"...I should've hired you as a scout, Aqua."
In the end, standing before me and Aqua who had brought MEM-cho, Miyako-san glanced at each of us once, then looked at MEM-cho sandwiched between us and spoke.
"MEM, as a popular YouTuber and influencer... it's quite unexpected that you're into idols.
370,000 YouTube subscribers, 638,000 TikTok followers. You're quite popular online.
First, let me ask a few things. Which company are you with, MEM-san?"
The most basic of questions.
"I'm currently broadcasting as a sole proprietor, and I'm managed by a company called FARM. It's not an exclusive contract, but a business partnership. So I can freely take on work without any issues....."
"Hmm, I see. Understood. Then, it'll be Ichigo Pro entrusting idol work to you. Well, as you know, aside from Hoshino Ai, we have plenty of internet broadcasters, and over there, my husband works at Yume's company, which is just standing around, so we have a lot of connections with broadcasters. Contracts like that aren't a problem. Even if there are issues, we can just pass it on to Yume's company, so it's fine."
"Well... that goes without saying, but I am the representative of that company, you know...?"
"That's why I'm telling you, since you're the representative."
"Ah, I see."
Everyone probably knows, but I was the proud representative of internet broadcasting in our company.
"Well, just looking at other things, it seems we've found a perfect candidate... but judging by your expression, it looks like you have something you need to tell us."
MEM-cho was carefully avoiding Miyako-san's gaze, and I naturally knew why she was avoiding it.
Age fabrication... hmm... honestly, I could understand if it was 1 or 2 years... but... hmm... I seriously wondered if MEM-cho might be an even bigger liar than Ai.
"Well, I can roughly guess... you're lying about your age, right?"
Naturally, Miyako-san's eyes, having worked in this industry for a long time, were accurate.
"Is it that obvious...?"
"Yeah."
"If you don't draw attention to it, it might not show, but people like us tend to know, right...?"
Miyako-san and I spoke at the same time.
"Well, I thought Yume-kun would obviously know. Anyway, moving on, MEM-chan, you look quite young, including your bone structure, but you can't fool my eyes. No need to be scared. It's common for individuals to lower their age by a few years, so I don't mind much."
...I couldn't bring myself to say that it's different from just 1 or 2 years, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.
"Really? That's a relief....."
MEM-chan had a genuinely relieved expression.
"So? How old are you really?"
"Um... well... actually..."
MEM-chan carefully approached Miyako-san and whispered her age. Aqua likely couldn't hear, but unfortunately, I could hear everything. This physical ability is terrifying at times...!
"You've shaved off a lot!!!!!!"
"I'm really sorry!!!!!!"
"If your known age is 18... then that's quite... no, incredibly audacious."
"Please don't count it!?"
"How many years did you shave off? About three?"
Hahaha, as if, my son.
"...Twice that."
"That's a huge cut!!! So, twenty-four?"
"It was twenty-four! Until spring..."
"Then you're twenty-five. Don't struggle now that you're caught. More than that."
Aqua pointed at me with his finger.
"Did you already know, Yume-san?"
".........No?"
I made an expression of complete ignorance, but it seemed my son couldn't be fooled.
"That can't be. From the start, you would have done background checks on not just the cast but the staff too, right?"
"....Ahem. Well, MEM-chan must have had her circumstances."
"Yume-senpai, you knew!?"
"Yeah, sorry."
Unable to bear their gazes any longer, I quietly closed my eyes.
"More than that, a 25-year-old pretending to be a high school girl on broadcast? That's mental."
"Th-this is all because of circumstances! I've always dreamed of being an idol since I was young. But we're a single-mother household, and I have two younger brothers. I thought it would be better to get a job. But my mom... told me not to give up and to try what I wanted to do. So after that, I started applying to auditions. I even made it to the final screening of a major agency. But when I became a high school senior... my mom was struggling so much that she was hospitalized. I needed money, so I took a leave from high school and did all sorts of part-time jobs."
I already knew all this, but hearing it from her own mouth, I could feel how hard this girl had worked, even giving up on her dream.
"Thanks to that, I sent my brothers to college. My mom also got healthier. But by then, I was already twenty-three. To be honest, this industry treats you like an old hag at twenty, right? Every audition has requirements like 'female under 20 years old.' By the time I had the environment to chase my dream, I was no longer the age to do so. With lost passion, I tried things like streaming. I was still on leave from high school back then, so I did it with the vibe of a current JK (laughs). For some reason, the response was unexpectedly good. Thanks to that, my subscriber count skyrocketed, and I couldn't reveal it even if I wanted to!! I kept at it for about two years and ended up here."
