Rebuilding Sakamichi in a chaotic worldline

Chapter 18 Bi Tian walks with you

The May wind, carrying the last lingering fragrance of cherry blossoms, blew through the corridors of a high school in Tokyo. The classrooms during lunch break were as chaotic and leisurely as ever, with students, adhering to a philosophy of joyful education, scattered in twos and threes in the corners, chatting casually.

"Did you guys hear it? Nogizaka46's debut song, 'Futari Kiss'?"

As is customary, after complaining a couple of times about the teachers and parents, Ayaka Suzuki, a girl sitting in the front row, shared half of her headphones with her deskmate, her eyes sparkling.

"I've vaguely heard about it, but aren't they said to be really bad? I just remember that the center one was quite pretty." My deskmate wasn't very interested in entertainment, but thanks to the powerful promotional channels of Sony and Dentsu, the melody of the first single started circulating in record stores all over the streets, which unconsciously gave her some impression.

"I still prefer Inoue Kazuya," said Yamamoto Takuya, a boy sitting diagonally behind the two, leaning closer with a newly opened CD in his hand. "She's completely different from the current stars. Her face is stunning. I wonder if she's mixed-race. This exotic beauty is already my number one."

"Pshaw, so what if she's a little better looking?"

A disdainful voice came from the back row of the classroom. It belonged to Kato Ken, the class's sports student. He was 1.8 meters tall and a key player on the basketball team. He usually looked down on so-called idols, thinking they had no talent and only relied on their looks.

"They sing off-key, and their dancing is so weak. Only people like you who've never seen the world would like them." Kato Ken slammed the basketball down on the ground. "Let me tell you, this kind of girl group won't last more than three months. They're definitely even uglier in real life; they're all just fooling people with makeup and photo editing."

"Hey—Kato, you haven't forgotten about the time you went to see the puppet show?" Ayaka Suzuki wasn't annoyed at all, and said with a smile, resting her chin on her hand, "We told you back then, what kind of decent people can perform in a basement like that? This Nogizaka46 is a collaboration between Sony and Dentsu, it's different from the previous ones."

"What's the difference? Japan doesn't have an idol culture." Takeru Kato scoffed. "Besides, so what if it's a big company? Their service is worse than underground idols. You pay money and all you get is a meeting through a glass partition. People who don't know any better would think it's a prison visit."

"Kato, you even know this? I think you're actually interested. Stop pretending~"

"I...I heard it from someone next to me when I went to the record store. Who would bother to know about these things!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Kato Ken, who inadvertently revealed a flaw, argued red-faced, while the others saw through his lie but didn't say anything, chuckling as they did. This attracted even more people to join the discussion, and the name Nogizaka46 began to circulate by word of mouth.

Just then, the classroom loudspeaker suddenly came on, interrupting everyone's argument.

"Attention students, attention students, please assemble in the gymnasium immediately. I repeat, please assemble in the gymnasium immediately, there is an important announcement."

The principal's serious voice came over the loudspeaker, and it didn't sound like he was joking.

"What's wrong?"

"Is it going to be some kind of boring conference again?"

"Ugh, this is so annoying, my lunch break..."

A chorus of groans filled the classroom, but everyone reluctantly stood up and headed towards the gymnasium. Kato Ken walked at the front, muttering, "It's probably the principal going to give a lecture again, spouting nonsense about grades and such."

The gymnasium was packed with people, students from all grades whispering and speculating about what had happened. The principal stood on the stage with a mysterious smile, which only fueled everyone's curiosity.

"Students, please be quiet." The principal picked up the microphone, cleared his throat, and said, "I've gathered you all here today because we have a special guest—no, a group of special guests—coming to our school."

The audience erupted in uproar.

"A special guest? Who is it?"

"Could it be that the girls' school next door is having a social event?"

"You're overthinking it. Those are elite schools; they wouldn't even look at a public school like ours."

Just as everyone was discussing this, the stadium lights suddenly went out. Everyone fell silent, held their breath, and stared at the stage.

A gentle prelude slowly began to play; it was "Two Seasons," a song that had been playing everywhere lately.

The next second, the stage lights suddenly turned on, and a dozen girls in beautiful uniforms appeared on the stage.

At that moment, the entire stadium froze.

Standing at the very center is the definition of beauty—Nari Nagahama, possessing an undeniably beautiful face. To her left is Inoue Kazu, with a slightly darker complexion, wheat-colored skin, deep-set features, and a hint of rebellious ambition in his eyes, following a path different from the orthodox route of Neru.

The other members each possess their own unique beauty: Sakurai Reika's elegance, Takayama Kazumi's gentleness, Wakatsuki Yumi's coolness, Uemura Rina's cuteness... When they stand together, they are like a beautiful sight, illuminating the entire stadium.

As the music began to play, the girls started to dance gracefully. Their slightly awkward dance moves, appearing on campus, actually brought a strange sense of intimacy. The students, who had come to their senses, looked at the stage with envy and burst into thunderous applause and screams.

"neru-chan! Kawai!"

"Nagi, you too Kawai"

"Nogizaka46! Fighting!"

Ayaka Suzuki and Takuya Yamamoto spoke up one after the other, loudly cheering for their favorites. Before, when they saw them on TV and CDs, they only thought they were pretty and wanted to pay a little attention. But seeing them in person was a completely different experience. Their smiles, their eyes, and the vibrant energy they exuded were all captivating.

Just then, the two heard a familiar voice, a voice louder than anyone else's.

"Ayame, fighting!"

"Isn't that Ken Kato's voice?" Ayaka Suzuki chuckled, and Takuya Yamamoto couldn't help but laugh along. However, since he and Ken Kato were on good terms, he subconsciously explained for him, "It's only natural to like Nogizaka46; it's understandable."

Ayaka Suzuki smiled, not mocking Ken Kato's fickleness. As a fan of a newly formed group, now was the most motivating time to promote it. She looked around at the others and found that they were also staring intently at the stage, their eyes deeply attracted by the performers. Suddenly, a burning fighting spirit ignited in her heart.

"I want more people to know the name Nogizaka46, Yamamoto, what about you?" She clenched her fist, looked at the self-soothing girl in the center of the stage, and suddenly spoke.

Yamamoto Takuya paused slightly, then nodded vigorously: "That is indeed my wish, I dare not ask."