> Need one ACTING roll; 1d100+58
> DC being 100.
>
> Rolled 30 (1d100) + 58 = 88 – Failure
== April 17, 2015 (Saturday)
[07:55] @EmikoDesuu55: i guess something must’ve happened…
[07:55] @EmikoDesuu55: call me when you can, k? (⋟﹏⋞)
[07:56] @EmikoDesuu55: have fun on the trip~
…
[16:35] @KaibaAoiOfficial: Emiko-chan, hello, hello!
[16:37] @EmikoDesuu55: kaiba-chan <3 what happened?
[16:37] @KaibaAoiOfficial: (⋆ˆ ³ ˆ)♥
Looking over Kaiba’s shoulder while she types this is incredibly awkward.
So, you decide to give Kaiba some space and follow the conversation on your own phone.
Luckily, it seems like the platform allows you to sign into and be active on multiple devices at once.
[16:37] @KaibaAoiOfficial: Manager-san saw the chat…
[16:38] @EmikoDesuu55: uwaaa…
[16:38] @KaibaAoiOfficial: Yeah… She told me to stop talking to you or I’d be fired…
[16:39] @EmikoDesuu55: isn’t it bad that you’re talking to me now then?
[16:39] @EmikoDesuu55: risking your job to talk to me?? <3 (♡´౪`♡)
[16:40] @KaibaAoiOfficial: I mean, I would, but manager-san approached me in the hotspring and told it was totally okay me for to talk to you and even meet up…
[16:40] @KaibaAoiOfficial: Not sure what made her change her mind, she seemed scared
[16:41] @EmikoDesuu55: (¬‿¬)
“She wants to brag,” you say to Kaiba, “Ask her about it.”
Kaiba nods.
[16:40] @KaibaAoiOfficial: Emiko-chan… you did something didn’t you?
[16:41] @EmikoDesuu55: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ maaayybeee…
[16:42] @EmikoDesuu55: doesn’t matter tho, we can be together now, right?
[16:42] @EmikoDesuu55: like we can meet and date and stuff?
[16:42] @EmikoDesuu55: ah, i wanna do lots of stuff…
Red-faced, Kaiba slowly looks up from her phone and at you.
To Kaiba this must feel like sexting under the disapproving stare of your parents.
Only it’s worse because it’s your boss from work.
[16:43] @EmikoDesuu55: oh! and you promised to send me hot spring pics :D
[16:43] @KaibaAoiOfficial: I dunno…
[16:43] @EmikoDesuu55: why not? you said it was fine the other day?
[16:43] @EmikoDesuu55: can we call? it feels so much better to do it when you listen in~
You’re embarrassed on Kaiba’s behalf. Jeesh, what has this girl been getting up to…
Knees shaking, face bright red, and unable to meet your gaze, Kaiba runs out of the locker room.
“Kaiba-san,” you shout, “Wai…”
You were about to give chase only to realize that you’re still wearing nothing but a towel.
Thoughts so preoccupied by this whole development, you forgot to get dressed when Kaiba did.
In the distance, you hear a door slam shut.
The sound came from the woman’s toilets.
You try to get dressed as fast as you can while keeping an eye on the chat.
[16:46] @KaibaAoiOfficial: PLEASE STOP TALKING
[16:46] @KaibaAoiOfficial: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
[16:47] @EmikoDesuu55: ???
[16:47] @EmikoDesuu55: what’s wrong? what makes today different?
[16:47] @EmikoDesuu55: …
[16:48] @EmikoDesuu55: oh, I see… she’s watching, isn’t she?
[16:48] @EmikoDesuu55: hello, manager-san~
[16:48] @EmikoDesuu55 has gone offline.
Hiding your face in your hands, you sigh loudly in frustration.
Kaiba tried the best she could, but something like that was certain to cause her to break character.
It was a good effort, but ultimately it seems like EmikoDesu55 picked up on it.
That question about “listening in” was probably a probing question.
She knew Kaiba’s act would collapse. That’s totally what it was, right?
