The Nonfiction That Only You Know

Chapter 2

Original Author: ひのはら (Hinohara)
Date Submitted to Kakuyomu: 2021/06/04

Many people have the image that love is banned for idols.
Love Mill is no exception and their manager often nags them about it.

After the live concert, Chiho thanks the staff for their support and then all the group members gather and return to the dressing room.

Then, all the members except Chiho begin fiddling with their smartphones.

"Ah, it's from Yuu-kun! I won't be coming back today. I just want to make sure we're all on the same page."

The one saying that while smiling happily is Ooi Fuuka, the leader of Love Mill.

Wasn't she dating some guy called Ren-kun last month? Looks like she got a new boyfriend again.

"Can't we do something about the dorms? The manager always has his eye on us and it's annoying."
"I know what you mean! Though I think we just have to put up with it until we're all adults."
"This is way too unreasonable."

With the exception of the leader, Fuuka, the members of Love Mill are all minors.

Since there are members that have moved to Tokyo from the countryside, their agency has told all group members to live together in a dormitory.

For that reason, Chiho also used to live in the same building as them.

"You sure have it nice, Minami."
"I go to a boarding school, so I'm still living in a dorm even now."
"Still, doesn't that model, Uzuki-kun, and that actor, Uesaka-kun, also attend Sakuragawa Academy? If you live in the dorms there, you can invite boys over as much as you like. I'm so jealous."
"The dorms for boys and girls are separate though..."

Wearing a strained smile, Chiho keeps her replies idol-like.

Chiho understands that girls their age are extremely fond of talking about love, but this conversation is getting dangerous.

All the members of Love Mill have boyfriends except for Chiho.

Naturally, that's strictly forbidden due to the love ban, so they do so secretly, avoiding the watchful eyes of their fans, not to mention the adults in their lives.

"Alright, I'm going to go now."
"Bye. You're off tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, it's been a while, so I'm going to take it easy."
"Minami, you sure are popular. Your schedule is way too demanding."

She's making appearances in variety shows and she also gets the occasional acting job thanks to her past as a child actor.

In order to remain the center of the group, she understands that she needs to be more popular than the other members.

That's just all the more reason for her to brace herself and work hard.

Chiho looks listlessly looks out the window of the car as her manager drives.

It has been 15 years since she started performing.
Even though she's already in her second year of high school, she has never had any stories of love.

Of course, Chiho is an idol so she certainly has looks worthy of bragging about.

Boys try to woo her on a daily basis, but she has never been interested.

Putting the fact that she's an idol aside, she has never once had any desire for romance in her entire life.

When the car stops at a traffic light, her manager speaks up.

"Did they end up talking about their boyfriends again?"
"...It doesn't seem like they're all that aware of it."
"Do they have no self-awareness as idols...? They've always been causing trouble for you, Minami..."

In the quiet car, the manager's sigh sounds rather loud.

Unlike Chiho, who was formerly a child actor, the other members of the group went through general auditions when Love Mill was formed.

"...If anything happens, our agency will definitely protect you, Minami, so don't worry."

Pretending not to hear that, Chiho looks out the window again.

Being a member of an idol group means they share joint responsibility. If anything happens with one of them, all the other members will be dragged along as well.

The agency would like to prevent that from happening to her somehow.

Among the members of Love Mill, Chiho is by far the most popular.

Thanks to her wide range of activities, such as acting and variety shows, she has numerous skills in addition to her popularity.

Unlike the other members, Chiho does not have a boyfriend and strictly upholds the rules of being an idol, so she has earned the trust of the staff.

After all, Chiho loves Love Mill.
She takes pride in being an idol and is grateful to her fans from the bottom of her heart.

That is why she aims for greater heights as Isuzu Minami.
For the sake of those who support Isuzu Minami, she must aim higher.

It might be because she has been in the entertainment industry since she was young, but she has a much more hungry personality than others.

That is why she is prepared to make any number of sacrifices needed for that.