RPAGF Chapter 40 Himura Award
Chapter 40 Himura Award
The double Nana bond has been completed, granting one chance to pull for the main character.
After returning home from the company, Rito looked at the prompts given by the system in her mind, but she didn't seem very happy. Instead, she frowned and looked preoccupied.
"What does this mean? Am I supposed to try out every single synergy option myself just to get the center position? Is that even possible?"
Although he had expected the system wouldn't be so generous as to give one draw for every person he kissed, the way it calculated the reward still startled Rito. Bonds are a classic feature in Japanese games, unlike some puzzle games which have some logic to follow. They basically depend entirely on the creator's mood. This time, the double Nana was a combination he had never heard of before.
"Hey, isn't this a bit much? I didn't come here just to play a game. Even if this is a holographic projection game, you should still abide by basic social norms, right? Didn't the ethics committee tell you that?"
Rito usually doesn't pay much attention to this mysterious system and always keeps his distance from any supernatural existence. However, the new setting that the other party put forward this time was too outrageous, and he finally couldn't help but ask a question.
"Beep, feedback received, will respond within 48 hours."
The system reacted quite quickly this time, which amused Rito. He shrugged, said thank you, and prepared to start drawing cards.
"Dear user, your feedback has been processed. The following are the results: The Bond System will now publicly display the names of all possible achievement combinations and their conditions for completion, and a 'Abandon' option will be added after each task. If you choose to abandon, the Bond task will be randomly refreshed after 72 hours."
Just as he placed his hand on the gashapon machine, an unexpected sound suddenly rang in his ears, followed by lines of semi-transparent golden text that lit up in his mind. After reading them carefully, Rito unconsciously curled the corners of his mouth.
"So it really is a game system. It's even trying to play psychology with me. It's like taking off your pants to fart."
He muttered a complaint and turned off the half of the screen that displayed many classic couples such as Bai Sha, Qi Zhou, and Yue Ying, since he wouldn't need it for the time being. He then turned his attention back to the dazzling gashapon machine in the center.
The gashapon machines in the C-position pool are always much more ornate than those in the regular pool. They are entirely black, with purple, green, blue, and white light patterns flowing across their surface. Just standing there quietly, they exude an aura of preciousness, as if they contain valuable items. Rito rubbed her hands together, took a deep breath, and pressed the draw button.
The gears inside the gashapon machine began to turn, emitting a crisp, rhythmic clicking sound. The orange-white gashapon tumbled a few times inside the transparent tube before finally falling into the dispenser with a "plop."
"Orange + White, I can't quite remember who it is." He shook his head and reached out to unscrew it.
An official photo slowly floated into the air. The girl had smooth black hair, delicate and gentle features, and a special sense of aloofness in her eyes, giving off an air of unapproachability.
The information bar below the photo slowly appears—
"Nogizaka second-generation student Hori Miona."
Rito raised an eyebrow and then laughed.
"It's Houli." He murmured the name softly, suddenly feeling a pang of nostalgia. "Is this your obsession? Starting over again, still wanting to begin as a second-generation member? Fine, let me see how far you can go with a new batch of teammates."
In her early days, she was a pure and innocent girl with black hair. She was a member of the second generation and the only center. Although Hori Miona's idol career was full of controversy, and she was also criticized for plastic surgery and bold style after graduation, no one can deny her obvious talent.
Satisfied, Rito exited the gacha space and opened his eyes. It was completely dark outside. He picked up his phone to send a message to Konno, but found several unread notifications on the screen, all from Konno.
"Kubo-san, all the candidates have been selected, and the online registration channel officially opened at midnight."
"By 8 a.m., the number of registered applicants had exceeded 3,000."
"Also, NHK has replied regarding the Kohaku Uta Gassen..."
Upon seeing the last message, Rito paused slightly and immediately dialed Konno's number.
"Kubo-san." Konno answered quickly, with the sounds of staff talking busily in the background, indicating that he was still at the company.
"What did NHK say?"
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, then Konno's voice deepened: "I'm sorry, they said that this year's lineup is basically finalized. Nogizaka46 has been around for less than a year, so we hope to try again next year."
