On another regular Saturday, I went to watch another of Nitta’s solo live along with the other members of the Love Consultation Club.

   The live is being held at Japan National Stadium which is located in Shinjuku. This stadium, which can hold up to 80,000 spectators. Even that’s not stopping her fans from making the place a full house. Nitta is that famous. There’s still five minutes until the live starts, but pretty much everyone here is chanting her name.

   ‘YUKI! YUKI! YUKI! YUKI!’

   I’m pretty sure the chants are heard by at least half of Shinjuku, if not all.

   Five minutes later, Nitta appears at the stage while wearing one of her idol outfit. She’s also holding a microphone.

   ‘ARE ALL OF YOU READY TO HAVE FUN TONIGHT?’ she asks loudly while putting the microphone near her mouth.

   The entire stadium explodes with cheers.

   ‘GOOD! LET’S DO THIS!’

   She exited the stage after singing five songs to take a short break. Even when she’s going to rest, the audiences are showing no signs of quieting down. Some are cheering, while some are chanting her name again.

   ‘Say, Takkun~. I’m thirsty, can you get me something to drink~?’ Suzu asks me.

   ‘Why me?’

   ‘I want Cola.’ Nagano requests nonchalantly.

   ‘Ice lemon tea for me~.’

   I let out a sigh. ‘Oh, whatever. I’m getting thirsty too anyway. Do you want something, Futaki?’

   ‘Green tea please, if it’s not too much trouble.’

   ‘Sure thing.’

   And so, I begin the search for a vending machine. I finally found one after wandering for a while. While I’m pondering on what to get, I notice someone walking towards my right side. It’s Nitta.

   ‘One grape C*lpis, please.’ she tells me.

   I ignore her and settle with a melon soda. You can never go wrong with melon soda.

   ‘Hey, I said grape C*lpis!’ she complains.

   ‘This one’s for me.’ I tell her.

   ‘Haven’t you ever heard of ladies first?’

   ‘I’m all for gender equality.’

   I open the bottle cap and take a sip. Ah. Pure bliss.

   ‘Get it right this time, okay?’

   ‘I’m not getting you anything. Why are you here anyway? Shouldn’t you be at the lounge or something?’

   ‘I was about to go there when I saw a gloomy-looking boy. I figured that he might want some company, so here I am.’

   ‘Well, sorry for being gloomy.’ I mumble. ‘Isn’t it bad if we’re seen together?’

   ‘No worries. My bodyguards are making sure that no one comes near here while we’re chatting.’

   ‘That doesn’t make things any better.’

   ‘I guess not.’

   She snatches away my can of melon soda and takes a few sips.

   ‘I don’t remember giving you any permission to drink that.’

   She takes a few more sips before giving it back.

   ‘Too bad. I was thirsty. What are you going to do, report me to the police?’

   ‘Don’t tempt me.’

   I take out my wallet and search for more coins so that I could get the drinks of those who are waiting for me back at the seat.

   ‘What’s that?’ Nitta asks all of a sudden.

   ‘What’s what?’

   ‘Those papers. They’re popping out of your wallet.’

   I take them out. They’re the tickets to a water park that I won from getting first place in the marathon we ran before summer holiday began.

   ‘Ah, these. They can’t even serve as a proper toilet paper, so they’re of no use to me.’

   I was about to toss them inside the garbage bin next to the vending machine when Nitta takes one of them.

   ‘No need to waste it. I’ll go with you.’ she says as she keeps the ticket.

   ‘...I beg your pardon?’

   ‘You heard me.’

   ‘Wait wait wait. Does your schedule even allows that?’

   ‘Don’t worry. I’ll make time. Or rather, Yayoi-san will. Come on, it’ll be fun!’

   I shrug. It’s not like I have anything better to do.

   ‘Let’s exchange numbers.’ she tells me.

   ‘What? What for?’

   ‘How else am I going to tell you after I get an off day? Now bring out your phone.’

   We take out our phone and exchange numbers. She looks weirdly happy for some reason. She then gasps after looking at the screen of her phone.

