Chapter 6: The line you must not cross

By the time I realized, night had fallen. I was walking in the park near the dorm, my hat pulled down low.

“Hoo….”

As I took a deep breath, I felt the cool night air fill my lungs.

With the streetlights on, the atmosphere was just right.

Like a scene from a drama.

‘Of course, my mood is like f*cking shit.’

How could I possibly be in a good mood after experiencing something like that?

Even though I came out for some fresh air to lift my spirits, my mood didn’t improve at all.

“Sigh… What did I expect?”

Nothing good had ever come from that man’s interventions so far.

So what was I expecting when I reported it to the president?

Eventually, drained of all strength, I leaned back and sat on the bench in front of me.

‘Why… why was I even born here?’

What on earth did I do to deserve this suffering?

Was it just to end my life as the villain, exactly as the original story went?

‘In the end, nothing changes, does it.’

Although Hikari’s position was vastly different, the main storyline from the original game eventually unfolded nonetheless.

Hina’s earrings disappeared, and the main center position went to Hikari.

So, will I eventually be socially ostracized and end up in prison too?

‘…I don’t want that.’

How have I lived my life up until now?

If the life I painstakingly built through hardship was all just for her happy ending, I might truly not be able to endure it then.

As I was lost in such thoughts, I felt something cold touch my cheek while sitting on the park bench.

“Ugh!?”

Slightly lifting my hat, I turned my head to see Sion standing next to me.

“What’s going on again at this time of night? Ren.”

“….Ah, Sion.”

“Drink this and cheer up a bit.”

That startled me; I was shocked, thinking it was a stalker.

After calming my briefly startled heart, I took the drink from his hand.

“What’s this, iced tea?”

“Yeah, peach flavored, the one you like.”

I slowly sipped the iced tea through the straw.

Getting something sweet into my system seemed to improve my mood slightly.

“…..You’re really upset, aren’t you?”

“….Why wouldn’t I be? The atmosphere is a mess because of that girl, Hikari.”

Even I can barely stand it because of the reckless president and his niece, making me sick with anger. How much worse must it be for the other girls?

“By the way, what brings you here?”

“Just thought you might be feeling down. You always come here when you’re in a bad mood.”

I guess spending so much time together means he knows even things like this.

He deliberately came to comfort me; I’m a little grateful.

“Is there nothing we can do?”

“Well… How about just going public with it?”

Going public, huh? It’s not like I haven’t considered that method.

Honestly, there’s already gossip circulating about her being a new member who got in through her uncle’s connections. If it came out that she also committed theft, it would surely generate enough buzz to crash the internet.

“I don’t want that; the other girls will be harmed too.”

“Well, I know that too. Just throwing it out there.”

Let’s assume we expose all the agency’s tyranny.

Most of the criticism would initially fall on the president and Hikari, but what happens next?

“Do you think things will get better just because the public criticizes?”

The heat generated by the unspecified masses on the internet cools down quickly.

Instead, if it leads to lawsuits and what not between us and the agency, the problem only gets bigger.

“Honestly, if it were just me, I wouldn’t care. But it’s impossible for the other girls.”

Unlike me, who has nothing to lose but my own life, the other members have families.

I couldn’t burden those kids with my unilateral decision.

‘Come to think of it, they might know that and be exploiting it.’

Even if we tried to terminate the contract, the agency held the ultimate weapon of penalty fees.

Well, even so, they seem to be pushing things too far.

“Well, honestly, the president has been acting even stranger lately.”

“I know, right? He wasn’t like that with you before.”

Sion’s parents and the agency president were friends.

That’s why Sion joined the company when it was newly established.

He himself preferred to get a job rather than go to university, so it was a win-win situation for both sides.

‘Well, still, a friend’s child and family are different things.’

Perhaps it was different in the beginning, but now Sion was treated no differently than any other employee.

The fact that their parents were friends wasn’t even widely known.

“….Still, don’t give up, Ren. You’ve worked so hard until now, haven’t you?”

“….Right.”

Well, the problem is that I’m feeling skeptical about idol activities right now.

The thought that no matter what I do, I might end up becoming the villain anyway made me feel like I was losing my will to live.

How many people would act passionately if they knew that no matter what they did, their life would be marked with a red line?

As I was thinking that, I felt something gently placed on my head.

Turning my head sideways, I saw Sion had placed his hand on my head.

“….What are you doing?”

“Ah, well… Sorry. You reminded me of my sulking younger sister.”

