Xiao Chun Miura’s words left Kiyono Arisa frozen in place.
As if she had heard news she should never have heard, a full three seconds passed before Arisa spoke, her hands trembling. “Tell me… how did you know that?”
Xiao Chun watched her reaction, confirming that her memory was correct.
The uniforms she had seen Sugar Starlight wearing during their performance at the Store Street were indeed Arisa’s work, just as the game had described.
This information was a crucial detail in Arisa’s Personal Route.
Xiao Chun remembered that when she was checking the walkthrough and skipping the idol’s route, there was a critical choice where the player must not select “That outfit looks great.”
Choosing that option would cause Arisa’s Goodwill to skyrocket.
Looking at it now, it was likely because it touched upon a part of the idol’s heart that was incredibly important to her.
One could tell just by looking at the reaction of the Arisa standing before her now.
“…”
The shock on Arisa’s face was impossible to hide.
This was a secret that not even her friends within the group knew. Arisa’s public explanation was that she had “commissioned a relative who was a designer to help with the design.”
She loved the outfits and hoped to perform as an idol in clothes that she had poured her heart and soul into.
To her friends, she used the identity of that nonexistent designer relative to guarantee the quality and standard of the design to her teammates.
Naturally, she eventually got her wish and wore the group uniforms she designed.
Of course, the Stage Outfits were indeed fashionable, pretty, and vibrant, making her sparkle on the stage.
However, this secret remained a piece of inside information unknown to outsiders.
Arisa herself had only ever recorded these moments of joy on her Hidden Account.
…And yet.
How did Xiao Chun Miura know about this?
Even the teammates she spent every day with believed the outfits were the work of some designer.
“Did she see the contents of my Hidden Account?’ Arisa thought. ‘If that’s really the case, then Xiao Chun to me — “
Xiao Chun felt a flicker of guilt as she looked at Arisa’s pale, frightened face. But she knew she had to keep going.
“I don’t just know that you designed the clothes,” Xiao Chun said, her voice low and gentle.
“I also know that when you were designing them, you balanced breathability and movement. You spent a long time thinking about how to integrate the elements you liked.”
Xiao Chun recalled the information from her mind, reciting the memories she had unearthed.
“I also know that on the cuffs, you secretly added a small decoration for each teammate to represent their personality… right?”
“—!”
Arisa’s breathing became rapid. She stared intently at Xiao Chun as if she were seeing a stranger for the first time.
“So, Arisa!!” Xiao Chun took a deep breath and looked directly into Arisa’s wavering eyes, raising her voice slightly.
“You are someone who would go to such lengths for your teammates. You love this group so much.”
“How could someone like that distance themselves from the team? Why would you voluntarily choose to withdraw or jump ship on the day of the Anniversary, a day that both the members and the fans cherish?”
Xiao Chun’s voice grew more powerful. “I refuse to believe that those so-called ‘Withdrawal Rumors’ were your true intention.”
“That is why I went to investigate.”
“I found information on accounts that seemed to belong to the people attacking you, and I wanted to tell you about it.”
Xiao Chun took the clues and deductions she had gathered and combined them with her knowledge of the Game Plot, piecing together a logically sound and emotionally resonant truth.
“Because you were being persecuted, you chose to face everyone with a prickly attitude to avoid hurting the team. You did it just to protect the bonds you personally stitched together, didn’t you?”
Xiao Chun stopped speaking.
Arisa did not respond immediately. As if she had lost her soul, the chestnut-haired idol girl stared blankly at the floor of the School Rooftop.
Xiao Chun watched her. Then, she noticed that after a long while, the icy, distant aura radiating from Arisa slowly began to melt away, piece by piece.
“…”
Arisa’s prickly, detached calmness vanished. In its place was a sense of vulnerability from being seen through.
It was a daze that grew from being suddenly understood after a long period of loneliness.
Arisa slowly raised her hand, covering half of her face.
“…”
She looked up, and the piercing indifference in her eyes was gone.
As she re-evaluated Xiao Chun Miura — this girl who seemed cowardly, timid, and utterly ordinary — something in Arisa’s perception shifted.
“…You’re right.” Arisa lowered her hand, her tone now relieved. “Those clothes… I really did make them. They were a gift for the others, and for myself.”
She looked at Xiao Chun and remained silent for a moment before finally letting out a long sigh.
“I still think you’re a very strange and troublesome person… Miura.”
Arisa looked away toward the distant sky, her voice carrying a faint trace of warmth.
“But since you even know about that… if you really want to help me, then I accept this explanation.”
Xiao Chun was stunned. She felt a massive wave of exhaustion sweep over her entire body. Then, it was followed by pure joy.
She had succeeded.
Using information she shouldn’t have known, she had finally torn a hole in the defenses of the smartest and most difficult girl, creating an opening for communication.
Xiao Chun’s clenched fists slowly relaxed; her palms were drenched in sweat. “Thank you, Arisa, for giving me this chance.”
Arisa merely hummed, smoothing back her hair which had been ruffled by the wind.
The wind on the School Rooftop seemed to become much gentler in an instant.
It no longer carried the piercing sense of judgment from before, instead softly brushing past Xiao Chun’s hair.
“Then…”
Xiao Chun took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and tentatively moved a small step forward.
Arisa remained leaning against the wire fence. In those jewel-like eyes, the thick layer of ice had finally cracked. “Well, what do you want to say?”
“Regarding that ‘Post 49’ matter, and what you’ve been going through in the group…”
Xiao Chun was eager to get to the main point. In her mind, she had already listed countless details that needed confirmation: the authenticity of the so-called “internal leak” and the nature of the messages Arisa had received.
However, just as she was about to speak the first keyword, a sharp sound abruptly tore through the silence of the rooftop.
Ring! Ring!
It was the warning bell for the first period of the afternoon — crisp, mechanical, and devoid of emotion.
At this moment of high dramatic tension, it felt entirely out of place.
Xiao Chun’s words were cut off in her throat.
She looked up blankly at the broadcast speaker mounted on the outer wall. Arisa also seemed to be startled out of her daze by the bell.
Her expression, which had softened for a moment, quickly tightened as she put back on her flawless mask.