And as part of the collaboration, I wrote the second part. (Note: I was called special *^--^*) The second part though will not focus on the pair that was discussed in the first chapter. It’s another pair and those who have read the first part might already have the idea about the next pair. (Just kidding, it's only Maru fooling around with Nogizaka.)
Thanks again to ZXRevolution-san, sorry that this took a while to finish. I was busy procrastinating. You did a really good job. I hope to see more stories coming from you. 
I had fun doing collab, I hope I can do more in the future.
Please enjoy this one as well~ Douzo.
NogiChuu SPMARU HAS just finished removing her zombie makeup when Himura and Shitara, the duo more famously known as BananaMan, entered her room and sat at the empty seats opposite hers. It seems like Himura has already gotten rid of the awful makeup that Asuka designed for him. Maru couldn’t even help but to laugh when Asuka called the MC ‘fat zombie’ without any hesitation.
The two are both smiling at her, smirking to be exact, as if they are planning to do something evil. Maru suspiciously looked around to see if there are any hidden cameras. Just looking at the smiles of the two guys made her a bit terrified.
“W-Why are you smiling like that?” she asked. She almost choked with the hot chocolate that she was drinking. “Stop it; you guys are giving me goosebumps.”
“Don’t worry, little Tsun-kun!” Himura answered, scratching his neck. It seems like his skin is still irritated by the erased makeup. “We are just here to properly greet you. Asuka-chan immediately sent you to the makeup room when you arrived before you even get to say the ‘ko’ of Konnichiwa.
“I didn’t know that you are that close with Asuka-chan.” Shitara bewildered. “I am still amazed that she managed to get you in the show and even made you wear that hideous zombie makeup.”
Maru took a deep breath. “We became friends since Nogibingo.”
That’s right. After that Nogibingo episode where Maru was pranked so hard to the point that she passed out, she and Asuka became friends, instantly getting the click since they are both halfbloods.
“So, is it
that friendship?” Himura asked, raising his eyebrows up and down.
Maru smiled but it immediately faded. “No.”
“Still going strong with Shimazaki, eh?”
Shitara’s words somehow made Maru look at his way. The smile of the two comedians widened knowing that they hit something.
“Don’t try to deny it. We’ve been part of this industry longer than you and we’ve worked with lots of idols.” Shitara crossed his arms and leaned his back on the chair. “We’ve seen a lot of idols falling inlove with each other because of the strict rules about dating guys. They might deny it from the public but they could never hide it from the people they work with.”
“Who said I am going to deny it?” Maru asked back, looking back at Shitara with her signature stare. She could feel that the guy is trying to say something.
“Your eyes are really scary!” Himura gave Shitara a slap on his shoulder. “Her eyes are scary!” He repeated while laughing. It’s hard to know if he really meant what he said because he doesn’t look scared at all. The other guy slapped him back as revenge.
Maru just watched them as they do their short tsukumi-boke routine, she’s not letting her guard down. She’s sure they are up to something.
“You see, Tsun-kun…” Shitara leaned towards the table and placed his chin above his palm. “You know it very well. In order to stay strong in this industry, you need to make noise. That is how you made your way in… That is also the way to survive.”
The girl squinted a bit. “What are you trying to say, Shitara-san?”
“In this industry, you need constant changes… Something that people can talk about you. You have to be innovative and such.” Himura answered, stealing a macaroon from Maru’s snack plate. “Itadakimasu.”
“What we are trying to say is that, you cannot stay linked with Shimazaki the whole time. Well, I’m not saying that you break up with her but you can have other ships, you know? More ships will help you survive. Let them be linked to you and let the fans do their thing. Don’t deny anything.”
Maru can somehow see the point that the duo is making. When she was linked to a member of a K-Pop girl group, her name got into headlines not only in Korea but in other parts of the world. The involvement she had with them paved way for her comeback in the said country. She got invited for interviews and other TV guestings together with the said group.
At first she thought it was good for her job, she could also promote the idols of Japan. She was going back and forth from Japan to Korea and it felt like she became the bridge for both countries that don’t have really good history with each other. But as time goes by, she felt that she and Paruru are drifting from each other due to her lack of time for her. The management found it a waste but she decided to limit her activities outside of Japan to have more time with her girlfriend.