   ‘Oh no, break time is almost over! I need to head back to the changing room so that I could get changed into a new outfit!’

   ‘Well, off you go then.’

   ‘Right. See you later at the meet-and-greet, Bandou-kun!’ she tells me as she leaves.

   Myself along with the other members of the Love Consultation Club were given special tickets which would allow us to meet her after the live has ended. Each of those tickets cost ten times more than the front-row tickets, but Nitta gave them to us for free anyway.

   After Nitta is gone, I got the drinks and head back to my seat.

   ‘You were away for quite a while, senpai. Did something happen?’ Futaki asks.

   ‘It’s no big deal.’ I tell her ambiguously.

   Not long after the live is over, I get up from my seat so that I could head to the place where Nitta is having the meet-and-greet.

   ‘Not so fast.’ Nagano stops me. ‘Let’s wait a bit longer.’

   ‘What difference does it make?’ I ask.

   ‘We can’t exactly act chummy with her while all her other fans are around, can we?’

   ‘Fair point. All right, let’s wait a bit then.’

   We wait for around thirty minutes before finally heading over to the place. Two bodyguards are standing outside and asked to see our tickets. Once the authenticity of our tickets have been verified, they let us in.

   When we got inside, Nitta is sitting on a chair and resting. None of her other fans are around. The only other person in here with her is her manager Mino-san who’s standing at one side of the wall.

   Nitta’s face lights up when she saw us.

   ‘What took you guys so long? I had been waiting for so long!’ she cries.

   ‘We’re sorry, Nitta-san. It’s just that we wanted to make sure that no one else was around so that we could have some intimate moments.’ Nagano tells her.

   ‘Ah, that makes sense. Well then, picture time!’

   The four girls took multiple wefies together. Well, Suzu was dragged into it, but still.

   ‘Aren’t you going to join in, Bandou-kun?’ Nitta asks me.

   ‘No thanks. I don’t like taking pictures.’ I decline.

   ‘Oh come on, don’t say that!’

   She comes over to me and grabs my shoulder with one hand. She then takes a picture of us by using her phone with the other.

   ‘You could have smile a bit, you know!’ she says to me while inspecting the taken picture.

   ‘I believe I told you that I hate taking pictures.’

   ‘No worries, we’ll just take another one.’

   ‘I refuse.’

   The rest of the girls couldn’t stay for long as they have curfews. Futaki aside, I’m rather surprised that Nagano and Suzu have them.

   ‘It’s not really curfew for me. I have to help out around the shrine early in the morning, so I have to sleep early at night.’ Nagano explains.

   ‘I have been waking up since three in the morning, so I’m at my limit here~.’ Suzu says on the other hand.

   ‘Let me guess. You had been playing video games.’

   ‘You know me so well, Takkun~.’

   ‘I really had fun tonight, Nitta-senpai. Thank you for the wonderful evening.’ Futaki tells Nitta.

   ‘You’re welcome. Please come to my next live if possible.’

   ‘I most definitely will.’

   The room quiets down the moment the three of them leave.

   ‘Well, I’m leaving too.’ I tell Nitta.

   ‘What? Already? Don’t tell me you have a curfew too.’

   ‘I don’t. But, um…’

   Just as I was busy thinking up an excuse to leave, a girl comes inside the room.

   ‘Is the greet-and-meet still in session?’ she asks Nitta nervously.

   ‘Of course. Please come in.’ Nitta tells her.

   ‘I’m so glad. I thought I have missed it!’ the female fan says with a relieved look.

   ‘Nonsense. There’s no way I would make a fan feel left out.’

   I step away from Nitta so that I won’t end up interrupting them. The fan gave me a curious look, but didn’t ask Nitta about me.

   ‘My name is Suou Usami.’ she introduces herself. ‘I had been your fan for a long time!’

   Nitta gives her a big smile. ‘Thank you for your support, Usami-san.’

   ‘Your newest love songs particularly mesmerizes me. They gave me courage to invite my crush to watch your live today.’

   That made Nitta squeal excitedly. I guess girls just love to listen to this kind of story.

   ‘Oh, is that so? Did you managed to confess to him?’

