assistirfilmes Chapter 41 Potential Indications
Chapter 41 Potential Indications
It was rare for Rito to take his members out for a meal, so he didn't choose a place that was too expensive. After passing through the bustling streets of Shibuya, he turned into a slightly quiet alley, where a pub he occasionally frequented was hidden deep inside.
"Wow! I didn't even know there was a shop here." Hoshino Minami skipped and jumped, the first to pull back the curtain and rush inside, looking around with curiosity.
Captain Sakurai Reika, who was following closely behind, tugged at her sleeve and whispered a reminder to mind her image, but unfortunately, she, as captain, had never had much authority and was naturally ignored. Takayama Kazumi followed at the very back with a smile, bowed to the boss who came out to greet them, and closed the door behind him.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with the owner, Rito led the girls to a private room. The room wasn't large, and the six of them sat around a low table. The waiter quickly brought drinks, and Rito ordered a pot of sake for himself, while the girls held oolong tea or orange juice, chattering about the fun things that happened during the day's filming.
"Himura-san is so kind to us. I even asked the staff, and it turns out he really paid for the clothes for us himself." Hoshino Minami stuffed a piece of dessert into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster, and mumbled.
"Indeed." Takayama nodded in deep agreement and also praised Himura a couple of times.
"Now that you've said that, I'm almost embarrassed to say bad things about him on the show."
Sakura's team then joined the conversation, expressing their apologies for their frequent harsh words towards Himura, but Takayama waved his hand and offered words of comfort:
"There's no need to think that way. We were just saying those things for the sake of the show. Mr. Himura is a veteran entertainer, so he'll definitely understand."
"That's true, just like how everyone likes to make fun of me on the show, it's all because they like me, right?" Snake readily agreed and even drew parallels to herself.
"That's different, those were all the truth~" The arrogant Nan rolled her eyes and took the lead in stabbing, and the rest of them quickly followed suit, carrying forward the fine tradition of teasing the captain in the group. The Snake Team was so angry that their cheeks puffed out, and they shouted "Hey!" and then started to play around with the others.
Rito, holding his wine glass, leaned back in his chair and watched the group joking around. He was in a very good mood. Having left the technologically advanced future world, the only thing that could comfort his soul was this scene before him. To be able to see the Sakamichi members let their guard down and show their cute selves in front of him again, even if he died, it would be worth it.
After a few rounds of drinks, most of the food on the table was gone, and the girls, exhausted from their revelry, slumped in their seats, chatting idly. The conversation veered off-topic from the Himura Appreciation event to all sorts of strange topics—who snores, who left their socks in the practice room, who secretly kept a hamster in the dorm and got caught by their manager. Rito drank on these trivial matters, her senses gradually becoming dulled.
"By the way, President, why are you shopping with Neru-nee today?" Aoi suddenly asked. Her voice wasn't loud, but the private room fell silent instantly as everyone looked at Rito.
Rito paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Is that not allowed?"
"It's because the president was in a bad mood, so I asked him to go out for a walk and relax."
Before the atmosphere became awkward, Shuishui quickly stepped forward to explain.
"Oh—" Xiaokui pouted, feeling like she'd asked a stupid question. Seeing this, Gaoshan, the team's mood-maker, acted quickly, half-lying on the table as she asked, "Eh? What's wrong, President?"
Shuishui glared at Rito, a fleeting hint of embarrassment crossing her face, but she quickly regained her composure. She put down her teacup and explained to Elbow-kun, "I was next to Konno-san on the phone today and heard the president help us apply for the Kohaku Uta Gassen."
"The Red and White Song Battle?!"
Several girls screamed in unison, their voices so loud they seemed to startle the adjacent private room, which fell silent for a few seconds. Sakurai Reika quickly covered her mouth and asked in a low voice, "Really? And then?"
Rito poured himself another glass of wine, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then grinned awkwardly.
"We were rejected. NHK is a long-established organization after all. Your president's face isn't big enough."
The private room was silent for a few seconds. Rito expected to see expressions of disappointment or frustration, but instead, the girls exchanged glances, and then Hoshino Minami suddenly stood up, almost hitting her head on the low chandelier.
