Kimi wa Hontouni Boku no Tenshi nano ka Volume 1 Chapter 6 Part 2

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Translation: Chelly

Editing/Proofreading: Henry

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Chapter 6

Part 2

“Ki—”

Kiss.

Akira’s enticing words immediately jolted me out of my reverie.

The two of us locked lips. I tried to imagine it.

“W-we can’t… do that!”

I jumped to my feet and nudged her shoulders to wake her up.

“You promised… Ashida-san… didn’t you…?”

I said as I caught my breath.

“You see, if we kiss… I won’t be able to see you as an idol any longer…”

It was a frantic statement, yet it revealed my true feelings.

Even if we kiss as a joke, it would be difficult to keep her on a pedestal.

The act of kissing.

It’s an expression of love, but also the embodiment of carnal desire…

Yuu, will you marry me?

I shook my head to keep childhood memories from flooding my mind.

I don’t have many fond recollections of kissing.

The image of “kissing” Akira became unpleasant when interwoven with my old memories.

Just thinking about what would happen if I did that even once is more terrifying than exciting.

When I tried to wake her up, she had an indescribable expression on her face and, like me, moved her head from side to side as if she was trying to drown out the thoughts in her head.

“…I agree. Yeah, that’s right. S-sorry… Maybe I’m just drunk after all…”

“That’s what I’ve been saying all along…”

“…I’ll go smoke.”

“Yeah, go ahead…”

The atmosphere suddenly felt awkward.

I turned to face Akira, smoking by the window… She seemed a little more detached than before she drank.

*

“…”

If I looked in the mirror, I’d probably have the “dejected” look.

Sitting alone in my living room, at my wits’ end.

The thin bathroom walls in the back couldn’t cover Akira’s “Bleeech” as she puked.

“I told you…”

Thirty minutes ago, after drinking without eating, Akira suddenly turned pale and rushed to the bathroom.

While I never believed that idols didn’t poop, I sure didn’t want to hear my oshi throwing up.

I was about to plug my earphones into my tablet to watch a live stream when I heard the toilet flush, and a lumbering Akira emerged from the bathroom.

“…When I threw up, I felt a little better.”

“…D-drink some water. It’s in the fridge…”

I gestured toward the kitchen with my chin, and she nodded dismally.

“Yeah, sorry… I’ll takeee it.”

She opened the refrigerator and muttered, “Oh.”

“You don’t seem to have any water…”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, I think I ran out…”

“Tap water is fine by me.”

Akira said so, but I firmly shook my head.

“No, you shouldn’t try… the tap water here.”

I stopped her as she was about to go for the sink.

“It’s awful, and it’s upset my stomach a couple of times.”

“Right… How is that possible in Japan?”

“I was surprised too…”

Since it’s a cheap apartment, I didn’t expect the tap water to be good quality. But when I drank it for the first time on the day I moved in, I winced.

I endured drinking it for a few weeks. My stomach regularly churned, even though I had eaten nothing unusual. Then I suspected that the tap water was causing it. The stomach pain went away when I bought water outside.

It’s a double whammy if you hear your idol vomiting and then belching.

“I’ll go buy you some water.”

“Really? Sorry for the trouble.”

“Go to sleep, Akira. You should get some rest.”

“Yeah, I will.”

Moving to the window, Akira opened it and sat down next to it.

“The night breeze is so refreeeshing.”

“I’m off.”

“Thanks, and sorry agaaain.”

I grabbed my wallet and stepped outside, glancing back at an exhausted Akira.

As I walked downstairs of my apartment, I thought I heard an odd “clicking” sound.

I looked around and saw a black Wrangler parked in front of my apartment. Then I noticed a camera sliding in through the half-open window from the driver’s seat.

I had a bad feeling.

I approached the car with unease.

I peeked through the half-open window and saw a bearded man lying on a reclined seat staring back at me.

“Um… you just took that picture, didn’t you?”

He groaned angrily and slumped up in his seat when I asked him about it.

“I took it, so what?”

The man said that as he leaned forward.

“Wh-why did you take it?”

When I asked the man, he smiled.

“You know that, right?”

“…”

The man smirked when he saw me fall silent.

“Must be nice to have a home date with an idol at the peak of her popularity. Have you done it already? Hmm?”

I was irritated by the vulgar language hurled at me.

“Who are you?”

When I asked, the man said, “Oh,” and pulled a crumpled business card from his pocket, which he handed with one hand^[1].

