Volume 13 Chapter 156 Sumeragi Kukuri, Caution： Swelling
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Phone…?”
I got a call from a number I didn’t recognize.
Who could it be at this time of day? Maybe someone from Shirogane Kingdom wants to invite me to eat. I felt excited and checked the number, but then a freezing chill filled the air around me.
It was an unregistered number. I hope it’s not another sales call for internet services. Seriously… do they even know what it means to call me? They better be ready for the consequences of getting my hopes up.
I prepared myself to deal with a shady company as I answered the phone.
’Hello, is this Sumeragi Kukuri?’
”Yeah, that’s me…”
’Um… I’m a reporter from Fuji TV, and, um, I’ll pass the phone to someone else!!’
Is this a newbie?
The reporter on the line was so nervous that they didn’t even say their name before handing the phone over.
’Hello. Long time no see, Kukuri-sama. It’s Habu.’
”Habu? Which Habu are you?”
’Just to clarify, I’m the one who’s the Prime Minister of this country, the one who’s good at dogeza.’
I could hear multiple laughs on the other end.
Oh right, they said Habu would be on Fuji TV’s ‘It’s Okay to Laugh’ today….
I quickly turned on the TV and switched to Fuji TV.
There was Prime Minister Habu standing straight and calling me.
”Prime Minister, if you keep standing like that, it looks like I’m making you do it, and that’s not a good look.”
’No, no, if I sit down, people will say, “Wow, she’s gotten so important that she can sit down while talking to Kukuri-sama!” So I’d rather stay like this!!’
If that’s the case, then she shouldn’t have called me, making things complicated for me.
’Nice to meet you, I’m Morita. Sorry if this is a bother. The Prime Minister will take full responsibility for this.’
’Morita-san!? Isn’t this all because you raised the bar too high? Aqua-kun is sleeping!! Emily-chan is somehow on voicemail!! Plus, I’m blocked by Congressman Kokucho, and I’m trying not to cry here!!’
I see, Habu, who was on ‘It’s Okay to Laugh’, got pushed by Morita-san to call the next guest, and she got too excited to call Aqua-sama and Emily-oneechan, but they all had their reasons for not answering.
Also, Agewa-oneechan wouldn’t block someone just because they’re the Prime Minister, so it’s probably a mistake. Agewa-oneechan isn’t great with technology, even with a simple phone for seniors….
’Well, I don’t know what to tell you! It’s the Prime Minister’s fault for getting carried away by the audience!!’
’No, no, it’s because you keep talking to the audience that I feel the pressure as Prime Minister to meet the public’s expectations…’
Listening to Habu and Morita-san bicker like kids made me facepalm.
Come on, you two. You’re adults, so don’t act all flustered in front of a young girl like me.
Especially you, Prime Minister Habu, you’re the most important person in this country!!
And thanks to Aqua-sama, I finally got to be a regular person, but if the Prime Minister treats me like this, everyone will be scared of me! You pull silly pranks on me just like Emily-oneechan does!!
Given our positions, I know it’s hard to ignore the noise from the outside, but it’s just how it is in public.
’Anyway, Kukuri-sama, if you don’t mind, could you appear on tomorrow’s ‘It’s Okay to Laugh’? Oh, of course, it’s totally fine if you say no. If you do, I’ll just have Kaede-chan fill in!!’
I wonder if Kaede-san is okay with being treated like that?
That’s what I’m more curious about….
”‘It’s Okay to Laugh’.”
’Thank you, Kukuri-sama. Not just our staff, but all of us at Fuji TV are looking forward to it!!’
I suddenly got picked to be on “It’s Okay to Laugh,” so the next day, I headed to the Fujitv headquarters where the studio is.
Outside the building, the presidents of the Fuji group were lined up, standing still to welcome me.
Ugh! This has to be Ranko’s doing! Doing stuff like this just makes everyone more scared of me!
”Thank you so much for today!”
”Please, this way!”
I mean, I’m not part of a noble family anymore, so I don’t need a red carpet…
Once I was shown to the dressing room, I let out a small sigh when Miyako joined me.
