Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Idol, Stalker, Management (6)
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The ugly girl everyone dismissed was actually a peerless beauty.
It was a cliché as old as the oral traditions passed down since the Bronze Age, when houses were built of wood and straw.
A situation so trite it was boring, so predictable it wasn't even surprising anymore!
And yet, even after some time had passed, the group couldn't recover from the shock of seeing Aisha's bare face.
They must have expected her face to be different without makeup, so why was this?
The reason was simple. The difference between Aisha's before and after was simply too extreme.
“Um… W-Why are you all staring? Ah, this must be the first time you’ve seen my bare face. It’s me. Aisha.”
“No, we know that, but…”
Her face without makeup was, in a word, shocking.
First, her skin wasn't the grotesque white of someone who’d caked on flour or chalk, but was instead lush and vibrant, like a peach dipped in milk.
Then there were the eyes that sparkled like stars beneath unrealistically long lashes, and the crimson lips that asserted their presence below a high, straight nose.
And the faint droplets of water tracing her jawline added a hint of sensuality to her otherwise innocent aura, effortlessly captivating anyone who looked at her.
The sheer power of her visuals was overwhelming; it would be no exaggeration to say she was sculpted.
It was enough to make one angry that such a gem had been hidden beneath bizarre makeup.
“This is… completely beyond imagination.”
“S-Sis. You’re so pretty!”
“…!”
“Th-Thank you.”
Standing next to David and Alice as they offered their compliments, I discreetly gave a thumbs-up.
I knew from the original story that she was actually very beautiful, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.
If I hadn't grown accustomed to seeing my own face, I might have been just as mesmerized by her fearsome beauty.
As I nodded with a sense of composure, Raven, who seemed to have finally recovered from the shock, looked at her and asked.
“Hmm… So, you have a new request for us? You got the money?”
“Jin…”
“What? Why are you looking at me like that? It’d be one thing if we had to provide after-service for a failed job. But this was basically a success. If you have another favor to ask, you have to pay again. We’re not volunteers here.”
“W-Well, you’re not wrong.”
Did he not consider this working hours?
He questioned Aisha with his usual relaxed demeanor.
The relationship between a Fixer and a client had ended the moment the stalker’s identity was revealed.
But if she was here to hire them again, she could still be considered a client.
Of course, Alice probably thought he was being too harsh on someone going through a tough time… but it couldn’t be helped.
With Bold being the stalker, there was no way Aisha could continue her idol career at that agency. A peaceful resolution was never an option.
Perhaps Aisha felt the same way as Raven.
She didn't seem to mind and replied cheerfully.
“Yes, I agree with your opinion and methods, Raven. In fact, I feel quite relieved in many ways. I’m glad I quit that company!”
“Right, right. Customer satisfaction is what matters. So, what’s the request this time? Want us to get revenge on that manager or the bald guy? I can torment them plenty without breaking the law too much.”
“Wow… Jin, you look like a total villain saying that with such a wicked face.”
“Fixers have immunity for property damage, some acts of violence, and kidnapping, but only when it pertains to a job. If we use that wisely, we can make them cry their eyes out.”
“You too, David! W-Wait… are you really going to hurt them? For real?”
Raven, having set aside his empty glass, looked at the much-improved Aisha with a truly sinister expression.
Perhaps because he was the brooding, handsome type, that expression made him exude the aura of a truly nasty, third-rate villain.
With David, who seemed deeply invested since it was idol-related, also burning with enthusiasm, Alice showed a look of alarm.
As a former police academy candidate, she seemed quite troubled by the plan to completely bury their targets.
Well, that wasn't what Aisha was going to ask for, so there was no need to worry.
As I calmly watched the scene unfold, Alice, unable to stop the two of them, suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.
“…?”
“Y-Yuria, you can’t become an adult like them, okay?”
“…!”
Honestly, I thought that Bold guy deserved to be taught a lesson…
But saying no here would be a huge shock to Alice. So, I nodded vigorously, as if promising I would.
Did our interaction look pleasant?
Aisha covered her mouth and giggled, then cleared her throat and spoke with a serious gaze.
Or rather, she was about to. If only the cafe door hadn't burst open and someone hadn't come rushing toward us.
“Waaaaah!”
*Crash!*
Unable to control his own speed, the intruder tripped over his own feet and came rolling toward where we were sitting.
At this rate, he would crash into the table, and an accident was imminent!
Raven stood up slightly and, as if handling a soccer ball, stopped the man in his tracks by planting a foot on him.
And with that, the identity of the boisterous intruder was revealed.
“Oh my, Mr. Manager?”
“What? It’s that stalking manager who was working with the bald guy.”
“Ugh, ghh…”
The red-haired man was none other than Aisha’s manager.
An accomplice who had aided in Aisha’s stalking under the orders of the general manager, Bold.
Naturally, he was the last person who should be showing up here, so Alice and David burned with hostility toward him.
“How did this person get here…!”
“To show your face after what you did. How thick-skinned can you be?”
What gall did he have to come here, and how did he even find them?
David, in particular, looked menacing, as if a punch was ready to fly at the slightest provocation.
Just as the manager was about to be beaten to a pulp by the two, Aisha shot up from her seat and held them back.
“W-Wait a moment. Please, calm down. I called the manager.”
“Y-You did, Aisha?”
“Yes… He actually contacted me while I was washing off my makeup. He said he regretted what he did and wanted to sincerely apologize…”
Here. See?
