This happened on a day when sumr was turning into autumn, after the Tengu Festival.
"Sorry to trouble you again, Itsuka Shido-kun."
The twenty-sothing woman in front of him, Kurebayashi Subaru, was the manager in charge of Miku's idol activities. A while back, due to certain circumstances, Shido had temporarily acted as Miku's manager in place of the unexpectedly injured Ms. Subaru.
Just late last night, Itsuka Shido suddenly received a call from Ms. Subaru.
"No, I don't mind at all. But why call over to be Miku's manager again? Is there a problem?"
To Shido's question,Subaru let out a long sigh.
"No, actually it's the exact opposite. Her recent events have been very successful. Miku's popularity has been rising steadily. Her first CD sold out the mont it was released, and we've secured sponsorships from several companies... but that's where the problem started."
Shido scratched his head in confusion.
"Um... I don't quite get it. Just from what you said, that should be a good thing, right?"
"Mhm... it is indeed. It's embarrassing to admit, but this ti we are the ones holding Miku back."
Subaru gave a bitter smile, her face revealing deep exhaustion.
"How should I put it... a developnt trend that is too favorable, exceeding our processing capacity, has actually beco a problem... Itsuka Shido-kun, do you know the original planned scale for this event?"
"No...?"
"It was originally planned as Miku's solo concert in a smaller gymnasium, with 10,000 tickets to be sold. We were also going to hold a handshake event for the first 300 female fans who bought her debut album. But less than a day after the announcent, all 10,000 tickets were sold out."
"That really is incredible..."
Even Shido, who wasn't familiar with the entertainnt industry, understood how terrifying it was for 10,000 tickets to sell out in a single day. That was sothing that only happened for concerts of extrely famous, top-tier stars. Although Shido didn't find it strange that Miku had reached this level.
"As expected of Miku, reaching this level in such a short ti."
"That child always had this kind of talent. I don't find it strange that she's reached this level. But this ti, due to a coincidence, Miku's popularity exploded beyond our expectations."
"Did sothing happen?"
Shido asked.
"It was probably shortly after the Tengu Festival ended. A person on the internet called 'Appreciators' shared Miku's CD series on their blog. After that, Miku's popularity instantly skyrocketed."
"Just because of that? It's not strange for fans to share songs of the singers they admire, is it?" Shido tilted his head in confusion.
"You don't understand, Shido." Subaru looked distressed and shook her head. "That blogger is no ordinary person. From a year ago until now, every work recomnded on that blog—whether it's a movie, ani, or novel—has subsequently received excellent reviews. So, they have a lot of followers both dostically and internationally. And this was the first ti that person recomnded songs from a specific singer. Miku's songs were all given very insightful opinions and evaluations. As a result, Miku's popularity skyrocketed in an instant."
If Miku was previously a top-tier idol in Japan, now she had high popularity worldwide.
However, that was exactly the problem. Subaru explained to Shido with a bitter smile.
"This 'Appreciators' hasn't explicitly stated it, but they are undoubtedly a hardcore fan of Miku. Having a fan help promote an idol is sothing we could only wish for. But this ti, the pie that fell from the sky is a bit too big."
"The originally planned number of tickets couldn't satisfy the demand at all. Many fans who couldn't get tickets called the agency to complain. So after so discussion, we decided to temporarily add 30,000 tickets and moved the venue to the Tengu Plaza Gymnasium, which can accommodate this number of people. The scale of the concert instantly multiplied. And then, a very simple but fatal problem followed—we don't have enough staff!!!!"
"Ah... I see."
Shido felt like he instantly understood.
Because she didn't want to draw attention to herself, the agency Miku chose was an ultra-small one consisting only of the manager, the president, and Miku herself.
"...Adjusting the budget, contacting the ticket printing factory, explaining and apologizing to fans on the official website, changing the rehearsal schedule, negotiating with sponsors, and handling various problems popping up out of nowhere. Although we anticipated this and hired a few newcors, they are completely useless. Aaaahhhhh—It's all resting on the shoulders of the president and eeeee—"
"You've had it tough."
Seeing Subaru holding her head and wailing in pain, Shido felt genuine sympathy.