”Ha…”
Aqua-sama made me just Kukuri-chan, but this doesn’t help at all.
”Hehe, Kukuri, are you nervous?”
”Miyako…”
Miyako is the 6th hidden member of my idol group, Milk Dipper, and she supports our activities.
Today, she rushed to the studio to help me with my show.
”Listen, Miyako. Because the adults are messing around, I’m going to end up being scared by everyone again.”
”Hehe, if you really don’t like it, I can tell Producer Aqua.”
I shook my head at Miyako’s words.
It’s not that I hate this.
Honestly, the only people who tease me like this are those 2 and Mary and Emily-oneechan, so if they stopped, I’d feel lonely.
I think they know how complicated I am, and that’s why they tease me.
”I think you should show more of your true self, Kukuri. I’ve told Producer Aqua that the real you when you talk to Emily-san is pretty popular.”
Really?
Miyako’s words made me feel a bit better.
”If you want people to know you, you have to show some of yourself. Producer Aqua said that too. I was surprised when he told me, but being an idol and pretending to be someone else are different.”
Ah… Aqua-sama’s words, shared through Miyako, hit me hard.
Because of my position, I’ve always worn a mask since I was born.
Kanon-san and Emily-oneechan have that too, but I think I’m much worse at showing my off-stage self.
Compared to me, Kanon-san came from Stars and was liked by everyone right away, which is amazing.
But I can’t just copy Kanon-san, so I guess I’ll look to Emily-oneechan for inspiration.
Emily-oneechan is also not great at showing her true self, but she’s seen as friendly because of her funny bits and variety show appearances. I think Aqua-sama is the same way on variety shows.
If Aqua-sama just acted normal, he’d be put on a pedestal too much, making it harder to connect with fans, but President Atori made sure he appeared on variety shows to avoid that.
After all, Aqua-sama wants to be an idol, not a god.
”Miyako, I’m going to try my best to show a bit of my true self on today’s show!”
”Yeah! You can do it! If it doesn’t work out, we can think of something together!”
I nodded at Miyako’s words and hugged her tightly.
Right… that’s true. Even Miyako, who was shy at first, became someone I can call by her name without any honorifics, so there’s no way it’s impossible.
”Miyako, thank you. I’m off!”
”Have a good time!”
Miyako doesn’t appear much in public activities, but everyone thinks of her as one of our members.
When Miyako said she wanted to quit during auditions, everyone was grateful to Aqua-sama for keeping her as the 6th hidden member of Milk Dipper.
I have to do my best so that Miyako feels glad she stayed with us!
I pumped myself up and waited for my turn backstage.
”Okay, so today’s guest is this person. Please welcome!”
When I stepped onto the stage from the side, Morita-san took off her sunglasses and stood straight to greet me.
Looking around, I noticed the staff and audience were doing the same thing.
”Um… you guys don’t have to do that just because Prime Minister Habu did. Honestly, that’s her thing. She always jokes around like that! I watched the replay from yesterday, and it was really bad!”
”Yeah, it was pretty bad yesterday.”
Morita-san smiled.
”Come on, Morita-san, stop joking around and just wear your sunglasses normally.”
”Okay, I’ll take your advice.”
Great! Now it looked like I was doing a bit for the TV viewers, right?
”By the way, how should I address you, Kukuri-sama?”
”You can just call me Kukuri-chan or even drop the honorific. My name is Sumeragi Kukuri, but right now, I’m the Aqua producer, Sumeragi Kukuri from Milk Dipper! That’s why I became a regular person!”
”Okay, Kukuri-sama… I’m not around your age, so I can’t really drop the honorific, but is it okay if I just call you that otherwise?”
”Yes! Of course!!”
I felt like I was really trying hard.
I hoped this would help me feel closer to the fans and everyone in the country.
”Alright, first, you have flowers.”
”Oh, really?”
Aqua-sama sent flowers as the producer, Kanon-san represented Shirogane Kingdom, and of course, everyone from Milk Dipper, along with Emily-oneechan, Prime Minister Habu, Agewa-oneechan, Mary, and President Atori sent flowers too.