Man, that EmikoDesu55 sure is clever sometimes, haha! A trick!
Well, the alternative would be… eh…
As you take a few minutes to think over the situation, your phone pings.
A new email.
----------------------------------------
ah, manager-san…
why did you have to go and do that? （>﹏<）
now my Kaiba-chan will never trust me again!!!
but it's not her fault… ah my poor kaiba-chan…
now i have no more use for her… sigh…
i suppose i have no choice but to tell my good friend to start taking lewd pictures…
if you’re wondering who this photographer is…. it’s you!
aren’t I clever, yes? yes? you know exactly where the idols are!
they’re with you after all!
i feel like we’ve gotten really close after the last few messages, so you’ll do this for me, right? right?
the three of us share a kind of special connection, no?
i remember seeing you at the end of kaiba’s first vlog, i mean, i wouldn’t mind… the three of us?
pwoaaah…. that’ll have to wait though…
you see my friends are totes impatient with me and i have to give them something, yeah?
they need some stuff to work with… (~￣³￣)~
so you get to decide what idol you’re gonna betray!
and you’ll get to live on knowing you crippled a poor girl’s career!
i want a cute nude picture, maybe like shy-ish? or a picture of them sleeping!
if would be great if… you know how when you’re sleeping in a tanktop and your boob kinda slips out?
something like that would be great!!!
BONUS POINTS IF ITS ONE OF THE NEW IDOLS
if you don’t send me anything then I’ll simply ignore my project buddies and drop all my chat, phone recordings, and images I have of Kaiba online!!
xoxoxo
kaiba’s ex-gf
----------------------------------------
So there never was a mole...
Sacrifice a different idol’s career to save Kaiba?
Harsh as it may sound, Kaiba-san brought this on herself.
She should’ve just blocked EmikoDesu55 back then, but then again, she couldn’t have known things would turn out like this.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Ichihara Riko did some inexcusable things that ended another idol’s career.
It seems only fair that that same fate is cast upon her, right?
She did seem very sorry about her behaviour when you encountered her in the break room and it seems like she’s trying to be a better person.
Chigusa Iki hasn’t done anything wrong, but she hasn’t started her career either.
If you think about it from the perspective of a sociopath, then her idol career falling apart before it begins isn’t much different than if you had never recruited her to begin with.
Enatsu Mari is incredibly athletic, that’s plain for everyone to see.
Perhaps it’s a blessing to cut her idol career short and send her on a new path – that of a pro athlete?
Watase Yoko is already fairly old for an idol. She had plenty of good years, right?
Some of the other idols haven’t even gotten started. That doesn’t seem fair, does it?
She did invite you to share drinks later today.
If you manage to get her drunk enough and help her back to her room, then it’d be incredibly easy to snap a quick picture, wouldn’t it?
EmikoDesu55 is right about one thing though, even if you take what you did to your grave, you doubt you’ll ever forgive yourself.
The cut-throat world of idols may have many people that’d be willing to throw somebody else under the bus, but you’re not one of them.
Ah, your stomach hurts…
> EmikoDesuu55’s offer
>
> >1 - Refuse. Just focus on damage control for Kaiba.
> >2 - Try to sneakily take pictures of Ichihara Riko. She deserves it for what she did to Maki Sumi.
> >3 - Chigusa Iki is always so focused, she might not notice you sneaking a picture…
> >4 - With how athletic she is Enatsu Mari might have a better future as an athlete…
> >5 - Watase Yoko said she wanted to go drinking with you… maybe if she gets drunk enough…
>
> If you choose to vote for taking a picture then there’ll be an option later on to decide to sneak a pic, negotiate a picture, or other write-ins.
>
> Winner
> >1 - Refuse. Just focus on damage control for Kaiba
----------------------------------------
Regardless of how much you’d like to help Kaiba, you’re not going to sacrifice anyone else to do so.
Despite your numerous warnings, she took the risk and now she gets to pay the price.
You’ll do what you can to mitigate the damage, but the price isn’t going to be cheap.
A strange feeling of calm spreads through your body.
