Childhood Friends Became Popular Idols ~The Sweet Girls Are Supporting Me~
幼馴染たちが人気アイドルになった～甘々な彼女たちは俺に貢いでくれている～
Osananajimi-tachi ga Ninki Idol ni Natta ~Amaamana Kanojotachi wa Ore ni Mitsuide Kurete iru~
Src: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n0027hu/23/
23 - Ijuuin Reika's Melancholy
[Ijuuin's PoV]
Several days had passed since the photo shoot, and April was drawing to a close.
With Golden Week just around the corner, most of the students attending the school were already starting to get excited.
Some were chatting with friends, discussing what they’d do over the break, while others were elated after successfully making plans for a date with their crush.
Everyone has their own way of thinking, but few people would be unhappy about a holiday.
For students involved in club activities, it was a chance to focus on their passions without being bound by classes—a time they eagerly looked forward to.
Even those without any particular plans found joy in simply not having to attend school during the extended break.
People’s feelings and thoughts vary greatly.
Even though they belong to the same school community, that doesn’t mean everyone is facing the same direction—and that’s perfectly natural and entirely valid.
However, if you asked the students of Narukami Private Academy what they were looking forward to most during Golden Week, the majority would likely give the same answer:
―――The DimenS Mini Live Concert.
To coincide with the release of their first album, a release event had already been announced—set to take place at the plaza of a shopping mall near the academy.
Naturally, word had spread among the students, and many were fired up to attend.
In particular, the students of Class 2-D—home to the two co-centers of DimenS, Takanashi Setsuna and Tsukishiro Arisa—had almost unanimously declared their intent to show up and cheer.
The class group chat buzzed with constant chatter each night, proof of their high spirits and excitement.
And now, the person at the heart of the cause behind all that excitement—Ijuuin Reika—was slumped over, head in her hands, as she spread the cosplay photos of Setsuna and Arisa out across her desk.
"How did it come to this…"
Her muttering was laced with despair.
She was in her private room at the Ijuuin family estate in Tokyo.
Having locked herself in her room as soon as she returned home, Reika was currently alone.
Lavish interior decor, fine furniture, and ornaments crafted by master artisans—her room was the very picture of luxury. Under normal circumstances, it would be the kind of space where one might sip tea with classical music in the background, savoring peace and elegance.
But instead, her room was filled with idol music playing at full blast.
Posters of Dimension Stars! lined every inch of the walls, completely disrupting the aesthetic. Yet Reika didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered. More importantly, she wasn’t in the right state of mind to care.
"My Dimension Stars!... My goddesses of destiny... actually allowed that man to take these perfect, no, these shameless photos of them…!"
Maid outfits, waitresses, Chinese dresses, cheerleaders. Mini-skirted Santas and shrine maidens. The two idols dressed in an array of cosplay costumes.
Laid out across her desk, the photos showed them with various expressions, each one carefully posed to match the scenes requested by her classmates.
When she first received the photos, Reika had been overjoyed, just like the others.
But as she studied their expressions more closely, she noticed something. A subtle but undeniable difference—something only a devoted fan like Reika, who owned every piece of DimenS merchandise, could detect.
The emotions directed at the photographer in these pictures… were not the same as what she saw in the posters plastered on her wall.
"The photos themselves are incredible, but knowing those expressions were aimed at Kuzuhara Kazuma… It’s enough to make my brain explode..."
And that wasn’t even the worst of it. Reika had another cause for her mounting headache.
"And that guy… he even laid his hands on Himeno!"
The way Himeno had acted when she came home from the shoot that day had been undeniably strange.
Her face was flushed, as if feverish, and she seemed totally spaced out—barely responsive to anything Reika said.
No matter how many times she pressed for answers, Himeno was vague and unhelpful. Until, at last, she murmured:
"I met my destined master."
At first, Reika thought she was joking. But the faint blush on Himeno’s usually emotionless face made it clear. She meant every word.
They’d grown up together. Reika had always seen Himeno as someone close to a best friend. To hear her say such a thing… it was impossible to describe the mix of feelings that stirred within her.
"Just what kind of tricks did he use… to win her over like that?! Why… why did it have to turn out this way…"
She had sent Himeno to keep an eye on the guy, afraid he might try something with the DimenS girls.
But, that had turned out to be a mistake.
If she had known things would turn out like this, she should have gone herself. But it’s too late for regrets now—the damage is already done.
"I just wanted to be by their side, that’s all..."
Even if there was a reason—like not being confident she could keep her composure after seeing her beloved goddesses in cosplay up close—it didn’t change the fact that things had now spiraled into an irreversible situation.
Grinding her teeth in frustration, Ijuuin spat out the name of her nemesis.
"Unforgivable... Kuzuhara Kazuma!"
Kuzuhara Kazuma. That guy wasn’t just going after her goddesses—he was even doing that to her best friend. He was the lowest of the low, scum among scum.
Even if the heavens forgave him, she never would. Absolutely never.
That was her vow—but then, what exactly could she do?