I was so happy everyone sent flowers because I barely slept last night worrying about what I would do if there were none!
”Actually, there are more flowers in the hallway that didn’t fit in here… Ah, here they are. Everyone watching the VTR, take a good look. Flowers have come from embassies of different countries. It’s been a while since Mary-sama was here. This is amazing!”
”Thank you!”
I smiled at the camera.
”You also received a letter from Prime Minister Habu. Kukuri-sama, we’re doing a special event with Inko-chan, Kohina Yukari-san, and the Nightmare Generation, so please come! Our team includes Emily-chan, Aqua-sama, Lazu-sama, and coach Kanon-san.”
”Got it. I’ll be there.”
I wonder what a special event is… The members seem a bit risky.
”Oh, by the way, if you’d like, here’s a Milk Dipper poster.”
”Thank you! Oh, it’s a swimsuit poster. Everyone looks so cute since they’re all idols!”
The swimsuits everyone is wearing were chosen by Aqua-sama, not a stylist.
Even though it was just Aqua-sama and us during the swimsuit shoot, it was still a bit embarrassing. Especially when we took photos in a swimsuit that was really small, and some things that shouldn’t be seen were visible.
I’m really glad those photos didn’t get used.
I heard Aqua-sama took the data from that shoot home, but I wonder what happened to it? Did they properly get rid of it?.
”By the way, you started going to Otomezaki in April, right? How’s it going? Have you made any friends?”
”Yeah… maybe.”
Inori Hisui-chan from Beryl and Kato Iria-san talk to me, and my classmates and Oto Rurika-san greet me, so I should be able to consider them friends, right?
”Maybe!? So, you hang out after school, right?”
”After… school…? Huh? Don’t you just go home after school?”
Wait? Morita-san and the people in the audience look a bit confused. Did I say something weird?
”Friends?”
”Yes, friends.”
Morita-san, are you okay? Even with sunglasses on, I can tell you look really surprised.
”Really? Yeah, I see… Next time, I’ll be doing a music show with Hisui-chan, so I’ll ask her then. For now, let’s put this on hold.”
On hold? I wonder how this conversation even got to that point.
Kenzaki said we were friends, and if I think we’re friends, that should be enough, right?
”By the way, what does Kukuri-sama usually do? I can’t imagine what a normal day is like for Kukuri-sama…”
”You mean outside of school and being an idol, right? Like praying… or something?”
When I say praying, I mean the Holy Aqua Religion, not the crazy stuff Claire does. It’s more about wishing for the health and happiness of the Japanese people and for peace and prosperity in Japan.
”Wow… doesn’t that take a lot of time?”
”Yeah. It would be nice if it could be done in a day, but sometimes it takes several people a few days to finish. Emily-oneechan and Agewa-oneechan help out too.”
Even Emily-oneechan doesn’t mess around when it’s time to pray.
I don’t know much about it, but Agewa-oneechan said Emily-oneechan got in big trouble with her mom, Noel-san, when she was 5 for goofing off.
”Speaking of which, you only call Congressman Kokucho and Emily-chan ‘oneechan,’ huh? Is it because you’ve been close since you were kids?”
”Yeah. There was a time when I wasn’t as close to Agewa-oneechan, but we played together a lot when we were younger. Emily-oneechan and I used to play horsey games a lot, and she still asks me to play whenever we meet.”
Huh? Why does everyone look so awkward?
I thought it was normal for friends like Aqua-sama to play horsey games with Victoria-san, Haa-chan, and Fi-chan.
Just the other day, Aqua-sama and Emily-oneechan were super excited about having an afternoon tea party while playing horsey games with Victoria-san and me. I thought it was just a fun trend, but maybe I was wrong?.
”How about Aqua-kun? He’s technically your producer and an idol, but you moved to Shirogane Kingdom recently, right?”
”Yeah. I’m living in the palace now to help people from other countries, and everyone has been really nice to me. When Aqua-senpai and I are working, he treats me, but outside of that, we have a school relationship, so it feels more like senpai and kouhai.”
You have to keep work and personal life separate.
