Idol Gunner [Yuri Villainess LitRPG]

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November 15, 2043

A series of violent, tragic events unfolded in Neo-Edo and the Monster Dimension – retroactively confirmed to be called ‘Netsolnia’ – on this day. The different root causes behind these have been adequately explained and dealt with in previous volumes of this report, and can be referenced to understand the currently known motivations of all parties involved.

Members of the committee were divided over what must be considered to be the starting point of the final day, but have since come to a satisfactory agreement.

Seven hours before a large group of idols affiliated with the Coalition made their way to Netsolnia under Akiko Hara’s leadership, a previously unknown, off-the-record meeting took place. In the very early hours of November 15, Kenji Tanaka unofficially contacted all partner agency presidents, with the sole exception of Nanoka Iwata, for an emergency meeting.

Decisions made here, as will be seen throughout the report, caused an unstoppable domino effect culminating in the current situation. This meeting was confirmed to be attended by not only all the invited parties, but also Ruby Passion member Sachiyo Tanaka.

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02:39

Lilac Shower HQ

“Care to explain why the girl’s here? And what’s wrong with her face?” Sakai asked, clearing his throat and crossing his legs.

“You got Minami to show up in the last meeting without permission,” Tanaka replied, putting the file in his hand down, staring at the men and women who had gathered at a moment’s notice. “At least Sachiyo’s my own niece.”

“Oh, and her being related to you by blood somehow makes it better?”

“Don’t start, Sakai.”

Tanaka did not want to waste his time on the man anyway. There would be time to show him his place in due time. That was why this meeting had been called in the first place. The man had not done his job, and now he had to pay the price for it. Everyone in Sakai Entertainment would have to pay the price for it.

“Wh…why is Iwata-san not here?” Miwa Uchida, president of HCM, questioned.

“Iwata-san was indisposed with other work.” Sachiyo took the question up, smiling with her hands behind her back. She had only really been asked to come here as a power play against Sakai, but it was starting to get to her already. Despite being grateful to her uncle for getting her this position, Sachiyo was not one to do whatever he wanted her to. She had her own thoughts.

“She refused to attend…is what Sachiyo wanted to say.” Tanaka carried over. “And anyway, we do not really need her here today. In fact, I will go as far as to say that her being here will make the entire discussion much simpler.”

“Yeah. Cause there’s nobody to thrash you the entire time.” Sakai smirked.

The president of Lilac Shower held his breath, closing his eyes to calm down and remind himself that he had no reason to get angry. This was all under his control.

“Not really, Sakai. It is because she is a bigger fan of that girl under your banner than you are. That’s mainly why I asked you all to come here, actually. To discuss that girl. Kana Minami.”

Sakai clicked his tongue. “I knew this one was coming. More than happy to come to a deal. She’s been troubling me more than you know, and I think it’s in everyone’s best interest if we do something about her.”

One by one, Tanaka looked at the other presidents to get their opinions on the matter. All of them unanimously agreed that Minami needed to be leashed in some way.

Her recent popularity surge meant that they could not just cut her loose, since it would mean a massive loss of profits. Instead, they needed to find a way to make her less unpredictable. That was what Sachiyo thought. Her anger had cooled down a little after finding out what this meeting was about. Akiko would be pleased to get this information.

Maybe Kenji Tanaka could even tell her himself, she thought.

“Alright. So, my proposal is simple. Get her out. She has caused a lot of damage to pile up for the Coalition. This includes the physical damage, the reputational damage, the potential threats to public safety, and confidential information. All of it has been in jeopardy ever since she started pulling her strings.”

“I’m sorry. What?” Sakai clearly did not like the idea. “I said that I would come to a compromise. So, you know, keep it at a compromise. You want something from our side to sweeten the deal? We’ll do it. But Minami is experiencing an unprecedented amount of growth at the moment. You’ll basically kill our whole business!”

“She killed actual people,” Sachiyo interjected, wondering if she could add some fuel to this fire. “Just saying, Sakai-san. I think it’s fair that she gets punished for it. No, in fact, I’d say that it’s the morally correct decision to punish her for it. Wouldn’t you say the same, Uchida-san?”

