Superstar Hell Training
"Ueee..."
About 30 minutes after Snow White gave her honest confession. She was still spacing out, unable to pull herself together. Her pale face flushed bright red as she let out those weird little moans—it was so damn cute that I let her be for a good long while.
Still, her honesty was a plus. If she'd spouted some weird lie and got caught later, how embarrassing would that have been? Better to take the heat upfront. And honestly, aiming to be an idol? That was pretty much the pinnacle of desires. In fact... there were tons of people out there with the same dream as her. Hell, everyone has that itch to be the center of attention in some way. It's just whether they act on it or not. In that sense, she was one of the doers. Plenty of folks would get all shy and clam up if you asked them to voice their dreams right then and there—so yeah, this counted as putting it into solid practice.
"Snow White."
"Ueee..."
Hmm. She still wasn't snapping out of it. Must've been that embarrassing for her. I got it, but 30 minutes? That seemed a bit much. Anyway.
I grabbed her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake to help her shake off the embarrassment.
"Snow White."
"Ueek!? Y-yes!?"
She jolted back to reality, startled. Good.
"If you want to get famous, you need to start moving now."
"R-right now!?"
"Of course."
Lie. I just figured with her personality, she wouldn't budge unless I lit a fire under her. Sure, the industry's fast-paced these days, but a debut getting pushed back a day or two? Not a huge deal.
You look like total trash right now.
Way too harsh. Ignoring Sofia's jab, I laid out a simple debut strategy for her.
"We're magical girls at the end of the day. What do you think magical girls do?"
"Uh... hunt magic beasts and kaijin...?"
"Correct. Here's a praise sticker as your reward."
I grabbed one from home and stuck it on her hand.
"Whoa... whoaaa...?"
Weaker reaction than expected. Kids these days not into these anymore? Back when I was a manager, they fought tooth and nail for 'em.
"Just like you said, Snow White—magical girls' main gig is taking down magic beasts and kaijin. Naturally, that's where all the eyes are gonna be."
"Uh... yeah... right...?"
Good, she had the basics down. Skip the boring intro and straight to the point?
"So, what's the best way to grab maximum attention?"
"Hunt a ton of magic beasts and kaijin..."
She trailed off there. Ignoring her face slowly turning green, I slapped two more praise stickers on her arm.
"Correct again. Two praise stickers as your prize."
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap.
Threw in some applause for good measure. Gotta shower kids with praise to build their confidence. But even with my efforts, her complexion didn't improve. If anything, she was going paler by the second. Her skin, ripe-apple red just moments ago, now looked like some albino patient's.
Worried or something?
"Still, we'll start with F-rank magic beasts."
F-rankers were basically made for newbies. No way those dimwits—dumber and weaker than regular folks—could beat a magical girl. Sure, they had murderous intent toward humanity, so caution was key, but debut fights were better sooner than later. A little wait and some F-rank would pop up anyway, so I turned to chase one down—
"I-it's scary though...?"
She blurted that out of nowhere. I stopped and turned back to her.
Head down, body trembling—classic fear pose. Hmm.
If she was really scared of fighting, there wasn't much I could do.
Didn't peg you for the type to force it. Color me surprised.
What the hell did she think I was? I wouldn't shove someone into it if they straight-up said no. But her words from 30 minutes ago nagged at me. Couldn't quite recall them exactly, but I knew her dream was a lofty one by anyone else's standards.
Was that a lie? To check, I ducked under her bowed head and locked eyes with her.
"??"
Her red eyes darted confusedly, avoiding mine, but I cupped her face to hold her steady. Sunlight from the early summer heat filtered through the shadows on her face. Hesitant lips, shifty gaze.
I went up on tiptoes to match her eye level and spoke softly.
"Do you really not want to?"
Magical girl work is dangerous. Even F-ranks aren't harmless—if they hit you, it hurts like hell, and killing them can bring massive guilt for some kids. Hell, that's normal. Adult or not, anyone would feel it.
So I asked her.
"If you're scared, you don't have to."
It'd limit our options, but I'd still give it my all. But if she said yes... I wasn't sure I could make her dream come true. Fighting wasn't mandatory—plenty of other paths. But if her dream was just a fleeting fancy...
I wouldn't have the confidence to deliver.
"..."
I waited patiently for her answer. Take as long as she needed. But dodging? Not an option. That's why I held her head.
Her red eyes flicked past my view a few times—trying to meet mine or flee? After several failed attempts, my blank reflection stared back from her raw, unpolished ruby irises. A gleam ignited in those eyes.
Slowly, her small cherry lips parted, and a reed-in-the-wind voice brushed my ear.
"——"
I grinned.
For some reason, I was smiling. Seeing my unflinching reflection in her steady gaze stirred something amazing in me. That thrilled? Ha, dumb question. Dreams like that demand resolve like that.
The manager fire I'd buried deep reignited.
Sofia, disable the call button for a bit.
You sure?
Reviews can wait.
Didn't she just call herself a 'magical girl' or whatever? Then I'd give her my all.
"Hell training from here on out."
"Ueee..."
All to make her the world's top superstar.
About three days passed.
"Take this! Lightning Attack!!!!"
Seemed like magical girls were popping up everywhere lately. Weirdly everywhere.
Isn't that a good thing for you?
Sure was. More magical girls meant more unique personalities to help. I'd cut sleep to assist every one, but that wasn't the issue.
"Snow White."
"Yes...?"
"There are no magic beasts we can hunt."
Yup. Too many magical girls—zero F-ranks left for us. Weekday mornings still had some, but that lacked punch. Debut in a dead time slot? Better to skip it. First impressions set the tone; buzz from the debut decides future popularity. Couldn't half-ass it. Plus, no beasts anyway.
Promised to make her a superstar—ordinary kills wouldn't cut it. So we waited, filtering for the perfect one. Three days gone.
"At least you practiced your magic hard. Praise sticker for you."
"Ehehe..."
Good news: her magic was improving daily. Day by day, better; month by month, stronger. Started with basic flames morphing into simple shapes—now she could make detailed flying T-rexes.
...Fist-sized, but still.
"Size... might be tough, right?"
"Close enough, and you'll manage."
Impressive progress without real action. Freaky fast growth, but good's good.
"Still, we gotta debut soon."
Practice means zilch unseen. As I pondered, she timidly pushed back.
"H-honestly, just doing a magic show nearby wouldn't be bad..."
"What on earth are you talking about, Snow White?"
Today's procrastination scheme. Hates fighting daily, yet brainstorms this? Sigh.
Anyway, hoped a good beast showed soon. Other girls debuting with similar vibes—we'd fall behind. But no rushing. Haste makes waste; for the perfect debut, we wait.
"B-but a magic show isn't a bad idea..."
"Bad idea right now."
"Hing..."
...Yeah, could use one soon.
...
And that evening.
"Kyao!!!!!"
"Fire!!!!!!"
Finally, the beast we wanted appeared.