mijobooks Chapter 76 Go Falcon!
Chapter 76 Go Falcon!
"Hey, not bad luck."
Looking at Yuzu's handsome face, which was now associated with comedy, Rito patted Yoko's head with delight, praised her, and continued muttering:
"Now I only need Yu-chan to complete the third generation. If I work hard, I should be able to do it before this year. Now I can finally give my thanks to Mi-Ao."
"snort!"
Yangzi, who had worked so hard only to benefit someone else, listened to his words with an expression that could be described as either deeply agreeing or completely indifferent. The moment she pulled out Yuzu, she had already imagined how Meiqing would tease her relentlessly about that matter when she woke up the next day. In addition, she had been busy for half a day and hadn't managed to pull out a single teammate, which made her cheeks puff up with anger. She immediately logged off and left, and Rito probably wouldn't see her on the space for the next couple of days.
With a leisurely smile, Li Ren exited the space, sent a message to Mei Qing on his phone, and then fell into a deep sleep with his newlywed wife in his arms.
The next morning, a phone call from Myanmar woke up Kubo Rito, who was fast asleep. Nana Min anxiously told him that she had called Yoko three times that morning as usual, but she hadn't answered any of them. She wanted him to check if something had happened.
"Huh? Hashimoto Nanami, do you really think you're Yoko's mother? She's nineteen, not nine. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?"
Rito pursed his lips speechlessly, guessing that the guy was doing it on purpose, wanting to use Nana Min to get revenge on him. However, when he told Nana Min about this guess, he was met with a merciless rebuttal, who said that even if it was true, he couldn't just do nothing. What if something unexpected happened at this time? She urged him to go find Yoko.
"Hey hey hey, responsible Nanamin-sama, I really hope you'll be this attentive to our children in the future."
Having no other choice, Li Ren agreed. After asking a couple more questions about Asuka's situation and confirming that there were no accidents and that he would be returning to Japan soon, he hung up the phone amidst Nana Min's embarrassed and annoyed scolding, and prepared to set off to find that naughty little dog that was causing him trouble again.
Because Asuka is coming to Japan soon, Nana Min's original plan to move out of Matsushita was temporarily put on hold, and she continues to live in that villa with Yoko. Speaking of which, Rito hasn't been back here for a while, and revisiting this familiar place now brings a rather unique feeling.
Looking at the familiar street scene, Rito shook his head, parked the car on the side of the road, and walked into the courtyard in a few quick steps. He knocked on the front door, and when no one answered, he entered the password himself and went inside.
Two pairs of shoes sat in the entryway. One pair was Yoko's usual white canvas shoes, an oversized size that seemed completely out of place on her. The laces were haphazardly tucked into the openings, giving off a distinctly unruly vibe. The other pair was a much cleaner pair of white sneakers, the toes neatly pressed together, displaying the sensibilities of a well-behaved child. Rito's gaze lingered on the second pair for half a second, feeling a strange familiarity, as if she had seen them somewhere before.
"Forget it, we'll find out once we go in, won't we?"
He thought for a while, but couldn't come up with any ideas, so he gave up and quietly took off his shoes and went inside.
In the living room, half-opened snack packaging lay on the coffee table, and two cups of milk tea, which had been brewed, were almost completely steaming, with a ring of powder scattered around them. This infuriated Rito. She thought to herself, "Nana Min isn't here, so you're really this lawless, aren't you? Looks like I have to teach you a lesson. You don't know what it means to have national laws and family rules."
He was about to head up the stairs when he heard hurried footsteps coming from above. Then, under his curious gaze, Kosaka Nao practically stumbled down from the corner. When she saw that it was Rito, she looked visibly embarrassed, clutching her collar to her mouth, her big eyes blinking rapidly, lost in thought.
"Kosaka? What are you doing here? Where's Yoko?" Rito stepped aside first and asked casually.
"Yoko just got ketchup on her clothes and is upstairs changing into a new one," Kosaka replied. Upon hearing this, Rito stopped going upstairs and followed her to the living room, where they found a place to sit down together.
While waiting for Yoko to come down, Rito casually asked how Kosaka got here. The answer was similar to what he expected: Yoko had found Airi, who then acted as a go-between, and they got together. According to that guy, he had high hopes for her and had begged her for a long time before she finally agreed to try being an idol. He also wanted to meet Kosaka beforehand so he could be more confident.
