Nogizaka's Synchronized Coincidence

Chapter 58 The principal of 16 people
In the last week of August, the members of Nogizaka8 ushered in the most severe test since they became idols.

"Starting from this year, you have less than five days to prepare for the stage play that will officially start on September 9st."

"The stage is composed of 1 parts, Act 2 and Act 2. The first part is the selection part and the judges will be all the audience. Everyone will sing, dance, and introduce themselves in front of the audience. In the first part After the end, the audience will use voting to select the top 1 members they think are better. Only the 1 members selected according to the voting can appear in the musical part of the second part, and the member who wins the first place will be the protagonist , the roles played by different rankings will also be different.”

"The musical part of the second part is called "Alice in Nogizaka". Of course, the protagonist is Alice, and the rest include the Queen of Hearts, Mr. White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the March Hare. Dudu Bird and Caterpillar, which are positions similar to Center and Fushen, and the others are poker soldiers. You must memorize the dialogue, dance, position and movement of each character, because you Never know when I'll be cast for what role!"

The director of the stage play explained that the members all had solemn faces, and they had a lot to learn and remember, but the time given to them was very limited.

That is to say, from now until the official performance, there is only less than five days of preparation time, and this does not count other work schedules that have been arranged.In this situation, what is even more frustrating is that they don't know in advance which role they will play even if they are selected, which means that all sixteen roles will have the possibility of performing.

What's more cruel is that even if you can try to memorize everything, it doesn't mean you will have the chance to perform, because whether you can get a role is based on the votes of the audience in each show, and only God knows how the audience will make their choices.

Many members heard about the selection and performance arrangement, except for a few big-hearted ones like Kurokawa Aoi and Ikuta Erika, the rest of them felt that they were about to collapse.

However, time waits for no one, and the cruel life that makes people feel that they are in hell has come to them silently.

"Please pay attention and take it seriously. Stage plays are different from other performances. In the recording of TV shows, if you make a mistake or the result is not as good as it should be, you can edit that clip and reshoot it. But stage plays are different. You only get one chance. , If you fail, there is no possibility of starting from scratch, so please treat every performance as your only performance.”

The mentor who was in charge of training them said this, although it was true, it aggravated the psychological pressure of the members who were already overloaded.

Because the musical is performed in the form of live singing, although the two songs to be sung are "Bei Bui" and "Beginner" by AKB48, the rest are their own songs "The Poem of Nogizaka", "The Spirit of the Heart", " Riding the White Clouds, The Impatient Snail, Go! Bicycle, and The Courage of the Left Chest, and finally the small live part of "Surrounding the Curtain", "Come on Shampoo", "Maybe I Want to See You", but for the singing level requirements, Compared with when they sang live, they have improved a lot.

Practice every day, so that all members seem to return to the scene when Nogizaka46 was first established, and they all felt the feeling of starting from scratch again.The first is a simple warm-up exercise, followed by vocal practice, especially all their songs will be sung live with full microphone, which will be a big challenge to their singing ability.

Then there is the training of acting skills and body movements. There is a big difference between stage performances and TV and movie performances.When performing stage plays, the loudness of the voice, the use of different tones, the effects of body movements, etc., are areas that have never been touched by them. Even Kurokawa Aoi has learned these performance skills. Benefit a lot.

The rest is their more experienced dance practice, but for everyone, the biggest complaint is not the content of the performance, but the selection mechanism.They will have to experience that cruel and bloody reality at least once a day. Every vote is like sending their self-esteem to the guillotine, waiting for the verdict on their fate from the audience.

"I want to seize this opportunity well. The stage has been the place I have dreamed of since I was a child. I will try my best to express myself well!"

Aimi Nojo said to Kazumi Takayama beside her during the break after practice, and Aoi who happened to be sitting behind them also heard it.

"This time is also an opportunity for the members of under! This time, it is all about the strength of the individual, and there is no so-called selection and under identity restrictions."

Kurokawa Aoi sighed in her heart, from all aspects, this performance is cruel, but it is also a catalyst for them to grow up quickly, but how many of them can survive this trial and thrive Growing up, she also had no idea.

During the non-stop practice and rehearsal day and night, their concept of time became blurred, and in a blink of an eye, it came to August 8, the day before the official performance, and it was also the last rehearsal.

This rehearsal is also a preview, and the process will be open to the interview media and related personnel. They will watch the entire performance and vote after the first part to select the best 16 people in their minds.

After a few days of practice far surpassing all previous ones, it was almost cruel rehearsal. Some of them couldn't stand it and broke down physically and mentally. Sister Iwase announced her withdrawal from all performances due to illness. Xiaobai also excused herself to concentrate on her studies. Will be absent from the performance.

Even the other members who persevered cried because of too strict rehearsals and heavy psychological pressure, and some had slight quarrels with each other because of irritability. Everyone was like a taut string.

On the stage of the Parco Theater, there are a group of girls standing at this moment, they are doing the round formation before the performance.