Miwa Uchida was caught off-guard, but nodded instantly. She affirmed her position and made it clear that she did not want Kana Minami to walk free. When asked, the others did the same.

“There. Do you plan on making a statement about why killing people should be allowed?” Tanaka asked.

“Of course not!” Sakai snapped. “But let us not kid ourselves. The girl made the same point earlier. We are not saints. We kill people for finding out about the Monster Dimension all the time. There is nothing new or unheard about it. The people she killed were arguably criminals anyway.”

“No. I’d say they were criminals. Not just arguably. Factually.” Uchida chimed in and then widened her eyes, raising her brows. “I don’t mean to say that she should not be punished, though. I am only trying to correct what I believe is an untrue statement.”

“No offense taken, either.” Tanaka sighed, spinning the pen on his table. “The point still stands, Sakai. Cut her off. That’s the decision all of us have come to. Do you understand that? The meeting’s over. It’s what we’ve decided upon, and that’s what will happen. There’s no negotiating here.”

No negotiating. That line hit Sakai hard. It was the one thing he could not accept at this moment. He had spent every waking moment of his life crawling up to where he was sitting right now. He had waded through years of bullshit and inequality and unfairness to become who he was.

For the last month or so, he had finally been rewarded for it. After the continuously mediocre performance of Pink Beats, he had finally gotten a performer who could pull in the numbers he once dreamed of seeing. Sure, she was unhinged. Sure, she did not have any manners. Sure, she was a bit of a pain. But none of it mattered to Sakai anymore. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, at least where he was concerned.

He was still making his profits, and that was what mattered the most.

Tanaka leaned in, and so did the other agency presidents. All of them were locked in here until he gave them an affirmation. None of them would be pleased until he confirmed that he would kick her out. Sachiyo, standing in the corner, gritted her teeth. She wondered what Sakai was waiting for. There was no getting out of this one.

“Let me tell you something.” Sakai started, still determined.

He had come all the way here, and he wasn’t going to back off now. Tanaka had always pissed him off, so Minami had almost been a blessing. Her work, along with Yamazaki’s, had given him a new burst of confidence. He had information that he could actually use to leverage what he wanted.

Even if Kana Minami wanted to believe otherwise, Ryu Sakai was not incompetent. He knew how to make others bend to his will, even if it meant sacrificing some things. Right now, saying too much could leave him with no more bargaining chips. At the same time, saying too little would not inspire much confidence. He needed to be economical with his blackmail.

“Have you ever paid attention to Minami’s individual scores in the competition?” He asked, lowering his voice to command more intimacy. “She is phenomenal. Only broken by Nobuko Kimura because that girl has the Theoretical Class. That’s it. Even with the Bomber Class, she is a force to be reckoned with. And yes, she is a force to be reckoned with outside too. But we need to focus on the inside.”

“What do you mean?” Uchida inquired.

“Well, what I mean is that…Tanaka has not been sharing everything with us. Like the fact that the people we have been sending inside have been dying left and right. We are barely making progress when it comes to clearing out the sudden rising threat. It’s been ages since the damn thing shut down, and it’s still not up. Why? Because the monsters are too strong! Plain and simple. And they’re organized. Way more organized than you think.”

“Sakai, what are you saying?” Tanaka maintained a smile, not letting his discomfort show. “You can’t just make things up.”

Sachiyo shrugged, stepping closer to her uncle. She didn’t really want Minami to remain close by, but Akiko would probably be angry if she were removed. So, maybe she could do her friend a favor and help an enemy out.

“Let’s not try to hide it anymore, uncle. I think everyone here can take the truth. I know you’re worried about keeping them safe and not making them worry, but I don’t believe they will. What Sakai-san is saying is true. The troops have seen cities that these monsters live in.”

“Sach-”

Sakai slammed the table, not giving Tanaka any chance to take over the conversation. He hadn’t expected the girl to be the one to save him today, but he certainly wasn’t complaining. “There, you see? Cities. Can you imagine that? Everyone who is sent there keeps dying. They keep dying because they do not have the experience. They do not have the pure rage that you need to kill those demons.”

“Yeah, no.” Uchida scratched her forehead. “Are you suggesting that we need Minami to fight the monsters?”

