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>> HANA: (Here we are...if there are any last-minute changes I need to make before the show, now's the time.)
All right girls, this is it!
Remember, we'll have Chihaya and Yukiho on board to do a special encore with us today, so we need to get this show going strong!
They're counting on us to give it our best out there! Let's not disappoint them!
>> STAGEHAND: It's almost time everyone; are you ready to go on stage?
>> HANA: All right! Now, what do you say we take that energy right up to the stage and give the audience their money's worth!
Yes! That's how you do it, girls! The audience loved it! Well done!
Now, we just have to wait for Chihaya and Yukiho to get here before we can proceed.
Be ready to go back on as soon as they show up!
...Although, come to think of it, they really should've been here by now. I wonder what's keeping them...?
>> STAGEHAND: We can't keep waiting much longer... uh, please stand by for the next number!
>> HANA: Oh man, this isn't good...the crowd is really looking forward to seeing them too...!
*sigh* Thank goodness, you made it! Good to see you, ladies! All right, if we're all ready, I'll pick out our next number.
(Let's see, the songs that I can ask the five of them to sing together are...)
(OK, how about this one?)
(No need to fix what isn't broken!)
All right, I've decided! Go ahead and sing The Idolm@ster 2nd Mix for them, all together!
>> STAGEHAND: ...All right ladies, please hurry onto the stage!
>> HANA: (*sigh*...What a show! I'm really glad we were able to gather everyone here to perform together. The audience looked so happy!)
(I better make sure I thank Chihaya and Yukiho properly...)
Oh, hey! Great work out there, ladies; thank you so much!
I-I see. Thankyouverymuch, Mr. President. *ahem*...
Good for you, Ritsuko! I'm happy you'll get to stay together!
Really? They-...oh, by 'those girls', you mean Hana Yori Uta?
Aww, Ritsuko...come on...
Don't go falling for me now. Not that I don't like you of course, but you know; professional...
S-Sorry to have gotten you all worked up, Otonashi-san...
No, huh...? All right then. Still a bit of a shame, though. Heh...
...!! ...What?
...Yeah. You can count on us!
!! What the-...how much paperwork does it take to accept a nomination?? ...Hey, wait a minute...this certificate...?
(Oh, crap! I completely forgot! We...-did- have a discussion like that, didn't we?!)
H-Hey! Stop misreading my faces, Ritsuko! ...No, nothing's wrong Mr. President; I remember.
...I can't do that, sir! How could I quit on the girls halfway and run off to study for myself?!
(I am going to be really worried about the girls...but...)
(I guess there's no question that if I were to study abroad, we'd all be better off in the long run.)
...Understood, sir. I'll gratefully accept the opportunity.
...Yes, I never really got around to telling them, since...it never seemed relevant yet...
(...Thank you, sir.)
(*sigh*...Study abroad, huh...in all honesty, it still doesn't feel real...)
(The nomination sealed our fate; soon, the girls and I will have to go on without each other...)
(The President asked me to break the news next week, but...can I really?)
(How do I even tell the girls that in just a few short months, I'll be...gone?)
(*sigh*...The President again. Wonder what he forgot this time...)
...Hello? This is Hana speaking.
Oh, uhh...yes sir, I can do that. I imagine you must have something pretty serious to discuss with me again...?
Well, now you're making me nervous, sir, but...I don't think I can very well refuse. ...Go ahead, please.
'Unusual rumors'...? ...What exactly are they?
What?! No! I can't believe that for a second! I told her myself I didn't want her meeting with Ohtomi-san ever again!
I can't believe it...I never had any idea! How could I have let this happen...?!
...What are you saying, sir? You don't mean it's-...?!
What the hell...! Why would he even do that?!
You can't be serious! He's doing all that to all of us, just to force Takane to work exclusively for him?!
*sigh*...Y-Yes, I understand sir. If you'll excuse me, please...
(*sigh*...What a way to ruin a perfectly good evening.)
(No sooner do we receive our nomination than I'm hearing I have no choice but to leave the girls for Hollywood, and now all of these bad rumors...!)
