Chapter 88: The Broken Shoe ②

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

“W-What's with the way you're saying that!? Are you accusing me of intentionally breaking Kokoa-chan's shoes!?”

In response to my question, Ayano-san—the black-haired bob from Jirai-chan Syndrome—raised her voice angrily.

Well, naturally she would deny it.

“I never asked whether you intentionally broke them. I simply asked whether anything came to mind.”

“T-That's basically what you meant! You're suspecting me right now, aren't you?”

“It's entirely possible you accidentally dropped them while bringing them over, isn't it? So why immediately jump to the conclusion that we're talking about deliberate sabotage?”

“Ugh…”

Airi snorted dismissively.

“Isn't it obvious, Master? Ayano-san has a guilty conscience.”

“W-What a ridiculous accusation! Do you even have any proof? Treating someone like the culprit without evidence is insane!”

To be fair, Ayano-san was right.

We had no proof.

In the end, the strange-looking fracture was nothing more than speculation from amateurs like Airi and me.

Still, if she were truly innocent, instead of snapping “Where's your proof?” her first response should've been, “I only carried them over.”

Though admittedly, that was just my intuition too.

(Still… maybe I should apply a little more pressure.)

If this incident really was intentional and we let it slide ambiguously, the harassment would almost certainly escalate.

And if that happened, Kokoa-san might eventually be driven into a corner badly enough to end up turning to drugs, just like in that future.

Even if this wasn't intentional, Ayano-san and the others had behaved badly enough that suspicion naturally fell on them.

“Airi, you went too far. Apologize.”

“Yes, Master. I'm sorry, Ayano-san.”

“I apologize too. Sorry about that.”

Airi and I both bowed our heads to Ayano-san.

Crossing her arms, she replied sarcastically:

“I know you two dote on Kokoa-chan, so I understand why you're so worked up. But stop trying to pin false charges on me.”

“Understood. Then, just to confirm, your position is that the shoes were defective from the start?”

“Yes, obviously. What else could it be?”

As expected.

The corners of my mouth lifted slightly.

“Airi, take detailed pictures of the shoes from every angle.”

“Yes.”

“Ayano-san, I have one request. Would you be willing to stand in court?”

“Eh…? C-Court?”

Ayano-san's expression stiffened instantly.

“Yes. This incident caused significant damages not only to Kokoa-san, but potentially to all of Jirai-chan Syndrome. Manager-san, if this concert gets canceled, approximately how large would the damages be?”

“Huh? Ah… j-just a moment…”

The manager hurriedly pulled out her phone and tapped on it several times.

Eventually, she turned the calculator screen toward us.

“Around this much.”

“…!”

Ayano-san's eyes widened.

The amount must've been far larger than she imagined.

No wonder the manager had panicked enough to call us over immediately.

“H-How does it even become that much money?”

Finally, Ayano-san directed the question toward the manager.

“Well, Miyoko's entering the new semester soon, right? Before that happens, we wanted to solidify her popularity… so we spent a lot on promotion…”

The new semester—

Meaning that once second term began, Kokoa-san would have to seriously focus on preparing for high school entrance exams.

The agency probably didn't want to lose this momentum no matter what.

Keeping my eyes on Ayano-san, I continued speaking.

“That's why I'd like to propose filing a compensation claim against the shoe manufacturer for the damages caused by this incident. We'll cover all legal costs ourselves.”

If the cause truly was a defect in the shoes, then naturally the manufacturer would bear liability.

Of course, there was no guarantee how much compensation would actually be recognized.

That said, I never truly intended to go through with a lawsuit.

“The manufacturer likely won't stay silent. They'll probably argue there was no defect in the product and claim the fault lies elsewhere. Naturally, a thorough investigation would follow.”

“Ugh…”

“And for us to prove there was no negligence on our side, we absolutely need testimony from you, Ayano-san. For the sake of the group—and your fellow member. You'll cooperate, won't you?”

Ayano-san couldn't answer immediately.

The weight of words like “thorough investigation” and “court” had clearly gotten to her.

She understood it herself.

This was the kind of nasty harassment that could never be exposed publicly.

“M-Manager, isn't a lawsuit going way too far? Nobody died or anything—it's just a sprained ankle!”

At last, Ayano-san turned pleading eyes toward the manager.

