Shining Bright! Habataki City Good Men Search: Hibiya Wataru
From Habataki Watcher Pre-Release Issue
VA: Yamaguchi Kappei
◆ Hibiya Wataru-kun ◆
The baseball team at Habataki Academy includes the athletic and sporty Hibiya-kun.
He practices every day, staying late after school, working hard to become a cool guy. He seems to have a bit of a cheeky, overconfident side, but apparently he's well liked not only by his classmates, but by the seniors as well.
After hearing various stories about him, I thought he was a passionate, baseball-devoted boy... but it seems that's not quite the case...
"I’ve devoted my life to baseball, so my dream is to become a professional player in the future."
● Interview with Hibiya Wataru-kun
PROFILE
BIRTHDAY ● September 9th, 1987
HOROSCOPE ● Virgo
BLOOD ● O-type
TEL ● ⬤▲⬤–⬤■✖▲–⬤⬤▲■
HEIGHT ● 163cm
WEIGHT ● 53kg
CLUB ● Baseball club
PART-TIME JOB ● None
HOBBY ● Photography
FAVORITE ● Baseball
etc. ● A bit of a show-off
Regardless of his motivation, he practices very hard.
We spotted Hibiya-kun practicing hard on the school grounds after school, enduring some tough training from his seniors. After getting permission from the club captain, we managed to ask him a few questions.
—Hibiya-kun, I hear you practice until late every day. Do you love baseball?
Hibiya: Yes! I’ve devoted my life to baseball, so I practice really hard. My dream is to become a professional player someday.
—So you want to become a pro athlete in the future? That’s why you’ve been practicing so hard.
Hibiya: Yes! Ah, but... lately I’ve been thinking I've been wondering if I might have a future as a model, too...
—...I-Is that so?
Hibiya: Lately, I feel like I’ve started to resemble Hazuki-senpai a little, like, sometimes even my small gestures come off surprisingly cool... But of course, that’s also the result of my research.
—Research?
Hibiya: Yes! I study not just Hazuki-senpai, but all sorts of upperclassmen, too! If you want to become a good man, you’ve gotta put in the effort every single day, after all!
—I see. So baseball is part of your plan to become a cool guy, then?
Hibiya: No, it isn’t! My passion for baseball isn’t something that shallow! That was kinda rude, miss.
—...Sorry. But wouldn’t it be hard to balance being a pro athlete and a model?
Hibiya: That’s exactly it... what am I supposed to do?
—For now, maybe you should try narrowing it down to just one thing.
Hibiya: Just one thing, huh…? That's a tough choice…
—Hmm...
Hibiya: Ah! Then, for now, please put a photo of me on the cover of Habataki Watcher!
—Huh?!
Hibiya: If you do that, I’m sure it’ll help reveal my potential as a model!
—W-well, I'll think about it... Anyway, thank you for today!
What kind of person is Hibiya-kun?
—Baseball club captain, Y-kun
He seems motivated, whatever his reasons may be. However, he also seems to have a slightly flashy side, like he admires 'cool guys,' so I’m a bit worried about what will become of him. I just hope he can keep an eye out for that and dedicate himself more on baseball.
"Cool," "cute," "wonderful." Words like those just slip out. Habataki Private Academy is truly a hotspot for handsome guys!
"There are so many good-looking guys in Habataki City," is something often said by girls who have visited the city. It’s true that when you walk around town, you’ll notice plenty of good-looking boys. But even within Habataki City, there’s a rumor that the students of Habataki Private Academy are on a whole different level when it comes to attractiveness.
It’s said that Hazuki Kei, a rapidly rising popular model, also attends this school, so it definitely sounds promising.
Hazuki Kei, who is active as a model, is also a student at Habataki Private Academy.
But how true are the rumors among the girls? Are there really lots of handsome guys besides Hazuki-kun?
