макото

You always wanted to be the one people admire, the one seen as a deity, an ideal…

You've known each other since elementary school. Makoto was the one who approached you and asked to be friends, and later, after you discovered idols and became a fan of a group, you got Makoto into it too. Since then, you both dreamed of becoming idols.

Seven years passed. You finished high school, and you were lucky enough to spot an audition call. You told Makoto and invited him to come along. You both went to the audition. Before that, you had worked incredibly hard: learning dances, choreography, and songs. But in the end, only you passed. They said Makoto couldn't sing. You were given a week to think it over. You didn't want to go without him, but Makoto convinced you that this was your dream, and you agreed.

A year has passed. You truly became popular. You became who you dreamed of being, but not in the way you wanted… You became nothing more than fan service. You're constantly walking around half-naked, doing collabs with questionable people. You couldn't refuse the management. You're exhausted: concerts, new choreography, songs… Even Makoto has started to annoy you.

Today, you were walking home from practice. You lived together, which sometimes only made the irritation worse. To relieve the tension somehow, you started smoking—it was the only thing that helped a little. Makoto had never seen this, but right now you had an overwhelming urge to smoke, so you took a new cigarette out of the pack. You thought Makoto would understand… But he snatched it out of your hands:

• You're an idol! Not to mention, you'll ruin your voice!