Chapter 116: Kitagawa Marin: Isn't Working Just About Making Money?
For Mai, failing twice in a day to launch an effective "attack" was already frustrating enough. A third attempt? She wasn't exactly eager to go down that road again.
With the bento boxes already emptied and work matters thoroughly discussed, the two cleaned up the rooftop before making their way back downstairs.
"By the way, Mai-san, where did you get that key?"
As he watched Mai lock the rooftop door, Shunsuke couldn't help but feel curious. After all, most high schools—including Japan's—strictly prohibited students from accessing the rooftop to prevent accidents like jumping incidents.
"I'm a third-year student. Isn't it natural for me to have a rooftop key?"
"What does being a third-year have to do with it?"
"You know Kasumigaoka Utaha? She didn't know if the rooftop was unlocked but still brought her bento up here. That means she also has a key."
"That... makes sense."
"So it's not strange for me to have one too."
Shunsuke nodded, half-impressed. "Your logic is... pretty solid."
...
"Senpai, you're back! I've been waiting for you forever!"
As soon as Shunsuke returned to the classroom, he felt multiple eyes on him.
Confused, he spotted a blonde-haired gyaru enthusiastically waving at him from his seat.
Around her, a group of girls from his class had gathered, seemingly captivated by her presence.
"Kitagawa, are you some sort of social supernova?"
Even though he already had a general idea of Marin's unmatched charm and social skills, the sight of her fearlessly mingling with upperclassmen and winning them over in a high school left him speechless.
Who does that? Oh, right—she's the main heroine. Never mind.
"What are you even saying, Senpai?"
"Nothing. So, coming all the way here at lunchtime without giving me a heads-up—is there something important?"
After nodding briefly to the other students in acknowledgment, Shunsuke led Marin out of the classroom.
"Well, this kind of thing is better said in person, right? It'd feel too impersonal over text."
Before they even left the room, Marin said this loud enough for everyone to hear.
The sudden hush that fell over the class made Shunsuke's head throb.
"What, what? Is this a confession!?"
"So bold!"
Shunsuke sighed internally.
Why is my life like this?
Once the two left, the classroom immediately erupted into chaos.
Kato remained expressionless, Futaba Rio unconsciously clenched her fists, Matsuzaka Satou glanced over before losing interest, and Yuigahama Yui forced a smile while half-heartedly responding to her friends' excited chatter.
Meanwhile, Koizumi remained lost in her own world.
Sakuta and Kunimi exchanged knowing looks and let out bitter smiles.
"Another underclassman Shunsuke mentioned before, huh? Why are these girls so proactive? Futaba doesn't stand a chance."
...
"So, Kitagawa-san, what exactly do you want?"
Pulling Marin into a quiet corner, Shunsuke pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes briefly.
He had just escaped from one tense situation only to walk straight into another headache. Exhausting.
"Senpai, you're acting as Mai-senpai's agent now, right?"
"Yeah. That news should've spread by now."
As for the fact that he was also Mai's agency president, that was still a secret among the general student body.
Marin giggled and playfully bumped her shoulder against his arm. "So, Senpai, what do you think about making me one of your talents and letting me debut as an idol?"
"You? Debut as an idol?"
Shunsuke gave Marin a once-over, and Marin, fully confident in herself, struck a variety of poses like a professional model, each one more charming than the last.
"Well? How's that, Senpai? Pretty good, right?" Marin asked smugly after switching to yet another pose. "I'm already a well-known reader model, you know. Agencies often invite me to be their exclusive model."
Wait, that's part of her backstory?
Shunsuke thought for a moment. Now that he reflected on it, she really was quite famous.
"So, why didn't you accept their offers?"
"Because once you become a full-time employee, doesn't that get super troublesome? Then I wouldn't have time to watch anime, read manga, or play games," Marin explained in an entirely matter-of-fact tone.
"Honestly, the only reason I agreed to be a model in the first place was to save up for games and merchandise. If I ended up working so much that I couldn't enjoy my hobbies, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"
Shunsuke nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that logic is very... you, Kitagawa-san. So why did you suddenly decide to join my agency as an idol?"
"Because I'm short on money recently."
"That's such a brutally honest reason! Don't you have any other reason?!"
Shunsuke was stunned.
Aren't you supposed to be the quintessential 2D-inspired heroine? Isn't this where you'd say something like, 'It's been my childhood dream,' or, 'It's what my late mother always wished for'?
Do young people these days have no dreams anymore?
Marin's face flushed slightly, and she snuck a glance at Shunsuke.
Isn't it obvious?
The real reason is because I want to work under you. There's so little chance to interact between grades!
But seeing that Shunsuke was entirely missing the point, she sighed, pressed a finger to her lips in mock thought, and said, "Ehh, but in the end, it's still about the money. I became a model to make money, after all. Why would you even think there's another reason? Isn't working just about making money?"
—No... no arguments there.
Reflecting on his past life, Shunsuke felt Marin's words were practically a universal truth.
For someone so young to have such profound insights—she might just be destined to become the ultimate working professional, immune to the pitfalls of the mainstream idol world.
But since Marin was so determined, Shunsuke, as her senior, had no choice but to mercilessly shatter her fantasy. "You know, being an idol doesn't actually make you much money."
Sure, groups like Muse's eventually grew into billion-yen phenomena, and their individual members earned incomes in the hundreds of millions—enough to make other idols green with envy.
But that was the exception.
For every successful idol or writer, there were countless others who couldn't even make enough to cover their meals.
Those stories about starving artists weren't jokes—they were harsh realities born of blood, sweat, and tears!
"Eh? Idols are glamorous stars, aren't they? How could they not make money? Senpai, you're such a joker, hahaha!"
Marin laughed with a hand covering her mouth, waving the other in a very JK-esque carefree manner.
"It's true," Shunsuke said, shrugging. "Idols aren't the same as celebrities. There's a huge gap in status between them. 'Quasi-celebrities' earn way more money than idols."
Of course, this so-called "more money" was from the perspective of someone from Japan. Compared to the astronomical earnings of celebrities in certain countries, it was like pocket change.
"Really?" Marin's long lashes fluttered as she blinked in surprise. "Then I'll just become a celebrity under your management, Senpai!"
"Being a celebrity isn't that easy… or maybe it's not impossible?"
With enough resources, even someone like Yumemi could become a top star. And Marin seemed to have a natural talent for this.
Recalling the original story, where Marin could instantly embody any character she cosplayed, perfectly capturing their essence, Shunsuke realized she might indeed have a gift for acting.
That kind of ability to completely immerse oneself in a role wasn't something just any actor could achieve.
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