"I could ask Kuroiso to deal with him… No, that won’t work. This is Kuzuhara Kazuma we’re talking about. He’ll definitely run crying to Setsuna-sama and Arisa-sama. If that happens, my image will only worsen..."
That would be unacceptable. Even now, her words weren’t reaching them.
Ever since the transfer, she had been taking every opportunity to expose what a terrible person he was—but there had been no sign it was working.
In fact, Ijuuin had begun to realize that the two were starting to look at her with a mix of disappointment and exasperation.
(Is it just the difference in time they’ve spent together? I’ve already looked into it—they’re childhood friends... But, ugh, he really is endlessly troublesome!)
She clenched her teeth in frustration.
As a daughter of a powerful conglomerate and someone trained in the ways of leadership, she understood how crucial trust was. But she had never faced an opponent who had already earned that trust.
She had to admit that, as a high school student, she still lacked the experience. But how could she separate those two from that savage?
The truth was, she had completely no idea how to do. And that fact was eating away at her.
(With things the way they are, even if I asked Himeno for advice, it would probably be useless...)
Normally, Himeno would be the first person she turned to. But she had already been won over by Kuzuhara Kazuma.
Asking her about anything related to that savage would likely be pointless. Worse, she might even leak information to him behind her back.
She wanted to believe that wouldn't happen, but when it came to something this important, she couldn’t afford to take that chance.
"Ugh, seriously! What am I supposed to do?!"
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
Meeting Dimension Stars!—that encounter was supposed to be her destiny. She had believed in it without a shadow of doubt.
Her emotions had surged to the point where she transferred schools just to be near them.
She had believed with all her heart that the future would be something wonderful. And now, the shock of everything falling apart was indescribable.
As she felt the future she had envisioned come crashing down, Ijuuin reached a single, grim conclusion:
Kuzuhara Kazuma must be removed—no matter what.
That savage was a cancer threatening both her desirable future and the future of Dimension Stars!.
That piece of trash had no right to be near her goddesses.
She reaffirmed her resolve—but again, the question remained,
How?
“If only there were a good solution… Ugh, if this could just be solved with money, then maybe something quick and easy…”
She trailed off—and then, Ijuuin suddenly froze as a memory surfaced.
―――“Make sure to take care of me for life and support me, okay? If it comes to a situation where I have to work, even if we're childhood friends, I won't do it, okay?”
Those were the words Kuzuhara Kazuma had said to Setsuna on the very first day she transferred.
Even remembering it now, it was an unbelievably scummy thing to say—but Ijuuin also recalled him saying something similar to Arisa.
“Support… In other words, that guy needs money, doesn’t he?”
If that was the case, then maybe—just maybe—there was a quick and easy way to solve this.
“If I give him just enough money—nothing more, nothing less—and make it a severance payment… Couldn’t I use that to free Setsuna-sama and Arisa-sama?”
There was a chance it could work.
Solving problems with money—a common tactic in the adult world. In fact, the Ijuuin family had used that exact method many times before to quietly resolve scandals before they went public.
Ijuuin had once despised such underhanded tactics and believed she’d never have cause to use them as she was still young. But if this could tear that savage away from the goddesses…
Then it would be a small price to pay.
Her pride, versus the future of that no-good savage.
Weighing the two on a scale, she didn’t hesitate for even a moment.
“This is a necessary evil.”
Yes—solving it with money.
An option completely out of reach for the average high schooler. Even if they thought of it, they couldn’t act on it.
After all, the amount of money a student could realistically offer was severely limited. Normally, this would be dismissed as impossible.
But not for her—for Ijuuin Reika.
She had the means. As the daughter of a powerful conglomerate, she had access to vast sums of money.
In fact, she was the only one who could carry out such a plan.
If that was the case, then she had no choice but to do it.
Because 'only she' could save them.
"Just you wait, Kuzuhara Kazuma. I will protect Dimension Stars...!"
Even if it meant dirtying her hands, she had resolved in her heart that she would protect her most precious treasures.
She stood up with determination, clapped her hands, and almost immediately, there was a knock on the door.
"Milady, did you call for me?"
"Yes, Kuroiso. There’s something I need you to prepare. In cash… Let’s see—one hundred million yen. Have it ready."
"One hundred million, Milady?"
"Don’t ask why. Time is of the essence. I need it by tomorrow. And don’t breathe a word of this to Himeno. Understood?"
"Yes, Milady. As you wish."
With a bow, the man in black quietly left the room.
Watching him go, Ijuuin sat back down in her chair.
For a high school student, one hundred million yen was an absurd amount of money.
Most people would be dazzled if such a sum was placed before them. Ijuuin was certain that anyone would take the money without hesitation.
Especially him, who was practically the embodiment of materialistic greed..
"Phew..."
She let out a breath and turned her gaze to the photos on her desk.
As she smiled, overwhelmed by how precious they were to her, it felt as though the girls in the picture were smiling back at her.
"I swear, I will save you two… no matter what."
All for the sake of the goddesses of destiny.
With that unwavering resolve, the night quietly wore on.
~"(This is a Translation Content of pemudatunawisata[dot]my[dot]id. so, read only on there, kay~)"~
[End of Chapter]
Cya~!
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