King of Idols C1 Favourite Manga

Renji could never forget the day he discovered his favorite manga at the bookstore: "Reigning Superstars". The curiosity that gripped him as he read the first chapter, the way the story drew him in completely—it was unforgettable.

Over the past five years, he had grown alongside the main characters, as if he had been there watching Kamikawa Haruto, a shy young man, form a J-Pop group and rise to stardom with his friends.

"Lost in that manga again?" Renji's friend, Shin, teased, patting him on the shoulder as Renji pored over the first chapter on his phone.

A smile tugged at Renji's lips. "Yeah, I can't help myself." He took a sip of his coffee. "Just needed an escape from the monotony of work, and this manga always does the trick."

Shin let out a sigh as he plopped down beside Renji. "It's been what, five years now? I get why you're so obsessed with it. I was hooked too, at first." He shrugged. "But I dropped it when the group split up and they all went their separate ways."

Renji's sigh echoed Shin's, a complicated expression on his face. "I know, but trust me, it gets better after the split-up. Haruto manages to make it big as a solo artist, and Airi, his girlfriend, finds her own success right alongside him."

"I know, I know!" Shin said, irritation coloring his voice as he raked a hand through his hair. "I just can't wrap my head around why the author would throw in such a massive plot twist. Breaking up the group just so Haruto could go solo? It's beyond me."

He heaved another sigh. "But hey, I heard the manga's almost over. Maybe I'll give it another shot."

Renji nodded encouragingly. "You definitely should. No regrets, I promise." A hint of concern crept into his voice. "I just hope the ending does the story justice. I'll be crushed if it's some cliché cop-out."

"You and me both," Shin agreed.

Renji turned his attention back to the manga, immersing himself once more in the world of Sakuragaoka High, a fictional Tokyo school renowned for its arts and music programs. It was this reputation that had drawn Haruto—a kind but shy boy from outside the city—to enroll. But his gentle nature had also made him a target for ridicule.

As the story unfolded, Renji watched Haruto slowly come out of his shell, forging friendships and even catching the eye of the school's most popular girls.

Renji couldn't suppress a grin as he read—until a certain ginger-haired character appeared on the page. His smile instantly soured. "Damn, that guy always kills my mood," he grumbled, setting the manga aside and refocusing on his work.

And so life went on as usual for Renji. The daily grind of work, meals, sleep, and more work. An endless cycle with no escape, the fate of a half-Japanese man in a relentless world.

Only the fantasy of manga and anime could keep the bleakness at bay, with Reigning Superstars as his most potent antidote.

Then the news hit that the final chapter of Reigning Superstars was about to drop, throwing Renji into emotional turmoil. On one hand, he was desperate for closure. On the other, the void that would be left by a series that had been his constant companion for years seemed unbearable.

He wavered for days, caught between the need to know and the fear of letting go, until at last, he made up his mind to buy it.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

On his way to the bookstore, as Renji rounded a corner on his bike, his path was blocked by a mammoth shape hurtling towards him.

A truck.

Eyes wide with shock, Renji swerved frantically to avoid a collision. But the truck seemed to have a mind of its own, hellbent on pursuing him, until—

Impact.

Renji felt his body crumple, flung through the air like a ragdoll. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he sailed in a graceful arc, the sickening realization washing over him: 'This is it. I'm dying.'

The world tilted crazily around him. He felt the breath being squeezed from his lungs as he hit the ground, the concerned shouts of onlookers gathering around him fading into a meaningless buzz. The truck driver was yelling something too as he knelt at Renji's side, but the words were lost in the haze of pain that engulfed him.

As his vision dimmed, Renji's eyes drifted skyward, the vibrant blue above him the last sight he would ever see. His final thought flitted through his mind even as the light began to leave his eyes: 'So this is how it ends for me? I guess...I can live with that. Or rather...die with it.'

---

Renji had expected nothingness. Instead, a sudden pressure on his chest jolted him back to semi-consciousness.

He could feel his ribs cracking under the relentless force, each compression sending shockwaves of agony through his broken body. His eyes fluttered open, just enough to make out the blurry shapes of medical personnel swarming around him.

One of them was hunched over his chest, arms pumping rhythmically as a machine beside him beeped in time with the desperate compressions.

Renji felt a flicker of annoyance through the haze of pain. He was supposed to be dead, damn it.

But even that fleeting emotion was too much effort to sustain. His eyes began to drift shut again, the urgent shouts of the doctors and nurses fading into a meaningless cacophony. All he could hear was a strange, mechanical voice echoing in his mind, counting down with cold precision:

[You are leaving this world in 5...]

[4...]

Renji's thoughts were a jumbled mess, but he was too far gone to question the bizarre turn his final moments had taken. He let his eyes close fully as the medical team fought to drag him back from the brink.

[3... 2... 1...]

The instant the countdown hit one, everything changed.

"...as we begin this new school year, let us all strive to uphold the proud traditions of our esteemed institution..."

The voice, authoritative yet genial, yanked Renji back to full alertness as his eyes flew open. He found himself sitting amongst a sea of uniformed students, their attention focused on the stage at the front where a middle-aged man was delivering a speech.

For a moment, Renji could only blink in confusion, his mind struggling to reconcile this new reality with his last memory of searing pain and the oncoming truck.

"Wait... I'm alive?" he muttered, glancing down at his hands in wonder, flexing his fingers as if to reassure himself of their functionality.

As he looked around, taking in the scene, the pieces began to fall into place. He was at some sort of school entrance ceremony, that much was clear, even if the specifics of his presence there remained a mystery. Still, after the nightmare of his brush with death, Renji couldn't help but smile at the sheer normalcy of it all.

Then a particular detail from the principal's speech caught his ear, and his smile widened. It was 2008? Oh, the possibilities that presented...

With his knowledge of the future, he could invest in surefire winners like Bitcoin, start businesses guaranteed to succeed, maybe even make a killing in the music industry...

As a failed musician, he could easily capitalize on his knowledge of future music trends without having to endure the grind of the industry.

He was already plotting his path to success when the principal's next words reached his ears: "...and so, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to Sakuragaoka High School!"

The moment he heard that name, Renji's smile faltered. "Did I hear that right?"