A Genius In The World Of Conan

Chapter 27: Yoko Okino

Hearing the voice, Itakura Misaki quickly turned around.

"H-Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Itakura Misaki."

She immediately stood up and bowed in greeting to Kousuke Akikawa.

Originally, she had thought that if Wonderful's talent scouts had personally recruited him, then he must have some extraordinary talent.

However—

Now that she was seeing Kousuke Akikawa up close, her disappointment only deepened.

There was no doubt that the person standing in front of her looked exactly like the photo in the file— a face as handsome as ever.

But because he never seemed to open his eyes fully, combined with his gloomy-sounding voice,

Itakura Misaki couldn't shake the feeling that everything about him seemed incredibly dreary.

The primary audience for male idols was, of course, female fans.

But with an attitude like this, one that seemed completely unmotivated about working in the entertainment industry, there was no way he'd be able to attract fans.

Sure, there was a small niche of women who liked this "brooding introvert" type of artist— but that audience was severely limited.

Reaching the level of a top-tier celebrity?

That was nearly impossible.

But just as Misaki was about to start a conversation with Kousuke Akikawa—hoping to at least get to know him a little better—suddenly, the entire atmosphere around them shifted dramatically.

"Whoa—!! Look, look!!"

"It's her!! She's so beautiful in real life!!"

Hearing the excited whispers ripple through the office,

Misaki lifted her head.

And in that moment—

The dull disappointment in her eyes instantly transformed into pure excitement.

"Oh my god?! It's Yoko-sama!!"

Every pair of heated, admiring eyes in the room had all converged on one person—a young woman dressed in a white top and black cardigan, with delicate features so flawless they looked as if they had been meticulously carved by the most skilled artisan in the world.

This was none other than Yoko Okino—the biggest star in Japan, and the face of Wonderful.

At that moment, Yoko Okino seemed to be chatting with her manager, Nakada Sae, about something amusing.

Misaki watched in a daze as a radiant smile bloomed across Yoko's exquisite face, as delicate as a lotus unfolding in the morning light.

For a brief second—

Misaki completely forgot to breathe.

‘Even just a casual smile from Kōno-sama in real life looks like something straight out of a movie scene…’

She couldn't help but marvel internally.

And she knew it wasn't just her.

Every single person on this floor had subconsciously held their breath, completely enchanted by Yoko Okino’s brilliance.

This was the power of Japan’s top-tier celebrity.

Even as a woman herself, Misaki could feel her own heart racing.

"Ah—so today is the day the new trainees are getting assigned managers, huh?"

Standing beside Yoko, her manager Nakada Sae, often referred to as the "Chief Manager", murmured thoughtfully.

"Oh, is it today? Wow, everyone looks so young and full of energy!"

Yoko slowed her steps as she looked over at the area where the new managers were gathered.

She let out a genuine, delighted laugh.

Her words, which sounded like something a grandmother would say, immediately amused many people in the room.

After all, everyone knew that Yoko Okino was only 22 years old.

She was even younger than some of the people in this room.

But because she had debuted at such an early age, she was considered a senior in Japan’s entertainment industry.

As Yoko Okino surveyed the group of young, newly assigned artists and managers, she noticed the way their eyes sparkled with admiration as they looked at her.

A faint rosy blush appeared on her cheeks.

She had long since grown used to the adoring gazes of her fans.

But being looked at with such reverence by her juniors still made her feel a little shy.

But, Yoko Okino’s smile did not last long on her face.

The moment her deep ocean-blue eyes caught sight of someone in the crowd, someone with the same chestnut-colored hair as her, sitting there with his chin resting on one hand, looking down at something.

The legendary healing smile, praised for its ability to soothe souls, collapsed in an instant.

Her half-lidded gemstone-like eyes flew wide open.

As the absolute center of attention in the room, the sudden shock and horror on Yoko Okino’s face was so intense that the once lively and cheerful atmosphere froze in an instant.

Itakura Misaki was the first to react.

Following Yoko's line of sight, she instinctively turned to look in the same direction.

And finally, her gaze landed on the person sitting right beside her.

The one who was still staring down at his own profile document.

—Kousuke Akikawa.

Kousuke Akikawa also noticed the sudden shift in the room’s atmosphere.

He looked up.

And that’s when he saw her.

Yoko Okino.

The woman he had only ever seen on television and the internet.

She was walking away—quickly.

And just a few seconds later, her manager Nakada Sae, looking just as confused as everyone else, hurriedly followed after her.

"What just happened?"

"I have no idea..."

Everyone in the room was baffled by the dramatic shift in Yoko’s expression.

Kousuke Akikawa, still clueless as to what was going on, simply lowered his head and went back to flipping through his file.

But beside him, his manager, Itakura Misaki, was staring at him in absolute shock.

‘Just now… was Yoko-sama looking at Akikawa-san?’

‘Did she make that expression because of Akikawa-san?!’

As a hardcore, die-hard fan of Yoko Okino,

Itakura Misaki knew better than anyone just how exceptional Yoko’s "business smile" was.

In all of Japan, there was no one better at keeping up appearances than Yoko Okino.

She understood perfectly that an entertainer’s job was to bring joy to fans.

That’s why, no matter where or when, she always wore a bright, infectious smile that could light up a room.

It was a habit she had developed since her early idol days in Earth Ladies.

Unless she was acting in a drama, she had never shown negative emotions in public.

But just now—

Yoko had clearly lost control of her expression due to some massive emotional shock.

Her perfectly composed face had completely crumbled.

Itakura Misaki had no idea what was going on.

So, unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked:

"Um… Akikawa-san. Do you… happen to know Yoko-sama in private?"

Kousuke Akikawa barely hesitated before answering.

"Nope. Never met her before. Why?"

"Oh… it’s nothing."

Itakura Misaki replied softly, feeling an unexpected sense of relief.

‘Guess I was just overthinking things…’

She dismissed the thought from her mind.

After all, how could someone like Kousuke Akikawa possibly know Japan’s national goddess, Yoko Okino?