Chapter 10

Shiori Kasumi smirked back at Karin. “Listen, I know you. You’re just going to keep putting it off and never actually tell her, aren’t you? Yeah, that’s what I thought. If you really want to be close with this nice lady, just be honest already.” Karin fell into a sulky silence at this older sister–like lecture. “So. Let me start over.” Shiori Kasumi flashed a full-blast idol smile at Suzune, throwing her off guard, before she proceeded to drop a bombshell. “Missy…you came to our meet-and-greet, didn’t you?” Suzune almost screamed out loud at full voice-actor volume. So she’d been found out?! For how long?! From the very beginning?! “Let me tell you, Karin just about lost her mind. She was like, ‘My oshi! My oshi is here!’ And you were in her line, no less.” Shiori grinned broadly as Karin silently glared daggers at her. Oddly enough, her expression almost seemed more embarrassed than angry. Suzune was so lost, she couldn’t even process the rest of the explanation. The words just washed right over her. But in the midst of all that, she did catch one key phrase: the title of a certain anime. It was the first show Suzune had ever been a main cast member in, and it was a major turning point in her career as a voice actor. The anime was an original story about the everyday lives of a group of middle school girls. While the events it depicted might seem trivial to adults, they were of the utmost importance to a middle schooler. They took their time solving each problem, and some even unfolded without being resolved at all. It didn’t offer any big answers. It was just a story that gently encouraged you to take a small step forward. And though it never received a sequel, the first event she ever spoke at was great fun. Suzune also heard that the show was recently re-released as a Blu-ray box set, and that it was well-received. “Wouldn’t you know it, our Karin saw that anime and decided she wanted to be a voice actor. Apparently, she was going through a lot at the time, and your performance saved her life, or something like that?” It had never occurred to Suzune that her acting might someday help anyone—let alone her oshi. She never would have even dreamed of it. She was about to say that surely this was thanks to the story itself, not her performance. Then she swallowed those words. Because she’d had an experience like that, too. What moves your heart is the power of the story or the direction—but actors can bring that to the next level. Suzune had once watched a foreign film that had been dubbed over by a different actor. The theatrical version had used big names purely for publicity, and it could hardly have been described as a masterpiece by any means. When they released it on home video with a new dub by professional voice actors, the performance was so perfect that a viewer could have easily thought the foreign actors were actually speaking Japanese. If Suzune’s performance had boosted the emotional impact of that anime, and in turn helped comfort Karin’s heart, then she shouldn’t deny that as an actress. “But…you never…” Why didn’t you tell me? Suzune’s question must have been written all over her face. Karin sighed, then raised her head to look straight at Suzune resolutely. While her cheeks were still blazing red and her eyes were a little teary, her determination came through so strongly that Suzune was taken aback. “Well…” Karin took a deep breath. “When we met at the office, you acted as if you’d never laid eyes on me before, remember? It was like you were saying, ‘I have no idea who you are, thank you very much.’ Honestly, I was in shock. I thought you’d already forgotten about me already, even though it hadn’t even been that long since I graduated. Or maybe you just came to our meet-and-greet on a whim in the first place…” Ridiculous. If only she knew how many CDs Suzune bought to make sure she’d get a handshake ticket! “But you came to the signing for my photobook, too, and I saw you at our concerts plenty of times, and our eyes even met, and you always waved back so excitedly when I waved at you… It seemed like you really liked me, and then just dropped me like a rock as soon as I stopped being an idol? I was so depressed! After I joined Earpo just so I could act with you, too…” Did you really?! “I felt like an idiot for expecting you to jump for joy when you saw me at the office.” But of course she couldn’t just do that at work in front of everyone. Suzune was a professional actress, after all. She’d put on a perfectly calm face on the outside, but what Karin didn’t know was that she’d been dancing and fist-pumping like crazy on the inside. “But really, it should’ve been obvious. You liked Karin Shotsuki the idol, after all. Now that I’ve graduated, I’m just some random newbie voice actress to you.” It was true, at least, that Suzune wasn’t a fan who wanted to marry her idol. But she still loved Karin Shotsuki very much, even now. She still wanted to support her, just like always. And yet…now that Karin wasn’t an idol anymore, how could Suzune still be a fan in exactly the same way? “So I thought I’d try to befriend you, and then eventually I’d say, ‘Hey, didn’t you come to my meet-and-greet?’ to try and jog your memory…” Karin glowered at Shiori. “But now you went and ruined it!” “Oh, there’s no way she forgot you. Right? Wait, or did you seriously forget her?” “OF COURSE NOT!” Suzune refuted this about ten times louder than she’d intended. Karin’s eyes went round with surprise. “I could never forget you… I only hid that I was a fangirl so that I wouldn’t get weird questions about it. Karin-sama was an oasis to me.” “Whoa. Yeah, she’s a diehard fan, all right.” Shiori Kasumi blinked at her. You’re darn right I am. So what? “If that became public knowledge, then it would just turn into fodder for talk shows and social media. I didn’t want that.” The jig was up. If Karin already knew that Suzune had gone to her fan meeting, then there was no point hiding it any longer. “Part of why I kept it from you, Karin, is just because it started out that way, but I was also worried that dragging up your past as an idol would bother you when you had just graduated and started down a new path.” And there was one more reason, too. It had only occurred to her after they became this close: If Suzune admitted she was Karin’s fan, then they might go back to being just an idol and a fan and nothing more. But Suzune didn’t want bring this up, because even she wasn’t sure why the idea of that bothered her so much. “Wow… So you knew all along, huh…” The tension left Suzune’s body all at once. “Then I shouldn’t have bothered working so hard to clean up last night!” “Last night, hmm? Whatever do you mean?” Shiori leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with interest. “Karin-sama drank too much wine last night and spent the night at my place. Since it was so sudden, I had to rush around putting all my merch away, that’s all.” “Huh? Is that what happened?” For some reason, Karin looked pleased. “When I woke up and looked around the room, I was so sad that I didn’t see any DIAGONAL merch. Then I found that photobook, so I decided to mess with you a teensy bit.” That explained why she seemed to be enjoying herself a little at the time. “Oh, I have merch, all right. Normally, my room is covered in DIAGONAL and Karin-sama merchandise. I even have three copies of that photobook—one for enjoyment, one for safekeeping, and one special signed copy.” At this point, she didn’t even care anymore. Suzune wasn’t ashamed of her fandom—she just didn’t want it to be turned into a novelty to joke about. Being ashamed of your fan activities was like being ashamed of your oshi, after all. “Aww, thank you so much, missy.” Shiori Kasumi bowed her head politely. “If at all possible, I’d love for you to support the new DIAGONAL going forward, too…or is that too much to ask since you just stanned the one member?” It was true that Suzune hadn’t actively sought out more information about DIAGONAL since Karin graduated. She couldn’t deny that the group had lost its luster without the star power of its undisputed leader, and they hadn’t put out any new songs, either. “We’re going to be getting a new member soon and putting out a new song, so please do check it out if you’re interested. There’ll be a music video going up online, too.” “Really?” It was Karin who reacted first, looking sincerely excited. “I know it might be weird for me of all people to say this, but…congratulations.” “Thanks.” Shiori smiled brightly, then her face softened into a gentle yet serious expression. “Listen, I’m sure you’ve been worried about us. But we’re fine, don’t worry. Besides, how big does your ego have to be for you think that our group wouldn’t be able to survive without you? We’re going onwards and upwards, believe me. So just focus on yourself.” “…Okay.” Karin nodded like a sheepish child. “I mean, I think there are still some fans who haven’t accepted your graduation, but I bet they’ll change their tune when they see our brand-new performance. In fact, I’ll make sure of it!” “Oh, I don’t doubt that for a second.” The pair exchanged earnest smiles, the kind that only two people who trusted each other completely can share. “All right, I guess I should get out of your hair now. Wouldn’t want to ruin your date.” “I told you, it’s not a date!” “Yeah, yeah. See you later, okay?” Shiori Kasumi bent down a little and kissed Karin on the cheek. BA-DUMP. Suzune’s heart lurched. Karin didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. Suzune knew this, of course. Shiori had foreign sensibilities; a kiss was just a little greeting. She’d seen it in their so-called candid dressing room photos plenty of times. “By the way, what happened to your eye?” Karin pointed at her own eye on the side where Shiori was wearing an eyepatch. “Oh, this? Just a fashion statement. The medical eyepatches weren’t cute enough.” “Wow, okay then…” “Let’s all get together sometime soon!” With that, Shiori Kasumi left the room. “Honestly…” Despite Karin’s grumbling, her eyes were full of warmth and love for her former friend—no, clearly they were still just as friendly as before. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag.” Karin smiled shyly, her words referring both to Suzune’s secret and her own. “Oh, but please don’t call me ‘Karin-sama,’ okay? It’s a little embarrassing, even for me.” “Okay.” It certainly would raise questions if anyone else heard it. And yet…Suzune felt shaken up. The image of that kiss had lodged itself deep in her chest. Not long ago, she would have squeed with delight to see a scene like that in a photo, let alone right before her eyes. But for some reason, it left a cloud hanging over her mood now. The pancake that had been so tall and fluffy on her plate was now sagging, completely deflated.