Suppose it’s really true that a problem only bothers you as much as you allow it to.
You get dressed properly and casually walk to the women’s toilets.
Only one stall is occupied. You knock on the door of this stall using the back of your hand.
“Kaiba-san,” you say, “We’ve done what we can to prevent a scandal, but we’re changing our approach – we’ll simply brace for impact and pick up the pieces as best we can.”
There’s a small gasp from the other side of the door, “…Is there nothing we can do?”
“There’s an offer, but it’s a price I can’t afford to pay,” you say, deliberately vague.
You’re not sure your heart could take if you revealed that there’s an option to throw another idol to the wolves and Kaiba would want to take it.
The disappointment you’d feel towards her if she thought that way would forever change your image of her.
You’d like to think she wouldn’t do such a thing, but It’s best to never find out for real.
“I considered playing to her guilt,” you say, “But a snake that does what Emiko-chan did to you probably doesn’t have much of a conscience to begin with. They only care about themselves.”
The only thing left to do is approach this in the most professional, HR-way possible: using the law.
If EmikoDesu55 is so eager to ruin people’s lives, then you don’t mind adding hers to that list.
Under Japanese law there’s a big difference between threatening to blackmail and actually leaking the information.
The latter kind of extortion carries up to a ten-year sentence, while the former hovers around one year.
Guess you’ll get to find out how confident EmikoDesu55 is in hiding her identity.
“Come on out, Aoi-chan,” you say, “We need to get ready for dinner. There are yukatas in our rooms that we’ll be expected to wear.”
”Things’ll get bumpy in the days to come,” you add, “But let’s try to enjoy ourselves for now, okay?”
There’s a sharp metal click as the door of the toilet stall opens and Kaiba shuffles out.
Then she unexpectedly embraces you tightly, her hands grabbing a tight hold on the back of your shirt, “I’m sorry,” she says, sobbing into your shoulder, “I didn’t know… I was just so happy… I’m so sorry…I thought she actually liked me...”
You pat her on the back, “It’s done, it’s time to move on from this, I won’t let this be the end.”
This last week felt like a month. You look forward to things returning back to normal.
“Don’t respond to her any longer,” you say, “Don’t give her the satisfaction.”
After allowing Kaiba time to vent her frustrations, you slowly let go of her and send Kaiba on her way to her own room to prepare for dinner.
You do the same and wear the yukata that has been left in your room by the staff.
However, you linger for a while and prepare a response for EmikoDesu55’s mail.
It’s probably best practice to not respond to an email like this, these things have a habit of turning up online after all.
You simply do what you think is right.
You might’ve dragged your feet on some things, but in the end you did fairly well, right?
By revealing you as her “mole” EmikoDesu55 revealed she has no way of knowing where you are.
There’s no reason to fear a horde of press stomping their way here on the final day.
She knows Matsuno Inc has some new idols lined up, but it’s an idol agency – it’d be weirder if they didn’t.
Without any names or pictures there’s no way she is actually any threat to Chigusa and Enatsu.
All she has is whatever Kaiba shared with her.
This whole blackmail attempt of her group was more social engineering than anything else.
Trying to dig yourself out of the hole by giving in to their demands would only end up with you digging deeper.
Instead, you’ve given them nothing. Let’s see if you can take what she’s got left.
A person like her only cares about herself, so that’s exactly what to target.
----------------------------------------
Hello EmikoDesu55,
I regret to inform you that we are not willing to participate in your delusions.
Your behaviour thus far has been nothing but shameless as both a fan and a human being.
Any previous and pending action taken by you against Kaiba Aoi and by extension Matsuno Inc. will be handled by our lawyers, local law enforcement, and the court of law.
Do not contact me again.
With kind regards,
Nagata Miho, Manager at Matsuno Inc. Idol Agency.
----------------------------------------
Sent.
A sane, level-headed person would use this opportunity to slither back to the hole they came from.
But if you’ve come to know EmikoDesu55 in any way at all in these past few days she probably has far too much pride to do that, she’s too high on her own ego.
