In the exclusive office of the famous artist Yoko Okino, her chief manager, Sae Nakata, gently knocked on the door and entered.
She saw Yoko Okino lying on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling with a troubled expression.
Sae Nakata approached Yoko and waved her hand in front of Yoko's somewhat distracted gaze.
After Yoko's blue eyes focused on her, Sae asked, "Yoko, what's wrong?"
As Yoko Okino's longest-standing manager, Sae Nakata had noticed that Yoko had been in a daze recently.
"I'm fine, just a little tired."
"Liar. If you were just tired, Yoko, you wouldn't be showing that grim expression in front of others."
Sae Nakata didn't believe Yoko's words at all.
Yoko Okino was known for her professionalism as an artist.
Once, during a performance, she had injured her foot, yet none of the 10,000 audience members or even the backstage crew noticed until the end.
Only after the performance, when she removed her shoes and revealed her red and swollen ankle with a smile, did everyone realize how severe her injury had been.
Yoko Okino's ability to control her emotions was top-notch, so for her to look so somber now clearly meant something had deeply affected her.
A worry she thought she'd set aside started to resurface in Sae Nakata's heart.
In fact, since late August, she had noticed something odd with Yoko's mood.
Yoko had even missed filming sessions for several days without reason.
Often, she'd sit in silence like this, gazing off into space, which was unimaginable for a "model worker" like Yoko Okino.
Rumors had spread that Yoko might have a boyfriend.
The odd thing was that Yoko, who used to be open about everything, went silent whenever anyone asked her about it.
Months later, Sae Nakata saw Yoko's dazed moments gradually decrease.
When the absences stopped, she thought nothing more of it.
Yet today, the stunned look on Yoko's face was something Nakata had never seen before.
Sae Nakata felt Yoko was hiding something very important from her.
"Yoko, what happened? Can't you tell me?"
"If it's a problem you can't solve alone, we could even enlist the famous detective, Mr. Mori."
"No, don't involve Mr. Mori!"
Yoko Okino suddenly raised her voice, directly rejecting Sae's suggestion.
Then she reclined back on the sofa, her gaze once again fixated on the ceiling.
"If you keep this to yourself, Yoko, things might get worse!"
Sae Nakata felt increasingly serious about the matter and kept pressing her.
Sae knew that for all Yoko Okino's glamor, she had endured a tough life.
Her parents had divorced early, and her father had passed away years ago.
She fought her way into the entertainment industry while still in school.
After years of working together, Sae had come to think of Yoko as a sister and wanted to understand what was troubling her.
"Sister Sae, among the new artists, there's one named 'Akikawa Kyusuke.'"
"Could you check his information for me?"
"Akikawa Kyusuke? Alright."
Sae Nakata finally spoke, seeing Yoko look much more relieved.
She took a tablet, logged into the company's internal network, and began searching.
"Found him. Kyousuke Akikawa, 20 years old, recruited by Kubo in Shibuya three months ago."
"It couldn't have been on September 26, right?"
"Oh, you're right, Yoko. How did you know?"
Sae Nakata was very surprised.
Yoko Okino didn't answer.
Sae continued, "It also says that Akikawa was initially very reluctant, but he agreed after hearing that you were at Wonderful."
"Well--"
Yoko sighed deeply, then raised her arms to cover her eyes.
"However, Akikawa's performance in training has been very poor. Besides his good looks, there isn't much else noteworthy."
"Of course."
Sae Nakata looked at Yoko, who covered her cheek with one arm and asked, "Do you know Akikawa, Yoko?"
Yoko Okino didn't respond, but continued:
"Sister Sae, I have a request."
"Go on."
"Can you let him leave the company?"
"Eh?!"
Sae Nakata had initially thought that if Yoko knew Akikawa, it might be a simple favor, perhaps some extra resources.
Unexpectedly, Yoko wanted Kyousuke Akikawa gone.
"Is there a reason?"
"It's just... I feel he's not suited for the entertainment industry, so I hope the company could kindly ask him to leave."
"This is..."
Sae Nakata hesitated.
"Yoko, you know how much it costs the company to train these artists. Akikawa has only been training for three months; if he leaves without generating revenue, it'll be a significant loss."
"Let me cover the cost," Yoko replied.
"No, it's not just about losses. We can't dismiss employees without reason. If this gets out, it could damage the company's reputation."
"But... if that person has harassed you, Yoko, then that's another story."
Sae leaned close to Yoko's ear, suggesting a way out.
If Kyousuke Akikawa was accused of being a "stalker," the company would have grounds to terminate his contract.
"No!"
Yoko suddenly sat up, looking seriously at Sae.
"If you can't do it, forget it. Don't harm others."
"Alright."
Seeing Yoko's earnest expression, Sae Nakata felt even more confused.
"Forget it, Sister Sae. Treat what I said like I never said it. Please don't tell anyone."
Yoko reclined on the sofa again, hiding her face.
"Understood."
Sae Nakata watched her closely, puzzled by Yoko's request.
Yoko wanted Kyousuke to leave, but in a gentle way, as if afraid to hurt him.
Outside Yoko Okino's office, a handsome young man lowered his raised hand, preparing to knock.
At the same time, he muttered softly to himself:
"Akikawa Kyousuke."
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**End of Chapter**