Idol Gunner [Yuri Villainess LitRPG]

“A security guard found her body and called the police,” Taira explained. “They contacted Jun, and I only got to know about it in the afternoon. The execution was one of many decided in a meeting very early this morning.”

Kana glared at Nanoka, only to be met with an uncomfortable shrug.

“Didn’t hear of it.”

“So, Yamazaki-san is…”

“Not picking up.” Taira nodded. “I get why, but I don’t trust him not to do something stupid. H-he loved his sister a lot, Kana. Without her, I’m not sure what he will do. So, if you’re able to reach him, keep trying. Please?”

Behind them, Jina had been left speechless. She had regained almost all of her motor functions and finally felt physically healthy, owing to Shoko’s healing. But at the same time, she could not have been sicker. Instead of waiting for the conversation to naturally conclude, she opened the door of the car and got in, slamming it shut behind her.

“Ohara-san…” Taira whispered, looking at her with some pity. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.” Kana wasn’t sure what she could say beyond that. Aiko Taira, of all people, probably did not need to be the one saying that. Ex or not, she still had a good relationship with Yamazaki. She had known that man and worked with him for far longer than Kana had. To her, the event had probably been more devastating.

To Kana, it was…meaningless. She did not even know what to feel anymore. She wasn’t even sure if she could feel anymore. This was what the Coalition had taught her, after all. Nothing was worth anything. Nobody was worth anything. Men like Kenji Tanaka would fire an underprivileged employee and an overpaid executive in the same breath. The only one who had their own freedom was the one at the very top.

And even that man had disappeared now.

It had been a mistake for Naomi to join this world in the first place. No matter how good Kelsey’s intentions had been, this was no job to give a woman like that. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they said, but then again, she might not have survived in any other position either. This was the only thing she could have possibly done. From that lens, it all felt like it had been inevitable.

Had it been? What was Kana doing right now?

Aiko Taira wished her well and left as the sun set behind them. Nanoka got into the driver’s seat, and Kana squeezed into the seats at the very back. Marie did not ask them any questions, and neither did the others. She did not have the strength to talk to Jina either, so they spent the entire ride in silence.

What was Kana even doing right now?

Her first instinct on hearing about Naomi had been to try and justify it. She had tried to twist it into a critical narrative about Kenji Tanaka and the Coalition. It was difficult to change, and she knew that. Just because she had decided to be honest to herself a few hours ago did not mean it would upgrade her entire worldview at once. No, it would take so, so long.

That was why this silence was important. This was something that she needed to force upon herself. Kana needed to remind herself that this wasn’t about Tanaka. It wasn’t about the Coalition. It was about Naomi. The woman who had shared philosophy with her at the resort. The woman who had helped her and Jina make up after that spat. The woman who had actually worked on becoming a better, respectable person.

She would talk to her no more. She would talk to nobody.

And perhaps it was Tanaka’s fault. Perhaps it was very much the rot of this entire industry that had killed her. Kana knew it was. What mattered was that she could do nothing about it. Naomi Yamazaki was dead, and nobody could reverse that decision. Blaming people, getting angry at them, holding grudges. Did it not all stem from regret? Did it not all come from the pain of what had been lost, and could not be gained again?

I don’t participate in hypotheticals.

Kana did not care for what had been lost, for it could not be gained again.

But then, would she forgive Akiko Hara, too? Would she forgive every single one of these disgusting, bloodthirsty assholes who crushed everybody under them? Somebody needed to properly punish them for their sins. Wasn’t she meant to be that person? Not being a hypocrite was so, so difficult.

Once more, after all, she had made it about herself. Even now, she couldn’t think about what it meant in the context of Kana Minami. She bit her tongue and shook her head. Nobody looked at her. She looked at them all. Marie, Nanoka, Hiromi, Hanae. Jina sitting beside her.

She still couldn’t feel sad about it. All she felt was a profound, factual melancholy. The funeral bells only rang in her brain, refusing to flow down and hurt her heart. So, she decided she would make them. She decided that she would spend the rest of the drive reminiscing about everything good that that woman had done. Maybe it would be compensation enough for her apathy.

Exhausted, Kana took one look at the slouched Jina and lost all restraint. A chuckle escaped her, but she managed to keep it to a whisper, so as not to attract attention. It was so, so difficult not to be a hypocrite. Keeping Naomi Yamazaki’s smiling face in her mind, she put her head on Jina’s shoulder and closed her eyes.

_____________

Nanoka asked the girls to rest and get some sleep for now. Tomorrow would inevitably be a heavy day, considering everything that they needed to deal with. Kenji and Sachiyo going missing, Yamazaki going radio silent, and everything that had happened with Akiko. Every single one of these was a major issue on its own. Compounded, who knew what was going to happen?

The two of them said their goodbyes and turned to walk into the apartment building. Kana let the breeze dictate her mood, taking small steps in peace. Jina, on the other hand, immediately pulled out her phone and tried to contact Yamazaki. When he did not pick up in ten or so seconds, she cut the call and redialed him. By the time they got into the lobby, she was already on her third.