If she really did run this kind of con several times in the past, then she might ever consider herself untouchable.
She’ll leak the data anyway.
You prepare a quick email and sent it to your assistant, Matsui-san.
Detailed inside is a rough description of what happened without incrimination you or Kaiba.
Roughly: “I caught Kaiba chatting a little too intimately with a fan, made her stop, and now the ghosted fan is threatening to leak the conversations they had.”
Finally, you mention to keep this a secret, but prepare to act if the chat history shows up online.
Prepare messages for marketing, legal, and even a public statement for Kaiba-san to read on her stream if it gets to that.
There’s no reason for Matsui-san to trigger the alarm if nothing ends up happening.
A few minutes later you receive a response from Matsui-san.
It’s a selfie of her holding a glass of wine, staring at the camera with a lazy frown.
“Sure… Hope Kaiba-san is alright.” she replies.
Guess she was doing something else, but she’ll see to it – you know she will.
Having a dependable subordinate is truly wonderful.
You stow away your phone in a pocket inside your yukata.
These garments didn’t always have pockets like these, but you’re glad they do now.
Shutting the sliding door to your room, you make your way towards the dining hall.
Only to find you’re the last one there. Even Kaiba is already here though she looks understandably nervous.
It’s probably hard to enjoy a meal while your life may be crumbling around you.
Enatsu Mari is waving at you with much excitement, “Manager-san,” she shouts, “I saved you a seat!”
You bob your head in thanks and move towards the offered seat, placing you between Enatsu Mari and Chigusa Iki.
Everyone is seated at a low table and using cushions as seats.
They’re all enjoying various drinks, most non-alcoholic, and making friendly conversation.
The moment you sit down, Chigusa Iki pours you something to drink from a tall bottle.
You nod thanks. Looking into the cup it seems like green tea.
Honestly, you could really use a drink, but this isn’t the time or place.
A glance at your phone tells you it’s 17:30 (5:30 PM).
There’s a bit of time left until they begin serving meals.
The dinner itself will consist of a large variety of sides with some meat, fish, and rice.
People should be able to have a satisfying meal regardless of their dietary preferences.
Ichihara Riko seems to be relegated to pouring drinks for Watase Yoko, who seems to have already started on alcoholic drinks, but is trying to take it slow.
Sitting on the other side of Enatsu Mari is Matsuno Kojiro who, judging by his face, hasn’t stopped drinking since you saw him at the bar a while ago.
Even now he has a glass with a bottom of whiskey within hand’s reach.
Enatsu is asking him what kind exciting things Matsuno’s idols have done and he enthusiastically begins talking about some jobs he has done with Maki Sumi.
As the memories slowly creep in, his story slows down, and eventually stops completely.
He shoots a hate-filled glance at Ichihara Riko, slams down his whisky, and excuses himself to visit the bathroom.
It’s not strange for some resentment to linger, but you hope he’s enough of a professional to move past it eventually.
Enatsu Mari watches him leave after the sudden shift in attitude and looks towards you for an explanation.
You wave her concerns aside. She’s done nothing wrong. Just leave him be.
Matsuno returns a short while later, putting his phone inside the pocket of his yukata as he enters the room.
The kitchen staff begin to prepare the table for dinner.
Before long the table is filled with a large variety of side-dishes and rice.
Once the entire table is set, raising your cup, you call for everyone’s attention.
This whole trip to the hot spring might’ve initially only been a way to stop Kaiba from meeting up, but the new idols still deserve a genuine welcome.
Calling each new idol by name, you ask them to introduce themselves, maybe share some minor details about themselves, and move onto the next until you’ve introduced them all.
“And with that done, I want to wish them all a very warm welcome to the Matsuno Inc. Idol Agency,” you say, then raise your cup, “Cheers!”
Cheers echo from all corners of the large table as everyone raises their glass and then, with formalities done, you all enjoy a nice dinner.
Even Kaiba seems to momentarily forget her worries.
With their stomachs filled, some stretch and decide to retire to their rooms while others remain seated, take a seat at the bar for drinks, or play games in the lobby.