"So..." you begin, "Those pictures for the Yoshikawa job came out pretty well..."

Kaiba nods, "They did. I'm happy with the pictures they used, nothing too... Ah... " she says, looking for the right words, "The man in charge said they were going for a western-style marketing campaign, so I was expecting that they'd use different pictures."

A western-style campaign? From a Japanese company?

They must've gotten some blowback from the more conservative, Japanese members then.

In the end, it might've been a bikini-shoot, but the girls were more part of the picture than the picture themselves.

"I was a little surprised," you say, "I remember you being skittish about appearing in a bikini."

Kaiba laughs quietly, a bit embarrassed, "Haha... That's... " she says, "...I've always worn sweaters and stuff. I don't like showing my body like that. I'm not as skinny or pretty as the other girls are."

"Aoi..." you say, adding a comforting smile, "We've talked about this. You wouldn't be getting jobs for modelling jobs if you weren't good-looking."

"You've said that, yes," replies Kaiba, "It just doesn't feel real to me. I looked at some of the comments online and the people mostly seem interested in... " she adds, looking down at her chest, "Certain parts of me."

"There's always going to be people like that," you say, "As long as they stay behind their computer screen, then there's no harm in them."

"It just had me thinking that gravure idols must have it rough," says Kaiba, "People only like them for their bodies. Yanase-chan did say there's a lot of money in the gravure business, but I don't know."

"Yanase-chan?" you say, trying to keep as much attention on the road as you can.

"Ah. She's a gravure idol. I met her and Oshiro-san during the Yoshikawa photoshoot," says Kaiba, "She was a regular idol before, but moved into gravure shoots later."

Kaiba also got a job offer for a gravure shoot, maybe that's a viable option for her as well.

"How's that working out for her?" you ask.

"We met last Friday and she seemed pretty sad," says Kaiba, "She said people are losing interest in her and she'll either have to call it quits or joked that she'd move into something she called the last stop."

These must be the friends that Kitabayashi mentioned, then.

"The last stop?" you ask, eyebrow raised.

Kaiba shakes her head lightly, "I asked, but they wouldn't say. They just laughed and said it was too early for me."

Ah. The final frontier.

"Why not just go back to normal idol work?" you say.

"Oshiro-san says that being gravure idol is a one-way career path," says Kaiba, "Once you've appeared in gravure magazines then a lot of companies don't want to work with you anymore."

"That's awful..." you say, you don't have a better response.

Japan. Uptight as always.

Any company with at least a decent reputation will be wary of having their product associated with you.

"Yanase-chan is very youthful looking with voice to match. She said she used to voice a lot of anime for children, but after her debut as a gravure idol, they didn't want her anymore," says Kaiba, "Her only options left were gravure shoots and... d-dirty stuff. Like games and things."

Sorry, Kaiba, but things can get a lot dirtier than that.

"She sounds like a very ... unreserved girl," you say, carefully.

They've barely known each other for a few days and she's already mentioning those things?

Perhaps it's different if you've lived that world for a few years.

"Yeah..." says Kaiba, a warm smile on her face, "It's impressive how she can say whatever she wants, but she was also pretty drunk at the time... and a bit vulgar."

A youthful looking gravure idol that's going around cursing and drinking?

That girl basically has to go around with her ID-card glued to her forehead.

Hold on.

You give Kaiba a look, "You didn't drink... right?"

Recently shamed Idol Kaiba Aoi spotted engaging in underage drinking with what appears to be a middle-schooler!

More at five.

"No, no," says Kaiba, waving her hands in front of her, "I said I didn't want any. I just had tea."

"Good, good," you say, then clear your voice, and take a deep breath, "I'm sorry, but we should talk about what happened last week as well."

Kaiba deflates a bit, "Yes... I was afraid of that."

This is going to be awkward.

Please share with the class why you tried to hook up your boss with her best friend.

You'll just have to try and ease your way into it.

"I don't mind you going on jobs by yourself, in fact, I think it's a good thing, but I feel like you didn't do that because you wanted to," you say, "But rather because you were avoiding me."

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

"I'm sorry, manager-san. I was ...pretty upset with you," says Kaiba, "Yui-chan cried a lot that night."

Eh?

You even messaged Kitabayashi to ask if she was okay.

She said she was! Even sent you a smiley!

Of course, you can't take something like that at face value.

But, crying all night?

You didn't think it was that bad.

If only Kaiba hadn't involved herself with your relationship with Kitabayashi!

Then it might've been a normal birthday party.

Huuuu. Calm down, Miho.

Kaiba's probably meant well.

"I... I didn't set out to make her cry, she's my best friend," you say, "But we're just not like... that ...with each other. I'm not like... that."

Where did things go wrong in life that you have to justify your sexuality to your teenage employee.

Kaiba frowns, looking away, "Liar," she says quietly.

Your jaw drops, "Liar!?" you say, "I think I'm pretty sure."

"Yui-chan likes you a lot you know!" says Kaiba, unexpectedly fierce, "She talks about you a lot and always smiles when you send a message or call and always says how worried she is about you!" she adds, "Because you don't care about yourself! So, she has to!"

Why does this side of Kaiba only come up in moments like this?

"Well, I'm sorry," you say, "But I can't be responsible for Yui's happiness. Not like that, anyway. It would just be a fake relationship. That wouldn't make her happy either."

"Why not?!" says Kaiba.

Argh! You really don't want to have this conversation with her!

Having to reason your way out of the lesbian fantasies of a lonely teenage girl.