“He’ll call when he wants to.” Kana gently pushed her phone down, confronting the tearless but puffy face Jina had.

“I…I need to show him that he’s not alone. If I keep calling, then he will know that someone is thinking about him.”

“Or he might get pissed off because he just wants to be left alone. You can justify anything in this world by making it seem kind, Jina.” She could not believe the words that she was speaking, but here they were. Kana gave her a pat on the head. “He’ll bounce back. It’s Yamazaki-san, for god’s sake. If there’s anyone who would be fine, it’s him.”

“Hmm.” Jina nodded, putting the phone back in her purse.

“Also, he’s got his wife and kids. I’m sure they’re with him, right? No need to worry too much. Just…be nice when he finally calls back. It’s as simple as that.”

“I know.”

Kana walked up to the lift and pressed the button to call it down. The receptionist at the desk gave them a light wave, and she waved back. That woman wasn’t always there, but she always ended up greeting them when she was. Kana looked back at the lift and sighed. It was still awkward getting into that space with Jina. You couldn’t just wipe your memories of something that prominent.

The doors opened, and the two of them got in.

“Do you think Emi-chan’s back yet?”

“I’m sure she is.” Kana sighed, pressing the button to their floor. “The question is if she’ll be asleep, or angrier. What time is it, anyway?”

“Eight thirty.”

“Eight fucking thirty? Wow.” Kana could not believe what she was hearing. The last time that they had come here that early had been never. They had never been able to get back home until after twelve. On a lucky day, maybe an hour earlier than that. This was unprecedented.

Maybe Emi would not even be angry. Maybe she wasn’t even expecting them to get back here so soon. That was good. Kana would have the chance to apologize to her. Even if she wasn’t perfect yet, she could see things a bit more clearly. She could see how rude she had been to Emi. How rude she had been to everyone around her, really.

This was the best way she could keep Naomi alive. That woman had been kind. She had been a good person. She had always wanted Kana to be a good person, too. It would be nice, then, to honor that wish. Apologize to Emi, be nice to Jina, become better friends with Marie. She could even work with the others to take down Akiko. She didn’t need to do it all alone.

Kana had people she could rely on. People she could love. People she could care about. And at the center of it all was the girl waiting for her in that apartment.

The doors opened, and they stepped out. She could feel it in her heart. She knew that things were going to go well. This was it. She was going to change. Not because she wanted to stop being Kana Minami, but because she was dead set on not becoming Akiko Hara. She was different. She had friends, and a lover, and a conscience that told her what was wrong and what was right.

You could not fight and call out the darkness in this world if you were no better than them, right? These were platitudes that she hated once, but could almost understand now. Kana felt like she could touch them now, even. She opened the door and stepped in with a slight smile on her face. Just an apology. It needed to start with the simplest apology.

“You’re early.”

She turned with the smallest bit of hope in her heart, looking into the living room to search for the owner of that familiar, beautiful voice.

Then her heart stopped beating.

Emi was sitting on top of three suitcases, a cigarette in her hand. Legs crossed, she took a puff and then coughed. Of course she coughed. The idiot had never smoked before. She hated it with a passion.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Whatever I want to. You shut up and don’t tell me what to do.”

“Emi-chan…” Jina whispered.

“I’d really appreciate it if you left us alone, Jina-chan. I don’t want you to get involved.”

She did not say anything beyond that. Her eyes merely lingered on the girl, waiting for her to take her leave. It wasn’t until Kana gave her permission with a slight nod, though, that she uncomfortably walked past the smoking Emi and went up the stairs. This wasn’t her fight, even if she lived with them. Whatever had gone wrong with this girl, Kana could fix herself.

“Put that cigarette out, Emi,” Kana warned, slowly stepping forward. “You don’t smoke. You don’t need to do it to prove anything.”

“Well, I want to!” She screamed, taking another puff out of spite, but not coughing this time around as she blew the smoke out.

“I know your throat’s probably burning. You don’t need to make a big deal out of it. Just…smoke if you want. Go ahead. But please just cough if you feel like it. It’s not healthy to keep it in.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Emi, what happ-”

She was interrupted by her phone ringing. Kana looked at the bag in her hand, and then at Emi. The ringtone was way too loud and ruining the seriousness. She pulled it out with the intention to turn it off and throw it away.

Yet, when she did, she paused. It was from Yamazaki. He had finally called back at the worst possible time. She did not want to take this away from Emi. She really did not. That girl was the most important person in her life, and Kana was not going to let someone else derail that for her.

But.

But this was Jun Yamazaki. This was someone who had just lost the person he cared most about. Was there any universe in which she would not pick this call up? Kana did not even need to ponder that question. She held her hand up and whispered.

“Just a minute. Please. This is important.”

“I bet it is…”

She picked the call up.

“Yamazaki-san! Are you alright? Is everything fine? I…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry about…”

He replied in a monotone voice. Behind him, she could hear the engine of a car roaring to life. And for some reason, the very distinct voice of Kelsey talking to someone else.

“I…I’m fine, Minami-san. I’m fine, yeah. But we, uh…we might have a bit of a problem on our hands.”