Chapter 74: If Miracles Have a Color, It Must Be Orange
Mashiro looked at her. "What is a school idol?"
"Ah, a school idol is… um… a school idol is…" The clueless cult leader got stuck. "It's, like, singing and dancing with classmates at school?"
"Why are you phrasing it as a question?" Sonoda Umi deadpanned.
"Hehehe, that's so like Honoka," Minami Kotori giggled softly, covering her mouth.
Shunsuke chimed in, "Alright, Honoka, forming a school idol group is probably your way of saving your school from being shut down, right? Shouldn't you be recruiting teammates from your own school?"
"Eh? Shunsuke, how did you know our goal?"
Kousaka Honoka was stunned, while Sonoda Umi shot a wary glance at Shunsuke.
—This "Fan Number One" isn't targeting Honoka or Kotori, is he? Is that why he's hanging around?
—Come to think of it, we haven't even held a single live performance. Having a fan already is definitely suspicious.
"It's just simple reasoning," Shunsuke shrugged, pushing up non-existent glasses to make his point sound more convincing. "I've heard of Otonokizaka Academy before. It's an old, established school, but it's struggling now. Word is, it'll shut down once the current students graduate. Starting a school idol group at this timing… with your personality, Honoka, you probably don't want to see the school disappear."
"Ohhhh, Shunsuke, you're amazing!"
Kousaka Honoka clapped enthusiastically, while Sonoda Umi and Minami Kotori stared at him in astonishment.
"But the path of a school idol isn't easy. Honoka, have you made any concrete preparations yet?"
"Uh, um…" Honoka's eyes darted around. "We've come up with a group name."
"Okay, and what else?"
"Kotori has designed our outfits."
"Okay, and?"
"…"
Honoka fell silent.
Shunsuke finally noticed something was off. Picking up the flyer, he saw that the live performance was scheduled for the end of the month.
But it was only the beginning of the month now!
Just to be sure, he asked, "Have you prepared anything like lyrics, composition, or choreography?"
"The, the song… I'm still working on that!" Honoka suddenly raised her head. "I'm trying to convince a first-year junior. She's an amazing singer, plays piano beautifully, and will definitely be great at composing!"
"And as for lyrics, Umi wrote poetry in middle school, so we can leave it to her!"
"What? Don't go around saying things like that!" Sonoda Umi's eyes widened in panic.
"So… you've started handing out flyers without preparing anything at all?"
Silence.
Even though he had already read the original story, Shunsuke couldn't help but feel anxious about Honoka's overly optimistic behavior.
Recalling the disastrous first live performance the three of them would eventually face, Shunsuke felt a pang of concern.
He decided to subtly prepare them for reality.
"I have a lot of faith in your future, but with less than a month until your scheduled live, you need to know that being a school idol isn't so simple. For your first performance, it's best not to have overly high expectations, or else…"
Shunsuke tried to phrase it gently but clearly enough for Honoka to understand.
Predictably, she pouted like a little blowfish.
"Shunsuke, are you saying we'll fail? And yet you claim to have faith in our future? Some fan you are. Hmph!"
Amused by Honoka's childish tantrum, Shunsuke chuckled to himself. Despite being the same age as him, she sometimes acted as immature as Sagiri.
Thinking of Sagiri, he unconsciously reached out and pressed his hand on Honoka's head, affectionately ruffling her hair. "Idiot. I'm not talking about this live. I mean the future. With your determination and passion, Honoka, I believe you'll make it to the Love Live competition and create something extraordinary."
"No, maybe it wouldn't be a miracle. It would be the reward for your hard work. So hold on to your convictions. As long as you keep moving forward, the road will always extend ahead."
"Remember this, Honoka. The color of miracles... is orange."
Unlike the play-like charm of Kanon from Liella!, the original μ's reached the top through sheer perseverance and effort.
Honoka's determination was something her successors couldn't quite match.
Combined with the real-world miracle of their three-dimensional counterpart's success, the project carried an undeniably inspirational tone.
Honoka froze at Shunsuke's unexpected display of closeness. So did Sonoda Umi and Minami Kotori.
Realizing the awkwardness, Shunsuke quickly tried to pull his hand away, but Honoka, her head lowered, grabbed it firmly.
"Honoka?"
"It's like… Dad… or a big brother," Honoka murmured softly.
Good grief. Was this the classic "I've always seen you as an older brother" card?
"Honoka, that's rude!"
Before Shunsuke could respond, Umi yanked Honoka away, her expression clearly displeased.
—Honoka and Umi?
For a brief moment, Shunsuke's mind wandered into dangerous territory before he shook off the thought immediately.
No matter what pairing—be it Honoka and Umi, or Kotori and Honoka—it was all heresy to him!
The little scene created an awkward pause.
After Umi apologized on behalf of Honoka and dragged her away to distribute flyers, Kotori gave Shunsuke and Mashiro a polite smile before following them.
"Minami-san."
"Hm?" Kotori turned back, puzzled.
"If you can't finish making the outfits in time, you can ask me for help. I've got a friend who's a cosplayer, and I'll be helping her with some costumes soon."
Shunsuke left this suggestion as a hook for their next encounter, then waved goodbye.
"A cosplayer…"
Kotori, who was equally passionate about cosplay, murmured to herself thoughtfully.
...
"Hanabi, what are you doing at the door?"
After finishing his shopping and parting ways with Mashiro, Shunsuke returned home to find Hanabi pacing outside his door.
Her presence puzzled him.
"!"
Hanabi visibly jumped, startled, but quickly reverted to her usual poker face. "Shun... Shunsuke, I was just looking for you. Mom said she hasn't seen you in a while and wanted to know if you'd come over for dinner tonight."
Compared to Kato Megumi's legendary poker face, Hanabi's attempt was far less convincing.
Shunsuke could immediately tell she wasn't being truthful, but he didn't feel like pressing the matter.
Casually, he said, "You could've just called instead of coming all the way here. Seems like a hassle."
"I came because I wanted to. What's the big deal? It's on my way!"
"Sure, sure." Ignoring her clumsy excuse, Shunsuke unlocked the door. "Want to come in and take a break?"
"Excuse me," Hanabi said as she stepped inside.
"I'm having dinner with Takagi and the others tonight, so I can't make it. But I can come by tomorrow," Shunsuke said while facing away from her, busy boiling water in the kitchen.
"Takagi? You mean Takagi Akito?"
"Yeah, along with Mashiro Saiko and Miyoshi Kaya. They're bringing two friends too."
"Oh, I see," Hanabi replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "In that case, I'll come along tonight. It's been a while since I've seen Kaya. Besides, I'm curious about how she and Takagi are doing."
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