The answer was as expected. Rito rubbed her temples, her tone remaining relatively calm: "I understand. You've worked hard, get some rest."
After hanging up the phone, he sat on the sofa for a long time. The living room lights weren't all on; only a floor lamp beside the sofa cast a warm yellow glow, illuminating half of his face in a striking contrast of light and shadow. Rationally, he knew that a group that had debuted less than a year ago had a slim chance of making it to the Kouhaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle), but emotionally, he still felt somewhat unwilling to give up.
"Knock knock knock".
The knocking interrupted his thoughts. Rito got up and opened the door. Standing outside was Nagahama Neru, wearing a cream-colored duffle coat, carrying two convenience store bags, her hair slightly disheveled by the night wind, and the tip of her nose slightly red from the cold.
"Why are you here?" Rito asked, somewhat surprised, and stepped aside to let her in.
"I happened to be next to Konno-san when he answered the phone earlier, and I heard him say that you were in a bad mood." Shui Shui put the bag on the coffee table, took out two cans of beer from it, and put them on the table.
"Hey, you underage kid, where did you get beer! Tell me, which convenience store sold it to you? I'm going to report them right now. How dare they tarnish the reputation of Nogizaka46? They're incredibly audacious."
Rito glanced at her, his eyes widening instantly. He forcefully pressed down on her hand as she tried to open the pull ring, and angrily rebuked her with a righteous expression.
After listening, Shui Shui didn't show the slightest fear. Instead, she glanced at him disdainfully and casually slapped his hand away.
"That's enough. This isn't the Capitol Building. Who are you trying to impress with this righteous indignation? I don't believe you'll actually abide by any minor alcohol bans."
Rihito looked at her; her beautiful eyes reflected the light of the floor lamp, filled with an indescribable mix of emotions, so complex that they didn't seem like those of a seventeen-year-old girl. Suddenly, Rihito felt a surge of emotion.
"Really." He shook his head with a smile, seemingly convinced by her, but still didn't let go. "If you want to drink, go drink it privately. Coming to my house, are you trying to provoke me?"
"Then it's a deal, we'll drink until we drop when I turn 18." Despite being rejected, Shui Shui wasn't annoyed. She extended her little finger and made the promise to herself.
"Okay, it's a deal." Rito hooked her little finger with his and shook it vigorously twice, then changed the subject, "So, to cheer me up, come shopping with me."
"...Now?" Shuishui was startled and glanced at the pitch-black night outside the window.
"Yes, Tokyo's nightlife is just getting started." Rito had a feeling that something strange might happen if he and Shui Shui were alone here, but he wasn't ready for it yet, so he stood up without hesitation and grabbed her sleeve without saying a word. "Get up, get up. Don't just stay at home after work. You'll lose all your youthful energy."
"Ugh—I'm so tired after a long day at work!"
"Let's go! I heard a new dessert shop opened in Shibuya. Let me take you to try it out."
Shibuya's nights were indeed as bright as day. Neon lights turned the entire street into a colorful canvas, giant LED screens played various jokes on a loop, and stylish young people crowded the intersection. As soon as Shui Shui stepped out the door, she immediately changed her stance, walking half a step ahead of Rito, her steps light, glancing back at him every now and then to make sure he wasn't lost.
As the two walked through the crowded central street and were about to turn into a newly opened clothing store, Rito suddenly caught sight of two familiar figures out of the corner of his eye.
"Hey, what a big mushroom head! Is that Himura-san?"
Following his gaze, Shui Shui saw Himura Yuki, the "banana man" (a term referring to someone who is overly citrus). He was wearing a bright orange down jacket, carrying several shopping bags, and standing in front of a clothing store catering to young women. Beside him was a girl in a plaid coat. The girl had two braids and a youthful face; she was none other than Harada Aoi, a first-generation member of Nogizaka46.
"Kui!" Shui Shui called out, and Ri Ren quickly walked over.
Xiao Kui turned her head and saw the two of them. She was taken aback at first, then smiled with delight, but then shrank back a little shyly. Himura also noticed them, and his signature round face showed an exaggerated expression of surprise.
"Nagahama? And Kubo-san? What are you doing here?" Himura's loud voice immediately attracted the attention of several passersby.
