Mayuka Akimoto Exclusive | EXTENDED |

Then, on a Tuesday morning, the announcement dropped: Akimoto Mayuka to graduate from SKE48 to pursue further education.

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She also addresses the "ghosts" of her past—the members of AKB48 who still follow the rules. "I don't hate them. I envy them, sometimes. Ignorance is a warm blanket. But I can't sleep under a blanket that is strangling me." Then, on a Tuesday morning, the announcement dropped: