The following contains spoilers for Episode 9 of Oshi no Ko, "B-Komachi," now streaming on HiDive.
Ruby's dream of becoming an idol has been a core part of her character since the beginning of the series, but Aqua's acting adventures have tended to put her own efforts to the side in favor of pursuing his search for the one behind his mother's death. Not helping things is the struggle to find fellow newcomer idols to feature alongside Ruby, since she can't debut alone.
With the addition of Kana and now MEM-cho to the new B-Komachi's roster, Ruby is finally able to start working towards her dream of becoming an idol. However, there's still a lot to do before the trio can call themselves a proper idol group, including putting together some performances and deciding on a center.
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The Third Member
Aqua immediately takes MEM-cho to meet Miyako, who marvels at MEM's large following and social media skills. However, she can tell that MEM-cho is hiding something, and correctly guesses that she is lying about her age. Miyako assures MEM-cho that lying about age is common in the industry, but is nevertheless surprised when she hears MEM's actual age: 25. MEM-cho explains that when she was younger, she actually tried to become an idol herself, but had to give it up when her mother fell ill to take care of her family. She spent years working to provide for her family, but when she was finally free to pursue her passion, she was 23 years old, far above the age limit for most idol companies. She decided to start streaming instead, and since she never actually finished high school, billed herself sarcastically as a high schooler, which ended up sticking.
MEM-cho sadly believes that the offer to join B-Komachi is no longer valid now that she has revealed her true age, but Ruby and Kana, feeling sympathetic for her, insist that she join regardless. Miyako, having never said that she was going to refuse MEM-cho, asks her to join once again, and she happily accepts. As MEM-cho cries happily about finally achieving her dream, Aqua asks Kana to take care of the group, but Kana spurns him, showing that she is still upset about the kiss with Akane.
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Time To Practice
At school, Ruby talks about the success of LoveNow with her classmates Minami Kotobuki and Frill Shiranui, who marvel at how much popularity Aqua has gained since appearing on the show. Ruby notes that the dating show's success has also bolstered B-Komachi's popularity, especially with MEM-cho now being a part of their activities. Their YouTube channel hits 10,000 subscribers easily with MEM's fans in the mix, and with MEM suggesting the group practice B-Komachi's old songs, the three begin idol practice in earnest. MEM-cho and Ruby are overjoyed to be doing real idol practice, but Kana is more reluctant. To make things worse, she's still on bad terms with Aqua, and her fierce rejection has even started to affect his usual cold composure.
As the girls practice, Aqua meets with Kaburagi, who promised to tell him about Ai. Kaburagi tries to dissuade him from learning more about her as it would only ruin his image of her, but Aqua is insistent regardless. Kaburagi gives in and tells Aqua about the past Ai: unfriendly, poorly dressed, and emotionless. To help her break out of her shell, Kaburagi recommended her to a workshop held at Lala Lai, the same theater group Akane is a part of. After going to the workshop, Ai suddenly became more outgoing and began asking about places to go, so he assumes that she must have fell in love there. Kaburagi offers Aqua a chance to meet up with the leader of Lala Lai, claiming that he sees an investment opportunity in him. He also claims to see a lot of value in the new B-Komachi, showing interest in supporting the group's efforts.
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Who's The Center?
Kaburagi's support comes in the form of a spot at the Japan Idol Festival, a big event that fledgling idol groups would dream to have a spot at. With it only being a month away, Kana is reluctant, but Ruby and MEM-cho refuse to pass up the opportunity. With that settled, the girls start talking about who should be the center, essentially the star of the idol group that fans will be attracted to. Ruby and MEM-cho both show interest in the role, but Kana declines despite having experience releasing a popular exercise song when she was a child. Kana argues that her rough personality and uneven popularity would make her a bad choice to be center, while the other girls are the type that are much more popular.
Ruby senses that Kana has been more down on herself lately, and while she hits the mark, she can't pin down the exact reason. Inwardly, Kana can't help but obsess over Aqua's relationship with Akane, and because of that, she feels her inadequacies more strongly than usual. Unable to cheer her up, Ruby and MEM-cho head out to karaoke to decide on center once and for all, only for both of them to be terrible at singing. The two decide to wind down by singing Kana's song, but learn that she has actually released more songs than they had thought. As they listen to one of her songs, they realize that she is a great singer, making her the perfect center for their group.
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