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

"I am the headmaster of this academy, Juou Kunio. Your grades are excellent; your written test scores alone are probably second or third among the freshmen. Based on that alone, I will not turn you away."

"Thank you so much! But... I heard that you need to pass a dance and singing test to get into this school... but the notice I received didn't mention these tests. Is that alright?"

"It's okay, you have a bright future. Just work hard to become a top idol in this academy!"

"Huh...wait?"

Ai Yin was immediately flustered. She had never seen an interview so hasty; who announces someone's qualification on the spot? Although she was happy to be told she had potential and liked being praised, it was just...

Isn't this a bit too hasty?

"Hehe, the setbacks you'll encounter on the road to becoming an idol will be more numerous than you imagine. You've chosen a much more difficult path. Go for it. Find your future path."

What a strange grandpa... Is this what they call "old age chuunibyou" (adolescent delusions of grandeur)? He must have read too many comics... But it's a good ending nonetheless.

"Thank you for today."

Ai Yin regained her composure, bowed respectfully, and left the room in a proper manner.

A few days later, the enrollment procedures were completed smoothly, and the tuition was quite expensive, around 200 million.

However, compared to the cost of studying abroad, it is only about one-third.

"Wow... that old man must just be looking to make money."

This is Ai Yin's thought after seeing the tuition fees.

"But this school is so free! Not only are there many styles of uniforms, but you can also decide whether to wear them or not. No wonder it's an idol school that pursues individuality to the extreme."

Although Aine also likes to wear fashionable clothes, she still chose to wear the school uniform in order to maintain the beauty of the school uniform.

Class 2, Grade 1 classroom

"My name is Chihaya Aine. Due to family reasons, my enrollment time is a bit unusual. I hope everyone can take good care of me and give me your guidance."

The classrooms at this school are indeed huge; it's the first time I've ever seen classrooms with such wide spacing between desks, and there are only about a dozen students in each class. It's more like a prestigious private school than an idol school.

Sparse applause came from below. It wasn't that Aine was unpopular; it was mainly because the characters in this class were all very individualistic and frail. For example, Szehiro was in this class, and her physical condition prevented her from clapping vigorously, otherwise she might break her own bones.

"Then Chihaya-san, please sit on the left, at the very back, near the middle, by the aisle."

After hearing what the teacher said, Ai Yin walked down from the podium and passed by the seat in front of her.

"Hello, Chihaya-san. Nice to meet you. My name is Kuramoto China, and I'm also a student in the Idol Department this year. (de stockings)"

Since Chuxing Academy has a junior high school section, the value of a degree obtained from junior high school is higher than that obtained from senior high school. To put it another way, undergraduate students from Tsinghua and Peking Universities can discriminate against those who only entered Tsinghua and Peking Universities at the graduate level.

Japan also has serious discrimination regarding the value of academic qualifications in this regard.

The term "Imperial University" refers to the fact that in addition to internal hierarchical discrimination within the former Imperial Universities of Japan, it also discriminated against general national universities. Waseda and Keio University discriminated against other private universities, and other private universities were further divided into different levels and each discriminated against others.

Stockings? ...Could it be the young lady? Would a young lady attend an idol school like this? Wouldn't it be better to go to Tsuki no Mori?

"Well, please give me some advice."

After saying that, he put down his schoolbag and began to pack.

"...Hmm...As expected, the academic subjects are no different from those in regular schools..."

After class, Ai looked at her notes. The content of the lesson wasn't difficult to understand; it was just ordinary math.

Looking at the content alone, it's easy to forget that you're actually attending an idol school.

"Hello, Chihaya-kun~~~"

At this moment, Kuramoto Chika, who was sitting in front, stood up and gracefully stood next to Aine, and spoke.

She really is a young lady from a wealthy family.

"Hello, Kuramoto-kun."

"Would you like to have lunch together? There are two other companions with us."

"Of course, I'd love to. I'm so grateful for your kind words. I was just wondering what I'd do if I were alone in the future~~~."

Aine got off to a smooth start, immediately getting to know a student who seemed like a rich young lady.

