The Referee

Perhaps the most tragic of all Momoclo staff members is **The Referee**, commonly referred to as **The Ref**. One of his earliest contacts with Momoiro Clover Z was during his attempt at directing a play, where the girls were the only people willing to audition for it. Later coming into their service during Momoclo no Kodomo Matsuri 2013, where his attempt at heroism ends with the girls saving him from the claws of Black Cockroach. Saving his life means he now owes them a life debt. To pay off his debt he works directly under The Board, where his current position is as showrunner of Momoclo-Chan; Momoclo's own variety show.

The Ref is an avid entrepreneur, always on the hunt for a new business opportunity. Alas, his skills as a business man are not matched by his ambitions, and his ventures often fail miserably.

## Momoclo-chan

*Main article: Momoclo-Chan*
The Ref is the current showrunner and host of Momoclo-Chan. This means he has executive power over the contents of the show, and how the budget will be spent. As the entrepreneur that he is, The Ref has grand visions for the show, but he is unfortunately hindered by the limited budget. Bitter that other departments, such as the clothing department, and the concert department gain a substantially larger slice of the overall budget, he has to make do with old sheets tapestry, and clothes and other decorations he borrows from friends or finds at yard sales.

The Ref is always trying to put on as great a show as possible, trying to prove to the board that the show is worthy of a bigger investment. Recurring events in the show are the Haunted House (this is where a majority of the budget is spent), and his own gameshows; Poi King and the Pentagon Derby.

## Business ventures

Always on the hunt for an opportunity for fame and fortune, The Ref has tried his hand at a number of different things.

### Playwright and director

The Ref's attempt at staging a play resulted in Momoclo no Kodomo Matsuri 2012, and was a miserable failure. Aiming for it to be a historical period drama, The Ref quickly saw there was no way the girls of Momoclo would ever follow his script. His attempts at correcting them during the opening night ended up being incorporated into the play, and while some would argue for the brilliance of that meta-performance, it sadly went over the heads of the children that made up the audience.

### Restaurant investments

During an episode of Momoclo-chan, The Ref and the girls follow The Director to one of his restaurants. Quickly seeing a business opportunity, The Ref poured some of his last savings into the franchise. This has, sadly, yet to yield a profit.

### Momoclo Patches

One of his latest ventures involves selling Momoclo-themed patches, which he borrowed money from the Yakuza in order to fund. While the girls themselves bought one each, it was mainly out of pity.

## Notable appearances

During Kodomo Matsuri 2013 The Ref tried his luck at being a hero when the dreaded Black Cockroach reared his ugly head. However, it ended in a total fiasco, and The Ref ended up getting saved by Momoclo instead. This, of course, left him with a life debt to the girls, and since this day onward he's been enslaved to the girls, and their management.