Chapter 48 The Grand Production Strategy

The Grand Production Strategy

The set for the show was bright, and the cameras were ready to capture us. Today’s segment was an idol competition on Luminous Stars, and we, the members of Luminous Stars, were also taking part.

“Alright, the next game is Quick-Press Quiz! Kurumi-chan, in particular—how are you feeling about this?”

The host flashed a friendly smile as he spoke to me.

“There’s no way I’m losing—I’m definitely going to win!”

I declared boldly, staring straight into the camera.

As soon as the game began, my competitive side took over. I tackled every quiz question with serious determination, and whenever another idol answered correctly, I exaggerated my frustration, fully committing to my role as the overly competitive one.

As the game went on, my occasional smiles and deliberate tsundere reactions seemed to be a hit with viewers. SNS was flooded with comments like [Kurumi-chan’s tsundere act is adorable!] and [She’s so competitive, it’s hilarious!].

The next segment was a cooking competition, and I was chosen as one of the participants. To fire up the rivalry between the members, I made a bold declaration.

“Today, I’m making the most delicious dish—so you’d all better be ready!”

But once we actually started cooking, I realized my skills were even worse than I’d imagined. My prep work was a mess, my hands fumbled constantly, and nothing was going the way I wanted. In the end, my dish turned out to be a complete disaster—the colors were awful, and the shape was a total wreck.

The moment the results were announced and my dish was shown on camera, the entire studio burst into laughter. The verdict was unanimous—it looked completely inedible. Since the other members’ dishes all turned out fine, my crushing defeat was undeniable. Embarrassed, I tried to save face.

“This was just a fluke! Next time, it’ll be perfect!”

But after the broadcast, a picture of my dish spread like wildfire on SNS, and the hashtag [#Kurumi’sUnappetizingDish] went viral. The comments were ruthless: [It’s basically a modern art piece, lol], [Looks like puke], [Kurumi-chan’s cooking competition had me dying of laughter!].

Even I couldn’t handle this—I ended up venting to Amagi-kun over our messaging app.

[Hey, this is blowing up in the weirdest way! Am I gonna be okay!?]

[You’ll be totally fine. If anything, this just proves everything is going great. Keep it up.]

Going great…? Wait, am I not turning into some kind of weird character!? That’s what started worrying me.

But if Amagi-kun says so, I guess I just have to trust him…

The next show was featuring an obstacle course race, and I made up my mind—I was going to stand out no matter what.

At the signal to start, I bolted forward at full speed. But maybe I was too eager—when I reached the first obstacle, a large hurdle, my foot caught on it, and I tripped spectacularly, crashing forward. For a brief moment, the entire studio went dead silent as I lay motionless on the ground.

“Kurumi, are you okay?!”

Before I knew it, the other members had gathered around, looking worried.

“I-I’m totally fine! It doesn’t even hurt!”

The cameras caught every second of me trying to act tough while on the verge of tears. That footage was immediately shared on SNS, and before long, the hashtag [#KurumiBigFall] went viral. The comments poured in: [Kurumi-chan’s fall was so acrobatic, I couldn’t stop laughing!] and [It looked painful, but more than anything, her determination really shone through!].

This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind… but at the same time, I felt like I was getting somewhere.

The producers of the show started praising me, and I was getting more and more positive messages from fans on SNS.

When I got home, I found myself calling Amagi-kun on impulse. After a few rings, he picked up.

[H-Hoshikawa-san? What’s up? Did something happen?]

[Um… I just wanted to thank you directly. Thanks to you, things at work have been going really well.]

[I didn’t do anything, really. It’s all your own talent, Hoshikawa-san.]

[At first, I hated the idea of “creating a character” for myself—it felt like I was forcing something fake. But actually doing it turned out to be really fun. I made a lot of mistakes, but somehow, I feel like I’ve started to like myself more. It’s such a refreshing feeling.]

The biggest thing was that I had finally started to like the parts of myself I used to dislike.

[I see. Not everyone is looking for a “perfect” Hoshikawa-san, you know. Maybe your fans love you because of how natural you are.]

Hearing Amagi-kun say that made me happy. It felt like he was acknowledging all my efforts.

[Thanks, Amagi-kun… Sorry for calling so late. Well… see you.]

Embarrassed, I quickly hung up.

Lying on my bed, I found myself absentmindedly thinking about Amagi-kun. His advice had influenced my idol career more than I could ever measure. Thanks to him, I had been able to change.

“Amagi-kun… he’s really something else, isn’t he?”

I muttered that thought in my heart. Apparently, he was behind most of Luminous Stars’ songs, and he truly believed in my potential as an idol. And thanks to his guidance, I had discovered talents and possibilities in myself that I hadn’t even noticed before.

More than anything, the fact that he was there for me when I needed someone to talk to… that had been my biggest support.

He’s actually really kind… I wonder if he has a girlfriend?

Before I knew it, that thought had slipped into my mind.