"Even though it's raining so hard, there are basically no empty seats..."
Looking down at the packed audience, Chihaya Tetsuya couldn't help but marvel.
"Is this the popularity of [Summer Zodiac]?"
"Mhm, it's because Hoshino Ai is here."
Togawa Sakiko, who had been standing beside him, replied.
"It's been many years since the idol industry has seen a 'royal road' idol as dominant as Hoshino Ai. From the very first day of her debut, she has captured the attention of almost the entire industry. Coupled with her recent promotional efforts and the agency's focused training, for this generation of idol fans, the name Hoshino Ai is the very definition of an idol."
"...I see."
Although Sakiko's explanation was sensational, Tetsuya's reaction was rather calm.
"What people see from different perspectives really is completely different."
Perhaps in the eyes of others, Hoshino Ai was a brilliant star shining on the stage, but in his eyes, she was still the same little girl who used to act spoiled with him.
...
Well, he had to admit, her current methods of acting spoiled were a bit much for him to handle compared to seven years ago.
"It's a good thing she gave up on eloping with you."
Sakiko suddenly said.
"Otherwise, all twenty thousand people in the audience today would have become your enemies."
"Don't say such terrifying things so suddenly."
Just imagining the scene of being condemned by twenty thousand people made the corner of Tetsuya's mouth twitch.
"But you're not wrong. With Ai's current popularity, if anyone found out about her feelings for me, I would definitely become the most envied man in all of Japan."
"In reality, isn't that already the case?"
Sakurakouji Luna's voice suddenly came from his other side.
She looked down at the audience with her arms crossed and said:
"A popular idol, a noble young lady, a celebrity's daughter, and in the future, you'll even be an assistant teacher at a noble girls' academy... In reality, you're already a very enviable man."
"..."
Although he had only met these girls through a series of coincidences, and although he had never had any improper thoughts when interacting with them, the fact was that not only had he formed incredibly deep bonds with them, but he was even being passionately pursued by several of them...
Just thinking about the moments they had confessed to him made Tetsuya feel incredibly conflicted.
For now, he could still use [Starry Sky] as a shield to put them off, but this stalling tactic could only last for so long. When this shield was no longer effective, what was he supposed to do...
Just then, it was unclear which fan started it, but the audience below suddenly began to raise their light sticks, followed by a cheer loud enough to shake the entire [K-Arena].
Some were shouting for [Summer Zodiac], while others were calling out the names "Ai" and "Uika."
However, unlike the voices, which were too jumbled to distinguish, the different colored light sticks being waved clearly showed the gap in their popularity—
"The approximate ratio of red to gold is three to one..."
Luna gave the audience a quick scan, then suddenly turned to Tetsuya.
"It seems just as Togawa said. Most of the fans of [Summer Zodiac] are here for Hoshino Ai. Even so, do you still stand by what you said earlier?"
"About that Misumi Uika not losing to Hoshino Ai in the slightest."
"Mhm, there's no doubt about it."
Tetsuya nodded without hesitation.
"After this live show is over, the gap between them will definitely shrink... It might even become one-to-one."
"Is that so."
Luna first nodded, then sat back down on the sofa behind her.
"Then I shall look forward to her performance."
...
"Are you still nervous, Uika?"
"Ah... mhm, a little."
In response to her manager's concern, Misumi Uika nodded with a wry smile.
"But don't worry, I should be fine once I'm on stage."
"..."
The manager looked silently at the first-half performance costume the agency had prepared for her, then couldn't help but shake her head.
"If Chihaya Tetsuya had been in charge of your costumes for the entire show, perhaps you wouldn't be this nervous."
"Huh?"
Hearing her manager's words, Uika's eyes widened.
"Why did you suddenly bring up Tetsuya-san?"
"Because the difference in your condition was obvious from the rehearsals."
The manager said.
"Your state when wearing that gauze skirt was completely different from your state when wearing this costume."
"No, that's not it, Higuchi-san. It's just a small fluctuation in my condition..."
"I'm not questioning you, Uika. On the contrary, I understand the importance of a costume to a performer better than you do."
The manager interrupted Uika's explanation.
"In fact, before Ai received her costume from Chihaya Tetsuya, her performance wasn't just unremarkable, it didn't even reach an average level. And you, too, only started to develop your own 'aura' after you received that gauze skirt. I don't want to speculate too much on the reasons, but you should know better than anyone."
"..."
Uika subconsciously looked down at the equally well-made costume she was wearing.
For an average idol, this costume was excellent in both craftsmanship and appearance. But for her, who had already experienced the custom costume made by Chihaya Tetsuya, the power this outfit gave her was simply too faint...
"Uika."
"Mhm?"
"Actually, you could stand to be a little more 'jealous' of Ai."
Suddenly, the manager said something that was very detrimental to team harmony.
"For an idol, there are many factors that drive their growth: the desire for others' attention, to win the heart of just one person... or out of jealousy for someone."
"Jealousy..."
"You should know that in terms of popularity, Ai is far more popular than you are right now. But in reality, the gap in your looks is nowhere near that large, and her skills in various areas are superior to yours. A large part of the reason she has her current popularity... is because she received Chihaya Tetsuya's help before you did."
The manager said.
"If it weren't for that costume, she would never have achieved her current success. In other words, if you had gotten to Chihaya Tetsuya first, you could have achieved results that were no less than Hoshino Ai's."
Those who want to become top idols... all possess a greed and ambition that they can never compromise on.
"So now, having also experienced the encouragement that man brings you, you should be starting to realize it, right?"
"What is your ambition?"