"Himura-san!" Shui Shui greeted him with a smile. Apart from the staff, the two Banana People were probably the most familiar people in the industry to the first generation of trainees. They had been doing shows together for so long that their relationship was no longer as reserved as it was at the beginning.
Rito, however, remained calm. His gaze swept back and forth between the shopping bag in Himura's hand and the obviously ill-fitting plaid coat on Aoi's body. He immediately understood what was going on and asked with a smile:
"This is... the Himura Prize?"
Himura blinked, then suddenly an idea struck him. He put on a troubled expression and said, "Oh dear, I forgot my wallet when I came out to buy clothes for Aoi. Kubo-san, what do you think?"
"Himura-san, you just showed me your wallet." At that moment, a member of the production crew who had been standing next to him reminded him.
Himura abruptly turned to look at the camera, his expression so exaggerated it was almost distorted: "Hey, aren't we on the same side? Buying clothes for the members, the company president won't pay, but I, the host, am supposed to pay?"
Everyone around laughed. Having created a good show, Himura finally waved his hand generously and said to Shuishui, "Since we've run into each other, I can't be stingy. Come on, you pick one too."
"Thank you very much, Himura-san." Rito smiled and accepted on behalf of Shui Shui, then consciously blended into the staff group and let Shui Shui go find Xiao Kui.
"Are there any other people coming this time?" The program was still being recorded. Rihito glanced around and randomly grabbed a staff member to ask.
"Sakurai, Takayama, and Hoshino are also there; they're waiting in the mall," the staff member honestly explained.
Li Ren simply said "oh" and followed the group inside without saying anything more.
Sure enough, when Himura arrived at the store with Aoi and Shuishui, three girls in uniforms were pretending to pick out clothes. Himura immediately understood what was going on, but since it was a variety show, he had to play along. In the end, he was the unlucky one who had to pay.
Despite not being part of the planned group, Shui Shui was quite tactful, choosing only a cream-colored knitted scarf—inexpensive yet of excellent quality. Himura noticed this and couldn't help but look at her with newfound respect—it's rare for a seventeen-year-old girl to think of something like this, and to truly be able to control her desires shows remarkable maturity.
After Himura finished paying the bill, the program's director came over and politely bowed to Rito: "President Kubo, could we keep that footage when we air it later?"
In this timeline, idols are a completely new concept, without as many restrictions. Therefore, Rito waved her hand without hesitation and said, "Of course, I'm fine with it. What about you, Neru?"
As Shuishui was wrapping her new scarf around her neck, she looked up and smiled when she heard this: "I'm fine with it too."
The director, with a look of surprise, agreed and led the camera crew to shoot the follow-up footage. Xiao Kui and Shui Shui huddled together, whispering among themselves, while Rito and Himura chatted idly to the side. Himura, watching the two girls' figures in the distance, suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Kubo-san, will Nagahama still be the center position in the next project?"
Rito paused for a moment, then smiled: "Himura-san is indeed perceptive; he'll switch to C for the next order."
Himura gave him a deep look, then patted him hard on the shoulder: "No matter what, don't let him down."
"I know, Himura-san, you hit me too hard," Rito said with a smile, rubbing his shoulder which was a little numb from the pats.
After filming ended, Himura and the production crew left first. The manager also wanted to take the members back, but she saw Takayama and Hoshino exchange glances, rush up to the president, and chatter on and on. Then Rito walked up to her and said that he would take them out for dinner and let her go back by herself.
"Yes, boss." With her boss speaking, the manager naturally didn't dare to say anything more. She just gave the chubby girl behind the scenes a stern look, signaling her to stop, or she would tell the boss about her glorious achievement of gaining 18 pounds in less than a year.
"Hehehe~" Xiao Nan, who is in her rebellious phase, is not afraid of her. As a top player with three singles in the first row, she thinks that so what if she is a little chubby? Her fans still rush to praise her for being cute. Adolescence is the time when she is growing, so how can she mistreat herself?
"Let's go. What are you doing, making faces at me? You have no sense of modesty as a pretty girl at all."
Seeing Xiaonan like this, Liren thought she was just playing a prank on him and didn't take it to heart. He patted her head and led a group of beautiful young girls out to the street to find a place to eat.