Chapter 47: A Bit Scheming, But Not Much
Previously, Shinomiya Oko didn't care about the entertainment industry—it didn't matter to him whether she was a triangle or a square.
Any artist who could make money was a good artist.
However, when Shinomiya Oko heard that the esteemed guest handpicked by the old man suddenly looked displeased, his heart sank, and he knew things were going badly.
'Darn it, the idiot little brother poached an artist who was a friend of our guest.'
Using blacklisting tactics to prevent her from being an idol, leaving her stranded, and then forcing her to join the agency affiliated with the Shinomiya Group.
Shinomiya Oko truly didn't want to talk about his useless younger brother, Shinomiya Seiryu. It was bad enough that he spent his days chasing after gold-diggers and neglecting his duties.
But at such a crucial moment, he had to mess things up?
Didn't he see that even I was trying to be agreeable? And he was actively trying to sabotage the effort here.
He didn't use his brain when he spoke. Was that even an appropriate topic to bring up?
His anger immediately flared up.
With that thought, Shinomiya Oko immediately delivered a fierce slap across Shinomiya Seiryu's face.
'He's lived his years for nothing.'
It was fine for those in power to use dirty tactics, but they couldn't let others know they were the ones who did the dirty work.
One must win people over without leaving traces; only then would subordinates willingly serve as dogs.
He didn't even understand such a simple principle; Shinomiya Oko truly felt he was beyond saving.
If the old man found out, he would probably be hitting him directly with his cane.
The older people get, the more they believe in things like prophecy.
Especially since the prophecy was given by Master Tengen, the most special existence in the Sorcery world, Shinomiya Gan'an believed it deeply without question.
If it weren't for his physical condition, the old man would have come personally. This concerned the eternal welfare of the entire Shinomiya family.
Shinomiya Oko, who considered himself the next head of the Shinomiya family, wouldn't let go of even a 1% chance.
Furthermore, even if the young man wasn't as divine as the old man claimed, his sheer power was enough to have all three of their heads rolling on the floor immediately.
No amount of power or status was worth anything in the face of absolute strength.
In that scenario, the entire Shinomiya Group would fall into someone else's hands.
Was a Special Grade Sorcerer's level something to joke about?
It was no exaggeration to say they could destroy a nation single-handedly.
The track record of The Emperor's Cleaner was verifiable through the Sorcerer Association—they had annihilated several Special Grade Curses. Their reputation was built on mounds of corpses and pools of blood.
No matter how he looked at it, offending him was utterly idiotic.
Feeling his anger was still not vented, Shinomiya Oko kicked Shinomiya Seiryu, then took a deep breath to calm down.
"Useless trash, you can't even manage your own subordinates."
He then apologized to Hikigaya Hachiman.
"I sincerely apologize for this incident, which was caused by my brother's poor management."
Shinomiya Oko immediately framed the incident as the result of Shinomiya Seiryu's subordinates being undisciplined, speaking with utmost sincerity.
He absolutely couldn't admit to it himself.
"There must have been some misunderstanding in this.
I am willing to take responsibility for the mistakes of my brother's subordinates and make amends, compensating Miss Misumi as much as possible for the unfair treatment she has suffered these past few days."
Yukinoshita Haruno, who was standing by, was completely dumbfounded. One thing followed another: the eldest son of the Shinomiya family had just slapped the second son, all because Seiryu had offended Hachiman-kun's friend.
Yukinoshita Haruno knew how arrogant Shinomiya Oko was. The stakes the Yukinoshita family had offered for the development project were treated as worthless trash by him.
The fact that this arrogant bastard like Oko, who looked down on people and had forced their family to temporarily be affiliated with the Hayasaka family under the Shinomiya Group, would bow his head to anyone—
Hachiman-kun was simply too powerful.
However, for Shinomiya Oko, this was better than enduring the old man's wrath. Shinomiya Gan'an was still the absolute authority within the entire Shinomiya family.
When he got angry, even his eldest son felt a chill.
Even if Shinomiya Oko wanted to casually complete the task given by the old man, he couldn't openly offend this benefactor who might be the key to the Shinomiya family's next step up.
In any case, anything that could be solved with money was not a problem.
The Shinomiya family had plenty of money.
"Please rest assured, sir. Our Shinomiya family is definitely not the type to abuse its power. We are not low-life scoundrels.
There must be some misunderstanding here."
After speaking, Shinomiya Oko didn't forget to subtly glance at Mei Mei, whose eyes conveyed only two words: "Add money."
After receiving confirmation from Shinomiya Oko, Mei Mei immediately spoke up.
"Calm down. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding, just as Mr. Oko suggested?"
This person truly sided with money.
Having unexpectedly earned a fee, Mei Mei, being a practical person, advised Hikigaya Hachiman to know when to quit.
Hikigaya Hachiman looked at Mei Mei.
