"It's been great lately!"
“You can see it on any channel, it’s full of presence!”
One week after the debut single was released, at the recording site of the new Nogizaka, two members of Banana Man congratulated the girls.
"Congratulations for ranking second on the O-list this week!" Shitara took the lead in applauding. The girls clapped and bowed slightly to show their modesty.
For this recording, all 34 members of Nogizaka were present. They were divided into three rows from the front to the back in the order of lucky gods, selections and unders.
Among them, Under is a title that was just decided some time ago. Unlike the AKB general election, which divides the top 64 members into specific categories such as selection group, Under Girl, Next Girl and Future Girl, Nogizaka divides all members who have not been selected into the selection group. Collectively called Under.
The management also planned an exclusive Under program "Nogizaka Here" for it, corresponding to TV Tokyo's Nogizaka Crown Series. This program has the members themselves as MCs, and the dubbing and editing are completely incomparable with TV programs. It can only be performed on Played on Nogizaka's official website.
However, having such a program is extremely rare for Under members who lack opportunities to show themselves.
Back to the topic, after Banana Man congratulated Nogizaka on the success of their first single, they introduced today's project - using VTR to review the history of Nogizaka since its establishment.
"There's something wrong." Amamiya Suga smelled an unusual smell.
All the members were present to review the experience of the previous half year. It felt like in a cartoon, before the climax of the final battle, a summary episode was released for a week.
Later, Banana Man’s major announcement confirmed her idea.
Everyone warmly reviewed the past six months, from selection to training, from the first time on the show, to the first time on the AKB stage, to the selection of new singles and hard promotion. There is joy, there is frustration, there is sadness, there is joy.
Just when everyone was lamenting that everything was hard-won, Shitara once again congratulated the members and announced a big news.
"No. 2 on the O chart, very good, very beautiful. Then, next, the second single will also be..."
After hearing the first half, the members were filled with gratitude and joy, but after hearing the second half, they felt rock bottom. The smile disappeared instantly.
Sure enough, this confirmed Amamiya Shiori's guess.
"Of course." Himura agreed.
"With the first order, there will naturally be a second order. In other words, next week, the selection lineup for the second order will be announced." Shitara explained.
"Eh?" "No~"
The members' expressions varied, some were covering their faces, and some were already wiping tears.
At the beginning of its establishment, Akimoto Yasu claimed to catch up with AKB within a few months, so the speed of issuing orders will definitely not be slow. However, the second single has only been released for a week, and the members who have not recovered from the joy will immediately face the question of whether they can be selected for the next single. This is still too sudden for them.
"So fast, really fast!" Shitele also sighed.
"Ikoma is already crying." Himura said with a smile.
"I've thought about coming." Ikoma's eyes were red and he was stroking his hair uneasily.
"But this is Nogizaka." Shitara comforted her.
The show said it was next week, but it was actually today.
The second announcement was again in the form of the members sitting in a small room, waiting for the list to be announced one by one in the studio, but this time there was a slight innovation: the member who was called went to the studio, and she opened the list. There is an envelope with the name of the next member to be selected, in a relay format.
Although they could announce it one by one in the studio, the management still used a malicious method to test the members' mentality even more.
After the makeup artist finished touching up the makeup of the crying member, everyone sat in three rows in the small room and waited silently.
Amamiya Suga sat in front, looking at the deep black of the camera lens in a daze.
"Since there is no one in front of the first place, I will make all the announcements." Shitara's voice came from the speaker, "The selection is fully explained by the Nogizaka46 Operating Committee. Now let's start the announcement."
"Next, there are a lot of envelopes here." Shitara patted a stack of envelopes on the small table next to him and took out one from the top.
"First of all, it's the first place envelope." Shitara opened the envelope and took a look inside, "Ah~oh~ I'm getting goosebumps."
"First of all, the first member. In the last selection, she was shocked to the point of tears. Later, she was selected as the interim captain and worked hard to gain a good reputation, Sakurai Reika!"
"Congratulations Sakurai!" Himura shouted in a loud voice.
Applause erupted in the small room. As one of the seven gods of good fortune tentatively selected, Sakurai once again returned to the position of the seven gods of good fortune.