"Heh, do you believe that now?" Rito chuckled as he listened to Kosaka's exaggerated retelling, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
"No, that's not true. After all, what she said was too exaggerated. But you should still think highly of her, right, otherwise you wouldn't have let her live in a place like this."
Kosaka bit her lip, gestured around with her eyes, and spoke with a hint of bitterness.
"Uh—" Rito really wanted to say that he had nowhere else to put this lonely little dog from another world, so he left it with Nanamin to take care of. However, even if he said that, Kosaka would never believe him. After hesitating for a few seconds, he could only sigh and helplessly admit it.
Kosaka chuckled, not bothering to delve into the inconsistencies, then glanced at his face, her lips moving a few times before she mustered the courage to start another topic.
"President, isn't this selection of hiragana characters... a bit too rushed?"
Hearing her question, a knowing glint flashed in Rito's eyes as he turned to meet hers. At that moment, her usually sunny eyes appeared somewhat dull, as if they were shadowed by some kind of blow, carrying a chilling sense of disappointment.
"What do you think?" he asked in return, his tone neither warm nor cold, as if he were testing her.
Kosaka didn't run away, meeting his gaze directly. She silently clasped her hands together, her voice slow and deliberate, clearly still organizing her thoughts as she spoke: "Everyone at Keyakizaka works incredibly hard, and with the excellent songs you've given us, President, we've achieved remarkable success so quickly. But I think not every group is so lucky, so..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but instead pursed her lips tightly, looking at him with an innocent expression. Rito was silent for a moment, then clicked his tongue softly.
"I really can't be too lenient with you guys. Do you all think you can interfere in the company's operations?"
Kosaka's face flushed bright red. Her lips opened and closed as if she wanted to defend herself, but there was really no room for rebuttal for what she had done before. In the end, she could only lower her head awkwardly.
Having given her a little warning, Rito didn't really intend to do anything to this Hinatazaka ace he had planned. He patted her shoulder and said, "Alright, I know. Yoko must have told you something. It's true that the two auditions are too close together, and we might not be able to find any good candidates. Considering that, I'll have Airi postpone the audition by a month, and the overall investment will be increased. Is that alright?"
Hearing him say that, Kosaka's eyes lit up instantly, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up. She quickly bowed deeply, and the oversized hoodie she was wearing slid down to her forehead with the movement, making her look somewhat comical. Rito smiled and helped her up.
"Tell Yangzi to keep ruining my reputation outside, and don't let her stop. I'll settle the score with her when I have time."
Having already seen through all of Yoko's designs, Rito had no intention of staying any longer and got up to leave. Kosaka was surprised that he was leaving so soon and wanted to stop him, but when she heard what he said, she couldn't help but chuckle and said, "I understand," before seeing him out of the villa.
A dozen seconds later, Yoko, now dressed, came running downstairs, her round little head looking around, constantly muttering, "Kubo Rito, I'm here! Where are you?"
After searching the living room without finding anyone, she wanted to continue searching outside the door. At this moment, Kosaka, who had been trying not to laugh, finally couldn't hold back and explained the situation to her. After listening, the puppy finally showed a look of fear, shrank its head, and its pair of black eyes kept rolling around as it began to think of a way to make amends.
Regardless of what kind of wicked scheme Yoko had come up with, making things very difficult for Kosaka, a few more days passed. One day, Rito was driving his car out of the garage when his phone rang. Taking advantage of a red light, he answered the call. This time, it was Arimura Kasumi calling.
"Kubo-san, does our company operate on a free-range model? It's been so many days, and I haven't seen a single staff member come to connect with me. Do I have to do all these things myself?"
The village belle's usually sweet voice was now filled with dissatisfaction, sounding like a wronged woman. This made Rito re-check the caller ID before confirming her identity, and he laughed with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
"Oh, it's just that your arrival was so sudden. The company hasn't found anyone for this yet. Besides, you're unemployed right now, so why would you need to talk to staff?"
"Did I come too suddenly? You're the one who took me back. Please, the morning drama is about to have a script discussion meeting. If you don't think I'm the only one embarrassing the company, I'm taking a taxi and leaving right now."
