My Third Life Is in the Future World! After Being Betrayed and Losing His Memory, the Former Hero Begins Sweet School Days in a World with a 1:50 Male-to-Female Ratio - 42-43

Chapter 42: The Truth About Idols

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When I returned to my room, I immediately got a call from Yoko. Apparently, she wanted to check whether I had arrived safely, and perhaps because she was feeling a little reluctant to part, she said she wanted to talk for a bit.

Since there were things I was curious about, we chatted for a while, and then… The meaning of “idol” was quite different from the one I knew.

In this era, unlike in mine, idol apparently meant “the activity of searching for love.” Furthermore, doru(ドル) was said to represent money. What did that mean? In short, Yoko and the others sang songs and worked hard at dramas because “they wanted men.”

They paid money to their agencies to “promote themselves.” Instead of receiving money, they paid it. Through the agency’s influence, they increased their exposure via television and mass media.

By doing that, they caught the attention of men who tended to stay shut in at home. As a result, if they were lucky, they could get acquainted with men. That seemed to be the system of idol in this world.

Idols apparently had to pay their agencies at least some money to appear in dramas or release CDs. It felt extremely harsh and unforgiving, but that was the reality of female idols.

On the other hand, male idols were said to be even more unattainable than before. Yoko had been saving up money from her part-time jobs, investing it carefully, and then putting all of it into her idol activities. But up until now, she hadn’t had any encounters.

Now her funds were running dry, and since she no longer had the money to continue idol activities, she said she was thinking of retiring. Hearing that made me sad.

After all, in my era, idols were the ultimate unattainable flowers. There had been so many men who would do anything just for the chance to date their favorite idol. I still didn’t know much about this era, but at the very least, I wanted to be a kind man. That was what I thought.

“So then, you don’t have any money left, do you? Are you going to be okay?”

『I’m totally fine! Idol activities just cost a ridiculous amount, so I was only short on cash because of that. Once I quit idol activities, I can make several million yen a month… Oh right, Ceres-kun, is there something you want…』

Ding-dong.

“Sorry, looks like someone’s here. Coming!”

“Delivery for you.”

While I was talking with Yoko, a package arrived. The sender was Yoko. The label said “costume.” Come to think of it, she had mentioned she’d send me some outfits.

“Thank you very much.”

I signed for it and the deliveryman left.

『Ceres-kun, what happened?』

“Yeah, the costume just arrived. Thanks.”

No matter how you looked at it, idol costumes seemed really expensive.

『You’re welcome.』

After that, we chatted a little more and then ended the call.

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Since I had received it, I cleaned out my closet and hung the uniform inside. Honestly, I wanted to display it in my room, but when I thought about it carefully, I realized girls often came into this room. It would be embarrassing if they were to saw the costume.

As an extra touch, I stuck up some of the tamer photos we had taken recently on the inside of the closet door. Somehow, the room started to feel a little closer to my old one. 

Well, that’s about it.

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Chapter 43: Side Story: Not Retirement, but Graduation

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The day after I had spent a dreamlike time with Ceres-kun, I declared to my manager that I was leaving the entertainment industry. And today, I had come to the theater-office to give my farewells…

“Manager, huh? Wait—why is everyone here?”

All of the SEKK members were gathered.

“Hoshino-san, I’m glad you were able to enjoy yourself at the end. Honestly, it must have been tough for a normal girl to keep up with idol activities for three years. You really worked hard… I’m sure you’ll find a good encounter somewhere else. Do your best even after retirement,  okay?”

“So Hoshino-san is really retiring… That’s going to feel lonely.”

“True. For an ordinary girl like Yoko-chan, keeping up with activity costs—600,000 yen a month—must have been rough. You really did well until now.”

“You worked so hard with part-time jobs and investments. Mm, I won’t forget you.”

“Well, I suppose it’s fine if you get to have at least a little fun at the very end… Though it does feel a bit too lucky.”

“But isn’t it better this way for Yoko-chan? If idol work had only been suffering, that would’ve been too sad. Goodbye, Yoko-chan.”

“”””””””””Hoshino-san (Senpai) (chan), even after you retire, please keep doing your best!””””””””””

“Eh? Me? I’m not retiring.”

“But didn’t you say you couldn’t keep up with the money anymore? Are you sure you’ll be okay? Ah, I see—since there’s still a week left on your contract, you’re just hanging on until the end, right? That’s fine too.”

“That’s not it… I’m graduating! Graduating! Ceres-kun chose me as his partner!”

“G-g-g-graduating!? Amazing, finally—for the first time, we have a graduate from SEKK64! Congratulations, Yoko-san!”

The manager’s eyes filled with tears. Right, there had never been a graduate from SEKK before.

“Thank you so much, Manager!”

“”””””””””No way! It’s not retirement but graduation!?””””””””””

“That’s right. Since I became his partner, it’s graduation, isn’t it? Oh, and would you believe it?! Despite his looks, he’s really intense! We burned up together in LR, and I even graduated from being a virgin. We talked on the phone yesterday too. From here on, I’m really looking forward to my life with him… Everyone, keep working hard as idols! I’ll be cheering you on!”

“Grrrrr… Hoshino-san, just disappear already!”

“If she graduated from being a virgin, then he’s definitely B-rank, maybe even close to A… Yoko, you’re a winner. As if I could wish you happiness! Idiot! Just die already!”

“Not fair, not fair, not fair! I’ve poured almost a hundred million yen into this already, and yet—ugh, ugh, ugh!”

“Alright, alright. Everyone, you understand now, right? The reason you can’t graduate isn’t because of the company or SEKK. If you truly work hard at idol activities, you can graduate properly. Let’s all do our best like Hoshino-san! Congratulations, Hoshino-san!”

“Thank you, Manager. Everyone, I’ll never forget you all in SEKK! Take care!”

“Your number, #3, will be permanently retired! Congratulations, Hoshino-san!”

“Yeah! Goodbye, everyone!”

And like that, I graduated from SEKK. Since everyone was glaring at me with such scary faces… I made a quick escape.

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Hoshino-san was amazing. She even made the front page of the newspaper. But… All the headlines in the papers and magazines read, “Yoko Hoshino Finally Graduates as an Idol.” And yet, not one of them expressed any regret over her entertainment career.

Since it also said, “Her partner is a young, beautiful boy,” every reaction and comment was only, “I’m so jealous.” That was it. Well then… Thanks to her, we had gotten a flood of new trainees. Time to focus on business again.

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