………………

Is the result a combination of underachieving students?

After lunch, Aine met two other people, Hiroshi Sawa and Yume Hanami, and learned a shocking truth: this group was for underachieving students. Although Aine had transferred in mid-term, her grades were immediately included in the entrance rankings. She ranked second to last among the freshmen, Hiroshi Sawa was third to last, and the first was the rich girl, Chinatsu Kuramoto, who had greeted her at the beginning. Yume Hanami was even more shocked; she had originally failed the exam, but because someone else went to another school, she was admitted through a make-up selection.

Never counted down!

Aine wasn't prejudiced against underachieving students, nor did she discriminate based on grades. She was simply disappointed in herself, especially after learning the real reason Kuramoto Chinatsu had approached her: she checked the rankings and found someone above her. She felt Aine was her comrade.

Of course, Aine's ranking at the bottom is simply because she didn't take any idol skills-related exams, so her score of 0 is different from theirs.

See you later~~~

Because S Zeguang fainted again, the other two had no choice but to take her to the infirmary, leaving Aine to spend the rest of her lunch break alone.

Ai Yin strolled alone in the courtyard of Chuxing Academy. Sunlight streamed onto the grass, creating a serene and beautiful scene. She was enjoying this brief moment of peace, but her mind was still preoccupied with her unexpected ranking and her lunch experience.

Suddenly, a young man in a suit emerged from the shadows and approached her with a smile. Aine instinctively stopped and looked at the stranger warily.

"Ah... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this is what I do, Tong, this is the pass."

The middle-aged man immediately lowered his head and handed over a business card from the inside pocket of his suit jacket, showing that he had permission.

"...Rainbow Co., Ltd. agent..."

Huh? Could it be a talent scout? I got scouted on my very first day of school? Was what that old man said true? Do I really have talent?

"Hello, I apologize for the sudden call, but we are currently looking for new talent for a large-scale idol project, and I immediately recognized you as the talent we've been searching for. Your appearance, temperament, and unique radiance all perfectly match the criteria we're looking for! You may need some time to consider, but if you're interested, please feel free to contact me."

Aine took the business card and looked at the agency's logo on it.

Should I accept it or not? But I've only been in school for one day and haven't learned any idol skills at all... So should I refuse? Otherwise, I'll embarrass myself.

"Don't worry, we have professional guidance, and the group also has active artists and idol trainees trained by the company, so please don't worry."

"Is this like this..."

“Our contracts will also be submitted to the school for review, so there’s no need to worry about any traps or fraud,”

"Um……"

...It's rare to come to an idol school. If I can sign with an idol group on my very first day, I'm sure I'll be a sensation...I'll agree and see.

"Okay, if there are no problems with the contract... this is a rare opportunity for me to experience it."

"Then, let's get right to it and go to the school's legal department to review our company's contract."

After submitting the contract after leaving the legal department, the young man said goodbye to Ai-yin, parted ways with her, and left the school, heading towards his own company.

"Hello... Ah, is this the producer? You've successfully caught a student from Hatsuhoshi Academy... Hmm, her name seems to be Chihaya Aine, she's quite cute... Strength? How should I know? I'm lucky I managed to trick one."

Most of the students at Chuxing Academy have partnerships with students in their own production department. Signing contracts doesn't actually attract any promising talent; this particular contract seems to have been agreed to because they were new students and didn't understand the situation. ...Producer, are we really going to gamble all our hopes on this idol group? ...I know the company is almost bankrupt, but I mean, maybe we should just sell it...Okay, I respect your opinion. I'm hanging up now."

The young man sighed after hanging up the phone.

"...Sigh, I guess I should find another job soon."

After being discovered by a talent scout, several days passed. During this time, Aine also experienced all of the idol's courses. It has to be said that Aine is indeed a well-rounded student, with the style of the top student in the first year of high school, D-Sea. She quickly mastered the basics and her grades improved rapidly, surpassing the average level early on.

After learning that Aine had even secured a spot in an idol group, she gained attention from some students at school, and her classmates from the underachieving group showered her with praise. Aine thoroughly enjoyed all of this.