Aisha took out her device and showed us the messages she had exchanged with the manager.
Sure enough, the conversation contained messages from a man, presumably the manager, genuinely admitting his fault and expressing his desire to right his wrongs.
But this man was an accomplice. How could she trust a word he said…
David and Alice forced themselves back into their seats, their expressions clearly conveying that thought.
Once trust is broken, it’s practically impossible to restore.
Unlike Raven, who remained perfectly composed, the two could only glare at the manager, their anger still simmering.
But the manager, as if he truly believed he was at fault, sat down on the hard-looking floor, slammed his forehead down with a thud, and cried out.
“I’m truly… truly sorry! This is all my fault! No matter how desperate I was for money, I should never have accepted Bold’s offer! You can resent me, and I will rightfully accept it! It’s okay if you don’t forgive a piece of trash like me! But please, could you just give me one chance to atone for my mistake!”
“A chance? What do you mean?”
“I can explain everything… why Bold did such a thing to you!”
The manager looked up at Aisha, his forehead now red and swollen.
*It’s fine if you don’t forgive me, but please don’t refuse my desire to make amends.*
He cried out, his voice filled with sincere desperation.
*Sigh*, if he was going to be like this, he shouldn't have tormented her in the first place.
I glanced at Aisha, who seemed deep in thought, then used my psychokinesis to discreetly smudge the camera lenses of the people who had been drawn by the commotion and were now filming us.
This kind of thing would be a pain if it got caught on camera. It was a preemptive measure no one would notice.
From their perspective, the screen would have suddenly become blurry, which must have been confusing.
While I was busy thwarting their filming with just my eyes, had Aisha and Raven exchanged a look? She spoke in a remarkably calm voice.
“Then let’s move. This doesn’t seem like a conversation to be had in a place like this.”
“Good. Let’s go to our office. It should be quiet there, with no listening ears.”
We decided to continue the conversation at the agency and quickly got up from our seats.
It wasn't a story meant for public ears.
And people had started to glance our way, likely drawn by Aisha's appearance. *What are you looking at? Get lost.*
Anyway, we returned to the Fixer agency and all sat down together in the reception area.
My spot was right next to Alice. I wondered if this was what it felt like to be a comfort doll.
Once the atmosphere was set to continue the conversation, the manager opened his mouth, his expression completely devoid of humor.
“Where should I begin… Let’s start with the stalker incident.”
He first explained why Bold had tried to drive Aisha out using a malicious stalker.
The reason was simple. Maximized Idols were perceived as being for marginalized groups, so the company couldn't afford a rumor spreading that they had kicked one out simply because she wasn’t profitable.
Therefore, making it seem like she had voluntarily quit due to a malicious stalker was the best-case scenario for the company.
“That’s… for such a pathetic reason!”
“It’s not pathetic. Codria is one of the top agencies in the newly resurgent idol industry. Every little part of their image is a stepping stone that determines whether they get ahead or fall behind. Of course, Bold must have a massive headache now that he has to cancel Aisha’s contract due to the company’s own fault.”
The manager pressed the ice pack I had quietly brought him to his forehead and replied to an indignant Alice.
That was the nature of corporate image. Companies would pour millions into donations to build a good one, and a single bad image could cause millions in losses.
They had built a positive image by creating idols for metahumans. They didn't want to tarnish that, even if it meant taking a loss.
One question was answered. But a mountain of others remained.
David, who had been pondering deeply, raised his hand and asked.
“I have one more question. Why did Codria make Aisha a Maximized Idol in the first place? With her looks… she surely would have been a huge asset to the company’s revenue.”
“That was, in many ways, just bad luck. Around the time Aisha joined Codria as a trainee, a group that included the child of an investor was scheduled to debut. Obviously, they have eyes. They knew Aisha would be profitable, but… if all the attention shifted to her, they would lose a major source of investment. In the end, Codria chose one over the other.”
Ironically, that group is now languishing in the lower-middle ranks with mediocre results.
The manager bowed his head, as if finding his own words absurd.
He looked as if he felt sorry for Aisha all over again, for being cast into the gutter for having no connections.
But Raven, still unable to comprehend it, scratched his head and spoke as if they were complete idiots.
“Wait, so why not just hold off for a bit and debut her later? Then both sides would have profited.”
“They were probably worried that Aisha would move to another company in the meantime. With her potential, she’s a talent who could blossom one way or another with the right polishing. But there’s a limit to how long you can keep someone as a trainee… so they debuted her as a Maximized Idol, a role that completely erases her individuality. It was a very cruel thing to do.”
“I actually found it kind of fun, being a Maximized Idol.”
Aisha said, a somewhat bitter smile on her face.
She hadn’t dreamed of becoming the world’s greatest idol, just of becoming an idol.
Her thoughts seemed complicated, having been pushed around only to be forced to quit after just three months.
Then, suddenly, as if her mind was made up, she looked at Raven with clear, determined eyes.
As if to convey the words she couldn't finish at the cafe, she sat up straight and stated her request, her voice full of sincerity.
“Raven. I still want to be an idol. I’ll give you all the money I’ve saved up. Can you make me an idol?”
Aisha completely shed the timid demeanor she’d had until now, radiating an aura as if she had become a star herself.
Raven leaned back into the sofa and gave her a lighthearted reply.
“Sounds fun. Let’s do it.”
“Woooooah!”
“D-David, calm down!”
Let’s make Aisha a shining idol once more!
Everyone in the office was fired up with motivation.