"Well... after getting help from various connections, the problem was barely resolved. But I really don't have the spare ti to handle Miku's side of things. And I'm afraid of letting the newcors handle it in case they ss up." Ms. Subaru let out a long sigh, patted Shido's shoulder, and said solemnly, "Itsuka Shido-kun, could I trouble you to take my place as Miku's manager again? You can basically handle things just like last ti. We won't shortchange you on your salary. Please!"
"Mhm, if that's the case... I'll do my best."
It wasn't that he was tempted by the pay. But seeing Subaru's dark circles up close, which weren't much lighter than Reine's, Shido couldn't bring himself to refuse, even if the thought crossed his mind.
"You're a lifesaver! Hm... sorry, let take this call. Eh? A conflict between fans and the security company!? W-Wait!? I'll be right there! Anyway, I leave Miku to you, Itsuka Shido-kun!"
"..."
—Do your best!
Shido thought silently as he watched Subaru rush off.
...
"Well, I guess that's how it is."
"I see... I hope Subaru doesn't push herself too hard."
In the rest room of the gymnasium, the girl couldn't help but let out a worried sigh.
A slightly tall girl dressed in cute clothes. Long purplish blue hair, an adorable face. But what left the deepest impression was... how to put it, her voice, which could captivate many people. A beautiful, penetrating voice like a ringing bell. When this voice passes through people's eardrums, it creates the illusion that their hearts are being directly perated.
This is Japan's current top popular idol, Izayoi Miku.
"I'm so happy Darling could make ti to co help ."
Miku showed a bright smile, happily hugging Shido's arm and cheering.
Two massive objects radiating presence pressed tightly against Shido's arm. A soft yet elastic sensation stimulated Shido's nerves, instantly turning his face bright red.
If anyone saw Miku like this, they would imdiately assu the two were dating and their relationship was already a done deal. But if a scandal actually broke out, it would severely impact both Shido's high school life and Miku's idol activities. After Shido's desperate persuasion, Miku, although a bit reluctant, obediently let go of Shido.
Amidst Miku's exclamation of "A blushing Darling is also so cute," Shido coughed twice and said.
"U-Um, I didn't have any special plans anyway. I just hope I don't hold you back."
"How could you~ With my favorite Darling keeping company, I'm instantly full of motivation right now!"
Seeing Miku, who constantly said heart-pounding things ever since she opened her heart, Shido smiled bitterly.
"Speaking of which, Darling, what is Honey doing today? I originally planned to invite her to my concert. But I couldn't reach her."
"Uh, Yutsuki seems to be busy with sothing lately. She's been going out often these past few days. I don't know what she's doing either."
"Ugh... I've tried inviting Honey to my concert so many tis, but she never cos..."
Saying this, Miku's mood suddenly dropped a bit.
"Say, Darling. Do you think Honey... Yutsuki hasn't accepted ?"
"That's not true at all!" Shido hurriedly shook his head and said, "Miku's singing voice gives people courage, moves people, and resonates in their hearts. Yutsuki definitely understands the charm in Miku's voice better than I do. There must be so reason she couldn't attend your concert. But I can guarantee, Yutsuki is absolutely a loyal fan who loves Miku's songs."
"Thank you, Darling. I love you the most!"
Hearing Shido's words, Miku's face flushed slightly, and soon a dazzling light returned to her eyes.
Then, as the scheduled ti arrived, Shido followed the notebook left by Subaru to a semi-circular venue. Inside, a snake-like line had already gathered.
"A handshake event just like last ti... Well, though it feels even more exaggerated than last ti."
Shido comnted as he looked at the line before him. It wasn't just the scale of the venue or the increased number of people. Shido could even see many fans whose features were different from Japanese residents, looking at Miku with sparkling eyes.
Thanks to the blog post by "Appreciators," Izayoi Miku's fanbase had expanded globally.
By the way, since Miku's fear of n wasn't completely cured yet, the attendees for this handshake event were still entirely female.
"Ahhh~ Darling, there are so many fresh and cute girls I've never seen before this ti."
Seeing beautiful girls with exotic charms appearing before her, Miku's eyes instantly sparkled with excitent, and she unconsciously wiped the corner of her mouth.
"Please mind your image, Miku..."
Shido reminded her helplessly.
"Speaking of which, if a fan speaks a foreign language, what will you do, Miku?"
"Don't worry, the manager anticipated this and prepared cheat sheets for beforehand."
Good job, Subaru-san (salutes internally)!
