Chieri

Mm... Chieri has contacted so many times, but...

Chieri

Miku hasn't said a single word back~~!!

Raika

That's weird... I thought at least it'd show as read.

Yomogi

Could it be that we've been blocked...?

Raika・Chieri

Huh!?

Shizuku

What is block?

Yomogi

Um, it's like call rejection... Anyway, it's basically a signal that says "Don't contact me anymore"...

Raika

Oh, it's a video call from Granny.

Chieri

Please pick up this time. She took the trouble to call you, you know!

Raika

Yeah, I see!

Raika

Hello? Granny?

Raika's Grandmother

"Raika~~! You eating well today too~!?"

Raika

Ahaha, yeah, I'm eating! You're eating lunch. Where are you now?

Raika's Grandmother

"Basically on the other side of Japan! Sorry I haven't been able to call lately."

Yomogi

The other side of Japan...!?

Chieri

Chieri knows! That means it's the farthest place from here, both distance and time difference...!

Shizuku

Cherie, I think time difference is a different thing.

Raika's Grandmother

"Oh, Raika, you're with your family? Let me see their faces!"

Raika

Okay! Here, my family!

Yomogi

Eeeek!! Raika-san, please don't suddenly make me meet someone I don't know~~!!

Chieri

Hey, Yomogi! Stop hiding behind Chieri!

Shizuku

So even without meeting in person, Yomogi still does that.

Raika's Grandmother

"Ahaha! Great! That's a lively family, just like I heard!"

Raika's Grandmother

"One, two, three... Huh? Raika, there should be one more person, right?"

Raika

Ah... yeah. But many things happened...

Raika's Grandmother

"So that's how it is. Actually, that's why I called."

Raika

Huh, what do you mean!?

Raika's Grandmother

"Actually, Suzuki called me directly. She said she wanted to make a deal about the live house."

Raika

Why did Suzuki-san...!?

Chieri

She said she would wait until summer, didn't she!?

Raika's Grandmother

"I'd heard that from Raika, so I turned it down too. Because it's a guardian's duty to let Raika continue with what she's decided."

Raika's Grandmother

"But something Suzuki said back then has been sitting with me..."

Raika's Grandmother

So, that's the end of it. No matter how many times you contact me, I won't budge.

"*Sigh*... You're really stubborn too."

"Everyone involved with that live house is like that. Raika-san, and Miku-san..."

Raika's Grandmother

Miku...? That means—

"She's our new idol trainee. Oh, high schoolers these days are really scary..."

Miku

How about making a deal... with me?

A deal?

Miku

Yes. If I accept the idol scouting, I want you to give up on the live house in return.

Huh? There's no way that deal is gonna work.

Miku

Yeah, I guess you're right. People and property are different things.

Miku

But... are you really going to let the chance to "make your reputation skyrocket for finding a gem like me" slip by, Suzuki-san?

Huh!? Why did you...!

Miku

If I become an idol, Suzuki-san, you would benefit too, right?

Miku

In return, could you change the deadline from tomorrow to "three months later"?

Raika's Grandmother

"Suzuki was complaining, saying 'It was almost like being threatened.'"

Raika

Miku... didn't say anything about it...

Chieri

...

Raika's Grandmother

"If something got crossed between you two, go sort it out face to face first."

Raika's Grandmother

"You don't need to worry about the live house right now. Just leave it to Granny."

Raika

Yeah... thanks, Granny. I'll call you again.

...

Raika

So that's why she suddenly said "three months later" right before the live show that day...

Shizuku

Yeah. The reason why Miku left the dorm was...

Raika

To protect the live house... and our "home"...!

Yomogi

B-but isn't it weird that Suzuki-san contacted Raika-san's grandma...?

Shizuku

Right. It's supposed to be an agreement that Miku becomes an idol, and they don't touch the place for three months in return.

Chieri

That means... she broke the agreement without a second thought!!

Chieri

That useless suit... Chieri won't forgive her!! Chieri is heading over right now and slapping her silly!!

Yomogi

Che, Cherie-san, calm down...!

Raika

That's right, Cherie, you can't use violence!

Chieri

Then, what should Chieri do!? We let Miku go through that all alone, didn't we!?

Raika

!

Chieri

Miku... Miku is amazing, isn't she!!

Chieri

She came up with a plan all by herself, and walked right into the adult world... Isn't that ultra amazing!

Chieri

Chieri and the others couldn't see Miku's amazing qualities. At this rate, no one will praise Miku...!

Chieri

So... Chieri must praise Miku, that she's ultra amazing!!

Raika

Cherie, it's enough, I understand.

Chieri

Hey, please don't hug me...

Raika

That's because you're crying for Miku, Cherie...!

Shizuku

Cherie is amazing... You can be that angry for someone else.

Shizuku

That's because we are family...?

Chieri

Not family, it's the Chieri Union!

Chieri

Miku is Chieri's subordinate, so Chieri will bring her back! And then, Chieri is gonna give Miku a ton of praise!

Yomogi

This is the situation where we bring back our ally...!! Cherie-san is so cool...!

Chieri

Huh?

