mandytl | character story [ shiina niki ] chapter 1

Niki: What's good? ☆

Hey miss, miss. Need a refill on your coffee?

Something tells me you're working on tough paperwork. Some caffeine intake'll fix you right up and get you concentrating extra hard! Not a bad idea, right?

Uh, helloooo? Can you hear me?

Nahahah! Your focus is awesome! Sorry about that. Feels like I'm interrupting your work.

Not really? Then good!

People often tell me I'm "annoying" or "can't take a hint", so I try to watch myself when it comes to that stuff. ♪

But anyway, how about a cup?

I ground so much of the stuff but nooobody's ordering anything! If this keeps up the whole pot's gonna go stale!

.... ah, you're gonna order something? Man, you're such a nice gal; like, a real lifesaver!

Okay. One cup of coffee's gonna be about three hundred yeeen. ☆

... h-huh? Why do you look so disappointed?

Eh?! You thought it would be on the house?

Hmm. Well, since it isn't freshly-ground, it probably doesn't taste as good...

Alright, it's okay to have free of charge. I would've had to toss the whole thing if it weren't for you. ♪

Let me pour it for you, then! Feel free to have it while it's hot!

Whoa, there. Ah, no, you don't have to push yourself into paying! Please, just help yourself!

Just pay when you wanna pay, basically. ♪

Well, I've gotta go! Good luck with all the work, miss! ♪

< Ten minutes later. >

Niki: Miiiiiss~! Hey, time out for a sec!

Stop, stop! Wait for me!

.... ahh, good! I managed to catch up! That was a close call.

Nahahah. ♪ Even you can be kinda shifty, huh. Why didn't you say you were a "producer"?

The other cooks in the kitchen told me and whoa, was I surprised!

From what I heard you're a go-getter who'll listen to an idol no matter the agency!

You can't judge a book by its cover, huh. I mean, sorry for that, 'scuse me~. ♪

Anyway, I've got a request for you, great producer-san!

I'm begging! Think you can hear me out for doing you a solid earlier?

It's okay? That's great. Meeting you was a real stroke of luck¹! I'm super grateful!

Uhm, well, producer-san.... uh, what'd you say your name was again?

Anzu-san? All right. My name's Shiina Niki. You've probably never heard of me since I'm pretty unknown for an idol. ♪

Anyhoo, Anzu-san! Do me this one favor!

Please do everything in your power to help me quit being an idol... !

I'm not cut out for this kind of job!

Rinne-kun and the Vice President might've changed my mind with all the compliments and stuff, but it's really so overwhelmingly irritating!

Look, all that singing and dancing makes a guy hungry... and aren't we already working to eat? So what's the point?

If that's how it's gonna be, living purely as a chef like before would be worlds better...

Then you can have a smorgasbord of meals cooked right in the restaurant.

You can eat the the leftover vegetables and all the other unused scraps. It might smell awful, but at least you'll be full.

But all you ever are as an idol is hungry! I'm totally useless when I'm hungry!

It makes it feel like I've got some kinda unknown chronic disease where I've gotta intake more nutrients than usual.

Ahh... just talking like this got me hungry...

Excuse me for a minute. I'm gonna take a bite of these emergency rations I keep around for times like this.

Munch munch, munch munch.

... phahh! I'm alive again! And toootally satisfied~! ☆

—wh, huh? What were we talking about again?

Oh, yeah! I'm done with being an idol! There's no way I can do it anymore!

Please! Use your influence to do something about it as soon as possible!

I'm counting on you, okay? Ah, if you just can't it's all right!

As long as I can have a little food available, I don't care about the rest. ♪

... owaugh! The manager's calling for me! I've gotta run back to the kitchen!

Well, that's how it is, so! Think about what we discussed, if that's okay!

Sorry for making such a scene and all. Time to go~!

♪~ ♪~ ♪~

___
¹ The proverb used here is a "Buddha in Hell" (地獄で仏) aka. luck/fortune one didn't expect.