Tokyo Agent: Starting with Picking Up a Problem Girl

Chapter 157 Shameful Things

Lunch break.

The three young girls were huddled together; they were the lead singer and backup dancers of Asuka Karen.

The food on the plate hadn't been touched much.

One of the backup dancers poked at his rice with chopsticks, nervously glanced around to make sure Asuka wasn't there, and then spoke in a mysterious tone.

"You know what? That night I passed by the practice room and saw the group leader practicing scales."

The girl across from him didn't seem to care.

"So what? Everyone has to practice."

"No, no, no, let me finish."

The person who spoke first put down their chopsticks, leaned forward, and lowered their voice even further.

"It seems like she can't even sing the second octave completely."

The girl opposite him stared wide-eyed.

"Really? No way."

"Yeah, someone who hasn't even mastered the scales can be our group leader?"

"Of course it's true!"

The girl said with absolute certainty, "If you don't believe me, let's see after get off work today. It's like I'm lying."

The lead singer answered quickly, as if he had wanted to say it for a long time.

"Is that really true? No wonder I've never seen her sing—"

"It's a joke that an artist can't sing, so what gives her the right to lead us!"

Another silence followed.

Then, someone started speaking, but the voice became even lower.

"Besides, don't you guys think she and Mr. Nakajima are getting too close? During their commute, they often—"

She didn't finish speaking, but the rest was already filled in by the exchange of glances between the three people.

Their eyes met briefly in the air, then, as if reaching some kind of tacit understanding, they both lowered their heads, pretending to be focused on the food on their plates.

After a while, the one on the left, stirring his soup with a spoon, replied without looking up.

"It's so good to have a pretty face."

No one responded to that sentence.

It is not conducive to resonance.

It's normal for people to gossip about their leaders, but when a team starts judging its leader based on their abilities, the team is already dead.

But Asuka still uses her rest time to pester Shiraishi-neechan to learn how to manage her subordinates.

"Have you helped them clarify their goals?"

Yu Shiraishi put down her soup spoon; she would pause eating every time she spoke.

But Asuka is different. Every time it's her turn to find something, she quickly gulps down the food in her mouth, regardless of whether it's chewed properly.

"Uh, not yet."

"Sister Shiraishi, please help me."

She clung to Shiraishi Yu's arm, acting coquettishly.

"I feel like I can give them so little. Aside from treating them to some snacks, I don't think I can help them much."

"The lead singer's songs are quite good, but of course they can't compare to Shiraishi's."

"The other two singers are actually quite good at singing and dancing, so I feel like I'm being wasted on being their backup dancer."

Sigh, this kid has absolutely no idea what resources he controls or what his subordinates' needs are.

Yu Shiraishi has very low hopes for her group.

But given how much Nakajima Hiroshi favors her, even if this group disbands, if she's willing to lead it, she'll probably continue to assign people to it, and might even choose some easier-to-manage people to force her to rise again.

But that's definitely not healthy.

Only by building a team from scratch can she gradually become competent in leading it.

She turned to Asuka, her expression quite serious.

"Asuka-chan, you first need to figure out the reasons why the group members might obey the group leader."

As they were talking, Shiraishi Yu's subordinates passed by for lunch. Seeing their leader, their eyes lit up, and they proactively went up to greet her.

"What a coincidence, Shiraishi Group Leader and Asuka Group Leader."

His tone was extremely enthusiastic, bordering on obsequious.

Asuka opened her mouth wide and looked at Shiraishi Yu with a face full of admiration.

They all seem to respect you a lot, that's amazing!

"Yes, I heard this place has good food, so I came here specifically to try it."

"Really?"

The team member kept smiling: "I'm really lucky to have found such a great shop with the team leader."

She glanced at Asuka, clearly sensing they had something to discuss, and then tactfully said...

"I won't bother you any longer, I have practice this afternoon."

"Okay, go enjoy your lunch break."

Only then did the group members look like they had been granted permission, and even their steps in the queue became more obedient.

Asuka didn't understand, but was greatly shocked.

Why do Shiraishi's group members respect her so much?

Ugh, leading a team is so hard, I have absolutely no clue what to do!

Seemingly anticipating Asuka's troubles, Shiraishi Yu offered a remarkably detailed explanation.

"The reason why team members obey us is not because of love or respect, but because of a trade-off."

She wasn't even afraid that her team members would hear these things.

But Asuka lowered her voice nervously.

"Well, Shiraishi-neechan's subordinates are here too. It wouldn't be good if she heard this."

"No, it's perfectly fine."

Yu Shiraishi explained, "Because that's how my team operates."

"We have the final say on the future of our subordinates, their rewards and punishments, and the allocation of resources. This is the foundation of our team structure and a consensus that you must reach internally."

"Instead of feeling ashamed, we should emphasize it frequently in various ways to make it deeply ingrained in people's minds."

"Won't this cause offense?"

"Yes."

Yu Shiraishi said nonchalantly, "But we are the team's tool for fighting against human nature; it's our duty."

"If they don't feel a reason to depend on you, they will gradually look down on you or even question you, and some may even consider taking your place."

"But I see that Shiraishi-neechan's group members respect you a lot."

It wasn't just respect; it even felt a bit like fawning and admiration.

"If you establish a firm position in the hearts of your subordinates, they will naturally develop the appropriate attitude."

Yu Shiraishi taught.

"Ultimately, subordinates come to the company for income and future prospects, so they must manage their relationship with their superiors well."

""

"Little Asuka, it may sound cruel to say this—"

"But if you're still struggling with how to please your subordinates, it just means they don't see you as their leader at all."

(Sigh, the way you're saying that sounds like you're trying to sow discord.)

(Why did I have to meddle in other people's business?)

(Asuka has absolutely no talent for leading a team. I always feel like she'll mess everything up and then take her resentment out on me, turning even good things into bad things.)

(It's always like this, it's always like this, and who knows, it might be the same this time.)

(Yu Shiraishi, can't you ever learn your lesson!)

Um----

While releasing pheromones in frustration, Shiraishi Yu used serving chopsticks to transfer the rice ball to a plate, carefully cut it into small pieces, and then pushed it back to Asuka.

At the same time, the explanation is quite detailed.

"If I were you, I would consider talking to Hiroshi Nakajima about some business deals or training opportunities to rebuild the most basic level of credibility."

"Commercial Orders —"

"Isn't this for company work? Why can it be used to create a WeChat account?"

Yu Shiraishi stood there, stunned.

(Wait, does Asuka Hanazawa not even understand the income structure of entertainers?)

(Did Nakajima Hiroshi never give her a bonus? Or—)