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shiningwonderland · 3 days ago

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Ai Mikaze (All Star) Memorial

Memorial 01 - I refused

Translator: Nadie (Twitter: NmoniaG)

Proofreader: Raz (Twitter: agnadance)

Editors: Noemi (Twitter: dreaminbeyond)

Haruka Nanami came to me and said that she wanted to be my partner.

How unexpected.

For someone like me, who didn't want to pair up with anyone, it was a rather unwanted favor.

But in this case, it was a respectable piece of work, and the agency did have its policies.

Besides this work, there were several things to consider to see if she'd be qualified to be my partner.

If she doesn't have any potential, it's better to decline.

As soon as I got the call from the agency, I went to my room and booted up my PC. If it was a simple background check, I could do it from here.

"...It was Haruka Nanami."

I typed in the name and hit the search button.

The background information that I saw was really quite ordinary.

Normal family background, normal birthplace, raised normally, took piano lessons.

That's when she began wanting to become a composer, and passed the Saotome Academy entrance exam.

After graduation, she joined Shining Agency and gained some experience through various jobs, but her chance to debut never came.

Then at the press conference the other day, she was invited by Shining and ended up with us… it seems.

"...That's enough of a background check."

I couldn't get sufficient information out of it. It would be best to investigate the humans close to her later.

…Humans close to her. Who could they be?

I kept thinking to myself the next day as I walked down the hallway of the agency.

"Oh! Ai-chan!"

Suddenly, a voice called out to me.

"Hey, long time no see! But we might see each other more often from now on!"

"We are also starring in this upcoming movie~!"

I saw Syo and Natsuki at the resting area of the lobby. Both of them held the same handouts in their hands as I did.

"Ah, it's you two. I had just received the documents for this as well..."

"Ai, you're the lead actor, right? That's amazing! We only play small roles, but I'm glad we can be in the same movie!"

Carefree smiles flashed across Syo and Natsuki's faces.

The two of them had gathered around a table and appeared to be checking their handouts.

That reminded me that those two were Haruka Nanami's classmates.

I wanted to know more, so I approached them.

"You two haven't changed. Syo doesn't seem to have grown, either."

"H-hey! Don't talk about my height the moment we meet! But I'll let you off easy this time since I've been working out!"

Syo flexed his arm. It seemed that the special training during the Master Course bore fruit—he seemed to have gained some muscles.

As for the other one…

"Natsuki, you've been eating sweets recklessly since the end of the Master Course, haven't you?"

"Hehehe, I'm properly abstaining from sweets!"

From the looks of it, his appearance hasn't changed. Maybe it's because I drilled him on how to maintain his shape.

"I'm still using the calorie chart you gave me, Ai-chan~! That's why—look! I brought a homemade smoothie!"

He walked toward me with a large tumbler in his hand and then opened the lid.

"Hm, I'm impressed."

"It has a lot of vegetables and fruits in it, it's really healthy! It also makes your skin smooth! Ah, Syo-chan, should I teach you how to make it? It also has lots of milk and yogurt in it, so maybe it can help you grow taller?"

"No, I'll pass."

"I suppose since 'small animals' and 'beauty' are popular keywords among women, wouldn't it be good to be equipped with both as an idol?"

"You…! No, at times like these, I've learned it's less of a pain to just let things go. Yup."

As Syo nodded profoundly, I thought that this would be a good time to change the topic.

"By the way... what kind of girl is Haruka Nanami?"

"Huh?" "Nanami-san?"

Syo and Natsuki had blank stares.

I suspect they were so surprised because I was expressing interest in another person.

However, it's my top priority right now to ask them what kind of person she is.

"I can't go into any details, but I have to get to know more about her. She is... a composer, right? You both work with her frequently, and more importantly, you know each other from your academy days. So what kind of girl is she?"

"...Um, er… What kind… Well, she's normal...? She's just a regular good girl."

"A good girl, huh? What about her talent and knowledge of music? Does she have a promising future as a composer?"

"A p-promising future? Come on, don't ask me such tricky questions! Now that I think about it, she hasn't had a chance to debut yet..."

...So she's a lost cause.

As I was thinking, Syo started mumbling.

"Her music is, how can I put it... it has the power to make people happy."

"The power to make people happy?"

