Chapter Text
So, the thing is, Haru has absolutely no clue how he ended up here.
He’s pretty sure he does not have the qualifications for this position, given he’s fresh out of high school, and the media company he’s meant to be working for is definitely famous enough to hire a more experienced candidate than him. A former teacher sent him a job listing one day, saying it was worth a shot, and he needs money, so…
He expected to be taken on as some sort of stage hand, a safe, entry level position. Applying to that particular listing wasn’t supposed to go anywhere beyond putting his name on the table. He did not expect to actually become the manager of one of the most famous idol duos in the entire country.
He’s here anyways, being forced into a tiny little room where he’s expected to meet the idol duo face to face. ‘To see how they get along’, some employee cheerfully said at him before promptly shoving him into what’s absolutely not supposed to be their actual working space.
Neither of the idols in question are actually here yet, they’re about five minutes late, even. Haru can feel the anxiety creeping in the longer he’s here. Is he going to be thrown out? Before he even starts the very first day?
Unfortunately for him, it’s another ten minutes before even just one of the two properly show up.
Ushirono Fuyu, a name that Haru is familiar with only through what posts he read online before arriving here, and a vague sense of recognition that his surname is the same as a few rather important individuals.
[otsu09]: ohmygodohmygodohmygoddd did you all see him in the latest stream? please please please tell me im not insane
[shrimporium]: really? you’re going insane over that? you guys are so delusional, i swear to god.
[otsu09]: how did you even get to our part of the forum if you hate him so much!! go back to your side!!!
[shrimporium]: your fav insults you all for two seconds and you collectively lose your minds
[otsu09]: he’s like a cat!!! it’s cute!!!
[shrimporium]: at least MY fav is actually nice to his fans and doesn’t treat them like shit
[otsu09]: just say you don’t get the ice prince types, your fav gets scandals of dating a different girl like, every week!
[shrimporium]: he’s just a nice person!
[yaoiismylifeblood]: you’re both wrong, i think they should kiss on stage
[username1800084351]: oh my god get OUT i literally have fuyuaka shippers dni in my bio
[shimporium]: not the fuyuaka shippers inserting themselves into the convo…
Haru doesn’t even actually know what a “fuyuaka” is, but it’s fine.
Regardless, Haru thinks he already looks a good bit more intimidating than an idol actually should be. He saw the thread, sure, but he was under the impression most idols still had to look… somewhat approachable? Maybe the kind you’d be scared of ever meeting, but still someone you could meet?
This guy just looks scary.
“...So they brought you in as the new one.” Is all that he says, before taking a seat. He doesn’t even seem to flinch at the lack of the other half of the duo there. Nor does he seem all that bothered by having to go through this process.
“I-It’s nice to meet you!” Haru manages to say anyway. He isn’t even given an actual response. He… really doesn’t know how this is supposed to go.
…It’s another 20 minutes before the other one shows up.
Maeno Aki, the other half of the duo. Distinctively red, and all Haru could really tell about him from an immediate search as that he’s generally described as the “nice” one of the two. That, and accusations of a lack of professionalism, that some people like…? Haru doesn’t quite get it.
[akas97thtoenailclipping]: new maeno collab stream!! gogogo
[Gloomurai]: maeno fans eat so well all the time… so much content…
[yourfavswilldisband]: isn’t he being too nice to her?
[akas97thtoenailclipping]: oh my god, it’s literally his job!
[yourfavswilldisband]: i’m just saying.
[Gloomurai]: it’s his branding. he’s the nice, warm, sunny one to fuyu’s ice prince
[yourfavswilldisband]: still, though…
[akas97thtoenailclipping]: it’s just how he is! you must be new here. you’ll get used to it!
[hyasin]: that kind of dynamic is what makes them so fun to watch together…
[akas97thtoenailclipping]: i was going to agree, but i checked your page… i don’t like you weirdos who ship irl people, sorry ^^ blocked
[yourfavswilldisband]: they’re both straight, what are the delusional fujos doing here, lol
…So, Haru should really start learning what these words actually mean, because he isn’t learning anything from his internet searches.
“So, you’re the new one!” He exclaims, sitting next to Ushirono with a posture far too relaxed compared to what he’s pretty sure idols are supposed to use.
“You’re late.” Ushirono says, as the only acknowledgement of the other’s presence. Maeno gives a loud, far to exaggerated to be real gasp of offense.