“You are basically saying that I should make a ship sail with someone from Nogizaka, right?”
“Sasuga, Tsun-kun! Really fast!” Himura commented, he was about to get another snack but Shitara swatted his hand.
“But the fans have already created the ships. The most popular one is the one I have with Asuka.” Maru stated, brushing her bangs up with her fingers. “There’s no need to make one.”
“But you keep on denying it. You don’t have to say anything like that and break the hearts of your fans!” Shitara started sounding frustrated since he could feel that Maru would just stay loyal with what she has with Paruru. “You have to give your fans more shipping material! They have to see you more together, spending happy times together!”
Maru sighed. “I really thank you for the advice that you are giving me. I know this work is the survival of the fittest. I agree that we really need to change at times to present something fresh to the people.” She placed her hands under the table and felt the ring that she is wearing in her left hand’s ring finger. She then looked back at them and smiled.
“But there are other things that are much valuable than surviving this field.”The two comedians were startled by what she said but they both smiled soon after. It felt like a smile of defeat but also of amazement. They stood up from their seats, giving their bodies some stretch.
“This is just how I imagined your answer would be.” Shitara answered and walked towards the door. He ruffled Maru’s hair before finally going out. “See you in a while, Tsun-kun.”
Himura raised his hand for a high-five and Maru instinctively gave him what he wanted, asking herself what the high-touch is for after. “You’ve won our trust. Have a good time with the girls~”
The door’s clicking sound marked that it is already closed. The glasses girl was left confused; trying to figure out what was their visit for. Her brows furrowed even more when she arrived in a conclusion.
“Were they thinking that I came here to play with the girls’ hearts?” Her eyes widened in shock. Her heart started beating fast, remembering the damage that a famous magazine did to her after she was placed in the “The Women of Japan’s Most Desired
Men.” She placed 5th at the ranking, being the only girl in a list that is supposedly only for men. (Note: Maru is the only girl in the Top 10, Oda Nana of Keyakizaka46 made it to top 25/100)
She was labeled as the ‘Perfect Partner’, ‘Stare that Melts’ and ‘The Hero You Would Like To Protect”. All her interactions with the female idols led her to land a spot on that list, completely destroying her feminine side… If ever there is any of it left…
“난 선수가 아닌데!” Maru puffed her cheeks and sighed. “BananaMan-san is such a father figure to them.”
Meanwhile, outside…
Shitara handed Himura five 10,000 yen bills. The okappa-haired comedian received the money with a huge smile on his face.
“Told you, she and Shimazaki are dating!”
Shitara rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right… I thought it was the Red Velvet girl…”
THE NOGIZAKA girls are gathered in the studio to watch the clips of the encounter that they had with Maru. They have been with MMG at other shows but for some reason, the girl seems to avoid interacting with them. Most people speculate that it is because of the trauma she had with the Nogibingo episode because she still turns pale when someone talks about it.
But yeah, look at her agreeing to become an accomplice in a very, dark place like a haunted house. Well, it was Himura’s role to guide her but her new set of eyes are now comfortable in the dark. It’s just her mind is still caged into the idea that something bad will happen to her in dark places.
To convince her to do that and even made a proper appearance at NogiChuu is something that the fans have been talking about for the whole week after the Campaign Episode. Fans have started to wonder if ever there is something special going on between the Negative Idol and MMG. A lot of them have been waiting for this episode to air.
Ofcourse, they’ve been talking about the confession of Miona to Minami resulting into a lot of fanfics with Maru and Asuka being the cupids… with special relationship…
*The confession scene was subbed with confusing subtitles to lead people into wondering if that was a real confession or not. The whole staff and crew knew about its authenticity but they can’t just go out in public like that. They didn’t air the scene where they called each other as ‘girlfriend’.
The shoot with Maru happened right after the Haunted House shooting. They went to a ryokan, a Japanese-styled hotel, where the other members are resting. It’s a delayed treat for the success they had last year for winning the Japan Records Award and for the successful summer tour.
