Chapter 57: Preparing to expose

The car Sion was driving passed through the bustling downtown area and entered a residential district.

Getting out of the car, a two-story house that looked like it came straight out of a manga came into view.

“Woooow…..”

I let out an exclamation of awe at the sight.

I’d known it for a while, but Sion really was from a well-off family.

It made me realize anew just how much of a mess my parents’ single-room, trash-filled house had been.

“But, is it really okay for me to come in?”

“It’s fine, both of them are overseas on business trips.”

Sion answered my concern.

That’s a relief, at least I won’t have to worry about things being awkward.

‘His mother doesn’t particularly like me…..’

Ah.

Let me clarify beforehand, just in case of misunderstanding; she’s not the type to carelessly believe things like internet articles.

It’s not about the recent controversy; she was just always a bit like that.

Perhaps because of my parents, who had thrown responsibility to the far reaches of Andromeda, she just didn’t like my background.

Well.

From a parent’s perspective, it’s not entirely incomprehensible, but still, being treated like some kind of germ feels a bit off.

It’s not like I’m some daughter-in-law trying to win over her mother-in-law.

Is there really a need to improve the relationship?

I’ve been avoiding her for now.

It’s kind of like the relationship between a mongoose and a cobra.

Screeech-

As Sion opened the main gate, I cautiously stepped inside.

“So. You two live here?”

“Huh? Ah….. Well, I guess so? The dorms aren’t open yet.”

Then, as if waiting, a voice came from upstairs.

“Huh? What, did someone come?”

With the sound of someone slowly descending the wooden stairs.

A black-haired beautiful girl peeked her head around the corner.

“Uh…?”

“Hi, Kotoha?”

Even if it were other kids, from my perspective, it was a face I couldn’t possibly not know.

Anyway, she’s really changed a lot.

When did she grow up so much?

Towards the girl who came down to the first floor, Ren cautiously greeted her.

A beauty with smooth black hair and brown eyes.

Sion’s younger sister, who entered high school this year.

It was Takamine Kotoha.

“Unnieee—!”

Recognizing Ren’s presence, Kotoha flew into her arms in the blink of an eye.

“Ooh, careful. You’ll fall.”

“Hehe…..”

I gently patted Kotoha, who was carefully burying her face in my embrace.

As the male protagonist’s younger sister, she played a somewhat significant role in the game.

Of course, there was no romance route or anything, so don’t worry.

Then the genre wouldn’t be entertainment industry anymore, would it?

She was just a character who played the supporting role of a sis-con younger sister, monitoring whether the heroines were decent people.

‘But she’s unusually friendly towards me.’

Is it because I’ve known her since she was little?

It might be because, unlike in the original story, I doted on her a bit.

Maybe she was happy to have a close older female figure after only having an older brother.

Considering the crazy sparks that flew between the two in the original story, I’d believe it even if this were a reverse world.

“Hey, shouldn’t we go inside first?”

“Ah, right.”

The hug, which had lasted for quite some time, finally broke after Sion’s words.

“But why did you two come together? Don’t tell me…?”

Kotoha, having detached from my embrace, started looking at us with a peculiar gaze.

Late evening.

A man and a woman in a man’s car.

Heading to the man’s house….

Hmm, it is a perfect situation for a drama.

Well, in that sense.

“….Your Winter Sonata is confiscated.”

“Ah?! I’m sorry, Oppaaa! Please let me off!!”

Kotoha despaired at Sion’s declaration.

Turning Kotoha into a ‘We Got Married’ shipper.

I can’t forgive you, Korean dramas.

“Well, it’s not like that. Just had a bit of a problem. So I decided to stay here for a few days.”

“Ah, I see…”

Perhaps remembering the news about me at those words, Kotoha’s mood suddenly sank.

“Unnie, I don’t believe a single word those people say.”

“Yes, yes, I know.”

As if my cute Kotoha would be swayed by such baseless rumors.

Seeing her talk about dramas just now makes me a little uneasy.

