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A Few Days Later

ChieriMm... Chieri has contacted so many times, but...

ChieriMiku hasn't said a single word back~~!!

RaikaThat's weird... I thought at least it'd show as read.

YomogiCould it be that we've been blocked...?

Raika、ChieriHuh!?

ShizukuWhat is block?

YomogiUm, it's like call rejection... Anyway, it's basically a signal that says "Don't contact me anymore"...

RaikaOh, it's a video call from Granny.

ChieriPlease pick up this time. She took the trouble to call you, you know!

RaikaYeah, I see!

RaikaHello? Granny?

Raika's Grandmother"Raika~~! You eating well today too~!?"

RaikaAhaha, yeah, I'm eating! You're eating lunch. Where are you now?

Raika's Grandmother"Basically on the other side of Japan! Sorry I haven't been able to call lately."

YomogiThe other side of Japan...!?

ChieriChieri knows! That means it's the farthest place from here, both distance and time difference...!

ShizukuCherie, I think time difference is a different thing.

Raika's Grandmother"Oh, Raika, you're with your family? Let me see their faces!"

RaikaOkay! Here, my family!

YomogiEeeek!! Raika-san, please don't suddenly make me meet someone I don't know~~!!

ChieriHey, Yomogi! Stop hiding behind Chieri!

ShizukuSo even without meeting in person, Yomogi still does that.

Raika's Grandmother"Ahaha! Great! That's a lively family, just like I heard!"

Raika's Grandmother"One, two, three... Huh? Raika, there should be one more person, right?"

RaikaAh... yeah. But many things happened...

Raika's Grandmother"So that's how it is. Actually, that's why I called."

RaikaHuh, what do you mean!?

Raika's Grandmother"Actually, Suzuki called me directly. She said she wanted to make a deal about the live house."

RaikaWhy did Suzuki-san...!?

ChieriShe said she would wait until summer, didn't she!?

Raika's Grandmother"I'd heard that from Raika, so I turned it down too. Because it's a guardian's duty to let Raika continue with what she's decided."

Raika's Grandmother"But something Suzuki said back then has been sitting with me..."

Raika's GrandmotherSo, that's the end of it. No matter how many times you contact me, I won't budge.

Suzuki"*Sigh*... You're really stubborn too."

Suzuki"Everyone involved with that live house is like that. Raika-san, and Miku-san..."

Raika's GrandmotherMiku...? That means—

Suzuki"She's our new idol trainee. Oh, high schoolers these days are really scary..."

MikuHow about making a deal... with me?

SuzukiA deal?

MikuYes. If I accept the idol scouting, I want you to give up on the live house in return.

SuzukiHuh? There's no way that deal is gonna work.

MikuYeah, I guess you're right. People and property are different things.

MikuBut... are you really going to let the chance to "make your reputation skyrocket for finding a gem like me" slip by, Suzuki-san?

SuzukiHuh!? Why did you...!

MikuIf I become an idol, Suzuki-san, you would benefit too, right?

MikuIn return, could you change the deadline from tomorrow to "three months later"?

Raika's Grandmother"Suzuki was complaining, saying 'It was almost like being threatened.'"

RaikaMiku... didn't say anything about it...

Chieri...

Raika's Grandmother"If something got crossed between you two, go sort it out face to face first."

Raika's Grandmother"You don't need to worry about the live house right now. Just leave it to Granny."

RaikaYeah... thanks, Granny. I'll call you again.

Everyone...

RaikaSo that's why she suddenly said "three months later" right before the live show that day...

ShizukuYeah. The reason why Miku left the dorm was...

RaikaTo protect the live house... and our "home"...!

YomogiB-but isn't it weird that Suzuki-san contacted Raika-san's grandma...?

ShizukuRight. It's supposed to be an agreement that Miku becomes an idol, and they don't touch the place for three months in return.

ChieriThat means... she broke the agreement without a second thought!!

ChieriThat useless suit... Chieri won't forgive her!! Chieri is heading over right now and slapping her silly!!

YomogiChe, Cherie-san, calm down...!

RaikaThat's right, Cherie, you can't use violence!

ChieriThen, what should Chieri do!? We let Miku go through that all alone, didn't we!?

Raika!

ChieriMiku... Miku is amazing, isn't she!!

ChieriShe came up with a plan all by herself, and walked right into the adult world... Isn't that ultra amazing!

ChieriChieri and the others couldn't see Miku's amazing qualities. At this rate, no one will praise Miku...!

ChieriSo... Chieri must praise Miku, that she's ultra amazing!!

RaikaCherie, it's enough, I understand.

ChieriHey, please don't hug me...

RaikaThat's because you're crying for Miku, Cherie...!

ShizukuCherie is amazing... You can be that angry for someone else.

ShizukuThat's because we are family...?

ChieriNot family, it's the Chieri Union!

ChieriMiku is Chieri's subordinate, so Chieri will bring her back! And then, Chieri is gonna give Miku a ton of praise!

YomogiThis is the situation where we bring back our ally...!! Cherie-san is so cool...!