That balance is important.
”I see… Living under the same roof… something must happen, right?”
”Not really. The last recreation event was fun, though…”
”Recreation!?”
Morita-san and the people in the audience suddenly lean in.
I felt like I was being interrogated, with everyone asking me all about what happened during the recreation event.
”Wow, so you guys are having a lot of fun without us knowing. Thanks, Kukuri-sama. Just hearing that Kanon-sama was dominating is enough for me to eat 3 bowls of lunch today.”
”No problem.”
Talking about it, I realized Kanon-san is really popular.
Just mentioning that Kanon-san was seriously dominating during the recreation got laughs from the audience.
”By the way, what’s your relationship with Kanon-sama like?”
”I talk to Kanon-san sometimes, but… I don’t know. It feels like we talk more about Emily-oneechan than Aqua-senpai.”
Yeah. Now that I think about it, most of the stories I remember about Kanon-san are about Emily-oneechan disguising herself and playing pranks in the palace, not Aqua-sama.
I often talk about Aqua-sama with other people, but maybe Kanon-san and I are trying not to talk about Aqua-sama with each other.
We’re both really big fans of Aqua-sama and we think the same way, so maybe we don’t feel the need to say it out loud.
”Hey, if you’re close with Emily-chan, tell her to join the summer vacation special as a joke master. Also, I think I should let Aqua-sama know, even if it’s during the break.”
”Got it. I think both of them will probably join, right? I saw them practicing together and sharing their jokes.”
Since I know the jokes, I can say this, but I think Emily-oneechan should avoid doing Kanon-san’s impression of Aqua-sama. She might get embarrassed and not talk to us the whole summer break.
On the other hand, I think Aqua-senpai’s impressions of Tenga-senpai would be a hit with everyone.
Especially when they went camping together, Tenga-senpai suddenly talking about life while looking at the campfire, and then talking about the world while looking at the night sky made me laugh so hard. Also, Tenga-senpai making coffee in the morning or trying to hide that he burned something while cooking ham and eggs for Aqua-sama.
These are all stories only the two of them know from their camping trips, and I think the fans would really enjoy them.
Aqua-sama really pays attention to everyone, whether they’re girls or boys. That’s why everyone likes him. Those jokes come from really knowing Tenga-senpai.
In that sense, Emily-oneechan’s impression of Kanon-san is spot on because she must be watching Kanon-san closely too.
”So, I’ll ask again, is there really nothing going on with Aqua-sama and you?”
”Um, well… we’re going to hang out as part of a prize for a recreation event…”
”That’s it! That’s what I want to know!”
Morita-san claps the desk with a grin.
”Where are you going on the date?”
”I actually want to ask you. Where do you think we should go?”
Morita-san stands up and tells the staff to play a commercial.
”Don’t let him know! And everyone, don’t write about it online or tell anyone!”
Everyone in the audience and the staff nods at Morita-san’s words.
”Do the TV people understand this? If you mess it up on some bad show, I’ll quit all my jobs here! Keep it a secret, and if it gets out, I’ll quit. I might even retire.”
The staff looks worried and nods repeatedly.
”Um… I’m sorry for all the trouble.”
”No, no. It’s only natural for us to do something for Kukuri-sama. But back to the date. I’d recommend visiting a dam or a castle, but how about a safe choice like an aquarium? It’s cool there, and there are interactive areas where you can get closer. Plus, fish can be surprisingly interesting… oh, I’ll stop here and tell you about my favorite aquarium later.”
”Thank you!”
An aquarium sounds good.
And I have a feeling Aqua-sama would enjoy visiting a dam or a castle too.
It might not feel very date-like, but staying overnight at a castle, like they showed on TV recently… that might be too much for a first date. Aqua-sama might think I’m too forward if we share a bed on our first date.
I try to calm my face down, which was turning red during the commercial.
Morita-san jumps in as soon as the commercial ends.
”Kukuri-sama, you have a surprising side to you.”
”…I’m just a first-year high school student, you know.”
I remember my earlier conversation with Miyako in the dressing room.