As the captain, Lingxiang said: "We will succeed, everyone, don't be nervous, let's go together! Prepare, 1~2, work hard, thank you, smile, we are Nogizaka, Upgoing Zaka 46~!"

Although their performance today is just a rehearsal, it is also the first time they have performed with an audience.The auditorium will be filled with journalists from various media, people who have a cooperative relationship with Nogizaka46, and the scholar bureaucrats who work side by side with them day and night. They will decide the 16 people who will appear in the second part. This is exactly the same as the official performance. .

Mai Shiraishi looked dignified, and put her hands on her stomach: "What should I do? What should I do?"

Seeing this, Kurokawa Aoi, who was beside her, hugged her from behind, put her hands on her hands on her belly, leaned her head on Mai's shoulders and said, "Okay, don't think about anything now." , close your eyes and take a deep breath, let yourself relax and calm down is the most important thing. Yes, just follow the rhythm of my breathing"

Under Aoi's guidance, Mai Xiang, surrounded by the familiar temperature and smell, gradually relaxed her body, and her originally tense emotions subsided.

The maid who opened his eyes looked at Aoi's delicate side face, raised his head and put his lips close to Aoi's ear and said, "I'm much better, fortunately you're here. Don't you feel nervous?"

"I have learned a truth since I was a child. The more tense the situation is, the more you need to relax yourself and maintain a normal mind. Tight muscles will make me lose speed and flexibility. This is the key point that my grandfather often reminds me. We have experienced Repeated practice, what to do and how to do it are as natural as eating and drinking, but the mentality is the main factor that affects our performance, be more confident! Mai, you can do it, even if you are not selected, it doesn’t mean anything, God is not It will collapse, and I will be by your side no matter what.”

Kurokawa Aoi's words made Shiraishi Mai completely calm down, and perhaps because of this, she had an outstanding performance. After completing the first part of the selection, she successfully won the third place, next to the first Alice Huahua And the second Queen of Hearts, Aoi, got the role of Mr. White Rabbit.

This rehearsal gave some members more confidence, had certain ideas about future performances and made clear what they wanted to work hard for, but it also brought a lot of blows to some members, and they began to doubt themselves ability to even feel appropriate as an idol or entertainer.

After leaving the stage, many members started to cry. Just now they had to keep their smiles and vitality to perform, but now they don’t have to hold back anymore, and the negative emotions came out all of a sudden.

The members who have a good relationship hug each other and comfort each other. Aoi is also acting as a comforter at this time, and she is very busy.

First, he passed by the little princess Blackberry Candy, hugged her who was frustrated and crying, and touched her head to comfort her, then handed her over to Huahua who had just arrived, and then came to the two little birds and Xiao Nan hugged the two of them like a hen, letting their tears wet the clothes on his chest.

After finally making the two little lolis happy, a noisy sound caught Aoi's attention, causing her to let go of Asuka and Xiao Nan and rush to the place where the sound came from.

"So I'd better give up." Sayori said to Ikoma in front of him with tears in his eyes.

"Sa Yuri, can you stop saying such things?" Ichikuma also persuaded while wiping away the tears that could not be shed.

Kurokawa Aoi, who came to them, made Maiyang and Nanamin who were standing next to them seem to have found the backbone, and hurried to her sides and kept beckoning to Aoi to deal with the situation.

"Let them finish talking first! It's much better to say it than to keep it in your heart." Aoi reminded the two in a low voice, and then watched the situation from the sidelines. The main reason for Sayuri's outbreak now is because she was not selected to be 16 One of the leading actors, so my confidence in myself was shaken.

Sayori: "Ikoma said that you can't do anything well, but you still worked hard to be selected. As for me, I actually had a chance to be admitted to university, but I gave up because of Nogizaka, but the reality is that I am not suitable. Here, other people don't want to work with me, so I was not selected, and other people think I am not suitable here."

Ikoma: "Whether I was selected is because of my strength, not whether I am suitable or not. What about me? Am I suitable? Why did Sayu Ri say that he gave up? Why didn't he come with everyone? Don't say that. , obviously you are working hard, and everyone has worked very hard step by step, but you say you want to give up? Don't say such frustrating words anymore, don't say that you are not suitable~"

Ikuma burst into tears, with an agitated expression, and couldn't help wiping away her tears like sackcloth, but new tears kept pouring out. Why didn't she feel powerless and unwilling, but as a Center, she was only selected to be a poker card soldier.

At this time Aoi said: "Okay, go and change your clothes first, the sackcloth, Nanamin, you guys bring a Kuma-chan to change, and Sayuri will leave it to me."

Pulling Say Yuri, who was a little bit out of his mind, to the backstage, after squeezing Say Yuri and herself into a dressing room, Aoi began to change clothes for Say Yuri.

"How do you feel now that you've said what's on your mind?"

Asked Aoi, who was carefully taking off the kabuki for Sayu Ri, and was putting the shirt on for her.

"Ah! I'll do it myself, I'll do it myself"

Sayu Ri, who seemed to wake up from a dream, came back to her senses, put on the clothes by herself with a blushing face, and said when she took the skirt that Aoi gave her: "Aoi-chan, do you think I am really suitable to be an idol, An entertainer in show business?"

