I Drink Every Night With a Lookalike of a Popular Idol on the Riverbank
On Friday during lunch break, while I was making coffee in the kitchenette, my colleague Chiaki Narumi excitedly called out to me from behind.
“Hey, Aikawa! Are you free this weekend? If you are, there’s this amazing festival you should definitely go to! I have extra tickets. How about it?”
In her hand, she held a colorful flyer. From the text on it, it seemed to be some kind of festival event.
“A festival?”
“Yeah! It’s called the ‘Blue Sky Rock Festival,’ and Luminas Tears is performing!”
“Hee…”
I nodded to myself, thinking that was probably the only reason Narumi was so excited.
“This festival is pretty small-scale. But Luminas has been performing there since before they were famous, so they feel indebted to the festival and keep coming back. That’s why the venue is smaller than other live shows, and the stage is super close! Now it’s a legendary event known only to those in the know!”
“Luminous Tears.” At the mention of that name, I couldn’t help but think of Nanase-san’s face. She’s a national idol group member who lives with the image of being a “look-alike.” Maybe it would be nice to see the “real” her with my own eyes.
“Hmm, that sounds interesting. Maybe I’ll go.”
“Alright, let’s go! It’s settled! Let’s get the front row seats! It’s war!”
Narumi said that and winked contentedly.
◆
On the day of the festival, under a clear blue sky, many people spread out blankets on the grass and enjoyed the music in their own way.
Narumi confidently pulled me toward the stage.
“Here! This angle is the best for seeing Nagi chan!”
The venue was filled with excitement. As several bands finished their performances and the sun began to set, a loud cheer erupted. The stage went dark, and the opening sound effects echoed through the venue. Then, accompanied by dazzling lights, the members of “Luminous Tears” appeared.
At the center was Yunagi Nagi
As the center of the top idol group, she exuded an overwhelming presence. Every movement captured the audience’s hearts, and her voice shook the open-air atmosphere.
I was simply overwhelmed by her perfect performance.
She really does look just like Nanase-san. But… something was different. Perhaps it was the way the light hit her. Standing on stage, she seemed to glow from head to toe.
Midway through the live performance, the upbeat song that had been heating up the venue gave way to an emotional ballad. Nagi slowly scanned the audience, as if looking at each fan’s face. And then, her eyes suddenly stopped at mine.
Those professional eyes, accustomed to gathering the gaze of thousands, even tens of thousands, widened in disbelief, as if she had seen something unimaginable.
The perfectly crafted smile of an idol vanished, and there stood the face of a girl, frozen in shock.
The next moment, the part she was supposed to sing arrived. However, only the accompaniment came out of the speakers.
Her voice was not there. A few seconds of silence. She quickly regained her composure and began singing as if nothing had happened, but her expression still betrayed her shock.
“Did you see that? Naginagi skipped the lyrics! It’s a historic moment!”
Narumi shouted, banging on my arm.
The fans around us seemed to be enjoying the mishap, saying things like, “Wow, that was intense!” and “It’s good to see her human side!”
Then, during another intense dance number,
Asagiri Hiori’s android-like cold, sharp gaze pierced me like a knife for an instant. Then she seemed to smile…
Her ability to make the audience feel like she was looking at them was on par with anyone else’s. The fact that the person I had met by the riverbank was dancing on stage gave me an odd feeling.
“No way, did you see that?! Hiori-chan looked right at me! That’s totally impossible! It’s a sign of an impending natural disaster!”
Narumi was on the verge of panic.
◆
The next night. As usual, I sat next to Nanase-san on the riverbank and drank alcohol. There was a gap of two cans of chu-hi between us.
“You know, it’s really starting to feel like autumn, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. It’s like a genie who knows everything about anime characters and celebrities.”
“That’s not Akineater!”
Nanase burst out laughing at my remark.
The conversation continued in a casual manner. After a moment of silence, Nanase looked at me with a searching gaze.
“By the way, Yousuke, what did you do yesterday?”
“A colleague from work invited me to a festival. Luminas Tears was there too.”
At that moment, Nanase’s shoulders tensed up just a little.
Damn it! she is an anti-Yunagi Nagi fan, so talking about this was a bad idea!
I tried to cover it up, but Nanase just smiled and nodded.
“Oh… really? How was it?”
“It was amazing! And you won’t believe this, but will you listen?”
“Hmm. What?”
Nanase listened with a relaxed attitude, seeming interested. I leaned forward and continued excitedly.
“During the live performance, I made eye contact with Nagi!”
“…Hee.”
“I don’t know why, but after we made eye contact, she skipped the lyrics. The fans around me were happy because it was rare, but I felt a little sorry. I wonder if I looked so weird that it broke my concentration…”
“Fuhaa… I see. Well, who knows? Maybe she fell in love with you at first sight?”
“Yunagi Nagi?”
“Yeah, exactly. She saw you and fell in love, and then she forgot the lyrics.”
“Nanase-san has a surprisingly girly way of thinking…”
“Well, I do.”
Nanase said that with her lips pursed for some reason.
“Should I ask for you? I can ask Hiori if you want. ‘Did you fall in love at first sight with the guy in the front row at the last festival?’”
“No, no… Wait, did I say I was in the front row? I actually was, though…”
“Well… it was just a coincidence! I guess you were close enough to the stage that your eyes met!”
“I see…”
“Well, then, let’s just talk about what-ifs. What would you do? Suppose Yunagi nagi came here and said, ‘Yosuke-san! I like you!’ What would you say?”
“Hmm… I’d ask her to be my friend, I guess. After all, she’s an idol, so she can’t have a boyfriend… and she’s probably busy with work… but…”
“But what?”
“Well… I’d like to ask her, ‘How about just drinking together by the river sometimes?’ but Nanase is there…”
“Fufu.. that’s true. Which one would you prioritize?”
“Well… obviously Nanase, right?”
“So, Yunagi Nagi will be rejected?”
“Eh, uh… no… well… if I had to choose between the two… it would be Nanase, right?”
“Hmmm…”
Nanase smiled happily and downed the rest of her chuhai in one gulp.
Maiasa