Chapter 4

"Oooh! It's Sta-mai!"

A deafening cheer rose to the sky.

The moment the five members of Sta-mai appeared, the audience erupted in excitement, as if the previous chants of "MITSUGE! MITSUGE!" had never happened.

"Oooh! Nana! I'm here... Tachibana is here!"

"Ayane! Give me that rare look of disdain you show sometimes!"

Two fans shouted their desires at the school idols, but their voices were drowned out by the overwhelming cheers of the crowd. The excitement had reached its peak. At the center of this immensely popular Sta☆mai was Kurihara Nana, the energetic and bold idol. With her long bob that accentuated her brightness and cuteness, and her innocent smile, she was a beautiful girl. She wore a halter-neck bikini, which tied at the back of her neck, her larger-than-average chest tightly secured, and her exposed stomach showed a beautiful vertical line.

Nana waved to the audience with a bright smile, basking in the immense cheers. But I knew something about her. I knew that Nana, the girl who put strange names on her online game characters and her pet cat, might actually be a fan of BL (Boys' Love) content...

Then my eyes moved to the half-up beauty on the far right. The girl with the refined smile was Kiyokawa Ayane. She wore a modest one-piece swimsuit, exuding a sense of purity.

"Oooh! Rinka! Your cool gaze is great today!"

A man in the crowd shouted excitedly. Rinka... Mizuki Rinka. She stood next to Nana, her well-maintained long hair flowing in the wind, her gaze fixed straight ahead, undeterred by the deafening cheers. Her demeanor was truly composed. Her face showed no sign of a smile or even tension. She wasn't unfriendly, but the word "cool" suited her perfectly. Rinka wore an off-shoulder bikini with blue and white patterns, her exposed white shoulders and stomach dazzling to the eye...

"Rinka! You're the cutest in the world!"

"Ah, Ayano-kun is... shouting!"

"It might rain today."

Saito and Tachibana, floating on inflatable rings, looked up at me in surprise. It seemed I had been swept up in the heat of the live performance.

The live began. The new summer song had a refreshing melody. If anyone had shouted "MITSUGE" at this point, I would have given all my money to Rinka. The audience, who had been so rowdy, now listened to Sta☆mai's song in awe. Everyone was captivated by the presence of the girls, who danced and sang joyfully on stage. As I sent a passionate gaze to Rinka...

"!"

Our eyes met, and for a moment, Rinka's face showed a look of shock. It was a fleeting moment, so the audience didn't notice.

But Rinka's gaze remained fixed on me. She kept looking at me, our eyes locked. It seemed like the men around me were getting excited too, though it might have been my imagination.

"..."

I stared at Rinka, who was performing on stage. I couldn't look away. It felt like she was singing just for me. The cheers of the crowd faded into the background, and it felt like Rinka and I were in our own world. Our consciousness was connected by an invisible thread.

"Oooh! Sta☆mai!"

The audience's thunderous cheers brought me back to reality. The live had ended without me noticing. The five girls left the stage to a tremendous encore.

"How was it, Ayano-kun? The live was amazing, right?"

"...Ah, yeah."

When Saito spoke to me, I could only give a soulless response. ...This is Sta☆mai... an idol... The live performance was far more powerful than the music videos I had seen online. The presence of the audience must have played a big role. The unity of the venue was indescribable, but it was truly amazing. My stomach felt warm. I could understand why so many people became fanatical. I would want to come to more live performances.

◇

After the Sta☆mai live, we moved to the rest area. I wanted to see other idol performances, but I was incredibly tired. Maybe I had been overwhelmed by the heat of my first live.

"Hehe, my hands are shaking."

Sitting in a chair, I placed my hands on the table and chuckled. The excitement hadn't faded yet. I had always vaguely thought that popular idols were amazing, but now I truly felt it. It was hard to believe that I was dating Mizuki Rinka...

"Hey? A super cute little girl is running this way?"

Tachibana pointed towards the pool. I turned to look. ...A super cute little girl was running over. She had small twin pigtails and a skirted swimsuit, and she was calling out happily, "Onii-chan!"

...Isn't that Nonoai? Why is she here?

"Hehe, Onii-chan is here too!"

Nonoai ran up to me and hugged me with a big smile, and I caught her in surprise.

"Hey, Ayano! What's with that SS-rank cute little girl!? I might just drown you in the pool!"

"This is Rinka's little sister... Nonoai, where are your parents?"

"They're not here. But I'm with Onee-chan!"

Nonoai pointed towards the pool. Just then, Kaori arrived at our location.

"Phew, that was tiring... Nonoai, you shouldn't run, it's dangerous."

"...Sorry. I couldn't help it..."

Kaori, slightly out of breath, scolded Nonoai, who hung her head in shame. Tachibana shook my shoulder.

"Ch-ch-ch, Ayano! This incredibly cute and well-endowed older sister... Could it be...?"

"Yeah, she's Rinka's older sister."

Tachibana was visibly shaken by Kaori's appearance. On the other hand, Saito knelt in front of Nonoai and worshiped her, calling her an "angel."

Do I have any normal friends?

To move the situation forward, I decided to speak to Kaori.

"Did you come to support Rinka too?"

"Hmm? Yeah. After all, my little sister is performing in a swimsuit... I have to see it with my own eyes!"

"You sound like a perverted old man."

"Hey, that's not nice to say to such a beautiful older sister, my cute little brother?"

Kaori winked and playfully scolded me. ...I'll let the "little brother" comment slide. It feels like I'd lose if I pointed it out.

"Hey, Onii-chan. Let's play together!"

Nonoai grabbed my right hand and pulled me along. I didn't mind playing with her, but there were two male friends here. I looked at Kaori for guidance.

"Sure, why not? Let's all play together!"

"R-really, perverted older sister!? I'm Tachibana!"

"Heh, nice to meet you, fatty."

"F-fatty...!"

Tachibana seemed a bit upset at being called a "perverted older sister." Kaori playfully and accurately described him. Then Nonoai pointed at Tachibana's chest...

"Ah! Onee-chan's chest is bigger than Ayane's!"

...Innocence can be scary.