(…I noticed something after talking with everyone.)

(Ever since I joined the School Idol Club, my memories are all about them.)

(About how hard they're all working and how much that makes them shine.)

(None of my memories are about something I did myself…)

Can't sleep?

Oh… Yeah.

Doesn't seem like it's because you're too excited to settle down.

What's on your mind? I can tell something's bothering you. You can tell me… Everyone's sleeping, after all.

Wow. How could you tell?

We teachers have a sixth sense, you know.

So what's bothering you? Come on, let's hear it.

Well…

[Fade in/out.]

So you're having trouble figuring out what you want to do, huh? Ah, youth!

C'mon, I'm really struggling. Don't make fun of me!

I'm not! Honestly, it seems to me like you've already found the thing you want to do.

I mean, you're having lots of fun every day, aren't you?

I am, but lately I'm worried that this is only temporary. I've been feeling like I'm different from everyone else…

Everyone else has things they enjoy that are unique to them, but I'm just being swept along in the fun everyone else is having.

Hmm. I don't think they're all that different to you.

But they are! It's making me feel so anxious.

I see.

Um, if you don't mind, I'd like to hear more about you. You already know what you enjoy and what it is you want to do, right?

Me? I'm just living life as I please and following my instincts.

Oh, I know. How about I tell you about when I started the School Idol Festival?

Back then, hardly anyone had even heard of what a school idol was.

And that included me, too. But that all changed one day. I still remember it vividly.

It's the same for you, isn't it? You'll never forget the first time you encountered the sparkling magic of school idols, right?

Yeah.

[Fade in/out.]

For me, it was when Ayumu and I saw μ's and Aqours perform together. I was captivated instantly.

In my case it was an outdoor performance in a small park. There was a girl there singing her heart out and having a blast doing it.

[Fade in/out.]

There were so few people watching her. And even then, most of them just happened to be sitting there taking a break while the show went on.

But she was giving it her all the whole time. She looked like she was really focused on her performance, and she kept looking the spectators in the eyes.

Speaking, singing, and dancing in front of everyone… The sight of her there absolutely captivated me!

Without even realizing it, I'd drawn closer to the stage to get a better view.

That was my first encounter with a school idol. Even just the memory of it is really precious to me.

I know what you mean. The memory of the moment I first encountered school idols is precious to me, too.

So, what did you do after that? Did you talk to that girl?

You betcha! After her show was done and she started walking away, I rushed right over to her!

[Fade in/out.]

*Laugh* That does sound just like you.

I didn't even stop to think when I asked her, “What was that just now?! Are you an idol?!”

And then she told me she was a school idol.

From there, we became friends. She told me all kinds of stuff about school idols.

The more she told me, the more interested I was. After that she introduced me to other school idols.

From then on, I would go to all sorts of places to watch different school idols every week.

Talk about taking the initiative, huh?

I think you might have me beat when it comes to that. I mean, you're the one who got the School Idol Festival started up again after it was discontinued, right?

Oops, let me get back to my story.

Well… You know how school idols are super energetic, right? I figured it would be fun hanging out with all of them.

Like, surely with these girls I'll get to experience something I've never experienced before!

That's why I got them all to come together to talk about what we could do, and what they wanted to do.

So…that's how the School Idol Festival got started?

More or less.

It wasn't easy at first. Nobody knew where to start, you know?

Nothing we did worked out! *Laugh* But it was still really, really fun!

…Oops. We're almost at the next service area. I'm gonna make a quick stop.

We're doing great on time, so let's take a little nap here. I also wanna be at my best for Aqours' live show, after all.