Arriving at the studio, Reika Sakurai calmed down and opened the next envelope.
Each envelope begins with a comment. It is also a kind of torture for the members who are full of hope to find sentences that suit themselves from the short comments and try to figure out possible names.
"At the beginning, there was a lot of uneasiness. It must have been very hard to be suddenly announced as the center, but I still completed the task well. I will continue to work hard in the future, Rina Ikoma." Sakurai Reika finished with a tearful voice.
Ikoma Rina, who had never been confident and had been crying, now held back her tears with a tough expression. Then the names of Sakurai Reika, Ikoma Rina, and the members were called one after another.
Among the remaining Seven Gods of Luck, there are Sayuri Matsumura, Nana Hashimoto, and Mai Shiraishi who were selected as the Seven Gods of Luck again after last time. And Kazumi Takayama, who slipped from the Seven Gods of Good Luck like Sakurai, Nakata Kana returns again.
In the first row, there were three people who had not been called.
Amamiya Shiori was in a good mood and felt relaxed after the exam. The two little girls, Erika Ikuta and Minami Hoshino, who were sitting in the middle of the row, were a little unable to hold their nerve.
Especially Erika Ikuta, whose sobbing voice could not be concealed, and her face turned red from crying. Due to taking the high school entrance examination, she recently missed a promotional tour and several program recordings.
Maybe this is a beating from the management, a punishment for Erika Ikuta not paying enough attention to the activities within the group.
With the announcement of the selection members one by one, many changes have also taken place in the list of ordinary selections.
"We laugh together in the face of difficulties, and we are really happy to enter the selection together. Congratulations, Hoshino Minami." Nishino Nanase announced Hoshino Minami's name, and there were only 3 spots left in the selection.
Erika Ikuta and Sōri Amamiya have not been chosen yet.
Two people sat in the front row, surrounded by nothingness.
Erika Ikuta twitched slightly because she was choking.
Amamiya Sōri was mentally prepared. It didn't matter to her that she lost the selection, but Erika Ikuta looked a little pitiful next to her.
Hold her hand gently.
Ikuta raised his head, pear blossoms brought rain. This is not the usual generous and confident Ikuta, now she is a completely helpless girl.
Ikuta's clenched fist gradually expanded.
Alas~ Amamiya Shiori sighed slightly and provided her with the comfort he could.
I recall that after an audition, I appeared on TV and had more opportunities to participate in activities than before. I thought my performance was okay and there were very few deleted scenes, but I still failed to be selected for the Lucky God, and I might not even be selected. no.
So it’s really hard to figure out what’s going on in operations. Is it because I’m going to college? Thinking that Erika Ikuta might not have been chosen as the God of Fortune because her studies affected her activities, Amamiya Sōri felt that this reason was somewhat credible.
With the eldest sister Yumiko Iwase entering the selection, there are only two people left on the final list.
Yumiko Iwase thought of Erika Ikuta, the name that Ikuta had been waiting for a long time.
Amamiya Sōri let go of her hand, patted Ikuta on the shoulder, and nodded encouragingly to her.
Ikuta looked back at Amamiya Shiori with tearful eyes and stood up. Then he turned around and bowed to the members.
Only the last one is left. Amamiya Souri was sitting alone in the front. To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing.
The cameras were all focused on her, making her not sure what expression to make. It's impossible to cry, and even less likely to laugh. He could only put on a thoughtful look.
"The Seven Gods of Good Luck fell out this time." Shitara said to Erika Ikuta.
"Very...unwilling." Ikuta cried until he coughed, "very unwilling."
"Well, it's common for positions to change. In order to return to the Seven Lucky Gods, keep working hard." Shitara comforted him.
"Sa, let's announce the last one." Shitara handed the last envelope to Erika Ikuta.
Opening the envelope, Ikuta took a look and couldn't help but shed tears: "Mature and reliable, he is calm about everything, and he has been helping everyone silently. Congratulations, Amamiya Shiori."
This result did not surprise everyone. The last two selection places corresponded to the last two members who failed to be selected as the God of Fortune.
Amamiya Shiori stood up and bowed behind him.
Although the girls who lost the election were disappointed, they still did not hesitate to express their congratulations.