To find out the truth behind these intriguing rumors, our magazine's special investigation team, better known as the 'Good Men Discovery Squad,' conducted an in-depth investigation of Habataki Academy, and a shocking truth has been revealed!
Now then, please enjoy the passionate results of our investigation, starting from the next page.
This is Habataki Private Academy, the school that girls dream of attending.
What is Habataki City like?
A pleasant commuter town with a population of about 500,000, surrounded by the sea to the east and mountains to the west, with a warm climate and scenic views. Habataki Station is located in the city center, and a bustling downtown area spreads out around it. Along the mountainside, there is also a large park, and the surrounding area is a quiet, peaceful residential neighborhood.
Habataki Private Academy is located on a small hill to the southeast of Habataki Station.
In addition, most of the initial development was completed in the 1980s. Later, as part of a new development plan, a portion of the sea was reclaimed and the coastal area was redeveloped as a waterfront city. In 2000, the coastal park and shopping mall were completed in part of this area, attracting attention as new landmarks.
The city is broadly divided into four districts: the 'Downtown District,' 'Forest Park District,' 'Habataki Mountain district,' and 'Waterfront District'.
Not satisfied with just a close-up interview? For those of you who want to know more about Hibiya-kun, we had him answer Habacha’s classic 50 questions. Now, let’s get started (ssu)!
Q1. When is your date of birth? It's September 4, 1987.
Q2. What is your blood type? My blood type is O.
Q3. Are you in any clubs? Yes! I'm in the baseball club!
Q4. What’s fun about club activities? The practice is tough, but I like that the more effort I put in, the more I improve.
Q5. When did you start playing baseball? I’ve been throwing in Little League since I was in elementary school.
Q6. What position do you play? A pitcher, of course!
Q7. What are your hobbies? Collecting pennants and stuff... Lately, I guess photography.
Q8. How many pennants do you have? I’ve been collecting them since I was in elementary school, so I’ve got over 100 of them.
Q9. When did you start photography? After I entered Habataki Academy.
Q10. What’s your favorite scent? Citrus scents... is that what you call it? I like the smell of oranges and things like that.
Q11. What is your favorite color? I guess pink... I feel like flashy colors suit me the best, after all.
Q12. What is your favorite food? Right now, I’d say curry is my number one favorite! I especially like the skin part of chicken curry.
Q13. What food do you dislike? I'm not a fan of pickles.
Q14. What is your favorite TV show? I watch music shows... and also a lot of anime.
Q15. What is your favorite sports? Baseball, of course. Ah, I'm also good at swimming.
Q16. What kind of movie genres do you like? I like anime and sci-fi.
Q17. What style of clothes do you like? Honestly, I'd like to go with a jacket style, but... I usually wear things that are easy to move around in
Note: ジャケットスタイル refers to a fashion coordination centered around blazers that has a cool, clean, and stylish vibe, not too formal and not too relaxed. Something like Hazuki-kun would wear.
Q18. Do you have a part-time job? I'd like to, but my parents are pretty strict about it...
Q19. What kind of music do you usually listen to? I like Visual Kei music. I really admire them.
Q20. What kind of books do you usually read? I often read information magazines.
Q21. What is your personal motto? It's, uh... I'm still thinking about it right now.
Q22. What is your family structure? My parents and a younger sister.
Q23. What kind of person is your sister? She's a pretty cheeky kid. I wish she’d respect her older brother a bit more...
Q24. Do you have a lot of friends? I do! Even people I've never met before will sometimes call out "Hibiya!" to me.
Q25. What kind of girl do you like? I'd like a girl who's pretty and smart... and also has a good personality.
Q26. Do you prefer younger girls or older girls? That's a tough question... People often tell me that an older woman type would better suit me, though.
Q27. What do you eat for lunch? I usually eat lunch in the clubroom. I bring a bento.
Q28. What do you do during breaks? During lunch break, I sometimes play soccer with my friends.