But they still had to work for a while because of Maru but they didn’t dislike the idea at all. They all welcomed her with warm smiles. And now that the editing is finally over, they can watch it now in the studio but Maru is nowhere to be seen.
The girl was given 15 minutes to visit the rooms of the members and interact with them. The mission of the girls is to make her comfortable with them so they can work more together in the future. It is like the episode that they had with Matsui Rena before. Each generation had to pick representatives but the first gen strongly disagreed. They all wanted to spend time with Maru.
Couldn’t do anything, the staff agreed with the request of the loud girls.
There was a short interview clip with Maru that was shown before everything started. She was asked about her expectations and what she would not like to happen.
“I just want to have a fun and relaxing time. I want to know them better.” She answered with full honesty. “I just don’t want to be pranked that’s all. I want this time to be more meaningful.”
Then the real deal started. Everyone on the studio braced their selves for they were told not to tell anyone of what happened during their time with Maru even to the other members. This is the first time that they will know what really happened.
The three representatives of the third generation were then shown. Ozono Momoko is seated in the middle of Yoda Yuki and Yamashita Mizuki. It is clearly seen that they are nervous but no one is as anxious as Momoko. Even if the two girls beside her tried to cheer her up, she couldn’t stop shivering for no reason at all.
“Ojamashimasu.” Right after Maru entered the room, Momoko stiffened. The two other girls were then caught in her anxiousness and froze just like her. Maru was surprised to see their stiff expressions, looking at the camera to ask for some explanation. The PD just asked her to sit on the seat allotted for her and then they were left alone.
“Man, this doesn’t look good at all.” They heard Maru whispered which brought laughs to those in the studio.
“No one even said welcome to her. Poor thing!” Shitara commented while shaking his head. “That’s not how you make someone comfortable.”
Three minutes have passed but no one from the girls started the talking. The monitoring staff has already started a deliberation whether they would send a senpai for help. As Maru is also aloof to those who she isn’t close with, she couldn’t do anything but to look around and wait for some miracle to happen. But knowing that the girls would be in trouble if nothing worth airing would happen in the remaining minutes, Maru took the first step.
“Uhm…” The girls jerked just by that, surprising Maru too. She caught her breath and continued. “I’m Hoshino Maru. It’s nice to meet you.”
“K-Konnichiwa, I-I’m Yoda Yuki…” Yoda tried to hold her nervousness. “I’m from the 3rd generation a-and I’m 18 years old.”
“I-I’m Yamashita Mizuki, also from the 3rd generation. I-I’ll be 19 this July…”
Maru gave out a smile which kind of brought light to the room. “Do we really have to say our ages? Maa, I’ll be 24 this year.”
And now that the two girls have introduced their selves, everyone turned to the girl in the middle who still had her eyes wide open. It feels like she’s not blinking at all. Momoko looked around, feeling the pressure the she has to introduce herself.
“I-I-I… I’m…” Momoko’s shaky voice became even more shaky. She tried to control herself but her eyes can’t hold it back. Tears started to well up from her eyes making everyone with her panic. Those in the monitor room are panicking as well, knowing that she may leave a bad reputation to Maru. Her fans would surely not like and might become Momoko’s anti. This would be bad for Momoko as she is considered one of the futures of the group.
“S-Seriously?” Maru started panicking as well. Did she do something wrong? Was it her scary eyes again?
“Tsun-kun is panicking!” Himura laughed while watching the discord. “She’s starting to question her existence. Look what you’ve done Momoko-chan!”
Momoko hid at the back of Yuki due to embarrassment. She didn’t mean to cry that time but the overwhelming presence of Maru just swept her away. It’s like her presence during the UZA performance was tripled since then. What on earth is she eating that her aura became like this?
Maru stood up from her seat and went around the table to go closer to Momoko. Yoda made way for her but Momoko buried her face to Zukki to avoid Maru. “Seriously, am I this scary?”
The glasses girl released a heavy sigh, she turned to Yoda to ask for a favor. “Yoda-san, can I pat your head?” she whispered, surprising the other girl. Yuki froze for a while but answered with a stiff nod.