With a feeling of not knowing the details that well... I looked at MEM-chan who was slumped over.
"It's still no good, right? If it gets out that I lowered it by seven years, it'll cause a scandal. A twenty-five-year-old as an idol..."
Wondering if I should step in, the moment I tried to speak up, the person who grabbed my wrist and stopped me was Ai, who had finished work and returned.
"Ai?"
She shushed me.
And then, looking where she pointed with her finger.
"That's not true!"
"Huh?"
...Ah, I see how it is? It seems they were all listening outside. At Ai's urging, I also decided to stand still and watch our 'daughter's' figure.
"It's MEM-cho! The real thing! She's cute!"
"I heard the story well."
"Arima."
What, was Arima-chan here too? With that thought, I looked at Ai.
"Yeah, I was teaching her dance!"
"Ah, I see."
So they were all listening together outside.
"I've also been picked on because of my age, so I understand that feeling a bit."
Arima-chan said while shedding tears....
"It seems like more than a bit....."
It seemed my and Aqua's thoughts overlapped. That's my son!
"Even my agency during my child actor days kicked me out when I became an upperclassman, it really pissed me off.....!"
"Wow....?"
"Miyako-san!!"
"No, from the start, I haven't said a single word against it."
That's right. I don't know if there's some misunderstanding, but Miyako-san hasn't said a word against it and only listened to the story. Well... I don't know if she's Saito's wife, but in this way, the two of them are really alike.
"What about Ruby?"
"Me too! Age doesn't matter in idol work!"
That's right~ Ai also retired at almost 25, but that was because of me, and if she wanted to continue, she might have gone until 30, right?
"Because... you can't stop the feeling of admiration!"
"Well, I'll be..."
"Ehehe~ Cute, right?"
"Yeah..."
There's no parent who would dislike their children admiring them. For you to admire even more and climb even higher might not be bad either.
With those words, Ruby reached out her hand to the seated MEM-cho.
"Welcome! To B-Komachi!"
"Yeah..... nice to meet you...."
"My sister, all talk again....."
Aqua muttered quietly upon seeing that, but I heard it all. Really, Aqua's such a siscon.
"Arima, take good care of Ruby and MEM."
"Shut up, don't act friendly. You go get along with Kurokawa Akane. You playboy, player."
"What?"
I couldn't help but snort.
Ai giggled.
Thanks to Arima-chan's answer, me and Ai ended up bursting out laughing. Aqua, you sinful man.
"Even without you meddling, I'll manage this group somehow. Now, let's go eat first."
"Let's go, let's go!"
"What, these guys are so warm...."
In the end, the three members of the new B-Komachi went out to eat, and the people left at Ichigo Pro were me, Ai, Miyako-san, and Aqua, but Aqua deliberately said to look after his sister and then only the adults remained.
"Hmm.... so Miyako-san, how are you going to manage it?"
"That's right..... as the original B-Komachi, what do you think?"
"Hmm hmm.... not bad, right? Ruby, well, she takes after me and Yume, so her looks are a given! Arima, was it? That girl also looks better than expected. I can see talent. Me... Memi?"
"MEM-cho."
"Yeah yeah, Memi-cho, that girl, well, she's a bit~ older, but having one senior member is good for the mental, right?"
"Certainly not wrong."
It's been a while since I've worried about an idol group like this.
"Oh, right. Ai, this time it's work as a set again."
"Wow~ with Yume?"
"We haven't received anything on our end, though?"
My manager clearly said I had no role, though?
"Ah, this time they said to make our side the main, so they sent it to us first. Well, but since it's you two, I'm sure you'll naturally see it."
"Ehehe~ that's because we're always together!"
"Saito-san is always stuck at the company, though."
He asks to be sent home sometimes, but there's too much work...
"Well..... it's been a while since I've seen him, but since he's capable, aren't you just working him to the bone?"
"Yes.... well, not wrong. I try to send him home, but with so much work, he insists on staying and doing it, so I don't feel like forcing him."
Not to mention the work with Muscle Dalma, but he said he's creating a new internet group this time.
"Ah.... you mean that new internet group?"
"Yes, he's trying to create an idol group of virtual YouTubers to match the times."
"That guy never gets tired, does he?"
"In reality, he already achieved his dream dome concert, so he must have found a new dream."
"Well, that guy will do well..... anyway, want to see the work?"
"Agreed~☆"
"Yes, I'll take a look."
Me, Ai, and Miyako-san slowly spent time reading through the newly arrived concept work.
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