Q29. What is your favorite place in school? The pitcher's mound. I've decided that it's the place where I belong.
Q30. Where do you usually buy clothes? At the shopping mall, though sometimes my mother just buys them for me.
Q31. What’s something that made you happy recently? It looks like I’ll get to pitch in the next practice match!
Q32. What’s something that made you sad recently? Something sad, huh... Hmm, nothing in particular.
Q33. If you could receive just one present right now, what would it be? Wait, are you actually gonna get me something?
Q34. If you compare yourself to an animal, what would you be? I guess I'd say... a lone(ly) wolf.
Q35. Where do you usually go to hang out? I read a lot of magazines, so I like going to trendy spots.
Q36. At what do you usually get home? Around 7 PM.
Q37. At what time did you go to bed last night? Around 11 PM. I've got morning practice, so yeah.
Q38. What position do you sleep in? I sleep on my side.
Q39. Is there anything you absolutely have to do before sleeping? Before I sleep... Ah, I work out my schedule for the next day, then I head to bed.
Q40. What do you do after you get home? I watch TV, or my little sister makes me play games with her... things like that.
Q41. What time did you wake up today? I woke up at 6 AM.
Q42. How do you usually spend your days off? In my case... Well, I’m out on a date most of the time.
Q43. What do you eat for breakfast? Bread or rice? Rice. I’ve got morning practice, so bread isn't filling enough.
Q44. What was your reason for enrolling at Habataki Academy? Because Habagaku's baseball team is a top-tier powerhouse. And when I learned Hazuki-senpai was there too, I didn’t even think about going anywhere else.
Q45. What does "coolness" mean to you? I guess it’s what defines a real man.
Q46. How did you first find out about skull bear goods? As someone who’s pretty up-to-date with trends, it’s a bit embarrassing to admit… but I learned about them from my little sister.
Q47. What kind of martial arts do you like? I'm really into "J1 Champ" right now.
Q48. What is your dream for the future? First, I will become a guy everyone will recognize as a "good man." After that… Well, my future is limitless, so I can’t really decide that easily.
Q49. Are you doing anything right now for your future? I’m studying day and night to become a "good man."
Q50. What are your thoughts after answering these questions? I'm trying to be a mysterious guy, so questions like this are kind of tough for me.
Day after day, he gives his all to his studies, club activities, and also his "good man checks." We conducted an in-depth interview with Hibiya-kun’s tough daily routine at Habataki Academy!
🕕 6:00: Cleanliness is the foundation of a "good man." His day starts with a morning shower right after waking up.
Hibiya-kun's mornings start pretty early. He has to get up by 6 AM every day to make it to baseball club morning practice.
But no matter how many times his alarm goes off, he just won't wake up. When we asked his mother about it out of concern, she smiled and said, “He just can’t seem to wake up on his own,” before heading to his room. Being woken up by his mom like that... maybe he's a bit of a spoiled kid?
As soon as he wakes up, he heads straight to the bathroom. He takes a morning shower and carefully styles his hair, putting a lot of effort into it, but then his younger sister rushes him, saying "Hurry up and move out of the way, big brother!" so he changes into his practice uniform and heads to the living room.
He eats breakfast while watching a TV program featuring his favorite female announcer. This morning’s menu is very traditional Japanese: dried sardines, seaweed, raw egg, natto, and miso soup with shimeji mushrooms. While checking the sports and entertainment news, and the day's horoscope segment on TV, he ends up having three extra bowls of rice. Time runs out, so he dashes off to school.
He arrives at school full of energy as always. It seems like no one else has arrived yet except for those who have morning practice. “Coming to school early in the morning feels really great, you know,” he says.
🕖 7:00: Training at the prestigious Habataki Academy baseball club is tough from the early morning.
When he arrives at school, he leaves his bag in the clubroom and gets ready for morning practice. If he doesn’t prepare before the seniors arrive, he’ll get scolded.