"Then what I said earlier might have been a misunderstanding."
Hikigaya Hachiman didn't want to completely alienate Shinomiya Kaguya 's family.
He just wanted to get justice for Misumi Uika and help establish her authority.
Misumi Uika had switched agencies and entered a new environment. To survive in a toxic place like the Shinomiya Group, she needed a backer.
He needed to publicly step forward and let them know that she was backed by him, that Misumi Uika wasn't alone, and certainly wasn't a tool they could exploit for profit.
Yet, the Shinomiya Group's resources were indeed more extensive than her previous platform, which was a good thing for Misumi Uika.
Shinomiya Oko appeared far more sensible than Shinomiya Seiryu and undoubtedly understood Hikigaya Hachiman's requirement.
That was simply to ensure his friend, Misumi Uika, wasn't mistreated.
Since both objectives had been achieved, Hikigaya Hachiman decided to stop while he was ahead.
Hearing Hikigaya Hachiman's answer, Shinomiya Oko sighed in relief and immediately guaranteed,
"I will investigate thoroughly within the group and absolutely not tolerate such power-abusing bad apples."
Shinomiya Oko gave Unyō Shinomiya a look, and the third brother understood immediately, helping his younger brother walk away.
"I also look forward to more cooperation with the Shinomiya Group."
Hikigaya Hachiman thought that if the Saint Blood Angels' chess pieces performed well this time, the subsequent promotion of other legions could also be entrusted to the Shinomiya Group.
Takada and the others also noticed the commotion in the VIP seats, but their strong professional composure allowed them to pretend they hadn't seen anything.
Therefore, Takada's voice was unaffected by the events above, and she began to sing.
"The first meeting, a fluttering heart."
"No matter how far, jump high like flying..."
Todo Aoi, the Takada fan, hadn't paid much attention to the surroundings the moment his idol took the stage. As soon as he heard the song, tears streamed down his face—tears of emotion.
"Wuwuwu, Takada is amazing!"
However, Todo Aoi wasn't the only one moved to tears. Misumi Uika, playing the electric guitar on stage, was accompanied by the moving rhythm and melody.
She bit her lip. If it weren't for the excellent emotional control skills of a professional idol, she might have lost control of her feelings.
She initially thought it was a feud between the Shinomiya brothers, but it turned out Hachiman was standing up for her, which was completely unexpected for Misumi Uika.
She was genuinely close to shedding tears of gratitude.
During the period she was blacklisted, Misumi Uika truly realized the omnipresent influence of the Shinomiya family.
Even the brands Misumi Uika had conscientiously endorsed had terminated their contracts with her.
When all the spotlight faded, stripping away her idol façade, Misumi Uika was just a helpless, wretched person on the verge of collapse, surrounded by enemies.
In front of her friends, she even had to pretend to maintain the dignity of an idol.
Hachiman, the one Misumi Uika had been searching for for ten years, had appeared like a peerless hero, crushing all the obstacles in her path.
Misumi Uika kept looking up. When she saw Unyō Shinomiya escorting Shinomiya Seiryu, the head of the agency, away, the emotions in her heart became even harder to control.
For the first time, she felt a heavy, complex mix of dependency and joy intertwined in her heart.
"The throbbing of my heart can no longer be suppressed; it is the strength that pushes me forward."
As Takada sang, Misumi Uika was also implicitly finding the answer in her heart.
"That is the most unique feeling in the whole world."
To Shinomiya Oko's relief, no other unpleasant incidents occurred until the banquet ended.
To appease Hikigaya Hachiman, Shinomiya Oko even stood up and led the applause after Misumi Uika's band performance.
At the same time, he didn't forget to instruct Hayasaka Nao to handle the matter.
After the performance, Misumi Uika was taken aside by Hayasaka Nao, away from the band members, to another room.
Perhaps out of mischief, the emotionless Hayasaka Nao reminded them as she closed the door:
"Hachiman-sama, you have an hour of rest before heading to Mt. Suu. No one will come here for an hour."
Her drawn-out tone suggested she was hinting at something.
"Please enjoy yourselves."
Hikigaya Hachiman rolled his eyes at Nao Hayasaka. Ms. Hayasaka's mother was a bit naughty.
"I won't do anything strange."
However, upon entering the room, Misumi Uika's gaze was entirely occupied by his figure alone.
In Misumi Uika's eyes, the sharply dressed and particularly handsome Hikigaya Hachiman was holding a wine glass high, while the paper contract in his other hand was automatically ignored by her.
In reality, the reason Hikigaya Hachiman had called Misumi Uika here was to sign a new contract.
Hikigaya Hachiman had to leave for Mt. Suu to investigate the ancient tomb after Misumi signed the contract.
Shinomiya Oko had instructed Hayasaka Nao to draft a new, specialized contract for Misumi Uika with much better terms.
