Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Idol, Stalker, Management (7)
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Of course, a Fixer is, at the end of the day, just someone who solves problems for others.
They aren't in the business of starting an entertainment agency to debut a lost little lamb as an idol.
Thus, for something that had started with the lighthearted attitude of, “What the heck, let’s give it a shot!” we had no choice but to continue our strategy meeting for quite some time.
No matter how captivating Aisha’s extraordinary looks were, her career objectively amounted to being an unpopular idol who quit after just three months.
And starting over as a trainee now was difficult, as her age, in her early twenties, was quite old for an idol.
In other words, no matter how we looked at it, the best option was to take a gamble with high risks and high returns, rather than the standard approach of investing time.
“What about a TV show? She could go on an idol competition program and shoot to stardom in one go! Honestly, with Aisha’s overwhelming looks, first place would be in the bag!”
“I think it would be better to actively use the internet rather than a TV show. We could build her popularity through viral marketing and entice an agency to headhunt her. After all, companies prefer to recruit people who are already proven.”
“S-Still, with the precedent of Codria… wouldn’t it be better to join a trustworthy company? If she debuts rashly, there’s no guarantee something similar won’t happen again….”
These were the opinions of Alice, David, and the manager, in that order, each reflecting their distinct personalities.
First, Alice proposed entering an idol competition where Aisha could prove herself through her abilities.
It revealed her upright nature, one that valued honesty and proper means, no matter the situation.
David, in contrast, put forth a promotional strategy based on the internet, such as viral or noise marketing.
It showed his personality, one that favored fast and efficient methods, even if they were aggressive, as long as they weren't illegal.
Finally, the manager, whose presence here was a mystery, argued for a fresh start at a safe agency.
Having been burned badly by the company called Codria, he seemed to believe the safest path was the fastest.
Alice, who had been quietly watching the manager, suddenly spoke up.
“By the way, are you even allowed to be here? Won’t your company say anything? Are you a traitor?”
“I-I completely quit when I left earlier! I’m fully on Aisha’s side now! Please, believe me!”
“Alice, let’s forgive him this once. I might not have before, but I trust the manager now. You won’t do anything strange this time, right?”
“O-Of course! Naturally!”
“…But if you quit being a manager, shouldn’t we not call you ‘manager’ anymore?”
While Alice glared fiercely and the manager looked on desperately, Aisha defended him with a small laugh.
Even if he made a mistake in the past, wasn’t it fine if he sincerely repented and tried to fix his wrongs? It was the attitude of a truly magnanimous person.
As David watched the three of them, he muttered to himself, looking puzzled.
Meanwhile, Raven, who had been deep in thought, let out a light sigh and summed things up.
“Hmm, I don’t think those Codria folks will just sit back and watch her debut. They’ll probably try to interfere in some way. Whether it’s a TV show or the internet.”
“That’s…”
“Indeed, that seems highly likely.”
There was no rule saying that scoundrels who pulled a stunt once wouldn’t do it again.
Besides, now that they had parted ways, thinking Codria would stand by and watch Aisha successfully debut as an idol… was a rather optimistic judgment.
And competition programs couldn’t rule out the possibility of intervention or manipulation from higher-ups.
Viral marketing, too, could backfire spectacularly the moment it was exposed as such, so it wasn’t an entirely good method either.
So, what was a way for her to be an idol without being hindered by Codria? Deep contemplation and thought once again filled the Fixer agency.
‘It is difficult. At this point, Codria, the company Aisha was with, is a bona fide corporate giant, one of the top three in the industry. No matter if she has a Fixer, it’s bound to be hard to escape their influence with just personal power.’
What? If Codria is in the top three, can’t she just go to one of the other two competitors?
No, that wasn’t so easy either.
With the conflict with Codria, as long as there was no guarantee of Aisha’s success, the other companies would also be hesitant to snatch her up.
And in the first place, if becoming an idol were that easy, would everyone be struggling so desperately to become trainees at major companies? Nothing in this world is easy.
I thought this to myself as I munched on a snack I’d pulled from somewhere.
Still, a conclusion would probably be reached soon. No need to be on pins and needles.
As if on cue with my thoughts, Raven stroked his chin as if remembering something he had forgotten and opened his mouth.
“Hmm. So, in the end, we just need to avoid interference from those Codria guys. Right?”
“But their influence is so vast in every area, it won’t be easy.”
“Hmph, no matter how great their influence, they can’t reach everywhere.”
For example? Questioning gazes turned toward Raven.
Amid the curious looks wondering where in this industry could possibly be beyond Codria’s grasp, he spoke with a confident expression.
“I know an idol-industry Fixer. It might be good to entrust this to her.”
An idol-industry Fixer? Alice, who had been in Nighthaven for less than a year, tilted her head with a look that said, what kind of combination is that?
But in contrast, Aisha and her manager covered their mouths, their expressions filled with surprise.
They seemed to have never expected that Raven, a not-so-famous Fixer, would have a connection with an idol-industry Fixer.
In a situation filled with surprise and questions, I munched on my chocolate rings, my eyes quietly sparkling.
An idol-industry Fixer, that must be that person from the original story, right? This will be fun!
Feeling my heart pound with excitement, I purely savored the moment.
*
The sun had set, and it was now a Nighthaven night, with only the neon signs flashing in the darkness.
We moved to a tall building in the city center and came face to face with the idol-industry Fixer.
She was a beautiful girl with grape-purple hair tied high in twin tails.
With sharp, upturned eyes and a face brimming with the kind of mischief that delighted in tormenting adults.
Her apparent age was somewhere between middle and high school.