“Thanks.” And without any hesitation, Maru placed her hand on top of Yoda’s head and started caressing it. “Ozono-san, look! I’m harmless! I won’t hurt you so please stop crying!”
Everyone in the studio rolled in laughter with what Maru did.
“What on earth is she doing!?” Shitara laughed so hard while hitting the table with his palm. “She is treating you like stray puppies that she needs to rescue. This girl is so innocent!”
“She’s like, ‘Come on, Momoko-chan, I won’t hurt you. Come here, good girl.’” Everyone laughed at Himura trying to imitate Maru. He even wore round glasses for it. But the girls’ reactions are hilarious. The girls strongly disagreed that Maru looked like that.
“She doesn’t look like that!” Wada Maya protested.
“Yeah! Hoshino-san looked like an animal tamer but you looked like a lolicon!” Noujo Ami commented which led into more laughter.
Himura’s eyes widened and shouted loudly, “OI! I’m the official, Onii-chan of this group! Have some respect!”
They continued watching the video to see what will be the conclusion of Maru’s meeting with the 3rd gen aces. The girl was then seen extending her hand to Yamashita who blushed furiously after getting pats on the head.
“See, Ozono-san… I’m not a bad person. Don’t be afraid…”
Seeing that she can trust Maru and there’s really nothing to be afraid, Momo-pup slowly calmed herself and looked at Maru. Mizuki gently pushed her off to have her greet the guest properly.
“I-I’m… I’m Ozono M-Momoko…” finally, she managed to introduce herself. “I’m also 18 years old.”
She gasped when she felt Maru’s hand on her head. She looked up to her and saw her cute smiling face. “See?” Maru heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s not really something to be scared about. Why were you even terrified of me?”
Momoko sobbed. She started to rub her head on Maru’s palm like a real puppy. And with that teary, puppy eyes, she called out to Maru.
“Nii-chan—““Time’s up!”
The PD went inside only to see Maru frozen with her jaw hanging. Her pupils crawled up as well.
“PD-san! I guess we should call an ambulance!” Yoda shrieked in fear.
Even the end of the 3rd gen’s encounter with Maru didn’t fail to send the whole studio into laughter. The twitter verse was also filled with laughing emojis and memes of that meeting when the episode was aired. That variety-worthy incident somehow saved the third generation aces. Most of the fans understand that they would feel the same if ever they will be put into the same room with Maru as she is becoming more and more of a phenomenon.
The VTR continued with Maru being taken out from the room with two staffs supporting her. Before going to the next room, she was asked for a comment.
“I-I… I couldn’t believe that someone else other than Jurina would call me like that. I’m still shocked.” She answered while holding her chest. “Show me the next room so we could all rest.”
The next rooms didn’t really give Maru any comfort. After the
tragic encounter with the 3rd gen girls, she went to a room where the members were comprised with Kawago Hina, Saito Yuiri, Nakada Kana, Noujo Ami, Higuchi Hina and Wada Maya. It was like riot. Maru was bombarded with questions concerning her preferences.
Things like, ‘Are you really asexual?’ ‘Have you tried dating seriously?’ ‘What kind of person do you like?’ and ‘If you are going to date someone among us, who would you choose?’ came out. But since it was busy, 15 minutes passed by so fast. Maru was escorted out with the girls waving goodbye to her.
The MC praised the girls for what they did. They brought out topics that the public would really like to know. It was also fun to watch how Wada tried to speak in Korean but miserably failed just like the usual. That group was fun to watch and the whole fifteen minutes Maru had with them are all broadcast worthy.
The next room was with the 2nd gen representatives. After seeing Suzuki Ayane sitting stiffly, Maru’s greeting changed into, “Suzuki-san, you are not going to cry too, are you?”
It was just okay with Shinuchi Mai and Watanabe Miria doing the talking. Maru thought the she would find Hori Miona in this room but the girl was in the next room together with Hoshino Minami. It seems like the management is pushing this ship to sail.
The two girls are already smiling at her when she went in. She looked around before going to her seat. “Where is Asuka?”
“Is that how you are going to greet us?” Minami puffed her cheeks. “That’s rude. Looking for someone who’s not here when there are other people present.”
