Chapter 14

———— Today's second update, another one will come a bit later ————

At 9:00 AM on February 26, 2006, the final selection for the AKB48 second generation members officially began.

Fifty-three girls bravely stepped onto the final battlefield for their dreams.

Yasushi Akimoto, sitting in the main seat, was slightly taken aback when he saw Kaoru Kagawa mixed in with the staff.

Tomohiro Koga also noticed Kaoru Kagawa's arrival.

"This guy is here too..."

Nanami Natsukawa was momentarily stunned by the comment but didn't say much more...

She was a rather introverted person and, in such a setting, would remain silent unless someone asked her directly.

"First of all, congratulations to all of you who have made it to the final selection. You are all very talented... Today is your final evaluation... Some of you will succeed, and some will be eliminated... But that's not the end of the world. You are all young... A temporary failure doesn't mean anything... As long as you work hard, your future will be much more fulfilling."

Tomohiro Koga's words helped the nervous girls relax.

"Very good, this way we can better see the potential of these girls... But such words won't test their ability to handle pressure..." Kaoru Kagawa was surprised and glanced at Tomohiro Koga. He was very good at stirring people's emotions. But he quickly began to analyze the meaning behind Koga's words, a habit he had developed over the years, paying attention to every word everyone said...

"Alright, I now declare the evaluation to begin."

"Number 1!" Nanami Natsukawa's clear voice echoed through the training hall as soon as Koga finished speaking.

The relaxed atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Amid the nervous and expectant gazes of everyone, a little girl, around ten years old, walked to the front.

The little girl was wearing a pink down jacket, with a ponytail, and her crystal-clear eyes showed a hint of nervousness and unease.

The first to perform always bears the greatest pressure, and the score for the first performance is usually lower.

Not to mention a child so young; without strong pressure resistance, she could easily break down.

The three judges, including Yasushi Akimoto, sitting in the center of the venue, were well aware of this and looked at the little girl with serious expressions.

"Hello, judges... I am Number 1, Manami Okada. I am 11 years old. I will be singing 'Sakura Petals.'" Although only 11, Manami Okada managed to complete her introduction despite some stumbles.

"Alright, begin."

Kaoru Kagawa watched the little girl's slender back and listened to her slightly trembling voice, then quietly wrote her name in his notebook.

On the other side, after Manami Okada finished her performance, the three judges, including Yasushi Akimoto, made some decisions.

"Number 2!"

Number 2 was much more mature than Manami Okada and appeared very calm.

The girl was dressed simply but neatly.

"I am Number 2, Saya Akiyama. I am 18 years old. I will be singing 'Brave Heat.'"

Saya Akiyama's introduction was very natural, which put a lot of pressure on the other members.

While Saya Akiyama was singing, Kaoru Kagawa quietly observed the expressions of the other girls.

To his surprise, he found a girl who left a deep impression on him among the members.

This girl was wearing a light blue cotton jacket, about 1.5 meters tall, with long black hair. What surprised him most was that she always wore a faint, confident smile. Whether it was the slightly flawed performance of Manami Okada or the outstanding performance of Saya Akiyama, this girl watched the performances of her opponents very seriously and even politely clapped after they finished.

She was a very promising talent, destined for greatness.

Kaoru Kagawa had already made up his mind to sign this girl.

.................................

On the other side, the members of Team A finished their performance for the day and collapsed on the ground.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy, and everyone knew why.

"Today is the final selection for the second generation members..." Kazumi Urano looked at everyone cautiously and said softly.

The members didn't speak, some drinking water, others sending messages.

Bang! Shizuka Watanabe slammed the cabinet hard!

This startled the other girls.

"Watanabe, what are you doing?!" Ayumi Orie glared at Shizuka Watanabe.

Shizuka Watanabe stuck out her tongue and didn't dare to argue...

Ayumi Orie was the oldest in the team and, as the temporary captain, had a lot of influence among the members, serving as a kind of spiritual leader for AKB48.

"Onee-san, should we go and take a look?" Rina Nakazato timidly suggested.

"I agree!" Minami Minegishi immediately raised her hand in support.

"I'll go too..." Mai Oshima thought for a moment and agreed with Rina Nakazato's suggestion.

The others didn't show any interest, clearly not wanting to go...

"You... aren't going?!" Mai Oshima was stunned.

"Why should we go? Are we that bored? Although some of them will be our opponents, they are far from being worth our active observation! We are official members of AKB48, and they are nothing yet! What we need to do now is continue to work hard and not let them catch up to us!" Ki Kawasaki countered.

Mai Oshima and the others were speechless, while the other girls pondered the meaning of Ki Kawasaki's words.

"I think Ki is right, we don't need to go..." Atsuko Maeda, who had been silent, finally spoke up.

Her friend, Nanako Takahashi, glanced at everyone and nodded slightly...

"Since that's the case, no one will go... I don't want to run into Teacher Nanami..." Yōna Kojima pouted and gave a flirtatious wink.

"You're right... Everyone is tired, so let's rest early... And some people still have to retake exams..." Mami Hoshino deliberately glanced at Mai Oshima, her meaning clear...

Mai Oshima's face turned red, and she waved her fist at Mami Hoshino, as if to say, "Just wait..."

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