But it’ll be fine, I guess.

Pat pat-

“Kyaa-!”

As I stroked her head, Kotoha purred, seemingly pleased.

She looks like a husky, but her personality is a total retriever.

Coming inside, the beautifully decorated interior immediately caught my eye.

Perhaps because his mother has a slight touch of mysophobia, the house was extremely well-organized.

“For now, you can use the spare room on the second floor.”

“…..There’s a spare room.”

Is it because both his parents are executives at overseas conglomerates?

Seriously, who was it that said all people are equal?

I once again realized how unfair the world is.

I unpacked my things in the spare room and came back down to the first floor.

Peeking into the kitchen, Sion was preparing food.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, it’s about time for dinner.”

Hmm, is it a meat-based meal today?

Well, Kotoha will have a tough time when she enters high school too.

She needs to eat well beforehand.

“Here, let me. I’ll do it.”

The distance from my place to here is a whole hour.

He drove that whole time without even stopping at a rest area; wouldn’t he be tired?

I should at least do this much.

“Oot.”

I approached his side and took the frying pan from him.

I should be the one cooking the meat.

“So, take that off.”

I said, pointing to the apron Sion was wearing.

“…..Kotoha has one she uses, so I’ll give you that.”

Before I knew it, I had even put on an apron and started preparations.

But, this chest part is a bit.

No, it’s very tight…?

“Can’t I just wear yours?”

“…..Please, I’m begging you, don’t do that, Idol-nim.”

My request for an apron, thrown out just in case, was rejected as expected.

Well, Sion is a guy, after all.

Having another woman wear his clothes might be a sensitive issue for him.

‘Come to think of it, I just said something really embarrassing, didn’t I?’

Turning my head back at that thought, I saw Sion staring at me with a somewhat anxious expression.

…Look at this?

“I’ve cooked a lot too, you know?”

“Reaally…?”

My skills improved from constantly practicing to feed the kids secretly, behind the CEO’s back who told us to manage our figures.

‘No, seriously, how are we supposed to build muscle on that body if they don’t give us meat?’

You need to eat healthily, whatever it is, to build muscle, right?

That person clearly has never been to a gym.

Besides, does he think I’m some kind of alchemist?

To make poison dishes.

In the first place, if you just follow the instructions, you’re more than halfway there.

What nonsense.

Anyway, cooking aside…..

“So, what are you planning to do?”

I asked Sion, who was chopping vegetables beside me, about future plans.

“…..For now, I’ve told the kids too. It’ll be more effective if we do it together rather than me doing it alone.”

Hmm, that’s right.

Rather than an internal report from a mere employee, an idol from the agency directly exposing it would have a greater impact, whether in a good or bad sense.

However…..

“Are you really okay with that?”

Although I gave permission to do as they please, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

If they leak that, there could be legal disputes with the company’s legal team.

“Yeah, so for now, I plan to only expose things where we can definitively win.”

To summarize, he plans to expose things like internal personnel corruption within the company.

Hmm, in that case, the stalker issue can’t be handled that way.

There’s no concrete evidence that the company leaked my information.

“Then, let’s just spread the stalker incident through lyrics.”

“…..Will that be okay?”

“Yes, it doesn’t matter.”

There’s no choice but to use it to attract attention.

I’ll probably get more hate, but I’m already getting it, so what does it matter?

From now on, I just shouldn’t even look at the comment sections.

“The effect will definitely be better….. Kotoha! Get ready for dinner—!”

“Already done! Ahem!”

Turning my head at that voice, I saw Kotoha, who had already finished setting the table.

Oh, how mature.

Her atmosphere and everything about her has become so mature.

‘Wow, she’s two years younger than Yui?’

Looking at their mentality, this one is clearly more mature.

Should I just switch them out while I’m at it? (Joking)

“Wow, Unnie…. your apron. It’s so pretty….”

Kotoha, her voice trailing off strangely towards the end, looked down at her own body.

