My daily life is getting weird because I am caught between being in a band and being an idol.

"I've told you before, I like Nina's singing voice."

Meanwhile, Chaoyang looked at another girl with long, straight black hair.

She's An and Subaru... they're really cute.

When Anwa saw Asahi staring at her, he smiled and waved as if to say hello. Then he looked at Momoka and Nina.

"Why did you lie to me like that..."

"It's not a lie. You have such an awkward personality, and you like to drag things out. But that's because you can't lie to yourself, right? You're clearly very vulnerable, but you just don't want to go against your own heart..."

Halfway through their conversation, Chaoyang couldn't stand the drama and went outside to the second-floor corridor of the apartment building.

Looking at the bright moon in the sky, I felt extremely empty.

"Ha...they're making dumplings...what am I going to do...hey!"

He let out a heavy sigh.

Just keep track of the tasks.

Haneda Airport

"Hey!"

Here, a pink-haired girl is also sighing, looking depressed.

I just got off the plane, but I don't feel any joy at going home.

Looking through the photos I shared on social media, I'm still basking in the joy of arriving in London.

The comments below were filled with friends' envy, blessings, and praise.

But now, the pink-haired girl felt extremely uncomfortable looking at this content.

I just hope I won't run into these kinds of friends again.

"...It's okay to lose your way in loneliness and confusion. Now, don't hesitate any longer! Come to Chuxing Academy and rediscover your stage! No matter the setbacks or shattered dreams, this is where you can start anew. We look forward to meeting you and letting your dreams take flight."

The pink-haired girl looked up, her gaze fixed on the screen embedded in the pillar, which was playing an advertisement.

"First Star Academy... Idols...?...Shall we start over here?"

She murmured softly to herself.

"ano! Here~~~"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, the pink-haired girl's melancholy vanished instantly.

"mom!"

The name Chihaya Aine might become famous throughout Japan. Being an idol seems like a good idea. I'll discuss it with Dad when we get back!

The girl named Chihaya Aine was lost in thought as she dragged her suitcase toward her mother who had come to pick her up at the airport.

………………

Night had fallen in the blink of an eye.

Aiyin's father also left work early and went home, wanting to see his beloved daughter whom he hadn't seen for a while.

The table was now laden with delicious food.

"...Today, my dad specially bought Matsusaka beef after get off work. It's been a while since I've had Wagyu beef."

Aine's mother placed a sizzling steak in front of Aine, and even used a volcanic rock slab, which most families would never buy, as a plate.

"Honey, how about beer or wine today?"

"...just a small glass of wine will do..."

Chihaya Aine's father is a middle-aged man around 40 years old. As a high-level manager with an annual income of about 2000 million yen, he enjoys a comfortable lifestyle. While he wants to provide his daughter Aine with the best material life, his busy work schedule often leaves him with little opportunity for deep conversation. When he heard his daughter say she wanted to return to Japan, he didn't scold her; he was only worried that she might have been mistreated or discriminated against. He was relieved when he saw his daughter return home, still cheerful, lively, and sensible as usual.

"Ano, what are your plans after this? Should you take a break first, or...?"

Aiyin's father took the initiative to ask his daughter's opinion. He was not worried about her academic performance. She had almost always gotten full marks since elementary school and had never wanted to miss school. So even if she chose not to go to school for the time being, he was not worried. If necessary, he could find her a tutor.

"...Dad, don't worry about me, I'm fine... Instead, I need to apologize to you. I really underestimated the difficulty of studying abroad. You spoiled me so much, and now..."

When Aiyin's mother heard Aiyin start to blame herself, she immediately stopped her.

“Let’s not talk about the past, Ano. I’m actually happier that you can come back to school. But this time you need to choose carefully… It’s okay to take some time. If there isn’t a suitable spring semester, you can study at home or find a teacher, right, honey?”

"Ah."

Aiyin's father, who was cutting his steak with a knife and fork, nodded, closed his eyes, and put a small piece of meat into his mouth. However, he was not savoring the taste of the meat. In fact, he was waiting for his daughter's choice so that he could immediately contact an acquaintance to handle the matter.

Aine began to hesitate, wondering whether she should reveal her inner thoughts at the dinner table.

"...Speaking of which, what's Tsukimori like?...Although it's the kind of school for young ladies, it's not that difficult for our family to get in. We just need to pay an extra 200 million yen in sponsorship fees. Compared to the cost of studying abroad, going to Tsukimori is actually cheaper."

