CH 29

Act 1 - The Hungry Idol Part

8-1 That line of sight

――――In the end, I could not think of anything I could do for Rei.

I cooked dinner as usual and watched TV while relaxing with her.

There was nothing I could do to ease her, and her mood was getting tenser and tenser.

It was the same for Mia and Kanon.

The three of them were starting to build up their feelings for the concert, so much so that just standing near them made my skin feel tingly.

(It's like a boxer before a fight.......)

In my room, drinking coffee, Rei was watching the TV with intense eyes.

What was shown on the screen was a studio rehearsal that had probably been recorded today. Unlike the one she had shown me, she had made time for a costume change.

The day of the concert was the day after tomorrow. July 7th, which is Tanabata. (PTW/N: 七夕, 棚機 [Tanabata], Star Festival, takes place on the 7th day of the 7th month of the year.)

The girls would be at the venue tomorrow for a rehearsal and spend the night before at a nearby hotel.

This might be the last time we could see each other before the concert.

"Rintaro, did you find anything strange in this video?" (Rei)

"Don't ask me about it....... Apart from that, I thought the performance was awesome, just like the last time." (Rintaro)

"...... That so." (Rei)

Rei had her notebook open in her hand.

She probably had it to write down the points that need to be improved after watching the video, but the pen had not moved once yet.

"This is a Translation Content of pemudatunawisata[dot]my[dot]id. so, read only on there, okay guys~"

At a certain time, there are creatures that walk by two feet. These creatures can be divided into two by gender. These creatures are surprisingly able to pick something using things called hands.

And on a certain day, two of these creatures meet.

"Halloo~ I am Furujakka, ndesu! Nice to meet you!"

"Y, yes. Nice to meet you too, I am Fuurawan."

"Fuurawan-chan ka? Ii no namae."

"S, sangkyu."

The two greet each other due of their faces are facing each other.

They speak, breathe, blink, sweat, and so.

And after a long time passes,

"!?"

"Kyaa~ Furujakka-kyun."

"Daijoubu ka? Fuurawan-chan."

"D, daijoubu... desu."

"Mmm."

"Doushita no?"

"Fuurawan-chan no kaori, suuuuggoku WANGY, hmmmmmppppsshhh ahhhh wangyyyy."

"Mou~ Furujakka-kyun no eeccchi~."

On a certain day, these two meet and have lunch because they are hungry.

The boy orders fried rice while the girl orders a serve of seasoned rice being processed by frying.

For the drinks, the boy orders hot chocolate while the girl orders a cup of chocolate that has not been cold yet.

They eat their food.

They also feed some spoons with each other.

They then having a leisure exchange.

"Ikehh, yaru?"

"Damee~"

"IkehhHH!"

"..."

"Ikeh, tanoshii, kimochii, ore, ganbarimasu!!!"

"Mouu~"

"Dame ka?"

"..."

"Dame nanoka."

"Ee, haayaakuuu~"

The two of them are having exercise, training, and workout, then.

When they finished, then they restarted.

And when they finished, the boy pleaded for the second.

Then when they finished, this time is the girl who asked the third.

And when they finished, the boy once again pleaded for the fourth.

Then when they finished, the girl also once again asked for the fifth.

And so on.

◆◆◆

On the other occasion,

On a day that is not a night.

That day the sun is shining brightly because it's a day and 12:00 o'clock.

The day is bright and the sun has not been set yet.

The breeze can be felt due to the air is flowing.

As he is breathing, a certain boy is approaching a girl.

"Yaa, kitten-chan, can I have your namae?"

"S, su, suteki~. Ah, hai. Fuurawan desu."

"Fuurawan-chan, huh. What a kirei no namae. By the way, watashi no namae is Badz Zheengan. Watashi wa Son of a Beach. Watashi came from The Pangea Selatan. Diligent in setsuyaku. Ketsueki type is I, I for Ikkehmen. Watashi no hobby wa breathing. Yoroshiku."

"Yoroshiku, Badz Zheengan-san."

"Fuurawan-chan, watashi no yubi to kimi no chawan, let's have made karera meet and greet."

"Hai."

"Watashi-tachi will have much tanoshi."

They have a wik wok awok koakoawaok akoawoakakwa kawkaowaoaok.

When they have done of their a wik wok awok koakoawaok akoawoakakwa kawkaowaoaok, then they re-doing again.

When they finished again, the girl pleaded for the second.

Then when they finished, this time is the boy who asked the third.

