Don't get too used to 9nin Morning Musume

I didn't expect one of my predictions to come crashing down so quickly (though I did write that blog post about a week ago and just finished editing it yesterday night), but at the end of the year Morning Musume will be down to 8 members.

Current Hello! Project and Morning Musume leader Takahashi Ai will graduate during Morning Musume's 2011 Fall Concert Tour.

Normally this is the time where I would write a long post about what this means for Morning Musume's future and draw information from various sources, but for now I'll just defer to the Hello! Online article: http://www.hello-online.org/index.php?app=helloapp&CODE=article&topic=1213

Tomorrow I'll write about my thoughts and feelings when I have some time to think this through. Until then I leave you all with a translation of an Airi blog post. It's truly poetic. (thanks to snoboat for the translation)

And amidst all that, today it was announced that Takahashi Ai-san will be graduating from Morning Musume at the Fall Tour.

Takahashi-san is a senpai I've always admired since before I entered H!P Kids.

Whether at the rehearsals, or the actual performances, on stage, or during the musicals, the more I watched her, the more my admiration increased. It was frustrating that I couldn't catch up to her, but one day I wanted her to admire me too. That was the kind of person she was to me.

I truly believe that because Takahashi-san stood at the top of Hello! we are here now.

Backstage, I don't really trade compliments that much with the other members (lol). I've met a lot of the different members at the Hello concerts and all, and they've said a lot of nice things to me. I remember that Takahashi-san praised my dancing.

When she saw that I was unsure of myself, she said "You should be more confident. You look very cool when you dance."

For the person I admired to say something like that to me... at the time, I just said Oh, thank you, or something, but inside I was so happy.

I wanted her to recognize me more.

Because I felt that way, I thought I'm not going to call her Ai-chan.

I only want to call her Takahashi-san. [Takahashi-san can seem more distant than the friendly, affectionate Ai-chan, which is why Ai probably has everyone call her Ai-chan, but Airi wants to communicate how much she respects her and doesn't take her lightly by using it]

Aaa...
In the time we have left together, I'm going to be watching her like crazy during rehearsal. I'm going to try to absorb as much of her as possible, so that I can become just like her.

I'm going to look her right in the face
and say "I want to be like you, Takahashi-san!"

Maybe I should give that idea up, lol.
Even though I say that, I won't give it up.

Also, during the last song we sang together, I held Takahashi-san's hand.
During that moment, all the tears I had tried to hold back couldn't be held back anymore.

I love her!

I can't finish all my thoughts but we'll have memories up through the fall tour.
Today I took 2 pictures with Takahashi-san.

http://gree.jp/c_ute/blog/entry/539062804 

Thanks Airi, now you're going to make me cry.