So many geniuses in anime! What's wrong with me joining?

Although she didn't know what he was thinking, she felt she could understand him a little again.

She somehow felt that the other person was a bit like her.

Just as she was lost in thought, her teammate lost interest in her and turned her attention to someone else.

"Hey, young man, what's your relationship with Ai?"

"Nino!"

Hoshino Ai exclaimed, shocked that her teammate had suddenly entered her line of sight and approached the protagonist to strike up a conversation. When had she even gotten over there?

For some reason, a sense of urgency arose in her heart, and she was about to step forward to stop her.

But the other B-Komachi members who had been near her exchanged glances, their eyes conveying a shared understanding, and together they rushed forward to embrace her.

"Ah! What are you doing?! Let go of me!"

Hoshino Ai struggled with all her might against the girls who had grabbed hold of her limbs and torso, rendering her unable to move. Unfortunately, one person's strength was ultimately insignificant, and she could only remain trapped in place.

"Give up, Ai! We won't stop until we get the answer we want today!"

"It's fine to do that to me, but you can't bother Mr. Sakurakoji!"

"Heh~ So his last name is Sakurakoji? That's useful info, added to the list!"

"Go, Nino! We'll handle Ai!"

"Eeeek--!"

"Gah--!"

"..."

Ignoring the chaotic commotion behind her, one of the girls, seeing that she couldn't get anything out of Hoshino Ai, curiously turned her gaze to Sakurakoji Talent, hoping to learn something from him.

Her skin, which wasn't darkened even in comparison to her snow-white hair, her eyes as clear as rubies, her tall stature paired with an exceptional aura... observing the person before her up close made Nino's heart skip a beat, and her face flushed red.

Who could resist this?!

His gaze shifted to the girl who had suddenly started talking to him. Noticing Hoshino Ai, who was bound and gagged behind her, Sakurakoji Talent roughly guessed the situation and smiled knowingly.

"We're just ordinary friends."

"But Ai said you were our fan?"

"Yes, I did tell her that at first."

"So you really are our fan? And you have no special relationship with Ai?"

"No, at least not yet."

"Eh~ How boring. I thought there was definitely something between you two."

The girl wore an expression of having guessed wrong, finding this answer difficult to accept. She continued to ask:

"Then why are you here today?"

"Last time, I told Miss Hoshino that I wanted to see what an idol's work looked like. She invited me to watch today, and to offer my regards."

Sakurakoji Talent explained the whole story with a composed demeanor, without a single flaw. Although Nino accepted his explanation with a sudden realization, she also noticed something that bothered her.

"So that's how it is. But do you guys contact each other in private?"

"Occasionally. When I first met Miss Hoshino, for some reason, we exchanged contact information."

"Heh~"

Nino wore a mischievous smile. This was an unexpected bonus.

"Then..."

"My name is Sakurakoji Talent."

"So, Mr. Sakurakoji, what are your thoughts? Look, our Ai is so cute, and she's a little idol. Don't you have any other feelings?"

Just as Sakurakoji Talent was about to state his attitude, a voice that seemed to be constantly moving interrupted their conversation.

"Ni~no~!"

Finally free from her restraints, Hoshino Ai, who had come running, wrapped her arms tightly around Nino's throat, her slender arms unleashing astonishing strength.

"Cough! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!"

Nino frantically beat at her fair, slender arms, but it was useless. After a brief struggle, she finally lowered her wrists powerlessly.

Seeing that she had given up and was admitting defeat, Hoshino Ai, with a panicked expression, turned to Sakurakoji Talent and said apologetically:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sakurakoji, my friend got too excited!"

"It's alright. She didn't ask anything out of line. Rather... if you don't let go of her soon, she might be in danger."

Sakurakoji Talent's eye twitched, and he let out a dry laugh, pointing at the person who had become a corpse.

Hoshino Ai followed his gaze and, as if just noticing her teammate whose pupils were dilated and who was about to foam at the mouth, was suddenly startled and quickly let go.

"Nino! Are you okay?!"

"Nino! Say something, answer me!"

"Oh, come on! Don't die!"

The other members who rushed over stared blankly at the scene, never expecting it to turn out this way.

"Ai, killed Nino?"

"How could this happen! It's our fault for not restraining her!"

"Rest in peace, Nino, we will inherit your will."

"Let's secretly find a place to bury her, then find someone to replace her. No one's paying attention anyway."

"I'm not dead yet! You guys!"

Hearing their whispered conversation, the person who had fallen to the ground instantly straightened up, their face full of anger, and roared at their unreliable teammates.

Volume 1: The Daily Life of Attracting Bees and Butterflies : Chapter 21: This One Thing Absolutely Cannot Happen

"What are you guys doing? You're causing trouble for the film crew, you know?"

