rii Hizuki had spent most of her career seated at a desk, her daily routine consisting of endless paperwork. When it ca to physical activity, she was severely lacking. Despite holding a year-long gym mbership, she'd only visited during the first week after joining—and never again.
Compared to her, Miyuki Aomori was far more physically fit, as singing required considerable stamina. But as she chased after Kotomi Izumi, who had been sprinting non-stop for nearly five minutes while showing no signs of slowing down, Miyuki felt her legs grow heavy.
She was losing steam.
Clutching Arisu Sakayanagi tightly in her arms, Kotomi ran at full speed. While she didn't need to worry about her own stamina, a glance back at the two won still hot on her heels caused cold sweat to drip down her back.
What did I do to provoke these two won who clearly don't look like the friendly type?!
From the mont they appeared, they'd seed intent on catching her, as if confrontation was inevitable.
"Kotomi, if I rember correctly, there's a police box not far from here. Should we head there?"
"Great idea!"
As a safety tip drilled into her during kindergarten, Kotomi knew that in tis of trouble, she should always seek help from the police. Familiar with the locations of police boxes around Chiba City, she quickly recalled that there was one just two blocks ahead.
In that mont, Kotomi felt she truly understood the terrifying experience of being pursued in a survival horror ga—running from a relentless monster while desperately searching for a safe zone.
It was beyond nerve-wracking!
"I should've brought the car over earlier! Let's see if she can outrun a car!"
rii panted heavily, gasping for air as her exhaustion mounted. She couldn't fathom how this girl, supposedly a high school student, could have such terrifying stamina.
Was she secretly training for the Olympics or sothing?
"She's heading toward the police box! Is she planning to report us?!"
"What? How ridiculous! Do we look that much like villains?!"
"Well, right now, yeah. We're chasing her down like this, and earlier you had a cigarette in your mouth... You totally looked like a yakuza boss!"
"Bah! I'm perfectly approachable and kind, thank you very much! Ugh, I can't talk anymore, or I'll cramp up. But there's no way we can let her reach that police box. I'll be fine, but you're an A-list celebrity. At this crucial stage in your career, you can't afford any scandals!"
rii and Miyuki both realized the gravity of the situation. If Kotomi managed to reach the police box, their identities and intentions would inevitably be questioned. If this encounter were to beco public, tabloids would pounce like sharks slling blood in the water.
Worse, the existence of this "cat-walking girl," who could potentially be a song-writing prodigy, would likely be revealed. In the entertainnt industry, every company would scramble to get ahead, employing any ans necessary to secure soone like her.
rii, a veteran in the entertainnt business, could already predict the fallout. Rival companies would seize the opportunity to tarnish Heavenly Spider Entertainnt's reputation, exaggerating and distorting the incident to paint her agency as predatory.
While rii's team scrambled for damage control, competing companies would take advantage of the distraction to approach Kotomi, offering her sky-high contracts and enticing benefits.
If she truly had the potential to beco a top-tier songwriter, her value would be imasurable.
A top-notch songwriter could support countless singers.
And a songwriting god? That's soone the entire industry would worship as their savior.
To avoid such a catastrophe, they couldn't afford to lose her.
"Damn it, I should've just brought the car!" rii cursed under her breath as she pushed herself to keep up, her lungs burning.
"Why is she this fast? Is she part cheetah?!" Miyuki gasped, legs trembling as she struggled to maintain her pace.
The chase continued, with both won pouring every ounce of energy they had into pursuing Kotomi. But despite their determination, Kotomi showed no signs of slowing, her pink eyes blazing with a mixture of resolve and panic.
Their quarry wasn't just a girl fleeing in fear; she was running with a mission.
And they were determined to catch her before that mission succeeded.
"Why Is she so desperate?"
One couldn't help but wonder why rii was so intimately familiar with the underhanded tricks of her peers in the entertainnt industry. The answer was simple: she had done her fair share of such things in the past. Between talent agencies, unless there was a longstanding partnership, it was always a ga of mutual sabotage—each side scheming to throw dirt on the other.
It was an unspoken rule of the industry: you hit , I hit back. Fair is fair.
