Chapter 57: Hush Money
On a December morning in Tokyo, the air carried that crisp, biting clarity unique to winter. Ai stood in front of her mirror, fine-tuning her outfit before heading out to Strawberry Productions for vocal practice.
The President had recently hired a new vocal coach for her–a seasoned veteran who had trained multiple famous artists–specifically to elevate her singing technique to the next level. As an entertainer transitioning from a pure idol image, building a rock-solid musical foundation was directly tied to her future career longevity.
Right about now, Miyako would have already dropped Aqua and Ruby off at their private kindergarten. Thinking about them sent a complex wave of emotion washing through Ai's chest.
She really wasn't a stellar mother. In fact, Miyako felt much more like a real mom to the twins, especially in the frantic buildup to the Tokyo Dome concert, when Ai was so swamped that Miyako ended up handling almost all the childcare duties.
But it couldn't be helped. As a public figure, she had to navigate every single day with absolute caution. Even the most ordinary daily routines were packed with massive risks for her.
*When will I finally be able to hold their hands and walk out in public like a normal mom?* Ai desperately wanted to see that day come. For the past four years, she had meticulously hidden the twins from the world. She had grown so accustomed to the secrecy that she initially assumed this lifestyle would just continue forever.
But somewhere along the line, she stopped being satisfied with hiding.
*It was probably after Hikaru showed up,* Ai thought quietly. Her mind drifted back to the Tokyo Dome concert, and the declaration she had made beneath the roaring stadium lights.
"I am Ai Hoshino, the idol! And I am the greediest idol in the entire world!" That was what she had proclaimed back then.
And compared to that version of herself, she had grown so much greedier... Ai stared at her reflection in the mirror, as if looking at a ghost from her past.
She wanted to attend Aqua and Ruby's parent-teacher conferences. She wanted to see how they behaved at school with her own eyes. She dreamed of living a completely ordinary life as a mother.
Ai drowned in her complicated thoughts, struggling to pull herself out of the spiral.
"Never having been loved, and never having loved anyone..."
Her phone suddenly blared to life, snapping her out of her daze. She scrambled to pull it out, seeing President Ichigo Saitou's name flashing on the screen.
"Good morning!" Ai answered quickly before he could speak. "What's up, President?"
"I just received a rather unexpected fax, and it concerns you." Ichigo's voice sounded far more serious than usual, laced with an underlying layer of tension. "Ai, come over to the agency right away. And while you're at it, call Hikaru and tell that guy to come along too. Since this hits your privacy, we might need his brain to help figure out a solution."
"Huh–" Ai let out a surprised, dragged-out note. "A fax? Concerning me?"
"We'll talk details when you get here."
"Alright." Ai could only suppress her confusion for now.
Hanging up, she swiftly threw on a low-profile black coat, put on her wide sunglasses and a face mask, wrapping herself up like a package, and took a company car straight to Strawberry Productions.
Sitting in the back seat, Ai watched the scenery roll past the window. Many shops were already gearing up for the upcoming Christmas season, their windows decorated with glittering tinsel and ornaments, and miniature Christmas trees were already popping up on street corners.
Time really flew. Christmas was already just around the corner.
*For this year... should I go on a date with Hikaru?* Ai's mind began to wander.
When the taxi pulled up to the entrance of Strawberry Productions, Hikaru had just parked his familiar black Honda by the curb. He stepped out of the driver's seat and gave a wave when he spotted Ai. The two swapped brief greetings and headed into the building together, riding the elevator up to Ichigo Saitou's office.
"So, what's the big emergency that required me to make a special trip down here?" The moment Hikaru walked through the door, he made himself right at home, sinking into the sofa and crossing his legs with a teasing smirk.
Ichigo shot him a glaring look, thoroughly unamused. "Drop the attitude and see for yourself."
Ichigo quickly tapped away at his keyboard, converting the freshly received fax into a PDF and pulling it up on his monitor. Hikaru and Ai curiously leaned over the screen to inspect the document.
[Sender: Editorial Department, Weekly Gendai Plus, Gendai Publishing Co., Ltd.
To: Publicity and Planning Department, Strawberry Productions Co., Ltd.
Date: December 18, 2018
Subject: Inquiry Regarding Interview and Feature Coverage of Your Agency's Talent, Ai Hoshino
Our publication is currently preparing a special feature report on your agency's talent, Miss Ai Hoshino. During our investigation, we obtained the following information from a third-party source:
* Ai Hoshino comes from an orphanage background.
* Her mother, Ms. Ayumi Hoshino, has a prior criminal record.
* Ai Hoshino experienced domestic abuse during her childhood.
Our publication has secured relevant testimonies and video evidence, which we intend to publish in our "December 20, 2018 Issue."
To ensure the fairness and accuracy of our reporting, we are formally issuing this inquiry to your agency. If your agency has any statements or responses regarding this matter, please reply to us in writing before December 19 at 3:00 PM. If we do not receive a response by the deadline, we will assume you have no comment and proceed with publishing the contents.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Editorial Department, Weekly Gendai Plus]
Hikaru read through the fax line by line, his brow furrowing deeper with every word. His expression grew incredibly grim.
"Well? Ai, are these claims just baseless rumors?" Ichigo asked directly.
Hikaru silently shook his head. As a transmigrator who possessed knowledge of the original timeline, he knew perfectly well that this was Ai's actual childhood trauma. It wasn't some fabricated smear campaign. The media outlet had clearly acquired ironclad information from a knowledgeable source, which was why they were confident enough to send this formal inquiry ahead of time.
"It's all true..." Ai looked visibly downcast. "I really did grow up in an orphanage. I hated life there back then, so I snuck out to Tokyo by myself. That was how I met the President later on."
"What's the play here? This media outlet gets a massive scoop, but they decide to send a fax before printing it?" Hikaru said, his voice dripping with skepticism. "Don't tell me they're just looking for a payout?"
"You're putting it a bit too bluntly," Ichigo said, waving his hand as his expression turned deadly serious. "If they directly demanded money, they'd be crossing the legal line into extortion and blackmail. They won't risk their entire publication for that."
He paused, then added, "But if you're asking about their ultimate objective, then yeah, they want money."
In the Japanese entertainment industry, this tactic fell under the specific umbrella of "hush money" and "negotiated trade." Tabloids would proactively contact agencies before running a scandalous scoop, under the guise of journalistic ethics, supposedly giving the party a chance to clarify or respond.
But in reality, it was almost always a calculated strategy to fish for a fat financial settlement.
"Since we've confirmed the leak is accurate, we absolutely need to find a way to kill this story," Ichigo brainstormed aloud.
"Looking at it objectively, would these tragic past experiences even hurt Ai's career at this point?" Hikaru offered a counter-perspective. "If anything, a tragic childhood might actually build a stronger persona, raking in a ton of public sympathy and fan support."
But his tone took a sharp turn: "Then again, with Ai's current star power and industry status, she doesn't need to resort to that kind of marketing to sell records. This is her private life; it's better if it stays buried."
"Yeah... and I don't really want my mother to notice my current situation either."
Ai didn't want to disrupt her mother's life, even if she had been abandoned by her in the past.
"If my background gets plastered all over the media, a horde of reporters will definitely go and harass her."
Ichigo slammed his hand down on the desk, making a definitive call. "Alright, since that's the case, we'll handle this through standard negotiation channels."
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