Chapter 8: Payback

Dawn it was, when the moonlight had long since filled the world.

Despite the hour when most people would be asleep, the outskirts of Tokyo still maintained a bright glow.

If the city center was a forest of towering buildings, this place could be called a small thicket with deep roots.

Red, blue, green.

The brilliant lights from the shop signs filled the commercial street.

Underground, there existed a bar where one could drink moderately and converse; being secluded with few people, it served as a secret base (?) for those working in the entertainment industry.

“Hoo….”

This was no exception for Kobayashi Hiro, the president of UFO Entertainment.

He sighed and walked into the underground bar.

‘Sakamiya Ren…’

Kobayashi frowned, thinking of the idol under his company.

He and Ren often clashed.

In a way, she was an object of love-hate.

It was thanks to her strength that the company, which had been merely small-scale, succeeded.

Even in his eyes, Ren was a different kind of child from the start.

After rejecting all the members the company initially tried to put in, she single-handedly gathered the group members and made them succeed.

Like a scene from a novel, she received numerous praises for that feat.

Simultaneously, uncomfortable feelings towards her began to grow in Kobayashi’s heart.

‘How dare she try to match me?’

No matter how much he tried to do well, she always just opposed his opinions.

Like a king in history jealous of a brilliant subject, the gap between them widened day by day.

Before he knew it, he was only thinking about reducing Ren’s influence.

‘Of course, conflicts will exist.’

His company had already risen to the top ranks within the industry.

Now, other artists besides Ren existed, and the popular group Cornelia also existed.

Now, this company can manage well even without her.

He no longer needed to rely on her talent.

It didn’t matter if she decided to give up on maintaining the contract.

There was already a precedent for a Cornelia member being kicked out.

Since they endured that situation, they could surely endure sending one more member out now.

‘….Yes, maybe that would be better.’

Kobayashi immediately started calculating the profit and loss.

Keeping an artist who clashed with the agency at every turn was a loss.

But if things proceeded according to Hikari’s words, he might be able to turn her into a puppet, not just chase her out or reduce her standing.

‘There’s a sense of reliability in that girl’s words.’

Surely, this must be one of Hikari’s talents too.

“Welcome.”

Greeted by the employee, Kobayashi looked around.

A familiar face caught his eye in the distance.

“Good of you to come, Goro.”

“Didn’t the stingy president say he’s buying?”

“Then of course I have to come.”

His friend, who was already drinking, retorted.

“So, what’s the big deal that the president of a major agency calls even me out to complain?”

“Major, what…”

“It’s just that the name is known.”

His company still had a way to go before being called a major agency.

The scale of the company wasn’t the issue; the problem was the still immature management style for it to be considered a large enterprise.

“Well, it’s just that one kid has been acting like a f*cking b*tch lately.”

“Then, how about just cutting her loose?”

“You dumped one before, didn’t you?”

“Uh, Mayuri, was it?”

“Sigh, it was fortunate we cut ties with her early.”

“We almost got implicated in drug matters.”

At Goro’s words, Kobayashi recalled an incident from several years ago.

A few months after Cornelia debuted, a drug-related controversy arose concerning a member he immediately dismissed.

Luckily, since it was a small, newly debuted group whose name wasn’t well-known, it wasn’t reported in the media; otherwise, the agency’s stock price could have plummeted because of it.

‘Of course, she denied it, saying she didn’t do it intentionally…’

It didn’t matter whether she knew or didn’t know.

The problem was that it almost got leaked to the press.

Fortunately, thanks to his swift action, the incident concluded with her expulsion, but it seemed that didn’t sit well in Ren’s eyes.

‘And yet, she tried to take care of her because she was a member she picked herself…’

“He’s still the same, trying not to create any cause for nitpicking…”

“That’s why there’s no trust.”

Goro quietly shook his head at Kobayashi’s words.

His friend, who only cared about money, hated anything happening related to his company the most.

If any gossip arose about an artist under him, he would cut them off without hesitation.

It didn’t matter even if that person was framed.

‘If even a guy like that can’t easily cut her off…’

Then the opponent must not be an ordinary person.

“Anyway, how are you doing lately?”

“Don’t even mention it, the problem is there are too few decent girls these days.”

Kobayashi frowned watching Goro gulp down his drink simultaneously.

‘Anyway, a bastard crazy about women…’

He uses his position as a PD to find a moderately decent-looking woman and then takes her to a hotel.

It was an act commonly known as sexual favors (casting couch).

A trashy act of taking entertainers under the pretext of good work opportunities.

Naturally, it was taboo in this day and age, but it still continued secretly among some people.

It was also the reason he hadn’t dated a woman despite his age.

‘Well, that doesn’t matter anyway.’

That was the purpose of coming here in the first place.

“Well then, I know a good woman.”