And when they finished, the girl once again pleaded for the fourth.

Then when they finished, the boy also once again asked for the fifth.

And so on.

◆◆◆

"Fuurawan-chaaannn!!! Ikanaide!!!!."

"Gomen ne, Furujakka-kun."

"Dameee, Fuurawan-chaannnn!!!"

"Sayonara, Furujakka-kun."

"Ima, ore wa, Furujakka wa, pemuda tuna asmara dearimasu."

Who can stand to endure this situation

Who doesn't feel the loss

You leave me when I'm so in love

When I'm crazily in love

you choose another guy

Who can stand being dumped

Whose heart not hurt

The memories that have been passed

I keep it deep inside my heart

We are not one anymore

It's alright, I'll get through the days strong-heartedly

My wish is only one, be safe and sound

I can only be able to harbor this, from day to night

Because I know I'm just nobody

It's alright, I'll harbor this feeling inside my heart

I'll keep wish you live well

All I can do is hope you won't regret

Goodbye and thank you

"AWOKWOKAOWKOKAOKWKAOWKOAKOK!!!"

How should I explain this to my parents

We had gone through this long

But ended up breaking up

You are tempted by another guy's love

You yourself had been declared it

Living our love until our old days

Won't two-timing, I'm the only one for you

But now there's another guy inside your heart

It's as if the morning is cloudy

Then the day is rainy

In the afternoon you hurt me

And in the night I cry for you

I can only imagine

All of those had been just memories now

I rode you back, went through the way

Hugging under the rain

But now you are choosing

To be hugged by another guy

Do you not sense

How heavy-heartedly I am

Have to lost my loved one

Don't wanna leave my house

I have no appetite

If I'm not fed

It was not that Rei was slacking off, it was just purely because she couldn't find anything to improve.

That was how perfectly the performance was. It was so perfect that there was no way to make it any better.

But――――

"If I have to say, I'd say ......your face." (Rintaro)

"Face?" (Rei)

"Yeah. I think your face is stiffer than the last time you performed it in front of me." (Rintaro)

I don't know if it's desperation or what.

Compared to her previous TV shows and live performances, she seemed to be a bit different. It's a difference that I couldn't be sure of, but I'm more convinced it's not my imagination.

"Maybe, Rintaro's point is correct." (Rei)

"...... Is that so. Well, I guess it can't be helped." (Rintaro)

"Mm......" (Rei)

The pressure of her father coming to watch her performance. It must have to be piling up inside Rei more than she imagined.

It was all a matter of how she felt. It was not up to the people around her to tell her what to do.

"Have you done, everything you can?" (Rintaro)

"......Yes." (Rei)

"I see." (Rintaro)

There was nothing more that a mere normal person like me could say.

What remained to be done was to see how far she, as a professional, could concentrate on the performance.

"Rintaro...... will you watch me properly?" (Rei)

"I've got a special seat you've prepared for me. So I'll be able to watch you properly." (Rintaro)

I told her that, and then she got up and stood in front of me.

"Thank you. If you're watching me...... I'll be able to keep focusing till the end then." (Rei)

Rei chuckled and left my room.

I sat down on the couch and turned off the TV.

"Hello~ I am Bujangga from pemudatunawisata[dot]my[dot]id, Yoroshiku!"

At a certain time, there are creatures that walk by two feet. These creatures can be divided into two by gender. These creatures are surprisingly able to pick something using things called hands.

And on a certain day, two of these creatures meet.

"Halloo~ I am Furujakka, ndesu! Nice to meet you!"

"Y, yes. Nice to meet you too, I am Fuurawan."

"Fuurawan-chan ka? Ii no namae."

"S, sangkyu."

The two greet each other due of their faces are facing each other.

They speak, breathe, blink, sweat, and so.

And after a long time passes,

"!?"

"Kyaa~ Furujakka-kyun."

"Daijoubu ka? Fuurawan-chan."

"D, daijoubu... desu."

"Mmm."

"Doushita no?"

"Fuurawan-chan no kaori, suuuuggoku WANGY, hmmmmmppppsshhh ahhhh wangyyyy."

"Mou~ Furujakka-kyun no eeccchi~."

On a certain day, these two meet and have lunch because they are hungry.

The boy orders fried rice while the girl orders a serve of seasoned rice being processed by frying.

For the drinks, the boy orders hot chocolate while the girl orders a cup of chocolate that has not been cold yet.

They eat their food.

