NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77 – To end, the conflict 02
In the end, the success of Ai's documentary and including the two of us, Ruby and myself, which people sometimes call Hoshino's documentary, made many neutral people turn to support Ai. What didn't stop there was how Strawberry Pro dealt with this issue.
Well, it seems that Strawberry Pro decided to do a little controversy regarding Ai, which is that they are trying to compensate fans by allowing fans to get refunds for various Ai-related items as long as they meet the criteria the company advocates. This was done to give a positive impression to the company, which was under fire for letting a young trainee get pregnant.
Even with those documentaries, many people were still putting pressure on Strawbery Pro and various fans who asked the company and Ai to apologize for this incident. Something that Strawberry Pro never bothered to do. They have responded to unhappy fans by allowing them to get their money back.
Honestly, thanks to the success of the documentary, there were various advancements that were made, including support for Ai and also a petition to support Ai continuing to be an idol and not retiring from B-Komachi. Because of this, Ai, B-Komachi, and Strawberry Pro never changed Ai's retirement. However, they never said that B-Komachi's show at Tokyo Dome would be Ai's last show.
Even with all the support for Ai, Strawberry Pro decided to release a new album for Ai titled idol. Also, it announced that B-Komachi will hold a farewell tour next year. It shows that the company has always been backing Ai and chose to keep Ai and have her retire along with B-Komachi.
B-Komachi was basically an idol group that is quite old. It already has a conversation about retiring from the group, especially considering that twenty-eight-year-old Ai alone is one of the youngest members in the group.
"I wonder if Mama will be alright," Ruby said while her head lay in my lap.
"Well, it's fine," I replied earnestly, looking at my smartphone.
"Yeah, but I wonder why Miyako brought our mother to the meeting. I don't think she needed it, right?"
"It happened because there was a request from the other side. It seems that they will meet an important person from the Shinomiya family."
"Hm, by the way, what are you doing?
"Oh, I was messaging Roboco."
Today is a sunny Sunday, a day off from school, and usually, a busy day for both of us if we have jobs. Because, as elementary school children, we sometimes have to work on Sundays. However, after many interviews in the past few days, Miyako and Ai were going to have a face-to-face meeting with the Shinomiya family's second child, Seiryu. Therefore Miyako felt comfortable when Ruby and I were at home rather than outside.
"Eh, is that fine?"
"Well, it's fine, I guess."
It seems that when Jimina's subordinates were chasing Roboco, they did not get to see the appearance of the person who took the important photo, which became one of the tools in our negotiations to take over Jimina House Production. Then from that day on, I often messaged each other with Roboco, even though it seemed like he was talking out of his ass in the midst of what seemed like everyday conversation. Roboco often filled me in on what was happening there.
Then from the message I got from Roboco, it seems that in the last few days, Jimina has been getting increasingly stressed and angry as he is losing control of his little company. Especially after the spread of Ai's documentary, there wasn't much they could do to stop Strawbery Productions from taking over the company from Jimina, especially when the biggest person that supported them stopped.
It seemed that Jimina was trying to ask favors from various big shots here and there who used to get the idol girls he prepared. However, it appears that none of his clients were interested in helping him out, which frustrated him. So it was obvious to everyone in the company.
It would be frustrating if I were in his shoes, but at the end of the day, that's what happens in this dirty, competitive world.
[I'm worried. He will try to do something extreme at this moment. ]
I got a message that was both ominous and made sense at the same time. It's not easy for a person with power to lose it, especially when that person feels like they built the company from scratch. This reminds me of the iconic scene from the movie Spiderman, where the green goblin gets angry when his company is sold.
[ Well, he might do something outrageous, So if you feel anything unusual, you can tell me. I will help you. ]
I sent such a message and got a reply from Roboco before I closed my smartphone and looked out the window. I could see that the day that had been so sunny was starting to get a little cloudy. Especially in the area where Jimina House Production was located. Something that gave me the wrong impression.
Yeah, I got a bad feeling about this.
It might be called instinct, but it feels like since I was born into this world, my hunches are almost always correct. Then after I gained this power, it felt like my suspicions became so accurate that I was a little scared of the accuracy I felt.
"Ah, Ruby, can I ask you something?"
"Hm? What?"
"I think I will go out. Can I ask you to cover up the fact that I went out?"
"Huh!? Why all of a sudden?"
Ruby asked a question as her eyes pondered toward me.
"Sorry, but I feel something bad will happen, so I feel the need to go there?"
"Do you think I will do that after hearing something bad will happen to you?"
"I know and understand. That's why… please? I will do anything you ask after this."
"It sounds attractive, but no."
Ruby said with such big confidence, but I have another plan.
"Hm? What?" Ruby said so when she realized that my face was approaching her. Before I kissed her, I could see her somewhat surprised look as this was probably the first time I kissed her on my own accord. Because usually, she is the one who takes the initiative.
"Please… okay?"
"That's unfair, but okay… Hehe~ Leave it to me."
Honestly, I felt a little conflicted as I found out how easy it was to influence Ruby. But at the same time, it makes things easier for me. It would be suitable for Ruby to continue being innocent like this.
What is certain is that right now, I need to quickly head to the place where I saw various spirits for the first time before I could finally control this supernatural ability. After all, if anything were to happen, I'm quite confident in my abilities this time.
Because ever since I fought with the people chasing Roboco, I felt an energy that made both of my punches stronger than usual. I didn't understand how this power worked for some time until I discovered something interesting. Although I don't think it has anything to do with what happened at that time. It was just that I found one essential thing to get at least used to using that supernatural power.
However, I seem to be somehow able to use my powers when doing things related to my roots. Yes, I can use supernatural things as naturally as possible as long as I do something familiar with my past country of origin. Therefore, I was confident enough to overcome whatever would happen in that place.