“Oh…?”

“Who might that be?”

Goro immediately showed interest at Kobayashi’s words.

Kobayashi downed the alcohol in his glass in one go and slammed the glass down.

“If you promise to wrap up this one job well, I’ll introduce you to an idol group leader.”

“….What did you say?”

My brief moment of dumbfoundedness at the president’s ridiculous proposal passed,

And blood rushed to my head instantly.

In the entertainment industry, telling a woman to go out drinking alone with a man generally meant one thing.

‘F*ck, are you telling me to provide sexual favors right now?’

It wasn’t that I hadn’t received offers for sexual favors at all during my activities.

Although my usual image was cold, Ren’s looks were exceptionally outstanding.

And naturally, I never accepted them.

‘Past life or whatever, absolutely not.’

Regardless of being male or female, such acts were unacceptable as a human being.

I glared at the business card lying on the desk.

That face boldly imprinted there.

He was quite famous for being lecherous, so there was no room to suspect anything else.

‘That things turned out this way is surely…’

I quietly glared at Hikari.

There was a good reason why I suspected her and not the president.

Because there was a similar ending among the original game’s conclusions.

In the dating sim game, Idol Maker, numerous ending routes existed.

Among them, in Hikari’s route, there was an ending route titled ‘An Eye for an Eye!’.

While bullying Hikari as usual, an incident explodes for Ren.

A rumor that Ren provided sexual favors spreads centered around the internet.

Of course, it’s mentioned through Hikari’s mouth that the rumor was fake, but because Ren’s image was already bad, nobody believed it.

With no one taking her side, Ren, struggling desperately, eventually has her contract unilaterally terminated by the company and ends up getting plagued by penalty fees.

‘Well, in a way, it’s an ending you could call just deserts…’

Still, it was an ending that caused considerable debate among fans because the protagonist’s side fabricated false evidence to bury her.

Moreover, since Ren’s face was already widely known as an idol, her life ended up completely ruined.

‘But I didn’t do anything.’

In the first place, knowing that such a situation could arise if things went wrong, I had lived my life being as careful as possible.

I never acted atrociously towards the members or other people, nor did I persistently bully Hikari like in the original work.

Just one slap.

And that was only because the other party did wrong first.

And yet, things are flowing this way?

Despite my reaction, the president continued speaking as if it were obvious.

“If only you accept, we can release anything, whether it’s a rebuttal article or an apology broadcast.”

“Ha….”

Accepting that proposal solves everything.

I hate to even imagine it, but even if I did, nothing would change.

The fact of sexual favors being spread is a bigger problem than the assault incident.

To order such a thing just to cover up something that could be handled as mere discord?

No idol can fight against the company itself.

Since the company knows about the favor, there was a high chance they would use it to blackmail me.

‘….That might be the goal in the first place.’

It wasn’t something a human being could possibly do, but I felt that man was fully capable of it.

“No, I can’t do it.”

I rejected the president’s proposal flatly.

It was a question not even worth considering.

“Don’t just think about yourself, Sakamiya.”

“…You’re the one only thinking of yourself, President.”

I threw the business card from the desk straight at the president’s face.

“If you want to connect with that side so badly, how about you meet him yourself?”

“You never know.”

“He might have such tastes.”

“Sakamiya, you…!!”

“I’m leaving now, so don’t you ever spout such nonsense again.”

“I might just go public with it.”

As I retorted coldly to the president and walked towards the door,

“…But you know, will people think that way?”

Hikari’s voice from behind caught me.

“…What did you say?”

“No, I’m just stating reality.”

Turning my head, Hikari started speaking with a bright smile.

“Let’s assume Senpai publicizes this fact.”

“Will the people who hear it think Senpai is the real victim?”

“Or will they think you’re a trash-like bich attacking the company because you hate me so much?”

I definitely think it’s the latter?

I clenched my teeth at Hikari’s blatant words.

‘….And yet, she’s not wrong.’

This company had built a reasonably decent public image.

If an artist, especially one currently involved in controversy, exposes the company’s hidden shame, how many people would believe it?

‘They wouldn’t believe it.’

Even I, currently in a neutral gear position, probably wouldn’t believe it, so how much less would others?

“….You, what do you want?”

“….What I want?”

“I’m giving you a chance right now, aren’t I?”

Simultaneously rising from her seat, Hikari slowly walked towards me.

“…….!”

For some reason, feeling pressured, I unknowingly stepped back.

Pushing me against the wall, she whispered to me.

“You know, I want Senpai to be completely broken.”

“Just like Senpai deserves.”

“….What?”

“You have about a week.”

“Think carefully until then?”

“Senpai.”

Stepping back, Hikari smiled kindly again and spoke.

“…….”

Leaving that creepy smile behind, I kicked open the president’s office door and stormed out.