Chapter 73: Let's Become School Idols Together and Sing
After stepping out of the Shueisha building, Shunsuke sent a message to Takagi via LINE.
[Shunsuke: It's done. Let's have dinner tonight. My treat.]
The message included the restaurant's address, which Shunsuke had carefully chosen—a place neither too upscale nor too casual.
[Takagi: It's done already? Congrats, congrats.]
[Takagi: But you don't need to treat me. You're still a student; let's just split the bill.]
[Shunsuke: Don't be so polite. Think of it as celebrating with the money I'll earn once my serialization succeeds.]
Shunsuke refrained from outright saying he had money.
That kind of statement was a major faux pas in Japan.
Unlike in US, where people—whether wealthy or barely scraping by—loved flaunting their wealth, even creating trends like "shared luxury circles," such displays were frowned upon here.
[Takagi: In that case, save it for when your serialization really takes off. I was actually thinking of bringing along two friends who are also aspiring mangaka. It'd be good for everyone to meet and encourage each other. But it wouldn't feel right to let you foot the bill, especially at a place this pricey.]
Pricey?
Shunsuke was puzzled at first, then realized that while the restaurant was modest by an adult's standards, it was indeed expensive from a student's perspective.
Taking the feedback in stride, he switched to a smaller, more affordable eatery.
[Shunsuke: Alright, 6 PM, don't be late.]
[Takagi: Got it.]
Putting his phone away, Shunsuke turned to Mashiro, who had been quietly standing by his side.
"Mashiro, is there somewhere you'd like to go? Today's date isn't over yet."
Mashiro thought for a moment before answering calmly, "The shopping district."
"Is there something you want to buy?"
"Research."
"Alright, let's head to the shopping district."
With that, Shunsuke took Mashiro's hand and led the way.
...
"We are μ's, the school idols of Otonokizaka! Our first live performance will be held this month—please support us!"
As Shunsuke stepped into the shopping district, a cheerful voice rang out in the distance.
Having already met Nozomi Tojo before, he was somewhat prepared for this and led Mashiro over to the commotion.
As they approached, three adorable girls holding flyers came into view.
The one with orange hair radiated energy, the brunette with long hair smiled quietly, while the girl with long blue hair trembled with her eyes closed, clearly nervous.
After shouting their announcement once, the two confident girls began comforting their shy companion, whose social anxiety seemed to have gotten the better of her.
They stopped calling out for support, focusing on their friend instead.
Watching Umi Sonoda struggle to hand out flyers, Shunsuke was reminded of himself during his student days in his previous life.
He vividly recalled his first part-time job handing out flyers during the summer and how shy and hesitant he had been.
Seeing her now sparked a strange sense of familiarity and warmth.
However, despite the efforts of her two friends, their encouragement didn't seem to have much effect.
Realizing it wasn't working, the three decided to regroup and discuss their strategy back at school.
—Amazing, so brave.
From a distance, a pink-haired girl with her head lowered watched Umi in admiration, clearly inspired by her courage.
"Leaving already?" Shunsuke approached them with a smile. "Could I have one of your flyers?"
"A-a-a-a flyer!?"
Honoka Kousaka, the orange-haired girl, froze in shock for a moment before her excitement bubbled over.
She stuttered and then thrust all the flyers she was holding into Shunsuke's hands.
"No need to be so generous."
Shunsuke chuckled, taking only the topmost flyer. To his surprise, it was hand-drawn.
Flipping through the remaining stack, he found that every single one of them was also hand-drawn.
"Drawing so many must have taken a lot of time."
"Yes! Since this is our very first live performance, we wanted to make sure everyone could feel our passion!"
Honoka clenched her small fists with determination.
"Hmm, I'm sure you'll succeed," Shunsuke said with a reassuring smile.
Shunsuke gave his affirmation, even though he knew their first live performance would end in a disastrous flop.
Hearing his encouragement, Honoka beamed with joy, her smile blooming like a flower. "Thank you! Please make sure to come!"
"I will. I'll also make sure to treasure this flyer," Shunsuke said with a nod.
Though seemingly insignificant now, this flyer was akin to the character designs he had once drawn for Utaha—a rare and invaluable piece of memorabilia with great sentimental and collectible value.
Seeing Shunsuke treat the flyer so seriously, the usually cheerful and confident Honoka became a bit bashful. "Hehe, it's not that big of a deal. If you ever want one, I can draw you another anytime."
"So this is the privilege of being Fan No. 1, huh? Pretty amazing."
"Fan No. 1!?"
Honoka gasped in excitement. Umi Sonoda and Kotori Minami also gathered around, their eyes wide with anticipation as they stared at Shunsuke.
"Isn't it true? You haven't even held a live performance yet, so could there really be other fans?"
"Y-yes, Fan No. 1! Hehe, I didn't expect to gain a fan so quickly!" Honoka giggled, raising her hand dramatically. "Here, a special perk for Fan No. 1—I'll give you my autograph!"
"Idiot! Don't push your luck!"
Umi, who had seemed shy earlier, firmly pushed Honoka's head down and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry. Honoka is such an idiot. I hope she hasn't troubled you."
"Honoka, huh? That's a nice name. I'm Shunsuke Fujii, and this is Mashiro Shiina."
"I'm Honoka Kousaka!"
"Idiot!" Umi smacked Honoka on the head again. After a brief hesitation, she introduced herself as well. "I'm Umi Sonoda."
"And I'm Kotori Minami," Kotori said with a unique, birdlike tone to her voice.
"Umi, Kotori, and Honoka—so it's like a sea, land, and air combo?" Shunsuke teased.
"No, it's not! These are our real names!" Honoka protested, raising her hand again. "But that does sound like the team name I thought of before. See, you really are Fan No. 1!"
Shunsuke sighed. "An idol group with that name would be doomed to fail."
"Yeah, so it got rejected. Forget that—Shunsuke, let's exchange contact information!"
Before Shunsuke could respond, Umi pushed Honoka's head down again. "Idiot! Who asks for someone's name so casually on a first meeting? Especially when Miss Shiina is standing right there!"
Honoka struggled free, protesting, "Umi-chan, you've got it all wrong! Shunsuke and Mashiro aren't a couple!"
"M-Mashiro?" Umi stammered, looking confused.
Shunsuke's mouth twitched. As expected of the ultimate networker, Honoka's natural friendliness was something else.
"Yeah, Mashiro-chan, I wasn't wrong, was I?"
"Well… not wrong…"
"Then let's exchange contact information already!"
Shunsuke sighed, covering his face. "Even if someone's a fan, Honoka, you still need to be cautious. Not all fans are good people."
"But you're Fan No. 1, aren't you?" Honoka blinked innocently. "This is a special privilege for Fan No. 1."
Shunsuke couldn't argue with that logic.
They exchanged contact information, and seeing the mood, Kotori Minami and Umi Sonoda exchanged glances before reluctantly taking out their phones to swap contacts with Fujii as well.
"Hey, Mashiro, you're so cute! Why don't you join us as a school idol?"
Honoka clasped Mashiro's hands with both of hers, looking up at her with sparkling eyes from a 45-degree angle.
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