"Anyway, this is Mr. Ikekoshi Yuuichi. He's currently agonizing over how to establish a new persona."
Ten minutes later, under the gaze of the odd-jobs crew, Miyazawa Yuu spread his hands and explained the situation to the bewildered group, clarifying that Kohei's parents did not have a long-lost illegitimate son.
"But it's normal for you to react like that. I didn't recognize him yesterday either, and ended up dragging him over as Kohei to do hard labor for half the day."
"Ahaha, don't feel bad about it. I did it willingly~"
Taking off his sunglasses from his collar and putting them on, Ikekoshi Yuuichi waved his hand dismissively, indicating that yesterday was in the past.
Besides, the mistaken identity was partly due to his own disguise and cooperation! Blaming it all on Yuu would be unfair.
"This should make it a bit easier to tell us apart, right? The sunglasses and the necklace."
"Ugh... is that how it is?"
Wrinkling her face, Yoshiwara Aina observed him stubbornly. Finally, she found a difference between him and Kohei: Ikekoshi Yuuichi's hair seemed a bit more flicked out at the ends?
That made sense. As a TV fanatic, Aina often curled up on the sofa to follow various groups.
Since "Sips" was an all-handsome-guy group, she had been a fan for a long time during the summer before university. At that time, Ikekoshi Yuuichi's hairstyle was definitely "explosive"!
It must have become stiff from long-term use of hair gel.
"But I have to say, even if he changed his persona under Yuu's guidance, does he have to copy the appearance so perfectly? It feels super weird!"
"Eh! Aina, you feel that way?"
As if hearing something unexpected, Kitahara Iori—who originally had no interest in idol heartthrobs—put his hands behind his head and asked in confusion, "I thought you'd be happy!"
"Why?"
"Because Ikekoshi is an idol. Don't girls want their boyfriends to look like celebrities? Especially since you were..."
With a smile, Aina flickered in front of Iori and slapped her hand over his face. Maintaining a calm smile, she parted her fingers, clamping his mouth between them.
"Eh? Especially since I was what?"
"Since Aina used to like this kind of thing, right? Handsome guys or celebrities?"
Vividly illustrating the phrase "seeking death," following his offense against Sayaka, Kitahara Iori once again ignited Aina's fury with his unique lack of tact!
Flames erupted in her eyes. The unremarkable, thin arms beneath Yoshiwara Aina's short sleeves suddenly thickened; the bulging veins were proof of her strength!
"Since you know that was in the past!! Stop talking nonsense now! I'm different now!"
"Mmph! Mmph!"
His mouth was clamped painfully hard. Kitahara Iori nodded frantically to show his obedience, and only then did Aina huffily let the bastard go. "Honestly, remember who the copycat is. Kohei has his own style, okay!"
"I understand!"
"Ah~ it seems I've caused some trouble..."
"It's rare for you to have that realization. You're much better than the bastards and scumbags in the PaB club."
Anyone could see that Aina was sticking up for Kohei. In her eyes, Ikekoshi had clearly plagiarized Kohei. Just because someone was more famous didn't mean they could turn the world upside down!
"This is the gentlest girl we have here, Ikekoshi. You've really done it now!"
Patting Ikekoshi Yuuichi on the shoulder, Miyazawa Yuu looked pained; there wasn't much he could do.
After all, his new friend was indeed an undeniable copycat, and it was only natural for Aina to be unhappy about her boyfriend being "duplicated"!
However, for Ikekoshi Yuuichi, his current persona was a path to stardom approved by the director. He wanted to try and fight for it no matter what—
"Um... little brother Kohei, what do you say? If you don't agree to me using it, I can actually pay for 'professional guidance'!"
"Eh?"
Paying for professional guidance—this behavior was common in the entertainment industry. It often happened with animal rights or environmental groups and was spreading to the gaming world.
The purpose was similar to "buying an endorsement." Whether or not actual guidance was received wasn't important; what mattered was making the person or organization with the voice shut up.
Never expecting to be caught in the crossfire while just standing there, Imamura Kohei sighed, walked over, pressed a hand on Aina's small head, and waved the other dismissively with a look of indifference.
"No need. It's just a persona; it's not like I own it. Mr. Ikekoshi, use it if you want~"
"Kohei?"
"Mr. Kohei!"