"I said through gritted teeth on the other end of the phone," Arimura said.
She was clearly scared, but she blamed it on the company, as if she cared about it a lot.
Rito nodded, glanced at his watch, and asked, "I'll come pick you up. Wait for me downstairs at the dormitory in ten minutes."
"Okay, just don't be late."
"Just wait patiently and don't talk nonsense." He hung up the phone and turned onto another road.
Ten minutes later, Rito arrived at the dormitory building on time. Kasumi Arimura was standing at the entrance, wearing a floral dress, her hair down at his suggestion, and her makeup lighter than usual. She did look somewhat like a big-name actress, but her pathetic waving at his car immediately betrayed her status as a newly-turned-third-tier actress. Once Rito had parked the car, she immediately opened the door, nimbly got into the passenger seat, and said while fastening her seatbelt, "Although... but... isn't it a bit too much of a formality for the company president to be my manager?"
Rito snorted: "Good to know. Now hurry up and become famous, then work hard to make money for me. The pay for this morning drama is far less than the buyout fee I paid to your old company."
"It's not like I asked you to spend so much, don't act like I owe you anything." She smiled, her eyes crinkling, then, as if remembering something, leaned closer and lowered her voice, "By the way, it seems like there are quite a few people here this time, should we change cars?"
"What's there to change? Is it shameful for the company president to give you something as a gift?"
Rito gave a lazy reply, and Arimura, seeing this, stopped talking. The two chatted idly for a while, and soon the car drove into the parking lot of the NHK studio.
After leading Arimura through the gate, and just around the corner, Rito suddenly felt someone pull him back. He turned around and recognized the person as a young, high-ranking NHK executive he knew. Just as he was about to greet him, he heard the man's slightly apologetic voice:
"Rito, I'm really sorry about what happened last time." He said, pulling Rito a few steps towards a less crowded area, his voice unconsciously carrying a hint of displeasure. "You know Kankuro Kudo, when he gets stubborn, nobody can stop him. As for the Amano Haruko role, it's not that I didn't want to help you, it's just that even I couldn't stop him. And that newcomer named Arimura Kasumi, she's really got some nerve, even though she clearly talked to her president beforehand—"
He hurled his rant with gusto, while Rito listened quietly with his hands in his pockets. After Rito finished, Rito shrugged and casually remarked, "Well done. That guy certainly has guts."
"Right." Seeing that he was relatively calm, the young executive breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking that this small matter shouldn't affect their relationship, so he stopped pretending. He suddenly seemed to remember something, his gaze passing over Rito's shoulder to glance at the quiet girl standing half a step behind him. "By the way, Rito, what brings you here today? Wasn't Nogizaka not participating in this play?"
Rito gave him a half-smile, turned slightly to the side, and gestured with her chin toward Arimura Kasumi: "Hey, it's your turn. Introduce yourself."
The village belle could tell that the two had a good relationship. Rito's statement wasn't meant to embarrass him, but rather more of a joke. She rolled her eyes slightly, then bowed politely and said to him in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "Nice to meet you. I am the very bold Arimura Kasumi, and I currently work under President Kubo."
The young executive's expression froze for about three seconds, then he chuckled and punched Rito with a speechless look.
"You little brat, are you deliberately trying to make me look bad? You're something else! Don't even think about asking me to find you resources next time; go find someone else yourself!"
"Hahahaha! Who told you to be in such a hurry? Don't you even think about why I came here for no reason?"
The two joked and laughed for a while, but since they both had other things to do, they decided to stop. Watching the high-ranking official who had promised to help him access various resources walk away, Arimura breathed a slight sigh of relief, gave Rito's arm a light shove, and complained:
"Could you please not suddenly throw this topic at me like that? What if I don't handle it well and make someone angry?"
"So what? As long as they know you're one of my people, what's a little thing like this? Don't think too highly of yourself. You're not so hateful that even I can't save you."
Li Ren straightened his clothes, said nothing more, glanced at the map beside him, and set off for the agreed office. He then waved to her to follow him.
Is this considered a compliment? I really don't understand.
After standing there for a while, Arimura didn't know whether to be happy or angry. Rito called her impatiently twice from ahead, and she pouted and quickly followed.
