Chapter 14 – It seems that JK Idol-san wants to be watched (part 3)
That night, a phone call came in.
I thought there wouldn't be any calls since the live stream was over.
Sakurazaki Nako's name was displayed on the caller ID of my phone.
I immediately picked up my phone.
"Himahara-kun!"
".... Sakurazaki, thank you for your hard work."
"Yeah! It was a huge success!"
I couldn't say anything other than "Well, that's great."
"You watched it, right?"
"Yeah, I watched it until the last song."
"So, what did you think? Tell me your opinion, Himahara-kun."
... An opinion, huh.
"I thought you were amazing, as expected, Sakurazaki. As an idol, you merged with the fans and created a successful live performance... That's not something that can be done easily."
"........"
"Hey, Sakurazaki. I've been thinking, and I started to wonder if I might be having a negative influence on you. Maybe your talent as an idol is starting to rust because of me, a useless person."
"You said before that you're not interested in me as an idol, right?"
Without hesitation, Sakurazaki said that firmly.
"Ah, yeah."
"So, I'm not asking Himahara-kun to see me as an idol."
"....Eh?"
"I don't care about the idol side of me. Because the reason I invited you is because I wanted to be with you as usual."
".... But..."
"I want Himahara-kun, who knows the real me, to see me working hard not as an idol, but as the usual Sakurazaki Nako, and simply give me praise... And what I wanted to convey to you is not my dancing or singing skills. It's the 'feeling.' My feeling of gratitude towards you who always supports me by my side."
"Sakurazaki..."
"The fans came to see the idol Sakurazaki Nako, but Himahara-kun is different, right?"
Yeah, I lost sight of my purpose.
What I want to see is not Sakurazaki Nako as an idol.
What I want to see is the bright stage of Sakurazaki Nako who always tosses me around by my side.
"So, give me praise. Please spoil me for today, Himahara-kun!"
".... I've always spoiled you, haven't I?"
"What⁈ You always make fun of me!"
Maybe I've been overthinking.
"Sakurazaki, you shine brighter than anyone else. And, you're... cute."
"Tsu..."
"Sakurazaki?"
"Hi... Himawaragun."
"Hey, hey, don't cry again."
"But, you suddenly became gentle!"
"What⁈ I'm not being gentle! I'm just giving an honest opinion... hah."
Well, I'll let it go for today.
"Hey, can I continue to see Sakurazaki Nako as 'the usual you' from now on?"
"Yeah, please continue to see. 'The usual me' will continue to meet your expectations."
+×+×+×+
(Preview for the next chapter)
"Hey, by the way, if we go to the zoo, what do you want to see, Himahara-kun?"
"I don't care, so I'll follow Sakurazaki's wishes."
"Oh, really? Then let's see the pandas!"
"You're still like a child, huh?"
Next chapter: "It seems that JK Idol-san is interested in zoo."