The Guy Who Messed Up Is Gradually Doing His Best

“Cross-dressing has a cool image, but if you wear it well, it could also look cute. I can kind of imagine it.”

“I-is that so? Thank you very much.”

Sari-chan, dressed as a boy, smiles sweetly. The way she gets nervous when spoken to is fresh and very cute. I want to eat her up right now.

——Hehe.

I am Murasaki Yuu, an actress and singer-songwriter. I am 30 years old and not married.

Although I am in the same agency as the Shining Boys, they became explosively popular right after their debut.

Due to Manager Minamino-sama’s strict supervision, the number of people we can contact is limited, so we can only manage a brief greeting…

If the agency warns us to be careful because they have the backing of their parent company, the Nanjou Group, then there’s nothing we can do about it. No one wants to end their entertainment career, or even their life, by getting on their bad side.

Well, if I were under the protection of the other three families (Houjou, Saijou, Toujou), things might be different… but given that we belong to different agencies, it’s impossible.

Fortunately, many of the talents at the agency I belong to are of the same sex, so it’s not really a problem.

Even I say so. Men who are low-level and ugly in both body and mind are not even in my sights…

——Hehe… but they were all so cute.

If I lightly massage their shoulders to help them relax as a senior, they will sincerely thank me.

This Tsuku-chan over here wants my autograph with a bright red face, trying to kill me with cuteness. When I secretly gave her an autograph, she said she would treasure it with her adorable eyes glistening. I couldn’t help but pat her head. I wonder if she’s okay. She seems fine.

Chiko-chan looked a bit apologetic seeing Tsuku-chan’s attitude, but it doesn’t bother me at all.

——Hehe…

Nako-chan… oh, she seems to be on guard, so I guess I’ll just have to make small talk for now. After all, the other co-stars seem to have figured out my preferences and don’t come near me at all, just nodding in greeting.

I won’t think they’re rude for something so trivial, so don’t worry.

“Maybe I should try dressing as a man too…”

“Oh, then this. Please feel free to take it. We also model here.”

Chiko-chan is handing over the store guide card.

——Oh, I see. It’s called a men’s clothing specialty store.

It seems that Chiko-chan comes to promote the store as she is more opportunistic than I thought. Since it’s a good opportunity, maybe I’ll try buying something next time.

The trend of cross-dressing fashion is also thanks to the girls in front of us, the cross-dressing style band, Armed Girls, who have become the pioneers, or rather, the trendsetters.

——Well then.

There is a program recording, but I don’t want this to be the end with them. I at least want to get their contact information.

A drama promotion? Something like that is fine in moderation. However, if that’s the case, the presence of Taketo-kun, being a man, is a bit of a nuisance. They seem to rely on him so much that if I don’t initiate the conversation, they all keep looking at him.

Even though he’s a man, I’ll give him credit for taking care of his appearance. But in the end, a man is still a man. No matter how much they try to cover it up on the surface, a man is just an incorrigible jerk. He must be the same…

See? Even though they’re actually looking at him, he doesn’t care about them and only thinks about himself…

Himself…

It’s strange. Every time Taketo-kun takes a short break, he asks them if they’re okay, saying, “Are you tired? Are you alright?” When he notices my gaze, he lightly bows his head.

What does he mean? It’s not just arrogant; it’s not humble at all.

“Hey! You, come to my room tonight.”

“Sawakaze-sama, the recording will start soon. Please return to your seat.”

“Tch.”

Being ignored by co-stars and finally starting to talk to the show staff, is he really that different from Sawakaze or whatever his name is…?

* * *

I had no interest in men at all, but today I listened to their songs live for the first time and watched their skateboarding performance up close.

“Beautiful…”

I unconsciously muttered that. This wasn’t something I said after seeing the juniors (Shining Boys). It was something I said after seeing Taketo-kun, the vocalist of the Armed Girls.

His skateboarding performance captivated not only the audience but also us co-performers and even the MC to such an extent.

Even the Armed Girls who had been watching anxiously already had the faces of maidens. Their cheeks flushed, they kept following his figure.

——But I might understand that feeling a little bit…

It was the first time. To have such feelings towards a man… I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

However, I have some doubts. I’ve heard that skateboarding performance is rare even among men, and it’s something only they can do because of their high level of psychokinesis.

So why can he keep up? Why can he dance higher, longer, and above all, more beautifully than they?

Such a thing cannot be accomplished overnight. In fact, Sawakaze is standing in the corner of the stage, unable to do anything. No, is he striking a pose? Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s ugly…

Since I also have a high level of psychokinesis, I would probably be able to keep up with practice, but if asked to do it right now, that’s impossible.

So, I couldn’t help but suspect that this was orchestrated to lower their evaluation.

In fact, Manager Minamino, whose plans went awry, is a person with an extremely high pride, so she turned beet red with rage… Beet red…? Manager Minamino?

N-no way!?

Why does Manager Minamino have a maiden’s face!? I felt like I had seen something I shouldn’t have, so I quickly shifted my gaze back to Taketo-kun.

Taketo-kun was putting his arm around his junior at the end. The scene was so beautifully reminiscent of the kind of male friendship one only sees in manga or novels, and I felt incredibly envious.

Junior, give that spot to me, your senior. I hold back the urge to shout that out.

Even the MC, co-stars, and male staff members with biases were so excited that it became impossible to continue the recording, so we took a break for a while. However, I couldn’t help but be concerned and kept glancing at him.

“I wonder how everyone did?”

After shaking hands and saying goodbye to his juniors, Taketo-kun came back. Although he was the center of many gazes, he didn’t ignore them, instead smiling gently and waving back with a small hand wave. What a good kid.

“Taketo-kun was really great.”

“You were so cool. Taketo-kun’s really good at skateboarding too.”

“I’ve fallen for you all over again.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“Really? That’s good to hear.”

Taketo-kun, who is blushing from being praised by all the members. He has his cute moments, too, it seems.

“That’s something you can be proud of. I couldn’t help but be captivated by it, too.”

“I-is that so? Thank you very much.”

Taketo-kun showed a moment of surprise as he didn’t expect me to talk to him, but soon smiled and seemed happy. Just like them, he might be surprisingly straightforward too.

——Hehe… I’m liking him more and more.

After that, even the other co-stars nearby started talking to him, so I couldn’t approach him anymore, but today, I became a fan after hearing the Armed Girls’ song up close.

And now, it seems I’ve realized that I like people who shine beautifully, regardless of their gender.

I couldn’t get their contact information, but for today, I guess it’s good enough to know that they have a netTube account for Armed Girls and their personal SNS account.

——Hehe… I might just ask them to co-star with me.

However, one thing that caught my attention was Manager Minamino’s behavior.

——Should she get along with the Armed Girls?

It seems that she was giving such instructions to the juniors who cautiously approached, trying to gauge her mood.