While they were roughhousing, a man with yellow hair wearing sunglasses walked over, rubbing his hair with an annoyed expression.

"Ah! President Sato!"

The group, who had been wrestling, immediately separated and stood at attention.

As the source of the commotion, Hoshino Ai stood sheepishly in front of Sakurakoji Talent, her arms crossed, like a child who knew they had made a mistake.

"Ai, can you explain what happened?"

With just a glance, the man understood who the central figure of the incident was and spoke to Hoshino Ai.

At the same time, he was a little surprised. It wasn't uncommon for Hoshino Ai to be at the center of things, and he had assumed they were arguing as usual, which was why he had rushed over. But judging by the situation, it didn't seem like it.

"Yes! President Sato!" Hoshino Ai responded loudly.

"What a shame! My name is Saito, you damn idol! You should have remembered my name by now, shouldn't you?"

Veins bulged on Saito Ichigo's forehead as he suppressed his anger and pointed out her mistake with a forced smile.

He wondered if there was anyone else in the world who could repeatedly get their direct superior's name wrong.

"Eh~ But I'm not good at remembering people's faces or names, what can I do?"

"Are you even an idol?! Remember it!"

After calming himself down, Saito Ichigo pushed his sunglasses up and reluctantly continued the conversation.

"So, what exactly happened?"

"It's nothing, really. Just a friend of mine came to observe the set today, and Takamine and Watanabe got a little excited."

Hoshino Ai blinked her bright eyes a few times, a few drops of cold sweat beading on her forehead, and explained with a poker face.

"Then look at me directly!"

He turned his gaze to the others, and after a round of conversation, Saito Ichigo finally understood what had happened and felt relieved.

At least it wasn't an internal dispute.

Having resolved the question that concerned him the most, he finally turned his attention to the other central figure who had caused this storm.

Seeing him look over, Sakurakoji Talent waved gently, offering a friendly expression.

"Who is this idol?"

Saito Ichigo froze instantly, rubbing his eyes to confirm he wasn't mistaken.

"He's Ai-chan's friend."

Saito Ichigo looked stiffly at Hoshino Ai and received an affirmative answer.

"This is Mr. Sakurakoji, he's my... friend."

As she said the word "friend," Hoshino Ai's heart skipped a beat. Mr. Sakurakoji, was he her friend? She couldn't be sure, but it was the most suitable word for the occasion.

"You're kidding, right?"

Ai, who had terrible social skills and always went solo, had a friend? And such a handsome one at that?

Saito Ichigo looked at Sakurakoji Talent again, exhaled heavily, and then strode forward with an extremely solemn expression, looking as if he were about to make a major life decision.

"Kid, do you want to be an idol?"

"???"

Sakurakoji Talent was completely bewildered. Uncle, what did you just say?

How did this suddenly come up? Are there any normal people in the entertainment industry?

"Eh! President! Isn't that what you said when you first saw me?"

"Changing your mind so quickly? This is why I say Japanese men..."

Is the president trying to poach Mr. Sakurakoji?

Witnessing this shocking scene, Hoshino Ai covered her mouth in surprise, then loudly expressed her dissatisfaction.

However, a strange feeling also arose in her heart. If Mr. Sakurakoji agreed, they would be colleagues from then on, and they would probably see each other every day, right?

Her face flushed a light pink at the thought.

She wasn't ready for that yet!

"You shut up for a while!"

Saito Ichigo turned and scolded, then looked back at Sakurakoji Talent and said in a gentle tone, "How about it? Mr. Sakurakoji, are you interested? I guarantee with my life, you will become wildly popular!"

"No! I will make you wildly popular!"

Saito Ichigo's intuition told him that this person before him was definitely a hidden gem, and he absolutely couldn't let him go! If he missed this chance, he would regret it for the rest of his life. This feeling was just like when he first met Hoshino Ai; it was the same impulse she had given him. As an veteran who had been in the industry for many years, the only things he trusted were his intuition and his judgment, which had never been wrong! Although he already had Hoshino Ai, what kind of manager would complain about having too many talented artists? Besides, male and female artists didn't conflict with each other at all. He stared intently at Sakurakoji Talent, anxiously awaiting his answer. Judging by the fact that the young man was willing to come and see the behind-the-scenes work, he shouldn't be completely uninterested. However, he had no idea just how interested he actually was. After a moment of surprise, Sakurakoji Talent regained his composure. Being scouted wasn't an entirely new experience for him; Saito Ichigo wasn't the first, and he probably wouldn't be the last. Sometimes, when he walked down the street, he would be pestered by scouts from small, unheard-of agencies. Some were as annoying as sticky plasters, refusing to take no for an answer, and he usually just ignored them.