Chapter 57
Chapter 57
It’s Not a Joke
***
“It seemed there was quite a bit of talk even within Marstop. I heard he had been wandering around the back alleys, saying he was going to expand their influence.”
It was a remark that made it clear how Lucas had caught his eye.
“From a megacorp’s standpoint, isn’t that all the same? They can make trivial happenings disappear as if they never occurred anyway.”
“I heard he was the type to create incidents. They couldn’t deal with him because he was family, so it was quite a headache…….”
“So my appearance solved that.”
What came after was something I had experienced myself, so I felt like I didn’t need to hear the rest.
“In any case, thanks to you, we were able to achieve considerable results.”
It hadn’t been difficult to put pressure on Marstop. Simply threatening them by saying we were preparing follow-up coverage had been enough to make them wave the white flag.
It wasn’t that they had been crushed by the power of B&B. Rather, it was the opposite—they had chosen to act out of concern that those who used hostesses might start moving. It wasn’t only Marstop that would suffer severe damage from mere suspicion.
As if making up for the humiliation he had endured, Damian was able to receive treasures he had never even imagined.
Among them was the right to LOTV, the comprehensive channel representing Mars. It went without saying that we were now able to sign contracts with trainees selected from Mystic Hundred.
It was something I was already well aware of.
“Unfortunately, since Handel’s disqualification was so clear, it became difficult to bring her along.”
Damian clicked his tongue in regret, but from my perspective, this was the right course of events. From the moment she abandoned Sakuya and left, her true nature had already been laid bare.
“Even if the rest are innocent, criticism will pour in anyway.”
Although Marstop had sponsored Mystic Hundred, it was Eastern who had effectively coordinated it. Now that his disgrace had been revealed, their sincerity could not help but be called into question as well.
“Yes, so we decided to postpone it for now. The number has decreased since Handel was removed, after all.”
“There was a member who was unfortunately eliminated. You could fill the spot with her.”
“You mean Miss Sakuya?”
“She’ll probably become a masterpiece.”
Since I knew how fiercely she had lived her life, I could recommend her with confidence. But to Damian, it might have sounded like an out-of-the-blue choice. That was probably why I neither argued passionately nor tried to persuade him further.
“That’s unexpected. To hear such a proposal from you, Mr. Ga-on.”
“I’m an outsider to this field anyway, so if I’m talking nonsense, just let it go in one ear and out the other.”
“Not at all. It’s a candidate worth serious consideration.”
With Damian appearing to ponder carefully, I shifted the topic.
“So you didn’t call me just to make small talk. What’s the matter?”
“It’s such a major incident that it would be difficult to simply pretend not to know.”
Damian flicked his index finger, and before I knew it, 5 billion Pia had been deposited into my account.
“This is a small token of my appreciation.”
Calling 5 billion Pia small—he certainly had a grand scale. Was this what it meant to be a chairman, even at a young age?
“After ascending to the position of chairman, I met many people. Among them were those referred to as fixers. However, most of them were not only skilled at lying but also lazy.”
To Damian, who had been raised in B&B where efficiency and competence were valued above all, they were the sort he wouldn’t even want to associate with.
“But you seem to be different. If there is a request I wish to entrust to you, may I contact you?”
In other words, he had generously offered a large sum to win my favor. It was truly a rational way of thinking. When someone’s intentions were this transparent, it almost felt refreshing.
“As long as it’s nothing unethical.”
“You won’t be disappointed.”
I clasped the hand Damian extended.
***
Just as Fernandez had said, digging into Abigail’s disappearance had been a request that didn’t add up in terms of cost and return. In the end, I had entered into a hostile relationship with the megacorp Marstop, provoked the Meta-human side, and clashed with the Mafia.
Even so, if I could save one person’s life, it was a profitable deal.
“As you wished, Raju, those involved in Abigail’s death are gone now.”
“Thank you so much. Truly, thank you. Now Abigail will be able to rest in peace.”
Raju, whom I met again after a long time, wore a relieved expression. Perhaps it was better to say, ‘I’m glad I can finally set this burden down.’
It was a face I was familiar with. The face of someone who had severed all lingering attachments and doubts. Before long, he would likely end his own life.
It didn’t suit my temperament to have a client I had barely saved make an extreme choice.
I wanted to let him know there was another path.
“So what will you do from now on?”
“Well, I’m not sure.”
“Then how about taking charge of a new girl group?”
“A girl group?”
“There’s a group that the megacorp B&B is ambitiously preparing. If it’s you, you’d probably be able to join without much difficulty.”
More than half of the currently active popular girl groups were Orpheus—works of Raju, at that. B&B would welcome him with open arms.
“You mean Mystic Hundred.”
It was a program he had already been watching closely. Hadn’t he even watched it when he went to Columbus?
But—
“I no longer wish to nurture mass-produced children. I think it would be cruel both to them and to me.”
“This information will be released soon anyway, but it seems Sakuya will be joining as well.”
At that single remark, Raju’s reaction changed.
“She as well? In that case, it doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Oh, and by the way. Stop dating idols from now on.”
It seemed Raju could sense that I was telling him not to experience sorrow ever again, and a smile naturally spread across his face.
“Hoho, understood.”
But the look in my eyes as I faced him was incomparably cold.
“I’m not joking. If you join B&B and get involved with the girl I have in mind, I won’t let it slide.”
“…….”
