The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

"Heh~... This is definitely the wrong way to use it, right?"

Enka smiled, a rare display of genuine emotion. It wasn't a fake, gentle smile, not the kind of business attitude used to treat outsiders, not the proper distance used to pass the time in useless social interactions, but a genuine smile.

"By the way, um...did anything happen between you and him today? He seemed very angry."

"...Who knows? You might as well go ask him yourself."

After saying this, Enka walked into her house.

Leave everything in the dark night, and use the sound of wood and metal to cover up your own voice.

"...Then, let's ask."

Toru Asakura opened the door of his house and walked into the house carrying the things he bought from the convenience store and this question.

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"So today the three of us will go out to work together. Is everything ok with the preparations?"

"Hina (me) is totally fine, huh?...Just thinking about being able to eat all-you-can-eat snacks really puts me in a great mood~"

"Hina-Hina-chan, you've eaten too much!"

The two first-grade students finished school early today, so everyone gathered near the school after school. Delta drove the car again, and the two of them packed up and took the car away together.

The best approach would have been to work with her one-on-one, but Hirayuko had only spoken with Hinana a few times on the phone, and those were about food and fun. While they knew each other somewhat, it was always better to have a middleman when interacting with strangers, so that's how it went.

"It's okay. We're all still growing, so we can just burn off the food we eat through study and exercise... And from a producer's perspective, it's fun to see Hina enjoying her meal, too."

"Ahaha~ Then can I try this drink? It looks like a new product, I haven't seen it before~"

Rather than being very familiar with others, it's better to say that they just act on their own. This kind of person is a little troublesome, but only a little...

"Okay, but don't eat too much, or you'll get an upset stomach... Koito, take whatever you want. You must be hungry after a day of classes, right? If you don't eat now, you won't be able to eat during the filming later~"

"I-I see!... Then I'll try this too—"

A sweet aroma wafted from the back seat...like the aroma of butter in cookies, the fragrance of fruit on cake, the subtle aroma hidden beneath the coffee. To Heishin, the already sweet and delicious "bread" seemed even more tempting when combined with this cheerful mood.

But now he was fully able to regard this special emotional impulse as ordinary joy, so he just beat the rhythm with his fingers on the armrest while looking out the window.

Will today be a pleasant day?

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"Come to think of it, you guys are different from Toru. You should have read the notice I sent carefully, right? You should have prepared things like your signature, interests, and special skills that will be posted on the official website, right?"

"Well, Hina's signature should be this~...Yuuakuma's!"

"M-Mine is a bunny... Is this okay?"

Ah... Could it be that these two people are unexpectedly obedient, and the senior group is more worrying?

One of them is so free and undisciplined that it has become a habit. The other one even blocked his main account and stopped answering private messages. In a sense, it is completely the working state of an adult.

"...Then go ahead and do your homework. If there's still plenty of time after you finish, you can go play wherever you want!"

Treat good children well and reward them!

Chapter 4000: Going to record a video ()

"Okay, thank you for your guidance... First, please introduce yourself--"

In front of the camera, a man and a woman are sitting on both sides of the table.

"Okay? Ichikawa Hinana, first year of high school, desu~~~"

A woman with a light brown bun greeted the camera. Her voice was steady, her smile beautiful, and her performance natural. As she leaned in to greet the camera, her white shirt stretched slightly tighter at the chest.

Her naturally long hair swayed slightly as she moved back and forth, finally resting casually on the shoulder of her beige jacket. The (subtly) cute mascot on her left chest gave her a girlish, innocent look, and she would surely be delighted to receive a gift related to it.

The recording staff smiled, as he always does when he sees new members. He may have genuinely enjoyed his idol-related work, but he also hoped to make the newcomers feel at ease and friendly through this behavior, but it seems that this is no longer necessary.

"Thank you... Then, can you tell us why you want to become an idol?" asked the staff.

"Hmm~ I heard Toru-senpai is becoming an idol. [That's great~, Hina (I) want to be one too~] So you came here thinking that?~!"

* In the past, the sentences quoting the thoughts at the time were enclosed in single quotation marks ''. Considering that this was not obvious enough, other special symbols were used instead, such as [], "", etc.

"I see......"

