1RomanceEB Chapter 10 First Encounter with Nishino
Chapter 10 First Encounter with Nishino
"Nishino-san, Kubo-san is waiting for you in his office, so I won't go in."
After dropping Nishino Nanase off at the agreed location, the staff sensibly took their leave. Pigeon nodded quickly to express her gratitude, hesitated for a moment at the door, and then gently knocked on the door.
"Please come in." After a two-second silence, the host's invitation came from inside the house. The pigeon pushed open the door, lowered its head, and walked in with small steps. It then quietly closed the door behind it, without saying a word the whole time.
She's still the shy 17-year-old Dove now; I really miss her.
Rito sat behind the table, his eyes seemingly wandering, but if you looked closely, you would find that his gaze was actually focused on Pigeon the whole time. Someone had already reported Pigeon's disastrous performance at the event to him, and it was all within his expectations, so he wasn't too worried. He agreed to meet Pigeon not only to go through the motions, but also because he wanted to see this limited form of Nogizaka46 legend who only existed in very early, blurry images.
With her dark skin, rough makeup, unrefined features, and comical clothing, Pigeon at this stage didn't show any outstanding qualities. At best, she was just a passable, pretty character. Even with Rito's former fan filter, she had to admit that compared to Aya and Suzu, or even compared to Takayama and the other contestants, she had almost no advantage.
Let alone me, even Akimoto Yasushi from the original world probably misjudged him. Who would have thought that this dark-skinned, thin, shy, and introverted high school student would, a few years later, transform into a representative figure that cannot be ignored when talking about Nogizaka46?
With a sigh, Rito shook his head, looked away, glanced at the information about her on the table, and gestured for her to sit down: "Nishino-san, please sit down."
The pigeon nodded slowly, then sat down opposite him, clutching the hem of its clothes.
Tsk, I know Nana Sai is shy, but this is a bit too shy.
Li Ren sighed inwardly. He now understood why the initial operations team hadn't promoted her.
"Kubo-san, have I been eliminated?" Stealing a glance at his helpless expression, Pigeon remembered what the staff had said on the way here. Suddenly, she panicked, her eyes reddened, and she didn't care about being shy anymore. She mustered up her courage, raised her head, and asked first with a "what the heck" attitude.
Rito narrowed his eyes imperceptibly and cut to the chase without beating around the bush: "Nishino-san, the staff told me that you're not only tone-deaf, but you can't even tell if you're singing off-key. Is that true?"
The moment the words left her lips, the light in the girl's eyes vanished. She abruptly lowered her head, her long eyelashes drooping and casting a small shadow under her eyelids, her lips pressed into a pale line, and her fingers gripping the hem of her dress almost tore the fabric apart.
Seeing her feigned strength, Rito felt a slight pang in his heart, finally recognizing a glimpse of the future soaring dove in her. Indeed, even with her talent wiped clean by the system, the stubbornness ingrained in her bones remained unchanged.
"I heard your dance skills aren't great either, and you're uncoordinated?" Without giving her a chance to catch her breath, Rito continued to ask mercilessly.
After suffering a series of setbacks, the pigeon's face turned even more ashen, and a hint of resentment even arose in its heart: "You already know, why do you keep asking? Are you trying to humiliate me?"
Three, two, one.
After silently counting a few seconds, feeling that the timing was about right, Rito smiled slightly, then suddenly changed the subject: "However—"
"Huh?" Just as he expected, the pigeon's attention was drawn. As soon as its muscles relaxed, the tears it had been holding back flowed down its cheeks, making it look quite pitiful as it cried.
Li Ren glanced at him, his face showing no unusual expression, and continued, "Although the other judges felt that you were not capable enough and should not have been invited, I don't think so. Singing and dancing are talents, while being an idol is a completely different talent. For most contestants, the proven selection method may indeed be effective, but with a large sample size, there will always be a few hidden gems that are overlooked."
"Kubo-san, you mean...?"
Pigeon's heart pounded. Originally, this selection was just a spur-of-the-moment idea from her mother, who felt that she was too shy and hoped that she could go out and experience more of society. Pigeon herself wasn't really interested. However, after rounds of selection and overcoming all obstacles, the girl's deep-seated competitive spirit had been aroused. She was unwilling to give up at this crucial moment. When she heard that there was a chance, her eyes widened to twice their previous size, and her strong desire to win almost burst forth. She was completely different from her previous timid and hesitant self.
"I really like the look in your eyes right now."
After looking at her for a moment, Rito smiled, stopped being mysterious, nodded, and said seriously, "Congratulations, you passed."
A long silence fell over the office. The faint sound of traffic outside the window made the room seem even quieter. The pigeon lowered its head, and tears of joy dripped onto Liren's desk, winding into a small stream.
After a full minute, she slowly raised her head, said thank you to Rito, her expression firm and her eyes sharp, as if she had made up her mind.
"Well, there's something I need to make clear to you. You know your own situation. Although idol groups aren't that strict about professional skills, you still need to have basic professional ethics. Until you reach the standard to go on stage, you might get fewer opportunities for exposure. If you can't accept that, I suggest you reconsider."
Suppressing the urge to wipe away her tears, Rito lowered his head and gave the pigeon a heads-up.
"I understand. Oh, by the way, Kubo-san, there's something else I might need to trouble you with." Dove nodded, a hint of shyness flashing across her face. "My mother told me before that if I really want to join the entertainment industry, I should at least finish high school. If I drop out of school now and come to Tokyo, she definitely won't agree. Could you... please ask the company to put in a good word with my mother for me?"
Upon hearing this, Li Ren pondered for a moment. He knew that Ge Zi's grades were only average. Her parents wanted her to finish high school, not because they really hoped she would get into a good university, but more because of her personality.
"How about this?" Rihito quickly came up with an idea. Seeing the girl's face instantly tense up, he smiled and added, "You'll still join the group as usual. But you don't need to participate in any of the initial group activities. Just focus on finishing high school in Osaka. The company will arrange for a professional teacher to come to your home every week for one-on-one vocal and dance training. After you graduate from high school, you can officially join the group in Tokyo. How does that sound?"