Episode 16 – Special Program Part 3

The program recording is in its final stages, and as for the ranking, it is the most exciting time of the show, as the third to first places are announced.

The show also had a different kind of excitement than the producers had in mind.

“First place went to the new single, “Sadness Rendezvous,” which was released at the same time as Harushita san’s recently announced resurrection.”
“I can’t stop listening to this song over and over again~. I mean, I’m not sure if I should put these songs in the same ranking, but they are all in the top 10 to begin with!? What a waste!?”
“I can’t imagine that he did all this by himself. He really is an amazing person.”

Sato and Maru each give their impressions after watching the VTR. (Video tape)

Suzune, Mirei, Azusa, and Kotoha were listening to them with satisfaction, and Haruka was immersed in the afterglow of the song.

“How is it, Harushita san? you won the first prize with flying colors.”
“I’m very sorry. I am very lucky to have been given first place out of all these entries.”
“No, no, not at all.”

Sato and Harushita exchanged their opinions. Sato thinks that it is true that it was easy to get votes because it is a new work and is the most well-known.

“Shirakawa san came in second, Tatsumi san came in third, and as I mentioned earlier in the ranking, Ikuta san’s song came in fourth. I think the fact that they are not all performed by one singer means that Kazashiro’s songs are diverse and appealing.”
“I agree. Of course, I think it’s because of the singing ability and charm of everyone here today who is a guest here, but still, I think it’s because of Kazashiro san’s songwriting.”

Here, Maru and Haruka make a statement as if they had been shown the way. This is, of course, their expert opinion in response to the anti-comment that “the singer is just amazing.”

By softly denying it, both Maru and Haruka hoped that the public’s opinion of Kazashiro Rei would be a bit more upwardly revised. So this was something they had talked about in their pre-show meeting.

Kotoha adds, as if on top of that.

“Well, if you tell him that, he’ll just say, [you guys are just great singers!]”
“Is that right?. He is a very humble person, isn’t he? I can’t help but feel that he’s becoming more and more likeable.”
“For my part, I think the opposite is true [The creator is just amazing.]”
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?~”

Maru responds to Kotoha’s statement by laughing. But Mirei responds to this in a surprising way

“I get it. As I sing, I feel as if my limits are being pushed higher and higher. It’s like I’m being allowed to sing.”
“Yess. It’s like I’m singing comfortably, but at the same time it’s not me singing.”
“That’s very interesting.”

Haruka shows interest, perhaps because she is curious about the same composer.

“I mean, the more I dig, the more I find out about Kazeshiro sensei’s charms.”
“His charm are endless.”

When Haruka shows her determination to give up on the idea of not being able to tell the story, Suzune follows up.

“If there was another show like this, I would love to have this group back together again to talk about it.”

When Suzune says so, everyone verbally agrees.

“I think so too ! I wish they would make it a regular show!”
“I’m in. There is so much more I haven’t told you.”
“That’s nice~ I’ll ask them to make me a regular member then. “

Maru struck a pose of exaggerated dismay at the flirtatious four.

“Give me a break~ who’s going to pay the fee~! I’d like to have Kazashiro sensei appear on the show, but he doesn’t get any money!

The audience burst into laughter. As for Maruhatsuo, he would probably be better off as a comedian than a lyricist.

“Shall we have another drinking session then?~”
“Hey, Kotoha san! I don’t want to hear the old man’s word for a drinking party from a pretty girl! But I’ll join you…!”
“I’m underage, is that okay?”
“Ummm, no~!”
“Cruel~!”

they thought it would end in a peaceful mood. Everyone thought so.

“Let’s end the program at this point. Any last words, Harushita san?”

To end the program on this good note, Sato asked Suzune for a comment.

“Thank you very much for your time today. It is a great honor to win first place out of this very distinguished group.”

The first step is to start with a standardized sentence that seems to have been prepared from the beginning.

“As expected of Kazashiro Sensei…… but are they all his works?”

and self-commentary to get a laugh.

“I don’t know if I will be able to sing Kazashiro-sensei’s songs again…… but I’ll do my best to sing as his number one fan, so please take care of me then.”

She responded with what would probably be called an honor student.

“Kazashiro sensei’s”
“The number one”
“Fan?”

There were three people who took a bite out of her statement (I don’t need to reveal the three here).

“Yes, I’m his biggest fan.”
“What are you talking about? I’m his biggest fan. I’ve been with him the most and he’s taught me so much.”
“I’m the first one he has met, remember?”
“No, it is I, Ikuta Azusa, who has provided him with the most songs!”

Suzune, Mirei, Kotoha, and Azusa each speak their minds.

The mood in the hall suddenly turned sour. The audience was in a state of confusion, and the staff was also in a panic because of the sudden situation.

“For the most part, if you’re talking about spending a lot of time together, I think I was the most recent person he met.”
“So You’re the girl who smells like that~! I thought so.”
“Then I will call senpai ! Ehem!”
“I can make a phone call anytime I want. Don’t mount me with that.”

While Maru and Sato were in a panic over the situation that was already out of control, Nozaki Haruka was thinking long and hard about meeting Kazashiro Rei.

“Excuse me, ladies”
“Outsiders keep their mouths shut.”
“Fueeeh?”

Maru tries to stop them, but is kicked out by Mirei.

“A newcomer has no right to be called a fan in the first place.”
“A newcomer…….!? R-Rude !! I’ve been watching all of his videos for a long time!”
“I’ve been watching since I wasn’t getting much play.”
“It’s [kotoha senpai], the old timer ! Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s good!”

Endless arguments. Or rather, just bickering. It is a child’s quarrel as to who knows the best about the child.

“This is a total cut. ……”

As Sato muttered in a whisper, the program ended in an unnatural way when it aired.

However, it was rumored that the girls continued to argue long after the cameras had stopped.

“What the hell is this?………”

This was Rin’s line when the tape (uncut version) was later sent to her by producer Yamada san and he checked it with fear.

[Now I’m going to ask you to come out too!]

I looked at the accompanying message and thought that it was completely out of character.

No, I have more to say to the four girls than that……

After deleting the video sent to him, Rin immediately pretended he had not seen it and started writing a song.