Part 1

Mmm, that felt great! Morning walks sure are great for lifting your spirits!

Agreed. Shumai was happy to go for a walk with you too.

Wafu!

No, that’s... Quit pushing yourself so hard, Managir!

(Oh? It’s Renga-kun. Is he on the phone with his manager?)

...Huh? Oh, got it. He’s here with me now. We can try asking and see what he says.

Chief, do you have a sec? My managir has something he wants to ask you.

Me?

Yeah. I’ll put him on speaker right now.

«Hello, thank you for your continued support! This is Renga Nishizono’s manager.»

Hello, this is Hamasaki. The pleasure is all mine!

«I apologize for the sudden contact.... *Cough* The truth is, I seem to have come down with something today and am unable to accompany Renga-san...»

«If it is at all possible, would I be able to ask you, Hamasaki-san, to manage him for today?»

What!? You’re asking me!?

«Under normal circumstances, it would be our agency’s responsibility to send a replacement, but all suitable staff members are either out overseas or accompanying another talent... *Cough, wheeze*»

I told you already, quit pushing yourself. I'll be fine on my own for one day. Plus you’re bothering the chief.

«I’m aware, but... are you really going to be alright doing that afternoon quiz show by yourself, Renga-san?»

Urgh.

«...So I’m really sorry to ask this of you, but given the situation, could you possibly chaperone Renga-san for today?»

«Since you’re always looking after him at HAMA Tours, I would feel much more at ease leaving him with you!»

Well... I don’t have any urgent work to take care of today so I can do it, but in terms of management experience...

«Oh, don’t worry! Most of the jobs today are things Renga-san has done many times in the past, so you shouldn’t run into many difficulties.»

«It’s just that we weren’t able to reschedule the quiz show recording... So I would appreciate it if you could act as a sort of cheerleader for him and give him emotional support during it...!»

I see...

(If that’s all it is, I can probably do it...? Renga-kun seems to be in a pinch too, and there’s no one else who can go with him...)

Where’s the harm? Why not give it a shot, Chief?

Kafka?

You want to help him, don’t you? It’s written all over your face.

Besides, wouldn’t Renga feel more at ease if you were with him?

Well... I mean, I guess. It’d be a big help if you were the one coming with me, Chief.

...Alright. If you think I’m up to the task, I’ll give being a manager for a day a shot.

«Thank you so much! I’ll send the schedule and a ‘secret weapon’ to you by drone right away!»

A secret weapon?

«I’m sure it’ll come in handy. Please don’t hesitate to use it!»

«Street Corner: Latest Trend Fashion Show!» Today, our darling trendy guest will be modeling this season’s hottest looks for us~!

And here is today’s guest!

I'm the one and only Renga Nishizono, a real celebrity. No matter what outfit it is, yours truly will show you how to make it look magnificent.

Nishizono-san! Please let me know if this works for you.

Yeah, this size is perfect.

OK! We’ll take a break for about five minutes!

Good work out there, Renga-kun.

Yeah, you too. You’ve been waiting for a while now, right? You doing okay?

I’m totally fine! It’s fun and refreshing seeing you at work!

Y-You think...?

Oh, right! Make sure you tell me if you get tired! My managir usually takes breaks whenever there’s a good time for it, but you probably don’t know when that is, right?

Thanks for looking out for me, Renga-kun.

Hey, Nishizono-kun. About your idea for the closing shot... The one you just did wasn’t bad, but I’m looking for something with a bit more...OOMPH, y’know?

(Oomph?)

Hmm, if you want oomph, then maybe I should shift my weight onto one leg—like this?

Or maybe... I twist my body at an angle like this, and look straight into the camera?

Oh yes, that’s it, that’s perfect! That’s exactly the OOMPH I wanted and it has the perfect ZING to top it off!

Oomph? Zing...?

Haha. Our cameraman’s great, but his descriptions are a bit...unique.

In that regard, it’s honestly a big help that Nishizono-san understands what he means right away.

I see...

...Hmm, I think we need just a little bit more height for that pose.

Nishizono-san, I’m sorry to ask knowing you have a foot injury, but can we get you to swap out into the higher heels?

Yeah, that’s fine.

Huh!? Injury!? Are you okay?

They’re calling it an injury but it’s just a blister, no big deal. I put a bandaid on it so you can’t see it from the outside.

So sorry dear~. We’ll get this shoot wrapped up in no time, I prommy.

Break time's over! We’re starting the shoot now~!

Okay, Nishizono-kun, let’s do it like how we talked about. Can you give us a spin for the camera and then hit us with your signature line?

Yeah!

This Great Renga...only settles for the real deal.

Ooh~, absolutely stunning!! Your striking face doesn’t lose one bit to that gold outerwear~!

(Woah, amazing...! He’s pretty much radiating celebrity aura!)