The Gloomy Me in Class is Actually the Vocalist of a Very Popular Band

Chapter 21

There is an idol in my class

Translated by HamletJr
Edited by Spynine01

“Ah, Asamiya-chan! Good morning! I saw you on yesterday’s program!”

“You’re finally making your debut on TV!”

“Asamiya-chan, you’re becoming more and more popular as an idol!”

“I’m rooting for you, so keep up the good work!”

Asamiya Shiori had a big smile on her face as she was cheered on by the people around her.

“Thank you, everyone! It’s only been a while since I’ve started, but thanks to you all, I’ve finally made it on TV! I’ll keep working hard from now on as well~!”

Asamiya, who is the center of the idol group “Synchronicity,” which is currently gaining popularity, has finally achieved her dream of appearing on TV.

About five of her classmates had gathered in front of the school gate to congratulate her.

This occurrence inflated her expectations.

(P-Perhaps everyone in the class will be talking about me…!)

Asamiya opened the door to her class, Class 2B, with such expectations hidden in her heart.

◇◇◇

“Hi everyone~! Good morn―”

“Heyyy! Did you see the morning news?! Shion got nominated as one of the top 100 most influential people in the world!”

“Of course I saw! Isn’t it unprecedented for a Japanese music artist to be nominated in the list?!”

“It’s incredible how history is gradually being made right before our very eyes… Shion is the pride and joy of all Japanese people.”

My classmates were in a frenzy.

I felt a cold sweat run down my cheek as the morning atmosphere grew more and more boisterous.

(You’ve got your priorities wrong! Didn’t you hear that Asamiya-san just got her TV debut yesterday?! Rather than focusing on Shion, shouldn’t you go congratulate Asamiya-san as fast as possible?! She’s just standing by the entrance of the classroom all by herself!)

That’s right, we have an idol right here at our school, Shirahoshi High School!

She’s the center of the idol group “Synchronicity” which I also secretly support, Asamiya-san!

Said Asamiya-san greeted the classroom cheerfully, but no one took notice of her as they continued their talks about me (Shion).

“Ahaha… Good morning, everyone…”

Asamiya-san sighed despondently at her greeting that went unanswered.

Even so, she didn’t lose her smile; a trait of a true idol.

Damn! I’m the only one who’s noticed, so I have no choice but to go up to her…!

There’s also the fact that I’m partly to blame for this situation!

Hang in there, me!

I’m going to break out of my shell of introvertedness and give Asamiya-san some words of congratulations to cheer her up!

I gallantly stood from my seat and walked over to Asamiya-san at the entrance.

People like idols were incredibly dazzling, so I couldn’t approach her any more than this.

I tried my best to talk to her from a distance of about 1.5 meters away.

“A-A-Asami-mi-mi―”

“Ah, Su… Sudou-kun, was it? Good morning!”

Asamiya-san greeted even an introvert like me with a smile.

My surname was actually “Suda”, but I couldn’t care less about that. I mean, just look at her wonderful smile.

Since I’d successfully cleared the hurdle of calling out to her flawlessly, I proceeded to congratulate her magnificently.

“C-Congratulations o-on t-the T-TV―”

“You watched me?! Thank you! I’m so happy!”

She then approached me and held her hand out towards me.

Wait, wait, is this really okay?!

Is a person like me really going to shake hands with an idol like Asamiya-san?!

“Ho-Hold on, my handshake ticket is, uh…”

I tried to retrieve my wallet.

I’m pretty sure I stored one of those in my wallet when I bought the CD―

“That won’t be necessary! Sudou-kun, you’re the first person to come up and congratulate me, you know? Actually, that sounds kind of condescending, doesn’t it… Well, I want to shake your hand, so pretty please…?”

Asamiya-san said as she waited for my response with upturned eyes.

Is she an angel?

“―Ah, Kitarou is trying to touch Asamiya-san!”

“Asamiya-san, you shouldn’t let someone like him touch you!”

The boys who finally noticed Asamiya-san during my conversation with her raised their voices.

Asamiya-san seemed to be a bit angry as she puffed her cheeks out and held my hand with both of hers.

Ahhh! Oh no, is my palm sweaty…?

“Hey, Sudou-kun, you must feel displeased after hearing something like that, right?! You guys! Don’t do anything that can displease other people! Got it?!”

“―Ah, if you say so, Asamiya-san…”

“Hrm, good for you, Kitarou. You get to make a once-in-a-lifetime memory.”

“He probably won’t wash his hands for the rest of his life, will he?”

The boys mockingly laughed at me before dispersing.

No, I’m still going to wash my hands. I have to be careful about hygiene for my sister’s sake.

“Geez…,” Asamiya-san muttered as she looked down at our intertwined hands.

“Ah, sorry for holding your hand all willy-nilly!”

“N-N-No problem― *ding dong*”

The bell suddenly rang as I was speaking to Asamiya-san.

There are often stories of people who’ve been through some bad timing where a helicopter or train passes them by as they speak.

Yup, that’s now me.

“Ah, I have to get to my seat! Alright, see you later, Sudou-kun!”

“S-See you!”

Talked a lot, I have.

Shiorin, you really are the best.

I love you just as much as my sister.

I’ll just quickly change my surname from “Suda” to “Sudou”.

With such off-putting thoughts in my head, I also returned to my seat.

As soon as I did, I heard some whispers from the seats in front of me.

“I wonder if Shion will do a handshake event or something~. I would definitely go even if it cost tens of thousands of yen.”

“Apparently there was a handshake event at the request of his manager, Suzuki, during his debut. But―”

“Yeah, some fans started crying when they had to part with Shion, and some even fainted, so the event was cancelled…”

“Apparently there was also a riot over handshake tickets, and I heard that some people even tried to remove Shion’s mask.”

“…I see. So Shion’s been really popular since day one, huh.”

Hey, you girls over there.

Stop talking about my dark past.