even a club on the scale of a hobby group needs at least five members."
"Eh?" Honoka, who hadn't known that, cried out.
"But I heard there are lots of clubs at school with fewer than five members," Umi Sonoda immediately objected.
"When they were founded, those clubs must have had at least five members, and they also need an adviser," Eli Ayase immediately added.
"You're still two members short. As for the adviser, there aren't many restrictions, so any teacher at this school will do." Vice president Nozomi Tojo spoke up, and her words seemed to give Honoka Kosaka a hint.
"Two... I get it. Let's go." Just as Honoka Kosaka was about to turn and leave—
"Wait. Why are you starting an Idol Club now? You're already in your second year," Eli Ayase asked, leaving her seat and approaching Honoka.
"Because we have to find a way to stop the school from closing!" Honoka Kosaka said bluntly, stating the real reason for starting the club. "School idols are really popular right now, so..."
"Even if you find five members, I still won't let you start a club."
"Eh? Why?" The three of them were all taken aback by her answer.
"Clubs aren't there to attract students. An impulsive idea like this won't change the situation at all." Eli Ayase picked up the application form and pointed it at Honoka Kosaka. "Stop thinking about such far-fetched things. You should focus on what you want to do for yourself over the next two years."
"I really wish someone else could hear what you just said~" After the three girls left, Nozomi Tojo said lightly.
"Mm, Nozomi, you just can't stop talking..." Eli Ayase blushed and turned her head away, exposed.
"Mhm~ That's part of the vice president's job."
Outside the gates of Otonokizaka, the three girls were more or less discouraged after their failed application and the student council president's stern refusal.
"Don't be discouraged. This isn't your fault, Honoka," Kotori said, trying to comfort Honoka.
"But if we can't start a club, we can't borrow the auditorium, and we won't have a club room. We can't do anything," Umi Sonoda said, sounding desperate. Her final words seemed to be urging Honoka Kosaka to give up.
"That's true..." Minami Kotori seemed to agree with Umi Sonoda.
"I still want to keep going. If we say we'll do it, then we'll do it!" Honoka Kosaka said with even greater determination rather than feeling discouraged.
—Time skip—
The next day, in the Otonokizaka student council room, Eli Ayase looked glumly at the large auditorium use permit in front of her.
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