After that little encounter, back at the FoxPhone headquarters, Akai was squealing with excitent at the sight of Atsuage dancing on her desk.
"Ahhh, it's just way too cute…! I’d only ever heard of block golems before, but I never imagined they could be this adorable!"
"Even among Awakeners, reactions sure do differ wildly."
"Huh? But it's just so cute!"
"Hmm…"
Well, Atsuage had reacted differently to Yasuno, so it made sense that different people would draw different responses, Inari thought. If she rembered correctly, Atsuage had been trying to intimidate Yasuno, so why was it dancing now?
Inari didn’t particularly mind either way, but she did find it a little curious. Still, speaking of curious things reminded her of that girl from earlier.
"By the way, I t that lass from Lion Telecom just a while ago."
"Now’s the perfect ti to consider a new product: Super Alloy DX Atsuage—wait, what?"
"You know, that one called Seo Hikaru or so such."
"Ehh!? Don’t tell she challenged you to a duel!?"
"Ha ha ha, of course not. I was surrounded, and she saved . Then we beca friends."
"Ehhhh…?"
How had it co to that? Akai couldn’t make sense of it at all. So she sat down on the sofa and decided to get the full story from Inari.
"I'm sorry, but please explain this to from the beginning."
"Hm? Very well. It all began when I descended upon Akihabara…"
By the ti Inari finished recounting the chain of events, Akai was holding her head in her hands. While she'd prioritized Inari’s autonomy, this was clearly a mistake on her part. With Inari’s popularity rising and her utter lack of worldly experience, sending her out into Akihabara like that was practically asking for sothing like this to happen. Still, she hadn’t expected Lion Telecom to make a move themselves.
Then again, maybe it was a personal approach from Seo Hikaru rather than an official one… but if so, what was her goal? Akai couldn’t see the point in this whole “let’s be friends” act. Definitely worth investigating.
"Is this truly sothing worth agonizing over?"
"It absolutely is… A public figure's personal relationships can seriously impact a company’s image. What is Lion Telecom aiming for?"
"Hmm."
If that was the case, then perhaps there wasn’t anything to worry about after all, Inari thought. Most likely, that girl—Seo Hikaru—had t Inari by chance, acted of her own volition to help, and decided on her own to beco friends. That was probably all there was to it. If anything, what concerned Inari was…
“She possessed strength beyond any Awakener I've t thus far. It felt like she was a head above the rest… though I suppose I’ve scarce t truly strong Awakeners before…”
Inari knew there were powerful Awakeners out there, but she’d never really encountered one herself. To be honest, she hadn’t been expecting much—but Hikaru might actually be capable of eting those expectations. Still, she was likely still in a developntal stage. Her gear wasn’t half-bad, either. Not that Inari had any desire for it herself.
"Well… I don't think there’s much to fret about. That be mine own readin’, though."
"Hmm… If Miss Kogami says so, I suppose we’ll keep an eye on things."
In any case, the fact that it hadn’t turned into a public scuffle was a blessing. FoxPhone had no desire to enter into direct conflict with Lion Telecom anyway. Besides, the reason Akai had called Inari today wasn’t to discuss Lion Telecom.
Which is why Akai now picked up a docunt from her desk with a serious expression.
"Actually, Miss Kogami, while we do have so ideas about new ads and Atsuage rchandise… there's sothing more important we need to discuss."
"Oh ho, speakin’ that gravely about it maketh brace self."
"Yes, well… To tell you the truth, I was torn about whether to bring this up at all. Miss Kogami, have you heard about the day when all the famous Awakeners from across the country gather?"
Yes. It was a day when only select Awakeners were invited—those who had been nominated or had passed rigorous screening. The best of the best gathered. Both the general public and corporations paid close attention to this day, and a massive amount of money changed hands because of it.
"Sounds like quite the occasion, that does."
"Indeed. Just participating is said to boost your prestige. It's a chance to build connections—or even flip your whole life around."
It was true—so had risen to national fa just by appearing at this event. Many trained for this day. It was the biggest event for Awakeners, and it was said there wasn’t a single Awakener who didn’t want to join. The na of that event was—
"The Next-Gen Idol Awakener Contest…!"
"I shan’t be participatin’, thou know?"
"W-why not!? We've already prepared a signature song and hired a choreographer…!"
"I shan’t be participatin’, I say! Wait, ye still hadn't given up?"
Even as Inari held her ground, Akai passionately shouted, "I just want to make our cute fox-eared girl do cute things! I want all of Japan to know that our fox is the cutest!"—but, alas… Inari did not seem to understand the appeal at all.
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