“That aside….” you say, whispering as you eye your surroundings, “There’s something I need to talk about…”
Watase folds her arms, “Okay, have at it.”
You were being secretive, right? It was plain to see!
“Not here!” you say, glancing around again, “Can we meet up after work?”
“Manager-san…” says Watase, faking shock, “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Hah!?” you say, “No! It’s work stuff!”
“Sort of,” you add meekly.
“Hooo….” says Watase, her usual grin on her face, “Fine…. But!”
She leans in towards you, holding up a finger, “I get to pick the place.”
“Watase-san, please. It won’t take long, we can even talk about it in my office at work,” you say.
“Ah. You called me Watase-san again,” says Watase, “Now I’m not going.”
How childish!
You sigh. It’s going to be some place weird, isn’t it?
”Just make sure it’s some place private, okay?” you say.
If other people overheard what happened, then they might end up drawing their own conclusions like Kaiba did.
“Private?” replies Watase, smirking, “You can be sure of that.”
She looks down in thought for a moment, “Should probably make a reservation…”
“It’s just a short chat,” you say, tiring of it all, “Like five minutes at most.”
“Do you have like a…” says Watase, gesturing towards you with a hand, “A nice dress…?”
“Well, I just had a brand-new dress sized the other da…” you begin, then stop and shake your head, “Yoko-chan, just a short chat! I only need to clear something up. Okay?”
Watase seems determined to blow this out of proportion.
> Decision
> >1 - Call in your favour to cut this all short and clear things up in a normal way. (Uses favour)
> >2 - Go along with Watase’s plans. You need answers. At least you’ll get to wear your new dress.
> >3 - If she’s going to be like this, then forget it!
> >4 - Write-in
>
> Winner
> >3 - If she’s going to be like this, then forget it!
Deciding to put your frustration on display, you sigh loudly.
Last time you two spoke at length, at the bistro during a lunch, Watase was actually pretty fun to be around.
However, it seems like she’s back to her usual, overly flirty self now.
Even if you wanted to join her somewhere after work, you don’t have the time.
Enatsu Mari’s debut will have concluded then, but there’s still plenty of work to do afterwards.
You’ll have to gather data on how things went, analyse it, and have meetings to decide how you’ll proceed from there.
When all that is done, you still have Chigusa Iki’s debut tomorrow.
Finally, you remember what Kitabayashi said to you last week.
Watase has a certain reputation so you can’t be seen hanging out with her again – people will talk.
Normally that’d be whatever, right? Let people talk.
But it’ll be the exact kind of talk that you’re trying to get rid of!
If Kaiba somehow hears how you went to some fancy place that requires a nice dress together with Watase Yoko, then it’ll be impossible to talk her out of her strange convictions.
You can’t be nice all the time or you’ll get caught up other people’s plans.
It’s time to put your foot down and grow a spine.
“You know what?” you say, turning and then walking off, “Forget it.”
The smirk drops from Watase’s face, clearly caught off-guard.
“Come on…” she says, following, “Don’t be like that. You need to talk to me, right?”
“I did, but I’ll figure it out by myself,” you say, continuing your march towards the coach, “You clearly don’t want to help.”
“Girls like you would usually like that… getting dressed up …some nice dinner somewhere,” says Watase, still following, “I’d still listen to whatever you wanted to talk about…”
Suddenly, you stop and turn to face Watase.
“I don’t want to play around!” you snap in a loud whisper, “I have questions that I need answers to!”
“Don’t be angry,” says Watase, holding out a set of warding hands, whispering as well, “I just wanted to spoil you a little, y’know?”
“I don’t want to be spoiled. I’m trying to do my job here, Watase-san!” you hiss.
“What did I say about calling me Wata--” begins Watase.
“Watase-san,” you say firmly, interrupting her, then walk off.
Watase sighs, “Okay, okay,” she says, following you again, “I’ll stop by your office after work, okay?”
Eh? For real? Just like that?
“Hmpf,” you say, looking over your shoulder, “6 PM will do, don’t be late.”
It was about time she gave you a bit of respect!
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The sky overhead begins to clear up, showering the soccer field in the sun’s warmth.
High on victory, you march towards the coach standing on the sideline.
You were expecting an old man, but the coach is actually fairly young.
In his late twenties, maybe? He’s wearing a baseball cap and a tracksuit.
Besides that, he also seems to be holding a clipboard with today’s schedule.
He performs a shallow bow as you approach, “Good afternoon,” he says, “I’m Muratagi Tetsu and I’ll be overseeing your event today.”
You bow in kind, “I’m Nagata Miho from the Matsuno Inc. Idol Agency. Thank you for watching over us today.”
