9th of January, 1:00 pm, B-Komachi's Studio
"Ahhh, finally, lunch break, the best time of day."
Ruby stretches herself, looking over at Kana, who has been watching them practice for the past few hours, a faint smile forming on Ruby's face.
Ruby, alongside the other 2 members, makes her way over to Kana, still seated in the corner of the room. Ruby turns to face all 3 girls.
"I know we usually go to a cafe for this… But I thought we could eat here today."
"But I don't have anything packed."
Keiko's eyes dart slightly down. This is noticed by Mem-Cho, who joins in, supporting Keiko.
"Yeah, she's right. You should've told us before, that way we would've known."
"Mem and I could head out to buy something to eat here while you and Kana wait for us. We would definitely hurry up."
Kana finally says something. She is slightly annoyed by Ruby doing this just because of her.
"Don't worry about me, y'all 3 can go to a cafe, don't worry about me."
"Ahem."
Ruby loudly clears her throat, which makes the three others fall silent and face her again.
"There's no need for any of that. I came prepared."
She bows down, rummaging around in her bag until she finally pulls out four bento boxes, standing back up.
"See. I made lunch for all of us. I'm not the best cook, but I gave it my all, so if y'all don't eat up I'm going to be very sad. And you don't want that, therefore you three will have no other option than to eat with me."
"I see what you did here…"
Kana takes the bento box Ruby is holding out to her.
"But thanks."
The other 2 also grab their boxes, thanking Ruby before sitting down too. They all simultaneously open their boxes, it is filled with rice, various vegetables, and even a side of shrimp tempura.
"That looks really yummy, Ruby, thanks."
"Thank you very much."
They start to eat in silence, nobody saying a word for a few minutes. Then Ruby finally says something, breaking the silence, which slowly began to turn awkward.
"Keiko, I've noticed that you're already improving compared to your first time here. You sure have a lot of talent."
Keiko's heart swells with pride as she shyly looks down at the floor.
"Thanks, but all of you are still so much better. I hope one day I'll be as good as you three."
Kana sees the same doubt she knows all too well sparkle in Keiko's eyes.
"Don't worry about that. I see it too. If you keep at it, you can surely at least surpass me. Because I never really was an idol at heart, I mean."
"You were not? But you always seemed like you loved it when I was watching you."
Keiko turns her face away from Ruby, now facing Kana.
Kana is slightly taken aback by Keiko's quick movement.
"I mean- It's complicated… I didn't hate it, but my true passion will forever be acting."
"I totally understand that… You know, I'm actually kind of your fan, a fan of your acting… I don't mean that obsessive kind, but ever since I've seen you in the Tokyo Blade stage play… I don't know…"
Keiko admits, while her eyes shy away from Kana's.
"I appreciate it."
The room falls silent again for half a minute before Keiko speaks, her voice quiet.
"Will you act again?"
Kana, who had just picked up a chunk of rice using her chopsticks and was now directing it towards her mouth, accidentally dropped them back into the bento box, sitting completely frozen.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mea-"
Keiko begins as she sees Kana's reaction, but Kana interrupts her before she can finish.
"It's alright… This is not your fault… and to answer your question… I will definitely go back eventually, I just don't know how yet."
"I knew something like this wouldn't be enough to break you."
Mem-Cho gently pokes Kana's side while speaking.
"Just don't rush it… I'm happy for you, you know I am. But if you don't take your time, it could maybe backfire."
Ruby's words make Mem-Cho stop with her teasing, her demeanor turning serious.
"She's right, Kana. You should probably take your time."
"I'll think about it, it's just… Right now I'm popular, I mean my name is trending everywhere, if I do it right, I could boost my career massively."
Kana lightly pushes Mem-Cho's finger, which was still resting on her side, away.
"That's probably true, I mean, I can't know for sure. But please, don't let your career define who you are…
"That's ri-"
Mem-Cho was just about to agree with Keiko. But she falls silent when she hears Miyako's voice.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but do you have a second, Kana?"
Kana initially only looks left and right, around the room, before getting up and walking away with Miyako. Once they are far enough away so the others can't hear them, Miyako turns around.
"So, I think you can already guess why I wanted to talk to you…"
"Yes, I do."
Kana bows down as far as she can.
"I'm really sorry for what I've done, and if you want to terminate my contract because of it, it's totally fine. I will face the consequences."
Miyako stays quiet for a moment before placing her head on Kana's shoulder, signaling her to look up again.
"It's not about that. I mean, your post almost gave me a heart attack, no question. But in the end, it wasn't too bad for our PR, you could even argue that it helped our situation… And honestly, I totally understand why you did it."
