By the time the bus pulled up to the stop, the sky had already sunk completely into that kind of dusky yellow.
Koharu Miura followed the crowd off the bus — and the moment her toes stepped onto the not-so-clean sidewalk bricks, a noisy, chaotic atmosphere that belonged to the adult world and was nothing like the Academy’s washed over her.
Koharu Miura tightened the strap of her Student Bag, her slender body tensing on instinct.
Because she was wearing a School Uniform and stood out from everyone around her, a subtle sense of shame rose up— just like the last time on Store Street, except this time it cut even deeper, because she was walking around in women’s clothes in front of strangers.
“Sakuragicho Three-chome… it should be this way, right?”
Keeping her head down, she checked the location on her Mobile Phone and slipped into a narrow alley… the signs on both sides began to crowd closer together.
Because it still wasn’t quite the time for real nightlife, most of the neon lights weren’t on yet.
Only a few reflected off puddles left behind by the rain—patchy splashes of light that flickered across Koharu Miura’s face as she passed.
“…”
Her steps were quick, her expression tight with nerves.
Her mind kept running simulations of what might happen next.
—If she really met Arisa Kiyono, how was she supposed to start?
‘I just happened to be passing by’ was impossible.
A third-rate excuse like that wouldn’t fool even Yui Hori, let alone an idol in the middle of a sensitive phase.
Koharu Miura let out a quiet sigh.
Deep down, she knew it. The odds of pulling off an ‘accidental run-in’ were absurdly low.
Maybe the livehouse entrance would be locked tight right now. Maybe Arisa Kiyono hadn’t even come to rehearsal today.
But even so, she’d still come.
Even if it was only to see the “Starry Sound” sign once, to confirm the place where that girl existed in this World, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to look.
However, the closer she got to her destination, the more her pace began to slow.
An indescribable wrongness crept up from her ankles and climbed along her spine.
“…What is this?”
She slowed down and pretended to stop at a Vending Machine by the road, using the glass reflection to scan her surroundings.
This alley in Sakuragicho Three-chome wasn’t wide, and it still wasn’t peak foot traffic.
But in this seemingly ordinary street scene, there were shadows drifting around that were clearly not normal.
There were plenty of people who looked suspicious.
And the closer it got to “Starry Sound,” the more of them there were.
By the door of a used Bookstore, a half-open side entrance to a little restaurant, even inside several vans parked across the street…
They were scattered, yet they formed a silent encirclement.
Koharu Miura’s heart sank hard.
She hadn’t experienced the madness of the idol scene firsthand, but as a former Workplace Slave in her previous life, she knew exactly what those eyes meant.
They weren’t ordinary fans. They were stalker fans who would worm their way into anything for clicks, for selfish desire, for so-called “exclusive photos”—or gossip reporters prowling the gray zone.
She’d planned to get closer, even if it was just trying her luck at the back door. But now, a fierce survival instinct was blaring alarms in her head.
She couldn’t go any farther.
Right now, she was a High School girl in a Starlight Academy School Uniform.
In this cramped space full of predators, that identity was far too conspicuous.
If she approached that door on impulse, even if she meant to help, she would absolutely draw their attention.
And if she got photographed—if those lunatics decided she was ‘a classmate close to Arisa Kiyono’ and started harassing her…
In an instant, Koharu Miura’s mind conjured the stern look on Sou Kanzaki’s face at lunchtime on the School Rooftop.
‘Stay far away. Don’t go near.’
He was right.
This level of threat wasn’t something a powerless, background girl could smooth over with a little cleverness.
“…Damn it.”
Koharu Miura gritted her teeth and took one last look at the blue-purple sign that looked bleak in the shadows.
She drew a deep breath of air that carried a rusty tang, forced down the urge to get involved burning in her chest, and turned back toward the bus stop.
Safety first. If something happened to her here, then it really would all be over.
Head lowered, she hurried through the alley thick with oppressive air. Only after she turned the corner did those sticky stares finally vanish behind her.
Her heart was still racing. From the tension, a fine layer of sweat had already beaded in her palms.
She just wanted to leave this place that made her skin crawl, and hurry back to the Real World filled with the smell of curry and the gentle voices of her Parents.
When she passed a small Convenience Store near the mouth of the alley, the exit was a little crowded, and she had to stop to let several young men coming out pass by.
They looked like locals from a nearby vocational school, or guys just off work— dressed a bit rough, carrying cheap beer and Convenience Store Rice Balls, laughing loudly.
Koharu Miura kept her head down, trying to shrink her presence as much as possible, and slid to the side to slip past them.
“Hey, you hear about it? That local idol group in that ‘Starry Sound’ place.”
One of them, a guy with dyed blond hair, suddenly spoke up, his voice buzzing with cheap excitement. “Think they’re called ‘Sugar’ or something.”
Koharu Miura’s body went rigid.
Those few words were like a Defensive Spell, pinning her feet to the ground.
“Huh? You mean that group that’s always wearing masks and acting all mysterious?”
Another guy took a swig of beer and snickered.
“What, they finally going under? Groups that milk the otaku crowd are doomed sooner or later.”
“Not going under, but I heard from a buddy who works there that it’s been a mess lately.”
The blond-haired guy lowered his voice, but his hunger for gossip made every word carry clearly into Koharu Miura’s ears.
“Sounds like their absolute center, the one called ALISA, is about to have something big go down.”
Koharu Miura’s eye twitched. Head still lowered, palms slick with sweat, she felt like someone had hit her with slow motion.
“Something big? A casting couch scandal got out?”
“Bullshit! It’s infighting. Infighting!”
The blond-haired guy snorted twice.
“Apparently ALISA has a horrible personality. She leans on her popularity and doesn’t give the other members the time of day. For the anniversary rehearsals, she’s skipped a bunch of times already. Because of that, the others have been going at it with her backstage—nearly tore each other’s outfits apart.”
“For real? Aren’t they always selling that ‘we’re like sisters’ image?”
“It’s all an act for the otaku crowd! My buddy says that group’s basically about to split. The other three members are supposedly teaming up to kick her out, or force her to quit.”
“And also—” The blond-haired guy flashed a leering grin, his tone turning even more conspiratorial.
“I heard tomorrow’s anniversary might end up being ALISA’s ‘graduation performance.’ But even if they call it graduation, it’s really just her getting completely frozen out. They’re planning to humiliate her on stage and make her get the hell out.”