"Looks like we found another clue..."
Rita studied the background in the photos. They were exactly the same—both showed a mountain hot spring inn with a rustic local charm. It could have been a coincidence, but the odds were very low.
So...
Hashiko Yui's mother had been there too?
The hot spring inn where Renge was staying.
"I can ask Hashiko Yui."
Holding the photos, Rita turned and left Hashiko Yui's bedroom. Back in the living room, she could hear sounds coming from the kitchen. Hashiko Yui was still busy, so Rita simply lay down on the sofa, picked up the remote beside her, and turned on the television.
The moment the TV came on, perhaps by coincidence... there happened to be a variety show featuring Hashiko Yui.
Idol was a profession with a very low status in the entertainment industry, but Hashiko Yui, as a national idol, was extremely popular, so publicity was unavoidable.
And unlike celebrities, idols had to constantly maintain their popularity, so they could not afford to lack exposure. Advertisements, commercial appearances, events, and variety shows were all indispensable.
Rita had never been particularly interested in variety shows, especially variety shows from this country. How should she put it... this country's variety shows were incredibly exaggerated, even somewhat bizarre, and Rita could not really appreciate them.
People in this country also sometimes felt rather perverted. Unlike the variety shows in Shenzhou, which could be playful without going too far, Japan's variety shows seemed determined to push idols as far as possible. And they did it for real, deliberately messing with idols to draw the audience's attention.
It could be said that whenever someone mentioned Japanese variety shows, the first thing that came to mind was probably those boring, vulgar, brainless challenges that made people uncomfortable, along