Kana raises her head ever so slightly, looking up at Miyako.
"It's not? I don't understand, what is it then?"
"I have gotten an offer… A large national TV program has offered for you to appear on their show. They sent a request the day after you posted your statement. The date they named is the 11th of January."
"Wow…"
Kana's ears begin to ring as she takes in the information. She is totally flabbergasted — this could be her chance.
"That's a lot… Why would they want somebody like me?... But you're right, this would increase the number of people who know me by quite a bunch. And if I do it right, I could even turn into some symbol for not backing down, even after being attacked, you get what I mean?"
"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, but I totally do… But this doesn't sit well with me… You know, this does probably make me a horrible manager, but I initially didn't even plan on telling you."
Kana, who is by now standing normally again, tilts her head slightly to the left.
"Why's that? That is my chance to grow."
"True, but those kinds of shows often exploit people in your situation; they could try to make you look like a fool or even worse…"
Miyako makes a short pause. Unsure how to express what she wants to convey.
"Your reaction when Keiko asked you if you would return to acting told me everything I needed to know… But I still believe in your right of choice."
"So you think I would just be a tool to them? A thing they can exploit and discard… I need some time to think. Is it okay if I tell you my decision tomorrow?"
A certain intensity glows inside Kana's eyes for nothing more than a short moment before it's gone again.
Miyako looks down at her watch.
"Tomorrow should work, just don't take too long."
"Thanks for telling me…"
Miyako just nods, and Kana turns away, taking a few steps back towards the others before turning around once more, just looking at Miyako. Initially, she planned to say something, but decided against it. So she just turns back towards the others once more and walks away.
Kana gets back to their chairs just as the break ends, and the others go back to practice; her Bento stands half-eaten on her chair. She looks down at her bento for a moment, standing in complete silence before picking it up and sitting back down.
9th of January, 7:00 pm, B-Komachi's Studio
The three idols have just finished their final task for the day, just a few minutes ago. Keiko has already left; her train always leaves just minutes after their day wraps up, and she doesn't want to wait an extra hour.
Ruby is also already standing at the door; she's ready to leave, just waiting for Kana, who has just appeared from around the corner.
"Ruby, I have a request. Would you mind leaving without me? I still have something to do."
"Oh, that's no problem, I can wait or string along with you."
Ruby says, a bright smile on her face.
"Ruby… Please… I need to speak with Mem, alone…"
Kana finishes her sentence, the hallway falling silent for a moment. Then Kana blushes slightly, her face feeling all warm as she realizes her mistake, quickly adding a clarification.
"It's not that Mem and I hide anything from you; it's about what Miyako said to me earlier. I need to ask all of you individually, but I want to ask Mem first."
Ruby looks nervously around.
"Alright."
Ruby has already turned away when Kana clears her throat and speaks again.
"About the weird guy… text me later and we will come up with a plan."
Ruby turns around, nodding towards Kana before silently strolling away.
In the locker, still not ready to leave, is Mem-Cho. She raises her head as Kana enters, not expecting her at all.
"Kana, I thought you already left with Ruby, why are you still here?"
"I want to talk to you… About something important.
Kana shuts the door, standing still for a moment before sitting down on one of the chairs.
Mem-Cho was just packing her belongings into her bag. But when she sees the serious expression on Kana's face, she drops everything, turning her full attention to Kana.
"Sure, but why not with Ruby? I'm sure she could help you too."
"I like Ruby… But she can be childish and immature from time to time, you on the other hand are like ancient and really wise."
A sheepish smile spreads across Kana's face.
"I- Ouch."
Kana's expression turns more serious again after a few seconds. Her eyes flashing with the weight of her choices.
"I'm just messing with you… it's about what Miyako told me earlier… She said a TV program wants me to make my return on their channel, but she said they could try to exploit me, but it could also boost my career. I'm torn."
"That's a hard decision…"
Mem-Cho thinks for a moment, Kana can practically see the steam coming out of her head.
"I mean do you feel like you are in a position to gain anything from it? I mean mentally."
"Hard question… I think there's a good chance, but I'm not certain.
"Then I think you shouldn't take it."
Mem-Cho looks away slightly as she speaks.
"But why? This could help me so much."
Kana gets up from her chair, quickly pacing over to Mem-Cho.
"And think about the other benefits."
Mem-Cho also gets up; her posture is relaxed compared to Kana, who seems rather tensed up.
"I lied to you… I don't think you shouldn't take it. But your reaction proved to me that you have already decided what you want to do."
Mem-Cho places her hand on Kana's shoulder.
"Follow your heart and you won't regret your decision."