   Suou-san lowers her head in shame.

   ‘No. I got so nervous and scared of rejection I couldn’t bring the words out.’ she says in a soft voice.

   ‘No need to get discouraged. You should muster up your courage and try again.’ Nitta encourages her.

   ‘But, what if he rejects me? I could never get back up from that!’

   Nitta thinks for a while, then her eyes fall on me. Oh, boy. I have a bad feeling about this.

   ‘Maybe my servants can help you out.’ she suggests to Suou-san.

   ‘Servants?’

   I glare at Nitta. One of those servants better not be me.

   ‘That’s right. They’re quite capable in solving love problems.’ Nitta continues. ‘If you’re free tomorrow, you could meet up with them.’

   ‘Won’t it trouble them?’

   ‘Of course not. They’ll be more than happy to help you.’

   ‘In that case, I would gladly accept their help. But where do we meet up?’

   ‘That depends. Which area do you live at?’

   ‘Shibuya.’

   ‘That make things easy then. We’ll, I mean, I’ll tell them to meet you in front of the Hachiko Statue at ten in the morning. Keep your eyes out for a boy and a girl around your age.’

   ‘Got it. Thank you very much!’

   After getting a selfie and a handshake from Nitta, Suou-san leaves the room. There were a few seconds of awkward silence right after she did.

   ‘Bandou-kun-’ Nitta begins.

   ‘No.’

   ‘But-’

   ‘She’s not even a student of Jindai. As such, I have no obligation to help her.’

   ‘Besides, you have a recording for your new songs at two in the afternoon.’ Mino-san reminds her.

   ‘Don’t you worry, Yayoi-san. The two of us will handle the consultation quickly. Just believe in us.’ Nitta assures her manager.

   ‘Whoa whoa whoa. What’s with the “us”? I didn’t agree to it, remember?’

   ‘Please don’t say that~.’

   She does the puppy dog eyes at me. I let out a sigh.

   ‘...I hate myself for being your fan.’

   ‘Yay! So that’s how it is, Yayoi-san! I’ll be sure to reach the recording studio before noon!’

   Mino-san is the next one who sighs.

   ‘Fine. As long as it’s quick.’

   ‘Thank you so much, Yayoi-san! I love you!’

   ‘Yes yes, I love you too.’

   ‘Well then, let’s meet up in front of the Shibuya station at 8.30, shall we?’ Nitta asks me.

   ‘Wait a minute. Aren’t we meeting up with Suou-san at ten?’

   ‘We are, but I want to get some breakfast first, you know?’

   ‘...Fine.’

   I didn’t bother to refuse. She’ll just use her puppy dog eyes on me again anyway.

   On the next day, I arrive thirty minutes before our agreed time at the entrance to the Shibuya Train Station. Nitta, on the other hand, arrives right on time. Naturally, she has disguised herself thoroughly. Today, she’s wearing a pair of black square-framed glasses and a gray flat hat. As for her clothes, she’s wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, a plaid brown skirt that reaches all the way to her knees, and a pair of brown boots. Her hair are tied to both sides as twin tails.

   ‘Sorry for the wait. Did you wait long?’ she asks.

   ‘Yup. I waited for thirty minutes.’

   She puffs up her cheeks.

   ‘You’re supposed to say that you didn’t wait long!’ she chides.

   I shrug. ‘You wanted to know.’

   ‘And I wasn’t late, okay? You’re the one who’s early!’

   ‘Yes, I know that. Now where are we having our meal?’

   ‘I know a place that serves some delicious-looking pancakes. I’ve always wanted to try them.’

   ‘Sure. Lead the way.’

   I was expecting the place to be an ultra trendy café with flashy decorations, but turns out it’s an elegant shop with European-style concept. The shop has just opened, so we’re the only customers inside. Nitta orders the supposedly famous pancakes and a cup of coffee. I got myself an English Breakfast and a glass of iced chocolate.

   ‘You know, this is the first time I saw someone ordering something other than coffee or tea inside a place like this.’ Nitta notes as our drinks arrive.

