"Good job. I've received your 'sincerity' and 'determination'."
Rin untied Soyo and gave Mortis's rear a final, playful pat as she lay spent on the sofa. The Mutsumi-bot really does taste wonderful.
"Mutsumi... are you okay?"
The moment she was free, Soyo rushed to Mortis's side, stroking her cheek. Rin patted Soyo's head.
"I'll bring the contracts for the others tomorrow. If they refuse to sign, that's not my problem. I'm heading out."
Rin used a wet wipe to clean up, pulled on his pants, and prepared to leave. He only made it two steps before Soyo caught his arm.
"Wait... please, wait."
"Mmm? Something else?"
Soyo looked at Mortis, who was on the verge of passing out. She looked at the swollen, red buttocks and the cream puffs leaking from her friend. She bit her lip.
Regret.
Soyo was drowning in it. She thought it would just be her being "cast," but seeing his appetite... it was dangerous. Tomori and Taki were both at risk.
By bringing Rin into their lives, she might have just led them all into a trap to be "eaten."
But it was too late to turn back.
"Please... let me take Mutsumi's place. Whatever you want, however you want to use me... just don't torture her anymore."
Rin looked at her with a knowing smile.
"Even if I use your mouth as a cup?"
"Yes..."
"Even if I beat your ass until it's swollen like hers?"
"Yes..."
"Even if I take your virginity?"
"Yes..."
"Even if I take it from behind?"
"Eh? Behind? You can use that...? F-fine... yes..." Soyo flinched at the suggestion. In her world, that area was strictly for the bathroom.
But if he demanded it... she would pay the price.
"But you have to leave the others alone. Not just Mutsumi, but Tomori and Taki, too." Soyo glared at him with stubborn, protective eyes, like a mother hen guarding her chicks.
"Fine. I won't touch them." Rin paused. "Wait... you said don't touch Tomori, Taki, or Mutsumi. What about Anon and Rana? You aren't going to protect them?"
"They..."
A dark thought flickered in Soyo's mind. If Rin went after them, they might get scared and quit the band. She could use him to purge the outsiders.
But the thought vanished as quickly as it came.
"No... you can't touch them either."
"Sigh. I shouldn't have asked." Rin laughed and glanced at Mortis. "Clean up the room. I'll find the others with the contracts tomorrow."
The next day.
Rin arrived at Ring right on schedule with the contracts. The newly formed "MyGO" quintet was sitting in the cafe eating matcha parfaits. When they saw Rin at the door, Tomori waved excitedly.
Seeing Tomori's joy, Taki pouted, looking annoyed. "What are you doing here today?"
"Don't be in such a rush." Rin wore a mysterious smile. "Yesterday, Miss Nagasaki asked me about the gap between you and professional bands. She wanted to know if you could be signed like Mutsumi, right?"
"Huh?" Taki frowned at Soyo. "You want to sign?"
Soyo toyed with a lock of hair, her eyes darting away guiltily.
"Isn't it normal to want a contract? Or does Taki-chan want to play in a rental room forever?"
"I don't care about that... but how can we sign with our current level!?"
Taki stopped herself. She wanted to say she'd play in a basement forever as long as Tomori was there, but she was too embarrassed to say that in front of her.
"Why not?" Anon leaned in excitedly. "Mr. Rin sees our 'infinite potential' and decided to lock us down early, right?"
"Ahem." Rin stifled a laugh. "Anon is right. If a rival agency snatched you up later, I'd be losing a fortune... hahaha."
"Alright, jokes aside. Let's be honest."
Soyo's heart skipped a beat at the word "honest." He wouldn't actually tell them, would he?
"There is indeed a massive gap between you and professional bands. So, the contract I'm offering isn't a professional one. It's a symbolic 'Encouragement Contract'." Rin pulled out the documents and handed them out.
"There is no salary, and I won't be investing resources yet. It's purely to motivate you... Of course, if you actually reach professional standards, the resources will follow. So, who's signing?"
"I'll sign!" Tomori was the first to agree, her fists clenched with excitement. she scrambled for a pen in her bag.
She had always dreamed of a band for a lifetime. Though she now understood it was logically impossible, she wanted the bond to last as long as it could.
A contract felt like a real anchor. If a misunderstanding happened, they had a formal reason to sit down and talk rather than running away.
"Tomori, wait..." Taki stopped her before she could sign. "There's no money, but the penalty is huge! 10 million yen!"
"As long as we don't break the contract and stay together... the penalty is zero." Tomori didn't care about the money. She actually liked that the exit was expensive.
"Exactly! Just don't break the rules~" Anon was the next to sign. "Hehe, I'm the first one!"
Tomori wanted a bond; Anon just wanted to be "cool."
Being signed to an agency—especially one under the Okiura Group—was a dream for a social climber like her. Think of the looks on people's faces when I tell them I'm a signed guitarist!
"I'll sign, too~"
Soyo took the pen from Anon, signed her name, and handed it to Tomori. This time, Taki didn't object. She didn't care about the others, but she wanted to be wherever Tomori was.
Once Tomori signed, Taki followed. Finally, the contract was placed before Rana. The "cat" blinked her heterochromatic eyes and scrawled her name.
Looking at the five signatures, a radiant smile appeared on Tomori's face.
The band was official. Now, as Nijika had suggested, they needed to do things that would bind them even tighter together!
But... what kind of activities would do that?