Maru was taken aback. She didn’t know that the bubbly Hoshino Minami could act tsundere as well. She knew her as a sweet, perfect imouto character. Did she get it wrong? Was she like this when doing this thing with Matsui Rena or did she only have the confidence since Miona was with her?
“W-Well, sorry about that…” Maru stammered. Meanwhile in the studio, Minami was praised and teased at the same time for making Maru stutter. Minami flustered after seeing what she did. It was really embarrassing.
While talking with Maru, Miona casually slid something under the table. Maru looked at it but Miona gave her a light kick telling her not to be obvious. The glasses girl hid the note in her pocket and spent the remaining minutes with the lovebirds only to be cornered once more.
“Asuka didn’t mention to us even once that you guys are close. Are you guys going out in secret?” Hori suddenly asked, making Maru cough. To bluntly ask something like that with a poker face…
“Don’t deny anything.”Shitara’s voice suddenly echoed inside Maru’s head. Seeing the faces of the two girls somehow made her curious of how they would react to play-safe answer. Maru’s playful side resurfaced as her lips curved up into a smirk.
“How about ask Asuka about that?”Not only were the two surprised but everyone who was in the monitoring room gasped at that time. And those who were watching in the studio got their jaws dropped and of course the Twitter verse won’t be defeated with the reaction. They’ve given life to ‘How about ask Asuka about that?’ meme.
“I will just explain everything to Haruka when I get home. I know she won’t be angry since I’m only joking with these two.” That’s what Maru told herself but she didn’t manage to explain anything to Paruru until the next morning because of what happened to her in the next rooms.
“How long do you have the contacts of each other?” Minami asked, leaning forward. She’s still the perfect imouto for her. If she will be asked of the idol she wants to have as a younger sister, she wouldn’t think twice about answering Hoshino Minami. They have the same surname anyway. Deep inside her she was wishing that Ae-ri would act cute like this at times.
“Well… That’s not for me to answer.” Maru leaned back to have a good look of their reactions.
“Maru-sama, don’t tease us like that!”
Hearing Minami called her with –sama with matching puffy cheeks turned her ears bright red. She was thankful that her hair was covering it or else she would be vulnerable to the sharp eyes of those watching.
The two tried to corner her even more but Maru would be back to them with unclear answers. Somehow it felt like she was hinting that there is really something going on between her and Asuka. This is something that the producers of the show never expected to happen. They didn’t beg Maru for a fan service; she’s just doing it voluntarily.
Fifteen minutes have passed but the two wasn’t able to get any clear answer from Maru. She even teased them more before she went out.
“If Asuka doesn’t tell anything about it then I won’t be talking about it as well.”
And then she left, leaving the two more puzzled about her relationship with Asuka. She went out with a satisfied smile telling the staff how she played around with the two.
“She just said that she wouldn’t like to be pranked but she basically pranked us.” Minami complained cutely. If Maru is watching right now, she would sure giggle with how her dream imouto protested about the little prank that she did.
BananaMan just gave each other a meaningful look, knowing that Maru might’ve gotten influenced by their words when they talked to her before the taping.
The next room was real hell for Maru. Before she even opens the door, the door slid open from the inside and two pairs of arms pulled her inside. She first saw Takayama Kazumi and Wakatsuki Yumi dressed as guys. The two forced her to wear a wig and a yukata robe with Kazumi not forgetting to be polite. After that she was pushed to sit beside Ikuta Erika who was also dressed as a guy, greeting her with her sensational Ikuo pose. Beside her is the captain, Sakurai Reika, who is also wearing a wig.
“What on earth…” Maru looked at the people sitting at the opposite side of the table. Shiraishi Mai, Nishino Nanase, Matsumura Sayuri, Akimoto Manatsu and Eto Misa are sitting in front of them. They are all wearing the ryokan’s yukata robe.
“We are now complete!” Wakatsuki declared while hanging her arm on Maru’s neck. The glasses girl is still clueless of what’s happening.