"Then we can just apply again next year!" she said, hands on her hips, like a school monitor issuing orders. "Next year we'll definitely get the Red and White Song Festival to invite us, right?"
"That's right." Kazumi Takayama rarely put away his usual gentle smile, and his expression became unusually serious. "President, from the audition to now, in less than a year, our single sales have increased from 30,000 to 100,000. Nogizaka is still on the rise, and we will definitely be even stronger next year."
Reika Sakurai nodded vigorously, pursed her lips, and blushed as she raised her teacup: "Um... I know I haven't done a good enough job as captain, but I will try my best to make Nogizaka better. President, let's go to Kouhaku Uta Gassen together next year!"
As Li Ren looked at them, he suddenly felt his eyes sting. Even now, he still couldn't be sure whether this world was real or a virtual world created after technology had advanced to a certain level. He wondered if the girls in front of him were living, breathing individuals with souls, or just lines of code projected into his brain. But at this moment, none of that mattered.
Shuishui raised her oolong teacup, her clear voice piercing the slightly noisy atmosphere in the private room: "This time next year, Nogizaka will definitely be standing on the Kouhaku Uta Gassen stage. President, you have to trust your judgment."
Rito looked up and met Shui Shui's serious gaze. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something encouraging, but in the end he just smiled and raised his overflowing glass.
"Okay, cheers."
The five girls raised their teacups to the air and clinked them together noisily. The spilled oolong tea splashed all over Hoshino Minami's hand, and she screamed, causing another chaotic scene.
By the time the party was almost over, Rito was clearly drunk, his eyes opening and closing, constantly trying to focus.
"President, are you alright?" Sakurai Reika asked worriedly as she approached him, but he waved her away.
"It's okay, I'm perfectly fine."
Shuishui stood up, took Rito's coat from the hanger, and patted the captain on the shoulder: "It's okay, I'll take the president home."
Just then, Rito's phone, which was on the table, suddenly vibrated. The screen lit up, and the caller ID displayed the hiragana name "nanamin".
Hoshino Minami quickly picked up her phone, then paused, surprised to see the caller ID: "Nana Mina? Who is this? Should I answer it?"
"Take it, just in case it's urgent," Gao Shan said.
Xiao Nan pressed the answer button, but before she could say "Hello," a clear and pleasant female voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Rito? Aren't you home? Why aren't you back yet, so late?"
The private room fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Hoshino Minami gaped, looking around with an expression of utter astonishment, then stammered, "..."
"Ah, um... the president is drunk. I'm his subordinate. May I ask who you are?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
Nanami Hashimoto sat on Rito's sofa, her expression suddenly changed. It wasn't because Rito was drunk, but because she recognized the voice—Minami Hoshino, a first-generation member of Nogizaka46 and her teammate from the same year. Her voice was excessively cute and very distinctive.
"I am... Kubo's friend." Nanamin's shock lasted only half a second before her voice returned to its usual composure, even carrying a hint of a smile. "Where are you now? I'll come pick him up. I need to talk to him about something."
"We're in Shibuya, the exact address is..." Minami, oblivious to anything amiss, enthusiastically described the location of the izakaya.
"Oh, I see. We've been there together. If you have something to do, you can go ahead. I know the owner there, and he'll help take care of Kubo," Nanamin said while packing her belongings.
"Okay, I'll tell my companions." Xiao Nan was young and inexperienced, so she readily agreed. After hanging up the phone, she relayed what Nana Min had said to the others.
"Isn't this a bad idea? We don't even know who she is. What if something happens if we hand the president over to her?"
Elbow Bro thought it over quite a bit, feeling that handing over the club president like that was a bit irresponsible. After some discussion, everyone decided that Sakura Team would take the two kids, Minami and Aoi, home first, while Elbow Bro and Sleepy would stay here and wait.
About twenty minutes later, a taxi stopped at the alley entrance. The door opened, and a tall woman in a gray wool coat stepped out. She wasn't wearing makeup, her hair was down her back, and she wore a khaki cashmere scarf. She looked capable and aloof, like a snow fairy.
