【28】

A month later...

Hara Kana had successfully completed their Japan-wide Arena tour and the popularity of the pretty and stylish Jpop girl group increased exponentially.

To capitalize on their success streak, Pony Canyon and Horipro released the newest single from the group's subunit PEONY ♥ APPLE ♥ ALICE entitled "無知Muchi (CLUELESS)/Aisu kurimu" which debuted at the top of Oricon's Singles Chart.

Once Hara Kana were finished with their touring, the trio had more time to adequately promote their single.

They went on music shows to perform, appeared in magazines and did Live Chats with fans on social media.

At the same time as the girls, along with their entire group were busy recording their next album and filming CMs.

Their alternate members Megumi ‘Meg’ Itano and Akina Matsumoto were also preparing to debut as a Pop-Enka duo.

Horipro was brainstorming ideas about adding new members or at least one new member to their group as well.

Hara Kana was a hot commodity and they were looking for ways to capitalize.

To add to the newfound interest in the group were persistent rumors by Women's Weekly and Nihon Report tabloids that their members were secretly dating.

Specifically popular member Emi Tachibana aka "PEONY", who was said to be in a down-low romance with renowned Ikemen rocker Kim Jejung.

A blurry photo of the two Manga-esque idols was captured at the Michelin-starred Sugama Tokyo Ramen House while Jaejoong was in Japan for his tour and his "lady friend" Peony went to dinner with him.

The Jejung fangirl who captured the two of them at the restaurant told the tabloids that they had held hands until they spotted her taking pictures and they "looked like a cute couple" to her.

It was also thought suspicious that the two of them were out alone and with no other friends accompanying them.

Of course representatives on behalf of Hara Kana denied the claims and reiterated Peony's single status.

However, not many people were believing that statement.

In fact, there was a growing faction of fans who "shipped" them together.

The two of them looked so perfect that they could only be with each other, they thought.

All of the speculation kept Peony and her group in the spotlight.

However the girls were so preoccupied with their full schedules that they had little time to think about the gossip and what was printed or blogged about them.

PEONY ♥ APPLE ♥ ALICE had a scheduled Message Card Exchange and Handshake Ceremony to attend at Ikebukuro's Sunshine City Complex, that was made up of diverse shops, an aquarium, and the Sunshine 60 skyscraper and observation deck. Indie stores for anime and manga dotted the surrounding streets, and cosplay fans hang out in Naka-ikebukuro Park. 

"Ā sugoi! (Oh wow!)" Alice and Apple exclaimed as their Toyota airstream van pulled up to the venue.

They could see so many fans had come to see them.

A big poster with the cover of their single was hanging up on the front of the building they would be going to. 

It had an outside staging area so that they could perform for the crowd of fans.

Peony looked up from her Hello Kitty Face Hand Mirror where she was checking that her makeup and hair looked good.

Nothing less than perfection was expected of her and her group mates.

"Oya oya! (Gosh!) Are they all here to see us?" she asked when she also saw the large group of people gathered out front.

They were waiting to get let into the building where the fan meeting part of the event would take place and then afterwards, the trio would be performing.

Admission was free and was on first-come-first-serve basis.

It didn't take much longer for some of the fans to spot their van and start a ruckus.

Some security guys had to hold the crowd back as the van stopped and one by one the three lovely girls exited.

They smiled and waved as fans shouted.

PEONY was out front; looking Super Kawaii as ever dressed in a G.V.G.V. Navy and White Sailor Fuku Mini Dress, MITU 'Valerie' Knit Over the Knee Socks, Christian Louboutin 'Charlene' Patent Leather Mary Jane Pumps in Black, $2,980 Chanel Caviar Mini Classic Navy Crossb