“Shukan Buntou…”

I read aloud what was on the card. Shukan Buntou is a well-known weekly gossip magazine.

“Don’t look so bummed.”

The man named Kasugai grinned and spoke as if he were whispering in my ear.

“Listen. I’ll give you some money. Can you tell me more about yourself and Akira Sezai?”

“No.”

“Of course, you’d say no. Yeah, yeah, I get it.”

He then reached for his wallet, which he had left on the passenger seat. He took out five 10,000 bills^[2] and showed them.

“This is a down payment. Give me good information, and I’ll gladly double this.”

“No matter how much you offer me, the answer is still no.”

“Wow, that’s great. You’re completely smitten with her. But you know…”

Kasugai abruptly opened the door and stepped out of the car. The door slammed into my arm, but I paid no mind.

He was much burly than I had anticipated.

Tall and muscular.

Tension built up in my body.

“It’s not like I need your approval.”

“…”

That was a threat.

Kasugai had a smug expression as he stared down at me.

“You know what? I think it’s in your best interest to take what you can get.”

He smiled slyly and muttered, “Hmm?” while tilting his head provocatively.

I wanted the roughhousing to stop. But it didn’t mean I’d rat out Akira.

I was at a loss… as to what I should do.

“Are you supposed to be trying to negotiateee?”

Suddenly, a voice came from the apartment, and we both turned to look.

There was Akira, fumbling down my apartment’s stairs.

“Oh, she’s here! Lucky me…”

“Ah, Akira, why…?”

Kasugai’s eyes brightened as he set up his camera.

Why did you come out when you were meant to be resting…? But, on second thought, she had opened the window.

It’s pretty quiet around here, so she must’ve heard our exchange.

“Are you from Buntouuu?”

Akira asked Kasugai in a queasy yet nonchalant voice.

I clenched my teeth, puzzled why she had come outside if she knew.

“That’s right. Thank you for being so level-headed in this situation.”

“Hmm, Buntou, huh…?”

She chuckled as she walked up to the Wrangler.

“Did you get authorization for this?”

“Authorization? We’d never be able to finish the job if we had to ask for each one of those.”

“Huh? Are you for real?”

Her attitude suddenly shifted to bewilderment.

“You didn’t ask the editor-in-chief?”

“…What? Editor-in-chief?”

Kasugai was clearly upset.

“You’ve tried to write articles on idol-related issues in the past and been repeatedly denied, haven’t you?”

“…”

Kasugai just returned a sharp glance at Akira’s remarks. The latter took the silence as an affirmation and sniffed.

“Well, of course. Buntou and FairPro have a deep connection behind the scenes, you know?”

“C-connection…?”

FairPro is an abbreviation for “Fair-Lily Production,” Akira’s entertainment company.

It’s the largest one in the idol industry.

“Buntou only publishes articles on FairPro that our chairman has approved. You’re a journalist for Buntou, and you don’t even know that.”

“No, that’s just for… certain types of articles, isn’t it…?”

Akira chuckled at Kasugai’s obvious fluster.

“They must not have much faith in you. Poor guuuy.”

Kasugai stormed up to Akira, looking infuriated.

I stood between them before I could think of anything to say.

Then I grabbed his right arm as it reached for Akira and shifted his weight in a circular motion. I hadn’t made this move in a long time, but it came back fairly quickly.

Kasugai’s shoulder joint creaked as I moved behind him.

“Ow, ow, ow!!”

He screamed.

“Please don’t be violent.”

“All right, all right, let go of me. Ow!”

His face contorted in pain as he stared at me.

Kasugai was visibly distraught when I released him. Then he clicked his tongue.

After a resentful scowl at Akira and me, he hopped into the driver’s seat of his car.

The Wrangler’s engine started. He was trying to leave with the photos.

But I didn’t know what to do to stop him, and I was hesitant.

Akira approached the car leisurely and called out to Kasugai, who was fastening his seatbelt, through the half-open window.

“Hey, Buntou Journalist-san.”

“What? I don’t have any more business with you.”

Kasugai cast a death stare toward her. Akira looked relaxed and grinned.

“Don’t you want to write a huge article about FairPro?”

“…Huh?”

Kasugai opened the half-open window to the bottom despite his gruff voice, as though piqued by Akira’s remark.

“Call the number on this business card about tomorrow evening.”

Akira then presented Kasugai with a business card. The name “Mao Ashida” was written there. Kasugai’s eyes widened.

“Isn’t she your manager at… FairPro?”

