When Shiranui Marinelle started walking toward Seiya, every student in Class 1-F collectively held their breath.
The entertainment industry was notoriously chaotic. On-screen, many actors looked like lifelong friends—sworn brothers even—but in reality, plenty of them couldn't stand each other off-camera.
Seiya had debuted as a child actor and was now one of the few young action stars in the business. Whether it was period dramas, live-action adaptations, or adventure series, he could perfectly embody any role given to him.
Despite his age, his acting skills—especially his mastery of swordsmanship and martial arts—had earned him the title "Bukkyoku", meaning "The Shining Star of the Action World."
At this point, Seiya was practically the representative figure for action-based productions.
In contrast, Shiranui Marinelle was a rising star—a young actress who had skyrocketed to fame only in the past few years. While her pure acting ability might not match Seiya's, she was a versatile performer—an actress, model, and singer—so in terms of popularity, she was every bit his equal.
Since they were the same age, the media loved comparing them: Seiya, the veteran who started as a child prodigy, and Marinelle, the dazzling newcomer idol.
So, when Marinelle approached Seiya, everyone in class braced themselves, expecting a tense confrontation between rivals.
After all, plenty of gossip magazines had claimed the two were arch-enemies behind the scenes.
"Seiya, I didn't expect you to be in this class too," Marinelle said with a teasing smile. "Looks like school won't be too boring after all. And seriously, how do you always manage to get along with everyone so easily? I've asked you before if you had some kind of secret, but you kept saying it's just 'natural.' Now I'm sure you're hiding something!"
To everyone's shock, the usually cool and dignified Shiranui Marinelle suddenly grabbed Seiya by the shoulders and began shaking him furiously like an old friend.
"I told you, I don't have any secret," Seiya said helplessly, smiling wryly. "People probably just keep their distance from you because your aura is too intimidating—ah, I mean too powerful. After all, you're Shiranui Marinelle! Even I feel pressured when I'm around you."
Unable to take his teasing, Marinelle smacked him on the head with a sharp karate chop.
"If you keep making fun of me," she huffed, "I'll go home and post your black history on LINE tonight!"
The entire class froze.
Where was the dramatic showdown they'd expected? The child-star prodigy and the rising idol actress weren't rivals at all—in fact, they seemed close!
No tension, no hostility—just easy familiarity.
In truth, Marinelle had never understood why, even though she was a friendly person, people tended to avoid her. Whether in middle school or now, her classmates often found her intimidating.
Meanwhile, Seiya somehow got along with everyone, no matter where he went.
Was he humble while she was arrogant? Not at all! Marinelle could tell jokes and hold conversations—she just didn't see the point in faking smiles all the time.
Sure, she could plaster on a grin 24/7, but wasn't that kind of thing just… fake?
"Expose my black history?" Seiya grinned. "You've got way more dirt than I do. If you're not afraid of shattering your perfect idol image, then sure—let's destroy each other together!"
But when he saw the gleam of mischief in Marinelle's eyes—like she was actually considering it—Seiya immediately surrendered, raising both hands.
"Alright, alright, I give up! I forgot how dangerous you can be when you get serious. Anyway, if you're looking to make friends, I know someone perfect to introduce you to. Since we both stand out a bit too much, it's probably better if we don't hang out together too often."
The whole class was listening with rapt attention.
Ruby, one of the onlookers, was curious who this "friend" Seiya mentioned might be—until she noticed him leading Marinelle straight toward her.
"No way… no way! Don't tell me he means me?!"
Sure enough, Seiya stopped in front of her desk, Marinelle in tow.
It wasn't that Seiya was giving Ruby special treatment—it was simply that she was the only person he'd met since transferring that morning.
"Hello," Marinelle said with a polite smile, extending her hand. "I'm Shiranui Marinelle. As you can see, I'm no different from anyone else here. Since we're classmates, I hope we can all get along."
Ruby froze for a moment, caught completely off guard, then smiled nervously as she reached out to shake her hand.
When she glanced around the room, she saw every pair of eyes filled with envy. Feeling the pressure, Ruby quickly tugged the pink-haired girl beside her closer.
"Uh… hello! I'm Ruby Hoshino! It's really an honor to be friends with you, Marinelle! And this is Umemiya Nami—she's actually a huge fan of Seiya. She said she wants to be friends with him too!"
Nami: (What the heck, Ruby?! When did I ever say that out loud?!)
"Um… actually," Nami stammered, her cheeks burning, "it's true that I really admire you, Seiya. I've loved all your movies since I was a kid. I'm sorry if I made things awkward—"
Seiya interrupted her with a playful smile. "Oh? So one of my classmates is my fan? How about that, Marinelle—jealous yet? And please, Nami, just call me Seiya. It's an honor to be friends with such a cute girl."
Nami froze, then blushed so hard she thought her face would melt. Her idol was this… down-to-earth?
Marinelle crossed her arms, glaring at Seiya. "Weren't you supposed to introduce me to a friend? Instead, you went and made one for yourself first."
She delivered a swift elbow jab straight to his ribs.
Panicking, Nami quickly waved her hands. "N-no, it's not like that! I really like you too, Marinelle! You're both my favorite idols!"
(End of Chapter)