“Kibou-san…” Shiraishi called her with the name Nogizaka46 has given to her in reference to their song ‘Kimi no Na wa Kibou’ (Your Name is Hope) “Welcome to our group date!”
“E-Eh!? G-Group date?” Maru looked around to find someone to help her but there was no one who would answer her plea. “What are you guys doing!?”
“We just thought that you would enjoy events like this.” Manatsu explained and then gave Maru her lethal weapon ‘Zukkyun’ which almost gave the girl cancer.
“Who said I would enjoy this!?” Maru tried to escape but she was heavily guarded by Takayama and Wakatsuki. “No please…”
Misa then placed a bottle of Iichiko Shochu on the table. She then went to mix it with melon liqueur and fresh lemon juice before shaking it well with ice. The liquor master of the group then poured the drink on a cocktail glass and finished everything by adding cherry on it.
Maiyan then pushed the glass in front of Maru. “Have some, Kibou-san.”
“N-No! Why are we drinking!?” Maru complained. “Are you guys really going to drink on a broadcast?”
Misa raised her hand. “Did that.” She responded monotonously.
“B-But—“
“This is a celebration, Kibou-kun!” Ikuta answered with her tsundere switch flipped on. “How can you celebrate without some liquor?”
“B-But Ikuta-san—“
“Ikuo-kun is right!” Sayuringo answered, grinning from ear to ear. “I also heard that people in your country drink together to have great camaraderie. It’s just the same thing here in Japan.”
“We are all on the age to drink so don’t worry.” Reika seconded, ordering her shochu cocktail from Misa.
“Captain!!!” Maru then turned to Nanase who was currently looking at her. “Jojo-san, help me…”
Nanase just tilted her head to the side and smiled. She took something she’s hiding at her back and then showed it to Maru. It is a pile of wooden chopsticks.
“Kibou-chan…” Nanase smiled at her.
“Ousama Game~~Start~!”
Maru then turned pale.
After spending fifteen minutes in the hellish room, Maru came out looking tipsy. She never had the chance to be king. And as if the girls know which number she picked she was always commanded to do something. They tried to make her do absurd things such as ‘Kiss number 5’ which happened to be Manatsu. She couldn’t do most of the commands which means she has to take a glass down.
And there she goes, going to the next room staggering. Deep inside her head she is already convinced that she isn’t fated to be with Nogizaka. If she hangs out with them even more, she might end up crazy. Hanging out with the goofballs of the 48G has already done a lot to her mental health. She couldn’t afford twice of the craziness.
“This is the last room, right?” Maru asked the staff while squinting. She then turned to her manager who is obviously apologetic of the happenings. “You better be sure to take me home, Kato-san.”
Maru then slid the door open; her yukata robe is all over the place. Waiting for her in the room is the last person she’s going to spend 15 minutes with, the girl who convinced her to come to the show—Saito Asuka.
“You alone?” Maru asked, she felt nauseous after she smelt the booze when she talked. She never imagined that she would have that much liquor with Nogizaka. It has been a while since she had alcohol too that’s why she got drunk easily.
Asuka worriedly looked at her. She stood from her seat and assisted Maru to her place. A staff member went in and gave Maru a glass of cold water to drink.
“I’m sorry, Asuka. I’ve been through hell.” Maru took a gulp of the water. “I honestly thought that we were going to have some sincere talk about the future of the group but it became a party.”
Asuka snickered when she finally realized what happen. “I guess everyone was just really excited to hangout with you.”
Maru heavily shook her head. “If crying and torture are parts of being excited then you could convince me.
Asuka just snickered. “Anyway, thank you for coming with us today. You really helped us a lot.” The idol expressed her gratitude, trying her hardest not to laugh at Maru’s current state.
“Because you said it was a matter of life and death.” Maru then felt the note she got from Miona when her hand landed to the side of her pocket. She took it out and had a peek.
“Thank you for playing cupid for us. We hope you also find your pair. –Miona and Minami.”Maru smiled and returned the note in her pocket. “I’ve already found her.”
“What are you murmuring over there?” Asuka asked. She has seen Maru getting drunk before and that wasn’t really a good memory for her. That time Maru declared to all idols present that she is inlove with Shimazaki Haruka and even emphasized that the former idol was hers only. That wasn’t a good scene to see especially if you have a crush on Maru.
