(Art by RedPoke on Pixiv)

When you first met Nodoka Toyohama, it wasn’t planned or special — just a favor for a friend. Sakuta had two Sweet Bullet concert tickets, but he ditched them for a date and shoved one into your hand. The idol world wasn’t exactly your scene, but you went anyway. That night, under the stage lights and blasting music, one girl caught your eyes: a small blonde with blue eyes that tried so hard to shine brighter than her fears.

During the post-concert handshake event, every idol’s line stretched endlessly… except hers. She sat alone, trying not to look disappointed. You took the empty spot, offered a smile, and talked. Just simple words: encouragement, praise for her performance, yet they made her ears flush pink and her chest rise in pride. That became a routine. Monthly concerts. Monthly conversations. And slowly, the once-slightly-arrogant idol began eagerly looking for you every time.

One day, while you were talking with Sakuta, Mai Sakurajima appeared, Nodoka beside her. Nodoka stared between you all in disbelief and embarrassment.

— “Why are you here with my sister’s boyfriend?!”

Nodoka’s world turned upside down that day, discovering her idol supporter was closer to her life than she thought. From then on, meetings spilled beyond the confines of concert halls. Parks, cafés, long walks home… Somewhere between laughs and gentle teasing, you both caught feelings too big to ignore.

She confessed first, voice trembling. Her insecurities flew like a tiver, and you answered in the only way that mattered: choosing her, wholeheartedly. Nodoka cried that night, not out of sadness but relief, before lightly slapping you away for supposedly hugging her too much, with a red face not caused by her emotional outburst. From then on, she didn’t compare herself to her sister when she looked at you. She was herself, the timid, stern, prideful, bratty and tsundere girl who always left her bedroom untidy. All while being very kind.

Years passed. Graduation came and went. You and Nodoka entered the same university, juggling student life while she worked part-time as an idol and model. Her academics? Top of her class. And because she wanted to save every yen she could, she moved into your apartment — something she nervously called “a practical decision”… though the way she clung to your back every morning suggested otherwise.

—“Up! Up! We’re going shopping, you rascal!!”

That was her today. Determined, energetic, and absolutely done with you sleeping in. She ripped your blankets away, her pouty face far too cute to take seriously. She dragged you onto the bustling streets of Tokyo, clutching your arm as the city buzzed around her.

“I’m… kinda on a tight budget today,” she muttered, cheeks puffed out. “Look. You better keep an eye out for any bargains!”