Chapter 17 Shirasaki Kanade's Past (2)

Shirasaki Kanade’s Past (2)

Kanade’s PoV

To pass the idol audition’s document screening, I stopped wearing glasses and switched to contact lenses.

Generally, there aren’t many idols who wear glasses.

When I went to school wearing contacts, everyone was surprised.

That was the first time I realized—I guess I’m actually pretty good-looking.

I even got a confession from a male classmate.

After that, I passed the preliminary document screening pretty easily.

Next came the audition at the venue.

It had two parts: a performance test to showcase dancing and singing, and an interview to assess personality and motivation.

As for the performance test, I had no real athletic experience.

So, I started by waking up early every morning before school to go running and build my basic physical strength.

After school, I went to karaoke every day to practice singing.

From breathing techniques to expressing emotions in lyrics, I slowly got the hang of things as I practiced each aspect on my own. The process was actually a lot of fun.

Being able to do things I couldn’t before was exciting, and I didn’t feel the slightest urge to give up.

I think I truly enjoyed those days from the bottom of my heart.

At school, people around me started commenting more and more on how my vibe had changed or how I’d become brighter.

But Amagi-kun’s way of looking at me stayed the same.

Sure, like everyone else, he noticed my changes and complimented me, but he still didn’t fundamentally see me as a girl—or rather, there was no sign he’d cross the line of friendship.

By the way, I never told Amagi-kun that I was auditioning for Luminous Stars. Naturally, he had no idea that he was the reason behind my change.

The only one who knew about my audition was my younger sister.

I explained everything to her and asked for her help in preparing for the interview.

Thanks to her strict and well-structured coaching—which was far better than I could manage myself—I passed the first and second evaluations and made it to the final round.

Around that time, Amagi-kun finally realized that I was auditioning.

Well, it’s not surprising. If he likes idol groups, he’d naturally notice the audition news and pay attention to who might join next.

When I visited the music room after school, Amagi-kun said to me,

“Shirasaki-san, you’ve been auditioning for Luminous Stars, haven’t you?”

“You found out, huh? Yeah, I’ve been auditioning and made it to the final round. Sorry for keeping it a secret—I wanted to surprise you.”

“I see. So that’s why Shirasaki-san has gotten so cute these past few months. I thought something was up, but now it makes sense.”

“C-cute…”

Did he just call me cute? He did, right?

Why does he say things like that so casually…?

And yet, Amagi-kun’s expression is completely normal. He’s so clueless…

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. But if things keep going like this, I might really become an idol. What would you think, Amagi-kun, if I did?”

I asked, half-testing him.

This question was really important to me.

“I think it’s amazing. But… I’d also feel a little lonely. It’d feel like Shirasaki-san was going somewhere I couldn’t reach.”

“Don’t worry. Even if I become an idol, I want to stay connected with you, Amagi-kun. After all, the reason I even wanted to become an idol in the first place is—”

My emotions got the better of me, and I almost said something I shouldn’t have.

But at the same time, I wondered if now might be the perfect moment to confess.

I made it to the final round of the Luminous Stars audition because of Amagi-kun.

Fueled by the accelerator of love, I’d somehow made it this far by sheer luck.

The final audition would probably be filled with stunningly beautiful girls my age.

So, my chances of passing were slim.

It’d be embarrassing to confess after failing, so maybe it’d be better to say it now.

But if Amagi-kun’s ideal girl was someone who shined like an idol…

In the end, I decided not to say the words “I like you.”

“Wait, what was I going to say again? I forgot… Anyway, I need to practice singing today, so I’ll head home.”

Was that too forced? Even I thought I was bad at hiding my feelings as I tried to escape.

“Wait, Shirasaki-san.”

Amagi-kun called out, so I turned around.

“I’m rooting for you, so do your best in the final audition.”

“Yeah, I will.”

With those parting words, I left the music room.

And then, a month later.

At the final audition for Luminous Stars, I was chosen as one of the three winners out of 36,795 applicants.

I officially became an idol.