Hijikata Chiyo's Route, conclusion
Later that night, Chiyo is seen in her apartment chatting with Takuma. Takuma heard the news and congratulates her on finally reaching the second leg of the IU, but he still notices Chiyo looking a little upset. She believes she still has a ways to go in order to catch up with NAZO. It seems the more successful she becomes, the more NAZO becomes a thorn in her side. Takuma believes the problem may be that while performing, she is just thinking about him and the promise she made to him. He assures her she is not alone. Of course Chiyo still has her main squeeze who cares about her more than anything, but she also has two idols working with her in a unit of three. Outside from her time with 961Pro, this is relatively new to Chiyo. Groups work best if they work as one. Perhaps she should spend some time with her partners a little more in order to strengthen their bonds. This way she can adjust to the styles of younger idols and be able to flow more fluidly with them. Takuma knows Chiyo loves him with all her heart, but now is not the time to worry about him. She is still an idol. As long as she focuses on her unit and her fans, she will always be the amazing angelic idol he fell in love with years ago. Fulfilling her promise would then be a cakewalk. Still, Takuma wants to make sure he is the first in line for her performances and new albums.
Over the next few weeks, Chiyo takes some time to bond with her partners. She never realized just how energetic, fun-loving, and outgoing her younger peers could be. Even though they seem unfocused, they are still very hard workers.
As ZetaPro receives a writ of challenge from NAZO to appear at the Harvest Moon Festival, Chiyo feels more than ready to take on Kagura this time around. Unfortunately, both performances get cancelled due to a pyrotechnic malfunction. Kenji can really tell ZetaPro’s trio has improved drastically since they passed the IU prelims. Chiyo is beginning to realize what she can accomplish with the power of unity. Yamato arrives to pick up NAZO and to rain on Kenji’s parade. According to Yamato, the way ZetaPro manages Chiyo proves the weakness and stupidity of middle class companies. They seem to have managed to successfully trick and bribe her away from 961Pro. They thought they could cash in on an experienced idol even though she was nearing the end of her rope. Worst of all, they allow her to get into a relationship! That’s right…Yamato knows Chiyo’s secret. He knows about the promise Chiyo made to Takuma. Had Chiyo been working for a more elite record company like RyuuseiPro, she would have been canned right on the spot. Then, gossip regarding the scandal would destroy not only her career and image, but the image of idols everywhere. Kenji tries to interfere, but Yamato scoffs at his weak defenses. It seems as though he is in cahoots with Chiyo and the President to cover up her relationship. Yamato then reminds Chiyo of all the abuse and suffering she received from her past producers, claiming she should have known better after five years. What if Kenji is just deceiving Chiyo? What if he is just as selfish and filthy as those hacks who previously managed her career? Chiyo soon stands up to Kenji. It was he who taught her that not all producers are like that. Not only is he very kind and caring, but he really knows what he is doing. If it were not for his aid, who knows where she would be now? Yamato calls Chiyo a fool, claiming Kenji has made her soft. Yamato asks Chiyo to do the idol industry a favor and call it quits while she still can. If she continues the path she is on, her utter humiliation will be inevitable, especially since he knows NAZO will mop the floor with her in the IU finals and he knows her true intentions. Either way, he will break Chiyo’s promise. He laughs as he heads back to his limo with the rest of NAZO.
Chiyo is distressed. Now that Yamato knows about her relationship with Takuma, she is certain Yamato will try to use it against her once they enter the final segment of the IU. However, she recalls what Takuma told her…don’t worry about him and just focus on her idol work. Unnecessary worry will only hinder her progress. Takuma assures Chiyo that he is sure everything will be all right in the end. He even promises to get a front-row ticket once she is set to perform at the IU finals. Surprisingly, Yamato still has yet to make a move…
On the day of the IU finals opening ceremonies, Chiyo overhears a conversation between Kagura and Yamato. It appears as though Kagura and Yamato have known each other for a long time and seem to care for each other very much. Kagura feels as though she must win the IU for Yamato’s sake as well as her family’s. Who knows…could they secretly be in a relationship just like Chiyo is? After the conversation ends, Kagura runs into Chiyo. Chiyo seems to relate quite a bit to her rival due to the fact they both desire to win the IU for the sake of the person they care for the most. However, she should not let her ambitions distract her. From what Takuma taught her, as long as she focuses on her work, performance criteria, and uniting with her unit, she can really tap into her full potential and become the idol everyone fell in love with in the beginning. An offended Kagura brushes Chiyo aside, claiming they are nothing alike as she heads back to NAZO’s meeting spot.
