Tokyo Agent: Starting with Picking Up a Problem Girl

Chapter 152 She was so scared

"Nakajima, I want to ask you something."

That night.

Asuka tucked herself into Nakajima Hiro's arms while buttoning her pajamas.

Oh right, didn't we say we wanted to partition off this place?

"What's wrong?"

Nakajima Hiroshi put down his pen and paper and turned to Asuka.

Actually, he has a lot on his plate. Putting aside his enemy Kuroda, there are many things to worry about within the agency itself.

With new members joining, fund circulation, risk control, and resource allocation —

There are many things to negotiate with, including Shiraishi Yu's new team.

While it's called delegating authority, in reality, many things still require consultation with me.

"Hmm—I've recently learned a bit about team management, but I'm not sure if it's right or wrong, so I wanted to ask you for confirmation."

"Oh?"

Nakajima Hiro looked at Asuka's crookedly buttoned shirt: "Tell me about it."

Actually, he didn't have any expectations for Asuka's team; Asuka's current situation is somewhat awkward.

If the issue of musical scales cannot be resolved, then she undoubtedly has serious flaws, and even if we force her to improve, it will probably only cause her to fall quite hard.

Moreover, this is unfair to the two partners, Misaki Tachibana and Shigeru Yoshioka.

Forget it, don't push this kind of thing onto your partner. Even if it were just Nakajima Hiroshi on his own, he would still exercise this kind of control.

After all, her main focus is still on being a manager, not playing house with Asuka Hanako as an idol.

"Hmm—does a management position necessarily mean turning subordinates into tools instead of friends?"

Asuka is quite straightforward, immediately asking the question she cares about most.

She could not accept Shiraishi Yu's teachings.

Asuka imagines a good leader to be kind and approachable, always humble and leading by example, like a great general beloved and guided by his subordinates.

As you know, fairy tale picture books often depict this kind of idealized, heroic leader.

Upon hearing this, Nakajima Hiroshi paused for a moment in surprise.

He had actually considered whether to lie to Asuka, because just from this question, he could tell what she was dreaming about.

After a brief silence, Nakajima Hiroshi nodded.

That's right.

"Like your team, once I hand them over to you, these people are no longer people in my eyes, but your appendages."

"I will assume that everything they say and do is a result of you."

Asuka's pursuits will only hurt her; now that this trend has been detected, it's better to correct it in time.

"Then, like partners, working together with one heart and one mind, isn't that also—"

"Asuka, have you ever argued with your friends?"

"Occasionally, but we make up quickly."

"How long does it usually take to make up?"

Asuka frowned: "It depends on the person. It could be as quick as a few hours, or as slow as three to five days."

"We'll judge based on the shortest timeframe of a few hours. If this person isn't your friend but a subordinate, they're unlikely to work diligently when they're arguing with you."

"For the company, this is a real loss of human resources."

Asuka opened her mouth.

She wanted to say that if I had a fight with a team member, I could lead everyone to finish her work first, and then let her make up for it after we made up.

But before he could utter a sound, he was interrupted by Nakajima Hiroshi.

"Furthermore, if you encounter a relatively extreme type who causes damage during a conflict, resulting in your entire group, or even the company, needing external assistance to cover the losses, who should be held responsible?"

"----I."

Asuka wouldn't shirk responsibility; given her personality, she'd probably take the blame even if her subordinates made a mistake.

But this is not a good thing, at least not from the company's perspective.

Hiroshi Nakajima emphasized this point.

"See, here's the problem."

"It was clearly your subordinates who caused the sabotage, but you stepped forward to take responsibility. It's very likely that the company and I were unaware of such a huge hidden danger."

"Therefore, acting on emotions in this way is very irresponsible towards the team."

"Asuka, can you understand?"

Asuka hung her little head, looking dejected.

She couldn't refute that point alone.

Moreover, there are probably many more reasons to convince oneself than these.

"Well, if they become my tools, won't they still cause trouble?"

"No."

Nakajima Hiroshi extended his finger and shook it slightly.

"This involves the issue of psychological responsibility."

"Psychological responsibility?"

"right."

Hiroshi Nakajima nodded and gave an example: "In fact, when artists work for us, their initial purpose is quite pure; they are basically doing it for their own dreams and future."

"Or rather, fame and money."

He tried to make his wording as harsh as possible.

"Yeah, fame and big money!"

"And then there's power, becoming a high-ranking official, making tons of money, and treating everyone to delicious food!"

Asuka's eyes lit up; she clearly didn't think it was a shameful pursuit.

—It’s not shameful at all.

It's clearly a positive pursuit, so why is it being stigmatized?

Nakajima Hiroshi suddenly felt that something was strange about this place.

He straightened his mind and prioritized dealing with the problems at Asuka Hanazawa.

"But if they treat you as a friend, that ideal becomes distorted."

"Spoiled?"

"Yes, they will feel like they are supporting you and doing things for you."

"Then shouldn't everyone work even harder? After all, we're doing this for our friends!"

She patted her chest.

trembling.

Even without Shiraishi Yu's reminder, Nakajima Hiroshi is well aware that this child is completely unsuitable to lead the team.

She was overly naive.

However, Nakajima Hiroshi did not immediately dismiss Asuka from her post, but instead gave her some instructions.

"This isn't a matter of one plus one equals two."

"From the moment you become friends, subconsciously, you will lose the reasons for making money for yourself and striving for your dreams, and transfer those reasons to your friendship with you."

"Over time, they might even feel that you owe them a favor."

"ah----?"

Asuka's mouth dropped open.

For her little brain, the team's inclination towards this thing was still too profound.

"But conversely, if you clearly distinguish yourself from them from the beginning, although people may hate you, they will find all sorts of reasons to convince themselves."

"For example, for a salary, for a future, or for someone who will one day make it big and ride roughshod over you."

"Waaah————"

It doesn't sound pretty at all.

"Is this all there is to being a leader?"

"Someone has to play this role, otherwise the team can't function."

Hiroshi Nakajima reiterated this point.

"This is the core function of leadership; it is to confront human nature itself."

"That sounds awful—"

Asuka frowned and hugged Nakajima Hiro's arm.

The little fist clenched and then relaxed, as if trying to grasp something, but then giving up.

She bit her lip and hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

"Nakajima, I don't want to become that kind of person—"

"Wouldn't you be very disappointed if you didn't become the team leader?"

"Then, little by little, they left me far behind, until one day, we couldn't even talk to each other anymore."

"7

His voice was slightly choked up.

The child is about to cry.

She was so scared.