They also feed some spoons with each other.

They then having a leisure exchange.

"Ikehh, yaru?"

"Damee~"

"IkehhHH!"

"..."

"Ikeh, tanoshii, kimochii, ore, ganbarimasu!!!"

"Mouu~"

"Dame ka?"

"..."

"Dame nanoka."

"Ee, haayaakuuu~"

The two of them are having exercise, training, and workout, then.

When they finished, then they restarted.

And when they finished, the boy pleaded for the second.

Then when they finished, this time is the girl who asked the third.

And when they finished, the boy once again pleaded for the fourth.

Then when they finished, the girl also once again asked for the fifth.

And so on.

◆◆◆

On the other occasion,

On a day that is not a night.

That day the sun is shining brightly because it's a day and 12:00 o'clock.

The day is bright and the sun has not been set yet.

The breeze can be felt due to the air is flowing.

As he is breathing, a certain boy is approaching a girl.

"Yaa, kitten-chan, can I have your namae?"

"S, su, suteki~. Ah, hai. Fuurawan desu."

"Fuurawan-chan, huh. What a kirei no namae. By the way, watashi no namae is Badz Zheengan. Watashi wa Son of a Beach. Watashi came from The Pangea Selatan. Diligent in setsuyaku. Ketsueki type is I, I for Ikkehmen. Watashi no hobby wa breathing. Yoroshiku."

"Yoroshiku, Badz Zheengan-san."

"Fuurawan-chan, watashi no yubi to kimi no chawan, let's have made karera meet and greet."

"Hai."

"Watashi-tachi will have much tanoshi."

They have a wik wok awok koakoawaok akoawoakakwa kawkaowaoaok.

When they have done of their a wik wok awok koakoawaok akoawoakakwa kawkaowaoaok, then they re-doing again.

When they finished again, the girl pleaded for the second.

Then when they finished, this time is the boy who asked the third.

And when they finished, the girl once again pleaded for the fourth.

Then when they finished, the boy also once again asked for the fifth.

And so on.

◆◆◆

"Fuurawan-chaaannn!!! Ikanaide!!!!."

"Gomen ne, Furujakka-kun."

"Dameee, Fuurawan-chaannnn!!!"

"Sayonara, Furujakka-kun."

"Ima, ore wa, Furujakka wa, pemuda tuna asmara dearimasu."

Who can stand to endure this situation

Who doesn't feel the loss

You leave me when I'm so in love

When I'm crazily in love

you choose another guy

Who can stand being dumped

Whose heart not hurt

The memories that have been passed

I keep it deep inside my heart

We are not one anymore

It's alright, I'll get through the days strong-heartedly

My wish is only one, be safe and sound

I can only be able to harbor this, from day to night

Because I know I'm just nobody

It's alright, I'll harbor this feeling inside my heart

I'll keep wish you live well

All I can do is hope you won't regret

Goodbye and thank you

"AWOKWOKAOWKOKAOKWKAOWKOAKOK!!!"

How should I explain this to my parents

We had gone through this long

But ended up breaking up

You are tempted by another guy's love

You yourself had been declared it

Living our love until our old days

Won't two-timing, I'm the only one for you

But now there's another guy inside your heart

It's as if the morning is cloudy

Then the day is rainy

In the afternoon you hurt me

And in the night I cry for you

I can only imagine

All of those had been just memories now

I rode you back, went through the way

Hugging under the rain

But now you are choosing

To be hugged by another guy

Do you not sense

How heavy-heartedly I am

Have to lost my loved one

Don't wanna leave my house

I have no appetite

If I'm not fed

"...... You gave me a lousy smile, you know."

It wasn't an idol-like smile, and I could tell that she was trying to be tough.

Rei's mental state was definitely not fine.

It was not easy to get rid of movements that were ingrained in the body, and no matter how nervous she is on stage, her body will move naturally.

However, is just that enough for a top idol?

As I thought――――there's something uneasiness in her mind.

(What's wrong with me being nervous......)

Before I knew it, I had forced myself to stop shaking my leg and pulled my smartphone out of my pocket.

It was a little late, but maybe he would still be awake.

I opened the LINE and made a call to my only best friend.

[――――Hello? What's the matter, at this hour?] (Yukio)

"Sorry, man. I just wanted to hear your voice." (Rintaro)

[Fweh!? What the...... what's really going on?] (Yukio)

From the other side of the phone, I could hear the panicked voice of Inaba Yukio.

