045 Idol Arc 21 Ayame Joins
I fixed the description from last chapter—where Akira’s railgun move seemed suspiciously un-heroic, like it was Ayame doing it.
What we, the Brush Lips Fleet, lacked was firepower. We understood that clearly: front-line combat power, aka the attacker.
But as long as we kept doing mock battles, and as long as the tournament had lenient conditions, we all thought reinforcements were still a distant concern. Even the president thought so.
A risky one-on-one duel like this? It wouldn’t have happened at all if not for Sayaka’s mistake.
Sure, the lack of offensive strength would’ve come to light eventually—but not for a long time.
But who could’ve guessed it’d be exposed in just two matches?
So when a capable front-line fighter—and idol candidate—shows up? Of course we’d recruit her.
Right now, we were having a meeting with Ayame in the branch office manager’s private room at SFO.
“Ah, you really showed up. Ayame-san.”
The suspiciously tanned industry man lunged forward for a hug, and Ayame’s eyes flickered with suspicion.
“Hey, President! Ayame’s scared! After getting conned by a scam artist, of course she’d be on guard around someone shady like you!”
“Even though I’m the one who got the Barcher Fleet’s representative to break a black contract…”
President Kamizawa slumped.
Ayame, feeling guilty about that, quickly backtracked.
“N-no, not at all—‘shady’? That’s not true! I’m grateful, President!”
“See? So about the future—how about joining us? You must’ve had some reason to sign that kind of black contract in the first place…”
President Kamizawa, you’re changing your story too fast. But you really thought this through, huh.
“Actually… my father’s company suddenly took a sharp downturn. I needed a lot of money—no choice.”
Ayame says, her voice tight with frustration.
“Dad was just tricked.”
“Debt, huh. How much were we talking? Still, pouring money into a failing company won’t fix anything unless you restructure the business.”
“We don’t need restructuring. I shut the company down. Even then… there’s still debt.”
Ayame’s face twists—frustration and pride tangled together. She doesn’t quite believe herself, but she still sees her father as noble.
“Wait. If it went under, you could’ve filed for bankruptcy and wiped the slate clean. Why the hell is there still debt?”
“Dad took on the company’s debts himself… so the creditors wouldn’t bother our business partners.”
“That was a poor move. Too kind-hearted for your own good. If you’re going to make your daughter suffer, you’ve completely missed the point.”
Ayame probably knew that too.
She looked like she was carrying the weight of something she couldn’t change, even though she understood it.
“But if I’d been able to work professionally in the SFO, I could’ve paid it off easily enough.”
“Except reality didn’t work out that way.”
“Yes… my first assignment was with a fleet I met through the SFC. But in reality, they’d just been flirting with me—trying to pick me up. When I left, I couldn’t find anywhere else to go. Then the Baruch Fleet offered me a good deal, so I joined them.”
Ayame’s expression twisted with regret.
“I came back after signing my first contract… only to realize it was a scam targeting an idol agency.”
“Ah, so that’s how our Sayaka got played.”
Ayame looked at Sayaka and bowed her head.
“I didn’t understand anything… I’m really sorry.”
Sayaka was smiling weakly.
She had made a serious mistake too—Ayame couldn’t be blamed alone.
“If I tried to cancel the contract, I was already trapped in a black contract myself. Couldn’t do a thing. Two generations of us, fooled by strangers. How laughable.”
We couldn’t even offer her comfort.
Why do good people always get duped?
I wish Ayame would join the Brush Lips crew.
“Anyway, past is past. Now, about the future—understand this: the fastest way to pay off debt is joining a fleet, right? Come aboard, and you’ll be in the Brush Lips Fleet. Plus, there’s a bonus for new recruits.”
(President Kamizawa! You’re using the same trick again on someone already drowning in debt!)
"Look, the Brush Lips Fleet’s sticking to mock battles for now. But if you want to actually fight in real-space fleet combat, just make some coin with Akira’s fleet over there."
President Kamizawa points at me.
(Wait? My fleet?)
"We’ve got Tanpopo and Akira. Not exactly strangers, are we?"
Ayame lowers her head, thinking for a moment. Then she looks up sharply and says, deadpan:
"Please take care of me!"
Another idol born, lured by the promise of prize money.
"Good for you, Ayame-chan!"
Naho—otherwise known as Tanpopo—hugs Ayame tightly.
I might as well go along too.
Right now I’m in Kirara mode. Probably still thought of as a girl.