"That's right. She's still inexperienced, but she's also a hard worker, so she's sure to become popular."

Natsuki, who had been silent the whole time, put the tumbler to his mouth and smiled softly. Syo continued.

"By the way, have you heard the main theme song?"

"Theme song? Not yet."

"I tell you, you have to listen to the song first, then you'll get it! Talking to people is not her strong point, although she's very withdrawn, she's the type to communicate through her music."

"Hehe, that's right. Nanami-san's personality really shines through in her compositions."

"Hm, her personality, you say? Alright, I'll give her song a listen."

"Yeah, do that!"

It would be a hassle, but if I went back to the agency, I would at least be able to get a demo sample of the song.

Natsuki put the tumbler down and clapped his hands together.

"That's right! While you are at it, will you listen to my favorite song?"

"And that would be?"

Instead of answering, Natsuki pulled out his bag and started rummaging through it.

"Some time ago, Nanami-san made a song during her free time as she was helping me with a recording. Um, I think I have it on my music player... Huh?"

Natsuki restlessly rustled through his bag.

"Leave it for now. First I have to go back to the agency and try to find her song."

"In that case, I will send it to you later, Ai-chan."

Then we talked a little bit about work and that's where I left them.

After I had asked several people at the agency about her, I went back home.

Once I settled down, I listened to the song I've retrieved from the agency.

"...Not bad."

The personality that Syo and Natsuki mentioned was audible in the song, but only to the extent that I could tell that she was an earnest person.

Judging her work from a professional point of view, it had many unrefined parts, but her expressive range was wide, and she had a certain kind of originality.

Could this... have potential?

"But it's just her compositions."

I stood up and turned away from my PC.

Apart from composing, she was unremarkable. She also seemed to be a very withdrawn person.

Although she has the talent, her timidity seems to have prevented her from moving forward, which explains why she hasn't been able to debut yet.

As I had planned from the beginning, if she has no potential, I'd refuse. That would be the best solution for the both of us.

I grabbed the documents for my upcoming movie.

This was my first leading role. I had to put all my efforts into this challenge.

I had my own work to do and my own purpose to fulfill.

A partnership would only put me through the trouble of training a newcomer. Besides, I've already done that within the Master Course.

Especially in my case...

"I'll refuse."

I stopped thinking and reached for my phone.

I called the agency and informed them briefly of my refusal.

From there, she would get a call from the agency. Everything was settled. Everything was going smoothly.

I ended the call and looked at the time.

"9 PM... I need to prepare for tomorrow's work."

I had wasted a considerable amount of time. To grab the documents on the desk, I reached out my hand.

"...Uh."

I heard a rustling sound, as my hand must have knocked the papers down, they all fell to the ground.

"Ah, come on... now I have to clean this up, or it'll look just like the professor's place..."

As I was sorting through the documents I had placed on the keyboard, I noticed an email popping up.

"It's from Syo...? What could it be?"

From: Syo Kurusu This is Nanami's song. Natsuki doesn't know how to send it, so I'm doing it for him. For reference.

...Ah, so it's about the song Natsuki liked.

I decided to give it a listen and waited for the download to finish. Soon a piano accompaniment could be heard. It's a rather simple melody.

The melody played as my BGM as I continued to clean up.

"Gal-gal-gal-gal! Galpi-kun ♪ Soft and delicious! Juicy beef ♪"

Natsuki's voice rang out from the speakers.

"What...?!"

"Po-po-po-po! Pork-chan ♪ Gently smiling Piglet-san ♪"

Caught by surprise, my hands stopped while the song continued next to me. Though you could hardly call it that. It was more of a play song with a childish melody.

"Strong! Mighty! Sticky Mochi ♪ Amazing things~ The world is round ♪"

"And here I thought her compositions had potential..."

I take it back. There was no potential. Useless. What a pointless song. What were you even thinking, making him sing such a song?

The song continued. Aside from the piano and Natsuki's singing, there was another laughing voice.

Occasionally, the piano would stop and the clapping of hands could be heard instead.

"Maybe 'It sounds like fun' would be more accurate..."

With a strange feeling in my chest, I moved my hand to stop the song.

"Well... at least it seems to be popular with them."

I muttered to myself. After I finished sorting, I began the next task.

#Utapri #All Star #Ai Mikaze #All Star Ai #Ai Memorial

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