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Vol. 5 Chapter 8.1




Translated by SoundDestiny Edited by SoundDestiny
Crawling Malice
Exactly at 1:00 PM, I relied on the web map and visited the office of 『First Beauty Office』 in Roppongi.
I had temporarily parted ways with Kurosawa-san and we were scheduled to meet at a nearby hamburger shop at 3:00 PM.
‘It’s surprisingly small…’
The office I arrived at is a four-story brick building located one street back from the main street.
It feels much more modest than I had imagined.
Considering it’s a major company, I had envisioned something like a high-rise building so it’s a bit disappointing.
I climbed about three steps and pushed the glass door to enter the entrance, where the reception was right in front.
I informed the neat receptionist of my business and she said, [Please go up to the fourth floor] pointing towards the elevator.
Upon reaching the fourth floor, a woman was waiting in front of the elevator.
She appeared to be in her early thirties. She was wearing a tight skirt and a white blouse with an employee ID hanging around her neck. Her alluring black hair and a beauty mark on her face gave her a captivating and sexy aura.
Her appearance matched the characteristics of what Kanaya-san spoke about when I asked her about it. That person’s name is Yamauchi Kiyoka, the manager.
I’m almost certain it’s her. If what Kanaya-san said is true, she should also be the president’s mistress.
“You must be Fumijima-san from Modero Planning. We’ve been expecting you. Please follow me.”
As I was led into the reception room, there was a set of luxurious leather sofas. Along the wall, a shelf extended up to waist height displaying trophies and shields ostentatiously.
“Please have a seat and wait.”
“Ah, yes, um, thank you very much.”
My slight stuttering wasn’t an act. I was genuinely bewildered.
And the reason is──
‘…Where should I sit? What’s the correct place?’
Even though I was told to sit, I had no idea where I should sit among the sofa set.
‘I remember… I think I’ve heard that sitting closer to the door is the lower position…’
In terms of status, I’m the one in the lower position. But I’m also a guest, so would it be more proper to sit in the higher position?
‘I have no clue… Well, for now, I’ll just try to be humble and play safe.
I sat down where it seemed to be the lowest position and waited for the president to arrive.
In the reception room, only the ticking of the clock could be heard. There was no sign of tea being brought in.
After a considerable amount of time passed, maybe fifteen minutes or even half an hour, President Kurashima finally appeared.
“Apologies for the wait.”
He sat down heavily in front of me and without much of a greeting, he launched into conversation.
“I don’t like beating around the bush. Let me get straight to the point. That MISUZU of yours! She’s a rare talent. I want to pull her into our agency!”
“Haa?! No, w-wait a minute, please!”
As expected, I decided to exaggerate my panic for effect. In response, the president leaned in with a faint smile on his face.
“I’ll cover all the penalty fees for breaking the contract. Just think about it. Isn’t it a loss for the entire entertainment industry if a talent like her ends up buried in a small agency like yours?”
He’s a very forceful man. I guess being a president requires this level of assertiveness. Still feeling flustered, I deliberately responded with a voice that seemed to fade away.
“I-I appreciate your words, President. But would it be too impolite to say that? Besides, it’s not something I can decide on my own…”
The president then leaned back and with a nonchalant nod, replied.
“Well, of course. That’s only natural. So, I want you to persuade MISUZU herself.”
“Haaaaa?! M-Me? Are you serious? Th-this can’t be a joke! Are you telling me to betray the company?”
Feigning a bit of anger and raising my voice, the president responded with a grin that seemed to say he had expected as much.
“I’m not saying..it’s for free….If you also transfer to our agency along with MISUZU, that’s fine. How much is your current annual salary? We would treat you as a department manager and bring you on board.”
“A-As a department manager!?”
“Yes, indeed. I sense potential in you as well. I’m even considering entrusting you with a certain department in the future.”
‘Uwaa…their tactics are so blatantly straightforward that it’s almost believable.’
As I deliberately stayed silent, President Kurashima leaned towards me again as if to emphasise his point.
“What do you think? I believe it’s not a bad deal.”
“Haaa…Even so, MISUZU-san is coming to Tokyo next week.”
“That’s not an issue. By then, make sure you persuade MISUZU on your end. The conditions we’ll offer her are outlined here.”
