Slip of the Tongue

Mitsuki and I entered the rehearsal room right as the girls were about to begin their next set. They all turned to look at us, and Manager Na cut off the music.

"What the..." Suguha mumbled. "Why are you two coming in together?"

"Don't you dare assume anything weird, Suzu," Mira growled. "I just went to the coffee shop on my own since I thought Yozora was going to be late. Who would've thought that he'd actually wake up on time."

"Again, I've been doing well for a while," I sighed. "Quit being such a downer."

"Says the actual downer with literal black spots underneath his eyes."

"And you never fail to make that clear. Getting kind of old, don't you think?"

"Not at all. In fact, I think I'm doing you a favor by constantly reminding you. Just so you can get your act together, hm?"

"Clearly, it's not working."

"I never expected it to, especially from you."

"Well, well!" Manager Na grinned. "You two seem very friendly with each other. When the hell did this development happen?"

"Friendly?!" Mitsuki exclaimed as she pointed a finger. "Me?! And him?! Are you joking right now?!"

"That wasn't funny, Manager Na," I sighed.

"Haha! My bad."

Mitsuki crossed her arms and turned around to glare at me.

"Look what you did," she muttered.

"Me? How is this my fault?"

"If you had just kept your mouth shut, this wouldn't have happened."

"Huh? I didn't say shit until you decided to bash me out of nowhere."

Yoshino let out an exaggerated 'ahem,' which forced us to stop. However, that didn't keep Mitsuki from maintaining her murderous sneer.

"Anyway, here," I said as I rested the cupholder on a nearby table.

As the girls rushed over to pick up their coffee cups, I leaned against the wall beside the door, waiting. This is what my job mostly consists of now. Just waiting for orders like an obedient dog. Or better yet, like a normal Sunayomi fan. My immediate thought was Nae.

I let out a slight chuckle, but the girls still somehow noticed.

"What's so funny, Yozora?" Natsume asked.

"It's nothing."

"Eh? Come on, let us in on the joke," Suguha mumbled.

"No."

"No?! Why not?!"

"It's none of your business."

"Tch... Is this what I get for inviting you out?"

Immediately, everyone turned their gazes to me, and all I could do was stare back. I should've known Suguha would spill it at some point. No... I knew it would happen eventually—just not a freaking day later.

"Like, what is wrong with you? Genuinely," I asked.

"Aha... Oopsies?" she chuckled nervously.

"W-wait... What did you two... do?" Natsume mumbled.

"It's not what you're thinking," I said. "In fact, it was nothing, so don't bother."

"Are we really expected to believe that?" Mitsuki growled. "Spill it, Yozora. I swear, if you do anything that gets Suzu involved in a scandal..."

"What the... Why am I getting interrogated? Suguha is the one who brought it up... Go ask her."

"Suzu?" Yoshino called out.

Suguha planted a finger to her chin as she let out a prolonged, 'hm.' Is there really a need to think about it? All we did was... hang out. Well, I guess I'm not that familiar with how idols are supposed to operate, but I don't think going out unsupervised is allowed.

"It's a secret!" Suguha grinned.

"Suzu!" Natsume chided.

"What? It wasn't anything bad, so don't worry."

"If it wasn't bad, then why aren't you answering?"

"Um..."

Suddenly, Manager Na clapped his hands together for all of us to give him our attentions.

"Alright! While you guys interrogate Suguha, I need to borrow Yozora for a second."

"What?!" Suguha exclaimed. "W-wait! Don't leave me~!"

"Come along, Yozora. I'm sure she'll be fine."

As Manager Na led me outside, I stole a quick glance at Suguha. She was giving me puppy eyes, silently begging me to stay. This is on her for spilling the beans. It's not my responsibility to clean it up for her.

We stopped right in front of the door, where he crossed his arms and let out a sigh.

"I'm gonna need an honest answer for this one, kid. I'm not suspecting you of anything. As Sunayomi's manager, I just need to know. What was Suguha talking about?"

