On June 26th, Arashi held a charity event, “Arashi no Waku Waku Gakkou”, in the Tokyo Dome, and at this event, Ninomiya Kazunari (28) was asked about the rumors regarding him and Sasaki Nozomi (23). He commented, “We are just normal friends.”

This rumor began back in May when the public started questioning the relationship between them.

One of the reporters asked Ninomiya, “So does this mean that your relationship with her is going well?” He responded with a smile, “It’s normal.” Then he stressed the point of “friends” by following his response with, “Friends? Yes.”

After the interview that occurred on the day of the final performance of “Arashi no Waku Waku Gakkou”, Ninomiya was called out by reporters as he was leaving. At first, it seemed as he was surprised at their appearance based on his expression, but he stopped his tracks and calmly dealt with the reporters with their questions.

According to the reports published last month, the two got to know each other last spring and from thereafter have repeatedly visited each other’s houses for dates. After such reports, the agencies stated about their relationship, “We have heard that they are just friends.”

During the event in May, Sasaki commented, “Since I can get lonely at times, I often always want to be with ‘friends’.” When the reporters boldly questioned Ninomiya about their relationship, he would only display his smile and not comment on it.

Source: Daily Sports