The company contract reviewed by the school's legal department was also approved, and there were no traps or misleading clauses in the contract.

The contract was signed in the presence of the school's lawyer.

Then on that day, I was notified to come to the conference room of my entertainment agency.

Ai Yin imitated the behavior she saw in celebrity documentaries on TV, greeting staff members she passed along the way as if she were a real celebrity.

At the same time, I could sense that these people seemed really busy, and everyone seemed flustered.

Wow, these people must be working so hard... I can't choose this kind of job in the future.

Led by the staff member in charge, we were taken to the meeting room door. Upon entering, we saw that other people were already sitting inside, all of them young girls.

Good morning, everyone.

Good morning.

The girl with pink hair, just like Aine, and the girl with light blonde hair whose looks and skin Aine thought were excellent, also politely responded to Aine's greeting.

"...Um...May I ask your name? My name is Maruyama Aya...I haven't seen you at the company before."

"Ah! Hello, I'm Chihaya Aine, I just signed with this agency... I'm a student at Hatsuhoshi Academy."

"Is that the famous idol academy? That's amazing."

"Hmm, it's alright, thank you."

After a brief greeting, the meeting room fell silent again, since everyone was unfamiliar with each other.

Aine couldn't stand it anymore and took the initiative to ask.

"Um... I heard that you're going to join an idol group. Could it be that you guys are the members?"

"Huh?" "Huh?"

The two girls were surprised; in fact, they had only received the news at the last minute to attend the meeting.

Just then, a staff member opened the door and came in.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting. The meeting is about to begin. Is everyone here? Oh wait, it seems we're missing one person?"

Maruyama Ayane, unable to contain her unease and excitement, inquired with the staff.

You didn't tell me to keep it a secret!

Upon hearing what the staff member said, Aine couldn't help but feel a bit sarcastic.

Suddenly, the door opened again, and a blue-haired girl dressed in casual clothes walked in.

"Oh, I came because I heard there was a meeting. Is it not today?"

Everyone present immediately felt that this girl was a bit eccentric and a troublesome character.

“…Miss Bingchuan…you’re late.”

After a few seconds of silence, the staff told her that this was an obvious fact.

The girl surnamed Bingchuan remained completely unconcerned.

"Oh, I see? So that means everyone except me is here, right? Well then, let's start the meeting right away."

Author's Note

Old Bang makes an appearance, but please don't worry about his actual age in the story! Just treat it as a fictional world.

Mygo will appear later. For now, she's being optimized by Aine. Everyone keeps saying they want to optimize Aine, so I'm temporarily optimizing them to stand up for Aine!

Chapter 40 Huh? ? ? Aren't I the lead singer? Everyone else is Maruyama Aya!

"Ahem. Now, allow me to introduce the attendees. First up is Chihaya Aine, who recently joined the agency. Please take good care of her."

Upon hearing the staff call her name, Ai Yin immediately stood up.

Please give me your guidance~~~

At the same time, shake both hands.

Others had their own unique responses.

"Next up is Shirahisa Chisato. Most people here should know that she is an artist who has been active as a child star since she was a child.

Please give me your guidance.

The light blonde girl stood up, giving off a very gentle and polite impression. She placed her hands together in front of her chest and bowed to everyone present.

After that, the staff simply introduced the pink-haired Maruyama Aya and Hikawa Hina separately, then paused.

"I've gathered you all here today to announce something. I want you all to debut as rookie idols."

Aine's spoilers meant that the others weren't overly surprised, but Maruyama Aya was still very excited.

This is my third year as an idol trainee. If I don't debut this year, I'll have to graduate from the trainee program. I never expected that the opportunity would finally come to me.

"Maruyama-kun, as a trainee who has been working in our company for a long time, please make good use of your previous experience and work hard."

"And Shirahime-kun, as an artist with a long career in acting, having participated in TV dramas and movies since childhood, you must have a lot of experience. Please take care of the other members of the group. ... Chihaya-kun has already finished her introduction. Hikawa-kun, could you please give a brief self-introduction?"