“Says you!” Maeno exclaims, in retaliation. “I bet you weren’t any better about being on time than me. Hey, hey, new guy- I’m right, aren’t I?”
“At least I wasn’t late by an entire half hour.”
“...Oh, wait, I’m late by that long?”
…How did he get here? Haru almost thinks he’s somehow wandered into the wrong building. He hasn’t, though. So, how did he get here?
Right. He’s Tsugino Haru, an eighteen year old who just graduated high school who has been looking for work so he can (hopefully) move out. Having food in the meantime sounds nice though. He’s definitely not qualified to work here, and yet here he is, meeting a famous idol group. That he’s now expected to manage.
[kn1ghtwhIte]: you can tell that fans of a certain ship are deranged when we literally never see them interact outside of concerts, and whenever they do they clearly hate each other LMAO
[ch3rryb0mb]: don’t be shy you can say fuyuaka twin we support
[fuyusteponmePLEASE]: you guys just don’t get it!
[ch3rryb0mb]: they LITERALLY cannot say a single nice thing about each other without it being forced
[knightwhite]: ok but genuinely why even force them to be a duo let them have solo careers ZENO entertainment has to free them they clearly hate each other
[ch3rryb0mb]: #letwhiteknightgosolo2026
…Maybe Haru is starting to understand where those people online were coming from.
The two in front of him haven’t stopped arguing since they got here. Is this why all their managers leave? Haru hasn’t even gotten a proper introduction of the two. Wasn’t the point of this to see if Haru can get along fine with the idol duo in question?
It’s really hard to tell that when he’s barely gotten in a single sentence. Much less a response to anything he’s said or done.
This is ridiculous.
“And what was that you said on stream about me the other day?” Maeno is saying. The conversation must have entirely shifted, at some point. “We’re supposed to get along, you know! The whole ‘chivalrous knight’ concept? Is it so hard to keep up the act for a few hours?”
“I wasn’t wrong.” Fuyu says, instead.
“Um, excuse me…” Haru manages to stammer out, but the words must have been lost because neither of them actually acknowledge it. Or maybe it’s on purpose. He can’t actually tell. It might be on purpose.
“Yes, you were!” Great, this argument seems productive already. “I don’t go around talking about you whenever I’m doing a solo stream! This is why we can’t stream together-”
“Excuse me…” Haru says, just a tiny bit louder this time.
“We can’t stream together because every time we try, suddenly the entire purpose of the stream has been derailed for the next 30 minutes-”
“And whose fault is that? It’s not mine!”
“Excuse me!”
Oh, that got their attention this time. Except now they’re looking at him like they entirely forgot he was even there. Great.
“...I’m Tsugino Haru.” He says, much quieter now. “I’m supposed to be your new manager, starting from today. I hope that we can get along.”
It’s quiet for a second.
“Hey, Fuyu, I kinda wanna keep this one.” Is the first thing said.
“It hasn’t even been an hour.” Ushirono counters, disdain practically dripping from his voice. “He’s not even going to last the week.”
…What the hell has Haru gotten himself into?
-
It turns out that his job is actually not nearly as far off from his existing areas of expertise as he thought.
Scheduling seems to be the bulk of it. Whether separately, or as the idol duo, the two are very much in demand. Which leaves it to be Haru’s job to determine what’s worth their time and what isn’t, alongside events that the actual entertainment company they work for demands of them.
Add that to planning time for rehearsals, meetings with choreographers and photographers and lyricists and composers and far, far too many people with too many titles to keep track of. Then time for transport, which Haru is also to arrange. Oh, and maybe also time to eat and sleep- which Haru is to decide whether the proposed meals they take on company time are acceptable within their diet plans, and-
Hey, isn’t this a little too restrictive?
That all, and Ushirono in particular is rather fond of using him as more or less a glorified errand boy. That’s not to say that Maeno doesn’t, but more so that Ushirono’s demands are far more frequent.
And also, far more difficult to actually accomplish. That became evident on just day three.
“Heyyy? Aki brother? Big brother?” A little girl suddenly comes barrelling into the room. Which is meant to be extremely off limits, mind you, being one of the many, many rehearsal rooms the building has to offer.
Which means you have to get past the front desk, about five different checkpoints where it asks for a keycard, and past several employees of all different types to get in.
…Neither of the idols in question were actually here though. They were supposed to be here in five minutes, which means Haru can expect them to arrive in anywhere from ten to thirty minutes from now.
“...Um…?” Haru blinks. The little girl blinks back at him. “...Are you lost…?”