She called it “just a sprain,” but because of it, the agency might suffer losses on this scale.

Not to mention how devastated Kokoa-san herself looked.

“Normally maybe. But this time the circumstances are different. We spent especially large amounts of money on this concert. Our president is furious right now. And if Fukagawa-san here is willing to cover the costs, then from the company's perspective there's no reason not to proceed.”

“Ugh…”

Maybe her motive was nothing more than wanting to make Kokoa-san suffer.

But she probably never imagined it would snowball into something this massive.

Though admittedly, I was intentionally making it into a huge issue myself.

(So jealousy matters more to her than the group succeeding…)

Truthfully, I couldn't say I completely failed to understand Ayano-san's feelings.

Deep down, behind all my anger toward Nagasawa-senpai, I'd also carried feelings of inferiority and jealousy as a man.

Maybe those very feelings were what caused me to spiral out of control during that final date before breaking up with Yuzuki.

The manager took both of Ayano-san's hands.

“Ayano, I know this is hard, but please. And besides, you're the oldest member of the group, right? As the eldest, I need you to help us out a little.”

…Wait, Ayano-san was the oldest?

And despite that, instead of holding the group together, she'd been bullying Kokoa-san herself.

As I stared in disbelief, Ayano-san clenched her fists tightly and lowered her head.

“T-To tell the truth…”

Oh?

A confession?

Honestly, I'd expected her to deny everything to the bitter end.

If she was willing to admit everything now and properly reflect on it, then maybe—

“While bringing them over, I-I accidentally dropped them… Maybe the impact caused a crack…”

…Of course.

I felt stupid for even briefly expecting otherwise.

Though to be fair, it still wasn't impossible that it really had been an accident.

The manager let out a long sigh.

“Honestly… Make sure this never happens again, okay? Do you understand how many people your mistake could inconvenience?”

“I'm sorry…”

“Miyoko is the core of this group already, you know? The group's future practically depends on her. Instead of supporting her, why are you dragging her down?”

“I'm sorry…”

Ayano-san repeatedly bowed her head and apologized to the manager over and over.

Watching her, I suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

I searched through my memory.

(Ah… right. It's just like when Kokoa-san got scolded by Nodoka.)

Back then, Nodoka—in full housewife mode—had been cleaning Kokoa-san's apartment while nagging her nonstop.

And Kokoa-san had kept repeating, “I'm sorry, I'll do better…”

It was exactly the same.

Most likely, constantly being scolded by the manager had ingrained the habit into them.

Come to think of it, the only side of the manager I'd ever seen was the polite one she showed us as business partners.

I had no idea how she actually treated the idols day to day.

(…Maybe the real problem is that the agency favors Kokoa-san too much.)

Because it was a small entertainment agency, perhaps they clung desperately to immediate results.

Kokoa-san, who could quickly generate numbers and popularity, naturally received all the spotlight, while members like Ayano-san were pushed aside.

If that treatment continued long enough, resentment was bound to accumulate like stagnant sludge.

(Though even so, bullying Kokoa-san because of it is absolutely unforgivable.)

The real issue was that the agency wasn't seriously trying to resolve the discord within the group.

What should be done about it?

…Seriously, this was giving me a headache.

And just as I thought that—

“M-Manager!”

Kokoa-san suddenly spoke up in panic.

“P-Please don't blame Ayano-san too much. She bought the shoes for my sake after all… And honestly, it's also my fault for not checking them properly before wearing them.”

“But…”

“Right now, instead of arguing over responsibility, shouldn't we focus on what to do about the concert first? Right?”

Kokoa-san was right.

Maybe I'd gotten too caught up in finding a culprit.

The manager let out another long sigh.

“With that ankle, there's no way you can perform on stage normally.”

“T-That's true, but…”

“Our group already relies heavily on dancing. And Miyoko, dancing is your biggest selling point too. …There's no helping it. At best, we'll have to put you on stage sitting in a chair.”

The atmosphere in the dressing room sank once again.

I desperately searched for some kind of solution.

And then suddenly, an idea came to me.

“Right now, Jirai-chan Syndrome is already gaining attention as ‘the idol group that almost got struck by lightning,' right?”

“Ah, yes. That's true, but…”

“Airi, can you lend me some paper and a pen?”

I quickly sketched out the staging idea that had popped into my head.

“What do you think about trying something like this?”