“Exactly! She is unpredictable, but that’s why she kills them. She is impulsive, and that’s why she’s still alive. I do not like the girl either, but let us think about humanity for a second. How about that? We are all humans. The core tenet on which the Coalition stands is to use the power of what we gain from our art to keep everyone safe from these monsters. Seeing where we are right now, I don’t think I am wrong in believing that Minami is keeping us safe.”

“And so is Ayaka Tamura. So is Akiko Hara. Sachiyo here is just as good at fighting. We have more than enough fighters to keep us going.” Tanaka presented an argument.

“You ever said no to more money, Tanaka!?” Sakai growled. “You don’t say no to more power. The more, the better. Ayaka Tamura is a Melee Class. Akiko is a Healer. Your niece right here is a…whatever. I don’t remember. But you know what? None of them are Bombers. We have had one good Bomber Class user in our history, and it is Minami. We cannot discount a weapon like her.”

“I…painfully agree.” Uchida put a hand up. “Sorry, Tanaka-san. He makes a good point. Cutting Minami off would ignore the main cause of why the Coalition was formed.”

“We exist to make weapons, Tanaka. All of you!” Sakai smiled. “We are here to keep the enemy at bay. We are idol agencies, yes. But we are also the world’s first line of defense. I’ll work extra hard to keep Minami on a leash. I will control her somehow. Until then, I will even take blows to my own agency to make up for her damages. But I cannot remove her. We cannot.”

The others slowly started switching sides, too. Sachiyo happily stepped back. Another day of keeping Akiko happy. All of it had happened because she had actually stepped in and made a point. She hated Sakai, mainly because of how sleazy he looked, but a win was a win.

Once the other two started nodding and whispering, and then confirmed that they wanted to side with Sakai, that was that. Tanaka alone could not stand against four of the Coalition’s presidents, even if he wanted to. His own rules had bound him to this position, and he would have to be satisfied with the results.

“Yeah, but the recuperations.” He stood up. If there was one thing he was going to do, it was getting something in return. “People died because you let her do what you wanted. So much damage to all of our reputations because of Sakai Entertainment’s lack of control. You’ll have to pay, and it will have to be from your people. You will need to take a substantial loss.”

“I will!” He happily agreed. “Take whoever you want. Do whatever you want with them. It’s all fair game. We need Minami, and that’s the only important card. Well, she and the other members. I won’t let you just kick Ohara or Kelsey out, would I?”

That made the others happy, too. One by one, they started to decide who from the Sakai Entertainment roster would be removed. Sachiyo watched from a distance as they went through the names and discussed what their roles in the company were. The ones higher up were removed, while the ones lower down were allowed to stay.

Ten people in total would pay the price for what Sakai and Minami had done. It was only fair. It was how the world worked. They would be fired from their jobs and become regular citizens. Sachiyo thought it was fair, too. Getting ten hard workers out of the company would only make Sakai Entertainment as a whole more problematic to manage. At least for the immediate future.

She walked closer and bent down next to her uncle, memorizing the names. Once more, it was all to share with Akiko. Nine had already been selected, and the last one was the one they were stuck on. The presidents could not narrow down who this person should be, because they all had different picks based on different ideas of what was important.

Time went on, and it was almost four in the morning. Sachiyo had to sleep and wake up for the plan in the morning. She would probably be late because of this. If only there were a way to quicken the process. If only she could lean in, tell her uncle a name, and then make him force that one. But that could only happen if she even knew any of these people.

She did not. Sachiyo had not met or heard about a single one of…

Wasn’t there someone missing? From the entire roster of names. Someone was not there. Someone so, so important that she could never forget.

The people who would get fired would become regular citizens. And regular citizens…were not allowed to know about the Monster Dimension. So, there was only one way that would go.

Sachiyo felt the bandage on her cheek and leaned in toward Kenji Tanaka. That bitch had dared to ruin her face.

“Uncle?” She whispered. “You know…I heard they have this very competent manager called Yamazaki.”

“You want to get him out? I don’t think he’ll allow that man.” Kenji whispered back, his eyes lighting up at the name alone. He remembered the humiliation he had faced in Minami’s apartment that day at the hands of that man.

“Not him. Her. Naomi Yamazaki.”