Chapter 9 Part 1: Withdrawal

‘You know, I want Senpai to be completely broken.’

‘Just like Senpai deserves.’

After the confrontation in the president’s office ended, I returned to the dorm.

“Haa…”

Hikari’s voice kept echoing in my head.

The immense hostility I somehow felt.

It was all directed squarely at me.

“What the f*ck did I even do to deserve that bullshit…”

Cursing like this changed nothing.

Ultimately, the fact that Hikari’s intention was to break me remained unchanged.

The things that happened that day, and the things that will happen in the future, will all just be the starting point.

‘….If it comes to that, will I eventually face the same ending as in the game?’

No matter how solid my position is, there’s a limit to how long I can endure.

Aren’t I already being criticized for the member assault incident right now?

In this situation, even a trivial rumor, regardless of its truth, would hit me hard.

“…..How did it come to this?”

Despite breathing in the night air, my troubled heart didn’t calm down one bit.

Was the problem trying to get along with Hikari?

Or was it because I didn’t bully her from the start?

Is that why she’s trying to kick me out first?

There were three main endings Ren faced in the game.

Death, prison, or social ostracization.

“….Not a single happy ending.”

From my perspective, it would almost be better to enter the original bad ending route, but that’s impossible at this point.

All three remaining possibilities were the worst endings for me.

‘Maybe I should have just left without looking back when Hikari first arrived.’

Regretting it now won’t help.

She already declared war.

No, declaration of war or whatever, if things continue like this, I’m the one who’ll end up dragged to a motel.

Once you’re used like this, it never ends there.

You just keep getting used afterward.

Of course, the victim’s response in such situations is clear.

Firmly refuse the first offer.

And in a situation like mine, refusing that offer meant one thing.

“….F*ck, isn’t this just telling me to retire?”

A surge of irritation made me throw the pillow I was hugging.

Contract termination.

It sounded like a last resort, but ironically, it was the best choice I could make in the current situation.

First, there was no problem with the withdrawal process itself.

It was something I had resolved to do from the moment I was born into this world, and I had prepared for it since signing the contract with this company.

I even prepared the recorder just now, so I wouldn’t have to worry about suffering disadvantages from something like this….

“…Huh?”

Ren, unconsciously rummaging through her pocket, let out a questioning sound.

The recorder that should definitely have been safe in her pocket wasn’t there.

What, did I drop it on the way here?

“Sigh….”

Just my luck.

Ren let out a sigh.

Since I didn’t really intend to leak it widely anyway, it wasn’t a major issue to worry about.

If it got out, my kids would suffer too, so why would I leak it?

Still, losing a useful blackmail card felt strangely disappointing.

“….Come to think of it, what about the others?”

Hina, Yui, Airi, Nano, Natsume.

The time spent with those kids flashed through my mind.

‘….Still, they’ll all endure well.’

This wasn’t just for my survival, but also for those kids.

In the original ending, it’s mentioned that after Ren was kicked out, Cornelia grew even more thanks to Hikari’s talent.

If I’m gone, Hikari won’t need to cause friction with the others, and the group should be able to continue without major issues.

In short, if I disappear, everyone can be happy.

Of course, given the memories we’ve shared, they might all be shaken at first.

But they will gradually adapt to that too.

Aren’t humans originally creatures of adaptation?

Even our Cornelia had a member expelled once, but everyone managed to endure.

This time will be no different; they will overcome it.

‘…..It’s right for me to step down at this point.’

Unlike me, who struggled solely to survive, those kids were all ‘real idols’ who debuted with a pure desire to become idols.

I couldn’t let their dreams be tainted by getting caught up in the conflict between me and the company.

For their sake too, the time has come for me to step down from the stage.

The next day, in UFO Entertainment’s meeting room.

President Kobayashi was waiting for Ren there.

The meeting room was primarily used for contract negotiations with artists, but for some reason, Ren had summoned him here.

‘I don’t feel like doing as that kid said, but….’

Considering the future profits he’d earn through her, this much didn’t matter.

If he could just get his hands on evidence that Ren provided sexual favors this time, he could use it for anything.

Using that, he could control her life.

How long had it been since he sat down?

The meeting room door opened, and Sakamiya Ren walked in.

“Well, you must have finished thinking?”

President Kobayashi greeted Ren with a smile.

‘Looks like she finally gave up.’

Kobayashi quietly observed the face of Ren standing before him.

“……..”

Although she didn’t usually have a bright expression, Ren’s face was particularly stiff today.

Objectively speaking, Ren didn’t have many options.

When conflict arises between an artist and an agency, the company usually holds the advantageous position.

Unlike an artist who is merely an individual, no matter how popular, the agency possessed the company’s unique financial power and various means to apply pressure.

It was no different for Ren.

No, in fact, with the controversy swirling around her, she was even more disadvantaged than other artists.

She should have no other countermeasures now.

This matter could only flow in his favor.

‘Well, even if she doesn’t accept, it doesn’t matter.’

Like the relationship between himself and Goro, most agencies and broadcasting stations of a certain size already had established friendly relations.

A few phone calls from him could make the broadcasting stations avoid Cornelia for a while.

‘Well, the company would suffer some damage too, but…’

He could endure that much.

Although not as much as Cornelia, his company had other reasonably popular artists.

‘But Sakamiya’s side can’t do that.’

Perhaps for the first few months, but if it continued, could she endure it?

Sakamiya Ren was the type who constantly sharpened her claws to protect the members, like a viper protecting its eggs.

Her affection for the group was greater than his own.

If he dragged Cornelia itself into this problem, she would have no choice but to bow her head.

Adding the malicious rumors circulating the internet would make it even more effective.

“Well, I imagine you must have gone through a lot mentally before making your decision.”

He concealed the sense of victory welling up inside him and maintained a neutral expression as much as possible.

There was nothing to gain by revealing his true feelings here.

“….Yes, so I took some time to think slowly.”

How much time had passed?

Ren finally opened her mouth.

And the answer that came from Ren’s lips was the exact opposite of his expectations.

“I will leave this company.”

“I will leave this company.”

“Right, so… what?”

The president’s flustered voice came in response to my answer.

‘…I finally did it.’

From the moment the original story began, I had already prepared myself to leave.

Now that I’ve said it out loud, I felt somewhat relieved.

“…..A-Are you serious?”

Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to react this way at all; I saw the president’s face turn bright red.

Pushing aside the triumphant feeling welling up inside me, I calmly continued speaking.

“…Yes, I’m serious.”

I told him clearly once again as he desperately tried to deny reality.

“You, ending the contract like this…!”

“Of course, there’s no problem with the penalty fee either.”

For whatever reason, the penalty for unilaterally terminating a contract is substantial.

That’s why I added some clauses beforehand when I first signed with this company.

‘I minimized the penalty fee incurred when I terminate the contract from my side.’

If I had my way, I wouldn’t want to give that man a single penny, but that was impossible.

The resulting penalty fee is roughly 30 million yen.

Converted to my country’s currency, it’s about 200 million won, but compared to other idols in the same league as Cornelia, it was extremely cheap.

‘Well, I didn’t think he’d actually accept it, though.’

At the time I signed, the agency was in a state where it could collapse at any moment, so perhaps that’s why the president back then signed the contract surprisingly easily.

Still, it was a bit burdensome as it was in the hundreds of millions range, but if you think of it as the price for my life, isn’t it rather cheap?

“I will pay the penalty fee properly, so don’t worry about anything.”

As I turned to head out of the meeting room, I heard his voice from behind me.

“You, you!”

“Think again.”

“If you leave like this, you’ll never set foot in this industry again!”

Ha, is the only thing he can do until the very end just threats?

“….Yes, I have no intention of returning either.”

“So don’t you worry about things like that?”

If you ask if I felt no satisfaction at all from my idol activities so far, that’s not true.

‘But, nothing more than that.’

However, before that, being an idol was primarily a means to extend my life.

To escape the clutches of that damned status window, I had to become famous.

‘But, I’m famous now, aren’t I?’

Whether due to the career I’ve built so far, or due to this recent controversy, my name is known throughout the land.

So, I no longer needed to cling to the idol position like before.

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

“You, you…!!”

Leaving the president shouting something continuously behind me, I walked out of the meeting room.

I had no further business with him.

Now, the legal contract termination will be handled by their side.

Whether they spread strange rumors or not was none of my concern.

Because I plan to retire completely from the industry anyway.

‘…Then there’s only one thing left.’

Right, how should I tell the other kids?