The Nonfiction That Only You Know

Chapter 39

Original Author: ひのはら (Hinohara)
Date Submitted to Kakuyomu: 2021/06/30

After announcing her graduation, Minami seemed to grow prettier by the day.
She must have been tense as the face of the group until now. With that weight off her shoulders, she has become more lively.

From the perspective of Mii, who supported her, it truly is ironic that Minami is the most beautiful just before she leaves the stage.

Mii watches from the audience seats as Minami shines on stage.

Minami is wearing a lovely mini dress matching her member color, pink.

Today, she graduates from Love Mill.
After this graduation concert, she will officially no longer be an idol.

"...So cute."

Mii's voice just naturally leaks out.
The Minami that shines on the stage is so fleetingly beautiful.

Some of the people around her sound like they're beginning to cry.
Everyone is thinking the same thing. If it were possible, they would have liked Minami to remain an idol forever.

People who were cheered on by her during hard times. People who received courage from her. People whose hearts were stolen by her cuteness. The people who supported Minami have various emotions, but not a single one of them will try to stop her.

Seeing Minami's smiling face after feeling satisfied with her life as an idol, everyone has made up their mind to support her decision.

The last song is Minami's graduation single.
All the members of Love Mill are crying and desperately trying to sing as their voices trembled.

Mii fruitlessly wishes this moment could go on for eternity, but the song ends with the sound of the accompanying piano.

Mii thought this was when the curtain would lower, but a staff member appears on the stage to hand Minami a piece of paper.

Keeping her eyes glued to Minami, Mii sees her cute smile.

"I wrote a letter for everyone today."

A handwritten letter from Minami shows up on the left screen.

Perhaps her agency arranged for this so no one would miss a single word.

"...I am so happy to see you all here... Holding a graduation concert like this, I am truly..."

Most of the fans in the audience are in tears seeing Minami trying her best to convey her feelings to them even though she's trembling.

Mii is also desperately trying to hold back her tears while looking at Minami's letter on the screen.

"...Eh...?"

She thought it was just her imagination at first, but it was not.

Minami's writing has a few slight characteristics.

Her writing is girly, like how round she writes "す" (su) and "ま" (ma).

Her "つ" (tsu) is smaller than the other characters and the "と" (to) looks much curvier than the standard.

She frequently uses punctuation marks, just like a certain someone.

After that girl disappeared, Mii looked at the notepad she left behind many times.

That is why she remembers even the most trivial characteristics in her writing.

"...Chiho-chan...?"

For a different reason than the other fans, large tears pour out of Mii's eyes. She grips the penlight in her hand even tighter.

She wants to ask, but she has no means to confirm it.
Since the final handshake event is already over, she will never have a second chance to speak with the idol Isuzu Minami again.

If Chiho's true identity is Isuzu Minami, then it all makes sense.

She disappeared shortly after the Love Mill scandal.

The reason she was so stubborn about not revealing her true identity might have been because of how much Mii avoided Minami in private.

After witnessing Mii's cold attitude, there was no way she'd reveal her true face.

"..."

Anzu's words, Minami knowing Mii's real name...

If Chiho's true identity is Isuzu Minami, then everything falls into place.

It's unbelievable, but now that she has reached this point, there's no longer any doubt.

Mii couldn't stop the tears from overflowing.

Are her tears from the sadness of her beloved idol Minami graduating?

Or are they from thinking about Chiho, who she has been in love with for all these years?

Mii isn't sure herself. The one thing she knows for sure is that she can't help but feel a stinging pain from this unbearable love filling her heart.

After the concert, Mii has come to a park near the venue in a daze.
With her eyes bright red and swollen from crying too much, she sits on a bench and thinks about Chiho.

How did Chiho feel?
Remembering her cold attitude when she kept Isuzu Minami at a distance, Mii feels unbearably ashamed of herself.

She kept Minami away in order to avoid confronting her own lack of self-confidence.

Without making any effort to become Minami's equal, she focused on admiring her to escape from her own weakness.

The penlight in Mii's tote bag comes into view.
Since it was made for Minami's graduation concert, the handle is pink to match Minami's member color.

"...Chiho-chan."

Mii truly loves Chiho.
Mii loves how Chiho doesn't hesitate to do the kinds of things that are considered obvious.
Mii loves her altruistic nature and kindness that does not allow her to leave people alone when they're in trouble.

Mii is deeply in love with Chiho's inner self.

That's why Mii can't just leave things like this.
The person she's in love with and the person she admires are one and the same.

She is far too amazing for Mii to stand beside right now.
The woman admired by everyone is in a place that Mii cannot reach easily.

Mii bites down hard on her lower lip.
She will not run away anymore.

Not from herself and not from her dreams.

She's going to stop giving up. She'll do whatever it takes, even if she's sweating blood.

If it's to be by the person she loves, she'll be able to do anything.

She's able to think like this all thanks to her feelings for Chiho.

And also, since she has seen the great efforts of the idol she supported with her own eyes, Mii thinks that this time, she can do her best as well.