OSHINOKO (【推しの子】)

AI HAS A VERY PROFESSIONAL SMILE.

BUT IT SEEMS TO LACK WARMTH.

That hurts a little.

I mean, my life's been built on lies.

Welcome!

PRIVATE PARTY TODAY

I loved the marshmallows.

That was obvious.

I could've eaten a hundred of them.

I expected three months to feel long, but it sped by.

I'm so bummed it's ending.

- Let's all hang out again. - Of course.

- Real soon. - Real soon.

- Promise me. - Yeah.

Well?

Are you two for real?

What?

Will you continue the relationship?

I can't say for certain.

- Not tomorrow. - Tomorrow.

- Can't do it. - Tomorrow.

- Can't do it. - Tomorrow.

- Is that early? - Of course it is.

The last episode got the most views in the series' history.

Thanks to you.

Thanks to all the attention it got.

Don't be so modest.

Stop stalling and tell me about Ai.

Patience, my friend.

You exceeded expectations. You deserve to be rewarded for it.

How does going for sushi sound?

I'll tell you about her first love.

It better not be from childhood.

Don't worry. I'll make it worth your while.

As far as I know, it was her first and last.

Now I'm sure of it.

Kaburagi definitely knows something about me and Ruby's real dad.

Hey, Aqua.

Can we talk… privately?

I wanted to get your thoughts on what comes next?

How do you mean?

Well, the show ended with us as a couple.

Therefore…

Right…

We'd best keep that up a while.

Do you mean "professionally"?

Or would we be going out with each other for real?

You can speak honestly.

I'm fully aware you don't see me as a romantic target.

It's true.

I don't really see you in that way.

So our dating would only be an extension of our work.

But…

I'm extremely interested in you as an actress.

I truly mean that.

I see.

I think I like that answer best of all.

Then let's be a business power couple.

One real couple from the show is enough.

Didn't you notice?

- Yuki and Nobu hooked up for real. - Is that good?

Incredibly.

That sly fox.

She rejected him on the show.

B-KOMACHI

Say hi to the all new B-Komachi!

What's that?

It's our group name, silly.

You can't be serious. That's a legendary unit name.

You said I could choose it.

I did, but B-Komachi is out of the question.

What better way to revive Ichigo Production

than with B-Komachi?

So now you're a top producer, too?

It's not a bad idea.

What!

It's instant traction.

With B-Komachi songs, we can go right to live shows.

We already own all the rights.

And given that we can't spend money,

it's more practical than not.

Right?

But I have one more major proposal to submit to you.

Till next time.

- See you. - See you.

Don't be a stranger.

- Of course. - For sure.

- See you. - Bye!

This is going to be so depressing.

I'm going to miss this show so much.

Really?

I guess you've no reason to be sad. You have Akane.

It's a professional relationship.

You say that, but you were smitten by her rendition of Ai.

B-Komachi was before your time, right?

But to idol fans, they're legendary. I've got all their DVDs.

Just between you and me,

I originally dreamed of becoming an idol one day.

Of course, right now I'm perfectly happy being a YouTuber.

- Listen Mem. - Yeah?

BASED ON THE ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVEL "OSHI NO KO"

BY AKA AKASAKA × MENGO YOKOYARI, PUBLISHED BY SHUEISHA

Leave it to my twin bro. Same wavelength.

"A high school student YouTuber and influencer."

She's hugely popular online.

But I never would've thought you had idol dreams.

I need to confirm a few things first.

Are you currently signed with an agent?

I'm contracted with the agency "FARM."

But as a partner, not under their control.

So you're free to choose any work you like?

Correct.

That would include us hiring you for idol-related activities.

Which means, contractually, there shouldn't be a problem.

You're lying about your age, aren't you?

You can tell, huh?

So how old are you, really?

Major fudge.

Really? How old are you?

Like 21 or so?

That's a major fudge.

There's a legitimate reason.

Legitimate?

Ever since I was a child, becoming an idol was my dream.

In high school, I started dance lessons.

And went to auditions.

But then…

in my junior year, my mother fell ill.

Single parent home, plus a little brother.

So I quit school and went to work.

By day, I worked in a bakery.

Welcome.

By night, I worked in a girl's bar to get by.

Eventually, my mother recovered.

But by then, I was 23 years old.

In the idol world, even turning 20 is considered "old."

I was ready to chase my dream again,

but I was no longer the right age for it.

Hold on a sec.

Somebody's crying.

Do you know how hard it was

for a child star to face growing older?

I think I can sympathize with her just a little bit.

Just a little bit?

I started my channel while I worked

but said I was still in high school.

The more subscribers I got, the harder it became to come clean.

Very interesting.

I guess it's a real stretch to think I could

become an idol at 25.

Absolutely not.

There's no age ceiling for an idol.

Not if you still dare to dream.

Come, Mem-cho.

Won't you be idols with us?

Which is more believable?

To be a high schooler? Or an idol at 25?

What do you say?

Give it a shot?

Yes.

Welcome to B-Komachi!

- Welcome! - Welcome!

Let's do this.

Yeah, let's.

See you later, Aqua.

Take care.

Arima.

Look after them…

Don't talk to me, okay?

Go "look after" that Akane, you Casanova Meddler.

Casanova Meddler?

I'll look after them without you asking.

Goodbye, Letch Luthor.

"Letch" Luthor?

New B-Komachi bursts on the scene!

FUJIMI TELEVISION

Mr. Kaburagi.

I saw Love for Real. What an awesome show.

Thanks.

The online flaming was great. Did you concoct that?

No way. That was a pain in the ass.

I can imagine.

Say, that's Tokyo Blade. Are you producing that?

Yes, Mondays at nine.

Isn't the target audience a bit young for the 9 p.m. slot?

The network wants a core fan audience.

You got the rights?

Yeah, but I had to do backflips for them.

The original work's huge sales make the publisher prickly.

Starring?

Taiki Himekawa from Lala Lai. Oh, and Akane Kurokawa, too.

Everyone's from Lala Lai?

As of this moment, yeah.

Lala Lai's Mr. Goa wrote the script.

And Mr. Kindaichi is directing.

I just need a few young hunks to fill out the cast.

Tokyo Blade?

Yeah, I've done a few movies before, but never a network series.

I could use your advice later.

I haven't any to give.