Nanamin spotted Shui Shui standing at the entrance of the izakaya at a glance and recognized her—the second sister of Keyakizaka46, a famous actress, and the darling of Kubo Rito, Nagahama Naru.
Although Shui Shui didn't recognize her, her intuition told her that this was Nana Min who had just called, so she stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Are you a friend of the president?"
Seeing the undisguised scrutiny in the girl's eyes, Nana Min paused for a moment, then resumed her normal steps. She walked up to Shui Shui, the two standing about an arm's length apart. Nana Min was a few centimeters taller, but Shui Shui's tilted-chin posture didn't make her look inferior.
"I'm Rito's friend, Hashimoto Nanami. Nice to meet you."
Nana Min took the initiative to extend her hand.
Shuishui's eyes flickered. She keenly caught what was hidden beneath Nanamin's nonchalant demeanor—the other party didn't care about her provocation. She just didn't know if it was because she was indifferent or too arrogant.
"Nogizaka first-year student, Nagahama Miru."
Whatever the reason, now is not the time to get to the bottom of it. After giving her a deep look, Shuishui also reached out to shake her hand and introduced herself.
"I know you, you're the center of Nogizaka46, Rito often mentions you to me."
"It's a real shame that I never got to hear Hashimoto-san's name mentioned by the president."
"After all, I'm not his favorite idol."
"But Hashimoto-san is just as good-looking as most people in the industry I've seen, so I guess he's not interested in this."
"Really?" Nanamin blinked, then asked with a half-smile, "Does Nagahama-san think I could be selected if I participated in the second-generation auditions?"
"Huh?" Shui Shui was startled and was about to ask if she was serious when Nana Min laughed first, said it was just a joke, patted her shoulder, and went inside.
"Tsk."
Watching her departing figure, Shuishui clicked her tongue softly, feeling that her emotions were completely manipulated by this strange woman, and couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration. However, this frustration quickly turned into new fighting spirit. She pouted and immediately caught up with her.
Compared to the tense atmosphere that immediately arose when Nana Min met Shui Shui, the reunion with her old teammate was much more harmonious. Although Gao Shan didn't have the same memories of the two of them together, the similar atmosphere made her quickly realize that the other person was someone she could befriend. When Shui Shui walked in, she was greeted by the sight of her teammate chatting happily with a strange woman, which made her feel uncomfortable again. She quickly stepped forward and separated the two of them.
"Kazumi, is the president awake?" Shui Shui asked, standing between the two and pulling Takayama along.
"No, but Hashimoto-san said she knows where the president lives and can help take him home."
Gao Shan shook his head and pointed at Nana Min as he spoke.
"That won't do, we haven't confirmed her identity yet."
Shuishui immediately expressed her opposition.
"You don't need to worry about that, Nagahama-san." Nana smiled nonchalantly, though to Shui Shui it sounded more like sarcasm. She walked over to Rito, rummaged in his pocket for a while, and then pulled out a Nogizaka-themed keychain, which she waved at Shui Shui.
Do you want me to tell you where that person lives?
As soon as she asked this, Shuishui's face darkened, and she reached out to snatch it.
"Neru!" Takayama quickly pulled her aside. This Hashimoto-san was clearly someone who had a close personal relationship with the president. Even though the president also thought highly of and liked Sleepy, she still had a vague feeling that if the two of them really had a conflict, Sleepy probably wouldn't get away with it.
After being stopped for a while, Shui Shui's emotions cooled down considerably. She realized that going against Nana Min at this moment was not a wise move, so she sneered and turned to leave.
Gao Shan called her from behind, but when she ignored him, he quickly packed his things. Just as he was about to catch up, he suddenly stopped and turned back to explain to Nana Min:
"I'm sorry, Hashimoto-san, Nagahama might not be in a good mood today..."
"I understand. Please do as you please, Mr. Takayama. I'll take care of Rito."
"Thank you for today..." Takayama nodded gratefully, but did not leave immediately. His gaze turned to his president, who was still fast asleep.
Nana Min also followed her gaze and glanced at Rito, a meaningful smile playing on her lips:
"Don't worry, Takayama-san, I won't tell Rito. It's normal for a little girl to throw a tantrum. It would be really rude to complain about something like this."