If you only read the text, it may give people a bad impression such as "this person is so casual", "underestimating the job of an idol", "deliberately creating an image", etc. However, anyone who sees the happy face of Ichikawa Hinana in the video will definitely not have any doubts.

I miss the days when I could read idol interviews in magazines. I am grateful that nowadays the internet is so developed that I can read idols’ self-introductions online.

Pushing up his glasses, the affable man in his late 40s continued, "Now, please tell me about your specialties."

"Specialty~...? Hmm~ It feels like I can do almost everything!" Hinana answered without hesitation.

"You can do almost anything...? I see. Ichikawa-san seems quite confident in herself. Why is that?"

His flexible approach of inserting questions at appropriate times during the fixed Q&A session where further discussion is possible has been widely praised by fans and the industry.

"I'm surprisingly good at both sports and studying! So I'm also looking forward to becoming an idol~~~?"

She has an innocent personality and seems to be a gifted genius. Her behavior and words can make people feel her enthusiasm and vitality. Her "quality" is also very good. I have found a treasure this time... I just don't know how this mysterious colleague will train her.

After a fleeting glance at the mysterious masked man sitting in the blind spot of the camera, the staff member continued, "I see. I'm also looking forward to Ms. Ichikawa's future achievements... By the way, in your opinion, what is the so-called "idol"? "

I'm looking forward to this child's future, not just her potential, but also her present. While it would be wonderful to shine brightly on the stage in the future, she's also a precious person worth knowing right now.

"Hmm~..Idols are~happy and happy?~Is that how it feels?"

She didn't try to be clever and pretentious like some people, but she also didn't give a profound answer like some people who had truly thought about it. She simply gave her own answer easily and naturally, without any hesitation or confusion.

So this is the type——

Now he probably knows how to translate his impression of Ichikawa Hina into words, but it's not enough. Let me know more about you.

"Indeed, many people have this impression... that everyone likes them, that they are respected and admired by everyone, and that they shine on the stage..."

After changing his expression to a slightly more serious one, just like when he was facing his superiors in the past and when he was facing his subordinates now, he continued:

"But being an idol isn't always smooth sailing; there are many difficult parts."

Hard training, an uncertain future, fierce competition, family misunderstanding, self-pressure, company oppression, expectations from fans... Being a so-called idol is not such an easy job.

"Eh~ I don't like the kind that's too hard~..."

Ichikawa Hina's face turned into a sad and bitter one for a second, and then she suddenly smiled and said in the next second:

"Ah! Then I'll just be the happy one, Hina~"

The sudden change in expression and the look of disdain, like a child looking at a green pepper, reminded him of his own daughter's past. But professionals are professionals after all, and the staff member quickly adjusted his attitude and asked:

"Hehe~...I see. So, Hina-chan wants to be a happy idol?"

"Because, isn't it best to be able to do everything happily and joyfully? In that case, Hina (me) might be good at it~~~? Because I often hear people say, "It's great that Hina looks so happy!"~"

"Haha, is that so? No wonder you look so happy right now. Your smile is great!"

Back then, he fell into the idol trap because he was attracted by such a smile that could make people relax their brows, although in this era, the commercialization of idols is becoming more and more serious.

But at the same time, there are also "remnants" like him who are unwilling to bow to the times and are gritting their teeth to persevere. It seems that most of the people in this idol department are such stubborn people.

"Ahaha~? Thank you so much~~~"

Hinana, who was praised, immediately thanked him happily. He hadn't seen such an innocent and unpretentious gesture for a long time... well, it seemed like he had just seen it yesterday. It was that child named Toru. They really have their own personality. It really makes people more and more excited -

"Well, then, one last question... Hina-chan, what kind of idol do you want to be?" The staff member asked the last question with a calm expression.

No matter what background, attributes, or style of idol he is facing, he will always ask this question at the end of the conversation, like some kind of ritual.

Although some people seem to be full of energy, when asked, they can only say some dry words such as "successful", "famous", and "popular". However, fake things will become real one day, which is exciting.

Although some people seem very introverted and were timid in previous conversations, when they are asked this question, fire will burn in their eyes. They are really scary and cute idols.

However, there are also many people who will answer the name of their favorite idol and then say "I want to be like them." Although such people may be confused when faced with setbacks, once they are sure that their own feelings and dreams are not faked by others, they often burst with strong motivation and move forward.

how about you?

