The day everyone was looking forward to had finally arrived. Well, everyone except for Ishi as he stood in line with Koto and Otoya. The meet-and-greet event setup by the agency Rinse and Chiana worked for had begun. As expected, it was insanely popular as they slowly moved with the line just to get into the convention space.
"I can't believe how expensive those tickets were." He complained. The demand was a lot higher than he anticipated, and there were a lot more people than he was hoping for as well. The worst part was that it wasn't limited to otaku either, but Ishi saw a lot of regular adults with their children here as well. "And I can't believe I'm a part of this." The idea was kind of disgusting.
"Cheer up Ishi." Koto assured him that things were going to be fun for all of them, even if he didn't care about idols. There was also going to be a small scale concert for people to enjoy some performances.
"We all say I don't care about idols, and somehow that's supposed to cheer me up?" Sometimes he wondered how dumb the people around him were. Not that it mattered either way, since he also had another reason for coming here. After thinking things over about her blackmail, he wanted to have a chat with the producer about the matter. The boy checked over the business card the man left him during the festival as they waited.
"Are you really thinking about taking that job?" Otoya asked. He was tremendously jealous that his buddy had gotten an offer that he was still mulling over. If it was given to him, he would've accepted right there on the spot.
"I don't know yet." He replied. "But that's not why I have this." Slowly, this line moved and eventually they were able to enter the building with all the attendants who were excited to meet their favorite idols. "Koto, please don't get into any trouble. There's something I need to take care of."
"Don't worry about him." Otoya took responsibility in a proud manner. "I'll make sure he's fine." While it was a kind gesture, it didn't fill him with much confidence. These two boys felt like they both needed someone babysitting them.
"Thanks." With that, Ishi headed towards his planned destination. That being where Chiana should be at, even though her handshaking event wouldn't start for a little bit longer. Scheduling had to favor the more recognizable names, so she was someone who got the back burner during when the performances were happening.
The reason for him making such a beeline here was related to her blackmail issue. At this point, he was confident that he'd be able to put a stop to her fears with what he had learned during the lead up to this event. So far, the supposed perp had yet to contact them again, so she didn't know what they wanted out of her. When they went to her father and the producer, they both stated that they were unable to help out.
Though, it was their latter points Ishi took more note of. Both those men mentioned that it was a shame she had to live her life in this manner. That Chinae needed to be hidden from the public eye for Chiana's sake. The boy understood where they were coming from. In fact, he agreed wholeheartedly on that matter, even if the girl still brought up her regular points as to why she couldn't reveal her identity.
Ishi came up to the curtains where he was certain that Chiana would be hanging around to prepare herself for the handshaking. When he got there, the boy was understandably questioned by security since he shouldn't be allowed here. This was where the business card came in handy which allowed him to meet with the producer here, which was something he set up prior. Though that wasn't the main reason he brought along that card.
"Ishi!" When he walked in, he was greeted with the imagery dozens of idols getting themselves dolled up to be meeting with hundreds of people. Chiana spotted him and cheerfully greeted him as she came up and gave him a hug. Since they were surrounded by her peers, the girl had to play up the act, so he had little choice but to play along. "It's wonderful of you to drop by, did you come to see the producer?"
"Right, I just had some important topics to discuss with him." He answered as she took him to the man. "You know, I think I finally cracked our little problem." Ishi whispered to her as they moved away from everyone else. As much as she wanted to breath a sigh of relief at the news, the girl had to remain cautious. They were yet to be out of the fire.
"Ah, it's nice to see you around." Teruhisa was glad at his presence. At this point, he was still hoping that the young man would accept the job offer any day now. "Clearly if you went out of your way to come see me, then you must have some interesting news."
"I do." Ishi wasted no time beating around the bush as he closed the curtains behind them. It would be a shame if someone who wasn't supposed to hear their conversation did listen in. "I know who sent that note."
"You do?" The producer raised an eyebrow to that revelation. "I'm surprised to hear that you believe you've figured out who the culprit is."
"Not that hard… Seeing as I'm looking at him." Ishi made his accusation which caused Chiana to drop her jaw and act for a moment. It was an insane thing to say, seeing as he was her boss, but there was a reason for him to believe this to be fact. "You see, if you're going to fake a blackmail note…" The boy put up the business card up to their faces. It had on the man's signature, which was to be expected from someone of his position. "You should change up your handwriting."
When looking closely at the characters written, it was evidently clear that it each sample was written by the same person.
"Is that… True?" Chinae was the one who spoke when she was hit with the truth. Despite Ishi's evidence, she still didn't want to believe that her own boss would do that to her.
"It is." The producer didn't attempt to hide the truth after being exposed. He also wasn't the only person who played a part in this scheme.
"He shouldn't take all the blame." Someone else walked in through the curtain. It was Chinae's dad, who Ishi also knew was responsible for this plan. That was why he had asked the man to come meet them at this time.
"You too?" She really couldn't believe this betrayal by people who she cared deeply about. "But why?"
"When I put together the pieces, it all made sense." Ishi explained his thought process that lead him to the truth. When he considered all the people who knew her secret, it was just these two men other than himself. That meant those were the people he started with as leads. After all, it was possible either of them could've slipped up and gave her away on accident.
Yet it was the conversation about the shame of her hiding who she really was to these people. They had a motive that the girl never considered for a second. There were no demands because they were banking on something else. They had suggested to her that she should reveal her true identity. Why would they do that, unless that was what they intended the end result to be.
"Chinae, I'm truly sorry." Her father apologized for putting her through the torture of fearing her life was hanging in the balance. "We only wanted you to stop hiding behind Chiana."
"While I don't agree with the methods." Ishi continued on. "I have to side with them, Chinae."
"You guys…" She spoke quietly, with a hint of rage in her voice as Chinae. "How could…" Suddenly, she stopped to take a deep breath before speaking again. However, when her mouth opened again, things were different. "Whoa, look at the time." Chiana's tone came out instead. "I need to get ready to greet all my fans."
"Uh." While it was impressive of her to be able to switch perspectives like that, Ishi didn't want her to retreat into that persona now. "Hey wait."
"Don't worry about me." She walked past him without slowing down for a second. "I hope I'll see you and your cousin at the booth."
"Chiana."
"Chinae." The other men tried to stop her as well, but the trio was unsuccessful at keeping her there with just words as she exited the space to return to the rest of the idols.
"I feel terrible." Teruhisa hung his head down now that they were alone. "Maybe that was bad idea after all."
"It doesn't have to be." Despite being the one who was against the methods, Ishi did see a bright spot in it. "I think we can turn this into a positive after all." That was his cue to head out and chase after her. He assured the two men that he would be able to take care of things.
Unfortunately, he hit a roadblock that prevented him from trying. This was where most of the idols were preparing for the public appearances. This included Rinse, who grabbed his arm the moment she saw him.
"Hey Ishi, didn't expect to see you here." She said, smiling widely. "Were you talking to the producer about that job offer?"
"I'm kind of busy right now." He tried to get past her, but this time she was adamant he stick with her as the girl directed him away from everyone else. "Seriously, there's someone I need to see."
"Oh really?" She knew in an instant that he was going to be ditching her yet again for some other girl. This was getting to be a bit annoying. "Let me guess, is it Youna? Or maybe you plan on sneaking off with Ryugi again? Actually, Maybe-"
"I'm trying to get to Chinae." He told her.
"Chinae?" Rinse's confused question made him realize that he had made a major error.