Yomogi

Right now, Cherie-san is just like Godo-kun from volume 12 of "Saga of the Steel-spirit Bancho: Onishigure," when he goes to bring back his best friend who got captured by another school!!

Yomogi

"The only one I can trust with my back is that guy... There's no way I'd let some random bastard take him away."

Yomogi

And then, with just a handful of allies, Godo-kun wins the big battle to rescue his best friend~~!!

Shizuku

So this is the legendary "Onishigu" monologue?

Raika

Yes! It's the proof that Yomogi's deeply moved!

Chieri

Yomogi... you finally gave Chieri a long praise too...!

Chieri

Hehe, you've finally come to admire Chieri!! Alright, I'll show you even more of how amazing Chieri is!

Chieri

Tomorrow, we will tail Suzuki-san all day!! We'll get info about Miku out of her, and then bring Miku back!

Raika

Ohh~~!! Wait... we can't! We have school tomorrow too, right!?

Raika

We have to go to school properly! Granny said, a kid's job is to go to school...!

Chieri

Yomogi isn't going every day!

Raika

That's one thing, and this is another!

Yomogi

Ugh... I'm sorry for being such a burden who can't even do the basics...!

Chieri

Then Yomogi! You'll have to be the one to tail her!

Chieri

You're the only one who doesn't have to go to school, Yomogi! It's time you work to rescue the union's subordinate!

Yomogi

Huh...

Yomogi

Huh~~~~~~~~!?!?

Yomogi

*Pant*... *Pant*... *Pant*...!

Yomogi

(Wherever I look, there are people, people, and people...!!)

Yomogi

(Ugh... It's so scary... I want to go home...!)

Yomogi

(B-But...)

Chieri

Miku is Chieri's subordinate, so Chieri will bring her back! And then, Chieri is gonna give Miku a ton of praise!

Yomogi

It's because Cherie-san said such cool things...!

Yomogi

(Miku-san also... walked in there all by herself...)

Yomogi

(What was she feeling when she made that deal... What kind of resolve did she have when she decided to protect everyone...)

Yomogi

(If it were me, that would be absolutely impossible... I couldn't even go out and sell tickets...)

Yomogi

(I knew everyone was working hard. I knew this was the time to work hard, too.)

Yomogi

...

Yomogi

(I have to change too...! I promised Miku-san!)

Yomogi

(I have to keep the promise I couldn't keep before, now!!)

Yomogi

Imagine me, super strong...! Volume 12 of "Saga of the Steel-spirit Bancho: Onishigure"...!!

Yomogi

"Who am I...? What's the point of asking? Don't waste my time." "I just came to see my buddy." "Yo, you got beaten up pretty bad, huh!"

Yomogi

"Just wait, bro. I'll finish this quick~~~~!!"

Raika

...

Chieri

Yomogi... isn't coming.

Shizuku

She wasn't at the dorm either. She must still be tailing her.

Chieri

I know that. I know, but...

Raika

It's okay, Cherie! Trusting and waiting... That's also part of being family!

Chieri

Says you! You've been restless this whole time too, Raika! You've been pacing back and forth!

Raika

Be-Because~~! This is like sending someone out on their very first errand—

Yomogi

Pant... Pant...! Yomogi Yakura has miraculously returned alive!!!

Raika・Chieri

Yomogi~~~~!!

Yomogi

Grrr!? Wait, don't hug me...! O-Oxygen...!!

Yomogi

Haa...

Shizuku

Yomogi, what's that?

Yomogi

*Pant*... *Pant*... It's oxygen spray...! I remembered what Shizuku-san told me...!

Yomogi

They didn't sell oxygen masks, so... I bought a ton of this instead, and barely managed to stay alive...!!

Shizuku

...! I see...!

Raika

You're amazing, Yomogi~~~!! You really worked hard~~~!

Chieri

Now that's Chieri's subordinate!! Well done!

Yomogi

Hehe... hehehe... Please don't keep patting me on the head...!

Raika

Miku must've been happy too! Because Yomogi went all that way to see her!

Yomogi

Oh... A-About that...

Yomogi

I'm sorry! I couldn't meet Miku-san~~!! I'm a useless loser who wasted an entire day, sorry~~!!

Chieri

Huh!? Then what were you doing all this time!?

Raika

Hey!! Cherie, you should praise ultra amazing Yomogi!

Chieri

Ah...! I-I didn't mean that...!

Yomogi

But Cherie-san is right...! Even after tailing Suzuki-san, I still couldn't meet Miku-san...

Yomogi

The only thing I found out is that Miku-san has an internal live showcase coming up soon...

Raika

An internal live showcase?

Yomogi

Um, I think... even the company president is coming to watch... And if it goes well, her debut will be decided...

Chieri

Her debut will be confirmed!? Then we can't bring Miku back!

Raika

Yomogi, do you know when that live is!?

Yomogi

Th-Three days later...!

Shizuku

Can we stop the debut?

Yomogi

Th-That might be a bit too difficult...!

Raika

But... if we don't stop it...

Shizuku

Raika, do you have a plan?

Raika

I'll figure something out.

Raika

If Miku really becomes an idol... She won't be able to come back...!