   ‘So sue me for not drinking coffee or tea. I can’t stand their taste, okay? Especially when it comes to coffee. I’m fine with green tea, though.’

   She got smug all of a sudden.

   ‘Oh, what’s this~? Is someone too immature to drink coffee?’ she smirks.

   ‘You know, those who think that they’re mature just because they drink coffee are the ones who’re the real immature ones. And adding four cubes of sugar into your coffee is cheating.’

   Her hand stops adding sugar cubes into her cup of coffee at once. She also averts her eyes guiltily.

   ‘...So, do you come to places like this often?’ she asks in an attempt to change the subject.

   ‘Hardly. I prefer to cook my own food, and eating out can be expensive. I try to cut it to an absolute minimum.’

   ‘To be honest, you should go out more. That’s how you get inspirations for new recipes, right?’

   ‘...I guess. What about you? Do you often eat out?’

   ‘I’d love to, but Yayoi-san always make sure that I don’t end up going to somewhere with high-calorie food. I just hope that she would loosen up her grip every once in a while.’

   ‘She’s just making sure that your health and weight aren’t affected.’

   ‘I know, I know. That’s why I never complained. Not to her, anyway. So not one word to her, okay?’

   ‘Oh, that depends.’

   ‘Hey!’

   We stop chatting as our food has arrived.

   ‘Yum~! I knew it, the pancakes here are so good~!’ she exclaims as she enjoys her pancakes.

   ‘No taking pictures this time?’ I ask.

   ‘Nah, not today. It’ll be bad if some of my fans figured out my whereabouts from the pictures.’

   ‘Must be a real pain, huh? If only we could just advise Suou-san and leave right away.’ I say pointedly.

   ‘I needed to eat too, you know?’

   ‘Yes, cause you can’t eat breakfast at your own apartment or house or cardboard boxes.’

   ‘I do not live inside cardboard boxes!’

   ‘Sure, sure.’

   She snatches away one of my bacon in retaliation.

   ‘You’re supposed to cut down on those.’ I remind her.

   ‘A piece or two won’t hurt. You want some of these?’ she asks as she forks a piece of pancake.

   I shrug. ‘Sure.’

   I open up my mouth so that she could feed me. I bite down and chew a few times.

   ‘It’s good, right?’ she asks.

   ‘I guess.’

   We sit inside the shop until it was almost time to meet up. I paid the bills for both of us.

   ‘Oh, so you do know how to act like a gentleman when the situation arises.’ she says with a smile.

   ‘Just don’t get used to it.’

   While we’re walking towards the famous dog statue, Nitta clears her throat a few times.

   ‘You got a sore throat or something?’ I ask.

   ‘Nope. I’m changing my voice.’

   Her voice has changed completely. It’s like she’s a different person. I guess that she can be a professional voice actress if she ever got bored of being an idol.

   ‘While we’re consulting Suou-san, call me Setsuya, okay?’ she continues with her fake voice.

   ‘I get that you don’t want to find out that it’s you, but what’s with the lame name?’ I note.

   ‘It’s not lame, okay? I chose it after thinking for a long time!’ “Setsuya” cries.

   ‘Whatever you say, Setsuya.’

   Suou-san is already waiting for us in front of the famous dog statue. Her eyes widen in recognition when she saw me.

   ‘Hello. I believe we’ve met last night.’ she greets me. ‘So you were one of Yuki-san’s servant?’

   Believe me, I would strangle Nitta if possible. The person in question is trying her best to not burst out and laugh.

   ‘...I guess you could say that. I’m Bandou Takuya.’

   ‘Nice to meet you, Bandou-san. I’m Suou Usami.’

   She looks at the disguised idol next.

   ‘And you are…?’

   ‘Just call me Setsuya.’ Nitta introduces herself. ‘I’m also another of Yuki-sama’s servant.’

   ‘Setsuya-san, is it? I really appreciate it that the two of you could help me out on a Sunday.’

   ‘Think nothing of it. We were just following Yuki-sama’s orders. Now then, shall we find somewhere to sit? A McD*nald, perhaps?’ Nitta suggests.

   ‘Yes. That sounds nice.’

