034 Idol Chapter 10 It’s an avatar, so it’s fine

"I’m a guy, you know?"

"Huh?""What?""Kukuku""……"

Chaos erupted in the branch office.

President Kamizawa frowned, and Naho’s head was filled with question marks.

Saya watched the situation unfold with amusement, while Miu… well, who knew what she was thinking.

Naho broke the silence.

"Wait a second—Aki-chan, weren’t you on the girls’ team during beginner training?"

"That was just random luck—when we split into three-on-three, I happened to be on the female side."

"But your avatar was female, wasn’t it?"

"Who knows why? I read somewhere that in special simulations, you can fake your gender. Probably just a setting glitch."

"True. I didn’t know that either—I was new to all this…"

"Hey, I’ve been using ‘boku’ the whole time, haven’t I?"

"That’s because you’re a boku-girl, that’s all…"

Naho clutched her head in despair.

President Kamizawa barged in.

"So why'd you show up for the idol audition?"

"I applied for Communications, but somehow got summoned for a weird interview. I realized it wasn't right, so I accepted the offer and immediately withdrew."

"Ah! I forgot we were recruiting for Communications too!"

"“““President—!! (side-eye)””""

Everyone groaned, clutching their heads.

But President Kamizawa, battle-hardened and unflinching, bounced back instantly, spinning up a half-baked excuse.

"Naho, the acceptance notice’s already been broadcast, right?"

"Yes, President."

"Then reversing it’s impossible. It’s about office reputation."

"Hey! What about my position?"

"And besides, the basics are—SF-O limited, even if you're using your real face, it's still an avatar-based role."

Lucky for me, Akira-chan looks like a girl no matter what. With Nahoko's makeup skills, no one’d ever suspect a thing!

"Spoke with conviction! That old man just went full conviction!"

(But sweet, sweet, President Kamizawa. I still have one card left.)

"But I'm underage, you know? Can't sign a contract without parental consent. And my only living relative's been missing for ages."

(How's that for a knockout punch!?)

"Yeah, that's already covered. SF-O's treated as foreign, so the legal age is fifteen. Akira-chan signed a pro contract too, didn’t she?"

"That's right. But the cooling-off period—"

"Since your application came first, it doesn’t apply. Plus, it’s foreign territory."

(Adults are scary. This is how you get sold into AVs... like this.)

"Out of options."

"Besides, winners get a prize. You're not saying you don’t want it, are you?"

"Eh? How much?"

It was money enough that even after paying the enrollment fee, you’d still get change back.

"Please take care of me!"

And so, I became Kira, the newest member of the idol group Brushlips (b r a s h l i p s) under Kanazawa Promotion.

Turning the cost of standing out into a way to stand out? Not a bad move.

Plus, there’s the benefit of joining a proper fleet.

Exposure? It’s only in VR simulation battles, after all.

It’s an avatar—no problem there.

Right away, I was assigned to create my idol-spec avatar.

I had no idea avatars could be customized.

Naho-san gave me a full-on idol makeup session.

After the makeup was done, I registered the basic facial data under the idol look.

And while I was at it—well, why not?—I also took the promotional photos using that same look.

My face was published on the agency’s homepage.

Next, the outfit. I paid to have custom-designed clothes made and put them on.

Apparently, they’re making separate versions for each song. The agency’s paying. Obviously.

Now the idol avatar is complete—register it as Idol Avatar 1.

Register Idol Avatars 2 and 3 one after another. Switching between them on stage will be like changing clothes in an instant.

Easy to switch to the real-life avatar too.

From now on, just memorize the lyrics and choreography for the new song, and wait for the first stage performance.

I managed to pay the enrollment fee with the audition prize money—turns out even my injury had some use.

But it also means I’m now tied down by that money.

No escaping the SF Office or the idol life, no matter what.

"Why did it have to turn out like this?!"

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