The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 93: Out of Options?

After school, Shunsuke originally planned to visit Hyakkaou Academy to express his gratitude to Kirari and take the opportunity to meet Yumemi Yumemite.

Yumemi Yumemite, the head of the Public Relations Committee for Hyakkaou Academy's Student Council, is also the academy's most popular idol.

Since childhood, Yumemi had dreamed of winning an Academy Award and had been tirelessly working toward that goal.

She joined an entertainment agency at a young age and dedicated herself to practice.

Among her peers, she was the fastest to secure a regular spot on a television program.

For an ordinary person with limited talent, this was already a remarkable achievement.

However, someone like Mai Sakurajima—a natural-born genius—operates on an entirely different level.

But for Yumemi, who aspires to win an Academy Award, being "remarkable" was far from enough.

Knowing that following the standard path would never lead her to her dreams, she decisively enrolled in Hyakkaou Academy.

Hyakkaou Academy, as the pinnacle of aristocratic schools in Japan, is filled with students from wealthy and influential families. Earning their support, even while they're still students, would ensure invaluable backing in the future.

By leveraging her fans at Hyakkaou Academy to dominate the idol industry, Yumemi planned to smoothly transition into the acting world as a reigning star.

This would grant her opportunities to land roles in Hollywood films, bringing her one step closer to her ultimate goal: the Academy Award.

This three-step strategy appeared surprisingly pragmatic and had a high probability of success.

For a middle schooler to devise such a comprehensive life plan was truly impressive.

Although Yumemi currently focuses on performances within Hyakkaou Academy as a quintessential school idol, her calculated nature likely means she's already using the influence of her academy fans to lay groundwork in the entertainment industry.

The transition from idol to actor is notoriously difficult, especially given the low status of idols within Japanese's entertainment hierarchy.

This time, Shunsuke's visit to Yumemi was primarily to gain access to the resources at her disposal.

After all, he had already promised Mai to minimize his visits to Kirari, and he also felt it wasn't appropriate to keep troubling the "Wish Maiden" without good reason.

So, he decided to seek help from someone else instead.

Incidentally, while researching Yumemi, Shunsuke discovered that she had entered the current season of Love Live! and, shockingly, her popularity had surpassed that of the previous season's champions, A-RISE.

"This has to be rigged," he muttered.

Considering the obsessive behavior of Yumemi's diehard idol fans in the original storyline, Shunsuke couldn't help but question the authenticity of the data.

While her fans likely couldn't manipulate platforms like YouTube, a small, student-centric event like Love Live!—still in its infancy after just one season with no significant corporate involvement—could probably be influenced to some extent.

If it's Yumemi, she might pose a significant obstacle to μ's winning... Just kidding.

Shunsuke didn't think for a second that Yumemi could genuinely threaten μ's. A miracle doesn't fail so easily, after all.

As for μ's failing in their first attempt in the original story? Shunsuke could only scoff.

Hanada, if you've run out of ideas, you might as well go bite a lighter. Using such a ridiculous excuse to prevent Honoka Kousaka from competing—was that supposed to insult everyone's intelligence?

Now that he was acting as their manager, Shunsuke would absolutely not allow Honoka to pull any stunts.

Furthermore, with the knowledge from his past life essentially serving as an open-book exam, if they still couldn't secure first place in Love Live!, Shunsuke might as well jump off a building.

His sights were set far beyond competitors like A-RISE or Yumemi. His goal was to surpass even their achievements in his previous life, to ignite global fame on an unprecedented scale.

If they couldn't reach the level of worldwide popularity where people from every corner of the globe recognized μ's as idols—not just actors—and formed fan clubs in their name, could it truly be called a miracle?

As Shunsuke was mapping out his future plans, Mai approached him.

"You're free right now, aren't you?" she asked.

"Mai-san, didn't you take the day off to handle your other matters?"

"It's mostly sorted out, so I came back. So, Shunsuke-kun, you're free now, right?"

Shunsuke glanced at the information on Yumemi displayed on his phone. "Yeah, I am."

—Sorry, Wish Maiden, I'll postpone expressing my gratitude until tomorrow. You probably don't care about it anyway. For now, going on a date with Mai Mai takes priority.

Shunsuke thought to himself, rather half-heartedly.

"Then let's go. The timing is just right," Mai said as she turned and headed toward the station.

"I feel like you should let me know about this sort of thing in advance next time, Mai-san," Shunsuke remarked, following behind her.

"Sure, I will. But didn't we only decide on this yesterday?" she replied casually.

"So, does that mean today's outing is part of my work as your manager?" he asked.

"Well… sort of," Mai admitted with a shrug.

"Wow, that's such a half-hearted response. I'm not even fully prepared yet! Don't blame me if things go south," Shunsuke teased.

"They won't," Mai replied confidently.

"Huh?" Shunsuke paused, surprised.

Mai turned back and looked at him seriously. "As long as you have enough responsibility and determination, things won't go wrong."

Her sincerity left Shunsuke momentarily speechless. "Now I'm really curious about what today's work is going to be."

...

After a winding journey of walking and stopping, guided by Mai, the two got off at the station in front of Kamakura High School.

By this point, Shunsuke had already figured out what Mai had planned for later.

Meeting the parents this early, and as a potential adversary no less... Shunsuke felt a slight twinge of pressure.

Stepping out of the station, Shunsuke turned his gaze toward the nearby sea, raising his hands high. "The ocean!"

Mai flinched, startled. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't this what they always do in anime? You come to the beach, you strike this pose—it's a tradition."

"Are you a kid or something? Is this your first time seeing the ocean?"

"It is, actually," Shunsuke replied matter-of-factly.

Even including my previous life.

Mai brushed her hair back, disheveled by the sea breeze, and looked at the sun already sinking toward Enoshima. "Looks like we came too late today. Next time, let's leave earlier and spend more time at the beach."

"Is that an invitation for a date, Mai-san?"

Mai rolled her eyes at him. "Just say if you're coming or not."

"If it's a date, of course, I'm coming," Shunsuke teased.

"Then forget it."

"No, no! I'm going! Absolutely going! Even if my legs are broken, I'll crawl to go with you," Shunsuke declared decisively.

Mai-san, you're not playing by the script here.

The two strolled along the beach, and suddenly Mai's hand extended toward him.

—Oh, I get it. She wants to hold hands, right?

"The springtime seaside is a bit chilly," Mai remarked.

Shunsuke placed his hand on hers, intertwining their fingers.

"Ah! Ow!"

He was promptly smacked by Mai.

When Mai pulled her hand back, Shunsuke noticed she had left her phone in his hand.

It was Mai's phone, displaying a message she had sent to her mother, requesting to meet at this specific time to discuss something important.

"This doesn't feel friendly..." Shunsuke murmured, handing the phone back to her.

"You're the one who's unfriendly here," Mai retorted, shooting a sharp glance at Shunsuke, who clearly lacked any self-awareness.

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