The children’s park at night had a strange atmosphere.
I hadn’t noticed it during the day as I’d thought it was just some kind of surreal playground with only one slide right in the middle. But there were plenty of lights, and even though it was a starless night, the park was illuminated with bright-white light.
The vending machines and the public restrooms, which I’d never noticed during the day, now stood out due to the glowing lights they emitted.
This looked like a prime spot for juvenile delinquents to gather. I wanted to head home as soon as possible before I got involved in a strange incident.
A car stopped in front of the park entrance. It was quite a luxury car. I felt like I’d seen a similar scene when I came to this park once before. I wondered which one was more expensive, this car or Kei Tennouzu’s? Not like that mattered.
Erio Shibuya emerged from the passenger seat. She wasn’t wearing her school uniform, but her regular clothes. She wore her uniform with pizzazz, but even her street clothes were extremely stylish. I wouldn’t even know where to go to buy clothes like that.
As she approached the slide where I stood, Erio snorted.
“Thought it’d play out like this.”
“Really. So you never expected Shiika to come?”
“Of course not. You’re her self-proclaimed manager, her elder brother who’s gotten special permission to shadow her around the school. If you hadn’t shown up at a time like this, you would’ve been just a weirdo with a sister complex.”
“So it was really me you wanted to talk business with all along, huh. What’s so important you can’t discuss it with me at school? Cripes, you’re not going to ask me out, are you…?”
“Ugh! No way! Just the thought of that is enough to make me puke!”
“Gah… You didn’t have to go that far…”
Her words were cutting. I was shocked to the core. Her cruelty was made all the worse by her delivery, in that crystal clear prodigy-level singer’s voice.
“…Wait, you didn’t come here alone, did you? Who’s that, your boyfriend?”
I looked at the man who had just gotten out of the driver’s seat, my question laced with malice.
Erio looked affronted.
“That’s MY manager. He was driving me home from a lesson.”
“A lesson? This late at night? Don’t you get enough of that at school?”
“If you’re satisfied with just the classes at school, then you do you. I, however, am different.”
She spoke as if there was nothing amiss, but this amount of time spent honing her craft seemed crazy to me.
She had a tenacity to her, as if she’d much rather die than lose out to any other singer.
“You said manager… Oh, right. Your debut with a major label has already been decided.”
“Good evening.”
In response to my gaze and murmur, the man in the suit behind Erio bowed.
He stepped forward, offering his business card with both hands.
“My name is Shinpei Nakameguro from Queen Smile. I represent Erio Shibuya.”
“Oh, nice to meet you…”
I scrutinized his face as I took his business card.
He was tall and wore glasses. Late twenties, maybe early thirties. Soft voice, polite demeanor, gentle aura. He may have been a manager, but he was also obviously someone from the entertainment world. His close shave was clearly done by a stylist, and he didn’t just look serious. He also had the charm of a successful businessman.
“And you’re Gakuto Ikebukuro, correct? I’ve heard about you from President Tennouzu.”
“Ah, that old man… So you’re pals with Kei, are you? Boy, it’s a small world!”
“Oh, no, me, friends with such an important person? Not at all. If the president heard such a thing, he would be infuriated by my impudence…”
Nakameguro scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed, then continued.
“It’s a big world, but the entertainment industry is surprisingly small. A little networking through drinking parties, and you can expand your reach to the big names with surprising ease. In response to Erio’s selfish demands, I was able to create a situation where I could speak with President Tennouzu…”
“Who are you calling selfish? Information gathering is supposed to be a manager’s job.”
“That’s not in my job description, though? Anyway, what does it matter now?”
Nakameguro looked resigned. It seemed Erio’s shrewish ways were giving him a lot of headaches.
“Anyway. I did some digging, to find out where you couple of unruly upstarts sprang from. And what I found out was…”
“!”
I straightened up in alarm. My brain was already whirring with ideas on how I could handle the two people standing in front of me.
If Kei Tennouzu leaked Shiika’s true identity as the Vsinger Seeker, that would mean I’d need to view Erio Shibuya as a definite enemy. If she was planning to use this information to threaten or bully us, then I would have to deal with her swiftly.
Now, then… What would her next move be?
“…Nothing. I couldn’t find anything.”
“…Huh?”
“Not a thing! Mr. Tennouzu doesn’t seem to know anything about you two or where you came from! My manager kept on asking, but Tennouzu kept saying, “Isn’t she a catch? Go on, tell me what a catch she is.” And he wouldn’t say anything more! Just what gutter did he pluck your sister out of, anyhow?!”
“Ah… Ah-ha-ha. What gutter, indeed?”
It was in this very park, actually, but why would I tell her that? I fended her off with a smug smile instead.
Dodge and parry, dodge and parry.
“Hmph. Well, it’s not like it matters. A completely unknown rival… All the better.”
Erio suddenly closed the distance between us, grabbed my shirt front, and brought my face close to hers.
“Let’s have a battle.”
“What for?”
“Because your presence irritates me. If you lose, Shiika will never sing another Nokia Komae song ever again. Got it?”
“Fistfights are against the law.”
“I’m not talking about a physical fight! I’m saying we should compete in the midterm exam and see who comes out on top!”
“But I’m exempt from taking the exam.”
“I don’t want to compete against YOU! Shouldn’t that be obvious enough here?!”
“Of course it’s obvious. I’m trying to give you the runaround here.”
“Are you…are you mocking me?!”
“Do you really think grabbing me by the collar and challenging me to a duel will make me warm up to you?”
“Tch. Listen, stop yanking my chain. You’re getting on my nerves.”
Of course, I understood 100 percent what Erio wanted to say.
But I wasn’t about to accept her challenge here, with the person directly involved not even present.
“It depends on what Shiika thinks. I can’t decide everything by myself.”
“Huh? You’re the manager; you make all the decisions, right? Don’t just wash your hands of it now!”
“Hmm, it might look like I’m pulling all the strings, but you know…”
Taking care of her social media accounts. Coming up with a business strategy plan. Keeping up with her personal care.
Shiika leaves all kinds of things to me, and as a rule, she generally doesn’t go against any of my decisions as her elder brother.
But the relationship between brother and sister is an egalitarian one. None of this master-servant stuff.
“I never make choices on Shiika’s behalf without her consent.”
“…!”
Erio looked shocked. She bit her lip, shoulders trembling. I wondered what she was thinking.
Would she scream at me, like she’d screamed at Komae? I got ready to cover my ears and protect my eardrums.