Just like when we went to eat pancakes, Sasaki didn’t speak at all inside the train.
She stood in the corner of the crowded car, eyes glued to her phone, and positioned me directly in front of her to create a wall between her and the other passengers.
Also, whenever our eyes met—even for a second—she absolutely refused to look away until I did. Honestly, it’s kinda scary. Is it because she’s so competitive?
As our stop got close, I tried giving her a hand signal saying “We’re getting off next,” but she ignored it and instead handed me her phone.
…Huh? What?
‘To your left, behind you. There’s a kid who’s been staring this way the whole time.’
The moment I saw that memo on her screen, the blood in my body froze.
No way… seriously?
I checked behind me to the left, and sure enough, a girl around elementary-school age was staring straight at us.
…No, no, impossible.
Sasaki has a mask on, glasses, darker hair instead of the bright brown she had as an idol, and platform boots that make her look taller.
Even when I first recognized Kiraboshi Ayane, I only became sure after seeing her face under the mask. So there’s no way this kid can confirm it either.
While I panicked internally, the train arrived at our station.
“Let’s go.”
I took Sasaki’s hand, got off the train, and looked around as we passed through the ticket gates.
We walked away from the stadium direction, heading into the shade of a quiet apartment building before finally stopping.
“…A-are we safe now?”
Even after reaching a place where nobody could see her, Sasaki stayed silent.
Wondering if something happened, I turned toward her.
“Sa… Sasaki?”
When I looked back, a small shadow stood behind her.
Don’t tell me the reason she stayed silent was because…
Her other hand—the one not holding mine—was being held by the little girl from the train.
“Onee-chan… are you maybe Ayane-chan?”
The girl asked with a trembling, tiny voice.
Even her classmates never recognized her, and yet this kid did… so easily?
“Sasaki, tell her it’s a mistake and let’s go.”
I tried pulling her hand, but Sasaki said, “Wait,” and crouched to match the girl’s eye level.
“Are you a fan of Kiraboshi Ayane?”
“Yeah! I love Ayane-chan… I want to be cute like her, and she’s always been my goal! But she hasn’t been on TV lately…”
The girl said in her slightly clumsy, childish speech. Sasaki gently patted her head.
“A-are you… really Ayane-chan?”
The girl asked anxiously.
Sasaki silently nodded.
Sh-she admitted it…? Sasaki, are you sure about this?
“What’s your name?”
“Sh-shizuku…”
“Shizuku-chan, huh. If I’m your goal, does that mean you want to be an idol too?”
“Yeah! I want to be an idol who can make everyone happy, just like Ayane-chan!”
“Make everyone happy…?”
“Mm-hm! My stomach has always been sick, and I couldn’t make friends, and it was hard but… when I watched Ayane-chan, I got brave enough to go outside again!”
“…I-I see. Then I’m glad.”
Sasaki stood up and naturally took my hand again.
“Shizuku-chan. Let’s make everything we talked about here a secret between you and me, okay?”
“Huh? You’re not letting that guy be part of the secret?”
“Yup, because that guy is my bodyguard.”
“Hey. Since when am I—”
Sasaki squeezed my hand with terrifying strength.
“Gah—!?”
While I writhed in pain, she rummaged through her tote bag.
“If you can keep the secret, I’ll give you this headband.”
She took out a red headband and handed it to Shizuku.
“Waaah! Is it really okay!?”
“Only if you can keep the promise.”
“I will!”
The girl accepted it carefully and placed it on her head. That’s definitely going to be a lifelong treasure.
“Hey, Ayane-chan, did you come to watch today’s Frontier match too?”
“Yup, I did.”
“Then maybe you’re gonna be in the ha—”
Her pocket rang. (Of course, it was a Genesistars song.)
She answered the call and made a troubled face. Probably getting scolded by whoever brought her.
“Um, thank you, Ayane-chan! See you!”
“Yeah.”
Sasaki waved lightly as Shizuku ran toward the stadium.
“…She’s gone.”
“Haaa… it’s been a while since I interacted with a fan. I’m exhausted.”
“Good work. You’re actually pretty good with kids.”
“Of course! I’m an onee-san, after all!”
She puffed out her barely-there chest proudly—probably with a smug face.
We left the apartment shade and walked down the big road, “Stadium Street,” toward the venue.
“Didn’t think you’d get recognized.”
“Kids don’t feel shame like adults do. If they think someone looks similar, they’ll ask without hesitation.”
“If you think that, shouldn’t you have denied it this time too?”
“…Because I did the same thing once.”
“Huh?”
“When I was little, I once saw my idol walking in town by chance and called out to her.”
Sasaki opened her photo gallery and showed me a picture.
Little Sasaki with black hair, standing next to a woman with bright-colored hair.
“This is the person who made me want to become an idol.”
I didn’t know her, but she was probably famous to people who follow idols.
“I saw myself in that kid. Normally I’d deny it, but… not today.”
“I see.”
As we got near the stadium, more people filled the street, and Sasaki started speaking less.
At the end of the road, we climbed the white stairs, and the massive stadium appeared before us.
Fans wearing our team’s colors—or the opponent’s—walked everywhere.
“So many people… all of them came for soccer?”
“Yeah. Tokyo Frontier has ten to twenty thousand fans every match.”
“Wow…”
Well, for Kiraboshi Ayane, who used to gather tens of thousands every concert, this crowd probably isn’t impressive.
We followed the flow of people, showed our tickets at the entrance, and passed the bag check.
The excitement welled up in me. It’s been so long since I last came to a stadium. Training and matches kept me busy.
I wanted to rush in and see the pitch immediately, but—
“Hey Makishima, look! There’s so much food!”
Sasaki tugged my hand eagerly just as I tried to enter.
“Stadium food, huh? The lines get long, and I really want to see the pitch first—”
“We have reserved seats, so relax! Come on, let’s buy food first!”
“Eeh—”
Dragged by Sasaki, I ended up standing in the stadium food line with her.
“So, what are you getting?”
“Baby castella, a crepe, and tacos!”
“…Crepe and tacos? Kinda similar, aren’t they?”
“It’s fine!”
Sasaki was excited long before the match even started.
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