CH 28

The bullied novice idols getting back at their seniors

Translated by HamletJr

Edited by Spynine01

Rinka, who had successfully captured Asamiya-san, promised to listen to her worries after school since lunch break was about to end.

―Then, after school had ended.

Rinka, Hasumi, and I went up to the rooftop to wait for Asamiya-san.

We didn’t take Shiina the Traitor with us though.

“Rinka, is it okay for me and Hasumi to be here…?”

“Of course. After all, I don’t know anything about Asamiya or idols or anything like that. I think I’d end up telling you two about it anyways. Of course, if Asamiya doesn’t want to talk about it with other people, then I will try and resolve it by myself somehow.”

“I know I’m the one who brought it up, but that definitely doesn’t sound like it’d end well. I hope Asamiya-san tells us too…”

Right as we were wrapping up our conversation, Asamiya-san arrived at the rooftop along with 2 other girls.

Seeing those 2 other girls made me internally leap for joy.

They were Synchronicity’s other members: Himesato Akari or “Akarin” for short and Arimura Miho or “Mihorin” for short.

Oh no… The three of them together in one place is too godly to look at.

It took all I had to stop myself from creepily laughing, “Ufufufu.”

Hasumi was also excited at seeing the three of them together as she repeatedly tugged at the hem of my sleeve.

“Hasumi, it’s gonna get too loose.”

“What, your mouth?”

“…And my sleeve.”

In the face of those overwhelming members, Rinka managed to calmly call out to them.

“Looks like you brought some others with you too huh, Asamiya. I brought over two people who can help you too, assuming this is okay with you?”

Asamiya-san looked surprised to see that there were others besides Rinka, namely me and Hasumi.

She probably thought that it would just be Rinka.

Then, when she saw me, she said:

“N-No! I don’t want Sudou-kun here!”

―I think I’m about to get ill here.

Did she find out about me creepily staring at her everyday?

B-But I’m not actually Sudou, I’m Suda!

They’re totally different people, so I’m safe! Definitely safe!

I instantly made up a far-fetched argument in my mind to prevent myself from falling into psychological depression, when suddenly, Asamiya-san continued.

“B-Because Sudou-kun is our fan! We are supposed to bring joy and happiness to our fans! That’s why we can’t let him see us when we’re all gloomy and sad!”

(―Wha? Oh my god, that’s so illegal; I’m going to support her forever for the rest of my life.)

When I heard Asamiya-san’s incredibly admirable reason, I couldn’t help but declare so in my head.

I am now Sudou-kun; I have to change my surname at the government office as soon as possible…

But still… So that’s how it is, huh.

There were several fans in our class, so Asamiya-san acted tough in front of them.

She didn’t want to show her worries and insecurities to her fans…

I’m sure it’s the same for Akarin and Mihorin.

I guess that, in a way, Rinka was the right person to confront them since she wasn’t a fan or anything really.

Asamiya-san must’ve been bewildered by Rinka’s various antics earlier today which probably loosened her mask as an idol.

When Rinka heard that Asamiya-san didn’t want her fans to know about their circumstances, she looked at me.

“―That’s true, but… Ritsuki, what will you do?”

I stood next to Rinka.

“Asamiya-san―”

I was deeply impressed by the attitude of the three idols, but I spoke my mind with a serious expression on my face.

“Asamiya-san and the others may not have wanted me to know. But unfortunately, I’d already known that something was troubling you. Even if you were to tell me to forget about it, my worries won’t just go away, and neither will Hasumi’s, who is by my side. So please… Could you let me listen in? You always help cheer me up, so now I want to be the one to cheer you up… Rinka, I love you.”

“―Wait, I didn’t say that last part though?!”

I retorted at Rinka.

There was no way that I, an antisocial and gloomy person, could smoothly say all that in the face of my favorite idol, so I whispered what I wanted to say to Rinka’s ear and had her say it in place of me. However, there were some extra words added at the very end for some reason.

“Y-Yeah! It’s just as Suda-kun says! I may not be able to do much, but I still want to do something to help you guys!”

Hasumi-san also clenched her fists, her sparkling eyes peeking out from her long bangs.

But who is this “Suda-kun”?

“―Y-You guys! Alright, thank you! Shameful though it may be, we’ll be counting on you!”

Asamiya-san nodded to the other members and proceeded to tell us about Synchronicity’s problems.

“…The truth is, we’re being bullied at our workplace for being ‘newbies’…”

The three of them opened their mouths one after the other with pained expressions.

“Compared to the others in our office, our group is still lacking in singing and dancing skills. But even so, we’ve become much more popular than our other seniors at work…”

“One day, one of the veterans in our office came up to us and treated us harshly for being incompetent. They bragged and said, ‘I’ve been on a TV show with the Shion-sama before!’”

“And under the orders of said veteran, the others in our office started harassing us as well ever since… Even when we consulted with our other colleagues, they just said, ‘The entertainment industry is a hierarchical society, so you’ll just have to endure it until you get more experienced…’”

―Wow, this Shion dude is such scum.

If Shiina were here, I’m certain she would’ve said that. The aftermath would’ve been real bad.

Next was the matter of the veteran who was harassing them; a veteran from “Chaldea Music”…

The kind girls didn’t mention any names despite the fact that they were being abused, but when I heard that they had performed with me, I knew who they were.

She was a young diva, and the pride and joy of Chaldea Music.

Hanami Sena.

We’ve certainly appeared on TV together a long time ago.

We only sat next to each other on a stage at a music show, but I remember how obsessed she was with me.

She broke into my dressing room, which was strictly off-limits, and gave me a bouquet of flowers before being taken away by a guard. She stared at my face throughout the entire show, winking at me when our eyes met, and once the camera stopped rolling, she snuggled her body up against mine from her own seat.

Finally, once the show ended, she got down on her knees and tearfully begged me for my contact details after refusing her request multiple times. Reluctantly, I decided to give her Shion’s contact address.

I had told her that I would be too busy to reply to any of her messages, and even though she hasn’t received a single reply from me, she still frequently sends me messages to this very day. They usually go along the lines of “I love you” and “I dreamt about you again today…”

Of course, there were lots of people who did the same just for the fame that came with associating oneself with “Shion”, but Hanami was especially fervent.

I believe she may have briefly glanced at my real face when she barged into the dressing room, so if possible, I’d like to avoid her.

“Are you serious…? What a cruel senior! Aight, I’mma head over and tell ‘em to stop harassing you guys myself!”

“R-Rinka-sama… You mustn’t! She’s the most experienced, senior person in our office! If something were to happen to you…”

Rinka’s fists were trembling and she seemed to be on the verge of attacking them at any moment when Asamiya-san stopped her.

Hasumi, too, was trying very hard to come up with something, but she couldn’t seem to come up with a good idea.

While watching everyone else, I also thought about what I could do.

I could probably solve this problem if I used Shion’s power.

However, if I was going to do it, I would have to move carefully, that’s for sure.

If I told Hanami, the ringleader of the bullying, to stop, the bullying might get worse.

Hanami was a famous diva, while Asamiya and the others were still obscure idols.

She could cover up as much of her actions as she wanted; plus, antagonizing her came with a huge risk.

―If that’s the case, then I should work to make Shiorin and the others famous.

Taken to its extreme, I could even hypothetically write a song for “Synchronicity” as Shion.

Their CD sales would likely surpass Hanami’s in an instant in terms of total sales.

I was obviously aware that Shion, and by extension “Personia”, were just that insanely popular now.

―However, is that really okay?

I recalled the incident with Horiuchi-sensei, the mangaka.

His work seemed to have exploded in popularity as a result of my recommendation on social media, but I didn’t intend on lending him a hand at first.

That was because I was able to see his passion and skill as a creator in his work.

I didn’t want his skills to be buried forever. I wanted others to recognize his work too.

And so, to fulfill my wish, I used Shion’s name.

Of course, Synchronicity’s members were also working really hard.

I knew each and every one of them like the back of my own hand.

―However, this wasn’t as serious as Horiuchi-sensei’s situation, where not only his dreams, but his precious family and his own livelihood were on the line.

Shiorin and the others are still in their infancy.

Their singing and dancing skills are still developing.

They are more popular than others because of their cheerful and kind personalities coupled with their good looks, but as performers, they aren’t anything special.

That’s why I don’t want them to basically cheat their way out by using Shion’s name.

The girls must grow and overcome this problem on their own.

They must improve their singing and dancing to the point where no one will be able to criticize them for it.

By doing so, we will be able to solve this problem from its roots.

If so, then what can I do is―

I put my thoughts in order.

Then, I beat my chest and vigorously opened my eyes.

“Leave it to me! I will do my best to help you, Synchronicity! We will improve your singing and dancing and show your seniors what you’re made of! It’s time for the novice idols to rise to the top!”

I whispered to Rinka.

“―No, that’s obviously something you should say to them yourself, you know?!”