Having found the office where the script discussion was being held, Rito pushed open the door, exchanged confirmations with the NHK staff inside, let Arimura in, and then stepped back out, finding a secluded corner to play on his phone.
The building's corridor was long, with the even white light from the fluorescent ceiling lamps casting long shadows. Water stains on the floor shone brightly in the reflection, perhaps from someone's accidental spill. Occasionally, staff members would jog by carrying documents, their rubber shoes squeaking on the floor. Annoyed by the noise, Rito rubbed his temples and was about to buy a can of coffee from the vending machine when he suddenly heard a sharp, reprimanding voice coming from around the corner of the corridor.
"What are you thinking? How can you be late for something so important? Didn't I give you a week's notice? Do you think you can rest easy just because you're the lead in this show? Let me tell you, there are precedents of lead actors being replaced after a morning drama has started airing!"
Rito turned his head slightly. Through the scattered potted plants and pillars in the corridor, he saw a tall, thin man looking down at a girl and berating her. The girl wore a simple blue dress, which from a distance even appeared somewhat pale. Half of her short hair was clipped back, revealing her delicate profile. She clutched a tattered script tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning blue from the force. Her head was almost buried in her chest, her shoulders trembling slightly, but she never uttered a sound of rebuttal.
"It's Rena Nounen, right? I've always heard that her agency practices military-style management, and it's very strict from top to bottom."
Just then, a staff member passed by Rito and, seeing him staring intently, struck up a conversation with him in a very familiar manner.
"Oh, so she's Rena Nounen, the lead actress in this morning drama? She's so young."
Rito sighed, and the staff nodded, but then said, "But looking at her like that, it's questionable whether she can even handle it. If she's being trained like this here, I don't even want to think about how she'll be back at the agency. I hope filming can be completed smoothly."
Li Ren smiled and shrugged noncommittally. Seeing this, the staff member didn't say anything more, glanced again at the girl whose head was drooping lower and lower in the distance, shook his head, and returned to his post.
The manager scolded her harshly for a few more seconds, then threw down the words, "Think it over carefully," before tossing the hem of her trench coat and striding towards Rito. Rena Nounen stood there for a few more seconds, then slowly crouched down, burying her face in her crossed arms. The corridor's fluorescent lights cast her huddled shadow on the wall, a lonely little ball.
Rito withdrew his gaze, walked to the vending machine, inserted coins, took out a bottle of coffee from the dispenser, and drank it without glancing back. Ultimately, in the Japanese entertainment industry of this era, repressive discipline was the norm. His relaxed management style, where even young idols dared to discuss operational matters with him, was truly outrageous. Even he himself often reflected on whether he was too lenient with them, but he never considered changing it.
But just because he doesn't want trouble doesn't mean trouble won't come knocking on his door.
After standing there for a while, the agent, whether going to the restroom or for some fresh air, wandered around the corridor and ended up back where Rito was. Rito was the only one leaning against the vending machine. The agent paused, probably guessing he was also a colleague bringing someone to the script workshop, hesitated for a moment, and then approached him.
"Excuse me...?" The manager's gaze swept quickly over Rihito, his tone somewhat tentative.
"Kasumi Arimura's manager." Rihito glanced at him and casually introduced himself. His clothes lately have been styled by the chairman, perhaps because the chairman didn't want him to dress too flashy and attract attention, so he opted for simple and natural outfits. In the eyes of Nounen's manager, they were no different from ordinary clothes, so there was no suspicion.
"Oh, that newcomer who snatched a role from Nogizaka46, huh? Good job! We can't let those idols stretch their reach so far. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry wants to act. How are we supposed to survive?" The manager snorted, took out a cigarette, then remembered it was a no-smoking area, reluctantly stuffed it back into his pocket, and leaned against the wall to start complaining. "These young entertainers these days are really hard to manage. They always arrive a few minutes late, and they won't listen when we tell them to. They just bury their heads in the sand like ostriches. If this were twenty years ago, I'd want to slap them. It's a miracle the times have saved them!"
He got more and more excited as he talked, as if he had finally found a fellow human being willing to listen to him, completely unaware that the smile on his face was gradually becoming dangerous.
