Chapter 5: Main Center

Several days passed after the confrontation with the president.

It was a short break during choreography practice.

Nevertheless, my mood hadn’t improved at all.

“Unnie, are you okay? The president…”

“…Sorry, I tried talking to him. It didn’t go well.”

Perhaps sensing my mood, Natsume approached me and asked with a worried expression.

“…It happens. I kind of expected it.”

Natsume comforted me with a bitter expression.

Anyone who rolls around in this industry for a few years naturally realizes how it works.

‘Still, I wanted to show them only the good things as much as possible.’

Since I recruited all our group members myself, I felt a sense of responsibility.

Sion and I even met and persuaded the parents of the kids who were initially against it.

‘Is this what they call pseudo-maternal affection?’

Just as I was lamenting inwardly, Hikari opened the door and walked in.

“Ah, Ren senpai! Working hard today too.”

“…..Yeah.”

I replied to Hikari, who cheerfully asked about my well-being right in front of me.

‘I pretty much expected this, but it’s just as I thought.’

Even though I told the president what Hikari had done, naturally, there was no punishment for her whatsoever.

‘If anything, she seems to be flying even higher.’

It’s gotten to the point where I’m scared of what thoughts she might be hiding behind that smiling face.

Still, is it a comfort that she hasn’t committed any additional theft yet?

“Hikari, isn’t your practice time almost up?”

Perhaps noticing my feelings, Natsume, who was sitting next to me, tried to send Hikari away.

“Hey~ That’s too much, Natsume unnie. Just because I skipped out for a bit…”

“Skipping out isn’t allowed. This isn’t a place for fooling around.”

Natsume snapped back at her bold admission of skipping practice.

Natsume, the third oldest in our group, was stricter than me when it came to rules.

Especially since Hikari joined mid-preparation for the new song, she had an enormous amount of practice to catch up on.

“Yes~ The maknae will be heading back now~!”

Hikari shook her head as if she couldn’t win against Natsume’s anger.

‘Come to think of it, that girl seems to act like that only towards me.’

Thinking carefully, Hikari was surprisingly obedient to the other members compared to me.

She uses suffixes like ‘Unnie’ or ‘chan’ when addressing the others.

‘Of course, they extremely dislike it themselves.’

Common sense dictates, who would be happy being called by their name by a thief?

Nevertheless, seeing her act like that makes me wonder what she’s really up to.

At that moment, Nano opened the door to the practice room we were in and entered.

“Uh, Unnies! The president wants us to gather in the meeting room…?”

“….What?”

Lately, I couldn’t recall anything good happening whenever that man called for us.

‘Still, he’s the agency president, what can I do.’

If the president calls, I, the idol, have to listen.

“Is everyone gathered now?”

When we entered the meeting room, the president, the other members, and even Sion were all there.

“What business did you call us for?”

I responded coldly to the president’s words confirming the headcount.

Right, what kind of trouble is he planning to stir up this time?

“You guys haven’t finalized the choreography for the new song yet, right?”

“…Yes, that’s correct for now.”

While positions for me, Airi, and Nano were completely set, some members’ spots were still undecided.

‘But why is he suddenly asking about that.’

An unknown sense of anxiety enveloped my body. What is he planning to do this time?

“About that, how about Hikari takes the main center position from now on?”

A suggestion that surpassed my imagination came out of the president’s mouth.

“……What did you say?”

“Yes…?”

Everyone present was bewildered by the president’s words.

”The center position, giving it to that girl…?”

The main center in an idol group is the most crucial position.

It draws the most attention, and the most memorable parts of the choreography mostly revolve around the center.

Naturally, it was common for the most skilled member to take the center spot.

‘And our group’s center is….’

“P-President…? What are you suddenly talking about…?”

Nano, whose center position was snatched away overnight, asked in a trembling voice.

In the early days of our debut, Nano was the most skilled member among us.

‘Being a former idol trainee, she was different from us from the start.’

So, I entrusted the center position to her, the most skilled among us.

And that had remained unchanged even now, when everyone’s skills had improved.

‘But to change that just because of that one girl…’

Does that man even know how a group operates?

Trust between members is vital for an idol group.

This is a world where even a group with excellent skills can be disbanded overnight if the members don’t get along.

