When Airi was younger, she used to be a tomboy, often getting into fights with some boys in the neighbourhood who bullied her younger sister. When her mother was cleaning her up after a fight one day, she saw an idol performing on the TV. She thought the idol looked really cute, and her mother said that maybe Airi could be cute like the idol as well. A few days later, she was watching the idol on TV again. Her sister asked why Airi liked the idol so much, and Airi replied that it’s because seeing the idol made her smile. Airi’s sister said that Airi is exactly the same as the idol, since she can’t help smiling when she sees her sister, and it was this that made Airi decide to become an idol.
In present day, the members of MORE MORE JUMP! go to a talent agency that Haruka’s contacts recommended. When they go in, the clerk mistakes Minori for a touring fan, and she’s reminded that she doesn’t stand out amongst the other girls. Airi, Shizuku and Haruka are quick to reassure her that everyone starts out that way, and it’s nothing to worry about. When they go into the meeting with the CEO, the girls are told that the agency would be willing to take on Haruka, Airi and Shizuku, but they were unaware that there was an amateur in their unit. They are prepared to turn the girls away, but Airi sees to it that the agency is aware of Minori’s budding talent. After hearing Airi’s plea, they agency agrees to take them on… but not as a unit. It would be too hard for them to market the amateur Minori alongside three nationally famous idols, so the girls decline the offer.
After they leave, Minori apologises to the others for dragging them down, so Airi and Haruka reassure her again and tell her that she can’t give up after one setback. Haruka, Airi and Shizuku all still have contacts and strings to pull, and are determined to find an agency. However, they don’t find much luck. The agency that Airi contacted was only willing to hire her, and the one Haruka talked to was only willing to hire her and Shizuku. Minori spoke to several, but was turned down by all of them. At this point, most agencies are turning them away as soon as they hear their names.
Later on, the girls run in to a TV producer who had previously worked with Haruka and Airi. The producer mentions that there’s been a rumour going around about them, so the girls ask for more details in case this is why agencies are being off put by them. He tells them that it’s nothing malicious, just that they had formed a unit together. The girls ask him if he might know why they’re being turned away if the rumours aren’t anything bad, and he explains that small agencies hiring them comes with the risk of making larger agencies think that they were cherry-picked, as well as coming under pressure from the former agencies of Haruka, Airi and Shizuku, which could put the jobs of other idols at risk.
As a last resort, Airi privately contacts her former agency. She pleads with them to take on MORE MORE JUMP!, assuring that they won’t ever have any problems with her again. They acknowledge her determination, but have to turn her down because Haruka and Shizuku could pose a risk to the other talents at their agency.
Airi begins to feel like she’s losing hope, that she won’t become an idol again. She remembers that in these times, she needs to needs to act more like an idol, so looks for a pick-me-up. She remembers Rin and Miku in the SEKAI saying that they’ll always be there when the girls need cheering up, so she decides to head over and see if she can think of a solution. In the SEKAI, she’s greeted by Rin, who can tell that something’s up. Airi asks Rin if she can perform a song that will cheer her up, and Rin puts on an impromptu performance for her. While Airi watches the performance, she’s reminded that idols need to face anything head on and with a smile.
After the performance, Airi opens up to Rin. She explains that even though she’s wanted to be an idol for a long time, when she was a kid she was a tomboy and didn’t look anything like an idol. Her family supported her the entire way, and she worked hard every day, but the idol experience wasn’t all she thought it would be. And now with everything going wrong again, she isn’t sure if she’ll be able to get close to the idols she used to look up to and be able to spread hope like she wants to. Rin disagrees, and tells Airi that she thinks she’s a great idol, and should continue trying. Rin also asks Airi if MMJ! has to join an agency, since she and Miku do shows all the time without being signed to one. Airi isn’t sure how freelancing will work for them, since there won’t be any publicity, which limits the hope they can spread, however Rin is certain that they can make it work.
While at her part-time job, Minori overhears two women filming a video. She remembers that she used to watch videos of idols online when she was learning to dance, and suddenly has the idea for MMJ! to upload videos online to get a bigger reach. The next day, she tries recording herself on the school rooftop, but can’t get the camera to focus on what she wants it to and she isn’t in the shot for most of the video. Shizuku arrives on the rooftop and finds out what Minori was doing, and agrees that it’s a great idea.
Later that evening, Haruka continues going through her connections to find an agency, but is met with more bad luck. While looking through her contacts, she comes across a freelancer, and considers the idea, though she writes it off as unrealistic. However, she suddenly receives a text from Airi…
At school the next day, Airi brings up the idea of freelancing to the girls. It’s not like their luck is getting any better, so they might as well start doing things independently. Haruka isn’t sure if they’ll be able to manage the workload, but Airi is sure that she and Haruka, both being organised and experienced, will be able to handle it between the two of them. Haruka reminds Airi that even then, if they don’t have any promotion then people aren’t going to be able to see them perform, but Minori pipes up and tells them that she and Shizuku have been recording videos together. There’s no telling how things will work out, but they’ll prove they have what it takes. MORE MORE JUMP! starts here!
This event contains the following tropes:
- The Determinator: All of the girls are this to some extent in this event, though Airi is the most notable example, going as far as to contact her former agency despite the fact that they are responsible for her quitting the industry in the past.
- Famed In-Story: Used as a plot point in this event. Haruka, Airi and Shizuku are all nationally famous, which causes large agencies to turn them away when they want to perform with an amateur, and causes small agencies to do the same because having such famous faces could lead to them getting pressure from other agencies and the girls' fame threatening the jobs of their other talents.
- Used to Be a Tomboy: The first chapter of this event focuses on how Airi went from being a tomboy who used to always get into fights to deciding to become a cute idol.
