(I now know why we stopped receiving offers after Idol Lovers...)
(But...)
A light that can never go out.
A bright beacon of hope that has a duty to stay illuminated for the sake of their fans.
At no point can they go out and leave everybody wandering around in the dark.
(What can I do...?)
(There's no way for me to change the past.)
(If I tell the others about this...)
<Haruka.>
Luka... Is something the matter?
<Sorry, I know this is sudden.
I just wanted to see how you were doing.>
Me...?
<Yes, because you haven't been over to SEKAI in quite some time...>
<You told us that you were going to investigate why you girls stopped receiving offers, remember? I was a little worried that you were burning the candle at both ends.>
I see...
Thank you for showing so much concern for me.
<Why the long face? Did something happen...?>
So, I found out why we stopped receiving offers... And I was just thinking about how I'm going to tell the others...
<Would you like to tell me what happened?>
Huh?
<Hehe. An idol can't just leave someone be when their beautiful smile's been turned upside down.>
<You might feel better after telling someone about what happened. What do you say...?>
Luka...
Thank you.
Then, if you don't mind listening for a bit...
<I see. And Mr. Hiiragi told you this himself...?>
*Nod*
Mr. Hiiragi said that idols are beacons of hope that have a duty to stay illuminated for the sake of their fans, and I haven't been able to get that out of my head.
<Haruka...>
And he's right.
When I retired from being an idol, I made so many of my fans incredibly sad...
No, “sad” probably doesn't even begin to describe how they felt.
I robbed everyone of their hope.
<...>
<Yes, he may be technically correct...>
<Because losing the thing they love most is the worst thing that can happen to a fan.>
...
<But the fact of the matter is that you gave quite a lot of people quite a lot of hope when you were still with ASRUN, no?>
When I was still with ASRUN...?
<Yes, and I personally know someone who did. She's been using the hope you gave her as the fuel which propels her forward.>
Are you talking about...?
<Hehe. I'm sure you know who I'm referring to, Haruka.>
I'm hoping to be an idol one day!
J-J-Just like you, Haruka!
Haruka, you gave me my dream of becoming an idol!
<Yes, by deciding to leave the stage behind, you caused your fans quite a lot of pain...>
<But you did your absolute best for them until then, and it's clear now that you gave them hope.>
<Hope that tomorrow will be a better day. That's the truth.>
<So, Haruka, as long as there are people out there who you inspired, then you get to say that you spread hope to them...>
Luka...
But I...
<Also, I don't believe for a second that you're not allowed to be an idol just because you took a slight detour.>
<I mean...>
<I know that you and only you were able to deliver hope to certain people.>
Only I was...?
<Yes, just think about it.>
Ultimately, how you deal with this is going to be up to you... But that doesn't mean you have to suffer all alone.
Please ask for help if you ever think you need it. I promise to do everything in my power when you do.
<I've spent a lot of time thinking after you told me your story, Haruka.>
<It became hard to work on my song because I was so scared that it'd end up hurting more people. However...>
<Even after dwelling on this for so long... I realized that I don't want to stop making my own music.>
<Again, Haruka, thank you very much.>
(She's right...)
(What I said to Hasegawa that time, I was able to say because I'd faltered once already.)
<Yes, you may've faltered, but you're back to spreading hope as an idol again.>
<So, I believe that you will become an idol that can keep spreading hope to others for a very long time.>
Luka...
Yeah... You're right.
Mr. Hiiragi said how there's no guarantee that an idol can stay lit after having burned out once.
He's right. I have no way of knowing what's going to happen. All I can really do is vow that it won't happen again.
<Haruka...>
I did reach my breaking point...
But in doing so, I also gained a lot and made some profound realizations.
I learned that some feelings don't change, and I got to form a group with my dear friends.
Because of everything that I experienced. All of it. I've been able to see things that I never would have otherwise...
After my fall from grace, I was fortunate enough to encounter people and things that have helped make me stronger.
So, the current me... Haruka Kiritani of MORE MORE JUMP!... I vow that she'll never fail as an idol again.
Obviously, I can't change the fact that I let a lot of my fans down in the past...
But that just means I have to do what I can to regain their confidence. So that they feel hope again.
So that we can become idols that can spread hope to more people than anyone else.
<That'd be lovely...>
Thank you for listening, Luka.
I still don't have a solid idea of what I need to do yet, but I'll start by asking Minori and the others...
<Yes, that seems like a good plan.>
<And we'll be right there rooting for you...
So, do your best.>