As her own feet came into view, she felt a strangely bitter feeling.

“Stop thinking weird things and sit down quickly.”

“Okay….”

Kotoha, dejected, sat down only after Sion’s reprimand.

“Anyway, it’s really been a long time since the three of us ate together like this!”

“Has it been that long?”

The feeling of defeat about her underdeveloped body was brief.

As soon as she picked up her spoon, Kotoha, regaining her energy, continued speaking.

Let’s see, it feels like it hasn’t been that long.

About 3 or 4 years…

“Actually, it’s probably been almost 10 years?”

“To be precise, about 8 and a half years?”

“….Really?”

Then the last time was when I was in middle school.

‘Why is my sense of time really like this?’

Ren was in shock.

---

“Achoo?!”

Meanwhile, Yui, in the dorm, let out a sneeze.

“What? Yui, are you sick?”

“Noo, it’s not like that….”

Did someone talk bad about me somewhere?

Yui quietly rubbed her nose.

The goosebumps on her body might indicate a cold.

“Hey, do you know about that? That, Corona?”

“What are you talking about! I haven’t been to China!”

It’s not like it’s some kind of ransomware.

How could a disease that hasn’t even spread beyond China infect her, who had been cooped up in a dorm in Japan?

Yui, retorting to Hina’s words, focused on the meeting again.

While Hikari was out meeting other celebrities, all the members were gathered in the living room.

“So, can everyone share their opinions on what we should do now?”

At Natsume’s words, the Cornelia members’ gazes changed.

Resentment had already piled up sufficiently due to Ren’s semi-forced departure and Hikari’s actions.

That alone was more than enough, but.

『What? Unnie was stalked?!』

It was a story relayed through Sion, who had been to the police station.

This alone was a huge deal.

The words that followed immediately after were even more shocking.

‘The company leaked the information…..’

Common sense suggested it was excessive, but there was only one suspect.

‘And, somehow, I feel like it makes sense.’

Since the stalker in question had been sent to prison by the company’s legal team, there was a possibility of some contact at that time.

The way the company had been operating lately was also strange.

If she followed her heart, she wanted to gather Hikari and the president in the president’s office and throw a bomb, but what could she do?

“First, realistically, holding a press conference or something is difficult.”

Reporters aren’t people you can just easily call.

Especially if it’s a major media outlet.

“Then, how about a YouTube live? Lots of people will watch, and we can do it right away.”

“But can we use the company’s official account?”

“Producer manages it anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right? The aftermath is the issue.”

Feelings are feelings, and what needs to be handled carefully must be handled carefully.

One never knows what kind of backlash one might face if swayed by emotions.

No matter how much evidence they had to proceed favorably, their opponent was the massive entity of the agency.

And among them, there were quite a few lawyers.

First, they had to secure a victory with a reliably proven method.

Once the opinions were somewhat consolidated, sub-leader Natsume opened her mouth.

“Alright, before we proceed, let me ask one more time.”

Everyone’s prepared, right?

“We might really go to a legal battle, and we might never be able to enter this industry again. No, we definitely won’t be able to come back.”

There aren’t many agencies willing to take in idols who have blown the whistle on their company.

Even if there were, they would most likely not be serious about entertainment activities or lack proper support.

Even if they managed to debut somehow, they wouldn’t be able to return to the mainstream like now.

Given the nature of idols whose faces are widely known.

If this goes wrong, it will be difficult to find other jobs.

A gamble risking the roughly 20 years of life they had built up so far, and their entire future lives.

Honestly, she could understand to some extent if someone backed out now.

At her words, the members’ answers came back as if they had been waiting.

“We just have to fight it out. What other choice do we have?”

“A spectacular retirement ceremony with an explosion, huh. Sounds like a tokusatsu show. I like it.”

The expressions varied, but the meaning of their words was one.

“Alright then, I’ll assume everyone agrees….. Let’s prepare for the live broadcast.”

Now, let’s give those folks a good whack on the back of their heads.