Aine's father finally couldn't hold back and presented the best answer he could find to Aine.

"Eh... Moon Forest?... Hmm..."

Aine looked troubled. Some of her middle school classmates had gone to Tsukinomori for high school, and she really didn't want to run into anyone she knew from the past. Although she was somewhat longing for it, she still didn't really want to go at the moment. Her impulsive decision to study abroad was also because she wanted to show off. After someone mentioned going to Tsukinomori for high school, she immediately jumped on the bandwagon and said she was going to study in England, hoping to gain praise. She ended up digging a hole for herself.

Ah... if we were to go back to the Moon Forest, that wouldn't be bad either...

At this moment, Ai-yin's mother saw her daughter's troubled expression and immediately chimed in.

"The school for young ladies is nice... Aren't the girls who go to those schools usually daughters of company presidents or zaibatsu? Our family isn't bad, but we're still just ordinary people. Aine might be discriminated against if she goes there."

"Is that so? I'm sorry, Ano, I didn't think it through."

Aiyin's family atmosphere was exceptionally good, which is why Aiyin was able to become Saint Aiyin.

“What are you saying, Dad? What’s there to apologize for… I’ve already wasted so much of the family’s money… How can I send you to that kind of rich kids’ school?… There is a school I do want to go to… but… it’s a bit special…”

"Hmm?...No, it can't be one of those correspondence high schools, which are basically Japanese distance learning high schools where you don't need to go to school every day and can rely on self-study or online courses to complete reports and exams, right?"

Although Aine's father was actually somewhat unable to accept it, considering Aine's self-study ability and the fact that she could get into a good university later, he could barely accept it after careful consideration.

Ai Yin quickly put down her knife and fork, waving her hands from side to side, afraid of being misunderstood, and spoke.

"No, no, Dad, what are you thinking? How could I go to a school like that? ...It's actually that First Star Academy..."

Chapter 38 Aine the Excellent Student

"First Star Academy?... Ah, that's the famous idol school, right... Hmm? Ano, do you want to be an idol?"

Upon hearing this, Ai Yin's father showed a troubled expression and asked about it.

It's not that I think my daughter can't become an idol... it's just that if she goes to an idol-specialized school, her future career path will be very limited. Of course, it's better than the correspondence high school I just imagined.

Ai Yin started fidgeting with her fingers shyly, after all, she knew that suddenly saying she wanted to go to that kind of school was a bit outrageous.

Moreover, she didn't really want to be an idol. She just felt that firstly, it would allow her to avoid her old classmates, and secondly, she really wanted to experience a different high school. As for the limited career path ahead, she wasn't too worried. Even if she didn't become an idol, her academic performance was good enough that she could still take the central exam and apply to university or directly apply to top private universities such as Waseda or Keio.

"...Understood, Dad will go ask."

"Huh? Is it really okay?... What if Dad objects..."

"How could that be? Since it's the path you've chosen, as your father, I naturally have to stand with you."

Upon hearing this, Aine stood up from her seat and happily rushed towards her father.

I love my dad the most~~~

"Hehe, you're all high school students, why are you acting like a child?"

Afterwards, the family sat around the dining table and enjoyed a sumptuous dinner.

Aine's father, of course, would not give his daughter a perfunctory answer. After some time, he contacted the headmaster directly through connections among the adults.

Although they indicated that the enrollment period had passed, they were willing to give them another chance.

Before leaving home that day, Aine checked her clothes in the mirror one last time to make sure they were appropriate, and she even put on her glasses, even though she was only slightly nearsighted and it didn't affect her classes or daily life. But whenever she needed to give her all, Aine would prepare flawlessly, having already memorized the lines for all sorts of interview questions perfectly.

She had a pretty good idea of ​​what questions she would be asked.

Why did you choose our school? What can you bring to our school? What are your goals after enrollment? What kind of high school life do you want to have? What are your future dreams?

I mentally reviewed the instructions to make sure I wouldn't get stuck.

"Yoshi, let's go!"

…………

After getting out of the taxi, to avoid being late, Ai Yin took a taxi directly to the school gate.

Wow, that's amazing... This is the first time I've seen such a big high school... It's even bigger than some universities in terms of area.

"Hello... I'm Chihaya Aine, who was scheduled to take the exam today... May I ask..."

Aiyin saw a teacher-looking person at the entrance of Chuxing School, so she walked up to him and politely asked him questions.