Saying so, the president handed me a sheet of A4 paper with bullet points typed in word processing.
A quick glance through it reveals a list of nearly ten economic conditions, including the signing bonus, which makes me think that I am at the height of the bubble economy.
But.── it was anonymous.
“You can give me your answer next week when she comes to Tokyo. Bring her here at that time and we’ll formalise the contract.”
The president doesn’t seem to doubt me but it’s better if he underestimates me a bit more. Villains tend to feel more secure when dealing with greedy individuals.
“Um…”
“What is it?”
“I’ll work on convincing MISUZU-san. And also… could I get written assurance about my own conditions?”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“Well… It’s not about whether I trust you,President. It’s more about my own sense of self-worth”
Upon saying this, the president grinned mischievously.
“Hahaha, I see. Fair enough. I’ll make arrangements.”
“Alright then…I’ll do my best to bring MISUZU-san here next week.”
“Very well…that’s all for the matters. I’m a busy man as well. I’ll take my leave.”
With that declaration, the president left the reception room without even looking back.
‘He’s quite a character..If he keeps up with these methods, even if I don’t do anything, it seems like I will eventually trip him up..’
×××
“President, welcome back.”
Returning to the president’s office, Kiyoka smiled at me with a slight nod.
“That man turned out to be even more of a small fry than I thought. He was quite easy to handle.”
She wrinkled her nose as if she had just smelled something unpleasant.
“Are you really planning to hire someone like that? I mean, no matter how much of a trade it is, he’s really off-putting, seems smelly and doesn’t seem capable of work. Other than being young, there’s really nothing noteworthy about him…”
“Haha, Kiyoka, you’re merciless. Well, that’s kind of like the cost we’re accounting for to bring MISUZU in.”
“I see…still, you really went all out by giving him the department manager treatment. I doubt anyone would follow him as a subordinate.”
“It’s not like we have to assign subordinates just because he’s given a department manager title. For now, I might even set up a new department for toilet cleaning. After the probation period, we can fire him on the grounds that the stains haven’t been removed.”
“Ufufu… You’re such a wicked person.”
Reaching out to her chest and giving it a squeeze, she quickly let desire fill her eyes and leaned towards me.
She was a woman I had trained carefully since joining as a new employee and she had truly become the kind of woman I preferred.
×××
“Get in, Hikari.”
“Yes, Coach Yolanda.”
Today’s club activities ended in the morning.
I gestured for Teruya Hikari to take the passenger seat, and we got into the used compact car I had bought.
For the time being, she would be living with us.
“How did it go?”
I asked and Hikari looked a bit troubled before saying the following.
“It feels like walking on eggshells…”
That’s unavoidable.
While no one outright rejected her to her face, the club members couldn’t hide their confusion.
Hikari is the younger sister of Teruya Anna, who is considered to have kidnapped them. Given that connection, it’s only natural.
“Don’t worry about it. Your sister isn’t the culprit, right?”
“Yes… Well, that’s true, but…”
The encounter with the maids last night was a significant lead for us to solve the major case at hand.
Witnessing that mysterious space and getting a glimpse of the enemy’s abilities was crucial. With that understanding, we can strategize accordingly. The culprit is likely able to move using that space.
For now, Claudia suspects the track and field club’s captain, Tashiro, vice-captain Shima and a first-year student named Moribe. We’ll monitor them closely and provoke reactions to gauge their involvement.
As we get closer to the core, the culprit should strike at us through that space.
As for Tashiro and Shima, I intend to keep an eye on them personally, while I’ve entrusted Hikari with monitoring Moribe. That’s why I went through the trouble of converting her into a short-distance runner.
“By the way… is this alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“Um…letting me be a coach for the track and field club.”
“It wasn’t exactly 『alright』 but…well, I managed somehow.”
Of course, the principal and vice-principal opposed the idea, but I managed to persuade them by emphasising that Hikari would be a coach hired with my personal funds and that it would only be for the limited duration of the summer vacation.
Above all, it was a significant help that her former homeroom teacher, Morioka, supported the idea.
“Education isn’t about discarding the bad parts. If we were to discard the younger sister because of her sister’s crime, the students would stop believing in the teachers.”
I was impressed by how wise his words were, despite his gorilla-like appearance.
If he weren’t a gorilla-like appearance, I might have developed a bit of a crush.
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