October 1st, Nogizaka Building.
"Ah, the long-lost recording studio!"
On the upper floor of Nogizaka Building, at the recording site of the "Where is Nogizaka" program, Kitano Hinako opened her arms as if embracing the air and shouted with a slightly louder voice.
"Keep your voice down..." The Great Condor quickly took Kitano Hinako's arm off and bowed slightly to apologize to the staff who were looking around. "Well, it's nice to come here and have some fun during your busy schedule. Right? Lan Lan."
The Great Condor rubbed Terada Ranyo's silky hair beside him.
"Well, I don't know if there will be any of our second-generation students in the new single release this time." Terada Ranyo leaned on the back of the chair, his body slightly tilted towards the big condor, and his hands kept twisting and turning.
Shortly after the last tour in Tokyo on August 30th, the management prepared a new LIVE tour, which was held at Yoyogi Daiichi Gymnasium and was named 'Midsummer Nationwide Tour 2013 FINAL!' These days Everyone is rehearsing intensively. The new venue is different. The Yoyogi First Gymnasium is larger and has more space to use, so the choreography has also been changed.
What's more, unlike the previous situation, the audience this time was more than 10,000, nearly 12,000. This is the largest concert since Nogizaka's debut.
Today, they were taken out of their tight schedules to record the program, with the goal of selecting the lineup for the seventh single.
This time, without exception, the second-term students were called in for internships. They were already accustomed to this operation. The first-term students were recording the program on the stage, and they, the second-term students, were watching below. It was called learning, but it was just for them. It's just a consolation for these graduate students. After all, there was no media exposure except for the concert. Although they were also backup dancers at the concert, there were no cameras.
The atmosphere today is obviously different. Although the first-year students on the stage are talking and laughing in preparation for the opening, everyone seems to be smiling a little absent-mindedly.
"Eh? Who is that girl? She's pretty." Horimina sat in the last row and asked Junna Ito, who was sitting next to her, with her arm.
The big condor sitting in front of Hori Mina followed Hori Mina's line of sight and looked over. Next to a camera, a slim girl stood there. Her appearance was not inferior to other members, and she had a pair of long legs. It is even more eye-catching.
"I don't know." Ito Junna also saw it and shook her head to express that she didn't know either.
"It won't be someone like Akimoto Manatsu-san who will join Qidan this time." Horimina said her guess.
"Probably not. Akimoto Manatsu-san is a first-term student. He just delayed his participation in activities due to academic problems. Now that all the first-term students are here, he shouldn't be the only one to join." Ayane Suzuki returned to Horimiona behind the two of them. .
Recently, Hori Mina and Suzuki Aane have been very close. This time, because the Yoyogi First Gymnasium is in Tokyo, the company did not prepare a hotel for them, so the two of them went out and stayed in the hotel by themselves. together.
"Come on, come on, stop talking." Ito Karin said to them.
Looking towards the stage, Shitakutong stood alone on the stage.
After the director signaled that it was time to start, Shitatsu Tong began the regular opening remarks.
"Boom! Good evening everyone, this is "Where's Nogizaka", I am the host Banana Setakutō, please give me your advice! And today's protagonists, Nogizakas!"
"Please take care of me!" This time the shot was different from before, it was shot from right to left.
"Then today's theme is...Nogizaka46, seventh single, announced lineup!"
"Hi!"
Among the sparse applause, Ikoma Rina's "hi" was particularly obvious.
"Well, first of all, the size of this lineup, please take a look." On another stage, a woman stood in front of an independent stage and said to the camera. Her name is Kikuchi Yu, and she is a female anchor of a TV station.
"Eh?" "No way!" "A lie?" "So many?" "Eighteen people?"
Although the second-generation students in the audience couldn't see the picture on the screen, they could hear it through the exclamations above. The selection lineup this time seemed to be different from before.
Before the seventh single, the selection lineup for all singles from singles one to six was sixteen people. This time, two more people were added, which really made everyone confused.
"Then, the lineup for the seventh single will be announced." After everyone's commotion stopped, Yu Kikuchi continued, "No. 18, Ichimi Takayama."
"Hi."
Among the girls on the stage, a neat and beautiful girl with long hair stood up and then bowed to the camera and the people around her.
If you look at the lineup released this time from the front, from left to right, the first row is 123456, the second row is 78910, and the last row and the third row are the remaining serial numbers.
"I was called from the beginning. Your mood may be a bit... not yet?" Shitara looked at the girl in front of him and said.
"Hey... this position, this is my experience and this is my second time. I was selected as the Eight Lucky Gods last time. I have been thinking about whether it is suitable for me to be the Eight Lucky Gods. There must be some parts that I didn't do well enough, so I retired. Behind." Takayama Kazumi said seriously.
