I Joined the Agency as a Manager to Support a Vtuber, but Somehow I Ended up Becoming the Face of the Company as an Official Staff Member? - 18

Chapter 18:Long Story Short, I’ve Been Assigned a Dual Role

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The day after that apology live stream. We managers held an emergency meeting to discuss who would fill the gap left by Gomi-senpai.

“So, is there anyone who wants to take it on?”

The supervisor called for volunteers, but no one raised their hand. Well, everyone was busy, after all.

“…I see. Ōno-kun, could you handle it?”

“Huh!? Me?”

Ōno-senpai, who was suddenly called out. He looked genuinely surprised.

“Ah, to be precise, you and the junior—Hiori-kun.”

“A-Ah, if Ren—I mean, if Hiori is going to help out, then I suppose I could manage.”

“Is that so? Actually, the talent herself specifically requested for him. She said she would prefer Hiori-kun to be in charge.”

“Me?”

Did Aihara-san choose me? Well, I guess that means she trusts me that much.

“Can you do it?”

“Of course.”

“Then, Aihara-san will be managed by both Ōno-kun and Hiori-kun, alongside Kurama-san.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll send you Aihara-san’s schedule later, so please check it.”

“Got it.”

After that, we shared our progress and announcements, and the meeting was adjourned.

“Ren, check Aihara-san’s schedule, will you? I still haven’t finished Kurama-san’s part.”

“Why didn’t you finish it yesterday? Let’s just do overtime.”

“We have a two-hour overtime limit here.”

“So lax. Back at my previous company, we were only allowed four hours at home.”

“What kind of black company is that!?”

While reminiscing about my corporate-slave days, I checked Aihara-san’s schedule. Gomi-senpai had a trash personality, but surprisingly enough he did his job well and made sure never to overload Aihara-san.

“Let’s see… Dance lessons on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.”

“Ah, Kurama-san will be joining on Wednesday and Friday too.”

“Ah, got it.”

Since I’d be managing both of them, I had to coordinate their schedules as well.

“Hmm? Isn’t there a merch progress report on Friday too?”

“Yeah, I’ll take care of that one. Ren, I’m counting on you with those two.”

“Seriously…?”

As I typed away on the keyboard, a message came in from Aihara-san.

Aoi: Hiori-san, what happened with the manager situation?

As expected, she was the most concerned about it.

Ren: Ōno-senpai and I will be handling it together. I look forward to working with you.

As soon as I sent that, she read it and replied right away.

Aoi: Really? I’m so happy. Looking forward to working with you!

Aoi: (Sticker of a cat saying “Yoroshiku!”)

Ren: Likewise. I’m sure I’ll have a lot to learn, but I’ll do my best.

Ren: (Sticker of a character bowing in apology)

Aoi: Oh, here’s Mochi-sama today.

She sent me a photo of her cat scratching its ear with its paw.

Ren: So cute.

Aoi: Since I’m in a good mood, both of them are in a good mood too.

They say pets resemble their owners, but maybe their moods do too?

Aoi: See you on Wednesday, Manager.

Ren: Yes.

I felt relieved that Aihara-san didn’t seem too mentally burdened.

“Ōno-senpai. I’m looking forward to Wednesday’s lesson.”

I said this to Senpai, who was sitting beside me, aware that I couldn’t hide the smile on my face.

“Huh? Aren’t you scheduled to meet that food company president you knew from your previous job that day?”

“…What?”

I checked my schedule. Sure enough, it said: “Hiori – Meeting with the food company president.”

“…I’ll have to finish it up early somehow.”

Crap! I promised I’d meet the president on Wednesday! Okay, I’ll have to politely tell the president something urgent came up and keep my part of the meeting short so I can leave quickly—

“Excuse me. Is Ren Hiori here?”

What now!? I’m busy! I’m trying to move my schedule around for Aihara-san!

“Yes, I’m Hiori. How can I help you?”

Suppressing all my frustration, I replied calmly and listened.

“The president would like to see you. Could you come to the president’s office?”

“…Huh?”

I froze, not understanding what she meant.

“Did I… Do something wrong?”

Ōno-senpai asked with concern, but the woman shook her head.

“At the very least, he didn’t seem angry.”

“I-I see… Hey, Ren, I don’t get it either, but if the president’s calling you, you should go.”

“Yes. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

I stood up and followed the woman to the president’s office. She knocked on the door, and from inside, our president, Iketani-san, answered.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me. I’ve brought Hiori-san.”

“Thanks. You may return.”

“Excuse me.”

She bowed and left me alone in the room.

“…So, what did you want to talk about?”

It was the first time we’d met face-to-face since my interview, and I was even more nervous than back then.

“Oh, no need to be so tense. It’s just a small request. Have a seat.”

“Excuse me.”

I sat in the guest chair, and he sat across from me.

“You see, I happened to come across something interesting.”

“Something interesting?”

He operated his smartphone and showed me a video. The title read: “Surprise Pranks 24/7! How Will the HoloEco Members React?!” It was the official project video I had done the narration part for. A cold sweat ran down my back.

“Apparently, your narration in this video has become a bit of a hot topic in some circles. The feedback’s pretty positive.”

“I-I see…”

No way. I’m just some guy who did school broadcast club in middle school…

“So, Hiori-kun. If you’re okay with it, I’d like you to keep doing the narration.”

“…What? How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Well, we usually have our official staff, Nukumizu-san and Madobe-san, do the narration. But for male voices, we have to outsource it.”

“I was wondering—Is male narration really okay for this company? Won’t it incur people’s backlash?”

“Some won’t like it, sure. But very few people actually have a strong rejection response. So, how about it? Will you narrate more of our videos?”

“No, no, no, I can’t. That last time was an emergency. If someone like me does it regularly, it could bring down the video quality.”

“…I see. True, we shouldn’t lower the quality.”

“Exactly!”

Great. I won’t have to do anything crazy now—

“Then I’ll have you take a crash course in narration next time. That way, your technique won’t be an issue.”

…Excuse me?

“The timing… Right, this Wednesday. I think you had a meeting with the food company, but I’ll go in your place. Send me the materials later. I’ll review them.”

“…Huh? Wait. The president is going to the meeting?”

“Hmm? Is that a problem?”

“Yes, a huge problem! Why would the president go to a collaboration meeting with a company!?”

“I heard their president would be attending too though? So just inform them I’ll be there. No issues.”

We’re doomed. Once this man decides something, there’s no stopping him. But Wednesday… Will I make it in time for the dance lesson?

“Well! Study hard all day! The future of our company’s narration depends on you!”

I’m screwed. There’s no way I’ll make it in time.

“This isn’t a job for a new hire!!”

And that was how I ended up managing two talents with Ōno-senpai—and also (almost officially) juggling being both a manager and a narrator.

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