On the last day of 2013, after sending Mai Shiraishi to the station, Soi Amamiya stopped by the cemetery.
Placing a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in front of her mother's tombstone, Amamiya Sori took a deep breath.
The cloth mask could not block the cold air, so Amamiya Soi stood alone in front of the grave, silent for a long time.
Most of the people who come to the cemetery to sweep the tombs are old people. They bend down, some carry buckets of water, and use long-handled spoons to pour water on the tombstones.
The Japanese traditionally believe that the underworld is short of water, and the deceased are in need of water, so watering is required when sweeping graves. Although Amamiya Shiori didn't believe this, he did as the Romans did and went to the cemetery pond to get a bucket of water and rinse the tombstone.
There are many stone pillars lined up one after another, and my mother's ashes are buried under one of them. The space of several feet square seems extremely cramped, like a reflection of her life.
Closing my eyes, my mother's faint "I'm sorry" before she died seemed to still linger in my ears, as thin as a mosquito or fly. The skinny body on the hospital bed appeared in his mind, and he had long lost his former look.
Amamiya Sugaru regretted why he didn't think of taking her for a physical examination earlier. At that time, all she could think about was how to make money. It was normal for her mother to come home and vomit after being drunk, and she didn't take it to heart at all. By the time it was discovered that she was seriously ill, there was nothing she could do.
It has been twenty years since I came to this world. In a few days, it will be Adult Day. I will wear beautiful furisode and usher in a new stage of life. It is a pity that no relatives will be able to see it.
When thinking about the big things he will do next year, Amamiya Sori feels melancholy and anxious.
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Hasegawa is a reporter for Weekly Bunshun. He has been working there for three years. He is a member of the "photography class" of Bunshun magazine's editorial department and is responsible for following idols, especially idols from the Akimoto Yasu series.
Rino Sashihara was a "carnivorous girl" in 2012, Yuki Kashiwagi had a late night date in 2013, the relationship between Minami Minegishi and Arashi Shirahama of GENERATIONS was exposed, Tomomi Kawanishi had an affair with Yasushi Kubota, the president of AKS, and Mariko Shinoda was suspected of being Kubota. Kang Zhi Lovers - these are Wen Chun's recent works.
In particular, the exposure of Minami Minegishi's love affair directly led to Minami Minegishi taking the shocking step of shaving her head to apologize, causing an uproar. It even evolved into an international topic, causing heated discussions among overseas media and netizens, and was used by European and American rights holders to criticize the low status of Japanese women.
As a member of Akimoto Yasu's idol group, Nogizaka cannot escape Bunharu's gaze. As early as the early days of Nogizaka, Bunharu exposed photos of Wakatsuki Yumi and her boyfriend before joining the group. Nowadays, Nogizaka's popularity cannot be underestimated, and the Bunshun editorial department has also begun to arrange reporters from the "photography class" to follow Nogizaka's popular members.
Today was the day to return home for the New Year. On a whim, Hasegawa started from the apartment building where Amamiya Shiori and Shiraishi Mai lived and followed them all the way. After Shiraishi got on the car back to his hometown, he followed Amamiya Shiori persistently and finally took some interesting photos.
Looking at Amamiya standing in front of the tombstone in the distance, Hasegawa adjusted the angle and aperture and took a few pictures.
A person comes to visit the grave alone. This kind of thing is rarely photographed by idols.
Amamiya Shiori bought flowers at a flower shop alone and came to the cemetery to water the tombstones. During this time, she didn't see other family members, which was really weird.
After waiting for more than half an hour, the figure standing in the distance finally moved. Although she was wearing a mask, in front of fans and paparazzi, it was no different than not wearing one.
Amamiya Sori bowed to the tombstone, then turned and left the cemetery.
After waiting quietly for a few more minutes, Hasegawa appeared and came to the tombstone where Amamiya Shiori was standing just now.
"Grave of Amamiya Lin." Hasegawa read the words on the tombstone.
In Japan, most graves are not personal graves, but family graves. Therefore, most tombstones in Japanese tombs have "Tomb of so-and-so family" written on them. The ashes of the entire family's ancestors are stored beneath the tombs.
Such a personal tomb is rare.
Doesn’t the Amamiya Sōri family have a family tomb? Who is Amamiya Rin to Amamiya Shiori? Hasegawa was curious.
He took a photo of the tombstone and prepared to report the matter to editor-in-chief Shintani Manabu later.
Wenchun has always liked to make a fuss about "love issues" with the idol group Akimoto Yasu, but they also don't mind digging into other aspects of the idols' privacy.
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Amamiya Shiori, who didn't know that he had been targeted by Wenchun reporter, returned home.
On New Year's Eve, Amamiya Souri made a simple dinner, talked on the phone with Shiraishi Mai, watched the red and white song concert, and responded to messages in the line group.
In this year’s red group, there are many female idol groups appearing. AKB Group alone has three groups - AKB, SKE and NMB. This year's top overall pick, Rino Sashihara, took everyone to make dumplings. In addition, there are Momo, E-girls and perfume, and there is even a fictional idol group - GMT47 from the popular morning drama "Ama" in 2013.
In comparison, Nogizaka has not even been to a music station, let alone Kohaku.
The line group was very lively, and even the small mobile phone screens could not contain the overflowing envy of the members.
If you can’t get into Red and White this year, you will definitely be able to get in next year. After all, Nogizaka's sales are still far from a million, but they are comparable to the AKB group that is currently at its peak. All AKB sub-groups can enter, there is no reason why Nogizaka cannot enter.
Amamiya Shiori was not in the mood to celebrate the New Year, so he went to bed early after making a phone call with Shiraishi Mai. The last day of 2013 was dull and boring, like the calm sea before the storm.
