In the wake of his dazzling performance against Vissel Kobe and his unexpected call-up to the national team, Hiro found himself thrust into a whirlwind of attention.

Ayumi, his newly appointed personal manager, had somehow managed to secure him a spot as a special guest on one of Japan’s most popular reality shows. The show was renowned for its engaging format, featuring celebrity interviews interspersed with unique challenges designed to showcase the guest’s talents entertainingly.

So, it was rather popular among people of all age groups due to its uniqueness. 𝚏rewe𝚘vel.𝚌𝚘m

On the day of the shoot, Hiro left for the studio quite early. Though he was trying his hardest to maintain his solemn demeanor, he couldn’t help but shake the feeling of nervousness that was gnawing at him.

The popularity of the show was well known to almost everybody residing in Japan. And, Hiro was no stranger to it as well.

Almost the entirety of the nation watched it.

As his ride got close to his destination, his heart started to race. The view of the studio became clear to him as he looked out of the window. That towering structure intimidated him. There were some people outside, holding a bouquet, awaiting his arrival.

The sight of those people further made him anxious. Involuntarily, he reached out for his tie to loosen it a bit. For this special occasion, he had dressed in a sharp suit.

Initially, he wasn’t planning to dress such. After all, he preferred comfort over style. But it was his manager Ayumi who had insisted him to dress such. So giving in to her insistence, he dressed formally for the show.

Then as the ride stopped in front of the studio, he inhaled deeply in an attempt to wash away his nervousness. After all, he couldn’t afford to show his nervousness.

“Don’t stress it. It’s not your first time being in front of a camera,” Ayumi who had accompanied him to the studio said as she tried to calm him.

‘Easy for you to say’ he thought as he tried to calm himself.

Her words did not help him in the slightest. He just couldn’t shake this feeling. To handle all those people waiting outside, Ayumi stepped out first.

“You’ve got this, Hiro,” he tried to encourage himself.

Then as he stepped out of the car, he was bombarded with greetings. But somehow, he was able to keep his cool. He graciously accepted their warm greeting with a smile on his face.

“Shall we head inside?”

“Sure, let’s go,” he responded warmly.

They then led him inside the studio.

As Hiro stepped into the bustling TV studio, a maelstrom of emotions churned within him.

The adrenaline from the match against Vissel Kobe was still coursing through his veins, mingling with the euphoria of his national team selection and a newfound nervousness about his television appearance.

This was uncharted territory, far removed from the familiar confines of the football pitch.

Ayumi, efficient and reassuring, guided him through the initial formalities and introduced him to the crew. She had done her homework and was well-versed with the crew.

“Hello, Hiro,” Suzuki the host of the show approached Hiro with a smile on his face, welcoming him.

Hiro shook his hand as he relayed the greeting politely.

“I’ve been following you even before you made your debut,” Suzuki said.

For a while, he kept on yapping about his impression of Hiro. From the way he mentioned his achievements, it appeared that Suzuki was quite a fan of Hiro as well.

While the host of the show led the conversation, Hiro could only nod, and return the compliment. He just couldn’t get any opportunity to speak.

“Ah right!” Suzuki stopped midway through their conversation as he remembered something. “Congratulations on making it into the national team,” Suzuki congratulated Hiro.

“Thank you, Suzuki-san,” Hiro graciously accepted.

“Now then, I should probably leave. The crew will call you, so be on standby,” saying so, Suzuki turned to leave.

He was the host of the show after all, so he couldn’t keep the crew waiting.

That warm conversation with the show’s charismatic host momentarily eased his jitters. It helped him to calm down.

Then he was led to the make-up room. He was a special guest on the show, so he had to look good on the screen. Though he wasn’t a huge fan of make-up, nonetheless, it was a formality, so he had to comply.

“Takahashi Hiro, please be on standby,” one of the crew members asked him to be on standby as they finished their make-up.

“Have you ever thought of taking acting as your career? With that face of yours, I’m sure you’d get offers even if you lacked acting,” Ayumi complimented his appearance.

“I’ll stick to the thing I know,” Hiro refused her offer as he left the make-up room and trod toward the backstage.

As the cameras began to roll, Hiro took a deep breath to ease his nervousness.

It was a tough challenge, buthe’d faced even tougher challenges on the field. So what was there to fret about the show?

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a true rising star with us today!” Kazuki’s voice boomed across the set. “Fresh from his match-winning performance against Vissel Kobe and hot off his call-up to the national team – please welcome Takahashi Hiro!”

The audience erupted in applause as the host finished the announcement.

‘It’s show time’

Thinking such, he forced a smile on his face before walking out onto the stage. Waving and smiling, he greeted the audience, warmly. The audience was mesmerized by his appearance.

“Is it only me or does he look entirely different right now?”

“Exactly, he looks much more handsome in reality.”

The audience was fawning over his appearance. He was like eye candy, extremely pleasing to the eye.

“Exactly what I expected,” Ayumi who was witnessing this scene of the audience fawning over him, nodded. Then a sinister smile blossomed on her face as she turned to look at Hiro. At the same time, greed flashed in her eyes as she murmured, “Your face is the most marketable”

For absolutely no reason, Hiro felt a shiver run down his spine.