“Are you nervous?” I looked up from my shaking knees and tried to stop tapping my fingers. “Huh? Well, um...only a little bit...” The moderately tall brunette oman in front of me laughed and pla!ed both hands on her hips. “"ela#, ill ya? They$re good kids. %ood kids...” “That&” “And one good oman.” “&doesn$t really&” “Well, a fe good omen. There are a !ouple older girls.” “&help me, %ra!e'sha!hou.” The oman froned and !li!ked her tongue. “I have great e#pe!tations for you, so hy don$t you  (ust stop freaking out so mu!h and meet the All')tars?” “I$m a rookie produ!er, %ra!e'sha!hou, and these are e#tremely talented idols. I (ust feel out of  pla!e.” “I$m a rookie president, but that doesn$t stop me.” %ra!e'sha!hou smiled at me, and I felt myself rela# (ust a bit. About to months ago, I re!eived a !all from this oman ho !laimed she had a friend ho$d told her about me. )he as trying to start an idol group !alled the “All')tars”, made up of talented idols from the up'and'!oming agen!ies **+ rodu!tions and -reamland rodu!tions. The group as meant to be a rival to the popular agen!ies, /0 rodu!tions, 1/ rodu!tions, and, to a lesser e#tent, 2/+ rodu!tions, hi!h hadn$t 3uite re!overed the loss of its star idol trio 4upiter, but as still a potential !ontender. %ra!e'sha!hou anted to raise a ne breed of idols, and she trusted me, a rookie produ!er ith 5ero e#perien!e on my hands, to help her do this. I as grateful for the e#perien!e, but being surrounded by so many teenaged girls made me nervous. “6ou$re a good man, you kno.” %ra!e'sha!hou$s ords !ut through my thoughts, and I looked at her. )he had that signature goofy grin on her fa!e. I !ouldn$t help but smile ba!k. “Thanks, %ra!e'sha!hou.” “7o, the girls and 8en!hi are aiting. Why don$t you go meet them? They$re e#!ited to be orking ith you.” I took a deep breath. “9ould I...stay in here for a fe more minutes?” I asked. %ra!e'sha!hou froned. “:ine,” she agreed, “but don$t take too long. I$m going to go out for a !offee. ...ait a minute, I hate !offee; I$ll go out for tea instead.” I rolled my eyes at her, but I as smiling. This !ra5y oman as going to be my boss, but someho, I felt very !omfortable around her. “Thanks.” %ra!e'sha!hou !ra!ked open the door to her offi!e. “rodu!er? <ne more thing.” “6'yes?” “9all me %ra!e.” )he !ast a ink over her shoulder, then disappeared into the hallays of the  building she$d bought out to be the All')tar$s head3uarters. I at!hed her. “I$ll settle ith %ra!e'san,” I !alled after her. I don$t kno if she heard me or not. I as a bit flattered that she as already illing to let me !all her by name, but I figured as the president of the !ompany, she deserved (ust a bit more respe!t than that. At least fifteen minutes of preparation passed before I finally de!ided to get up and go meet my ne idols. <ne man, nineteen girls, one boy, tenty idols. This as going to be a !ra5y (ob.

 

 

Fuyu Meeting

 The first idol I bumped into as a tall oman ith a ginger head of hair and the brightest green eyes I$d ever seen. )he took a fe steps ba!k to allo me room to get past and smiled. It seemed she didn$t kno I as her produ!er. ...I as her produ!er, right? I didn$t even kno hat my ne idols looked like. “Ah, um...” I paused, staring at her. What should I say to get the !onversation going? A simple “Hi, I$m your produ!er,” ould do it, but that as so straightforard. “What$s your name?” as a good ay to get !ommuni!ation started. “6ou got in my ay;” ...<8, maybe not that one. That as pretty rude. In the end, I settled ith, “What$s your name?” The oman$s smile idened. “:uyu 6amada&6amada :uyu. )orry, I$m still getting used to this=,” she added, boing (ust slightly. 

 Just getting used to it?

I thought.

What's she mean by that? Is she from the west?

