Male Idol V13c82

Volume 13 Chapter 82 Shirogane Aqua, After All…

---

Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

---

 I received a board from the staff and checked the written topic.

 ”Ah, I see. So the next one is ‘Fuji Department Store, if you will…’. This is just like my usual workplace, the Shinjuku store or the main store, right? Or maybe even the Ginza store? I went there with everyone last time for lunch and had Sukiyaki…”

 Ugh, I’ve been stuck on 2 questions in a row, and I don’t know which one to choose.

 After racking my brain, I finally came up with an answer.

 ”No way, wait a minute… This could be a reversal of expectations, and there’s a chance that the Tachikawa store, which I didn’t think of, might be the one!”

 ”Useless Aqua, Tachikawa is far away, so let’s just forget about it. If we go there and come back, it’ll take too much time.”

 Ugh…Kohina-senpai is right, though.

 Since we’re taking a car, the round trip will take at least 2 hours.

 ”I guess we should just go with the safe choice, Shinjuku store.”

 ”Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

 I get in the car and head towards Fuji Department Store’s Shinjuku store.

 ”By the way, have you bought anything at Fuji Department Store recently?”

 ”Yeah, Kaede moved in recently, and we needed to buy some stuff, so we all went shopping together, including the maids. We even changed our dishes and stuff. And, not at Fuji, but we also went to buy a doorknob in the same flow.”

 ”A doorknob!? What’s that for?”

 ”Well, our doorknob couldn’t withstand Kaede’s power…”

 ”Ah…”

 The staff all have an unreadable expression.

 I get it. We had the same face too.

 ”Oh, it looks like we’ve arrived near our destination. Please get out and walk from here.”

 ”Please, someone be there this time!!”

 I pray with my hands together and get out of the car, walking towards the Shinjuku store.

 ”Ah, look! Isn’t there someone out there?!”

 I point at the person holding a camera for filming.

 No mistake. I brighten up with a big smile and wave my hands, calling out.

 ”Hey! It’s me! I’m here!!”

 I dash out with great joy.

 Is it Toa or Maruo? No, wait, is it Hajime?!

 It doesn’t matter who it is. I’m just happy to have finally met up with someone.

 ”Ah, Aqua?”

 ”What’s going on, Ayana?! And what about Maron-san and Fran-chan?!”

 I make a surprised face at the unexpected encounter.

 ”We’re in the middle of filming right now. I mean, you’re in a live broadcast, but is it okay?”

 ”Could it be, Aqua-kun is also filming?”

 ”Why is Aqua-sama here in a place like this?”

 It’s true. When I take a closer look, I see the seal of a daytime information program on the camera.

 I, who had misunderstood, let out a disappointed sigh.

 ”No, right now, we’re doing a program plan, and it’s going great… Details will be on the next episode, so be sure to watch beryl&beryl!!”

 I wave my hand at the camera, which is filming Ayana’s program.

 Damn it. I wish I could just pretend I didn’t know about the plan and join them instead.

 I also want to go shopping with Ayana and the 3 of them at the department store!

 ”I don’t really get it, but… Aqua, do your best.”

 Ayana’s kindness touches my heart.

 She gave me good advice earlier, but it’s different from being teased by that senior who’s on a whole different level.

 ”Ah, Aqua-kun, you’re sweating. Take it easy.”

 Maron-oneechannnn! Maron-oneechan, who gently wipes my forehead with a handkerchief, says, “It’s good that you’re working hard, but be careful not to get heatstroke, okay?” and whispers sweetly to me.

 Since the camera wasn’t rolling, I definitely hugged Maron-oneechan’s breasts and rubbed my head against them.

 ”Aqua-sama, you looked really down earlier, but are you okay? Fran will secretly comfort you later, so please contact me.”

 Fran-chan leans in close to me and whispers, “You can rub your head against my breasts as much as you like, but I don’t have as much as Maron-senpai.” H-huh? Did she just read my mind…?!