"You feel inappropriate because you weren't selected to be one of the 16 this time around?"

Sha Youli bowed his head speechlessly.

"Do you know who Thomas Edison is?" Kurokawa Aoi suddenly asked a question.

"That great inventor in American history? Of course I have heard of it, but what does it have to do with us?" Yuri Say's academic performance is also quite good, otherwise he would not have entered the prestigious school of Osaka Toin High School.

"Actually, many of Thomas Edison's patents were not invented by himself, such as more than 1000 patents for the light bulb, phonograph, moving movie camera, direct current power system, wax printing cylinder, etc., but in fact almost none of them were really his own inventions. But his strength is that he can work tirelessly and never give up. Based on other people's designs and inventions, he constantly improves and improves, which makes him a "great inventor""

Kurokawa Aoi patiently expressed her meaning, and continued: "Some people may be born with certain strengths and talents, but no one is born to find a field that they are suitable for or not. Find the place that belongs to you and allows you to use your strengths. Edison did more than [-] failed experiments before finally inventing the battery we still use today. Sha Yuli, one or even several failures are not considered failures. But if you choose to give up, that is the real failure, because you choose to give up the possibility of success"

When Sa Yuri heard Aoi's comforting words, she was moved and hugged her tightly, as if she wanted to integrate herself into Aoi's body.

"Wuuu~ I actually understand what Aoi said. It's just that I lost confidence in myself and couldn't think about it for a while. I'm sorry for what I said to Ikoma just now."

"Go and apologize to her. It will be fine if you let it go. She said that because she cares about you. Remember, what you are suitable for and your own personal value are not paid by others. Yours is defined by how you see yourself. What other people think of you is not the point. The most important thing is how you see yourself. I like to see a happy and confident Matsumura Sayuri, okay? ?”

Kurokawa Aoi caressed Sayuri's hair, giving her the comfort and affirmation she needed at this moment.

"Boom~" Aoi's face was stamped with a mark from the person in her arms.

"Thank you, I'm much better! No matter what happens next, I will try my best to face it and just do what I can do."

Although her eyes were still red from crying just now, a happy and innocent smile appeared on Sai Yuri's face again.

"I'm going to find Ichikuma-chan first, see you later," said Sayuri after changing her clothes and went to find Ikoma.

I don't know what they said, but when everyone was gathered to face the media interview, judging from the expressions on the faces of the two who came arm in arm, they should be fine.

After following the instructions and standing in three rows, the reporters from the media began to ask the usual questions about how they felt about their performance, how they felt about the first stage play, how they felt during the practice, etc. Everything was normal. Proceed until there is a problem with Ikoma.

"Between the first part and the second part, the cast members are selected through voting, some are selected and some are not selected. Do you think this will create the feeling that everyone will become fierce rivals with each other?"

Perhaps recalling what happened just now, Ichikuma's eyes turned red, and she covered her mouth with her hands as if she was about to cry. Standing next to her, Kurokawa Aoi had quick eyes and hands, grabbed the microphone with one hand, and held the microphone in one hand. Ikoma's waist said: "Can I answer this question? Yes, thank you!"

"Personally, my biggest opponent is not the members around me, but myself. Whether I can be selected is not because one person is better than that person. I think it's because I didn't try my best, put myself Give full play to my strengths. If I am not selected, it just means that I have not done well enough to satisfy everyone. So every vote from the audience is tantamount to giving us valuable opinions, let us Knowing that we need to continue to improve allows us to strive to surpass ourselves”

Ikoma's body, which was still trembling, calmed down slowly, and tears did not flow from his eyes, but he just looked at Aoi intently and nodded.

"All of our members will continue to work hard and express ourselves well. We hope to present a different and more attractive Nogizaka46 that will satisfy everyone. Please continue to support us. Many thanks!"

After speaking, Aoi Kurokawa bowed to everyone in front of him and the camera, and the members around him followed suit. This time the media interview came to an end.

"Thank you Kui Jiang, I was ready to run away just now"

After the reporters left, Ikoma threw himself into Kurokawa Aoi's arms.

"Ikkuma-chan has worked hard. I know you are under a lot of pressure, but you still chose to support Sayuri and other members. Although Ikkuma-chan is a crybaby, you have also become a reliable person!"

This quarrel, which was not considered a quarrel, just fell gently and disappeared without a trace, just like the rain falling in front of the window, under the heart-to-heart communication between Sayori and Ikoma.

In the official performance on September 9st, Sayori Matsumura was selected as one of the 1 people, which was a good result of fifth place.There are a total of nine performances that have been held almost every day. The first and second places are basically the peak duels between Huahua and Aoi. In the end, Huahua won the first place with 16:5, narrowly beating Kurokawa Aoi.

But in fact, Kurokawa Aoi prefers the role of the Queen of Hearts. She has an unusual love for the villain with a strong aura.

Nogizaka46's first stage performance ended perfectly amidst tears and sweat, crying and laughing, joy and sorrow.

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(End of this chapter)