"What's even worse is that last time the president was discussing a project with a high-ranking TV station executive, he asked her to come over and pour him a drink, and she actually dared to hang up on me! When I called back, her phone was off. She really doesn't know what's good for her. In this industry, if you can't even do something this simple, do you even want to advance?"
"Your company's path to progress is quite unique." Rito finally spoke, his voice filled with undisguised disgust, which caused the other person's expression to change instantly.
"What did you say?" His voice suddenly rose, then he quickly suppressed it, mindful of his surroundings. "Kid, don't tell me your FLaMme doesn't have this kind of thing. What are you pretending for? Let me tell you, your president Inoue and I have known each other for over a decade or two. Be careful, I might just tell him, and you'll lose your job!"
"Please go ahead. By the way, my name is Kubo Rihito. Don't call me by the wrong name when you complain to Inoue-san, it's very rude."
Rito sneered, leaning back against the wall. Nonen's manager, enraged by Rito's arrogant attitude, blushed and his lips trembled. After a long while, he squeezed out a "You wait," glared at Rito, turned and strode away, the sound of his leather shoes on the floor reflecting his impatient mood.
After a long while, the office door finally opened, and the first to come out were Kyoko Koizumi, Nobuko Miyamoto, and a group of senior colleagues. Rihito waited in the same spot for a while before seeing his village beauty following Rena Nounen and Ai Hashimoto walking slowly towards him.
"Hey, Kasumi Arimura, over here."
He raised his hand in greeting, his uninhibited call standing out among the many conventional agents.
Arimura felt a little embarrassed, glared at him, then bowed slightly to the two colleagues of similar age whom she had just met, said "I'm leaving first," and ran off lightly. Rito smiled and took the bag from her hand, then tossed her a drink. The two of them walked away happily, creating a uniquely rare atmosphere that seemed out of place among those around them.
"Is Arimura dating her manager? I've heard there are quite a few people like that in the industry."
The rugged-looking Ai Hashimoto withdrew her gaze and whispered to Rena Nounen beside her.
Rena Nounen watched their retreating figures until they completely disappeared around the corner of the corridor before sighing, a hint of envy in her eyes. She muttered softly, "This doesn't seem so bad." Ai Hashimoto, understanding her situation, knew that Rena's words weren't genuinely about having a crush on her manager. She sighed as well, telling Rena not to bottle things up and to confide in someone. Then, her manager pulled her away to rush to her next event.
Before she could even express her gratitude for her friend's kindness, Rena Nounen saw her manager approaching with a sour face, and her spirits plummeted. She didn't know what had provoked her, but this time her manager's tone was exceptionally harsh, occasionally uttering insults. Nounen's anguish had reached its peak; she even considered giving up everything and returning to Hyogo immediately. Unfortunately, the exorbitant penalty for breach of contract flashed through her mind like a nightmare, extinguishing that possibility.
Damn it! Why did I listen to their nonsense and sign such a long contract?!
The girl secretly glared at her manager's back with disgust. Her once bright and sparkling puppy eyes were now filled with countless negative emotions, losing their luster.
As Rito drove out of the NHK parking lot, the sky was already tinged with a faint orange hue. Arimura, sitting in the passenger seat, was organizing notes filled with plot discussions when he suddenly asked without looking up, "You know Nounen? The way you look at her seems a little strange?"
Rito was surprised by her keen senses and was slightly startled, but he didn't hide anything and gave a brief account of what had just happened.
After listening, Arimura remained silent for a while. He neither praised him for his sharp retort nor teased him about winning the top ten. Instead, he looked out the window at the roadside trees that were moving steadily backward and said in a very calm tone the words that made Rito pause slightly.
"Neng Nian will probably suffer a lot when he goes back this time."
The carriage fell silent. The sunset outside the windshield layered upon layer, gilding the entire city's outline with a thin golden edge. Rito didn't speak, but a faint sense of guilt welled up inside her. She had given that scumbag manager a lot of trouble; it was easy to guess where he would vent his anger when he got back. She felt good, but she felt sorry for the new female lead in the morning drama.
Arimura secretly glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that he had actually listened to what she said, she was somewhat surprised. After thinking for a moment, she turned her head and looked out the window. The curve of her lips resembled the setting sun on the horizon.