A girl named Ichikawa Hinana... What kind of idol do you dream of becoming, what kind of future do you envision?

"Hina should always be happy and joyful...wouldn't it be great if everyone did the same?"

"Well, if the conditions allow, everyone would want this... But it's certain that most people can't do it. And allowing such people to smile and live happily after studying and working, I think this is the meaning of idols."

"While what you said is very good, we are currently recording, Mr. Producer?" However, he patiently waited for Hira Nobu to finish, giving Ichikawa Hina some time to think.

Hina didn't disappoint him and immediately replied happily, "In that case, maybe Hina (I) would be perfect to be an idol? Because if everyone sees Hina happy~, they will feel the same happiness~?"

"So, does Hina want to be an idol like that?"

"Ahaha~?... Then what I want to be, Hina (me), is to show everyone how happy I am~ and make everyone happy too~!"

Although she was very unhappy about being interrupted on the show for the second time, the producer wearing a mask cleverly elicited Ichikawa Hina's answer, which was enough to show the producer's understanding of her as an idol.

So, rather than being angry or anything else, he was actually more excited and excited. He'd heard their group was finally starting activities, and if they released their first album or photobook, he'd definitely apply for funding and give everyone a copy!

"Hey~~~, Hina (I) want to chat for a while~..."

"It's okay, there will be plenty of opportunities later. Like we said before, if we finish work early, we can go out and have fun, right? And while you're resting outside, Hina can make a list of places you want to go and things you want to eat~"

After hearing Hiranobu's words, Hina nodded happily.

"Ahaha~? Really? I'm so happy~~~! Then...Hina (I) want to go to Hawaii!"

"But this time it's only for today, huh?... But if Hina wants to go to the beach, please look forward to this summer~"

"Ahaha~ Hina (I) might like the producer~!"

Anyone could see that Hina was looking forward to it. After saying hello and goodbye to the staff member, she went outside to rest and informed Fukumaru Koito that it was her turn to record the video.

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"Um...could you please introduce yourself, lovely girl?"

“!…Uh, ah, that…!”

Facing the friendly smile of the staff uncle, Koito was still a little surprised. Although he had met many people through ordinary correspondence, he had never been in such an occasion.

Wait, could it be that she sensed the ferocious nature hidden beneath his friendly exterior? Could it be that the cute little rabbit Koito sensed the presence of the wolf!?

"Don't be so nervous, it's okay... Look, your producer is here, right? It's natural to be concerned about the cameras and the presence of strangers when it's your first time, but in the idol world, both of these are very 'normal' things, right?"

It was slightly different from when he was facing Hina. The staff member was more proactive this time.

"Imagine that you're in class or taking a cram school class, and the person in front of you is the teacher. That way, Koito should be more comfortable with it, right?" This was the third time he interrupted today.

After hearing the voice and glancing at where Hira Nobu was, Koito took a deep breath and said, "My name is Fukumaru Koito, a first-year high school student."

"Uh-huh......"

The staff nodded, and then continued to persuade:

"Speaking of which, Fukumaru-san, Hinana-san, and Toru-san and Higuchi-san who came here earlier seem to be in the same idol group, right? And they're childhood friends, so if they work together, they'd make a great team."

"Eh, hehe...that's right!" Koito nodded with a smile.

If a stranger directly praises Fukumaru Koito, it will usually arouse her vigilance, but if he first praises her childhood sweethearts and then talks about her, it will be easy to build a good relationship with her.

"So, Fukumaru-san decided to become an idol because she wanted to be with her childhood friends? Or did you have some special aspiration since you were little?"

"Yeah...that's right, I decided to become an idol just to keep up with everyone else!"

When Koito heard the word "special", his eyes dimmed for a moment, but when he thought about what he was about to do and what he was doing now, he immediately perked up again.

Compared to Asakura Toru's freedom, Higuchi Enka's down-to-earthness, and Ichikawa Hina's lack of hesitation, the first impression Fukumaru Koito left on him was confusion.

From the few words just now, he could understand that Koito must be a serious person. He had prepared well in advance and even used his free time just now to study and complete school homework.

But in the idol world, serious people...or just serious people are often the ones who have it the hardest. If they have special talents and everything goes smoothly, that's fine. Otherwise, once they encounter setbacks, they will easily fall into confusion.