“Where are they?” She asks, dropping what looks to be her schoolbag on the floor. It looks like there’s no getting her to leave. Without asking security, at least.
…Haru looks at her a bit longer. Isn’t she familiar?
“Um, not here.” Haru mutters, quiet. “Are you supposed to be here, though?”
“Oh. I’m supposed to be at filming.” The girl chirps, cheerfully. “I didn’t want to. Aki brother promised we’d spend time together today. So I want to do that before filming.”
…What?
“...Natsu?” A voice that ought to be familiar, but with a tone far too kind to possibly be attributed to the person he knows it should belong to, rings out. “You shouldn’t be here for another three hours.”
“Big brother!”
[R4RE_]: i just saw a movie trailer and got jumpscared by a smaller girl version of my bias ushirono fuyu from the idol group white knight???
[_Snakes4life_]: oh yeah he has a child actress sister. she’s in that one horror franchise. where she’s a dead ghost girl haunting the mc
[R4RE_]: I THOUGHT HE SAID HE DIDN’T HAVE ANY SIBLINGS???
[_Snakes4life_]: oh you’re new here literally everyone knows he’s lying
[FuuyumyOSHI]: hey, if he says he has no siblings, i think we should be respecting his privacy <3
[_Snakes4life_]: mf her name is LITERALLY ushirono natsu and they have the same hair same eyes and there’s at least 5 different pics of her in the ZENO entertainment building
[FuuyumyOSHI]: stalking a child to get info abt ur fav idol kinda weird behavior???
[R4RE_]: …okay but they do look alike
…Okay, right, so those rumors were in fact true. There is a sister, who looks like she’s in maybe elementary school. Who is a child actress. Who should not be here. And should be at filming, actually. Which is… Haru has absolutely no clue where.
Regardless, the two are talking- and Haru doesn’t really intend to eavesdrop, because this is really not his business. He’s not supposed to be too involved in their personal lives beyond what’s strictly needed for their work as idols.
…Even if he’s a little curious.
“...You need to be at filming, Natsu.” Ushirono says, without any actual harshness. The girl- Natsu, Haru mentally corrects, just pouts at him.
“Nuh-uh!” She says, her arms crossed. “I wanna be here! Aki brother said we hang out today! I don’t wanna go film!”
“And we both have rehearsals.” Ushirono says, much to Natsu’s visible disappointment. “Your filming can’t just be rescheduled because you don’t want to show up.”
…Which implies that these rehearsals can be. They can’t. Haru knows that full well. He supposes he shouldn’t be too surprised, given neither of the idols understand what being punctual is like.
“Well I’m not gonna walk back!” Natsu exclaims, sitting on the floor. “My feet hurt from walking. I’m not going back unless someone forces me to go!
Ushirono just looks at him, and Haru sighs.
He’s pretty sure there’s an actual process he needs to go through before he’s even allowed to be driving people around on behalf of the company, but he’s pretty sure that explaining that to Ushirono wouldn’t get him anywhere anyways.
-
[SHTDNclips]: compiled personal highlights from the maeno aki (the white knight idol) and agape collab stream for anyone who missed it, it’s actually a gem tho go watch the whole thing! welcome any white knight fans who want to join us too the white knight collab was super fun and we should get more someday
[yuexie]: WHAT are these two doing collabing im so confused. more aka content tho aka fans can never stop winning
[SHTDNclips]: if you’re not familiar with agape and goyou’s content, goyou talked about wanting to better understand human idols a while back on stream!!! agape mentioned being familiar with a few different groups, including white knight! i guess their agency managed to get him on board for a stream. iirc he’s collabed w/ someone else from their agency before, this was probably planned for a good while :)
[augg1ehat3r]: what’s a goyou??? wasn’t here at all
[SHTDNclips]: okok so goyou is an antivirus while agape is a virus, but goyou is super in character all the time ^^’ his whole bit is that he’s never had access to the internet before, so he’s super clueless about humanity and always asking agape questions, so i guess they couldn’t fit him into meeting an irl idol?
[etheREALmidnighT]: then what abt agape
[SHTDNclips]: he’s had connection to the internet before, so his character is a bit more ‘knowledgeable’ and easier to work into collabs like this!! next stream will probably include a lot of goyou asking abt the collab, so if you’re a white knight fan who thinks that you might be interested you should still stick around!!!