(What's that sound...? Whatever it is, it's getting closer...)
(...Well, -that's- suspicious. I don't want to imagine who'd be completely covered up in a ski mask and jumpsuit at this time of night...)
>> HANA: What was that? You talking about Shijou Takane?
>> HANA: (Whoa whoa, what the hell! Not cool! I'm seriously under attack here! What do I do??)
Tch! Don't think you'll get away with this! HELP! SOMEONE HELP! I'M UNDER ATTACK!!
>> HANA: (Oh ***, all that did was make it personal! All right, running time...) !!!!!!!!
>> HANA: (...Ugggghhh...why am I sleeping on the ground...?)
(...! That's right! I was assaulted on my way home! I was getting beat up by...-that- person.)
(I dunno who it was, but they sure seemed to know about me. Why would they attack me just for being Takane's producer...? Unless...)
(...? Hey, I think there's someone else over there...)
(...!! Wasn't that Takane herself? What was she doing over-...)
(...ghh!! Whatever; I have to catch up with her!)
(As I chased after Takane, trying my best not to lose sight of her...all sorts of questions raced through my head...)
(But no matter how hard I thought about who my attacker could have been, or why Takane had been there, or why she just stood by and watched...)
(Not a single answer came to my mind. ...Or, rather, none that I wanted to admit.)
(Just when I thought I'd finally caught up with her...isn't this the place where we attended that ill-fated party?)
(There she is...and, who's that she's talking with...?)
(...Ohtomi. So she really is meeting with him behind my back!)
(...Well, no point in me staying here any longer. I've learned what I needed to.)
(*sigh*...Unbelievable. Not only were the rumors true, she was quite clearly enjoying herself!)
(What can this be but proof she's already decided to quit 765 and live it up with Ohtomi?)
(And then, just as icing on the cake, he sends an assailant after me to make sure I stay out of the way while my Unit dissolves...)
(But, still...I've known Takane for so long now... would she really stab me in the back like this?)
(Oh, there she is...guess she's done with her party.)
(What should I do...? I really don't think I can bring myself to speak with her face-to-face right now...)
(All right, why don't we do this...)
(I don't think she'll be able to see me from over there if I conceal myself here. Let's see how she takes this phone call.)
H-...Hello...i-is that you, Takane?
Uh-...um, well, uhh...d-do you mind if I ask...where you are right now?
(Damn it Takane, you're lying to me through your teeth!)
D-Don't worry, Takane...it's not-...i-it's nothing...
(Takane...if you want to leave us for Emperor Records, why wouldn't you just tell me...?)
(...? Oh, haha...I still have her stone in my pocket...)
(...That's right; why -wouldn't- she just tell me?)
(After all, if this stone was really so precious to her, she would never have given it to me without a second thought if she didn't-...!)
...All right, I'll let you go, Takane. But before I do, do you mind if I say just one more thing to you?
*deep breath*...Takane...I-...
...I trust you. That's the one thing I want you to know more than anything.
...I can tell you have a lot on your mind right now. Maybe there's something going on that you don't want to tell me about just yet...
But always remember: I trust you, no matter what.
Me?! I don't-...well...er, no, wait...!
...W-...Wait! Takane!
Uhh...h-have you seen the moon tonight? It's beautiful! Maybe looking at it would cheer you up...
Because no matter how far apart we are, we're still together in a way, since we can both look up at the sky and see the same moon.
(Just a little while ago, we were enjoying cheerful conversations in each other's company at the office...somehow, that feels eons in the past.)
(Now we're both keeping secrets we'd rather not tell each other... who knew it would feel like such an impenetrable wall between us?)
(But what I heard next only made it even more painful, as Takane started crying her eyes out.)
(As much as I wished for something to drown it out the soft, yet heartrending sound...there continued to be nothing but the stillness of the night.)
(And up in the sky, the moon was indeed shining just as brightly as ever...)
(But I couldn't help but feel like its dazzling beauty was being wasted on the miserable spectacle unfolding beneath it.)