ChieriHuh?

YomogiRight now, Cherie-san is just like Godo-kun from volume 12 of "Saga of the Steel-spirit Bancho: Onishigure," when he goes to bring back his best friend who got captured by another school!!

Yomogi"The only one I can trust with my back is that guy... There's no way I'd let some random bastard take him away."

YomogiAnd then, with just a handful of allies, Godo-kun wins the big battle to rescue his best friend~~!!

ShizukuSo this is the legendary "Onishigu" monologue?

RaikaYes! It's the proof that Yomogi's deeply moved!

ChieriYomogi... you finally gave Chieri a long praise too...!

ChieriHehe, you've finally come to admire Chieri!! Alright, I'll show you even more of how amazing Chieri is!

ChieriTomorrow, we will tail Suzuki-san all day!! We'll get info about Miku out of her, and then bring Miku back!

RaikaOhh~~!! Wait... we can't! We have school tomorrow too, right!?

RaikaWe have to go to school properly! Granny said, a kid's job is to go to school...!

ChieriYomogi isn't going every day!

RaikaThat's one thing, and this is another!

YomogiUgh... I'm sorry for being such a burden who can't even do the basics...!

ChieriThen Yomogi! You'll have to be the one to tail her!

ChieriYou're the only one who doesn't have to go to school, Yomogi! It's time you work to rescue the union's subordinate!

YomogiHuh...

YomogiHuh~~~~~~~~!?!?

The Next Day

In Front of the Station

Yomogi*Pant*... *Pant*... *Pant*...!

Yomogi(Wherever I look, there are people, people, and people...!!)

Yomogi(Ugh... It's so scary... I want to go home...!)

Yomogi(B-But...)

ChieriMiku is Chieri's subordinate, so Chieri will bring her back! And then, Chieri is gonna give Miku a ton of praise!

YomogiIt's because Cherie-san said such cool things...!

Yomogi(Miku-san also... walked in there all by herself...)

Yomogi(What was she feeling when she made that deal... What kind of resolve did she have when she decided to protect everyone...)

Yomogi(If it were me, that would be absolutely impossible... I couldn't even go out and sell tickets...)

Yomogi(I knew everyone was working hard. I knew this was the time to work hard, too.)

Yomogi...

Yomogi(I have to change too...! I promised Miku-san!)

Yomogi(I have to keep the promise I couldn't keep before, now!!)

YomogiImagine me, super strong...! Volume 12 of "Saga of the Steel-spirit Bancho: Onishigure"...!!

Yomogi"Who am I...? What's the point of asking? Don't waste my time." "I just came to see my buddy." "Yo, you got beaten up pretty bad, huh!"

Yomogi"Just wait, bro. I'll finish this quick~~~~!!"

After School

Raika...

ChieriYomogi... isn't coming.

ShizukuShe wasn't at the dorm either. She must still be tailing her.

ChieriI know that. I know, but...

RaikaIt's okay, Cherie! Trusting and waiting... That's also part of being family!

ChieriSays you! You've been restless this whole time too, Raika! You've been pacing back and forth!

RaikaBe-Because~~! This is like sending someone out on their very first errand—

YomogiPant... Pant...! Yomogi Yakura has miraculously returned alive!!!

Raika、ChieriYomogi~~~~!!

YomogiGrrr!? Wait, don't hug me...! O-Oxygen...!!

YomogiHaa...

ShizukuYomogi, what's that?

Yomogi*Pant*... *Pant*... It's oxygen spray...! I remembered what Shizuku-san told me...!

YomogiThey didn't sell oxygen masks, so... I bought a ton of this instead, and barely managed to stay alive...!!

Shizuku...! I see...!

RaikaYou're amazing, Yomogi~~~!! You really worked hard~~~!

ChieriNow that's Chieri's subordinate!! Well done!

YomogiHehe... hehehe... Please don't keep patting me on the head...!

RaikaMiku must've been happy too! Because Yomogi went all that way to see her!

YomogiOh... A-About that...

YomogiI'm sorry! I couldn't meet Miku-san~~!! I'm a useless loser who wasted an entire day, sorry~~!!

ChieriHuh!? Then what were you doing all this time!?

RaikaHey!! Cherie, you should praise ultra amazing Yomogi!

ChieriAh...! I-I didn't mean that...!

YomogiBut Cherie-san is right...! Even after tailing Suzuki-san, I still couldn't meet Miku-san...

YomogiThe only thing I found out is that Miku-san has an internal live showcase coming up soon...

RaikaAn internal live showcase?

YomogiUm, I think... even the company president is coming to watch... And if it goes well, her debut will be decided...

ChieriHer debut will be confirmed!? Then we can't bring Miku back!

RaikaYomogi, do you know when that live is!?

YomogiTh-Three days later...!

ShizukuCan we stop the debut?

YomogiTh-That might be a bit too difficult...!

RaikaBut... if we don't stop it...

ShizukuRaika, do you have a plan?

RaikaI'll figure something out.

RaikaIf Miku really becomes an idol... She won't be able to come back...!