"Eat up! Everyone, just eat as much as you want!"
M waved her tongs triumphantly like a conquering hero, though her eyes carried the sorrow of a general sacrificing her own army.
If she had to treat them, then she would do it with flair.
Eat. Flip. Laugh.
Turn financial trauma into appetite.
(つ╥﹏╥)つ $$$
RIP M’s wallet.
Yukima Azuma sat across from her, as cool as ever, leisurely adjusting the fla on the grill.
After observing for a mont, he noticed that M was flipping the at too often—causing it to dry out, shrink, and waste those beautiful fat-marbling patterns.
With a casual but decisive motion, he reached over and snatched the tongs from her hands.
"Leave it to . You’re murdering the Wagyu."
"...Fine," M mumbled, deflated, slumping down like a cat stripped of its cardboard box.
Yukima took over the grilling, and soon the savory aroma of searing A9 beef filled the air.
As he watched the fat render and sizzle to perfection, he casually tossed out a question.
"By the way, now that the variety show’s wrapped, do you two have any plans?"
Though he said it offhandedly, there was a natural weight to his voice.
Right now, both M and Akane were under his agency—Laplace Corporation.
As their boss, it was only right he helped them plan the next step.
"Not yet," Akane said honestly, "but... I want to join the Hikaru no Shogi drama team."
Her tone was clear, her eyes resolute.
She had joined LoveforReal because her fa had hit a plateau—known mostly for niche dramas, but rarely front-page.
She wasn’t ashad of her motivation. She wanted to act.
And she wanted to work with him.
"Umu," Yukima nodded. "I’ll have the company reach out to the production team."
He then turned to M, who had already grabbed a Coke and was sipping it with suspicious side-eye.
"What about you? Want to try acting?"
M shook her head so fast her imaginary demon horns wobbled like jelly.
"No no no, I have zero talent for acting! I’ll stick with YouTube, thank you very much!"
Yukima chuckled.
Then his eyes sharpened a little.
"You don’t want to be an actress... but you do want to be an idol, right?"
M froze.
( ˶°ㅁ°) !!!
Her eyes widened. Her pupils dilated.
It was like soone had just opened her childhood diary and read it aloud.
The dream she’d buried—hidden so carefully under jokes and clickbait thumbnails—had been exposed with surgical precision.
Her cheeks flushed.
"W-What are you saying, Boss?! I don’t want to be an idol at all! Not even a little!"
Akane blinked. "You do?"
This was news to her.
M’s channel was thriving. Her videos were smart, funny, viral.
She never once ntioned wanting to be an idol.
"I an... I just thought about it before. That’s all," M mumbled, head down.
"But why not debut?" Akane asked gently. "You’re cute. You’d have tons of fans!"
M’s shoulders drooped slightly. Her smile dimd.
( ཀ ʖ̯ ཀ)
Before she could speak, thwap—Yukima flicked Akane on the forehead.
"Ow!?"
She turned to him, betrayed. "I’m the guardian here! Why am I the one getting scolded?!"
"Akane-san. You should be more mindful when speaking. A lot of people don’t get to do what they want. Reality has its own rules."
Akane paused.
Then sighed.
She understood.
She had sensed before that M’s background wasn’t privileged—but hadn’t truly stopped to consider what dreams might’ve been buried beneath that cheery exterior.
"It’s fine, really." M smiled again. (◕‿◕)
Yukima handed her a perfectly grilled slice of beef.
She popped it into her mouth, only to let out a soft "hot hot hot!" as the juices hit her tongue.
After fanning her cheeks, she chewed, swallowed, and brightened instantly.
Yummy! ヾ( ✰ᴗ✰ )
She happily ate a few more pieces, the food slowly patching over the cracks in her composure.
"I wanted to be an idol when I was little," she began quietly, almost like she was talking to herself.
"My mom suddenly got seriously ill. Being an underground idol doesn’t just an you don’t earn money—you might even have to pay to perform."
"So, I worked part-ti. Then video platforms blew up, and I beca a YouTuber."
"I told myself... maybe that’s good enough. I was lucky. My channel did well. Mom got better."
"So what’s there to regret?"
(Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.)
Then she suddenly turned, glaring at Yukima Azuma.
"BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS, BOSS?!"
(¬⤙¬ )
Yukima sipped his tea casually.
"You’re under my company. It’s my job to know my artists."
"...You damn capitalist."
⁽⁽(੭ꐦ •̀Д•́ )੭*⁾⁾
"I prefer the term businessman. So, M, do you want to debut as an idol?"
M choked on her rice. "You’re not serious!"
"I am. Laplace Corporation can make the arrangents."
He wasn’t exaggerating.
Laplace hadn’t launched idols before—but the future roadmap already included launching their short-form video platform next year.
They would need original creators, fresh faces, and idols to draw in users.
And M already had what others paid millions to fabricate: a real fan base, a unique charm, and a loyal online presence.
Hearing Yukima’s unwavering tone, M’s heart began to race.
Even though she had played it cool before...
The mont he said "idol," she had frozen.
She still wanted it.
She still dread of the lights, the stage, the cheers.
"Can I really...?"
She pointed at herself, voice trembling.
"Whether it’s possible or not is my problem. You only need to decide—do you want to?"
Yukima’s words hit her chest like a drumbeat.
"I want to!" M burst out.
Then hesitated.
"But... in a few years... I’ll be an oba-san..."
"You’ll use up and throw away, won’t you?!"
Yukima grinned. "You make it sound like I’m running a black company."
M pouted—but her eyes were shining.
Even if it was only for two or three years, she would stand on that stage.
Just once was enough.
Under her golden hair, her eyes glowed with childlike hope.
And suddenly, she understood sothing about Kurokawa Akane.
This man—Yukima Azuma—had a terrifying skill.
He made you believe in yourself again.
Doki doki (⋆❛ ہ ❛⋆)!♡
anwhile, Akane sipped her Coke in silence.
Her danger radar was going off.
Another rival... had appeared.
"This man attracts girls like honey attracts bears," she thought grimly.
Then another thought crossed her mind—and it was so random it made her choke on her drink.
Wait a sec... if M’s been calling herself a JK...
She narrowed her eyes.
"Hey... didn’t you just admit you were worried about debuting because of age?"
M stiffened.
(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )
"E-Eto... maybe I fudged it just a tiny bit..."
She held her thumb and index finger barely apart.
Akane’s brow twitched.
"So you’re 21? 22?"
M lowered her head.
"23?"
Silence.
"24?!"
"...This spring... I was still 24..."
Akane gasped.
"You’re 25?!"
That was not fudging. That was a whole falsified census!
M: (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)!???
Yukima: ( ＾◡＾)っ✂╰⋃╯
"You do realize if your fans found out their adorable JK oshi was actually a quarter-century old..."
He didn’t need to finish the sentence.
M scread internally.
She buried her face in her hands.
But even if the truth ca out... what of it?
She would stand on stage.
Even if it was only once.
Even if she had to run full speed against ti.
Because dreams taste sweeter after being fla-grilled and seasoned with tears.
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