The Nonfiction That Only You Know

Chapter 5

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

Her manager had always nagged her that it's strictly forbidden to meet with fans in private.
Ever since her debut, Chiho had been upholding that rule with utmost sincerity.

At the end of that incident, she conversed a bit and parted with Mii so there shouldn't be a problem.

She may have met with a fan, but that fan never realized she was Isuzu Minami.

After Chiho asked why Mii liked Minami, Mii kept on talking about Isuzu Minami's virtues and Chiho couldn't endure it any longer so she left.

Mii's constant praise seemed to tingle the depths of Chiho's chest with vexing feelings.

"Minamin, what's the matter?"

She quickly comes to her senses after hearing the concerned voice of a male fan.
She puts more strength into the hand she's holding and returns a big smile.

"It's nothing?"
"Really? You looked kind of happy."

Was she making that sort of expression?
Acting should be one of her strong points, but maybe she got sloppy.

After telling herself to get it together, she does the bear ears pose that the fan requested and waves her hand to bid farewell to the fan.

Right now, she's in the middle of a handshake event.
Minami has the most popular lane. The line seems endless and fans wait for a long time to enjoy this interaction.

"So tired..."

Handshake events are extremely tiring on the legs. On particularly rough days, even her back ends up hurting.

As an idol, she must not let that show on her face.

After all, her fans came all this way for the sake of meeting Isuzu Minami.

The next person to come to Minami's booth is Saki, wearing a cute miniskirt.

In other words, this is the person who Chiho met a few days ago, Kisaragi Mii.

When meeting Minami, she always dresses cutely and curls her hair neatly.

Her sparing no effort in dressing up to meet Minami has left quite an impression.

"It's been a while. Minami-chan is cute today as well."
"The same goes for you, Saki-chan. This is my first time seeing those earrings. Are they new?"
"Yes. Since I was meeting you, I wanted to show..."
"They look great on you. A perfect match for Saki-chan."

After using her index finger to touch an earring, she can see Mii's blush.

Unlike when Chiho saw her on the roof, she now has a really bashful expression.

Cute and girlish.

She wouldn't get embarrassed like this in front of Chiho.

After seeing off Mii, her thoughts unconsciously flow out of her mouth.

"Wasn't that completely different from when she was in front of me?"

In front of Chiho and in front of Minami.
Even though they're one and the same, Mii has completely different reactions.

She's so talkative in front of Chiho, but when she's in front of Minami, she can barely look her in the eyes.

This difference is somewhat amusing and intriguing.

After her early morning location shooting for a variety show ended, Chiho practiced dancing with the other members of Love Mill in the lesson space.

She returns to her dorm just before 6:00 PM, unable to attend classes.

Normally, she would have gone straight for a bath, but Chiho takes the trouble to change into her school uniform instead.

Of course, classes are already over.
The sun is beginning to set and Chiho is probably the only student changing into her uniform at this hour.

"I wonder if she'll be there today as well."

Somehow, she's getting interested.
In the person known as Kisaragi Mii.

The girl who showed polar opposite reactions in front of her aroused her curiosity.

After opening the rooftop door, Chiho finds her there as expected.
She leans against the wall with her smartphones in her hands.

What exactly is she doing here in the first place?

She said she was doing idol support activities, but couldn't she just do that in her room?
The dorms are within school grounds, so what reason does she have to remain here?

While wondering about that, Chiho rushes over to Mii. Noticing Chiho, Mii's face forms a happy expression.

"Hey there. So you came today too."

As Chiho slowly sits down next to her, the screen of her smartphone comes into view.

Looks like she's doing some online shopping today. The webpage displays a lot of earrings.

"I went to a handshake event last Saturday and Minami-chan complimented me on my earrings. It made me so happy that I'm thinking I should buy some more cute ones."

When she opens her mouth, all she does is talk about Minami.

The shy blush on her cheeks at the handshake event is nowhere to be found.

She can't see this sight of Mii smiling naturally unless she's Chiho.

Suddenly, she starts feeling mischievous.

How would this girl react if she were to meet Isuzu Minami in private?

"Hm? Are you leaving already?"

Nodding at Mii's words, Chiho waves her hand as she leaves the roof.

After descending partway down the stairs and confirming there's no one else around, she slowly removes her mask.

She unties her braids and sweeps the bangs covering her face aside.

After putting them in a high ponytail to adjust the overall balance, she heads up to the roof once again.

Slowly, Chiho approaches Mii.

She must have gotten curious about the sudden newcomer.
Mii looks up and her eyes widen in surprise at seeing Minami.

"..."

She's so startled that she's even holding her mouth shut.

Now then, what is she going to say?
After talking about Minami so affectionately, maybe she'll tell Minami that she loves her directly.

However, as soon as Chiho thought that, Mii quickly leaves the rooftop without a word.

"Eh...?"

The unexpected reaction leaves Chiho dumbfounded.
She expected Mii to call out to her happily or something along those lines.

However, in reality, Mii quickly left as if she had no interest.

"...Why?"

This single question flows out.
Originally, Chiho intended to tease Mii.

So why is Chiho the one getting flustered by Mii's actions?

She had intended to tease Mii, but it is Chiho's heart getting agitated.

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Translator's Notes: The くまさんポーズ (Kuma-san Pose/Bear Pose/Bear Ears Pose) is a pose where someone partially cups their hands and puts them on their head like bear ears. Look up くまさんポーズ if you're really curious.