blueteamnovel Chapter 22 Rain of Wheel Symbols
Chapter 22 Rain of Wheel Symbols
The arrival of the young lady did not have a significant impact on the newly established Nogizaka46. After all, it was a new company, and personnel changes were common. The girls were used to it. Only the clever Hydre seemed to have noticed something and pestered Rito for a few more questions, but he brushed them off.
Two days later, the sales figures for the first order were tallied, and the final number was 30,000. Of course, it was impossible to break even, since Sony and Dentsu had paid a considerable price to promote Nogizaka46. However, this was an initial investment, which everyone could understand. For Nogizaka46, a fledgling large girl group, this number had basically reached the initial goal set at the beginning of the operation. At least it was not a complete failure, and there was hope for continued operation.
"Of course, don't say that to the members. In the early stages of the group's formation, put more pressure on them."
Rito smiled and put the documents aside, then spoke to Konno, who was sitting opposite him giving a report.
"Understood, I'll go and increase the intensity for them in a bit."
The old thief has now accepted his role as the good cop, and he's quite adept at it, showing no resistance whatsoever.
"Well, but don't go too far, after all, they're just young girls."
After hesitating for a few seconds, Rito suddenly frowned and added a sentence. Konno chuckled inwardly and nodded knowingly.
"Is there anything else?"
After finishing his explanation, Rito thought Konno was about to leave, but he remained seated and showed no intention of standing up. Rito was puzzled and asked casually.
"It's about Nishino Nanase. President, didn't you ask me to send someone to Osaka to give her lessons? Recently..."
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Rewind to three days ago, in Osaka, located in western Japan, the rainy season always arrives earlier than in Tokyo.
A light drizzle tapped against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the dance studio, leaving winding streaks on the glass. Nishino Nanase, gripping the barre, gasped for breath, her bangs soaked with sweat and clinging to her pale forehead. Her slender figure was reflected in the mirror; her black training uniform was already drenched in sweat, and her knees were still stained with dust from her fall.
"Nishino, that's enough for today." The teacher sent by the company packed up the sheet music and sighed helplessly. "Practice is good, but over-practicing is not. Some things can't be accomplished just by hard work."
"I want to practice again, teacher." Nanasai looked up, her eyes bloodshot, her voice hoarse. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of it."
Seeing her stubborn look, the teacher shook her head and said nothing more. It was certainly a good thing that the group was on the right track, but for Nana Sai, who was detached from the group, the sense of urgency and anxiety was suffocating her. For the past month, she had been living in the dance studio after class, practicing until very late every day, forcing herself not to think in an almost self-destructive way.
Before the teacher could respond, Nana pressed play again and, listening to the melody of the first single, clumsily began practicing the dance.
She remembered what Rihito had told her on the day of the audition: "Although the other judges think you're not good enough, I don't think so. The talent of an idol is different from singing and dancing."
But now, she can't even do the most basic singing and dancing.
Her teammates were already in the spotlight, with their own fans, while she could only practice again and again in a small dance studio in Osaka, facing an empty mirror.
"I also want to stand on the stage with everyone," Nishino murmured to himself, clenching his fist.
The teacher watched from afar and sighed. She understood the girl's persistence, but she had to admit that Nana Sai was truly the least talented girl she had ever seen. No matter how many times she practiced, her old problems of singing off-key and dancing incorrectly showed no signs of improvement. If she hadn't been the one who knew best how much effort Nana Sai had put in over the past few days, she would have suspected that the other girl hadn't put any thought into it at all.
After practicing for several more days, Nana's seventeen-year-old body finally reached its limit. After countless rounds of dance practice, she finally collapsed from the strain. Her teacher quickly took her to the hospital and reported everything to her boss, Yoshio Konno, hoping to suspend practice for a while.
"Really? I understand." After hearing the old thief's account, Rito lowered his eyes and remained calm, asking him to send the teacher's number to his phone.
Three days later, Rito arrived in Osaka. Downstairs in the dance studio that had become Nanase's private studio, she resumed her practice immediately after a short rest, according to the teacher's information.
The rain was still falling, and night had already enveloped the entire city. The lights in the dance studio were still on, and through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he saw that clumsy figure.
Nishino Nanase was standing in front of the mirror, practicing her dance moves over and over again. Her legs were wrapped in medical bandages, and her brows would furrow involuntarily with each jump, but she showed no sign of stopping.
Sweat dripped from her chin, spreading into a small puddle on the floor. She was dancing so intently and absorbedly that she was completely oblivious to the people outside the window.
Rito stood in the rain, holding a black umbrella, quietly watching her, but his attention was not on her at all.
In his consciousness space, he had accumulated twenty-five draws of mission rewards. Rito originally planned to use them all before the next selection, but at this moment, he suddenly found a reason why he had to use them.
"Fine, I'm not going to be a snipe anymore, I'll just smoke when I feel like it."
Rito said to himself, then clicked the confirm button. Twenty-five gashapon machines lit up at the same time, shining brightly in his mind.
"Mai Fukagawa, Misa Eto, Akane Moriya, Rika Watanabe, it feels like this time the draw is all for older women."
After reviewing the members he had drawn, Rito didn't pay much attention and put it aside. Instead, he found the skill points he wanted most and added them to Nanase without hesitation, raising both singing and dancing to level 3.
Just then, Nishino completed her final spin and stopped. She looked up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and glanced unintentionally out the window.
The sight outside the window made her suddenly freeze, thinking she was hallucinating, and she blinked hard.
The drizzle continued unabated, and the overcast sky divided the world into a gray and white boundary. Kubo Rito stood in the rain, an umbrella unable to shield him from the slanting raindrops. His black shirt clung tightly to his body, and his wet hair clung to his forehead.
At that very moment, Nishino suddenly sensed that something was different.
Those movements she couldn't master no matter how hard she practiced, those melodies she couldn't sing correctly, suddenly became clear. Her body seemed to have its own memory; every joint became incredibly flexible, and every note could be accurately placed.
She subconsciously opened her mouth and softly hummed the melody of "Two Seasons".