But to give another member’s position, especially the center spot, to a girl who already has a bad image due to theft?

‘Isn’t this just telling us to fight?’

“Are you saying you’ll change a position that has continued for so long overnight?”

As I shot back at the president, his eyes sharpened.

“….Ren, shouldn’t you know when to stop?”

“Well, I think that’s what I should be saying to you, President.”

Interfering in member management using his own position is clearly crossing the line.

Even in regular companies, they don’t just abruptly change team personnel without prior notice.

“In the first place, deciding team positions should be my role.”

Even though the choreography teacher mentioned Hikari’s dancing skills were improving, there was no guarantee she could perform properly if she became the main center.

“Don’t you honestly think Nano has been in the center position for too long?”

“Even so, I don’t see that as a reason to give the center position to Hikari.”

As the standoff between the president and me continued, Hikari intervened.

“It’s okay, President.”

She approached Nano with a smiling face as if nothing was wrong.

“Nano-chan works harder than me, so I understand Ren senpai’s concern, you know?”

“Uh, uh…?”

Nano responded in a flustered voice, perhaps burdened by Hikari suddenly approaching her.

Since when did they become close enough for her to use ‘chan’?

“Hey, step back a bit.”

I stepped between Nano and Hikari, separating them.

Nano’s public persona in front of the audience is a lively character.

However, isn’t there a saying that the persona on stage and the real person are different?

In her daily life, she becomes extremely timid in front of unfamiliar people.

And to her, Hikari was one of those ‘unfamiliar people’.

‘In a situation like this, she can’t properly express her opinion.’

For that reason, forcing Nano to do something she doesn’t want is absolutely out of the question.

“Nano-chan, what do you want to do, Nano-chan?”

However, Hikari completely ignored me blocking her path and asked Nano directly.

“W-Well, I…”

Nano, who was hesitating, looked around and then made a decision.

“…I’ll just do as the president says.”

“…What?”

“If that’s the case, then it’s decided.”

As I was taken aback by the unexpected words, the president looked at me as if things had turned out well.

A sense of superiority could be felt in his eyes.

‘Wow, truly impressive.’

A president who keeps the leader of his agency’s idol group in check; where else in the world would such a company exist?

A feeling of disillusionment welled up inside me.

“Haa…”

A quiet sigh escaped my lips.

Even after the meeting ended, everyone except Hikari and the president remained seated in the meeting room with gloomy expressions.

“To think that woman would become the main center…”

“…I don’t like her.”

How long had it been since the president left the meeting room? Natsume and Yui immediately started voicing their irritation.

‘Honestly, I’m going crazy because I hate seeing that sight too.’

It was already enough to make me sick that there was no punishment for that incident, but now giving the main center position to that girl?

‘F*ck that.’

But what could be done? Ultimately, the final decision rests with that bastard president.

Thankfully, we managed to push hard enough so that Nano would remain the center at least for this song.

‘What on earth is he thinking, causing trouble like this.’

When a president favors only one member within a group like this, that group doesn’t last long.

What guts does a person who should know better have to act like this?

‘What if Cornelia disbands because of this…’

Although many groups existed here at UFO Entertainment, the top group was undoubtedly Cornelia.

‘It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say, with a bit of hyperbole, that we alone are keeping them afloat.’

Why else would critics say that Cornelia is the only group worth watching at the company?

“….Airi, do you happen to have any blood pressure medicine?”

“Ah, no… Should I go buy some now?”

“No, I was just saying.”

It wasn’t a problem that could be solved just by taking medicine anyway.

As I leaned back in my chair to catch my breath, Nano, with her head bowed, approached me.

“Unnie… I’m sorry.”

“….It’s okay, Nano. You must have had the hardest time.”

I gently stroked Nano’s downcast head.

She wouldn’t have wanted to give up her position to Hikari either.

She probably agreed only because the opponent was the president, and she worried that problems might arise between me and the president because of her.

Then and now, her problem was always thinking of those around her first.

‘I wonder if she’ll end up being taken advantage of later.’

I started to get genuinely worried.

“Nano. Hey, if you get a boyfriend later, you absolutely must bring him to me.”

“Y-Yes…?”

Nano was flustered by the sudden remark.

I can’t stand by and watch my kid get taken advantage of. Whoever it is, my kids need my permission before taking them away.