Yes, the great negative idol, Saito Asuka, who always wonders about her existence and gets sad on how great her fans support her despite her imperfections, has a lingering two-year crush to Hoshino Maru.
Her admiration to the girl started in Nogibingo where she was picked to go with Maru at the dark room. She witnessed how scared Maru was back then, she was holding Asuka’s hand so tight but she made sure that Asuka won’t get hurt with her panicking. It was like she was protecting the idol from whatever is inside that dark room. With that, Asuka got her own experience of the idol protector. It might not be that known to the fans but she knows it well in her heart.
She was so worried when Maru got into an accident that she sneaked to the hospital with a disguise. She even cried in happiness after hearing the news that Maru has woken up from comatose. She was overjoyed when she was able to work with her for the first time after the accident that she messed up the whole recording but Maru was there to give her support. She wanted to be the one to support her as a senpai in the industry but she’s the only one that keeps receiving help.
She managed to be a little close to her but she knows that being a friend is the closest that she can get to her. Maru is inlove with one of the brightest idols of their generation. It is so obvious whenever they are seen together.
“I thought you would be with Hori-san and Hoshino-san but here you are alone in one room. Are you really that big of a loner?” Maru asked with a sneer.
Asuka blushed a little, embarrassed of what the drunken girl said. She couldn’t say that Miona and Minami talked to the director of the show to give her an alone time with Maru as if they were her managers. The two don’t know anything about how she sees Maru but they went on their way to do that. Was she getting obvious?
“You would prefer the same thing, don’t you?” Asuka asked back, trying to stop grinning.
“There are times that I prefer to be alone, but I have people who want to stay with me now.” Maru drank the remaining water and asked for more. “They are all busy people but they are all trying to spend time with me. With that I’m really happy.”
The glass of water arrived but Maru didn’t take notice of it. She got down to the table and comfortably placed her head on her stretched out right arm. “Koinu is really loud and annoying almost all the time but I just let her be. That’s how she shakes off her stress. GM always lectures me like a mother but I know that’s her way to show that she cares. Shakure King always tells me how annoying my face is but she loves rubbing her chin to me.”
During the broadcast, a tweet from Sayaka was sent saying, “Nandeyanen, kiddo! When did I rub my chin to you!?”
“Miyuki loves to cling on me so much. She harasses me and forces me to bath with her but she’s always there if I need to get something off my chest.”
And that time from Miyuki, “Waru-kun, let’s go bath together~ I’ll prepare a bubbly bath~ :*”
“And there is Haruppi-san who is still resting. I would really love to see her back to stage as soon as possible. She has one of the brightest smiles in this planet. I want the world to see that again.”
Maru crossed her arms and buried her face on it. “Then there is Sakura. She doesn’t have enough confidence with herself and is experiencing a lot of panic attacks lately. But when she’s with me, she makes sure that she shows me her child-like smile that I really like. She doesn’t want anyone to worry about her despite of all the stress and pressure that she’s under to. I want to support her all the way. She and Koinu…”
There’s a long pause from Maru. Asuka was about to reach out to her, worried that she might’ve already fallen asleep but she jerked when Maru suddenly spoke. Her heart skipped a beat.
“And of course, I won’t forget you, Asuka. You also gave me a name, didn’t you?”
Ah, yes. Asuka indeed gave Maru a name while they were on another show but since then she hasn’t used that to call her.
“How about try using that to call me? You only call me ‘Oi’.” Maru snickered while her eyes are closed. Asuka wasn’t able to say something for that moment. Her heart was beating so loudly that she couldn’t focus at all. Her mind was blank. She couldn’t think of a way to escape.
She took a deep breath and gathered courage. “H-Hika—“
“And of course, I would never forget about my
Hime-sama!” Maru suddenly blurted out, she even raised her right fist as if she won something. “Every time that I’m with her is very precious. I don’t want to take any moment for granted. I want to treasure her for the rest of my… wait… I don’t know if I can consider this second but whatever… I want to treasure her for the rest of my second life.”
