radicalducati Chapter 28 Fireworks
Chapter 28 Fireworks
"So you're just going to let her go like that?"
Lily had barely left the office when a new customer immediately took her empty seat. Looking at Guan Meiren's憨憨 (simple and honest) smiling face, Rito's irritation from the previous incident improved considerably. She smiled and sighed:
"It's not exactly letting her off the hook. At least she'll have to stay in the third row until the end of this year, which is a pretty heavy punishment for her. After all, when it comes to popularity, several people in the front row can't even compare to her."
"Indeed, but she deserves it. I thought you were going to sideline her."
Yumiko wholeheartedly agreed and relaxed considerably. In her view, this punishment was already an act of leniency. Her initial thought of pleading for Yuri's mother vanished instantly, and she continued to ask:
"What about Changbin? Should her subsequent actions of instigating the conflict be dealt with?"
He gave her a deep look, then shook his head wearily.
"I've done so much for them, I hope they can tolerate my little bit of willfulness. Needless to say, there's no need to talk about Neru."
"I'm afraid that if you continue to indulge her like this, you'll eventually find yourself unable to tolerate her willfulness."
Yumiko knew that he had a high opinion of Nagahama, and his feelings for him were somewhere between admiration and liking. Everyone in the company knew this, so no one dared to talk to him about it. Only she, who was also from a wealthy family, spoke up out of a sense of duty as a friend.
"Don't underestimate Neru, she's not that stupid."
Rito smiled, unwilling to discuss the topic further, and quickly steered the conversation elsewhere. Seeing this, Yumiko also tactfully refrained from bringing it up again, and instead started talking about some trivial matters.
Two weeks later, Nogizaka46's official website announced that Nagahama Naru was unwell and would be absent from the second single's promotional performances, with Inoue Kazuma filling in for her in the center position.
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In the blink of an eye, the summer of 2011 is about to pass. The little tree of Nogizaka46 planted in the spring has made great progress in popularity after the settling of the first and second singles. Especially in the otaku community, their names have begun to circulate.
Although Nogizaka46's rise to fame was limited by the channels of dissemination, it was not as fast as the rise of idol groups in later years. However, the news that such a large female idol group, which was more in line with the Japanese baby's physique, had suddenly emerged had basically spread far and wide. Next, it was time for Nogizaka46 to do its best to turn this impression into reality.
While the members were united and striving to showcase themselves in every hard-won opportunity, what was their CEO doing?
"Yumiko, over here!"
On the last weekend of August, the air at Disneyland still held the last vestiges of summer's heat. Rito stood at the ticket gate, watching the girl skipping and hopping towards him in the distance, and waved vigorously.
Yumiko Seki was wearing a pale yellow sundress and a fluffy Donald Duck hat, holding two ice creams she had just bought. When she reached Rito, she was slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed a delicate pink from the sun. She handed him one of the chocolate ice creams, saying, "Kubo-kun, you're three minutes late."
"I got held up a bit when I was leaving the company." Rito took the ice cream, her gaze falling on the hat on Rito's head that looked obviously hot. She couldn't help but rub her forehead. "Aren't you hot wearing that?"
"Just bought it, wanted to see how it works." Yumiko stuck out her tongue, stuffed the hat into her bag, and pulled him into the park. "You didn't stay up all night this time, right? Don't say you can't do it."
Rito followed closely behind her. It had been a long time since her last visit to Disneyland, and Yumiko's internship was about to end. Tomorrow, she would fly back to Fukuoka to continue her studies. As for whether she would come back, it would depend on whether she could convince her family—although Rito knew she had done it before, and the Seki family didn't really need her to take over the family business, the overall environment had changed so much that it was still hard to say what the outcome would be.
Because she wouldn't be able to come for a while, Yumiko went on a crazy adventure this time. The two of them played from morning until sunset, from the thrilling Space Mountain to the dreamy Winnie the Pooh Honey Pot House. Rito also showed his willingness to go to great lengths to accompany Yumiko, riding the roller coaster he hated the most three times. When they finally got off, his legs were shaking, and he was severely ridiculed by the president.
As the sun set, they arrived at the square in front of the castle. Half an hour before the fireworks display, the square was already packed with people. Yumiko pulled Rito to a relatively close spot, then suddenly pointed to a figure in the distance and softly exclaimed, "Eh!"
"Rito, look at that girl, she's so pretty."
Rito looked in the direction she was pointing and burst out laughing.
The girl stood at the edge of the crowd, wearing a simple white cotton dress, her long, black hair cascading over her shoulders, clutching a crumpled park map in her hand. The golden rays of the setting sun bathed her in light, outlining her slender figure; her skin was almost translucent white. She frowned slightly, gazing up at the castle before her, her eyes filled with a hint of bewilderment and helplessness, standing out starkly from the bustling crowd around her.
Oh my, isn't this Lao Bai?
Rito's lips curled into a smile as she recognized the other person as none other than Nogizaka's face—Mai Shiraishi. In the original timeline, she was supposed to be studying at a music academy, then participating in the Nogizaka auditions on the recommendation of her teacher, and subsequently successfully joining. She wondered if this was the case in this world as well.
"What, do you know her?" Yumiko noticed his odd behavior and tugged at his sleeve in confusion.
"I don't know her, let's go." Rito shook his head, showing no intention of communicating with Shirama beforehand. Yumiko was a little suspicious, but didn't say anything. She glanced at the girl in the distance and followed him.
It got dark quickly. Li Ren and the president were standing peacefully in an open space when suddenly a crowd surged towards them like a tide.
"Seriously, where did all these people come from?"
The fireworks display was about to begin, and tourists who were originally scattered throughout the park all gathered towards the castle square. Rito had always disliked this kind of crowded atmosphere, so he couldn't help but complain.
"After all, it's Disney."
Yumiko had anticipated this; there would indeed be more people coming to play in the summer. She glanced around, then suddenly stood on tiptoe and whispered in Rito's ear, "Take good care of me, Kubo-kun."
"Hi, Your Highness."
Fireworks soared into the sky, accompanied by a cacophony of voices, pushing the atmosphere of the entire Disneyland to its climax. Mai Shiraishi, who had taken time out of school to come here to play, cheered excitedly. She subconsciously wanted to pat the shoulder of the classmate next to her to share, but instead, she slapped a warm shoulder firmly on her wrist.