"Hello, are you Chihaya Aine? Thank you for your hard work. Taking exams alone during this time of year can be more stressful than usual, so please take care of your mindset. Oh, and let me introduce myself, I'm Nezumi, a teacher at this school. Nice to meet you."

"Hello, Professor Gen W, please continue to guide me today!"

Aine, however, showed no signs of nervousness and maintained her confident demeanor.

"Oh, that's great. I have a feeling that Chihaya-san will become my student. Alright, I'll lead the way. By the way, since we still have time, how about I take a detour and show you around the school? After all, our school is bigger than most high schools."

"Is it alright? Please do."

In order to make a good impression on the teacher, Ai Yin acted as if she was very much looking forward to it, and of course, there was 7% of her sincerity in it.

"Haha, Chihaya-kun is really amazing! Accepting an invitation like this right before the exam is truly admirable. Let's head to the Special Education Building first~~~ Idol training mainly takes place here… dance practice rooms, professional vocal studios, and a special makeup room for image transformation, and…"

They wandered around the school, visiting the courtyard, the garden rooftop, and the classrooms before finally taking them to the exam room inside the school building. There was absolutely no sense of atmosphere before the exam. It was only because Ai Yin was highly skilled and bold, and because she was the student council president before, that she didn't show any fear even in the environment. How could an ordinary person dare to leisurely tour the school before the exam?

"The exam lasts 90 minutes. Normally, you're not allowed to hand in your paper early during entrance exams. But since it's just Chihaya today, you can hand it in early if you finish. After that, the headmaster will personally interview you. ... Hmm, it might seem a bit strange, but we won't let anyone with idol potential slip by, so don't worry. Enough with the small talk, it's better to be serious since this is an exam... Well then, let's begin when the minute hand of the clock reaches 6... Hmm... This is the question paper, and this is the answer sheet. Please keep them face down before you begin, as there are essay questions. If you run out of paper, please raise your hand and tell me."

If you've dropped anything on the floor or there are any errors on the question paper, please raise your hand. ...Okay, time's almost up... 3, 2, 1, begin answering the questions.

Ai Yin quickly flipped the two papers over, wrote her name on them, raised an eyebrow slightly, and pondered to herself.

Well, the earlier questions were all ordinary junior high school questions, easy peasy... but many of the later questions were subjective essay questions that felt rather idealistic... Is it really okay to use these as exam questions? Oh well, it's an idol school after all.

Aiyin began to focus, her pen flying across the paper, answering questions with effortless speed.

Chapter 39 Aine is still unaware of her hellish start.

Less than an hour later, Ai Yin finished writing and checked her work once, then raised her hand to indicate that she was handing in her paper early.

After collecting the papers and returning to the podium, Teacher W briefly glanced at them to make sure there were no problems, then carefully placed them into a file folder and sealed it.

"Then, Chihaya-san, come with me. Let's prepare for the interview. Please follow me."

"Ah, yes."

Teacher Gen led Ai Yin upstairs, turning left and right through several corridors, and finally stopped in front of a heavy wooden door.

She smiled and pointed to the lounge next door, saying...

"Chihaya-kun, the headmaster's interview will begin in thirty minutes. I will come and take you in when the time comes. You can rest here for a while. If you need to use the restroom or get a drink, please do so. Don't be nervous."

Ai Yin nodded, bowed slightly in thanks, and then went into the waiting room.

The exam results should be good, and my previous junior high school is willing to recommend me. As long as I perform well in the interview, there shouldn't be any problems. ...I should close my eyes and rest for a while. The most important thing in an interview is to stay calm and not be nervous.

Ai Yin sat on the sofa in the waiting room, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and slowly relaxed. She remained like this until she heard the familiar sound of high heels clicking on the floor again before opening her eyes. At the same time, there was a soft knock on the door.

Teacher W walked in and said gently, "Chihaya-kun, it's time. Please come with me."

Aine stood up, took a deep breath, and followed the teacher toward the principal's office.

"dong dong dong"

Ai-yin gently knocked on the door three times.

"Come in."

Only after hearing the sounds coming from inside did they steadily push open the door.

As he opened the door, he said, "Excuse me."

After entering, she did not immediately turn her back to close the door, but faced the doorway and quietly closed it, making sure there was no unnecessary noise.

Standing in front of the door, looking at the white-haired dean standing in front of his desk, I swallowed hard.

Maintain an upright posture, smile, and say...

Please take good care of me today.

Then he bowed respectfully in greeting.