"Welcome to the debut stage of Silver Bullets, where dreams begin..."
Onstage, the national producer was full of energy. In the trainee seats, Rei Furuya looked half-dead.
Anyone would look awful after working four jobs a day: spending the daytime as a cafe greeter and amateur detective, going undercover at a criminal organization as an informant at night, getting only four hours of sleep, and still having to squeeze in time to play a game.
But...
The applause below thundered. Amid the cheers, flowers, and spotlights, there was a familiar figure.
The person shining onstage:
[I'm a trainee from Nagano, Hiromitsu Morofushi.]
After receiving a game disc, Rei Furuya was forced to take part in a game called Become an Idol.
The game required players to make it through round after round of auditions and debut in the top seven. The king of part-time jobs scoffed at the idea and planned to slack off and get eliminated in the first round, but then he saw familiar faces among the trainees: his former teammates.
The instant the first stage ended, the main quest updated: if he succeeded in debuting, his teammates would come back to life in the real world.
Was this a plot against him, or a joke played by the gods?
After the theme song evaluation, he successfully made it into Class A. The NPC whose expression had been distant grew animated. A glimmer lit up his blue catlike eyes, and the departed person winked at him.
"Zero."
Beep: Quest reward updating.
[Hiromitsu Morofushi revival progress: 10%]
[Other targets, Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda... locked]
At that moment, color returned to the world. Even an atheist would pray sincerely: If this is a joke played by the gods, I'm willing to pay any price.
Even if it means singing and dancing onstage with Gin?
Rei Furuya: ...?
KALASU Entertainment, in a parallel world, has launched a new idol survival show called Silver Bullets, which has captured the world's attention. One hundred and one contestants have made it through round after round of selection to gather here, ready to meet the audience.
Among them, a few contestants stand out in particular.
Hiromitsu Morofushi, the younger brother of Hiromu Morofushi, an idol veteran who has transitioned into acting. His brother's fame is a halo, but it also brings him far too much attention.
Jinpei Matsuda, formerly a trainee at a major company. For some reason, he'd been shelved for three years. Now, at last released from his contract, he has come to this stage as an independent trainee.
Kenji Hagiwara, a trainee at the same company as Matsuda. He was once rumored to be on the verge of debuting, but then faded from view. He left the company along with Matsuda and entered the competition.
Shuichi Akai, a professional dancer who has won many awards in America and has a huge overseas fanbase. He's widely considered a strong contender for the center position in this show.
Kaito Kuroba, the only son of the great magician Toichi Kuroba. Why has a gifted high schooler who once aspired to become a magician appeared in an idol audition?
Jin Kurosawa, a veteran who debuted overseas and later saw his group disband. Having turned down numerous offers, he seems destined to wait for this very opportunity...
Reading Guide:
1. The audition takes place in a parallel world without the Black Organization, and the story will jump back and forth between it and the original world.
2. The format is based on the Japanese version of Produce 101. Anything that doesn't match the real idol industry should be considered an author-invented setting.
3. The pairing is Hiro x Rei. Various rumor-based crack pairings may appear along the way.
Theme: Shine brightly, even in a brand-new world