The clauses made it evident that the Shinomiya Group was sincere, dedicating itself fully to nurturing a superstar idol.
Therefore, Hikigaya Hachiman was smiling at Misumi Uika, raising his wine glass as if in celebration.
"Uika, though it's a bit sudden.
Are you ready to become a superstar?"
What surprised Hikigaya Hachiman was that the girl immediately dashed forward, not to look at the contract the Shinomiya Group had prepared for her, but to wrap her arms tightly around him.
Misumi Uika hugged him so hard it was as if she wanted to melt Hikigaya Hachiman into herself. The anxiety in her heart was released at this moment.
Misumi Uika didn't even need to look to know that the contract was vastly different from the unfair, coercive terms she had signed before.
Because it came from Hikigaya Hachiman, her trust in him was unconditional.
But the better he treated her, the more she felt she owed him, making her feel uneasy.
She even had the fear that the friend she had finally found would disappear again.
"Why... are you being so kind to me?"
Hikigaya Hachiman paused, then replied.
"Consider it a small, insignificant compensation for our ten years apart."
Of course, the main reason was that he couldn't stand such low-level, underhanded tactics that casually crushed other people's dreams.
Uika's new contract was purely one of the compensatory terms provided by Shinomiya Oko, a pleasant surprise.
Hearing Hikigaya Hachiman's words, the excitement in Misumi Uika's heart intensified, and her eyes were immediately blurred with tears.
"Don't say things like that.
Hachiman has never done anything to apologize for to me. On the contrary, during the years you weren't here, you always gave me courage.
For the past ten years, you have been my spiritual pillar. If it weren't for Hachiman, I would have already..."
Misumi Uika hadn't forgotten that when she arrived alone in Tokyo in a tiny rental apartment, it was the photo of her and Hachiman from childhood that strengthened her resolve. She worked hard on screen, hoping her friend would see her active presence, which gave her the motivation to pursue her idol dream.
"On the contrary, I feel like I owe you so much. Now, with all you've done for me, I feel like I owe you even more."
Misumi Uika genuinely felt she owed Hikigaya Hachiman a lot, and now the debt was even harder to repay.
Hikigaya Hachiman looked at Misumi Uika and comforted her.
"Just like you said, do friends need to talk so much about owing each other?"
Misumi Uika's problem was a trivial matter to Hikigaya Hachiman, and she didn't need to feel such intense gratitude towards him.
Hikigaya Hachiman looked at Uika's lovely face.
"No need for further words."
"No, I want to repay you."
Misumi Uika was stubborn, because she wished to stand by him as an equal.
"Even if it takes a lifetime of installments, I don't care."
A "lifetime" was too heavy a promise.
Hikigaya Hachiman, of course, didn't say anything so disheartening.
"Then suit yourself."
Hikigaya Hachiman actually felt like he hadn't done much, but since the girl said so, he couldn't dampen her enthusiasm.
"Mhm."
Misumi Uika smiled through her tears and released her arms from Hikigaya Hachiman.
"Hachiman, where is the contract?"
Misumi Uika would definitely sign it. After all, not signing it would be letting down Hachiman's good intentions.
Hikigaya Hachiman handed the contract to her.
Hikigaya Hachiman watched as Misumi Uika signed her name without even looking at it.
"Uika, you should at least glance at the contract."
"It's fine. Hachiman must have already reviewed it for me."
As Misumi Uika capped the pen, her hand slipped, and the pen cap rolled off the edge of the desk and fell.
Hikigaya Hachiman saw it, bent down, and reached out to catch it.
But the moment he caught the cap, Hikigaya Hachiman realized that the pen cap falling was intentional on Misumi Uika's part.
Misumi Uika seized the opportunity while he was bent over, leaning forward herself.
The movement was quick, touching and then retreating, as if she feared his repulsion.
Hikigaya Hachiman could feel something soft and warm fleetingly brush against his cheek.
The girl, who had employed a small "scheme," blushed fiercely. In reality, the previous action had consumed all her courage.
A bit scheming, but not much.
Misumi Uika could feel her heart was about to pound out of her chest, and her ears were filled with the thump-thump-thump of her heartbeat.
"Sorry..."
Her amethyst-like eyes dared not look at Hikigaya Hachiman. She stammered, completely lacking the composed demeanor of a big star on stage.
"I... I can't control my feelings a bit."
Misumi Uika suddenly remembered something and quickly said.
"Right, I wasn't trying to default on my promise with this action."
She was afraid Hikigaya Hachiman might misunderstand, thinking she was using this sly trick to get out of her promise.
After all, Misumi Uika felt her action just now was a bit like that of a bad girl.
"I said I would repay you in lifetime installments. I won't go back on my word.
Also..."
However, the flustered Misumi Uika's explanation was somewhat incoherent, and her voice became softer and softer.
"Thank you, my hero."
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