[augg1ehat3r]: this vtuber shit is confusing why not just let them both be on stream
[SHTDNclips]: they’re just really dedicated to their characters i guess ^^’
[squigily_g00ber]: clip person have they ever dropped character before do you know
[SHTDNclips]: …come to think of it, i don’t think so? they must have practiced a lot to get this good at it
[4kA_N.1]: hey i know you probably aren’t actually an aka fan, but you should really be more specific, this is a maeno aki collab NOT a white knight collab! not all of us are white knight fans, most of us coming here for the collab are actually just aka fans!!! anyways yes this collab was super cute!! i missed aka he didn’t stream or post for a whole 20 hours i was getting worried :(
[goldfishappreciator]: hey so genuinely what the fuck is the difference?????
[KUROentertainment]: check their page they REALLY fucking hate the other one in the duo and think maeno needs to have a solo career
[4Ka_N.1]: god forbid someone slanders the OTHER one you people are all the same, im just a dedicated aka fan and there’s actually nothing wrong with that!
[KUROentertainment]: LITERALLY NOBODY MENTIONED THAT GUY I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO HE IS??? im here for the agape content idgaf abt ur stupid idols like
[4ka_N.1]: i just think we should stop making an aka collab about white knight, not everything he does is white knight related!!
[goldfishappreciator]: …whatever you say man
-
[yoshiimi]: did anyone manage to get tickets to the meet and greet tomorrow T-T i didn’t get in…
[baconfriedsoup]: NO the tickets are literally so limited every single time and they KNOW a bunch of people want in so like…
[yoshiimi]: right!!! i even had the money saved for the ticket and everything else i wanted… im gonna spend it all on other merch to make me feel better…..
[whiteknights☆darkdays]: i got in!! also, i thought that there wasn’t anything else sold at the meet and greet after you get the ticket…? arent the autographs free with attendance ^^’
[yoshiimi]: GAAHHHH someone who doesn’t even know got a ticket… you’ll see it tomorrow tho it’s okay
[whiteknights☆darkdays]: that’s so scary!!!
[yoshiimi]: no no no no i’m so jealous!!! if i can’t buy it myself i wish i could at least see it in person….
-
Today is a bit different, because Haru actually has to be expected to attend an event where there are also fans. A lot of them. A few hundred rabid fans.
Haru is a bit worried.
From what he understands, these sorts of fan interaction events with both Maeno and Ushirono present are rather rare. Maeno does plenty of solo meet and greets, but Ushirono hardly ever does any- unless of course, he’s mandated to be there as part of the idol duo.
So Haru has to be here for a few reasons. Make sure security is doing their job, that the two have water, the photos they’re supposed to be using are still properly stocked, and everything else. It’s only made stressful by the fact that there’s fans there. But they’re not really going to be looking at him, so…
Haru thinks he’ll be okay.
The venue is at least rather accommodating for the two. Security was a bit scary considering they were deferring to his judgement near constantly- and he ended up just taking the advice from one of the senior members of the team. A handful stationed around the idols themselves, and guards placed throughout the line, many placed by the entrance, as well as two by the exit.
Something about preventing incidents. Apparently there isn’t just danger of the fans harassing the idols, but attacking each other.
That, admittedly, scared Haru a bit.
The venue’s staff still provided water and a meal, which Maeno ate and Ushirono barely picked at. Someone then offered Haru something to eat too, as a member of their staff, and Haru had to turn it down.
(Haru doesn’t remember the last time he had a proper meal, but he doesn’t have time to be eating at work anyways.)
It went unnoticed anyhow, so Haru ended up slipping out for just the moment to look at the line.
…Too many people. A few hundred might not sound like too many, compared to the other numbers Haru sees constantly around the duo. Constant statistics of how their online activities are going, which have always been far past just the “few hundred” range.
It’s a lot of people when Haru has to physically see their presence in person. It’s actually a rather terrifying amount of people.
“Right, this is your first fan-event with us, huh?” Maeno says, practically just appearing next to him. Haru didn’t even hear him approach. “Don’t worry, this is pretty tame. It’ll be a few hours. You got pretty lucky for your first one, huh?”
…This is considered tame?
-
This was not tame in the slightest.
It’s loud, for one thing. A few hundred people who all want to get to the table where Ushirono and Maeno sit, who want their autographs or… whatever else they’re all here for. Photos and videos too, something Maeno seems willing to entertain and Ushirono refuses to go along with for more than a few seconds.
Even stranger was the people taking photos and glances at him as they leave, which is a little insane given Haru has hardly been doing anything of note.