Yeah, if I don’t open up, he won’t ever like me.
”Whenever it comes to someone I like, I get really nervous, and I probably won’t be able to sleep the night before a date. Even when I first went to Otomezaki, I was worried if I could make friends. Even though I used to be part of a noble family, I’m just a regular first-year high school student inside.”
”I see… so you like Aqua-kun, huh?”
Oh no… I messed up.
It makes sense with how the conversation is going.
Even though it wouldn’t matter if people found out since I’m already in the palace, it still feels embarrassing to have it pointed out like this.
”I’m really glad to hear that. Even if it’s Aqua-kun, I wouldn’t want Kukuri-sama to enter the palace out of a sense of duty or responsibility. So, it’s really nice to know that you genuinely like Aqua-kun and that’s why you’re in the palace. It’s not just me; everyone feels the same way.”
Morita-san’s words made the audience and staff nod in agreement.
Seeing that made my heart flutter.
The top of the 6 noble families, Sumeragi Kukuri…
I thought I would die feeling lonely, stuck with this role.
But then I met Aqua-sama and realized there are guys like him out there.
Watching Aqua-sama being turned into a kind of god by everyone around him reminded me of how I was also seen that way by the people, which made me feel distant. That’s why I thought I had to join the Holy Aqua Religion and stop the people who were going overboard.
I don’t care about anything else besides Aqua-sama and my close friends, Emily-oneechan and Agewa-oneechan.
Unlike me, who was feeling hopeless about others, Aqua-sama broke down walls with his passion and never-give-up attitude, saving other boys, Kanon-san, and Emily-oneechan one after another.
He’s not just cool. He’s not just kind.
He runs to grab the hands of those who try to distance themselves. No, it’s more than that.
It’s not something half-hearted.
Aqua-sama tackles the person he wants to help with open arms and rolls with them.
Seeing Agewa-oneechan saved right in front of me, I slowly started to think that if I could love everyone like Aqua-sama does, then maybe they would love me back too.
So now, knowing that there are people who care about me, not just my close friends, my heart feels more excited than ever.
I see… there are different kinds of happiness, huh?
”Now, Kukuri-sama. Can you introduce us to a close friend?”
”Um, well then…”
”Should we go with Aqua-sama!?”
”That’s too embarrassing, so no!”
My response made Morita-san and everyone in the audience laugh loudly.
”…How about Emily-oneechan?”
”Got it.”
Miyako, who was holding my phone, came out from backstage.
”Miyako-chan!”
”Thanks for everything!”
Miyako looked surprised when someone from the audience called out to her.
I’m glad. Even if she’s not in the spotlight, everyone is still watching her.
With a smile, I took the phone from Miyako and called Emily-oneechan.
I was worried she wouldn’t pick up, but she answered right away.
”Hello, this is Kukuri.”
’Guhehe! What color are your panties today?’
”Um, they’re black, but… wait, forget that!!”
I answered without thinking because it sounded normal, but what is she saying on live TV!?
Now everyone knows what color my underwear is!
’Thank you, thank you!’
What’s going on? I feel like I heard Aqua-sama’s voice from far away.
”Hello, Emily-chan. This is Morita. What’s up all of a sudden?”
’Aqua-sama seemed curious, so I just… just kidding! As an older sister figure, I thought it might be better to share this much.’
Come on, sharing the color of my underwear is way too much!
In another time, I could have been arrested for public indecency for saying something like that!
Ahhh, this is why Emily-oneechan always gets scolded by Kotono-san and Kanon-san.
”Hey, Emily-chan. Can you join us for tomorrow’s ‘It’s Okay to Laugh’?”
’Ah, wait a second, let me check my schedule…’
”Emily-chan, no more of those little jokes during the live show!”
’Okay, okay, I got it. ‘It’s Okay to Laugh’!!’
I thanked Morita-san, then said thank you to everyone in the audience before heading back to the dressing room.
”It was good to open up like Miyako said.”
”Actually, those were Aqua Producer’s words, not mine.”
Even so, it was Miyako who gave me the push I needed.
I said “thank you” to Miyako again.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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