041 Idol Chapter 17: A Maiden’s Crisis

Sorry I’m late. Really sorry.

President Kamizawa was clutching his head in the SF0 branch meeting room of Kamizawa Promotion.

In front of him, Brush Lip’s SF0 manager Sayaka was staring at the floor, eyes swollen from crying.

"Why did you accept a one-on-one duel without consulting me?"

"Bu-but you told me to find a dueling partner yourself..."

"I did say that—but you can’t sign a formal contract without my approval, now can you?"

"B-but the opponent was just a young girl... I never thought it’d be something like that..."

Sayaka burst into tears again.

She’d made the worst possible mistake as an idol manager.

The one-on-one duel she’d arranged? It was under Baseball Puns rules.

The infamous strip-and-expose erotic video broadcast.

Cancellation was not allowed. Only a declaration of defeat in the one-on-one duel was recognized.

The penalty for losing? Surrendering whatever gear the opponent specified.

This contract was a fraudulent setup—no matter what, the other side would profit.

They definitely knew we were an idol group's fleet and deliberately set a trap like this.

The planning was coldly calculated—scouting new female members specifically for this contract, appointing them as negotiators, or targeting an inexperienced rookie manager. All part of a slick, malicious scheme.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

We were all gathered at the office, summoned urgently by President Kamizawa.

President Kamizawa, clutching his head, explained the circumstances and issues surrounding this individual duel contract.

Then, with a solemn expression, President Kamizawa spoke.

"I think canceling, even at the cost of a penalty, is what’s best for Brush Lips."

I couldn’t believe those words.

One of the key reasons I’d agreed to become an idol was now in jeopardy.

"Wait a second. If that happens, it’s my G-Bullet that’ll be taken. And it’s not just a virtual thing—it’s real gear. That’s a problem."

In a match where gear is wagered, the winner receives a full list of the loser’s equipment.

If the G-Bullet is listed there—there’s no doubt it’ll be stolen.

Even if it isn’t taken, the fact that it’s known to exist would be a massive blow.

That was something I couldn’t accept.

"But even if it's just an avatar, I can't just expose myself naked to the entire world as an idol."

Still, even President Kamizawa had a pride as a talent agency head that wouldn’t allow it.

"Then I’ll quit being an idol. I was an idol in the first place to protect G-Bullet’s secrets anyway."

"In that case, you’ll need to return the prize money."

"Right! Then I’ll fight and protect G-Bullet."

President Kamizawa clutched his head again.

Ayame pointed at a clause in the contract documents.

"Here— the victory condition includes sinking the enemy flagship. You don’t need to destroy the entire fleet. Just take down the flagship and you win."

Incidentally, the term "flagship" here refers not to a ship class like my Personal Ship, but rather the command vessel of a simulated fleet— the one in charge of coordination during maneuvers.

"The enemy fleet has five ships—so we’re matching their numbers, right? If we use RIO instead of NPC vessels, we might just surprise them."

"If they think we’re using standard NPC ships, we can catch them off guard with a disparity in firepower. There’s a real chance we could win."

Naho-san seemed to see a path to victory in my words.

"Then I’ll just blow a G-Bullet into them—better to be taken than not fight at all!"

"But if my team ends up stripped down to nothing, I’m surrendering."

And so, since surrendering at the very last moment was just as good as being taken, we decided to fight after all.

The explanation about the exhibition match had been lacking, leading to confusion.

Added clarifying notes.