Checking on security every once in a while, bringing the idols water and new stacks of photos to sign and pens to sign with, occasionally nudging security to get a particularly overzealous fan out if they go too over time. Maeno is too willing to indulge these people in their wants.
It’s chaotic, and Haru feels like he barely knows what he’s even doing.
If he isn’t needed, he’s supposed to default to standing off to the side to wait for when he actually is. That’s when he gets the most outright stares, but for what reason- Haru doesn’t actually know.
It’s in a break like that where something interesting happens, for better or for worse.
This girl, on the younger end but entirely alone, who’s visibly shaking even from where Haru is standing, slowly slides over some notes. Ushirono is looking at it with something between disdain and a very, very begrudging acceptance.
“Come on Fuyu, you know what that means!” Maeno says from beside him, light and teasing, before immediately turning to Haru. “Heyyy, Tsugino! Come count this and make sure it’s right.”
…Huh?
Tsugino steps over, looking over the girl. She’s looking at him with wide eyes. He looks between the two idols, and the yen notes on the table, and then-
He takes them, and counts.
Fifty-thousand yen.
…Haru has never really been trusted to hold this much money in his entire lifetime. All of his wages from part time jobs before, at least half of it went to his parents. He never really got a chance to build savings alongside… well, what he needed to live.
“So, how much is it?” Maeno asks, looking all too amused by this entire sequence of events. “Gotta be absolutely sure we’re not being shortchanged here.”
“...Fifty-thousand yen.” Haru mutters, looking again at the notes just to be sure he’s correct. Maeno just claps gleefully from his seat, nudging Ushirono. Who looks like he really, really doesn’t want to be here.
“Come on then! The girl paid up, didn’t she?” Maeno hums. The girl is just looking between the three of them like she’s anticipating something.
It’s only after Ushirono has gotten up from the seat and is staring at the girl like she’s personally offended him that Haru dares to muster up the courage to ask. Because he was pretty sure there was nothing else being sold here today besides their autographs, which are paid for already with admission.
“Um, Maeno…” Haru mutters. Maeno doesn’t look away for a second. “What exactly is… this?”
The line behind them is getting increasingly excited too. Haru’s just confused, more than anything. There’s people getting their phones out to record.
“You’ll see. Happens a few times every event.” Maeno says, not even looking at him. “Well, first people started asking him every time he was out. Then someone got the brilliant idea that it’s something we could charge for. So, we started charging for it.”
“...Huh-”
Then a sharp sound, and Haru looks back over to see the girl clutching her cheek in pain. With a really, really wide smile on her face.
…Did the girl really cough up fifty-thousand yen just to be slapped?
Ushirono sits back down after smoothing out the uniform jacket like he’s had to interact with something particularly disgusting, and the girl just mutters her thanks and runs off.
Haru can’t say he understands it in the slightest.
The line moves forward after a bit more chatter, and it’s not even another 10 minutes later when Haru is called back over to count another several yen notes.
…Okay, so their fanbase is absolutely terrifying. Haru understands that much now.
-
[Per0xide]: can we talk about how insane it is some of y’all are spending so much money to be slapped by ur fav like
[CRIspIN]: honestly i feel bad for the guy, im not super familiar but he looks so uncomfortable???
[sinema]: context please what the fuck
[Per0xide]: video going around lately from a white knight event where some girl spent 50k for this
[Per0xide]: the guy genuinely looks like he wants to kill himself the whole time it’s so funny
[pawfin]: if you don’t get it then just say so!! It’s part of his brand, including the looking disgusted part. if they didn’t like it, they wouldn’t offer it at all
[Per0xide]: okay sure but i can still call you a weirdo and a freak for it like
[bunnix5]: literally who cares look at aka in the background instead
-
[username1800084351]: i know the normies are discoursing about the fuyu stuff but can we talk abt the new white knight manager
[spinthinspice]: he’s so much younger than all the other ones??? like what are you doing here
[username1800084351]: isn’t this their like. 20th.
[whiteknightmanagergravecount]: 24th.
[spinthinspice]: jesus, how are they going through them so fast?
[whiteknightmanagergravecount]: idek
[spinthinspice]: i really hope they’re treating him well, he looks so stressed in all the photos we have of him….
[whiteknightmanagergravecount]: he’s definitely not being treated well why do you think the others all leave LMAO
[username1800084351]: hey so ik we’re being critical rn but i do still have white knight haters dni in my bio so like shut up