Once everyone is gathered, they do stretching and begin practice. Morning practice mainly consists of basic training like running and bunting. He was praised by his seniors, so when we said he must be good at bunting, he happily replied, "I’ve been good at it since middle school."
Morning practice ends at 8:15. To make it back in time for homeroom, he quickly cleans up and once again dashes to the classroom.
🕚 11:00: A looming threat approaches… Hibiya-kun is in a major pinch!
During class, our interview team was waiting in the hallway as usual when they happened to encounter Principal Amanohashi, who was walking around the school. Perhaps out of pity, he granted special permission for them to observe the class.
For the first and second periods, Hibiya-kun was full of energy because he was being interviewed. But by the third period, it seems the early wake-up and morning practice finally caught up with him. We thought he had gotten unusually quiet, but then his head started swaying back and forth... before suddenly falling asleep. (lol) Ahh, he even started drooling. Looks like he’s sleeping really comfortably.
But Hibiya-kun, we heard this class dangerous. Look, Himuro-sensei noticed you… Ah, he got scolded! He ended up being made to stand in the hallway for the rest of the lesson. He looks a little embarrassed about it.
🕧 12:30: The moment the bell rings, he sprints off at full speed! Straight towards the school store!
The moment the bell rang, signaling the end of the fourth period, Hibiya-kun burst out of the classroom at full speed. Just as we were about to ask him a few questions, he only said "Excuse me!" and vanished down the hallway in an instant. From the surrounding classrooms, students are also pouring out one after another, turning the hallway into a crowded mess. It looks like everyone is heading to the school store.
After pushing through the crowd, we finally reached the school store and spotted Hibiya-kun at the very front of the line, shouting, "Five katsu sandwiches, please!" After a while, he comes back with both arms full of bread and cartons of milk. Even for a boy with a big appetite, isn't that a bit too much food? "No, I brought my own lunchbox. There’s kind of a reason for this."
He quickly makes his way to the clubroom. Ah, I see, the huge pile of bread was for the seniors. ...Wait, does that mean Hibiya-kun is an errand boy? But apparently it was just a punishment game. Still, he handled it all pretty smoothly. Maybe he's a regular at these punishment games?
🕞 15:40: Aiming to become Habagaku’s shining star! Could Hibiya-kun be the next ace?!
After school practice begins with a run around the school grounds. Apparently, the really tough uphill sprints in front of the main gate are a signature training routine of the baseball club.
Hibiya-kun’s position is pitcher. He says he hasn’t pitched in an actual game yet, but he looked really cool standing on the mound! His goal is to become the team’s ace, wearing the number 1 jersey.
Practice comes to an end when the sun has set and it becomes too dark to see the ball clearly. Even when it isn’t his turn to do the last task of maintaining the field, he helps out willingly as he considers it part of practice.
A girl who had been helping clean up together said, "Good work today," and headed home. When we said she was cute, Hibiya-kun suddenly got flustered and quickly replied, "She’s our manager, you know?! She’s my senior, you know?! She’s older than me, you know?!"
Hibiya-kun is really motivated when it comes to club activities. Despite his small stature, he practices harder than anyone else. If he keeps putting in this much effort, he’ll definitely become the ace soon.
🕡 18:30: On the way home, he makes a lot of detours.
After chatting with his teammates at Winning Burger, we thought he was finally heading home, but then he said he was stopping by the shopping district next. He’s really full of energy (lol)
After browsing for a while at a bookstore, he buys 'Monthly Good Man Life.' "I never miss an issue every month. And this month, Hazuki-senpai is featured, so it’s a must-read," says Hibiya-kun proudly. Even on the way home, he keeps up his "good man" research, saying things like, "Ah! That guy’s hat is pretty nice."
Good work, you must be tired after a busy day of club activities and studying. Or so it seems... but he’s still going to make a few more stops along the way. It’s nice to have that kind of tireless youthful energy.
