"Wow, that was amazing!"

"Yeah, it was way more fun than I expected! That feeling of the whole audience and the performers coming together as one is incredible!"

"Surprisingly, there were a lot of female fans too. This was my first live concert, but I really enjoyed it!"

"I'm glad you had fun, Kawabata. Yeah, I noticed quite a few women in the audience too."

"For famous male groups, the gender ratio is the exact opposite, you know. These days, female fans are a dominating force!"

Now that I think about it, my mom's friend is super into a K-pop group. She's so dedicated she even flies overseas to see their live shows.

"I never imagined I’d get to see Yukari-san live… Thank you so much for inviting me, Tachihara!"

Iijima seemed genuinely moved just to be at the concert. Maybe it was his first time seeing his favorite idol live, and it hit him on a deeper level.

"No problem. Actually, I noticed plenty of larger people in the crowd too. I think you could easily come alone next time."

"Yeah, for a seated concert like this, it might be fine. But for standing-room concerts, I think I’d end up inconveniencing others, so I'll probably avoid those."

Still so modest.

"Are you planning to check out the merch booth and the photo session after this?"

"Uh... I think I'll pass for today."

"Yeah, I'll skip it this time too."

"I’m good as well."

Iijima planned to visit the backstage lounge afterward to apologize to Sayama. It’d probably be awkward for him to take part in the photo session right before that. Personally, the idea of taking a photo with an idol is very tempting, but I’ll stick with him this time.

Kawabata, as Yukari's friend, can probably take photos with her anytime she wants anyway.

"I think I’ll take a look."

"Me too."

Abe and Watanabe decided to go. Buying merch and taking photos must feel like a way to show support for the group. Next time I come, I'll probably join in. The idea of getting a two-shot with a cute idol I know is simply too good to pass up.

"Wow, that was awesome! I ended up buying so much stuff!"

"Right? Even when you don’t plan on it, you just keep adding things to your cart!"

When Abe and Watanabe returned, their hands were full of items like fans and towels. They clearly had a great time.

"Shall we grab a quick bite before heading to the lounge?"

"No way, we’re actually going to the backstage lounge? This is unbelievable!"

"Heh, just don’t get too carried away, okay?"

"Y-yes, Kawabata-san! I promise, I’ll be on my best behavior as a fan!"

We had already gotten permission from Sayama for the five of us to visit the backstage lounge. Initially, it was supposed to be just me, Iijima, and Kawabata, but Abe and Watanabe begged to join. When I asked Sayama just in case, she surprisingly agreed.

Visiting an idol’s backstage lounge is the kind of thing that never happens, so I understand their excitement.

After grabbing burgers at a fast-food place, we made our way to the lounge. Iijima, being a working adult, generously covered everyone’s meal. For high schoolers like us, even fast food can feel a bit pricey, so we were very grateful. Everyone made sure to thank him properly.

"Hello. I’m Kawabata, a friend of Yukari Sayama."

"Oh, yes, I’ve heard about you. Five of you, right? Please, come in."

After confirming with security, we were let into the lounge. Everything seemed to be in order.

Inside, the idols had already returned and were either chatting in groups or speaking with what looked like some important people.

"Nozomi~ Over here!"

There she was—Sayama Yukari. She was still wearing the adorable outfit she had on during the performance. Thinking about it, it’s pretty amazing to be able to talk to someone who was just performing on stage moments ago.

"Aniki!"

"Whoa, wait—Mogi-san?!"

Suddenly, Mogi latched onto my leg from behind. My danger-detection skill didn’t go off, so I guess she didn’t mean any harm.

"Why did you block my number?!"

"Well, because it’s a bit much when you message me every single day! Please, let go! People are staring!"

Since I gave him my contact information, he’d been messaging me non-stop, asking about my martial arts training, my techniques, and what I focus on to improve.

While I was impressed by her dedication to martial arts, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. I honestly told him that I hadn’t done anything special because my strength and skills were unique due to the powers I inherited.

But she misunderstood and started idolizing me even more, thinking, Wow, Aniki’s a genius! She then began pestering me about my diet, daily routine, and other trivial things. It was too much, so I decided to block h.

"I won’t let go until you unblock me!"

"Okay, okay! Look, I unblocked you! But from now on, keep it to one message per day, okay?"

"Yay! Got it, just one message a day!"

Finally, he let go of my leg. Honestly, zero messages would be ideal… Please, seriously.