"I figured as much. Yesterday, she called me to ask if I could join her on an outing to the street market. I tried to decline, but she got to me."

"Hah. I see. Well, that definitely sounds like something Suguha would request. Although, I never knew you to cave in so easily, especially to something like that."

I thought back to when Suguha opened up to me. Her words, her expression, and her tears—I've been thinking about it a lot, even though it shouldn't be any of my business.

"It was a brief conversation we had right after I became their assistant," I said. "She..."

"She wanted to experience the normal world. Am I right?"

"...So you knew."

"Of course I knew."

Again, there was a slight hint of sadness in his tone. I've been noticing it a lot more recently, especially now that I personally know a bit about them.

"Manager Na. I know you care a lot about those girls, not just as idols, but as people with their own thoughts, wishes... and struggles. That's why I have to ask... How come you rarely do anything about it?"

For a while, he remained silent.

"I'll just be straight with you, Yozora, since I trust you. The only reason why I haven't done anything is because I'm not allowed to. The company rules and policies bars me from having that kind of relationship with them. All I can do is keep them on their toes and make sure nothing happens... which I've clearly failed at. But personal issues? As much as I want to give them what they want, I can't."

"Can't you bring this up with the higherups?"

"Hah. I have, and you know what they told me? 'Don't get in the way. Just make sure they're performing at their best.' Well, how the hell am I supposed to do that when they're clearly troubled?"

It's clear that this has been weighing on him for some time. As their manager and someone who genuinely cares, he should be allowed to help them. But of course, parasitic businesses rarely give a damn about the people who are the reason for their success. Yori Entertainment seems to be no exception.

"But, that's why I have you, Yozora," Manager Na smiled.

"W-wha... Me...? What makes me any different from you?"

"Because an assistant reports directly to the people they're assisting. How do you think Assistant Tanaka got away with the shit he did? Uh... Horrible analogy, but you get the idea."

"I'm not a therapist, Manager Na. I can't even help myself, let alone them."

"I guess so, huh? You know... I noticed a little something today. Suguha seemed a lot more focused and attentive during practice today. That hasn't happened in a while. What do you think is the reason?"

"...I don't know."

"Haha. Just keep being yourself, kid. I know I've chosen the right person for this job. You've already proven me right. Now, all you gotta do is keep it going."

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and the girls walked out. In a perfect world, they would've just walked past without saying a word. Of course, that wasn't the case. Why did I think that would ever happen?

Mitsuki stomped over and planted a finger on my chest.

"You'd better watch yourself," she grumbled.

"Don't need to tell me twice," I muttered.

"Tch..."

With that, they walked off. Suguha made sure to throw me a subtle wink and a smug grin. I reacted for just a second, but I quickly played it off.

"Well, that's that," Manager Na yawned. "I'm off. Have a good rest of your day, kid."

"You too."

I was about to leave as well when I caught a glimpse through the window of the rehearsal room. There sat Yoshino on the floor, scrolling through her phone. But something about her expression was different from usual. She looked... stressed and defeated, a side of her I'd never seen before.

Reluctantly, I opened the door, and she immediately slipped on a new face.

"Yoshino...?"

"Ah... Yozora," she smiled. "You're still here."

Although she was now smiling, I couldn't get that previous expression out of my head.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Hm? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you..."

I caught myself before saying more. The moment I walked in, Yoshino's expression shifted—like she was trying to hide something. Now, she's dodging my questions, deflecting with a forced smile.

"It's nothing," I sighed. "Just... You're doing fine."

"Hehe, what's this? Where's this coming from?"

"Just thought I'd say it, even if you don't need need to hear it."

"Hm... Well, thank you, Yozora. I appreciate it."

"Yeah."

Whatever's weighing on her, she clearly doesn't want me involved, and there's probably a good reason for that. I have no right to pry, since I basically told her and the others to stay out of my problems as well.