The first was Aina's confusion; the second was Ikekoshi Yuuichi's pleasant surprise. Facing the exceptionally open-minded 2D-loving blonde, both began to feel ashamed of their actions.
The person involved didn't even care, yet one of them was disagreeing and the other was trying to use money to tarnish the sentiment. They really shouldn't have...
"In other words, I actually really hope you can become successful, Ikekoshi!"
"Mr. Kohei!!!"
His tone became even more emotional. Having his shoulder patted by Imamura Kohei, Ikekoshi Yuuichi nodded frantically, vowing to carry this glory forward on Kohei's behalf!
"Of course, as a prerequisite for the persona, please make sure to watch these twenty volumes of Lalako and be able to fluently sing the corresponding theme songs!"
Four-pointed stars exploded in his eyes. With a passion even greater than Ikekoshi Yuuichi's, Imamura Kohei whipped up his shirt with a swish, revealing all the full-version Lalako films he had hidden in his inner lining—
Great! Finally, someone can promote the niche circle of Lalako!
If it weren't for his social anxiety, he had actually thought about debuting himself to promote Lalako. Now, having a "double" who looked exactly like him to help was like "sending charcoal in a snowstorm"!
"Also! These 'Dissolving Lalako' goods must be displayed in your house. You must distinguish between the Collector's Edition and the Missionary Edition of the DVDs..."
"Yes... Yes! Mr. Kohei, I will take note of all of it!"
Completely unprepared, the "professional guidance" came so fast that Ikekoshi Yuuichi didn't have time to memorize it. He could only take out a small notebook and record it mindlessly, planning to study it carefully once he got home.
"Ah~ Kohei seems to have entered 'missionary mode'..."
"Now that I look at him, Yuuichi is the pitiable one."
"Idols have it hard these days, having to replicate that guy Kohei's persona~"
Standing to the side, the others couldn't get a word in edgewise. Kohei's missionary state was far too powerful; the sheer "otaku aura" he radiated was enough to make ordinary people recoil!
Fortunately, having learned many Lalako theme songs, Yuu, Iori, and Aina were completely immune to this attack, which was why they still had the energy to stand by and comment.
Seeing Ikekoshi Yuuichi's head in a muddle, accepting everything wholesale...
It probably wouldn't be long before the "Ikekoshi personality" completely vanished, and Kohei's otaku personality would successfully occupy the body, acting as a proxy for the great work of preaching Lalako to the mortal world!
"How terrifying, Kohei..."
Through their shared internal "brain-link," the three of them all shuddered at the image of Kohei 2.0 frantically pushing Lalako on TV, feeling deep concern for Ikekoshi's future.
"Alright, that's about it for now. Please remember that Lalako is the key to the persona. Got it!"
"I understand... Thank you so much for your guidance!"
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Ikekoshi Yuuichi had originally prepared himself to be beaten up for "stealing" a persona. He never expected this Kohei guy to be so generous.
As expected of Yuu's friend—everyone was a generous, good-hearted person!
A relaxed smile appeared on his face. In that case, he couldn't do nothing. He had to give back something more than just money to be worthy of Kohei's teaching!
"By the way, Master Kohei! Is there anything you like? Signatures, limited editions, things like that?"
"Eh? Is that okay?"
"Of course! Despite how I look, I know quite a few people in the industry!"
Thumping his chest in guarantee, Ikekoshi Yuuichi made up his mind that even if Kohei wanted a photo with a top-tier voice actor, he could probably get it if he swallowed his pride!
Kohei's expression instantly became serious. Although he had said he didn't want a reward, when it came to industry goods, Imamura Kohei simply could not refuse!
However, to not make it difficult for Yuuichi, he asked first before making an outrageous demand: "Do you know any voice actors personally, Yuuichi? Actually, just a regular signature would be fine~"
"Voice actors I'm close with? Actually, Yuu told me yesterday that Master Kohei likes voice actors, so I invited my fiancée to come and support the show!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Ikekoshi Yuuichi rested his chin on his hand and, without thinking, blurted out the production crew's next itinerary.
Actually, the crew had originally invited a different artist, but he thought that since he was pursuing a perfect imitation, he should go all the way. So, he had called his fiancée, Muranaka Yukari, overnight to support the event.
He believed the arrival of a famous voice actor would make his "daily otaku" persona even more well-rounded!
Except...
"Wait a minute. Are you saying not only do you have a fiancée, but she's also a voice actor?!"