The Case Where I, the Manager, Became More Popular After Standing on Stage as a Substitute for an Idol Who Got Injured Just Before the Live Performance

“――Second exam, finished!”

The sunglasses-wearing examiner shouted loudly.

Each examinee pair had already completed the task of creating magazine covers and submitted them.

Having cleared the first round, everyone looked quite capable.

“I don’t want to retake for a third time… I don’t want to retake for a third time… Just barely passing would be fine, so please let me pass!”

Yukihana muttered, her eyes spinning around as she continued to tremble with a pale expression on her face.

Nitanda, too, was beside me with her hands clasped together in prayer.

“Alright then, let’s line up all the submitted magazine covers! The scoring will be done by the examiners, but you candidates should also take a look together for the sake of learning!”

Saying so, the covers were placed in the middle of the classroom.

Among them, there was one that stood out clearly as different.

“…W-What is this?”

A murmur of surprise and confusion spread around the room.

It was no wonder, considering that despite the requirement for this shoot being to ‘always wear idol costumes’, the magazine cover in question clearly featured an idol dressed in casual clothing.

The background of the magazine cover depicted a city at night and the idol, cheeks flushed as if she had been running, was waving a hand toward the viewer.

That was the content of that magazine cover.

As you might have guessed, it was the magazine cover I had submitted.

Since it was difficult for Nitanda to do the photoshoot in an idol costume, I had her wear casual clothes and took the picture.

This way, she wouldn’t feel embarrassed at being photographed.

Upon seeing it, Hanamiya bursted into a hearty laughter.

“Heh! Ahahaha! You’re not wearing an idol costume! This means you’re disqualified!”

“Well, let’s see.”

Even though Hanamiya was laughing at me, I crossed my arms and watched how things unfolded.

Eventually, the examiners who saw the magazine cover I had created, squinted their eyes and spoke.

“Wait, take a closer look. She’s ‘wearing’ it, you know.”

“Indeed, you can see parts of the idol costume protruding from her clothes, and it’s faintly visible through them.”

Yes, I had dressed Nitanda in the idol costume.

This way, we hadn’t broken any rules.

“The rule for the second round is to ‘dress in an idol costume’. They never said anything about not layering something on top,” I explained.

Hanamiya once again snorted in response to my words.

“Oh? True, you seem to be following the rules. However, these plain clothes without any charm are unappealing. It looks like you just took a desperate photo, this would place you at the bottom.”

“That’s not desperation at all,” I retorted.

I mimicked Hanamiya’s habit and waved my finger from side to side. In response, Hanamiya tilted her head curiously.

“Indeed, there’s no rule violation here.”

“But wait, why did you intentionally cover the idol outfit with plain clothes—huh?!”

Then, the examiners focused on the “text” that I had prominently placed on the magazine cover.

That’s right, this exam was about creating a magazine cover.

Naturally, it could include a catchy slogan.

And so, I wrote this:

“Sorry for the wait! From here on, it’s your own personal idol!”

And at that moment, all the male examiners couldn’t help but be impressed.

“I see…”

“So, it’s that kind of story.”

“Yeah, this definitely carries a sense of uniqueness.”

However, Hanamiya remained puzzled and continued to tilt her head.

So, I explained.

“Hanamiya, that sense of ‘superiority’ you were talking about. I thought about it in my own way. An idol who’s popular with everyone, If she were to secretly date someone like me… this cover is an expression of that kind of daydream.”

Indeed, I crafted a story within the magazine cover.

The theme was a ‘secret date with an idol.’

An idol who had just finished her own live performance came to visit.

If you’re a guy, you’d easily understand that kind of situation.

The sense of taboo knowing that it would become a scandal if you were discovered.

That special feeling knowing that she was prepared to meet you despite the risk.

The sense of superiority that the idol who had just been dancing and receiving the cheers of thousands of fans is now spending time exclusively with you.

If I were to meet the gaze of Nitanda on the cover, looking at me with a smile, I would be drawn into that world of daydreams.

Seeing that Hanamiya had understood my intention, she bit her fingernail and glared at Nitanda on the cover, clearly frustrated.

“…I see what you did there. But we still don’t know the results.”

Having realized that I had created the cover, Tsukuyomi winked at me.

“You’ve got some flair, Sugiura. This is quite intriguing. And since all the other covers feature the same idol costumes, your casual outfit stands out even more in this context.”

Tsukuyomi also gave his approval, boosting my confidence.

“Thanks. Besides, sometimes wearing more clothing can actually stimulate the imagination more than showing skin, right? Isn’t that the case, Tsukuyomi?”

When I sought agreement, for some reason Tsukuyomi’s face turned bright red.

“Y-Yeah… th-that’s right… I-I’m a guy too, so I get it…”

　　　　　　　◇◇◇

“The scoring by the examiners has concluded! For this magazine cover photoshoot, the first place goes to—”

The sunglasses-wearing examiner announced with a drumroll effect in his speech.

He might be unexpectedly playful, after all.

Everyone already had a vague idea.

The winners of this round were that pair.

And indeed, he called out their names.

“Yuuki Misa and Yukihana Suzu, the winning duo!”

“Huh?”

Yukihana, who was at the back, responded with a dazed expression.

Then, she screamed as she realized the situation from the collective gaze and applause directed at her.

“W-Wait, what?! I-I got first place?!”

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