Seishun Buta Yarou Series - Volume 13 - Chapter 2.3

3

January 9. Coming-of-Age Day. Mai Sakurajima’s name was trending.

Crews from every TV station converged on Fujisawa. All were there to cover Mai Sakurajima in a long-sleeved kimono. It was a once-in-a-lifetime photo op.

The gathering of the twenty-year-olds was held near the civic hall and was packed with media crowds—the news was even covering how much attention she was drawing.

Sakuta watched the whole thing on TV.

Mai stood before a sea of cameras, delivering a speech—representing everyone there turning twenty. When she finished, the applause was thunderous.

One task down, but her real labors lay ahead.

After the ceremony, she moved to the venue lobby, where she was surrounded by the press.

The first questions she got asked how it felt to be twenty:

“Do you feel like an adult?”

“Have you had you first drink yet?”

Standard stuff.

Mai answered each politely, with a smile.

The question on everyone’s minds showed up after each crew got their first question in, when it looped back to the initial speaker.

Fumika Nanjou, an assistant announcer on an afternoon variety show.

“Social media is buzzing with claims that you’re the online singer Touko Kirishima. Mai, what is the truth behind these rumors?”

Mai faced the forest of microphones.

“That would be neat, right? Unfortunately, I am not Touko Kirishima. Sorry to disappoint.”

She flashed a smile, speaking softly but firmly.

“You’re aware of the dreaming hashtag?” someone else asked.

“Yes, it’s quite a hot topic.”

“There are a ton of posts under that tag saying you’ll claim to be Touko Kirishima.”

“Should I have my manager show you my schedule? I’m afraid I simply don’t have time for a music career.”

That was clearly a joke, and they all laughed.

Then their eyes turned to Ryouko.

“I can’t show them without approval!” she said, looking flustered. She crossed her arms, making an X. This got another laugh.

And with that cheery vibe, the Q and A session went on, regardless of her identity.

“What do you think of Touko Kirishima?”

“Do you believe dreams can come true?”

Lots of the inquiries were tangentially connected to the rumors.

After a while, Ryouko said, “Time for one more question.”

She seemed certain they’d managed to clear the air.

Fumika Nanjou’s hand shot up again, and Ryouko pointed at her.

“Are things going well with your boyfriend?”

A new angle. Mai smiled.

“I’ll leave that to your imaginations,” she said, placing her right hand on her chest. Her ring finger gleamed—with the ring Sakuta had bought her.

That got a flurry of shutter clicks from the cameras.

So many flashes were going off, he couldn’t even make Mai out.

Mai bowed her head low to the assembled press.

“Thank you all for coming today.”

With that, Ryouko led Mai out.

The whole conference was shown on the noon news, on the afternoon variety shows, and again on the evening and late-night news, over and over, on every channel, from every angle—Mai’s kimono.

Mai Sakurajima’s official social media accounts also refuted the rumors.

Her two-front strategy produced the desired results, Sakuta thought. From that day on, the media ceased to cover the rumors about her.

But on personal social media accounts?

 Too late to deny it.

 Her agencies are putting out fires.

 She should just admit it. This is a farce.

Posts like those abounded.

Perhaps the only way to end the stories for good would be for the real one to emerge.

A week after Coming-of-Age Day, college was back to normal. There were still eyes on Sakuta sometimes, but they were standard issue “Oh, that’s Mai Sakurajima’s boyfriend” looks.

Arguably, he’d kept his promise to Touko.

Monday, January 16.

Only a few days left in the term.

The last week in January was reserved for makeup lectures, so this was the final week of classes. He only had to attend until Friday; then it was time for a long spring vacation.

When college started back up two months later, in April, Sakuta would be a sophomore.

Plenty of students were already in vacation mode, and the vibe was quite a bit like the end of the actual year. Like sports teams playing a dead rubber match. No one could really put their hearts into it.

Sakuta wasn’t any better; he headed through the morning gates at a leisurely stroll. Most final exams were done, and he’d written all his reports, so there was no need to panic.

Yawning, he moved just fast enough to get to class on time.

He sensed someone beside him.

“Morning.”

He glanced over and was surprised to find Touko Kirishima there.

She was wearing boots, a skirt, and a high-necked sweater with a coat over it. Typical college girl attire, blending in with the crowds. Had she not spoken to him, he would likely never have noticed her.

“Good morning,” he said, figuring he should start there. “What brings you to campus at this hour?”

“I’ve got classes.”

She made that sound normal.

“Even though you’re invisible?”

“I’m paying for them. Seems like a waste not to attend.”

A very solid argument.

That made him wonder.

“Wait, have you been coming to classes every day?”

“That’s a stupid question,” Touko laughed. Her mocking tone was all the answer he needed.

Sakuta hadn’t noticed because she was in a different year and major. Their classes would never overlap. And she’d been dressed like she was today. Without the miniskirt Santa duds, Touko didn’t exactly stand out from the sea of college kids around her.

“Keep January thirtieth open,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “I’ll let you have that date.”