   We found an empty seat inside the fast food restaurant. I got us all Colas.

   ‘You’re supposed to ask for our preferences before get to the buying!’ Nitta chides.

   ‘Take it or leave it.’ I tell her bluntly.

   ‘You would have preferred something else too, right Suou-san?’ she asks Suou-san.

   ‘Actually, I don’t mind drinking Cola too.’

   ‘See, you’re the only petty one here.’

   ‘I’m not being petty! What if I have Cola allergy or something?’

   ‘And I’m allergic to idiots. Please stay as far away from me as possible.’

   ‘Are you calling me an idiot?’ she screeches.

   ‘Um, is it alright if we get started?’ Suou-san interrupts us.

   ‘Of course. So what do you need advise on?’ I ask her.

   ‘Yuki-san may or may not have told you, but I have a boy that I’m in love with. The thing is, I have a hard time on telling him how I feel about him. I mustered up all my courage to ask him out to see Yuki-san’s live last night, but that’s all I could do.’

   ‘For starters, can you tell us more about that boy?’ I request.

   ‘I guess we’re sort of childhood friends.’

   ‘Sort of?’

   ‘We knew each other since kindergarten, but I had to move away at eight, and we haven’t been in contact since.’ she explains. ‘I met him again by chance this year, but I saw him being surrounded by two girls. I was worried that one of them might be his girlfriend, but it turned out that my worry was unfounded. However, he doesn’t remember me at all.’

   She chugs down the Cola I got for her like she’s drinking beer.

   ‘I wasn’t mad. I really wasn’t. I still love him, even though he doesn’t remember me. You know the rest.’

   Childhood friends again. This is getting tiresome.

   ‘Is this the first time you approached him?’ I begin by asking.

   ‘Yes.’

   ‘Then it’s a good thing you didn’t confess. The two of you haven’t seen each other in ages. Who knows what kind of person he became throughout the years.’

   I try not to look at Nitta when I said that. Her childhood friend changed for the worst and became a gangster-wannabe who’s still a coward at heart.

   ‘Yup. People change easily. Best to be prepared.’ Nitta says gloomily.

   Oh boy. I hope this won’t affect her performance later.

   ‘So, I should start by hanging out with him more?’

   ‘That’s right. No need to rush. Get to know him more before confessing your feelings towards him. Pack him a lunch. Share your hobbies with him. See how he reacts to all that.’

   ‘I see…’

   ‘I guess that could work…’

   I realized that it’s not only Suou-san. Nitta is listening carefully as well. This is weird. I swear that we’re here to consult only Suou-san.

   ‘Remember to do things in moderation. You don’t want to gross him out.’ I continue.

   ‘He did agreed to come with me to the live. That means I have hope, right?’ she asks hopefully.

   ‘Don’t count on it. He may have agreed to it just to be friendly, or he was really stressed out he needed some distraction. Either way, proceed with caution.’

   ‘I understand.’

   I gave her some more advises on how to approach the guy. She took all my advises seriously. Nitta did the same. In the end, the two of them had to leave early. Nitta needs to head to the recording studio, and Suou-san has a part-time job.

   ‘Once again, thank you so much for your time.’ she tells us while bowing right before she leaves.

   ‘Don’t sweat it. Good luck on your approach.’ I tell her.

   ‘Just be confident. You can do it!’ Nitta adds.

   ‘Yes. Thank you.’

   Suou-san suddenly looks around. She then leans in closer.

   ‘Good luck in your idol work, Yuki-san.’ she whispers to Nitta.

   Nitta flinches. So much for her disguise.

   ‘Well, I’m leaving too. Thank you for today, Bandou-kun.’ she tells me not long after Suou-san has left.

   ‘I’ll accompany you until you reach the studio.’ I tell her.

   ‘My my, someone is being chivalrous all of a sudden.’ she chuckles. ‘You don’t really have to, you know?’

   ‘I have to insist. As one of your fan, I could never forgive myself if something ever happened to you.’

   ‘Fine, if you put it that way.’

   The recording studio is all the way in Chiba. After making sure that she went in safely, I turn back and head to the train station where we came from.