The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 103: 1 in 365 Moments of Bliss – This Is the Japanese Idol

Shunsuke glanced irritably at Nozomi Tojou, who had interrupted him: "Miss Tojou, I think this is only our second time meeting, right?"

"It seems so, but for some reason, it feels like the guest has known me for a long time," Nozomi replied with a sly smile.

For a moment, Shunsuke considered summoning his stand to probe further.

"Haha, honestly, I'm curious why the guest mentioned we don't need to worry about Eli," Nozomi continued.

"Miss Tojou, you're playing coy, aren't you? Shouldn't you already know the reason?" Shunsuke replied, his gaze sharp. He wasn't buying the act; there was no way the "Demon Queen Tojou" was unaware of Eli Ayase's tsundere feelings.

"Besides, wasn't it you, the vice president, who named Honoka and the others 'Muse'?"

The name Muse, derived from the Greek goddesses of art and science, originally referred to three deities but later expanded to nine.

When Nozomi chose this name, her intentions were already crystal clear.

Despite Shunsuke spelling it out so plainly, Honoka Kousaka, standing nearby, still wore a clueless expression.

"Ah, so it was the vice president who gave us that name? But hasn't the student council always been trying to stop us?" Honoka exclaimed in surprise.

Kotori Minami quietly reminded her, "Honoka-chan, it's always been the president opposing us. It seems the vice president has never done anything like that."

Honoka paused, thinking carefully. "Oh, now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case!"

And so, Honoka began clinging to Tojou, acting adorably spoiled.

Faced with such a cute girl, Nozomi's resistance was zero.

Before she realized it, she had already admitted everything and even started spilling secrets about her close friend.

Perhaps this was why Honoka enjoyed being spoiled—whether it was Umi, Kotori, or even the not-so-familiar Demon Queen Nozomi and the tsundere Eli, no one could resist her charm.

"But if it's nine members, there's no way we'll finish the costumes in time," Kotori lamented.

"Not to mention the choreography," Umi added with a furrowed brow. "Just managing three people is already exhausting. If it's nine, it'll be far more than three times the work."

While Kotori looked troubled and Umi frowned in worry, Shunsuke, as if reading the future like a prophet, reassured them, "There's no need to rush. Before your first live performance, the others won't take any action yet."

"Does that mean you already know who the other six members are?" Umi asked seriously, her expression intent. Even Nozomi perked up, clearly intrigued.

Shunsuke took the chance to set his terms. "Promise to let me be your manager, and I'll tell you."

"Wouldn't that mean you'd have complete control over who joins?" Umi countered, suspicious.

"Not at all. I'll leave that decision entirely up to Honoka. I won't interfere with her choices," Shunsuke replied confidently.

"How suspicious," Umi muttered, narrowing her eyes.

"Alright, alright, Umi, let's hear who Shunsuke has in mind first," Honoka interrupted Umi's objections. "Besides, Shunsuke is currently Mai Sakurajima's manager. If he becomes our manager, it's a win for us! Who knows, maybe we'll even surpass A-RISE in LoveLive!"

As for being "Japan's No. 1" or "World's No. 1," even Honoka didn't take such titles too seriously.

"Let me explain then," Shunsuke began. "Among the remaining six members, the three first-years are Nishikino Maki, Koizumi Hanayo, and Hoshizora Rin. The three third-years are Vice President Toujou Nozomi, President Ayase Eli, and Yazawa Nico."

"That… actually doesn't sound like a lie," Umi said, wavering slightly.

"Additionally, Honoka, you don't have to worry about forming an idol club. Your school already has an Idol Research Club, with only one member—Yazawa Nico. You just need to take over her club," Shunsuke added matter-of-factly.

Umi wiped her forehead nervously. "Is that… even allowed?"

Nozomi squinted at Shunsuke, her tone sharp. "To know all of this… are you some kind of stalker? As the vice president of the student council, if you don't have a reasonable explanation, I might have to call the police."

Shunsuke looked up at the sky, his expression calm. "In a way, I'm a god."

"???"

Four stunned faces stared back at him in utter confusion.

"So, as a god, knowing these things is only natural."

"There's nothing natural about that!" Umi countered sharply.

"Relax. With me, you won't be at a disadvantage. When the profits come in, I'll allocate 9% to your group," Shunsuke offered, a deal so unprecedented that industry insiders would call it market disruption—an extraordinary offer that others could only dream of.

However, Honoka and the others didn't react much to the shocking offer.

For them, as students, money wasn't a priority.

What mattered most was having fun.

Most school idols lacked brand awareness; rather than being upset about businesses using their likeness without permission, they were often delighted, viewing it as recognition.

They had no idea that in Japan, such actions constituted severe infringement of intellectual property rights.

Merchants loved this kind of naïve enthusiasm. It was why Akihabara was full of merchandise for top-ranking school idol groups, generating massive profits.

This was the downside of idols not having an agency or manager.

Though the idols themselves didn't seem to mind, it left them vulnerable.

Thanks to this, Shunsuke found it relatively easy to involve them in anime production.

Some of them might even pay their own way just to secure a few seconds of screen time.

As for Yumemi, who might have been the only slightly tricky one to deal with, Shunsuke wasn't worried.

She was easy to handle.

But Shunsuke didn't allocate the 9% profit share "just" because of these factors.

After all, when divided among the group, each member would only receive 1%.

Such a "low" profit share might cause a massive backlash if exposed in other countries, especially in certain mascot-related industries.

However, in Japan, an idol group receiving even just 1% is considered a rare gesture of goodwill.

After all, idols are often seen as the bottom tier of the entertainment industry, and the idea of Japan being a capitalist playground isn't just a joke—this is where capitalists come to feast!

So what if you're the one actually producing the output? There's no way the majority of the profits are going to you.

Do you know how much the highest-earning idol in Japan made in a year?

43 million yen in 2016.

45 million yen in 2015.

That's the reality of Japanese's entertainment industry. Being an idol is just another ordinary job, except it's even more exhausting and unstable.

Beyond the surface-level glamour, there are few real benefits, especially for lower-tier idols.

Those who persevere are truly in it for the love of the craft.

Of course, on the whole, Japanese's entertainment industry is still more humane than that of certain "country," where the industry doesn't even pretend to care about individuals. Over there, they might as well beg for some capitalistic reform—it's that bad.

Given this context, it's no surprise that in the original story, some members of muse felt uncertain about their futures after graduating and that Honoka ultimately disbanded the group.

Expecting Maki Nishikino, the heir to a wealthy family, or Kotori to abandon their family legacies to pursue a career as an idol is, frankly, a bit far-fetched.

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