“Yeah, she is. I’m going to be very clear. I would never do anything to frame you. And you’ll definitely get an article published.”

Kasugai’s brows furrowed in puzzlement at her words.

“What’s in it for you?”

With a somber expression, she responded to Kasugai’s query.

“I want to change the ‘shitty idol world.’ That’s why this is necessary.”

For a few seconds, Kasugai stared silently at her face.

And then…

“…Oh, is that so?”

He nodded twice as if convinced, then placed the business card Akira had given him into his pocket.

“All good? Be sure to keep in touch. I’ve already made the arrangements. So, you should definitely… gogururu.”

As Akira said her reminders, a weird noise suddenly escaped her lips.

“Ah?”

Kasugai looked at Akira, who stopped speaking mid-sentence, confusedly. I had observed Akira’s behavior and thought to myself, “Oh.”

“Blech.”

“Argh?! You stupid, you, huh?!”

Akira vomited unexpectedly smoothly. And for some reason, she stuck her face in the car window.

“Sorry, I threw up.”

“Obviously, you idiot! And you threw up everything you had!! Why did you bother doing it in the car?! Throw up outside!!”

“It all happened in an instant… I felt like I was throwing up in a barf bag…”

“What are you going to do about this! Oh, man, it’s all over the camera.”

Kasugai was appalled. Meanwhile, Akira’s complexion returned to normal, maybe because of vomiting.

Akira smiled and laughed.

“It’s puke from a top idol. Why don’t you have some?”

“Die, you little shit!!”

Kasugai, who had vomit on his knees, shoved Akira out of the way and started his car.

He drove off pretty quickly.

Akira stretched as if refreshed while seeing it off.

“I’ve had about as much as I can handle.”

“Um… Akira…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! I threw up a lot, so I’m already feeling better!”

“That’s not what I am referring to! That guy was a gossip journalist, isn’t he?”

“Oh… yeah, well, I think it’ll be fine.”

She nodded as she squinted toward the car.

“Being barred from writing articles about FairProoo… Honestly, it was all just talk.”

What she said left me speechless.

She spoke so matter-of-factly back then that I assumed she was telling the truth.

“Huh?! That was a lie?”

“Yeah, it was. Well, maybe not entirely.”

Akira giggled and gave me a sidelong glance.

“…It’s a scary world, isn’t it?”

“You said it.”

She giggled and shook her shoulders.

“Anyway, Yuu, you’re stronger than you look.”

She spoke.

I think she meant my earlier use of the joint locking technique against Kasugai.

“O-oh… yeah, I used to do aikido. I’ve done a lot of self-defense stuff like that.”

It’s not something I’m proud of, so I didn’t elaborate much. My strict parents forced me to learn aikido. But I’ve never been in any real danger until now, so I’ve let it rot.

“…Today, is the first time I’m glad I learned aikido.”

Akira flushed slightly and blinked her eyes.

Then she changed the subject by clapping her hands.

“M-my nausea… has eased, so I’m going to go get some water with you. You’ll want to buy a lot if you’re out of it, right?”

“…You’re right, and it could be helpful to your sobriety as well.”

“I’ve already told you that I’m fine.”

“It’s uncool, in my opinion, to drink until you’re sick.”

“…Sorry.”

Akira and I walked together through the residential area.

Walking together in a quiet neighborhood at night was somewhat exciting and tranquil simultaneously.

On the flip side…

The face of the gossip columnist I had met earlier crossed my mind.

He works for a news magazine that specializes in exposing celebrity scandals. For its explosive scoops, it has earned the moniker “Buntou cannon.”

After being photographed by a journalist who works for such a company, I’m concerned.

I cast a sidelong glance toward Akira, but her face was calm, and she seemed unfazed about what had just happened.

It’s not that I don’t have faith in her.

She’s obviously more familiar with the industry than I am, and she undoubtedly knows more about it than I do.

But… gazing at her these past couple of days has made me a little uneasy.

Akira’s personal life is so decadent she seems to be on her path to “ruin.”

So is her fondness for alcohol and cigarettes.

And the fact that she willingly exposed herself in front of a gossip columnist.

Are you really… going to continue being an idol after this is all over?

Such questions clouded my mind like a haze and didn’t seem to go away.

“Isn’t it a lovely evening?”

Akira mumbled beside me.

“…It is.”

I forced a smile as I nodded.

[End of Chapter 6]

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[1] Business card etiquette is one of if not the most important area of Japanese business culture. When handing it to someone, both hands must be used.

[2] Around 400 USD.

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