“Looking forward to it.”

“You two-timing swine.”

Jeering at his answer, she vanished off toward the research building. Her retreating back blended right in with the crowd. Were it not for the fact that no one else could see her, she’d be a perfectly normal college girl.

Later that day, after his fourth-period class wrapped up, Sakuta went to the platform at Kanazawa-hakkei Station, where he found a blond college girl sitting on a bench. She was waiting for a train, listening to music on her wireless earphones.

He approached and sat down next to her.

“’Sup, Toyohama.”

“I’m clearly listening to something,” Nodoka grumbled, but she took the earphones out and pressed stop on her phone’s music player. “So? What is it?”

“What would you think if the most famous idol in the country started attending our college tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t know till it happened.”

A very Nodoka answer.

“Fair enough.”

“Wouldn’t exactly be thrilled, though.”

Nodoka put her earphones back in their case. On closer examination, they were the same kind Uzuki had done a commercial for.

“Even if it doesn’t bug me, everyone else’ll lump us together—we’re both idols—and start comparing and contrasting.”

“Sneering at you on the inside, giving you looks of pity?”

“You trying to start shit?”

“Don’t worry, you’ve got your upsides.”

“Take this hypothetical and shove it.”

Nodoka had reached her boiling point already, but she didn’t stay there long. A moment later, she’d cooled down enough to sigh dramatically.

“This about my sister, then?” she asked, refocusing. She crossed her legs and propped an elbow on them and her cheek on her palm.

“You’re way ahead of me, Toyohama.”

“Literally everything you do is about her, Sakuta.”

Her long lashes fluttered as she stared at the far side of the station.

“Well, yeah,” he said.

“So, what? You wanna make her out to be the baddie?”

Nodoka glared up at him.

“Do you think I’d do that?”

“It sure sounded like it.”

She sounded cross, and her narrowed eyes confirmed it.

“Mai’s, you know…special? That’s not the most intelligent-sounding phrasing, but everyone knows her; everyone loves her; just having her around changes things.”

“……”

Nodoka looked rather taken aback. She blinked at him.

“What’s with that look?”

“I just assumed you didn’t realize how special she is. You always act so normal around her, I figured you were oblivious.”

“She’s special to me, too.”

“Spare me.”

Cut down. Nodoka turned to face the tracks again. There were students on the far side, waiting for a train to take them the other direction.

“But I get what you’re trying to say, Sakuta.”

“You do?”

“When we first started here, I ran across plenty of girls of that ilk.”

“What ilk?”

“They were the hottest girl in high school. But in college, my sister was here, and they lost sight of their identity, their status, their self-worth, everything.”

He hadn’t specified any of that, but Nodoka really did know what he was talking about. With pinpoint accuracy.

“Why do you look surprised?”

“Well, it’s surprising.”

“I’m an idol? We’re all about status and identity.”

Nodoka kicked him. Not too hard.

“Idols shouldn’t kick fans.”

“You never even come to our shows.”

“I’ll be there once you land the Budokan.”

“I’m not putting you on the list. Buy your own ticket.”

“Cool, I’ll ask Zukki instead.”

He’d tossed that out, but it got a note of genuine irritation from Nodoka. She made a point of getting to her feet just so she could kick him harder.

“Ow!”

The blow to his calf made an audible thwack.

“Where’d you learn to kick like that?”

“I’m taking kickboxing to improve my stamina.”

Nodoka struck a fighting pose, showing off. It looked very good. Alarming. Perhaps he should consider teasing her less often. He didn’t wanna be her sandbag.

“The girls you deemed ‘that ilk’—what are they up to now?” he asked, rubbing his injury.

“It’s been a year. They’ve settled down.”

She flopped back onto the bench, sounding uninterested.

“Fair enough.”

“Either they got over it, gave up, or found some other way to measure their worth.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You’re the club president of Mai’s casualties.”

“Don’t go founding weird clubs on me.”

Nodoka punched his shoulder. They should probably make her quit kickboxing before she got herself arrested.

“But having Mai in your life has definitely changed you, Toyohama.”

In the fall of their second year of high school, her half sister—Mai—had triggered Nodoka’s Adolescence Syndrome. She’d been closer to Mai than anyone and was influenced accordingly.

“I…,” she began, and then her lips stilled.

When they moved again, she was talking to herself.

“She’s just so far away,” she whispered, eyes on the tracks. “No matter how hard I work, I’ll never catch up. I still don’t get how the world looks through her eyes. Her TV shows and movies are expected to be hits, and if they flop, she takes the blame for it, but—have you ever heard her complain? I can’t even imagine how that must feel.”

That did feel like distance.

“So, Sakuta…,” Nodoka said, turning to him.

She looked him right in the eyes, very intensely.

“Mm?”

“You’d better take my sister’s side.”

Nothing she’d said really answered his question.

But this last line was what mattered to him most.

The train pulled in. An express bound for Haneda Airport. They’d both be taking that to Yokohama Station.

“I will,” he said, standing up.

And once on his feet, he repeated those words inside his head.