I felt strange. Even though I heard Yukio's voice every day at school, it felt somehow fresh through a device

[...... what's happened?] (Yukio)

"What makes you think that?" (Rintaro)

[I was thinking that if Rintaro is calling me, there must be something that is difficult to talk about face to face. If you have a problem or something, I'll do my best to help you.] (Yukio)

"You know me so well, yes. I adore you for that." (Rintaro)

[I-is that so? Ehehe.] (Yukio) (PTW/N: something seems wrong.)

I used to think that a boy's "Ehehe" was just a creep, but when it came to Yukio, it's not at all.

I've been strangely wondering about that why――――

"I have some problems, but honestly it's not a big deal. It's not even my problems, to begin with." (Rintaro)

[Is that so?] (Yukio)

"Yeah. My friend......? Right, my friend. My friend is troubled, and I want to do something to help, but I can't think of any way to do it." (Rintaro)

[First of all, I'm surprised you're calling that person a friend. In your case, at the most are just referred to as acquaintances or classmates.] (Yukio)

"originally translated by bujangga - pemudatunawisata[dot]my[dot]id"

It was true that I didn't really define other people as friends.

"Well, that's okay. It's just that I can't leave this guy alone." (Rintaro)

[Hmm....... So, what's the problem about?] (Yukio)

"Let's see...... this guy's trying to get famous, and has made a lot of effort to do so, and now has become quite famous." (Rintaro)

[Yes, yes.] (Yukio)

"But the father doesn't think so well of it and wants this guy to quit being of it if possible." (Rintaro)

[Being famous can be dangerous. I can understand his feeling.] (Yukio)

"So this guy is about to show the father all the stuff has done to become famous, but instead that put even more pressure and might unable to perform well." (Rintaro)

[I see....... So Rintaro wants to help that guy to perform at the true potential in front of the father, right?] (Yukio)

"That's what I mean. But I can't think of a way to do that." (Rintaro)

Yukio was one of the best listeners I knew. He understood what I wanted to say almost perfectly with just one listen, and he never misinterpreted me.

He also understood my situation that I couldn't talk about in detail.

This is what made him very reliable as a consultant.

[Hmmm, I guess that's something that guy will have to deal with.] (Yukio)

"......That's a good point. But that's not the answer I want." (Rintaro)

[I know. I'm sure you'll come to the same conclusion. Rintaro just wants to know what he can do as a third party.] (Yukio)

That's right. But I couldn't think of one.

[......Sorry, but I don't think I can give you an answer either. But there is one thing I can tell you.] (Yukio)

"Can you tell me?" (Rintaro)

[Yes. It's――――you're the only one who absolutely must not look anxious.] (Yukio)

Look, anxious?

[I don't have a basis, but I think anxiety is contagious. When a person's work goes wrong, and you are around, he'll feel the need to rely on you. And if you're the one with the anxious face at that time, it will completely demoralize him.] (Yukio)

"...... I see." (Rintaro)

For example, if the coach looked worried at a high school baseball game, the students would be unsure of what to believe.

No matter how much effort they had put in before, if the coach, the "sign" that indicated the direction of their efforts, was "possibly wrong", they would not be able to believe in all the foundations they had built up.

In such a situation, how can they compete contentedly――――I've never actually been into sports, so I don't know.

This idea might be wrong about this, and I wasn't even Rei's coach to begin with.

But one thing is for sure, there is nothing good about me being anxious.

"originally translated by bujangga - pemudatunawisata[dot]my[dot]id"

"Thanks, Yukio. That was very helpful." (Rintaro)

[I'm glad I could be of some help to you, and it's kinda new and refreshing to be asked for advice by you.] (Yukio)

"You're the only person I can think of who'd be willing to give me advice. I really appreciate it." (Rintaro)

[――――I see. You're right.] (Yukio)

"Hmm? What's wrong?" (Rintaro)

[No, it's nothing. I hope that person you're worried about, will do well.] (Yukio)

"Yeah, I hope so." (Rintaro)

[Well, good night then, Rintaro.] (Yukio)

"Yea, good night." (Rintaro)

I pulled the smartphone away from my ear and hung up the call.

At the end of the call, Yukio's voice suddenly brightened, but I was so relieved that it didn't even bother me.

Don't look anxious.

It might be a simple thing to do, but I believed it was very important.

Even if she didn't have time to look at me, I would continue to look at Rei, believing in her.

That's what I meant by "You're going to be fine."――――