 Ugh, why is Fran-chan younger than me? If she weren’t an elementary school student, I would’ve seriously begged her to be my mom. Honestly, I’m already half-thinking that it’s okay if she’s an elementary school student, and in a few years, she’ll be of legal age, so I’ll make sure to mark my territory so no one else takes her.

 ”Staff-san, I’ve finally made it. I was supposed to meet up at the eau de Cologne, wasn’t I?”

 ”Don’t be ridiculous, just hurry up and go. The meeting spot is the main entrance of the building, not here.”

 Okay. I was pushed by Kohina-senpai towards the main entrance.

 ”Hey, be careful not to get heatstroke, so drink some water. It’s easier to get heatstroke during this time of year than in midsummer, so be really careful.”

 ”Yeah.”

 I took the half-empty pet bottle of water from Kohina-senpai and gulped it down.

 Ah, I’m revived!

 ”Shirogane Aqua-san, unfortunately, time’s up.”

 ”What’s that supposed to mean?”

 I received a cell phone from the staff.

 ’Did everyone else go to the main store?’

 ’I mean, Aqua is at the Shinjuku store, not the Tachikawa store… I’m really glad he didn’t go to Tachikawa…’

 Haha, haha… If Kohina-senpai hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve seriously gone to Tachikawa.

 The staff behind me also had dry smiles on their faces.

 ’When we all go together, we usually go to the main store, and Kanon-san and I also went shopping at the main store, so I thought that’s where it was…’

 ’By the way, what about the others? Did everyone else except me make it?’

 ’Yeah…’

 That’s right. That’s how it is. When we all go together, it’s usually the main store, so that’s how it turns out.

 Tenga-senpai’s place, where Haruka-san, Maruo, and Kujaku live, is in Kanda and Akihabara, and Hajime’s house is in the east, so we’ve been using the main store a lot lately. Ugh, I should’ve thought that far.

 ’Aqua, from now on, let’s think simply.’

 ’Yeah, that’s right. Simple, simple… got it!’

 I cut off the call with the others and received the next question written on the board.

 ”The next topic is… ‘Speaking of Ramen?’, it’s gotta be Takeko!! This is the only Takeko left!!”

 I get in the car and head towards Takeko.

 Kohina-senpai, who was following me until just now, said “I’ll catch up with you later” and left.

 That person is really…

 ”Do you have any memories of Ramen Takeko, Aqua-san?”

 ”Takeko is open early in the morning and late at night, so we often went there as a group. Of course, I also went there personally many times. Personally, during winter when my body’s not doing well, I love the hot and spicy miso ramen, and during summer when I’m tired, the salty chicken soba is really effective. And during early morning or late at night, the normal, clear soy sauce ramen is recommended Adding boiled eggs and char siu to the clear soy sauce ramen is a must-try! Ah, the spicy miso ramen is also great, and if you can, adding extra green onions makes it even better!”

 When BERYL worked together or had late-night practice, and after the morning shoot for Heaven’s Sword ended, Takeko, which is open from early morning to late at night, really took care of us.

 That’s because all of my wives are working, and a store with long business hours like Takeko is a lifesaver.

 ”It looks like we’ve arrived. Let’s walk from here, Aqua-san.”

 ”Yes.”

 I get out of the car and start walking towards Ramen Takeko.

 I feel like we can finally meet up now.

 I turn the corner and raise both my hands up high.

 ”Woohoo!”

 ”””Aqua!”””

 I meet up with the members of BERYL.

 It’s great that they said “Let’s think simply”.

 If they hadn’t said that, I might have overthought it and gone to the wrong place.

 ”Aqua-senpai!”

 ”Maruo! Kujaku! Hajime!! I finally got to meet up with you guys!!”

 I’m happy to meet up with Maruo and the others.

 We finally got to gather everyone together!!

 Wait, what? Isn’t there a lot of people?

 ”Aqua.”

 ”Aqua-kun.”

 ”Kanon!? And Kotono too?”

 Kanon and Kotono, holding bouquets, appear.

 What? What? What’s going on?!

 I’m confused and can’t understand the situation.

 ”Last month was busy, but… congratulations on your 1-year anniversary of your entertainment activities!!”

