Come in, come in!

Thank you for having me.

Welcome, Shioriko! We've been expecting you!

Good evening, Haruka. Sorry for the sudden visit. I hope this spontaneous sleepover isn't too much of an imposition on you.

Of course not! I was the one who told Kanata to invite you over in the first place. I've always wanted to chat with you!

Really? With me?

Yeah. I'd love to know more about the School Idol Association!

I'm going to get dinner ready, so have fun with Haruka!

Um, yes, of course!

[Fade in/out.]

Wow, everything looks delicious!

Help yourself! Dig in before it gets cold.

Yes, I will. Thank you.

How is it? I made it a little sweeter because that's what Haruka prefers, but I hope you like the flavor.

K-Kanata!

Oh, sorry! But I didn't say you have childish tastes or anything!

Agh! You just did!

It's fine because even if your tastes are a little childish, you're still my cute little Haruka!

*Giggle* You two get along so well.

And everything you make tastes fantastic, Kanata. This miso soup made to Haruka's tastes is unlike any I've had before, but I like it.

You do? *Giggle* Miso soup that's a little sweet is good, right?

These green beans in sesame sauce are sweet and delicious too!

Kanata is a great big sister, huh? She makes you smile.

Yeah! I'm so proud to call her my sister!

Aww, Haruka! I feel like I could take on the world after hearing you say that!

By the way, Shioriko, I'd love to hear more about your family. I imagine you're proud to call Miss Kaoruko your sister too.

Well, I will admit that she's great at taking initiative and making decisions.

But like I said before, parts of her personality give me a lot of grief. She's fearless and freewheeling, so she'll dive headfirst into things.

She's the complete opposite of me. Even after all this time, I have no idea what goes on inside of her head.

But I think of her as very charismatic. She has this strange charisma that makes her perfectly suited to be the center of attention.

I see, I see.

Our family is an old one, and we are very strict and traditional.

Succeeding the Mifune family name is a huge task, but because she's so socially adept, I believed she could do it.

But she changed after she became involved with school idols.

She was so absorbed in it that everything else fell by the wayside and she wouldn't even come home. Our parents had their eye on her.

That must be why you were so harsh on the School Idol Club at first.

You were jealous that this school idol business was taking your sister away from you.

Taking her away? Jealous?

Of course not! I'd never be so childish!

Aww, no need to get embarrassed!

*Giggle* You're beet red, Shioriko.

Please stop… Realizing that it was jealousy is so embarrassing.

And because of something so childish, I treated the Club like that… I feel awful.

No, no! That's all water under the bridge now. Sorry we went overboard with the teasing!

But now we know for sure that you really do love your sister a lot, Shioriko!

…………

It's complicated. I cannot say that I love her so straightforwardly, but I never hated her either. I've just never been able to handle her very well.

Nooo, but that's so sad.

What do you mean, you can't handle her very well?

I suppose it's because she tends to act selfishly. Ever since we were kids, I've gotten dragged into whatever ridiculous idea she thought of.

One time, she pulled me onto the back of her bike before she raced down a hill at breakneck speed. I thought I was going to die.

Also, I don't know what got into her, but she planned a tour of Japan on foot as sort of a self-discovery journey and tried to rope me into going too.

My point is, she's always just doing whatever she wants. Even now, she butted in when I was trying to practice at my own pace. She's simply annoying.

Instead of writing her off as annoying, have you ever told her that you don't like it or asked her to stop?

Yes, but she never listens, so I gave up.

Hmm… This is just my opinion, but I think that giving up just because she doesn't listen is kind of sad.

I think Miss Kaoruko loves you just as much as I love Haruka.

She probably can't help but fuss over you because she finds you adorable!

Are you sure?

I think so too. That's why I hope you won't give up and you'll tell her how you feel. After all, even me and Kanata have our fights, you know.

I don't like conflict, but if I just gave up, I'd get so sad that I would never be able to pick myself up again.

I'm not confident that I can get through to her, though. I mean, I've never been able to before.

But that was then. Now you have a new way of getting through to her, one that you didn't have before. Right, Haruka?

Right!

Because you're a school idol now, Shioriko!

A school idol…