"No, she’s really nice! She’s helped me with bullying issues and said she couldn’t ignore me because she has a daughter my age."
"Ah… I see."
I had just learned a very unexpected side of my girlfriend.
Still, considering her master’s help prevented the bullying from escalating, I suppose I should be thankful… maybe.
"But seriously… I can’t believe they went that far," I muttered, disgusted by what I’d heard.
Ignoring her was one thing, but doing something so vile? Unforgivable.
"Don’t even think about retaliation, okay?"
Hearing my thoughts before I could voice them, Adachi-san cut me off.
"But—"
"It happened when I was a first-year. It’s been over a year now, and I don’t want to trouble you over it."
"…"
Since the victim herself said that, I had no choice but to let it go.
With a sigh, I tried to release the frustration in my chest.
“Sigh… fine. But even if I don’t do anything, those guys will probably end up completely isolated when they arrive.”
“They…?”
“It’s nothing.”
I evaded the question by gently holding Adachi’s hand and changed the topic to the upcoming live performance.
* * *
“So, you’ll finally be able to move here next week.”
“Yeah, I’ve just wrapped up my work over here,” said Masa, the band’s guitarist and vocalist, over the phone.
After walking Adachi-san home, I was in my room making a call. The conversation was with Masa, one of my bandmates, about the timing of their transfers to my school.
Well, transfers isn’t exactly accurate. Technically, their school registrations had already been transferred here, but they were too busy with work to make the move until now.
Their work? Things like appearing on local TV in Nagoya or doing modeling gigs.
What about me, you ask? Do I have similar individual jobs? …Use your imagination.
Anyway, now that their commitments in Nagoya were finished, Masa and the others would be moving to Tokyo next week.
That meant we’d finally be attending the same school together.
* * *
“Man… even thinking about the chaos we’ll cause at the new school makes me feel exhausted,” Masa said, sounding weary.
I could understand why.
At our previous school, the moment we became famous, we were swarmed by “self-proclaimed friends” and “long-time fans,” making life pretty miserable. Even I almost developed trust issues.
But this school? It’s a completely different story.
“Relax. Nobody will swarm you here. In fact, they’ll ignore you entirely.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Well, here’s the story…”
I took my time explaining everything that had happened so far.
When I finished, Masa burst out laughing on the other end of the line.
“Are you serious? That’s hilarious! Alright, in that case, we’re in. Let’s help you knock those punks off their throne!”
“Sure, but there’s no need to go out of your way. Just stick with me and my girlfriend, and show off how much fun we’re having. That’ll do the trick.”
“Got it. I’ll let the other two know. Talk later.”
“Yeah, see you.”
I hung up, a small smile tugging at my lips.
* * *
Next Week
Finally, the time had come.
The handsome lineup of our band would make their grand debut at school.
Unlike me, they were incredibly popular, true celebrities with fans across the country. They were the real deal, an “It” group whose influence extended beyond the walls of a school.
The boys would be abuzz. The girls would be thrilled.
Let’s see how long the students here can keep ignoring us.
And as for Sonoyama and her lackeys—how long will they manage to cling to their so-called throne?
[The End]
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