 ”Ah… thank you. Is it already our 1-year anniversary?”

 I received a bouquet from Kanon.

 Ah, I see… It’s already been a year since I joined Beryl and started working on Hana-ata’s broadcast…

 Thinking back on everything that’s happened, I’m getting all emotional.

 ”Ako-san, congratulations on Beryl Entertainment’s 1-year anniversary!”

 ”Kotono-san… thank you!”

 Kotono, who’s been my manager, hands Ako-san a bouquet.

 Ako-san, with tears in her eyes, hugs Kotono tightly, and Kotono, also tearful, hugs her back.

 ”Huh? Wait, what’s going on with this plan?!”

 ”It’s a surprise! Yes, it’s a successful surprise for Aqua and Ako-san, who always keep us on our toes!! Since we’ve been kept on our toes by Aqua for a whole year, it’s only fair that we get to surprise you two for once!”

 Toa raises both hands in excitement.

 ”But, to be honest, it’s weird that Shintaro, who’s Aqua’s biggest supporter, didn’t meet up with Aqua from the start.”

 ”Yeah, that’s true…”

 I remember when I forgot my writing utensils, and Shintaro lent me a pen.

 And then there was the time we went on a nationwide live tour and snuck out at night to buy an erotic book from a vending machine. We read it together in a park at midnight, and I’ll never forget the sparkle of the stars in the night sky, or the amazing special feature on page 18 that compared swimsuits and Nak*d’s side-boobs.

 ”Congratulations!”

 ”Congratulations!!”

 Even Kaede, Moja-san, and Nobu-san came to celebrate, and I’m thrilled.

 Ako-san and I look at each other, and we can’t help but smile.

 ”Ah, so maybe Kohina-senpai will…”

 ”No, that person is completely unpredictable. Maybe she just happened to be free?”

 It’s confusing. There’s a limit to how confusing it can get!!

 At the same time, I feel sad thinking that she might really be free.

 ”Uhh, I finally made it! We managed to gather everyone here today, despite some unexpected twists and turns along the way. I’m thrilled that we can celebrate our first anniversary in the entertainment industry with all of you. Right?”

 ”Yeah… Uh, hello everyone watching at home, I’m Atori Ako, the president of Beryl Entertainment. We were able to reach this milestone thanks to the support of our wonderful fans. We’ll continue to work hard to bring you dreams, so please keep cheering us on. Thank you for watching today!”

 I exchanged a glance with Ako-san again, and we both broke into big smiles.

 ”To everyone watching at home, thank you for always supporting us. As long as I have your cheers, I’ll keep running no matter what, so please keep cheering me on!”

 ”Yeah, you should take a break sometimes, Aqua-kun.”

 ”That’s what President Atori says too!”

 ”Shut up!”

 Everyone burst out laughing at Nobu-san and Moja-san’s jokes.

 I exchanged a glance with Ako-san again, and we shared a few words. “Let’s be careful, okay?” “Yeah.”

 ”Well, that’s all for today. Thanks for watching Beryl&Beryl again! See you next time!!”

 ”Yeah, good job today!!”

 I let out a sigh of relief after the final take.

 I was finally able to wrap up the project without any issues, and now I’m getting hungry.

 ”Hey, since we’re all here, let’s go get some ramen together!!”

 ””””””Yessss!!””””””

 I called out to the staff to join us for ramen too.

 When I looked around, I saw a sign at the entrance of Ramen Takeichi that said “Private Event Today”.

 Ah, I see. So it was part of the plan to gather here.

 I walked into the shop, pushing aside the curtain.

 ”Welcome!”

 ”Emily!?”

 I was surprised to see Emily working there like normal.

 Huh? Was this part of the plan? No, she’s just working here normally…

 Well, it’s confusing…

 ”Today’s recommendation is the new Beryl&Aqua-sama 1-year anniversary Ramen!!”

 ”Ah, yeah. So, let’s go with that…”

 I called out to Takeko-san, who was in the kitchen, and then sat down at my usual seat.

 ”That’s right… It’s already been a year, huh…”

 ”How is it? Are you feeling nostalgic?”

 The staff member sitting next to me started filming with a camera.

 Huh? Are they still doing a surprise party or something?

 Are they just filming this too? Got it.

 ”That’s right. We’ve had a lot of experiences over the past year…”

 It all started with my part-time job at Tomarigi.

 Meeting Ako-san there was a big deal, I think.

 ”The last challenge being Ramen was great. If it were a restaurant, I might’ve gone to Tomarigi.”

 ”There was a possibility of that, so we made the last challenge Ramen. If we made the challenge a restaurant, Aqua would’ve been troubled between Tomarigi or Takeko, so Shintaro said. You could’ve made it a café, but when we go with Beryl’s group, we often go to nearby cafes too.”

 ”That’s true… If the challenge were a café, others would’ve been troubled too.”

 I nodded in agreement with those words.

 Still, Shintaro is amazing. We had a blast together on the 54th page of “Small Chest Paradise”, where we pushed our chests against a glass board in a corner feature. That was really great. I want to do something like that personally with Lapis or Ruuna-senpai next time.

 ”By the way, Emily, I also met you for the first time at a café, didn’t I?”

 ”Yes!”

 Emily was skillfully stirring a Chinese hot pot and cooking fried rice.

 Whoa, she’s a pro. I want to have a fried rice cook-off with Emily just once.

 ”I didn’t think Emily was a relative back then.”

 ”Me neither.”

 ”And that’s how we ended up working at the same office, and we even sang together recently… Who would’ve thought we’d get married?”

 ”Yeah.”

 I exchanged glances with Emily and we both laughed.

 Huh? Camera-san, what’s wrong? You’re making a weird face right now, are you okay?

 ”Wait, what?! Aqua-sama and Emily-sama are getting married?!”

 ”Yeah…”

 Wait, didn’t we announce that Emily and I are dating or getting married?

 I thought we already said that.

 ”Wait, what? Isn’t that a reverse slap surprise in the face to us?”

 ”No, it’s not a surprise party or anything. I’m sorry. I’ve been too busy and forgot to tell you.”

 ”Phew――!”

 What’s going on? So, this is the announcement of my marriage to Emily?

 I’m casual, but Emily’s wearing an apron and a triangular chef’s hat, stirring a Chinese hot pot… Is this really how we’re announcing our marriage?

 Isn’t this the kind of thing we’re supposed to do with a press conference, making a big deal out of it?

 ”Wait, but now…”

 ”No, Aqua-sama, let’s take this opportunity to announce it. If we do it later, we might forget.”

 ”Well, if Emily’s okay with it, then I guess it’s fine… But are you really sure?”

 ”Yes! And if we can announce it with bamboo, then it’s not a big deal at all.”

 Emily places a freshly cooked fried rice in front of me and calls out to Takeko, who’s standing behind her.

 ”Takeko-san, so, I, Yukishiro Emily, have finally decided to marry the person I love!”

 ”What? Emily-chan is getting married? Is this a dream or a fantasy?”

 ”No, no, why are you giving me 2 options like that!? I’m really getting married to Aqua-sama in real life!!”

 ”That’s great If it’s Aqua-kun, then you’ll get to eat delicious rice balls!”

 ”What? You’re not looking at my personality or appearance, but at that?!”

 Everyone bursts out laughing at Takeko-san and Emily’s exchange.

 As expected, Takeko-san really gets Emily’s struggles with her hungry-brained schemes.

 ”Emily-sama, Emily-sama, what were your proposal words again for him?”

 Emily, who’s being filmed, puts on a serious face.

 ”Emily… I’ll make ramen for you for the rest of my life, so please make half a serving of fried rice for me. Don’t worry, I’ll even make gyoza for that mean old lady, Kanon.”

 ”What? Making a gyoza?! And what’s with that mean old lady, Kanon?!”

 ”Lies, lies. She didn’t say that at all!”

 I quickly deny Emily’s words.

 Emily sometimes… no, fairly often makes jokes like that.