As Chiyo’s unit advances past the quarterfinals and the semifinals, Yamato, feeling desperate, decides to put his ultimate plan into action. Some of his hoods soon break into Takuma’s hotel room, give him a dose of knockout drops, and kidnap him in his sleep! The next day as Chiyo arrives in her dressing room, she notices a letter on the counter. It turns out to be an ultimatum. “I have Takuma. Drop out of the IU finals and give up your idol career entirely or else your secret will be made public. I can only imagine the looks on the faces of your foolish once-loyal fans once they see this!” Attached to the letter is a picture of Chiyo and Takuma sharing a deep kiss. Chiyo is shocked and quickly informs Kenji of the situation. With little options left and absolutely zero thoughts of surrender, Kenji and Kaito set out on an investigation. Chiyo tries to stop Kenji. Takuma has been kidnapped and held hostage. There is no telling what they will do if Kenji sticks his nose where it doesn’t belong. Plus, her career and reputation are at risk. Chiyo cringes, feeling as though she is unable to do anything. However, Kenji is not willing to give up on her. He will do whatever he can to make sure she can perform for both Takuma and her fans. He is never the type to let something like this slide. Chiyo can hardly believe her ears. Kenji cares about her so much she is willing to put everything on the line for her sake. She knew she made the right decision to place her faith in her most recent (and best) producer.
As the final showdown draws nearer and nearer, the situation grows more and more bleak. However, Kaito soon overhears Yamato on the phone with the kidnappers. It appears as though is plan is progressing smoothly. He promises to pay them once Chiyo surrenders and NAZO wins the IU. Receiving information on Takuma’s whereabouts, Kaito soon asks the stage management crew about RyuuseiPro’s dressing rooms. However, none of them could point him in the right direction (they are actually working for Yamato). Fortunately, Kaito is able to find two legitimate staff members who could help him. The group waits until the coast is clear before they head to Yamato’s quarters. Once there, they hear peculiar noises in the room. Kaito opens the door and discovers Takuma tied up and gagged in a chair! Kaito pulls out a Swiss Army knife and cuts the rope binding Takuma. Takuma soon thanks them. Both of them head back to center stage just in time to tell Kenji and Chiyo the news.
With only ten minutes until curtain call, Chiyo is looking worried. Yamato mocks her, believing she is scared to face the overwhelming might of NAZO. Kenji informs Yamato that someone important to Chiyo recently got kidnapped and was just getting a little overly worried. Yamato believes it is nothing more than a childish excuse since Chiyo knows her humiliating defeat is inevitable. Kaito soon arrives with Takuma. According to a phone conversation Kaito overheard, Yamato hired men to kidnap Takuma and threaten Chiyo with the release of a scandalous photo so that she would be forced to surrender to NAZO and quit her idol career. Then he disguised other RyuuseiPro employees as stage management members in order to steer suspicious people away from Takuma. Luckily, Kaito got some assistance and were able to find and free Takuma. Chiyo is delighted and grateful to Kenji and Kaito for helping. Both Kenji and Kagura cannot believe Yamato would commit such an underhanded act. Kagura especially demands Yamato to fight fair, believing a victory via dishonest methods would only serve to soil her family’s reputation. Yamato decides to comply for Kagura’s sake. As Chiyo takes the stage, Takuma’s eyes are locked onto Chiyo, wishing to see the full results of everything she has learned up to this point in her career. It is such a familiar feeling to him…the same feeling he experienced when he fell in love with her.
ENDING
At long last, after so many long, painful years, Chiyo is finally able to fulfill her promise to Takuma. She is beyond grateful to Kenji for helping her turn her career around and experience just what it truly means to be an idol. Meeting him and getting to know his kindness and strong work ethic really helped her see producers in a new light. Working and bonding with two other idols allowed her to tap into her full potential utilizing the power of unity. She can tell her partners also learned and grew up a lot from her years of wisdom. With all her recent achievements and an experience that went above and beyond her expectations, Chiyo decides to retire as an idol so she can finally remain by Takuma’s side. Not wanting to let her talent and experience go to waste, she decides to later become a trainer in order to help shape the next generation of idols. However, she will never forget all the memories she had with Kenji. Kenji wishes her and Takuma a bright and successful future as they say their goodbyes for the last time...or is it?
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