🕗 20:00: Today is the day of a show he’s been looking forward to.
After getting home, he immediately eats dinner. Today’s menu is his favorite stuffed cabbage rolls, but there’s a bit of a fuss because his younger sister’s portion looks bigger. Even though he just ate hamburgers earlier, his appetite is incredible.
After watching the popular anime 'Godriller,' he switches over to a music program. One of the idols appearing on the show apparently graduated from Kirameki High School in the neighboring town. He really knows a lot about these things.
Halfway through, he lets his younger sister have the TV remote, then heads out to a nearby park with a bat in hand. Every night, he apparently practices 300 swings! That’s so impressive, Hibiya-kun. He really is a hard worker.
He comes home drenched in sweat and immediately goes to take a bath. But he doesn’t come out for a while... It turns out he’d fallen asleep in the tub. Be careful not to drown now.
🕚 23:00: His pajamas has a skull bear design.
Feeling a little lightheaded, Hibiya-kun gets out of the bath wearing his favorite skull bear pajamas.
After saying a quick “good night” to the interview team, he collapses into bed and immediately falls asleep. A long and intense day finally comes to an end.
Good work today, Hibiya-kun. But wasn’t there homework due? Is that going to be okay?
An energetic and hard-working boy, his goal is to become a cool guy.
The second person featured in this issue is Hibiya Wataru-kun. We interviewed him about his "Become a Good Man Plan" as he works day and night, striving toward his goal of becoming a cool, admirable man.
The first effort in becoming a "good man" is his daily "good man check." Whenever he finds role models of cool, admirable men around town or at school, he never misses the chance to observe them.
"Fashion should be stolen from stylish guys on the streets. That’s what magazines say, right? When I find a good-looking guy, I always make sure to take notes so I don’t forget."
The notes he showed us were packed with information about all kinds of boys! It seems he even works on it during his days off.
"I bring my camera when I go out, and if I see good-looking guys, I secretly take photos of thrm," he says. He says he studies their fashion and mannerisms from those photos.
At school, Hibiya-kun is also quite popular with junior girls. Rather than being "popular" in a romantic sense, however, it feels more like he’s being treated more like a source of amusement.
His second effort is information gathering in order to become a "good man." When asked about his sources of information, he replied:
"There’s someone younger than me, but we share the same ambition of becoming a good man. His ability to gather information is seriously amazing. He often teaches me all kinds of things, so I consider him my mentor." It seems he has a very powerful source of information supporting him.
His third effort is his "Good Guy Textbook."
"Books are really helpful for studying, after all," he says. "I thoroughly read every issue of 'Monthly Good Man Life' and the 'Habataki City Complete Guide.' Oh, and of course I never miss 'Habataki Watcher' either. I buy every magazine that features Hazuki-senpai."
It seems he especially focused to Hazuki-kun, who is known as the very image of a "good man" at Habataki Academy.
He showed us photos of Hazuki-kun and himself, saying he secretly takes pictures of his seniors and imitates them. If you look veeeery closely, you’ll notice that they’re striking the same pose.
And his final effort is learning from his seniors.
"There are a lot of good men among the upperclassmen. It would be a waste not to learn from such great examples right next to me," he says. It’s true that Habataki Academy is full of cool guys, but what kind of seniors are his role models?
"The wild Kijyo-senpai, the intellectual Morimura-senpai, and the beautiful artist Mihara-senpai, they’re all my mentors. I went all in and forced my way into becoming their disciple.
But Hazuki-senpai is, after all, a professional model, so I feel like it would be too arrogant to call myself his disciple," he says.
During the interview, we accompanied him as he went to show the results of his research to Mihara-kun...
Hibiya-kun is imitating Mihara-kun. Hmm… that outfit only works because it’s Mihara-kun wearing it, though…
The road to becoming a "good man" is long and difficult. Do your best aiming for the top, Hibiya-kun.
