“Umm, also…Tio said I could go with the flow.”
“Go with the flow?” Watching more closely, he saw that though she was moving in time with the director’s music, her actual moves were different from Tio’s. But she was clearly having a blast, and that was the most important thing for an idol. “So it’s like a game to you,” he commented. It made sense—she struggled with studying but always seemed to remember things she found fun.
It also made plenty of sense that she’d learned the dance through muscle memory. This could be useful when we need her to remember something. If Rachnera, Mero, and I make a dynamic study plan full of dance and movement… He didn’t realize it, but he’d fallen into the thought process of a teacher with a problem student.
“Papi, you’re doing so well! ☆” Tio complimented, clapping her hands to the beat.
Papi, thrilled by the praise, grinned and danced even harder. Her wings beat fast, and she shook her hips double-time. Together, they looked like a dance mom and her daughter backstage at their first recital.
“You seem ready for the conce—wait.” Kimihito stopped short as he realized that three girls were supposed to report to this job.
It wasn’t surprising, though, that the third girl hadn’t appeared. Given the structure of her body, she’d have trouble dancing at all. What’re we gonna do about that? Kimihito wondered.
His thoughts were interrupted by a melodious voice. “Beloved?”
“Yes, Mero?” Kimihito answered.
The mermaid girl rolled closer on her amphibious automatic wheelchair. “Just as we suspected, Mother believes it’s improper for a member of the royal family to become an idol.”
“Ahh,” he said. Mero wasn’t just a mermaid on exchange, she was also underwater royalty. When she’d asked her mother—the Queen—for permission to participate when the project was first announced, she’d been denied. From the cell phone in her hands, Kimihito assumed she’d made a second attempt.
“Unless…”
“Unless?”
“If I can keep my identity secret and prevent anyone from finding out that I am the princess, she will allow me to sing.”
“Really?”
“Ms. Smith explained the pilot program in detail, and Mother insisted that those are the only terms she’ll agree to. Even then, she seemed quite reluctant.”
“I-I see. Good for you for trying, Mero.” She wanted to become part of their world outside the mermaid kingdom, and working a job was an important part of that experience. Even with conditions attached, just getting the chance to participate clearly meant a lot to her.
“So, in conclusion, although I can’t join you onstage, I will still be able to support everyone as a singer.”
“All right, Mero!” Papi shouted, going into overdrive and accelerating to comic speeds. They’d all been hoping for Mero to join; it would’ve been so sad if she’d come this far and not had a chance to participate.
“In that case,” the director said, taking his monocle in hand, “Tionishia and Papi will open with their dance, and then we’ll have Mero sing. We can find a veil somewhere in the prop department to hide her face.”
“Please, sir, that would be wonderful,” Mero said with a smile. She pressed her webbed hands together in delight.
“Very well, we’ll proceed with that as our plan. Since Kimihito-sama is here to observe, we’ve prepared a seat in the wings.”
“Thanks, and sorry for the trouble,” Kimihito replied.
“Not to worry! I’ve got to check in with the crew now, so I’ll take my leave.” With a bow, the director left the green room.
“I’m so relieved—I’ve wanted to work for such a long time, but Mother would never give her approval. It’s a delight to help you on this test case, Beloved.”
“Hah,” Kimihito laughed, “it’s so Mero, being desperate to work.” Common folk like him tended to dread their jobs, but it made sense that the idle rich would get tired of sitting around.
“Do you think so? I think hard work is its own reward! Especially when it’s for someone’s entertainment, like it is today. That’s the best sort of job.” She gazed at him with innocent joy.
Kimihito couldn’t look her straight in the eye—she was too radiant. Jobs like that weren’t exactly common in the human world, but he didn’t want to spoil her fun by saying so. For the moment, she was right—they were idols, they would make the crowd happy, and everyone would have fun in the process. “I’m glad you got your wish, Mero, even if you can’t show your face.”
“Yes! Did you know that I’m a very confident singer?! Ahh~ ♪ Ahhhh~ ♪” she sang, running through an escalating scale exercise over a wide range to flaunt her skill. Just like the others, she’d been practicing for quite some time. Or maybe… Mermaids were said to entrance sailors with their voices, and as a member of their royal family, Mero might’ve inherited that kind of bewitching singing voice.
“That’s amazing,” Kimihito said. Tio, Papi, and Mero had all worked hard to practice for the performance today. He’d expected to help them on this job, but it didn’t seem like there’d be much left for him to do. Maybe I’ll get to relax and enjoy the show?
No sooner had that thought crossed his mind when he heard a tearing noise, followed by a scream from Tio. He turned to look and discovered that her costume had torn. The tear wasn’t huge, but it exposed the dark skin of her back and the hooks of her bra.
“I-I ruined it,” she said, her eyes welling with tears. Well, she had been bouncing around—especially her breasts—which had put a lot of pressure on the already tight outfit.
“It’ll be fine!” he assured her. “I have a sewing kit with me.”
“Really?” Tears averted. “Snookums, you can fix it?”
“Sure! It’s a clean tear, so it’ll be easy to stitch up.” He pulled a travel sewing kit out of his pocket. Tio had torn her clothes before when they were out together, so it felt appropriate that he was prepared to help her again.
“Th-thank you…” She crouched in front of him so he could reach her back.
Trying his best to ignore the bra strap, he threaded the needle and started to loop stitches through the torn shirt. Quick as a blink, he’d sewn it back up. Guess today I’m the wardrobe department. Maybe he wouldn’t be useful onstage, but there was plenty he could help with backstage.
“Tio!! Don’t cry!! Idols!! Gotta!! Smile!! Yeah?” Papi said, flapping her wings supportively.
“Yeah, Papi-chan…you’re right! I gotta smile!! ☆” Tio’s smile returned on cue.
“Whatever happens, the three of us shall do it together!” Mero chimed in.
Kimihito smiled too as he finished the repairs on Tio’s costume and let the trio’s conversation wash over him, their enthusiasm quelling his near-perpetual anxious stomachache. As far as he was concerned, they were real idols, almost ready for their debut performance.