[https://assets.legendkeeper.com/0bc6d374-4fbf-42fe-b00c-92d1fc275944.png]
“Please to meet you,” he says, then points towards the distant camera man with his pen, “I understand you’ve got some special circumstances with this event. Is everything ready on your end?”
You look towards the distant camera man, who seems to be putting together his equipment and messing with some wires.
“Can you give us like fifteen more minutes?” you say, turning towards the coach.
“Take all the time you need,” he says, then looks down at his schedule, “Meanwhile, I’ll get the training gear.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Okay, thank you,” you say, bowing.
The man bobs his head and leaves towards what you assume is the equipment storage.
----------------------------------------
You raise a hand to shield your eyes against the sun.
The weather has really picked up. Kaiba’s job must be done by now though.
There are so many girls here you’ve never spoken to before.
A blue-haired girl has just decided to lay down next to Ensumi Misako.
Both of them sleeping in the goal, hoarding a bit of shade supplied by nearby bleachers.
You recall from your participant sheet that the blue-haired girl is called Daigo Naomi.
She seems to have spruced up her outfit with some kind of cosplay flair – small wings and little horns.
A set of twins are currently helping each other stretch.
They’re called Miyata Maru and Miyata Mine, if you remember correctly.
Other than the shade of their green hair, they’re almost entirely identical.
A different set of girls, a pink-haired girl named Maeda Rei, and a brown-haired girl named Handa Ako are currently passing a ball between them that they’ve found somewhere.
Maeda has fairly good ball-control, but Handa definitely seems more like the indoor type.
Before long, Handa Ako pats the sweat from her face with a handkerchief and excuses herself.
Maeda shrugs and opts to juggle the soccer ball.
She makes it to fourteen before it hits her foot at an odd angle, and she has to run after it.
Your gaze then passes to a silver-haired girl.
She’s staring into the distance with an aloof expression on her face.
There’s no way around it. She’s drop-dead gorgeous.
The mere sight of her is enough to invoke envy. Takashima Nikki.
A girl you know has done nothing but modelling jobs.
Finally, there’s a girl that’s somehow even paler than Kaiba, Kuno Hina.
She’s tucked away in the “Dugout”, the place where players usually sit when they’re on the bench in a game.
Kuno Hina is wearing a wide-brimmed hat should cover almost the entirety of her, yet she’s hidden away in the most shadowy area of all.
Makes you wonder why she’d even come to an event like this…
Getting familiar with all of them would probably take forever, but a few should work.
The rest will have to settle for basic introductions.
> Decision: Chat with… (Top 2)
> >1 - Daigo Naomi
> >2 - Miyata Maru and Miyata Mine
> >3 - Maeda Rei
> >4 - Handa Ako
> >5 - Takashima Nikki
> >6 - Kuno Hina
> >7 - Skip (General introductions for all)
>
> Winner
> >6 - Kuno Hina (x5)
> >1 - Daigo Naomi (x4)
Your direct your attention to the pale girl, Kuno Hina.
Sheltered from the sunlight like one would hide from an enemy, she sits in the shadow of the dugout, idly playing with large, golden cross dangling from her neck.
Wrapped around her wrists and fingers are a variety of occult jewellery.
Atop her head sits a wide-brimmed straw hat, her primary defence against the sun, covering her black hair that’s been fashioned into a braid.
You approach with a casual wave, lowering yourself into the dugout using the adjoining stairs.
There’s a heavy smell of freshly cut grass here, it’s source quickly identified as the concrete floor is covered with it.
Must’ve been blown in here by the wind when the club prepared the field for today’s event.
“Kuno Hina-san?” you ask, entering the dugout.
[https://assets.legendkeeper.com/d6259528-677c-4bd8-be23-049496a1f2c1.jpg]
“In the flesh,” she says, “I presume you’re the one that arranged this event, Nagata Miho-san?”
She busies her hands by playing with a strange symbol on one of her bracelets.
“Indeed, I’m Nagata Miho,” you say, adding a shallow bow, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
You glance out of the dugout, you’re almost eye-level with the grass.
There’s no denying that’s notably cooler down here though.
“We’re going to get started soon,” you say, looking up towards the sky, “Are you okay to start? Is the sun a problem?”
“Everything’s well, I’ve taken the sun into consideration, I just try to minimize my exposure,” she says, “I’m afraid I get sunburn quite easily, you understand.”
“Oh, were you counting on the cloudy weather to last?” you say.
“No, I arrived prepared to make the necessary sacrifice,” she says, “I act simply in accord with what fate has dictated.”
“Fate?” you ask.
Kuno Hina adjusts her hat, “I’ve had my fortune told not too long ago, you see, I was told to expect great changes in my career. On the day of your invitation my horoscope informed me of impending opportunities for growth. Naturally, I accepted.”
