Takuma is at a meeting with his peers at the company. Five of the GMTs (Kaoruko seems to be absent) come inside the meeting room, wearing their respective costumes. They line up in front of everyone as Takuma passes out proposal hand-outs for a fanmeet which will also serve as the unveiling of GMT6. "There'll be handshake meetings, photo sessions, of course we'll be serving local specialties. It's to promote the local flavors. It'll be a strategy that will increase awareness..." But AmeJo chief manager, Kawashima, cuts him off. "Did Futomaki-san give a go-signal for this?" Takuma says he wanted to check the feelings of everyone about it. But Kawashima says he should check with the president first. Unless he shows it to Futomaki, "our feelings will be like this..." He points at the disinterested staff, not really listening to Takuma nor reading his handout at all. "If he says 'Do it,' then do it. Futomaki-san is the one who drew up the vision and shapes it... Our role is to be his employees, Mizuguchi."
Then, Futomaki arrives and greets his staff, and vice versa. Futomaki: "Wouldn't it be good to say your greetings in a dialect? Like "Menso~re!" (Okinawa) or "Maido!" (Osaka)." His staff laughs. He sees Takuma's hand-out. "What is this..." Takuma: "A fan meeting of GMT... We plan to expand the fair to the second floor of the Idol Cafe..." But Futomaki, too, cuts him off. "Hmm, don't you think it's too early?" Kawashima agrees and adjourns the meeting. Meanwhile, Aki is finding something strange about Futomaki ever since she told him about her mother, like he has gone cold to her and distant. "Am I overthinking it? Or has the President seem to have changed since that day?" Aki watches her Boss, puzzled.
アキ(能年玲奈)たちが、ファンの人気投票で40位以内に入らないと解雇される。それを知った父の正宗(尾美としのり)と、メンバーの小野寺薫子(優希美青)の母・さとみ(石田ひかり)が抗議する。マネージャーの水口(松田龍平)は「GMTのメンバー全員が40位以内に入れなかったら、自分も会社を辞める覚悟だ」と告げて説得する。水口の熱意を知り、気持ちも新たに全員で合格圏内を目指すアキたちだが…。
ファンの人気投票で40位以内に入らないと解雇されることになったアキ(能年玲奈)たちGMTのメンバーは、マネージャーの水口(松田龍平)とともに必死にPRイベントを行う。そんな中、鈴鹿ひろ美(薬師丸ひろ子)の紹介で、アキにドラマ出演のチャンスが舞い込む。しかし、アキは撮影現場で連続してNGを出し、鈴鹿から、女優失格の烙印を押されてしまう。同じ頃、プロデューサーの太巻(古田新太)からファン投票の結果が発表されていた。果たしてGMTのメンバーは…そしてアキは…!?その後、GMTのメンバーのある秘密が発覚して、アキの運命は思わぬ方向に転がっていく。しかし、芸能界でがんばる自信をすっかりなくしたアキは、メンバーの喜屋武(蔵下穂波)を連れて北三陸に帰ってくる。突然の帰省に春子(小泉今日子)や夏(宮本信子)らは驚くが、町の人々みんなに歓迎され、にぎやかな正月を過ごす。懐かしい面々との会話に心を和ませるアキだったが、ユイ(橋本愛)とだけは話ができないままでいた。実は、失踪したユイの母・よしえ(八木亜希子)が東京で見知らぬ男といるのをアキは目撃していたのだ…。