I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

“Let her go.”

It was just a single line.
But those overwhelmed by his charisma fell silent all at once, as if it had been prearranged.
Pure stillness.

It felt like time had stopped in that moment.
Even the veteran actors on set, the drama staff, and even Minato Naoya and the director—who had cast him—stood frozen, as if bound by invisible chains.
Within that unintentionally created silence, the first to speak was the rookie actor who had been gripping the protagonist Agito by the collar.

“Boss! That bitch Satou sold out Komuro to the cops to save herself! And you’re still gonna let her go?!”
An unscripted ad-lib line.
But it was so natural that no one could interrupt him—

Yu-seong, flustered, looked at the rookie actor.
As if to say, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’
But maybe he misinterpreted that look—after staring back into Kim Yu-seong’s eyes for a few seconds, the rookie eventually averted his gaze with a resigned expression and let go of Agito’s collar.

“Kh… Take her.”
The actor playing Agito, who had been absentmindedly touching his neck with a confused expression, glanced between Kim Yu-seong and the rookie actor—both of whom had delivered unexpected performances—and then hurriedly supported Minato Naoya, who had collapsed to the floor, and helped her escape the dark warehouse.
“Cut!”

The director shouted with a loud voice, just at that moment, after watching the footage through the monitor in utter silence.
***
“Damn! That was excellent acting, Kim-kun!”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”
I wasn’t sure °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° why he was suddenly praising me, but I accepted it gratefully.
It was my first time acting, so if he was satisfied, then great.
“Have you ever had vocal training or anything? Your diction is incredible—your voice hit the ears perfectly, even from a distance.”

“I haven’t been trained in anything like that.”
“What about acting? That kind of atmosphere—overpowering the room—isn’t something just anyone can do!”
“This is literally my first time acting in my entire life.”

“…Have you ever thought of becoming an actor?”
“No, I prefer sports.”
“Tch! What a shame! To think I have to use such a raw gem for just a one-off extra role!”

I wasn’t used to this kind of situation and looked around for help, but Minato—the only person I knew—was nowhere to be seen.
She must have gone to the bathroom after filming wrapped.
Thanks to that, I was stuck getting dragged around by the director until another staff member, saying we had to start shooting the next scene, saved me.

“Phew…”
All I’d done was shoot one cut, and I was already exhausted.
Usually, I’d heard that in dramas or movies they do multiple takes to get the perfect shot, but the director said this one was perfect and told me to take a break in the lounge.

So after thanking the director, I was about to return to the container where the other extras rested—when I spotted the rookie actor who had ad-libbed earlier.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who noticed him, because the director turned to him with a pleased expression and asked,
“What’s your name?”

“I’m Yamada Junpei, sir!”
“That ad-lib earlier was amazing! Keep it up from now on!”
“Yes! Thank you very much!”

The actor who’d just been praised turned to me, made a thumbs up, and walked off toward the next scene with a big smile.
…What was that supposed to mean?
***

When I returned to the container where the extras and bit-part actors waited, I found no one else there.
Everyone had probably gone off to film the afternoon scenes.
Thanks to that, I had the whole lounge to myself and could stretch out as much as I wanted.

First, I went into the changing room to get out of the stifling outfit.
I took off the school cap that had been half-melded with my gelled hair, and then peeled off the modified gakuran—the very symbol of a delinquent—which immediately made me feel freer.
Until just now, it had felt like I was forcing myself into something that didn’t quite fit.

After straightening my appearance in the mirror one last time, I opened the changing room door and stepped out.
“Huh?”
There stood Minato Naoya, whom I had assumed had gone to the bathroom earlier.

“What are you doing here?”
I voiced my confusion, but Minato brought a finger to her lips and said, “Shhh~.”
We were the only ones here—so was that really necessary? But I nodded anyway.

Then, with her hands behind her back, Minato strode confidently over and stopped right in front of me.
“Senpai, there’s something I want to ask you.”
I was startled by the meaningful vibe she gave off and tried to back away, but the wall was right behind me.

“…What do you want to ask?”
“It’s something really simple.”
With that, Minato brought out what she’d been hiding behind her back.

“This person in the video—isn’t it you, Senpai?”
It was a video playing on her smartphone.
The same low-resolution footage that had caused a stir at school just a few days ago.

There hadn’t been any concrete proof tying it to me, so the whole thing had blown over—but in Minato Naoya’s eyes, there was certainty.
She was convinced the guy fighting like a maniac in that video was me.
I decided to think rationally.

For now, it was clear she didn’t have decisive proof.
If she did, she wouldn’t have come to confront me personally like this.
That meant that as long as I didn’t cave under her questioning, there was still a chance I could get out of this.

Alright. Let’s give it a shot.
“Sorry, but that guy in the video isn’t me.”
Minato gave a sly, cat-like smile.

“Really? But my eyes are telling me otherwise.”
She said that, then paused the video at a specific frame.
“The forearms and trapezius here—and the overall shape of the muscles from thighs to calves. The muscle structure of the guy in this video is a 100% match with yours. You’d know this, Senpai, since you care so much about muscles. There’s no such thing as identical muscle shapes in two different people.”

“……”
That… was irrefutable.
Muscle structures are like fingerprints—every one of them is unique.

Looks like I misjudged the situation from the start.
In cases like this, it was better to give up quickly and negotiate.
“…What do you want from me?”

She must’ve had some objective in mind if she came to confront me like this.
She probably planned to use my secret to get something.
Of course, I didn’t think she’d easily go along with any threats, but I wanted to at least hear what she was after.

Maybe because she felt we could talk things out, Minato took a deep breath and stepped back a few paces, then said in a slightly nervous voice:
“It’s not really a difficult favor. All I want to ask, Senpai, is…”
“You want to ask…?”

“S… S…”
“S…?”
Then Minato Naoya clenched both fists and, with a solemn expression, declared:

“Please show me a side chest!”
***
Side chest.

One of the seven mandatory poses in bodybuilding judging.
You push your best-side chest forward, bend your legs slightly, and simultaneously flex your biceps and calves facing the judges.
Since it showcases pectorals, biceps, and calf development all at once, it’s one of the most iconic bodybuilding poses.

Usually, when guys who've been hitting the gym take selfies in the bathroom mirror, it's either a side chest or a front double biceps.
And now, I was doing a side chest pose… in front of Minato Naoya—school junior and nationally beloved celebrity known as the “Nation’s Little Sister.”
“Kyaaaah! Can I take a picture?!”

“…As long as you keep your promise.”
In exchange for keeping the video a secret, Minato Naoya’s request was that I do bodybuilding poses for her until she was satisfied.
Thanks to that, I ended up doing a whole body display I’d never planned on—and as her gaze roamed over my physique, I felt an odd sense of embarrassment, yet still obediently did all the poses she requested.

From double biceps to lat spread, side chest and side triceps, and even abdominal & thighs.
After she snapped picture after picture, we even took a commemorative shot with her clinging to my arm. I asked with an exhausted voice:
“Why did you even ask me to do this?”

Minato hugged her phone with a beaming smile and replied:
“Because you have the ideal muscles, Senpai!”
Ideal muscles, huh.

Somehow, I think I get it… maybe.
“Anyway, this means you’ll keep your promise, right?”
“Of course! I’ll take your secret to the grave!”

Minato struck a biceps pose, then bowed deeply.
“Thanks for indulging me, Senpai. Everyone else should be back soon, so I’ll get going now.”
“…Alright.”

I decided to find some comfort in the fact that it was Minato—someone relatively trustworthy—who discovered my secret.
If it had been someone else, they might’ve tried to extort me for money.
When I think about it like that, paying in muscle wasn’t the worst outcome.

“Then have a good rest!”
Minato gave me a bright smile as she carefully opened the container door and stepped out.
Once she was gone, and I was finally alone, I dragged my tired body to the sofa and looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

5 PM.
It had already been twelve hours since I left the house at dawn.