"By the honor of being the chief agent, I absolutely cannot let her slip away!" Gritting her teeth in determination, rii made up her mind. She kicked off her high heels, abandoning all sense of decorum, and barefooted, she dashed forward at full speed.
"Wait, rii-san—!"
In Miyuki's eyes, rii Hizuki was practically a superhero at that mont.
"Young lady, hold on! We're not bad people! We an no harm! Please wait! …P-Parent!"
rii threw everything she had into a final sprint. Catching up just as Kotomi was about to turn the corner, rii narrowly avoided colliding headfirst with a streetlight pole. She ca to a sudden stop and dramatically dropped to her knees in front of Kotomi, kneeling with a loud thud.
"Huh?"
Kotomi froze mid-step, a startled expression plastered on her face. Still carrying Arisu in her arms in a princess carry, Kotomi stared in disbelief at the auburn-haired woman kneeling on the sidewalk before her.
What in the world was going on?
When did she beco a parent?
Right behind rii, Miyuki appeared, panting heavily, her high heels clutched in one hand.
"Huff… Huff… M-Miss, no, uh, Parent! Can you please stop running? Aren't you tired after all this? We could…huff… talk things over in a nearby café instead."
"Who are you people? Chasing down two high school girls in broad daylight? I hope you have a good explanation for this. If not, I wonder if you're prepared to face the consequences of the Sakayanagi family's displeasure."
Sliding down from Kotomi's embrace, Arisu planted her cane firmly on the ground and stepped forward, her cold voice dripping with authority.
At that mont, her already sour mood worsened. Monts ago, everything had been so pleasant as she walked alongside Kotomi. She had been ticulously timing when to subtly take Kotomi's hand. And then these two strangers appeared and ruined the mont entirely.
Sakayanagi family?!
The na sent a shiver down rii's spine. As the chief agent of her firm, there was no way she was ignorant of the significance of that na.
There weren't many people in Japan with the surna Sakayanagi. If soone bore that na, there was only one possibility: they belonged to the Sakayanagi conglorate.
No matter her position as chief agent, no matter how prominent her agency was, and no matter how big her roster of A-list celebrities, provoking such a family was out of the question.
rii scrambled to salvage the situation, her deanor shifting instantly to one of deference. She hastily pulled out two business cards, presenting them with both hands—one for Kotomi, the other for Arisu.
"My deepest apologies, ladies. Our earlier behavior was entirely due to our urgency and thoughtlessness, and I sincerely regret the intrusion. Please allow to introduce myself. My na is rii Hizuki, and I am the chief agent of the Heavenly Spider Talent Agency. This here is Miyuki Aomori, one of the top artists I've cultivated. You may have heard her music before."
"I haven't," Arisu replied curtly, wasting no ti with pleasantries.
"Wait… Are you saying this is the Miyuki Aomori?"
Kotomi turned her gaze toward the masked and sunglassed figure standing behind rii. Her expression betrayed surprise, but also a hint of doubt. In no way did this woman resemble the glamorous Miyuki Aomori she had seen on TV.
"Surprised? It's understandable. I always take the ti to disguise myself whenever I head out for personal errands. It helps avoid being recognized by fans, especially the more… intense ones. Sigh… They can make life quite challenging."
As she spoke, Miyuki removed her sunglasses and mask, revealing her unmistakable radiant smile. Her beauty was undeniable.
Her cheerful deanor didn't just lift rii's spirits—it sent her soaring.
If Kotomi turned out to be a fan, rii reasoned, getting her to agree to a partnership would be much simpler.
But both rii and Miyuki completely misread the situation.
Kotomi wasn't excited about eting her favorite singer. Sure, she recognized Miyuki's na and even enjoyed her songs on occasion. But her enthusiasm now had nothing to do with fandom.
What thrilled her was sothing entirely different: yesterday, she had been wondering when she might cross paths with soone prominent in the music industry.
And here they were.
She'd thought she'd have to wait. Maybe until she unlocked the "Music" skill level in her system. Then, she would finally dip her toes into the world of music.
But now, the music world had co running to her instead.
Still, she didn't quite understand why these two were so eager to find her.
Surely, it wasn't her looks. No, no. That would be even more unsettling.
She hadn't even released a single song yet. So why had they co chasing her so aggressively?
For now, caution seed the best approach.
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