Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818023212795389552/episodes/16818093076126452437
“I was setting a certain trap to find out who did it.”
“……Trap?”
“Yes. A trap.”
A trap to find out who leaked Kusunoki’s e-mail address…..I can’t think of a quick one, though.
“I told the people who originally knew Nanami chan’s email address, [I changed my email address for various reasons] and gave them each a different email address. That way, I would know right away if it was leaked.”
“……It’s a very heavy-handed method.”
“But this is the quickest way. Thanks to Yukito kun, she gets caught right away.”
“Me?”
I’m not sure what I had done. The only thing I’ve done recently is make POP…….
…….
“Excuse me, can I ask you a question?”
“Yeah, sure. Ask me anything.”
“Are you sure that the person who leaked Kusunoki’s e-mail address is Ako chan?”
“……Yeah, that’s right.”
……Seriously. Was that news true?
“Then she must have responded to my POP.”
“Correct. I wonder if you’ve figured out the motive yet.”
“Envy or impatience?”
“That’s right. …..I’m gonna talk a little bit about the past.”
“……Okay.”
Honestly, I don’t really want to hear it, but I can’t help it for Kusunoki’s sake.
After confirming that I nodded, Kifune san began speaking again.
“In the industry’s perception, [Suh] was seen as superior to [Sies]. Simply because of the number of followers on social media and the number of PV views. Also, considering the influence they have on the public.”
“….I see.”
“By the way, “public influence” also includes you.”
“What?”
Why me? I thought.
“POP……or rather, the buzz that comes with it.”
“That’s right. There are others, but….it doesn’t matter. Anyway, [Suh] was seen as having better overall performance. So far so good?”
“Yes.”
It is complicated whether I should be happy or not.
“But about a month ago it began to backfire. …..Nanami chan’s suspension had quite an impact on it. Of course, Kasumi chan and Tsumiki chan have been working hard, so it’s only to the extent that significant growth has slowed down.”
I’d like to say that there’s nothing they can do about that…but I think the two of them are really working really hard to ensure that their growth doesn’t stop or their fans don’t decrease.
And Kifune san’s eyes, her expression–it naturally become sharper.
“Still, it was enough to close the gap with [Sies]. They’ve got the girls’ ability, and their new song went viral.”
“But because of the POP incident,……they couldn’t make a difference in terms of overall ability.”
“That’s right. In terms of monthly views, we were better than them. That includes new songs as well.”
…I think it also proves that they had the potential to create a buzz. For the other party, it’s not good.
“So Ako chan got impatient and leaked Kusunoki’s e-mail address again. She thought, [If she comes back here, it’ll go back to before].”
“But that e-mail address is not Kusunoki’s e-mail address.”
“Yes, that’s right. So she fell for my trap.”
So far, I understand. But there are many things I don’t understand.
“What happened after that?”
“We had a discussion. With the three members of [Sies], the producer, and the manager.”
“That was pretty bold of you.”
“But I didn’t intend to make it public from the beginning. The disadvantages were too big.”
Hearing those words, I remembered one thing I wanted to confirm.
No, I know it’s not. Still, I wanted to be sure.
I don’t think so either, but the person who provided the information was not Kifune san, right?”
“Ah, yeah. Of course. Considering Nanami chan, going public is unlikely to be an option.”
I was relieved to hear those words.
…However, at the same time, new questions arise.
“If that’s the case, the person involved is……”
“We don’t know yet because we’re still investigating. We can’t just speculate.”
Kusunoki’s house is not far away. I nodded my head and tried not to ask too many questions.
“I have made two requests in exchange for not revealing this story. The first is [no more harassment to Kusunoki Nanami and the members of [Suh].] The second is [Get along just like before with [Suh]] or [Don’t get involved with [Suh] again.]”
Those words took my breath away.
Two very extreme choices. And it would be very difficult to go back the way it was.
“Yeah, I know. ….There’s no way they could do that. Still, I wanted to believe in them….but in the end they chose not to get involved.”
“……I see.”
“That was still a good start.”
Kifune san’s cheeks twitched, perhaps because she was trying to force a smile.
……It was painfully obvious that she had worked that hard for Kusunoki.
“The story leaked from somewhere.”
“……Somewhere?”
“Yeah. Of course, I’m not talking about the entire industry finding out about it. It seems it leaked to the upper management. It was probably only a ‘rumor,’ but even so, [Sies] had to reduce their workload.”
…I guess it’s a common story.
The idol business, or rather the entertainment industry. To expand even further, I think image is important for celebrities.
If there is a scandal, they will be hung out to dry in the industry. In order not to lower the image of the show or TV station. …..I guess that’s it.
“Because of that, Ako chan was bullied.”
“…..Was that also true?”
“Yeah. The lunch boxes are thrown away, personal belongings are lost. And also, they would talk behind her back so that she could hear them.”
“That’s…..”
Again, it’s hard to say.
It may be natural for the two of them to hold a grudge against Ako chan,…..but I don’t wanna condone bullying.
“But that ended up backfired…… Ako chan took a turn for the worse.”
“You mean the one where she spread false rumors on an anonymous post.”
“That’s right. …..Their manager contacted me to say so. It has became a big deal.”
This time, their manager tried to do better, but somehow it leaked out.
“For now, I guess this is what it boils down to.”
“I think I have a general idea.”
There are still some things I’m wondering about—-but I’ll be arriving at Kusunoki’s house soon.
“How is Kusunoki?
“……Right.”
Kifune san’s expression became even stern. After a short pause, she spoke.
“Nanami chan is a good girl and she tries not to let people around her worry about her. Even at school, she basically acts cheerful….doesn’t she?”
“Yes. Except when she was alone with me. …..Even when I happened to see her, she tried to force a smile.”
“I see. She’s cornered that she can’t hide herself now.”
In other words. Kifune san’s eyes stare at me.
“Nanami chan hasn’t smiled once today. Not only in front of me, but also in front of Kasumi chan and Tsumiki chan. …..This is the first time this has happened.”
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