“…Don’t treat me like a child.”

I pushed Sion’s hand off my head. How dare he touch an idol’s body?

“Well, then I’ll get going.”

Soon after, Sion, having finished the coffee in his cup, stood up from his seat.

“Leaving already?”

“Yeah, doesn’t seem like there’s anything more to do here. My sister is waiting.”

Saying so, Sion headed back towards his home.

‘Come to think of it, didn’t he say Kotoha is in high school this year?’

Hell is probably just beginning for her; should I give her a condolence gift in advance?

With that thought, I also stood up from my seat.

I can’t just stay here forever. I should head back to the dorm too.

“Oh, Senpai! Fancy meeting you here!”

Just as I turned around, the voice I least wanted to hear reached my ears.

“….Hikari.”

Hikari appeared before my eyes, dressed in outdoor clothes, seemingly returning from an outing.

“What are you doing outside?”

“Ah, I was just on my way to the convenience store to buy some snacks because my mouth felt bored. What brings you here, Senpai?”

Hikari answered my question nonchalantly.

‘…Am I just being overly sensitive?’

Well, that’s a more realistic hypothesis than being followed.

Did my nerves get frayed just thinking that this girl could bury me?

“By the way, Senpai. What’s your relationship with the Producer-nim?”

“….What?”

Just as I was somewhat relieved, I was flustered by the sudden question that popped out of Hikari’s mouth.

Why is she asking this out of the blue?

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“No, well… It’s just that you two seem very close.”

My relationship with Sion…

First, in the original work, there were descriptions suggesting that Ren harbored feelings for the producer, Sion.

There was speculation that she bullied Hikari even more after seeing Sion pay attention to her.

‘But I don’t particularly feel that way…’

My body was originally male. There’s no way I’d harbor romantic feelings.

“First off, I can assure you it’s not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of.”

Still, perhaps because we shared the same gender in my past life, the two of us got along quite well.

Thanks to that, various rumors circulated during the group’s early days. It’s obvious what she might have misunderstood.

“…Really?”

Hikari looked at me with suspicious eyes.

‘Is she perhaps jealous?’

Although it was somewhat buried by the thoughtless behavior Hikari showed right after joining, she was undeniably the main heroine of a dating sim game.

‘But, romance is not allowed.’

For idols, dating is a kind of taboo. The fans wouldn’t stand for it.

Internet news articles, of course, but countless malicious comments created by internet ghosts would follow.

Why else would there even be manga where obsessive fans track down idols with knives and stab them?

If it were just her alone, maybe some leniency could be possible, but if it harms us too, that’s when the problem escalates.

Personally, I didn’t want to care about anything related to Hikari, but getting tired because of it is something I absolutely hate.

“….Honestly, I was a little worried.”

Simultaneously, Hikari placed her hand on my head.

The hat I had pressed down firmly to hide my identity was knocked off by her touch.

Then, she leaned her face close to mine and spoke.

“They say people who grow up without receiving love from their parents demand that much more from others, right?”

“…….What?”

The shocking words that entered my ears left me unable to react properly.

What on earth is this girl spouting right now?

“Well, you’re an orphan too, Senpai, right? It just came to mind.”

Hikari replied as if it were obvious.

Ghosts are scary, but people are even scarier.

That was one of the laws that remained unchanged in this world where everything, including my gender, had been turned upside down.

If a demon tormenting people were to smile, would it look like this?

Beyond that smiling face, I felt an intense, inexplicable repulsion.

‘But, so what if I’m an orphan?’

Simultaneously, anger boiled up within me.

Even now, I can assert that I hold no affection for my parents.

Not only did it not feel real due to the lingering memories of my past life, but they were people who abandoned me before we could even get properly close.

Of course, if asked if I hadn’t received love, that wasn’t entirely true.

‘Because I had my grandmother instead.’

In place of the parents who abandoned me and left abruptly, my grandmother raised me.

In effect, my grandmother was like a parent to me.

‘And yet, she dares to throw a parental insult at me?’

The moment my grandmother passed away flashed through my mind.

Simultaneously, the blood drained from my head.

“….Hey.”

“Yes?”

The moment Hikari replied to my chillingly cold voice,

Slap—!

The sound of skin hitting skin forcefully echoed throughout the park.

Simultaneously, Hikari’s head snapped sharply to the side.

Despite the scene that would make others cover their mouths, I paid no heed, grabbed her by the collar, and pulled her towards me.

“You, what did you just say?”