“Oh, well,” you say, somewhat caught off-guard, “I’m glad fate has led you here, I suppose. If the sun becomes a problem, just take a break, alright?”
Kuno Hina nods, “I belief I’ll be fine. Was it not Nietzsche that said: ‘The true man wants two things: danger and play’?”
You chuckle quietly, then scratch your cheek, “I don’t know, did he?”
“A ballgame in a hostile environment fits the saying nicely, I should say,” adds Kuno Hina, getting up.
It’s hard to get a handle on this girl, but she’s been fiddling with the cross a lot, so…
“Hopefully the gods have fated for you to get through this without a sunburn,” you say, adding in a laugh.
"Religion is the sign of the oppressed. It is the opium of the people," replies Kuno Hina, running a hand over her cross, “I wear it as a reminder.”
“But… astrology?” you mumble.
“Receiving guidance is different from being led,” says Kuno Hina with a small smile, then looks towards the field, “You said they were about to start?”
“Ah, eh, yes,” you say, “If you’ll please head up…”
Kuno Hina nods, adjusts her wide-brimmed hat, then joins the other girls.
It’s almost impressive how many quotes she managed to fit into such short conversation.
You get the feeling any lengthy chat with her would get tiresome indeed.
Still, she didn’t seem like a bad person.
----------------------------------------
Afternoon sun now warming the grass, nearly all the girls have gathered on the field.
The camera man at the sidelines gives you a thumbs-up – ready to go.
There’s an almost tangible feeling of anticipation in the air, the idols are chatting amongst themselves.
Emerging from the equipment storage, the coach drags behind him a cartful of training equipment.
Cones, pinnies (brightly coloured vest to separate teams), training markers, small hurdles, and, of course, plenty of soccer balls.
According to the schedule you’ll be starting off with training and have a short scrimmage after.
First, you’ll need Enatsu Mari to kick-off the livestream and do a brief introduction of all the players.
After a quick headcount, you notice you’re still two members short.
Ah. Two girls are still splayed out on the green canvas, napping underneath the goalpost.
The other girls take notice and respond with a mixture of giggles and sighs.
The coach is already setting up whatever training he has planned for the idols.
Some hurdles here, cones there. An intricate training course materializes before you.
You hurry towards the two napping girls.
Ensumi Misako, the blonde girl with the bedhead, notices your approach and quickly gets up, “Eh, Let’s gooo!” she says wide-eyed, hurrying towards the others.
She’s not fooling anybody.
The final napper only moves once you stand almost directly over her, deepening the shadow cast over her by the nearby bleachers.
She grumbles, then waves a hand – indicating for you to stop blocking the sun.
That’s a first.
Glancing over your shoulder, you see that all the other girls are waiting.
You clear your throat loudly, “Ehum…” you say, folding your arms.
“…Hmm?” comes the reply.
Her name comes to you easily, the succubus cosplay thing kind of stood out on the list of participants.
“Daigo Naomi-san,” you say, “We’re about to get started…”
“…Eh? What’s about? As in about like five minutes?” says Daigo, rolling over.
“As in about right now,” you reply.
She leans on an elbow, giving you an angelic smile despite the succubus cosplay, “Five minutes more?” she purrs.
[https://assets.legendkeeper.com/8d8e9951-573e-4ba1-b0ec-6a29f224d3bf.jpg]
You reply with a flat stare, “No,” you say.
The girl frowns, “Tsk,” she says, clicking her tongue, “That usually works.”
Her manager must be male.
Daigo sighs loudly.
It’s the teenage ‘If I have to’ sigh.
She gets up sighs and again, then fumbles with her cosplay, “Stupid wings,” she says, pulling the outfit back into shape.
One of the ear prosthetics has come loose, making one pointy ear crooked – she adjusts it.
Daigo lumbers towards the rest of the group with all the enthusiasm of a sentenced man heading to the chopping block.
----------------------------------------
Everything is present. All the equipment is ready.
Enatsu Mari is standing with microphone in hand, understandably nervous.
You take up your spot next to the camera man, who hands you a tablet.
On screen is the mobile app of your usual streaming platform, showing the broadcast.
Involuntarily, you gasp.
There are several thousands of viewers already even though there’s nothing shown beside a waiting screen and some background music.
You did some marketing, sure, but nothing to get these kinds of numbers.
How’d this happen?
Ah.
A glance towards the idols tells you all you need to know.
They’re taking selfies even now, probably posting them to Instagram, twitter, or whatever other platform they’re active on.
Some of these girls must be quite famous if they’re able to pull such a crowd.
A countdown appears in the broadcast, five minutes remain until the scheduled time.
Every idol here has received a sheet detailing the script for the livestream, but you take the five minutes to run them through it again.
It’s time to begin.