Unfortunately, in the end, Anon received a firm, though politely phrased, refusal from the manager.
Although she was willing to believe that Miss Kikukawa's friend would sincerely keep their secret, the entertainment industry was often cruel—so-called scandals typically originated from people assumed to be trusted friends.
Even though Chihaya Anon was merely a first-year high school student who likely had no malicious intentions, what if someone else with bad intentions learned about Kyo's joining sumimi through her?
On the other hand, the manager was also a bit hesitant, worried that asking Anon to leave would embarrass Kikukawa Kyo, daughter of such a prominent celebrity. Fortunately, Kyo was as understanding and accommodating as her mother, Ms. Shu.
This gave the manager some fresh ideas. If this young Miss Kikukawa truly didn't mind, perhaps she could deepen her connection to sumimi—maybe even arrange some promotional activities with Uika or Mana…
Naturally, all of this would depend entirely on not upsetting this precious young lady. But that didn't stop the manager from indulging in pleasant daydreams of explosive popularity.
Even after being asked to leave, Anon was perfectly satisfied. She had already experienced plenty of amazing moments. Before leaving, she got to tour the broadcasting studio and other spots sumimi regularly used—a true pilgrimage to sacred idol grounds!
With autographs from both Uika and Mana clutched happily in her hands, Anon waved enthusiastically, departing with her precious treasure.
Kyo could easily imagine the barrage of messages she'd receive once she got home tonight. After all, Anon had no one else to discuss this with, and keeping it bottled up would definitely drive her crazy.
"Uika, use the usual practice room—the equipment is already set up."
The manager turned to Uika, whom she trusted most. As someone who single-handedly handled lyrics and composition, Uika was always highly regarded.
"Oh, and girls, before you start rehearsing, you can grab something from the fridge in the lounge. We just added a small fridge with drinks for you—help yourselves. Just be mindful of the sugar intake!"
The last remark was clearly aimed at Mana. She'd recently been overindulging in donuts, and if she didn't cut back soon, her figure might suffer serious consequences!
After bidding the manager farewell, Kyo once again felt the extent of how seriously the agency was taking her presence.
"They didn't add the fridge just for me, did they?" Kyo casually asked her seniors. Coming from anyone else, that might have seemed self-centered, but—
"I'd say they definitely did," Uika replied with a faint smile. "Do you still not realize how influential you already are in our circle, Kyo-chan?"
"I have some idea," Kyo admitted. "But before now, I've never officially participated in entertainment activities. I've visited many places, sure, but always alongside my mom—at most just briefly experiencing various events."
When the trio reached the lounge and saw the small refrigerator, even Uika raised her eyebrows slightly.
Mana nodded knowingly. "No wonder our manager gave me that look earlier."
Both Uika and Mana had expected free drinks to be something mild and healthy like barley tea. After all, being idols meant strict limitations on their diet.
However, aside from standard beverages like energy drinks and coffee, the fridge even contained carbonated soft drinks.
With sharp eyes, Kyo spotted a uniquely packaged drink among the small fridge's varied selection and grabbed it immediately.
"Huh, a drink I've never seen before," she murmured, genuinely surprised.
She rotated the aluminum can in her hand, her eyes quickly drawn to a tiny line of text. Blinking, she refrained from reading it aloud.
Uika chose first, taking a plain bottle of barley tea without a second glance at anything sugary. Mana hesitated briefly but followed suit.
After all, if their manager caught her drinking soda again, Mana could look forward to nothing less than grueling, high-intensity training…
"Kyo-chan, have you picked something yet?" Seeing Kyo holding that unfamiliar can while still peering at the fridge, Uika gently prompted.
"I'm having trouble deciding. There are just so many choices." Kyo was clearly stuck in a delightful dilemma.
"If you really can't choose, Kyo-chan, why not just take everything?" Mana suggested teasingly. "The manager specifically said we could take whatever we wanted, probably just because it's you."
"Uika, Mana, go ahead to the practice room first. I'll catch up shortly."
Neither Uika nor Mana noticed anything unusual and nodded, leaving first.
Now alone in the lounge, Kyo solemnly, ceremoniously, and joyfully picked up the drink she'd first noticed. When she initially saw the text on the can, she'd immediately turned it around, hiding it from view. Only now did she reveal the line again:
Alcoholic Beverage (2% alcohol content)
Though it didn't match the typical beer (which usually had 3–6% alcohol content), and could basically be mocked as "carbonated water weaker than cola," it was indeed alcoholic.
Kyo had previously been allowed to drink similar beverages at home, like pineapple beer with 0.5% alcohol content.
But 2% could definitely qualify as a low-alcohol beer.
As a mixologist, Kyo had long wanted to sample real alcoholic beverages. She'd already decided the first gift she'd buy herself upon reaching adulthood would be a fine sherry-cask whisky—something luxurious to savor.
But for now, Kyo was quite content to sample this little novelty beverage—cheap, rough, hardly deserving the name "alcohol," clearly labeled as merely an "alcoholic beverage."
...
In the practice room, Uika opened a laptop in the corner, swiftly navigating through software interfaces that would make most outsiders dizzy, setting up the demo song for Kyo.
Meanwhile, Mana warmed up her voice with simple vocal exercises. Unable to compose herself, Mana had always deeply appreciated Uika's support, knowing full well that without her, she'd never have achieved her current success.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting."
Kyo stepped confidently into the practice room. Even the typically carefree Mana could immediately sense something was off.
Kyo had arrived carrying just two bottles of mineral water—but no, that wasn't the issue.
She strode boldly forward, her normally reserved smile replaced by a confident, playful smirk.
Her eyes remained clear, but they sparkled brightly, brimming with dazzling self-assurance, utterly captivating.
"Shall we get started? I feel incredible right now."
Kyo spread her arms wide, openly flamboyant and completely uninhibited.
---
T/N: DOES ANYONE READ THIS PEAK??? PLEASE LET ME KNOW :SOB: