Tokyo Wingman King

The two walked around most of the now-closed Rinshi no Mori Park when Shinazugawa suddenly bumped Asama's right shoulder again.

Asama glanced at her sideways.

If he had dodged the impact with a step back like last time, she would probably have fallen again.

"what happened again?"

"Robert, you must keep our meeting today a secret."

With her left index finger placed in front of her lips, the hooded idol girl winked at Asama like an alluring witch.

"Um"

Asama nodded subconsciously, then added warily,

"I can't tell you're trying to keep it a secret at all. Didn't your fans recognize you before?"

"This happens quite often lately~ It's okay, it's okay~~~"

That's true. In Japan, being a celebrity means being watched and reported on, which is the price to pay. To blend into the crowd would be a disgrace for an idol.

As soon as Shinazugawa finished speaking, he suddenly froze for a moment, then belatedly realized something was wrong and revealed a grim expression.

Asama stood beside her, watching as she took out her phone and began searching for information about herself on various social media apps.

[RISE Scandal], [RISE Secret Meeting of the Dead Samurai], [RISE Date], [RISE Boyfriend], [RISE Meguro Fudo-mae], [Rise Shinazugawa Meguro]
It was a bit of a surprise. I've known Rize Shinazugawa for over half a year, and I didn't expect her to be the type to do intensive self-searching.

After a long while, Shinazugawa finally breathed a sigh of relief and laughed.
"Phew~~~ I thought we were going to be exposed. Strange. We were clearly discovered, but no one posted it online. Are we just too self-conscious?"

"So, in your own eyes, are you an idol who gets followed by a bunch of paparazzi even when you go out to buy a loaf of bread?"

Shinazugawa patted his face, laughed, and continued,

"Of course not. It's just that things have been going too smoothly lately, and I've gotten a little cocky, thinking I might get photographed."

Feeling elated is only natural.

At just 16 years old, Rise Shinazugawa achieved a million-selling album and has already broken out of her niche to become a nationally renowned rock prodigy.

The reason for this, aside from the fact that Shinazugawa is a top-tier idol in terms of modeling and various stats, is more importantly that she has the Konoe family, the Ichijo family, and the Nijo family standing behind her.

The Five Regents, as a trust empire that controlled all aspects of Japanese finance, technology, commerce, and media, wielded power within the country comparable to that of a creator.

Although these families deliberately downplay their presence and never directly get involved in the star-making business, no one can underestimate their ability to create stars, because they are the indirect owners of those TV stations, streaming platforms, record companies, film and television companies, professional entertainment agencies, public relations companies, and advertising companies.

Thanks to their efforts, the name 【RISE】 has become a go-to name for various entertainment industry resources.

Even the top-tier celebrities in the country, who can be counted on one hand, have never experienced this kind of treatment.

Calling her a controversial figure or a celebrity with high online traffic is not enough to describe the niche she will occupy in the entertainment industry.

According to Nakaoka, who is nominally the owner of Shinazugawa but is actually her manager—

If she didn't only want to devote her energy to band performances and various random charity events, [RISE] would have dominated various trending topics long ago.

He had planned to star in a popular morning drama, appear on a celebrity variety show, throw the first pitch for a famous baseball team, and become a spokesperson for a high-end luxury brand, but due to Shinazugawa's overly independent schedule, these plans had not yet been implemented.

In Nakaoka's self-proclaimed conservative and steady work plan for the coming year, there are even words like Asian tour, Budokan concert, and Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle).
"Not being able to find information doesn't mean you're not being noticed; on the contrary, it's a sign of care. Fans who respect their idols' privacy would never want to cause them any trouble."

Seemingly having heard the answer she most wanted to hear, the girl nodded and smiled.

"Yes~ that must be true, our fans are all such sweet little angels~~~"

The two climbed and descended slopes, walking along winding alleys for a while before heading towards the main road leading to the Meguro River.

In front of the secluded apartment complex lies a shopping street. Despite being located in the bustling Meguro area, its popularity is roughly the same as the Aima Shopping Street near Arima's house. Many high-end residential areas in Tokyo are like this; they probably only become somewhat lively due to the arrival of tourists during nearby temple events or when the cherry blossoms along the Meguro River are in bloom.

"It was Robert who made the move, right?"

Shinazugawa, who had been humming a tune the whole time, suddenly blurted out a sentence.

"what?"

"Was it Robert asked everyone to keep the McDonald's scandal a secret?"

"It has nothing to do with me. Maybe it was done by your Shinazugawa family's managers and bodyguards."

"How could that be? I'm not the kind of fragile person who needs a bunch of people to wait on me every day. Besides, tonight's secret schedule is known only to Robert-kun~"

"Wearing glasses and a hoodie, you just swagger out like that, and you even set the meeting place in a shopping district as a secret trip. Who are you underestimating?"

Asama looked across the intersection at the gate of Takisen-ji Temple, the residence of Meguro Fudo-no-Mikoto, and even the komainu (guardian dog) with its mouth open next to the stone tablet knew to wear a mask.

"After that, no one will recognize me anymore, right? I just need to hide my hair in my hat and I'll be fine~"

Shinazugawa patted his head, which was covered by a hood, and laughed as he argued.

Is your true form hair?

"Hehe~~~ I take good care of my hair every day."

Shinazugawa raised his chin smugly.

In fact, Asama was not worried about Shinazugawa's so-called secret itinerary being exposed.

Without anyone taking pictures, Asama activated [Akarin] immediately. Those fans who saw Shinazugawa at the McDonald's Meguro Station will only remember Shinazugawa Rize, not that there was someone else next to her.

The reason for this is that most fans know that Rhys has a childhood friend, an older drummer, in her elite school band. If news of their secret rendezvous at night is released, the rumors that have only recently faded will likely resurface.

Just as I was thinking this, Boqi called me on video.

Asama gave Shinazugawa a wink, and Shinazugawa, with a furtive look in his eyes, responded by sticking out his tongue.

The two answered the phone while standing in front of a small temple that enshrines the Medicine Buddha.

"Hey, why aren't you answering the video call?"

"Why would it be inconvenient?"

Asama retorted confidently.

For some reason, he suddenly felt guilty for doing something wrong.

Asama glanced at Shinazugawa again, who was covering her mouth with both hands in cooperation.

"Isn't Ah Shui in the dorm?"

"Well, what happened?"

"I was on TV today!"

"On TV? Which channel? Did you do an interview with F-san and the others today?"

"It's a TV at the shopping street visitor center."

It turns out they were referring to the first set of advertising videos filmed a few days ago in the shopping street. Once this kind of promotional material is finalized internally, it can be copied and played on a loop on the large screen in the visitor center.

"Congratulations on achieving such remarkable success (playing a minor role in a commercial)."

"Hmph~ If I weren't uninterested in being a star, I, Pochi, would have been Nogizaka's ACE long ago!"

Those kinds of girl groups wouldn't let an idiot with no leadership skills be the ACE.

"By the way, Ah Shui, is the bet from this morning still valid?"

"You found my X account?"

"It's [World's Number One Princess Pochi-chan], right!"

This is a hallucination that even eating a pound of Boletus edulis wouldn't produce.

"next."

"[Boqi won't let me go]?"

"When did you become my classmate? Next."

"[Angel Pochi unknowingly turned me into a useless person]? Or [My Pochi is more than just cute]?"

Why do you think my DisplayName (nickname) must include the words "Boqi"?

"Isn't that true? Almost half of the people who follow me have 'Boqi' in their names!"

Is your X account some kind of Cultist simulator?
His Holiness Pope Pochi?!
"I've sent you the answer; you lost."

Asama took a screenshot of the nickname of account X, then arbitrarily changed the nickname to [P(A|B)=P(A)·P(B|A)/P(B)] before sending the previous screenshot to Pochi.

"Sending only a nickname is useless, there are so many people with the same name. Send me your username as well."

'Searching by nickname is useless, Pochi-nee. If Shizuru is willing to take a screenshot and show it to you, he must have already changed his name.' Although Majima lowered his voice, Asama still heard it.

"You cunning Ah Shui!" Boqi exclaimed, feigning anger.

"The cunning Ah Shui still wants to read, so he hung up if there's nothing else to say."

"Wait! Xiaoyuehai asked me to ask you, is the movie script finished?"

Asama remembered this unimportant and unurgent matter—the young master of the Kuonji family, who had repeated a grade for four years, commissioned the Love Consulting Department to make an art film.

Fortunately, the deadline is before they graduate, and Asama hasn't had time to study Renoir or Hamaguchi Ryusuke lately.

"That? I'm working on it."

"Doesn't this mean that no writing was done at all?"

"I've figured it out and will release it soon."

"Xiaoyue said to submit the first draft first so we can discuss it together."

Asama didn't hear what Futami said; he knew that Pochi was falsely conveying the imperial edict.

"It will take some time."

"[You said you'd make a timeline for everything you do], right? Ah Shui, how come you're so strict with others but lenient with yourself?"

"It's difficult to plan time for things that go from 0 to 1. The saying 'everything is difficult at the beginning' is a universal truth."

"So when is 'a while'?"

Pochi, a person who dislikes thinking about things he doesn't understand, was not fooled by Asama's language.

"If you don't submit your script this month, I'll confiscate the shirt Xiaoyuehai made for you!"

A surprised "Eh? E ...

These days, the three of them are all crammed into his apartment.

Asama had already anticipated that Futami would remeasure his shirt and such, but he hadn't yet decided on a return gift.

It took Asama quite a while to get Pochi to hang up the phone.

Shinazugawa looked at Asama, who was rubbing his nose while wearing glasses, and laughed.
"The siblings have such a good relationship, it's something to be envied. Why are you looking so gloomy? Or is the script really that difficult?"