 The gap between appearance and reality was also there, and even the staff couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

 But I realized that I wasn’t trying to make everyone laugh with my joke.

 Emily is quite shy, and I figured she didn’t want others to know the words I proposed to her.

 ”So, what did you really say?”

 Kaede snatched the mic from the staff and handed it to me with a sly grin.

 It’s easy to forget that Kaede’s real job is this.

 ”I told him that if you messed up and got fired by Beryl, would you run a yakisoba stall with me at night?”

 ”Stop it! Don’t raise a flag on our special first anniversary!!”

 Everyone laughed at Ako-san’s witty remark.

 ”But Aqua-san and Emily-san’s stall would be a great drawing.”

 ”Kotono-san, stop it too!! I thought it was a good idea, so I imagined it.”

 I thought it was a good idea. Ako-san’s cute reactions are adorable.

 Somehow, seeing Ako-san being teased by everyone today reminds me of when we first met.

 So… I thought Ako-san had changed because she became Beryl’s president. But that’s not it.

 Of course, Ako-san has also grown in some ways since we met, but essentially, Ako-san is still the same, just pretending to change to protect everyone.

 ”By the way, Ako-san, what happened to the poster of me you put up in the toilet?”

 ”Wait, Aqua-kun, don’t say that!!”

 Ako-san’s face turned bright red as she buried her face in the table.

 ”So, where did you put it up?”

 Kaede pressed the mic against Ako-san’s cheek, trying to get a reaction out of her.

 As expected, it’s the fearless Kaede. I was shocked when I first saw her on TV, but back then, she was interviewing environmental activists and said, “I came here by walking and swimming to minimize my carbon footprint I didn’t want to get scolded by everyone. Yeah, it’s really far to get to Okinawa, isn’t it? I almost drowned twice on my way here. How many times did you guys almost drown?” with a pure and innocent gaze, like a elementary school kid.

 On TV, the environmental activist who was interviewed with her said, “After meeting Morikawa-san, I realized I was just a fashion activist who only protested. I couldn’t win against people who truly lived in harmony with nature.” So, she stopped her protest activities and started doing more down-to-earth activities like picking up trash.

 Everyone says I’m making them nervous, but honestly, I’m always getting nervous because of Kaede’s actions. In a different way, though. I mean, even I can’t predict what Kaede and Emily will do next.

 ”Ugh… I have it stuck on my bedroom wall right now.”

 ”That’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Ako-san, everyone’s stuck a poster on the toilet wall at least once. Kanon and Emily even stuck Aqua-kun’s poster on the toilet wall.”

 ”Eh?!?”

 ”Even Kaede-paisen! And Nee-san too!!”

 ”Emily-san?”

 Huh? What’s going on? Was it a trend to stick my poster on the toilet wall?

 Kanon and Kotono’s faces turned bright red as they hid behind their desks, trying to conceal their embarrassment.

 Hey, are you 2 okay?

 ”Ugh, this is getting out of hand. I mean, Hakuryuu-sensei even stuck Aqua-san’s poster on the toilet wall.”

 ”Hah?! Kotono-san, what’s going on?!”

 ”It’s okay, it’s okay. Ayana-chan even said she stuck it on the wall once after hearing about it from everyone.”

 ”Ayana-chan is so pitiful. She got exposed by Emily-senpai…”

 Hmm. I guess I was just unaware, but it was a trend after all.

 I thought only Ako-san did it, but it seems everyone stuck posters on the wall, except for Kohina-senpai’s place.

 Ugh, I’m happy that someone’s putting up posters, but… the inside of the toilet is… I’m gonna get jealous of the poster. Dammit. I wanna be like the poster and observe the reactions of beautiful girls too.

 ”Right? Lapis-chan.”

 ”What’s with you, Emily-san?! Why are you talking to me at a time like this?!”

 …Later, I’ll sneak into the toilet at home and investigate.

 I’ll pat Lapis’s head, who’s getting embarrassed.

 Later, Emily and Kaede, who got too carried away, got caught by Kotono and disappeared somewhere.

 Hey, Kotono, take it easy!

---

Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!

Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.