She's not in college, her new friends are too risky as they might ditch her if she starts saying things like that, and offering questions like this to her parents is basically the same as asking them to disown her.

Nobody told you that this would be part of being a manager!

Research shows that as many as one in three of teenage girls go through a phase like that.

Considering what Kaiba went through, it isn't unexpected that she wants to experiment and try things.

If what Kitabayashi said is true, then she may be using you as a way to validate her own conflicting feelings.

If the people around her are being that way, then so can she.

But she can't. She's trying to become a popular idol and idols don't get into relationships.

> Decision

> >1 - "It may surprise you, Kaiba, but most women don't feel that way about other girls."

> >2 - "Don't use me to live out your fantasies!"

> >3 - "Because you don't want to risk your friendship for something that'll never work out!"

> >4 - "Just no and that's final. It's none of your business."

> >5 - "Ace this audition and I'll consider it." (+10 to job roll)

> >6 - Write-in

>

> Winner

> >6 - "It may surprise you, Aoi-chan, but most women don't feel that way about other girls. But even if I did, nobody is obligated to enter a relationship for another's happiness. It's something you should only do for yourself. Otherwise, you're headed towards suffering. Is surely would be great if people could only fall in love with someone who would love them back. But all we can do is support each other and keep searching."

Perhaps it's time to talk some sense into this girl.

"It may surprise you, Aoi-chan, but most women don't feel that way about other girls," you say.

"Maybe not most..." answers Kaiba, "But if you would just give Yui-chan a chance, then I'm sure the both of you will be happier."

"Even if I did like girls, nobody is obligated to enter a relationship for another's happiness," you reply, "It's something you should only do for yourself," you add, "You remember that talk we had before Yui's birthday? When I didn't want to wear the maid costume? You can't let people take advantage of you. Even if they mean well. In this end it's you that'll end up suffering for it."

"Is that it, then?" says Kaiba, "You're just not into Yui-chan...?"

You sigh, has this girl been listening at all?

"Like I said, and I feel like I've been extremely patient with you on this, I'm not into girls," you say.

Kaiba pouts, folding her arms, "I don't buy it..."

You decide to pull your car to the side of the road, parking it just over a curb and away from traffic.

"Okay, let's do a thought experiment," you say, "We're a few years in the future. Things have worked out great for you. Idol career is going well, you got your own apartment, the works. You're on the couch with your lover..."

"L-lover?" says Kaiba.

You snap your fingers, "Stay with me here," you say, "It's a big couch where you can comfortably both lie down, side-by-side. Your back is pressed against them, they've got their arm swung around you, pulling you closer to them. A blanket covering the both of you. It's warm, you're happy. What do you do?"

"W-wha..." says Kaiba, clearly caught unaware, "Is.. it like... lewd? Are we doing lewd things?"

Your jaw drops open a bit as you tilt your head to the side.

"Sure," you say, "Doesn't matter. What do you do?"

"I... I don't know..." stammers Kaiba, "Snuggle up against her?"

You point an accusing finger, "There!" you say, "If I had to imagine something like this, then the other person is a guy! I'm lying on my side, his arm swung over me, and I'm holding his large hand in both of mine, as it rests between my collarbones, and like I'm just... feeling... the sort of... calluses on his hand...and stuff," you add, your intensity simmering down, then shake your head, "You get the point!"

"You're just saying things!" cries Kaiba, "It can't just be me! All guys I've ever met were cruel to me! Most girls are sweet, they smell nice, and they're cute... and... and... I can't believe you would pick guys over girls!"

"Why not!?" you shout, matching her.

"Because I heard you s-s-se... slept with Watase!" shouts Kaiba, her eyes widen, and she immediately covers her mouth with a hand.

"Wa..." you say begin, feeling a deep blush spread across your face, "I d-did no such thing!"

"Liar!" says Kaiba, removing her hand, "I heard it! During the hot spring trip!"

By her expression she seems to think she's got you on the backfoot.

"No!" you cry, "I was just irresponsible that night and had too much to drink and Watase helped me to bed. Nothing happened!"

"Then why did I hear you m-m-moaning in Watase's room!?" retorts Kaiba.

Your mouth opens and closes a few times, "I did NOT," you say, confidence slipping away, "...I think."

Honestly, you barely remember anything from that night, you mostly have Watase's word to go on.

Seemingly detecting a chink in your armour, Kiaba goes on.

"And t-then I heard Watase say that she thought you were c-cute and that she was gonna make you her office p-pet and how she was gonna get you into bed," she cries, "And then...I heard movement... and then you m-moaned like you were really into it!"

"W-were you pressed up against the wall with your ear or what!?" you retort, "How could you've heard all that!"

Kaiba goes equally red, "I couldn't sleep! I thought my time as an idol was over! It's not my fault I overheard you... you doing... I was awake! Okay!?" she says, "It's not my fault!"

What the hell happened that night!?

You're never drinking again!

Getting confronted over your drunken antics by a girl almost a decade younger than you.

The shame!

Shame is bad, but what if...

"Please, stop..." you say, covering your face in your hands, "I can't take this anymore, I don't wanna... I'll talk to Watase tomorrow, get it cleared up."

"So you admit it?' says Kaiba, sporting a signature look of superiority.

"Let's just focus on the job, alright...?" you say sheepishly.

You feel a headache coming on. This isn't the rest the doctor recommended.

"Fine!" says Kaiba, face red with embarrassment but somehow still smug.

With a twist of the key, the car starts up and you're back on your way to Studio Bones.