“:uyu, huh? Hi, it$s ni!e to meet you. Are you one of the idols here?” :uyu !o!ked her head. “Why, yes, I am. Are you?” I laughed. “7o, not at all; I$m the ne produ!er.” “rodu!er?” :uyu$s e#pression suddenly !hanged from subtle !onfusion to obvious e#!itement. “<h, ho e#!iting; 7i!e to meet ya;” )he said this last part in plain >nglish, hi!h surprised me a bit. )hould I 3uestion her on it, or (ust leave it? I de!ided to ask her about it. “:uyu, as that >nglish?” “<h...oh; I$m sorry; I let it slip sometimes=, ahaha...” “Are you...Ameri!an?” “7ay. Irish. Well, my father as, at least. I gre up on the >merald Isle. y mum taught my brother and I a bit of 4apanese before e !ame here, so e didn$t have to learn everything from s!rat!h, but it still feels a bit akard. )ometimes, I speak in >nglish (ust be!ause it feels so natural, even after all this time...” “Why$d you move?” The 3uestion (ust !ame out, but I as afully !urious. :uyu shrugged. “Wanted a !hange of s!enery, I guess. :ather and um never e#plained. -on$t understand hy, though. Ireland$s su!h a lovely !ountry=...” she e#plained. “...not that 4apan isn$t lovely too, of !ourse;” I suddenly noti!ed that :uyu$s voi!e sounded (ust a bit akard, like she had some sort of eird a!!ent that didn$t mi# ith 4apanese. “What a!!ent is that?” “What...oh; I developed an Irish a!!ent ba!k at my home !ountry. %uess I never really dropped it...!an you hear it?” “<nly a bit. I !an$t tell hat a!!ent it is, but you sound different from anyone I$ve ever heard before.” :uyu giggled. “That$s hy I$m here,” she de!lared, seeping her hand before her in a grand flourish. “>veryone says I have a very uni3ue sound.” I anted to kno more about her, but I asn$t sure hat to ask. )hould I ask her hy she be!ame an idol? Where most of her appeal lies? What her greatest dream is? I settled on asking her about her dream. “:uyu, hat$s your greatest dream as an idol? Tell me, so I !an help you a!hieve it.” :uyu$s fa!e brightened tremendously. “<h, I$m so glad you ant to kno; )ee, the idol )hi(ou Takane is my on idol; <ne day, I$d like to perform ith her; I kno I still have a long ays to go, but I think I have potential, and everyone seems to like my voi!e. rodu!er, do you think I$ll be able to  perform ith Takane one day?” 

Shijou Takane, huh?

I as a personal fan of /0 ro myself, and really liked Takane as a performer. I thought that if :uyu orked hard, she !ould surely get the !han!e to perform ith Takane. “If you ork hard and keep striving toards your dream, you$ll surely a!hieve it;” I assured the half'Irish oman

 

 before me. :uyu laughed. “<h, you$re so en!ouraging; I$m (ust dying to start ork ith you;” )he stu!k out a hand. “Well, then, I$m at your servi!e&in your !are, rodu!er; @et$s ork toards my dream together;” “<f !ourse;” I shook her hand, e!stati! that she seemed so pleased ith me. “Then, hat ould you like to ork on first?” “Hmm...ell, my dan!ing isn$t very polished. <ne day, I hope to be!ome really good at it.” “)ounds like a plan. Then, e$ll ork on dan!ing first;” “6es; Thanks a bun!h, rodu!er;” y first meeting ith :uyu as a !omplete su!!ess. )he seems really happy ith me, and e$ve already started getting along. This as a great boost to my !onfiden!e, and :uyu$s all fired up; @et$s ork at your dream, :uyu;>":>9T 9<B7I9ATI<7; The first idol I bumped into as a tall oman ith a ginger head of hair and the brightest green eyes I$d ever seen. )he took a fe steps ba!k to allo me room to get past and smiled. It seemed she didn$t kno I as her produ!er. ...I as her produ!er, right? I didn$t even kno hat my ne idols looked like. “Ah, um...” I paused, staring at her. What should I say to get the !onversation going? A simple “Hi, I$m your produ!er,” ould do it, but that as so straightforard. “What$s your name?” as a good ay to get !ommuni!ation started. “6ou got in my ay;” ...<8, maybe not that one. That as pretty rude. In the end, I settled ith, “Hi there, I$m your ne rodu!er.” The oman as silent for a fe se!ondsC then she suddenly let out a s3ueal and !overed her mouth ith her hands. “'rodu!er; <h, it$s you; It$s so ni!e to meet you, but you surprised me a bit ith that sudden introdu!tion...” Whoops. I hadn$t meant to sho!k her. “Ahaha...I$m sorry.” I guess I should have beat around the bush  (ust a bit. “)o, um...hat$s your name?” The oman sloly rela#ed and smiled. “:uyu 6amada&6amada :uyu. )orry, I$m still getting used to this=,” she added, boing (ust slightly. 

 Just getting used to it?

I thought.

What's she mean by that? Is she from the west?

“:uyu, huh? Hi, it$s ni!e to meet you.” :uyu beamed. “<h, ho e#!iting; rodu!er, it$s ni!e to meet ya;” )he said this last part in plain >nglish, hi!h surprised me a bit. )hould I 3uestion her on it, or (ust leave it? I de!ided to ask her about it. “:uyu, as that >nglish?” “<h...oh; I$m sorry; I let it slip sometimes=, ahaha...” “Are you...Ameri!an?” “7ay. Irish. Well, my father as, at least. I gre up on the >merald Isle. y mum taught my brother and I a bit of 4apanese before e !ame here, so e didn$t have to learn everything from s!rat!h, but it still feels a bit akard. )ometimes, I speak in >nglish (ust be!ause it feels so natural, even after all this time...” “Why$d you move?” The 3uestion (ust !ame out, but I as afully !urious. :uyu shrugged. “Wanted a !hange of s!enery, I guess. :ather and um never e#plained. -on$t understand hy, though. Ireland$s su!h a lovely !ountry=...” she e#plained. “...not that 4apan isn$t lovely too, of !ourse;” I suddenly noti!ed that :uyu$s voi!e sounded (ust a bit akard, like she had some sort of eird