Not just her face, but the cute clothes she wore also drew the eye—a sparkling star full of charm!
Nighthaven’s one and only idol-industry Fixer, Rurika, spoke with a sweet smile.
“Showing up unannounced at this hour, what country’s etiquette is that? Or is the aftereffect of that bullet in your forehead still lingering?”
*Whoosh.*
A chill, as if an ice knife were stabbing my back, descended upon the office.
Looking closely, I saw that while Rurika’s mouth was curved into a smile, her eyes were cold and expressionless.
It was a terrifying sight, one that made me wonder if such a cute face could be so scary!
Perhaps because she was so clearly showing her displeasure at our sudden visit.
Alice, trembling with fear, hugged me tightly.
Maybe because we were closer than usual, I felt an extra-heavy weight on the back of my head.
But as if he didn’t care whether Rurika made a blatantly threatening remark or not, Raven nonchalantly cleaned his ear with his pinky and replied to her.
“You’re the one who said I could come anytime. Don’t you remember crying your eyes out when we disbanded?”
“Y-You idiot! That was—I just got swept up in the moment! You think I meant it?! Moron! Die!”
Rurika’s face turned bright red as she threw herself at Raven, delivering a kick.
Even though she looked like a cute middle school girl, was a Fixer still a Fixer?
Her power and speed contained a formidable force that was chilling to even watch from the sidelines.
However, Raven, looking as if he’d been through this a dozen times, leisurely took a step to the side, easily dodging Rurika’s kick.
“Die! Die! If you were going to come! You should have come sooner! You damn crow! You think you’re all that just because you were my senior?!”
“Ah, my bad, my bad. You looked busy. I can’t just go visit someone who’s on TV all the time with no reason.”
“Ugh! Jeez… As if I’d kick you out if you just showed up!”
Rurika swung her fists and feet at Raven with enough force to make popping sounds in the air.
Finally, when she was panting and exhausted, she seemed to have vented her frustration and plopped down on the spot.
Wow, she can do that just by swinging her bare fists, without any tools.
As I marveled anew at the potential of humanity, Aisha, who had been watching the situation blankly with her eyes narrowed to dots, cautiously asked Raven.
“Uh, excuse me… What is your relationship….”
“Hm? Ah… We used to be with the same agency, you could say. To be precise, I was her senior.”
“*Huff, huff*… That was… over ten years ago.”
It seemed she was quite flustered by how unexpectedly close Raven and Rurika were.
I probably would have been flustered in her shoes, too.
Rurika was a top-tier Triple Fixer and one of the living legends among idols, counted on one hand.
And the Fixer she had chosen on a whim because she had no money turned out to be her senior?
How could anyone not be surprised by this? I get it, I totally get it.
But perhaps she had caught her breath while they were talking.
Rurika wiped the sweat from her forehead and spoke to Raven.
“Anyway. Why did you show up all of a sudden? Did you come to show off your girlfriend? She’s pretty.”
“M-Me? N-No!”
“Oh, then that one over there? My, she’s cute too. Is that a kimono? It has a nice vibe.”
“Eh? No! We’re not in that kind of relationship! Why would I be with Jin?!”
“Huh. Ah, sorry. I’m a bit dense about that stuff. You really seem to hate the idea…”
After poking at Aisha and Alice one by one, Rurika scratched her cheek awkwardly at their reactions, which went beyond denial to outright horror.
Raven, who had just been confessed to zero times and rejected twice, briefly pressed his forehead before speaking as if it didn’t bother him.
“Never mind that. I actually came to ask for a favor. The thing is…”
Raven briefly summarized the events that had transpired so far.
From Aisha coming to him with a stalker problem, to the stalker turning out to be the head of her agency.
And how she eventually broke the contract and returned to her old self, but still couldn’t give up on her dream of being an idol.
And finally, how he came to her, worried about Codria’s interference if she tried to become an idol again, to see if there was a good way.
After hearing the whole story, Rurika replied with a bored expression.
“Yeah, I get it. So, why should I care?”
I understand the story, but is it really something I need to get involved in?
She showed an extremely cool-headed attitude, as if saying just that.
In a way, it was to be expected.
Sure, Aisha’s situation was pitiful, and Codria was scum…
But it wasn’t enough for her to extend a helping hand.
As both an idol and a businesswoman, she had made her judgment based on reason, not emotion.
But Raven, reacting as if he had expected this, gestured for the distant Aisha to come over.
As she hesitantly approached Raven’s side, he pointed a finger at her face as if to say, see for yourself.
“What, so what… hmm, so what. I… hmm, no, haaah…”
*Glance, glance.*
Was Aisha’s face even more devastating up close?
Every time Rurika looked at her, her resolve seemed to waver, and she stuttered against her will.
Raven, seemingly judging from Rurika’s reaction that she was already halfway convinced, told Aisha to do that thing from before.
That thing from before?
After tilting her head for a moment, Aisha nodded as if it were no difficult task, cleared her throat with a *hmm hmm*, and then shouted.
“Listen up, you punks! If anyone’s giving you trouble, you tell your big sis here! I’ll crack their skulls for you! Got it?!”
“Pffft! Ahah! K-hahaha!”
Rurika collapsed right where she stood.
With a rough, gravelly voice suddenly erupting from the mouth of the melancholic Aisha, she couldn’t seem to handle the gap.
Just a moment ago, she was exuding a foul mood, but now she was clutching her stomach, collapsed on the floor?
At that, David and Alice exchanged glances.
This might actually work.
On the road ahead, once filled with red lights, a green one had finally appeared.