"But eighteen people, becoming No. 18, must have some... feelings, or something?" Shitara Tong crossed his hands in front of him, and made some emphatic movements with his left hand from time to time.
"Hmm... If I enter the No. 18 selection this time. In fact, grandma has been saying before that I will only get into the selection at most, which is quite shocking. I forgot to tell Staff-san to change the number to ABC." said Then, Takayama Ichimi looked outside the venue, but there was no one there.
Takayama Ichimi adjusted the atmosphere quite well, and the girls with serious faces finally had some smiles.
The new singles were being released one by one. The only thing that made the big condor a little happy was that Saito Asuka entered the selection. She remembered that Saito Asuka said in the library last time that she was still a member of under, and this time she entered the selection. Must be very happy.
There is also Nana Hashimoto, a fellow student of the Great Condor. In addition, they lived together for a month from Sapporo to Tokyo last time. The relationship between the two of them is much better than that with other first-year students. Nana Hashimoto is in the first batch. The platoon may have been a done deal, but the Great Condor was still happy for her.
"Hey everyone, let me tell you that for this single, we are using a double CENTER mechanism, so we have two CENTERs."
After the three rows, two rows, and one row with the double C position removed were announced, the host Shitakutong told them about the CENTER mechanism this time.
"Eh?" "Double CENTER?" Although the others had doubts, they soon became quiet.
"Then, let's announce the seventh single, CENTER..." Yu Kikuchi calmed down and continued to announce, "Hori Mina."
"..."
There was no sound in the field. Even when the people in the last row spoke just now, there were some applause or other sounds. But this time, the field was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"Eh? Eh..." Seeing that there was no sound, Shitara Tong naturally wanted to come to the rescue, and he made some questioning sounds of his own.
And the camera, as if prepared, turned around and focused on the second-generation students.
Horina was stunned for a moment, holding the chair with both hands, making a gesture as if she wanted to stand up but failed. Then she covered her cheek with her left hand. From the upper half of her face, it was obvious that she was about to cry.
"Hey, over there?" Shiletong said.
Horimina stood up slowly, with tears already rolling down her face. She covered her cheeks with her hands, trying to hide her face.
"Hori, come on, come over here." Shitara Tong said, taking the lead in applauding, and others followed suit with sparse applause. This time, Shitakutō did not use honorifics to call Hori Mina.
In the past, even if Shitarato's status was much higher than that of the members, he would still be called "san" after his name.
On the selection stage, most of the sixteen people standing looked gloomy. Only Yumi Wakatsuki and Rina Ikoma beside her smiled and clapped.
"Hey, this is really incredible." Shitara Tong said from above.
Horimina wiped her tears and walked forward, already beginning to sob.
"Are you still a graduate student?" Shitara Tong tried to bring up the subject to Hori Mina.
But I don't know if it was because of the big mood swings, but Horina didn't say a word.
"Qidan, CENTER," Shitara paused in the middle and emphasized his tone, thinking of reminding Hori Mina, "How are you feeling now?"
"I...I just came in," Horimina sobbed, "I haven't danced as well as everyone else yet, and I'm just a graduate student...I never thought I would be in such a good position. ...." Hori Mina's tears fell down as if she didn't want money.
"Are you shocked? I thought you were just here to study and learn." Shitara Tong said, looking at the position of the second-term students.
Horimina nodded.
"But Qidan's name was called."
"Hi..."
"Well... come on." Shitara Tong had nothing else to say.
"I will do my best...Thank you." Horina finally said and bowed deeply.
The applause on and off the stage also rang out as if his emotional intelligence had been restored.
"Ah, this is really shocking. There is still a CENTER who has not announced yet, Kikuchi-san, please." Shitara said to Yu Kikuchi as he watched Hori Nao go to the selection stage.
"Hi. So, the last one..."
The Great Condor looked at Horina who was coming up, and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Although she didn't know what being a CENTER meant, but looking at the faces of the first-year seniors around her, she couldn't help but worry about Horina, and this was only within the group. What will the fans outside the group think? Not everyone likes all the members, and not everyone can accept a second-generation member as the leader.
To the members, it was like a city built by their own efforts, only to be taken away by an outsider in an understatement.
To fans, this is a person without any qualifications who competes with their idol for a position.
The human heart is the most terrifying at this time. They can only think of the side they can think of. They can only see Hori Mina as the leader, but they will not think that this sheep was selected by the shepherd, and they are destined to become The diners who cannibalized the sheep.
"Woo~" The Great Condor yawned greatly. She was really tired from the past few days of training. When the new single was released just now, she almost fell asleep.
"The Great Condor."
Yu Kikuchi said on the stage, and the camera seemed to have a seizure. It instantly turned 180 degrees and focused on the big condor who was still yawning.
"?"
