Part 1

A commercial for an amusement park!? For real, for real!?

Heh, I guess. At first, I thought amusement parks were too childish and didn’t suit my image, but…

Then they were like, “We really want you as the main actor!” So I couldn’t say no, right…?

And then they asked me to pick two other ward mayors, so they even put me in charge of casting! Hehehe!

That means you’re gonna become a star, yeah?

…Huh? Star?

…Wait, the kind that wins those Best Newcomer, or Best Actor awards?! You mean I’m the star of this commercial!?

Yeah, dude! Main actor, Renga-san, that’s you, right?

…W-Well, of course! If they’re offering it to me, then it couldn’t be anything besides the lead role.

Oh right, do you wanna join, Akuta?

Apparently they want someone who can look sharp in a suit… But since I’m the star, I can make you look good just as long as you stand next to me!

For real!? I’ll do it, I’ll do it!! I wanna look super snazzy in a suit and get super popular and—

…Wait, AHHHHHHH~~~~~~!! I have Mr. K's¹ super special after-school supplementary lesson that day!

Now that it’s come down to this, I gotta get myself out of it somehow…

You can’t. I had to stay over after school a lot too, but thanks to that I was able to graduate without repeating a year.

But what about my grand debut into stardom!?

Well, I don’t know about that… But I see… Sorry, I’ll try to find someone else, so good luck on your supplemental classes.

(Since they trusted me with the casting, I’ve gotta pick guys that are perfect for the job…)

Raito-san, Muneuji, do you guys wanna appear in a commercial for an amusement park with me?

…An amusement park commercial?

Would we be appearing as ward mayors?

Yeah. I was offered the role as lead actor, but the staff asked me to cast two other ward mayors for the job.

I understand the situation, but why did you choose Raito-san and I in particular? It does not seem like we have much in common.

They wanted people who would look good in a suit. So, I thought about it a lot.

And if you think about the kind of people that go to amusement parks, it’s mostly families…right?

So even if it’s just a suit, I thought it’d be good to find people who could pull off a fresh look.

Anyway, all I know is someone like Liguang would never work.

Is that so? Well, you’re the one in charge. I think you can decide however you like.

So…what do you think? Do you wanna do it…?

Of course. It sounds like fun, I’d love to take part.

Really…!? W-What about you, Muneuji!?

I do not have any arrangements for that day. I am unsure if I can pull off a suit nicely, but I will do my best if you will have me.

You guys… T-Thank you!

Alright everyone, we’d like you to first change into your outfits for the photoshoot, so we’ll be handing them out now.

Oh. What kind of outfit, wait…

What’s with this fabric… Is this a fur coat?

Huh? A onesie…?

It does not appear to be a suit.

Pft, heh heh. I see.

We’ll be having you dress up as the characters of our amusement park for this photoshoot. In other words—-you’ll be wearing mascot costumes!

Wh….WHAAAAAAT!?

Wait, I was told we’d be wearing suits in the briefing session! How did that turn into dressing up as mascots…!?

If I recall correctly, actors in cartoons and superhero shows are commonly called suit actors.

Then by “dressing up,” they were referring to dressing up as the mascots, becoming the characters, and striking poses.

Perhaps these characters also have special finishing moves?

That sounds great! If they have a special move, I’d definitely like to try it out.

W-Wait a second!! If we’re in mascot character costumes, what does me being the main actor mean…!?

You’ll be dressed up as the main character…The face of our park, Bittamon!

To be entrusted with such an important role is truly impressive, Nishizono-san. The satisfaction of the children in the park today will hinge entirely on your portrayal.

T-That’s such a heavy responsibility…!?

Um, excuse me…? Could it be that there's been some sort of misunderstanding…!?

N-no, that’s not it! I just had the wrong idea…!!

T-There’s no problem…w-with the costume…!

Oh, okay, thank you very much! Alright then everyone, please get changed!

Got it…

…Sorry guys. Things turned out completely different from what I said because of my misunderstanding…

If anything, I’m actually pretty excited about this development.

I as well. Once accepted, I intend to do my best no matter the role. It matters not if I’m wearing a suit or a costume.

Raito-san, Muneuji…

You’re right! Even if I’m dressed as a mascot character, it’s still me on the inside! Let’s do this with a bang…!