“You’ve seen my capabilities through this incident, so I trust you won’t make a mistake.”
After I left,
the imprint of my hand remained clearly on the chair.
It seemed I truly meant it.
***
The five selected from Mystic Hundred debuted under the protection of the megacorp B&B.
Their name was Mystic.
Since they were a group associated with Eastern Gate, everyone watched them with suspicion, but that only lasted a short while. A guaranteed check had firmly joined them.
Ranked 7th in Mystic Hundred, Yukihana Sakuya.
Natural.
It was proof that she had navigated the harsh industry alone, and evidence that she had not yielded to Eastern’s clutches.
Fans went wild over the story of her rising purely through skill. To those who had been shocked by Eastern Gate, Sakuya was like a light, like salt itself.
Her rise to mainstream popularity happened in an instant.
Even the word frenzy felt insufficient. Just a few Sol ago, she had been someone people pitied.
What had changed was not Sakuya.
Only the environment surrounding her had changed.
That was why I felt both happy and worried. It seemed obvious that this popularity was temporary. It was merely that a public dulled by overstimulation had found a new source of interest.
If she truly wanted to capture the hearts of fans, she would have to sprint with everything she had from now on.
“I absolutely won’t lose to mere mechanical devices. Just watch me.”
Declaring her ambition, Sakuya clenched both fists tightly.
“But is it really okay for you to be out and about like this?”
A street in District 24 where we had once crossed paths.
She wore a flight jumper and had wrapped a scarf around her face, but if she were recognized, it would surely cause a commotion in the area.
Sakuya was just beginning to make a name for herself as an idol. For me, even meeting like this felt burdensome.
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”
“It’s not like we’re in a relationship where we absolutely have to.”
“What do you mean? If I want to see you, I see you.”
Come here, come closer.
As if it were only natural, Sakuya clung to my arm and spoke softly.
“Thank you. I heard from the company president that you were the one who spoke about me to the chairman of B&B, oppa? I’m going to work really hard. So that your recommendation won’t be embarrassing.”
“I didn’t recommend you because I wanted to see you succeed. I just wanted to see you not give up.”
“Hehe. Oppa, seriously, when you say things like that, it tickles.”
The hand with which Sakuya kept stamping her feet and repeatedly thumping my back was unusually fierce. I couldn’t tell whether she was happy or upset.
The topic soon shifted elsewhere.
From fashion to food to broadcasting.
New subjects poured from Sakuya’s mouth like coins from a vending machine. At the end of the relay that flowed from one topic to another, it was inevitable that I would end up on the chopping block.
“Oppa, if you opened up that gloomy fringe and took better care of yourself, I think you’d be really popular.”
“I’m past the age of being interested in that sort of thing.”
“You’re right in your prime, you know.”
If that statement were allowed from a pan-human perspective, society would become one of reversed aging.
My bitter smile at the absurd assumption and Sakuya coming to a stop happened almost at the same time.
She looked exactly like a child who had done something wrong, so I felt I knew what she was about to say next.
Sure enough—
“Ah, I think I should get going now. I have a profile shoot today.”
Her awkward smile suggested that a barrage of messages had just come in on her device.
“Yeah, do your best.”
After Sakuya made her noisy exit,
the moment I turned around alone, a hologram rose outdoors. The girl filling the side of a high-rise building was smiling brightly.
Just like moments ago.
***
On a separately prepared site on the outskirts of the Seed Colony, there was a detention facility being operated in secret.
It was not a place that could be explained as part of any organized district. It had been established solely for special prisoners.
Its name was Maze.
Constructed from a material classified as MUG—7, this building was durable enough to withstand even space warfare.
Yes, even if a shuttle falling from outside the atmosphere struck it directly, it would not suffer so much as a scratch.
After undergoing strict inspection and entering inside, Major Piper Price of the Mars Defense Force looked around. Armed prison guards were constantly patrolling the interior.
And that was not all.
Vibration sensors were embedded in the floor, obstacle-detection sensors lined the walls, and 25mm Gatling guns were installed in the ceiling.
Even if one somehow managed to evade the aforementioned security measures, another obstacle remained. True to its name, Maze shifted its bulkheads every hour, altering its structure.
To reach the correct location, one had to obtain authorization from the central control room.
It might seem excessive at first glance, but after examining the profiles of the inmates, it did not feel that way at all.
From terrorists who had massacred thousands, to ideological criminals who had attempted to overthrow the Colony, to a Tuner who had tried to hack a massive data center.
Without exception, they were vicious criminals.
Even for a veteran like Piper, it was a place where he could not let his guard down. Especially since the place he was headed for lay at the very heart of the facility.
With each security checkpoint he passed, the number of guards accompanying him increased.
At last, after completing the final procedure, Piper released the lock on his holster.
The solitary cell, constructed of transparent alloy so it could be monitored from all sides, existed for only one person.
The worst prisoner in history, Amal Kam.
Looking down at the old man, emaciated like a dried corpse, Piper let out a low groan.
His limbs were restrained and connected to life-support equipment, and a Connector was fitted over his head.
Yes, Amal’s mind was currently inside the virtual reality implemented by Maze.
Naturally, it was not a paradise. He could neither sleep nor eat; it was a place where he could do nothing but reflect upon his own sins.
Yet the ancient monster had resisted the passage of time without undergoing any procedures. It had already been a hundred years since he had been imprisoned in this state, and still he remained alive and intact.
“Release me.”