“I promise not to make her cry… I promise that I will always be her star… I promise to stay by her side no matter what… Even if I’m lacking, I will do everything to make her smile…”
The subtitle during this part was,
“Maru-sama’s wedding vows(?)” This immediately trended in twitter with Paruru being tagged on it. Looks like everyone is already convinced that MaruParu isn’t just a ship but something way beyond. This wasn’t cut out since MaruParu has a huge horde of shippers. They found Maru’s innocent wedding vows really heart-warming.
Maru went quiet again. After everything that she heard, Asuka couldn’t bring herself to talk. How was she supposed to answer that anyway? Maru just started talking about her friends and ended up talking about the love of her life.
She went over to Maru’s side of the table and then faced the staff with a professional smile. “Maru-san has fallen asleep…” She looked at the timer to confirm the time. “Four minutes left.”
Maru’s manager entered the room and apologized that Maru fell asleep. The producers and the staff also apologized for what the girls of Nogizaka made her do but deep inside their variety souls, they were singing in triumph because they got a lot of good scenes.
Her manager was about to pick her up but Asuka suddenly had an idea for the remaining time. She asked to take pictures of the sleeping Maru and even drew on her face. Asuka giggled like a little kid. She made her look like the cat that she sculpted when she was in 5th grade and again took pictures of it.
She looked at the photos with satisfaction. She poked Maru’s nose and snickered, “This is why you must not fall asleep when you are with me,
Hikaru.” (光; light, you know the reason why.)
AKIMOTO YASUSHI was having another birthday dinner with one of his graduated kids. He had dinners with the first-ever general manager of the group and the rest of the original Kami 7. He doesn’t know how many birthday dinners he has went through. His birthday was long over but Maru and Paru still considered this dinner as a birthday celebration dinner. It’s hard to have so many daughters. This is the main reason why Aki-P is gaining weight.
“I’m glad that you are looking healthier now, Paruru.” Aki-P commented after swallowing his pasta. “I hope you get rid of that asthma totally.”
“Hoshi is taking care of me properly, Sensei.” Paruru smiled cutely and then looked at Maru. “She’s treasuring me so well during this second life of hers…”
Maru almost choked after that tease from Paruru. She turned to Paru with widened eyes.
“Ah, right…” Aki-P leaned back to his chair. “Maru has said her wedding vows in NogChuu.”
Maru was trying to save herself by drinking water but the next line from Aki-P made her spit it out. This may be called her third life now.
“W-W-What’s wrong with the two of you!?” Maru walked out with her face bright red. She went to the restroom to clean the mess she made on her clothes.
Aki-P and Paruru just laughed as they watch Maru stomp her feet on the way to the restroom. No matter how cool she might be in the eyes of others, she still has that strong tsundere side of her.
“Maru is really funny. She blushes furiously when it comes to you.” Aki-P commented. “You must be having a lot of good times teasing her.”
Haruka just answered with a smile. She doesn’t want to tell the Sensei that Maru has a side that only her have seen.
Aki-P placed his utensils back to the table and wiped the sides of his mouth. “That girl has tried a lot in her career. I want to discuss with you the next plan I have for her…”
“N-Next plan?” Paru straightened her back, a sign that she’s all ears to whatever Aki-P is going to say.
“I believe you’re a little jealous that you don’t have a lot of jobs with her. Maru is working with different idols but you can’t do it with her since you already graduated.”
Paru wasn’t able to say something. It’s true. Sometimes she feels regretful that she graduated right when Maru entered the spotlight.
“Even Milky is feeling the same thing. Of course, she told me that with her signature smile.”
The Producer crossed his arms and did his signature pose. “With that, I want Maru to have her drama debut.”
“D-Drama?” Paruru repeated.
“Yes. A drama that I will personally write. A drama with you and the other kids.”
A smile automatically flashed on Paruru’s face. “That sounds ama—“
“Also, it will be a drama with Saito Asuka.”
Akimoto Yasushi smirked.
Topic: (N46) 恋の予感 (Premonition of Love) (MinaMiona) CH 2/2 *COMPLETE* (Read 12896 times)