"My disappointing older sister, I'm so sorry you had to see this."

"Do you need my help?"

"It's a good thing for you to give up the habit of taking on everything."

"Robert should say this to himself more often. No, if he didn't have a meddlesome and enthusiastic heart, he wouldn't be Robert."

"That's what you think."

A third voice suddenly came from between the two.
"Would you two like some buckwheat noodles? Our shop is over 90 years old, and the taste is absolutely amazing!"

The person who spoke seemed to have been observing the two for a long time. Judging from their attire, they were probably employees of the soba noodle shop named Ebimin next to the Yakushibo Temple.

Asama was about to refuse when Shinazugawa suddenly grabbed him and pulled him to the shop entrance.

"Since we're already here, let's give it a try!"

The shop assistant was quite old, and the shop we just passed was deserted and empty.

It's likely that Shinazugawa's poverty alleviation talent skill was triggered.

Asama glanced at the girl.

Who will pay the bill?

"How about we play rock-paper-scissors? If you win, it's your treat."

Shinazugawa swung his arm.

"I'll pay the bill."

Asama shrugged.

Soba noodles were a particularly popular food during the Edo period, and there are so many soba noodle shops with a history of over 150 or 200 years that you can't count them on one hand.

There is a soba shop called Sarashina Horii near Azabu-Juban, less than 200 meters from Toyo Eiwa, and there is a long queue outside the shop every day.

Because of the constant queues, Asama never even considered trying it.

Asama didn't know what those famous soba noodle shops tasted like, but this one was definitely good—no wonder it's been around for over 90 years. The noodles were chewy yet springy, and the dipping sauce was on the salty side, typical of the Edo period. Even eating this cold soba on an early autumn night wasn't unpleasant; instead, it had a wonderfully refreshing feel.

Despite having eaten quite a bit of Shinazugawa for dinner, his appetite was even better than his. The ten-piece soba noodles on the bamboo mat in his plate were quickly reduced to half.

"Robert isn't at school, so he can't eat my cold buckwheat noodles anymore. What a pity."

"If I want to eat it, I'll go to 7-Eleven to buy it."

Last semester, during our lunch exchange, Shinazugawa would either pull out a rice ball or serve a bowl of cold soba noodles.

Asama could immediately tell that the cold soba noodles from Fushigawa tasted exactly the same as the popular ready-made [Chinese Cold Soba] from 7-Eleven.

The only difference is that the soba noodles cooked fresh at Fushigawa are a bit more lumpy and softer than the clumpy soba noodles at convenience stores.

Seeing Asama's disdain, Shinazugawa also put away his smile and said regretfully.

"Robert, if you say something like that to a pretty girl who wants to cook for you, you'll become public enemy number one!"

As the girl spoke, she picked up another piece of soba noodles from Asama's bowl.

After finishing our late-night snack, it was almost 10 p.m.

Despite having many things to do, spending half a day with Shinazugawa inexplicably gave Asama the strange feeling of opening a window for fresh air.

Perhaps it's the lazy gene in ordinary people at work?
Or is Shinazugawa's statement, "[Remember to balance work and rest, and chat with beautiful girls more often]", correct?
Asama stopped thinking about it.

After escorting Shinazugawa to the vicinity of Shiina Eimi's apartment, he waved and prepared to leave.

"Mr. Robert, won't you come in and have a seat?"

"No, it would be troublesome to go back any later."

"Hey, didn't you take leave?"

"It took four hours."

"Is this some kind of fascist concentration camp? Do you need us to rescue you?"

"No need, it's as comfortable as home there."

Asama is already considering which budget hotel to stay at tonight.

Does your philtrum feel itchy?

"It's just that I'm too eager to improve."

"So, we're going to rip the ceiling off everyone's heads, right?"

"I don't want to make others get wet in the rain."

"Suffocating is scarier than getting caught in the rain, isn't it? A smart person can be everyone's umbrella!"

"The kind of person you're talking about isn't intelligent, but rather has a big head."

The two stood in the corner of the alley next to the apartment, talking back and forth for another 5 minutes.

Conversations with Shinazugawa are always like this; they can spontaneously complete a dialogue without any conscious thought. It seems that if the two of them wanted, it wouldn't be impossible for them to talk until they starve to death.

"It's getting late, let's go."

"By the way, is Robert going to the Zhou family's dinner party next week? Masumi, Haruka, and I have all received invitations."

"Don't go."

"I didn't want to go either, but Rena invited us samurai to perform. Robert, do you know why the Nijo family would hold this kind of social gathering at this time?"

"Just ask Nijo-san. Performers are not necessarily the ones being watched and humiliated. Those in positions of power often use performance rituals to preach, discipline, and boast."

"It's not that I'm worried about that. I have a feeling that this might be the suggestion that Robert made."

"." (End of this chapter)