Another Zombie Land SAGA story. The series is the property of MAPPA, Avex Pictures, and Cygames. Enjoy.
It was Franchouchou's latest Meet-and-Greet and, as usual, the turnout was excellent. It helped, of course, that their revenge concert a few months ago was such a success. The venue was absolutely packed with fans. All the regulars were there, too. In Lily's line was her biggest fan (and that was in every sense of the word, seeing as the man was HUGE). Saki's line was attended by the former Dorami members (both young and old), as well as a certain little girl and her mother. And Maimai made a showing in Sakura's line. The current members of Iron Frill would've been in line to meet Ai, except that they were currently doing a show just north of Tokyo. Of course, there were also the two metalheads. They were torn between going to see Junko or Tae.
There was also a woman there, waiting to enter Tae's line, though she did also want to meet Junko. You see, she knew who the two really were. She knew who they all were. After all, she had seen pictures of all of them after they died. Of course, she'd have recognized some of them even without those pictures. Junko Konno was a famous idol when the woman was much younger and, though Lily's obituary was the first time the woman had actually seen her, the girl was a dead ringer for Sachika. Takeo's presence helped confirm the girl's true identity. And though she hadn't known Saki's name before her death, the woman nonetheless recognized her as the girl who rode around Saga, first on a bicycle, then on a motorcycle. That manager of theirs didn't even try to make them look like different people. Now, most people would probably just accept their resemblance to dead people as some coincidence or maybe some clever scheme by the manager, but Hanako was not most people. All the time she spent hunting demons with her friends had left her more susceptible to the presence of the supernatural. That was what brought her here, today. To see her good friend again (or what's left of her anyway). It pained Hanako to see Tae as little more than a trained animal. Sure, she got to become the idol she wanted to be, but Hanako doubted Tae was even aware of who she was, let alone the fact that she'd accomplished her and Yuko's dream.
Hanako entered the line, taking the sign for it from the person in front of her before holding it up for people to see. All the while, the line continued to move. Tae certainly had a lot of fans. Eventually, it was Hanako's turn, and she approached Tae's spot. It was Sakura who greeted her since Tae couldn't do it herself.
"Good afternoon," Sakura said.
"Good afternoon to you too," Hanako replied.
"Say, are you a new fan?" Sakura asked, "Because I don't think I've seen you before."
"Well, this is my first time at one of these, but I've been a fan for a while now," Hanako explained.
"Oh, okay," Sakura said, "So, would you like an autograph?"
"I would like one. Thank you," Hanako said.
"Who do I make this out to?" Sakura asked.
"Hanako Hakase," Hanako replied.
"And how do you write that?" Sakura asked.
"Like this," Hanako said before showing Sakura the specific way she wrote her name.
"Thank you," Sakura said before writing the autograph (another thing Tae can't do herself).
"Here you go, ma'am," she said once she was done, proceeding to hand over the signed piece of paper to Hanako.
"Thank you, Sa- I mean, No. 1," Hanako said, catching herself in time before she accidentally revealed what she knew.
Fortunately for her, Sakura didn't catch the slip of the tongue and Hanako went on her merry way over to Junko's line. She didn't notice, however, that Tae was fixated on her. Had been since Hanako had walked up. Something about this woman was familiar to Tae and she was going to figure out what. Or she would if Sakura wasn't trying to make her stay in her seat. Tae nonetheless continued to struggle until the mystery woman walked out of the venue and thus out of Tae's line of sight, at which point, Tae ceased struggling. Good thing, too, as her left arm had been about to pop out of its socket from Sakura pulling on it.
When Franchouchou eventually left the venue to go back to the mansion, none of them knew the effect meeting that woman would have on Tae. That it would do what nothing else could over the last two years, cause the legendary Tae Yamada to awaken.