Normally, Ishi wasn't one to bother with the business with others. Especially not in the affairs of those he didn't like. However, there was just something about the way he ran into Chinae that couldn't escape his mind. He swore, Rinse's meddling was starting to rub off onto him.
Either way, he was too curious about that girl's existence. There were a lot of things he apparently learned about her, but something about it was off to him. He can tell when people are being dishonest, since it's easy to tell when people are telling the truth. They are much more natural, since they don't have to think before they speak. Yet that idol had hesitation in her voice. Was it more than just being afraid of his presence?
This was annoying. Since there wasn't anything else to do during this break, he had spent a fair week with it on his mind. It was like a fly that wouldn't get out of his face as he thought about the logic behind things.
Chiana was a minor idol who was the older sister to Chinae by a year. Then how come no one like her seemed to pop up at their school? He had been here for three years now, which meant he was also a student for that girl's second and third years. Someone who became an idol must've been a rather popular girl on her own. Not to mention that no one noticed that loner girl having any relatives. How could someone be that good at keeping a secret like that for so long?
Then there was what he saw under her skirt. Or more accurately, the fact that she was wearing one in the first place. Chinae was not the type to be wearing girly clothing outside of school. Even during their classes, she wore tights to cover up her legs. So how come when he saw her outside of the studio, was she wearing one at that time? Not to mention her underwear, which weren't what girls wore during their casual time.
She was even in a hurry to leave. Why? Her sister worked there, so he would've assumed that she was there for her family. Yet she left without the girl. It couldn't have been that she didn't care, because she wouldn't have been there in the first place if that was the case.
Unless… They weren't sisters. Not because they lied about their relationship, but because Chiana didn't exist. At least, not as who she said she was. What if Chiana was actually Chinae all along? It's not even an original name. The two were too similar that it seemed a bit lazy to do something like that if one were to try and hide their identity. More so, seeing as she kept the same family name of Katagawa.
Quickly, Ishi opened up his phone and called up Chinae. It was a foolish idea, but he had to confirm things this time around.
"Hello?" A voice answered, obviously being Chinae. "I can see that you called me, so what am I in trouble for this time?" Caller ID was indeed a powerful tool, so he had no element of surprise on her.
"I wouldn't say you're in trouble." He responded. "I just wanted to ask you some questions."
"Oh sure, that's what they all say." She replied, thinking back to all those conversations with teachers she had in the past. Every time she usually got stuck with a punishment afterwards. "Go ahead and ask. It better not be anything stupid."
"You see. I couldn't stop thinking about your panties."
"…" There was a long pause coming from her after he made his first statement. She really couldn't believe that what he opened up with. However, he did so on purpose to get her to let her guard down. "You really are a pervert, aren't you?" She said. "I'm going to hang up now."
"Really?" He said so in a knowing tone that kept her on the line. "Because I think you'll be interested in what I have to say next."
"It better not be something else stupid." She stayed on the line. "Or is this your lame attempt at a prank call?"
"You're Chiana, aren't you?" He made no attempt in beating around the bush. It was time to hit her with his evidence, which was circumstantial at best. Her appearance at the studio, the fact that no one had realized that she had a sister this whole time, and of course, her show panties. "In your rush to leave, I'm guessing you didn't have time to completely change your outfit. So that's why you still had those on, plus the fact that you're wearing something that you normally wouldn't wear."
"You're crazy." She responded. Her tone clearly revealed how flustered she was with words being stumbled over. "I can… She can talk to you and we'll clear this whole thing up."
"If I'm suggesting you're her, then obviously you could just change your voice." He wasn't going to be fooled by her trickery. Not to mention that the two didn't sound that different. The tone made it seem like they were separate individuals, but the bright, cheery tone was most likely what people would think a happy Chinae sounded like. "Unless you can take a picture with her right now and send it to me. I won't believe you."
"Fine, you got me." She relented a lot easier than he was expecting. Perhaps the girl didn't want to continue making a fool out of herself now that he had the suspicion. There were some appearances to be kept here. "Let me guess, you'll be exposing me to the whole school once the break ends. Or maybe you're going to blackmail me and force me to do all sorts of disgusting acts for your sexual pleasure."
"I'm surprised that you think I'd do something like that." He never presented himself to be an… Inappropriate person.
"Let's be real here." She sounded very angry talking to him now. Much more than her usual harsh tone. Instead of feeling like she looked down on him, Chinae sounded like she straight up hated him now. "You're the worst person at keeping secrets. I heard about what you did with that Ryugi girl, and what about with Fuma and Izuru?"
"Look, I only reveal the truth when it benefits me." That did little to calm her down about the present situation. "I understand why you want to keep it a secret. Don't know why someone like you is an idol, and frankly I don't care either."
"So why tell me this? If you figured it out, why bother telling me this if you're not going to do anything with it?"
"It's not easy to keep something like that private." He explained himself. At some point, he expected her to slip up. So it was helpful if she at least had someone she could trust in times of need. Ishi could only imagine the potential problems that could occur if the students learned of her profession. Especially if it was learned that he also had her contact.
One was bad enough, but if people found out that he was affiliated with two idols? Then people would really hate him. Not that being hated was an issue for him, just that this would likely boil over to being bullied. That would be rather bothersome to him. "It benefits me if I'm the only one that knows, and that it stays that way."
"Well, you're the only one at school who knows." Since she mentioned school, it must've meant there were others aware of her situation. Presumably people who worked at the studio along with her. Though if she also mentioned school, then Rinse was likely unaware of the circumstance as well. Which was evidenced by how she acted when she met Chinae for the first time.
"Then let's hope that this is the last time we'll have to talk about this." Ishi finished up their conversation. He would've preferred that they never needed to ever talk with the other again once classes started again. This was a girl that the boy would like to never have to associate with. So unlike with his usual bits of information, he decided to be nice and let her know instead of surprising everyone with his knowledge. Rinse was also affected by this news, so he did care about this a little more than he normally would.
"Ishi!" He heard his mom calling from downstairs as he hung up the phone. "Since your Summer break is ending soon. We all agreed we'd eat out at your favorite restaurant before we run out of time to spend with each other. He rolled his eyes in response. These sentimental events seemed like a waste of time for him, but he respected their wishes.
"All right, I'll get ready and we can head out for dinner." He answered.