To clarify, Shido was acting as Miku's manager today... and also as what's commonly known as a "Peeler" at this venue.
The person in front of them is the idol they admire. That being the case, fans want to hold hands for even a second longer. Inevitably, there will be fans who don't follow the staff's instructions and try to continue holding hands and talking past the allotted ti. A Peeler's job is to remove such fans so the handshake event can proceed smoothly.
However, while he was indeed a Peeler, Shido's job was subtly different from a normal Peeler's.
"Um, my na is Jenny Adawar. I heard your song on a blog a while back, and I really love your singing."
A girl with naturally blonde hair held Miku's hands and said very excitedly.
"Thank you for your support, I'm very happy to hear that. And your Japanese is really good."
"Y-You flatter . My father likes Japanese culture, so we moved here..."
"Ara, what a coincidence. Do you want to go enjoy so English afternoon tea together soti~"
"Eh?"
Sensing danger, Shido firmly grabbed the girl's shoulder and half-forced her away from Miku.
"Yes! Thank you very much for coming—"
Saying that, Shido guided the girl towards the exit. The girl widened her eyes in surprise for a mont, but quickly bowed and left.
Yes. Shido's job wasn't to remove fans who exceeded their handshake ti, but to prevent Miku from inviting cute girls out.
"Geez, Darling~ Why did you stop ? Although I'm very happy you're jealous. You should know that in my heart, Honey and Darling are always tied for first place."
"No, this isn't a matter of jealousy. Don't treat a handshake event as a hunting ground for beautiful girls."
Shido retorted, looking completely speechless.
"Well, understood! Ehehe~"
Taking advantage of a break between handshakes, Miku flashed a cute smile and secretly winked at Shido.
That's foul play, Shido smiled bitterly in his heart.
Then, when the next fan in line appeared, Shido unconsciously frowned.
Although Shido thought it was a bit rude to react this way to a woman, her outfit was just too bizarre.
A black and grey knit hat, large sunglasses resting on her nose, a surgical mask covering her mouth, and a scarf wrapped around her neck. Her body was completely bundled up in a thick, bulky winter coat and long pants. Although it was already chilly autumn, just looking at her outfit gave off a stiflingly hot feeling.
Suspicious. Super suspicious! Her outfit seed to emphasize her own suspiciousness. Shido was even curious how she wasn't stopped by security halfway here.
Incredibly, despite such an obvious outfit, Shido only noticed her when it was her turn.
"Cough, cough! I'm sorry,Miku-san, I happen to have a fever these past few days, which is why I'm dressed like this. Please excuse . I've been listening to your songs, Miku-san, cough, cough—"
The person's voice sounded a bit deep, but it was definitely a woman's voice. She really did seem to have caught a cold as she claid. If that was the case, braving the tornt of a fever because she didn't want to miss Miku's concert... she truly was a hardcore fan of Miku.
But speaking of which, the way she spoke sounded familiar sohow...
"Thank you~ I'm very happy about your feelings, but please don't push yourself. If you're not feeling well anywhere, make sure you rest properly."
To know there was a fan who loved her songs so much. Miku was deeply moved. She gently held the person's hands and said this.
Under the envious gazes of the other fans, this fan simply nodded in gratitude, then turned around, coughing, and prepared to leave.
"This way, the exit is this way. Also, if you're really feeling unwell, the infirmary is straight ahead at the end of the hall, then take a right."
Feeling a bit worried about the person's health, Shido chased after her and reminded her.
"Well, thanks for your concern." Nodding lightly, the person suddenly asked Shido, "Speaking of which, earlier, didn't Miku-san secretly call you Darling?"
Shido instantly felt a cold sweat break out on his back.
"U-Um..."
"No need to explain. Seriously... playing these kinds of tricks right under everyone's noses. Both Miku and you are really careless."
He had wanted to find an excuse like "she misspoke" to brush it off, but the other person seed to have already figured sothing out. Shido felt very troubled.
If a scandal broke out, it would absolutely not be a good thing for either Miku or himself.
"Um... there's actually a reason for this. I will explain it to you properly, so please don't tell anyone."
Shido's words caused the other person's eyebrow to twitch slightly. Then, she couldn't hold back a aningful chuckle.
"Well... don't bother explaining. Boy, just look out for yourself~"
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