"This restaurant looks delicious. Shall we eat there later?"
"Sure~"
Sitting on the sofa, Rin and Ichika chatted like an ordinary couple. Beside them, the film company president sat on pins and needles. From the moment they entered, Rin and Ichika hadn't spared him a single glance. Shion remained silent as well, leaving him to sweat and speculate in dread.
Knock, knock, knock.
The tapping at the door finally made Rin and Ichika stop. They turned their gaze toward the foyer. Outside stood the director—the same man who had sat at the long table during Ichika's audition yesterday, his face full of greedy anticipation.
I thought she was a saint after turning me down so coldly last night, but she called back in just a few hours. These little girls are so easy to trick; they'll sell their bodies just for a few seconds of screen time.
But... meeting here? She must be loaded. Maybe I can squeeze some cash out of her along with the sex.
However, as the door swung open, his jaw dropped. Standing there was the president of his own film company.
"President?"
The president took one look at him and knew exactly what was happening.
"Casting couch" tactics were an open secret. They didn't dare pull that shit on big stars or actresses backed by major investors, but newcomers fueled by dreams were easy prey. Especially naive students with stars in their eyes... and tight, young bodies.
The president felt a wave of hopelessness. This idiot must have fixated on the girl in the school uniform yesterday, having no idea her boyfriend was connected to the Hojo family—and closely, at that, considering Lady Karen's personal head maid had been dispatched.
If she had such connections, she should have just said so! We would have given her the lead role, let alone a bit part.
"Get your ass in here!" the president barked.
Seeing his boss's fury, the director realized he had kicked a hornet's nest. His legs turned to jelly as he collapsed in the foyer and literally crawled into the room.
Seeing Ichika on the sofa and Rin's cold, piercing gaze, his suspicions were confirmed. He had messed with the wrong people. He didn't waste time thinking; he threw himself into a dogeza, slamming his forehead against the floor repeatedly with loud thuds.
"I am so sorry, Miss Nakano! I was out of line! Please forgive me! I'll do anything, just please forgive me!"
Ichika furrowed her brows and let out a huff of disgust. Rin shifted his gaze to the president.
"Beating him myself would only get my hands dirty. As the president, it's your fault for not managing your subordinates. You deal with him. Do it until we're satisfied... if we aren't, there's no need for this company, or its president, to exist anymore."
"Yes, sir!"
The president didn't care about his dignity anymore. He ripped off his suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the director by the collar with one hand, and began raining brutal blows on his face and body with the other.
"AAAAAGH!!!!"
The director screamed in agony. Even when his face swelled into a bloody mess like a pig's head, Rin and Ichika didn't call for a stop. Ichika, seeing such violence for the first time, felt a flicker of pity and nudged Rin.
Sensing her hesitation, the president decided to deliver a finishing blow to prove his loyalty. He gritted his teeth, wound up, and delivered a savage kick straight into the director's crotch.
"!!!!!!"
The director's mouth hung open like a dying fish, but no sound came out—the pain was too intense for screams. The president didn't care. He'd rather beat the man to death than risk the Hojo family's wrath. Being encased in concrete and dropped into Tokyo Bay would be a mercy compared to what they could do.
He delivered a second, even more vicious kick to the groin. The director's eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness instantly.
"Enough." Rin stood up, holding Ichika's hand, his expression icy. "Let's go."
"Understood." Shion gave the unconscious man a freezing look before turning to the president. "Get him to a hospital."
Phew...
The president exhaled in relief. He thought he might have been ordered to kill him. Though, given the force of his kicks, the director would likely never be a "father" to anything ever again.
"Haa... haa..."
Once they were in the neighboring suite with the door closed, Ichika leaned against the wall, clutching her chest and breathing heavily. Her face was flushed with an uncontrollable excitement. It wasn't that she was a sadist, but the mixture of revenge and the raw adrenaline of seeing a predator get his comeuppance was intoxicating.
"How was it? Satisfying?"
"Yes!" Ichika nodded vigorously.
She had wanted to land a kick herself, but seeing the man's face turned into a bloody pulp had been a bit too much for her to initiate. Had it been Rin, with his system-enhanced strength, a kick to the "third leg" would have likely been fatal.
"Miss Ichika, do you still want the role you auditioned for? Or would you like a different one?" Shion asked.
"Mmm..." Ichika thought for a moment. "Actually, I think I'll pass. This reminded me that my acting needs work. I couldn't even maintain a convincing 'angry' face; I started looking soft-hearted toward the end."
She bit her lip and smiled. "If I get roles through connections instead of talent, I'm no better than the people we just dealt with, right?"
Kaede: [Exactly, exactly.] Kaede: [Ichika is too proud for that, isn't she?]
"Eh? Yes, exactly. I don't want to be bullied, but I don't want to bully others either. I want to earn it with my own strength."
Even as she said it, Ichika felt like Kaede's words had a double meaning she couldn't quite grasp.
Kaede: [In that case, I'll let you borrow him for a bit longer. Rin, make sure you help Ichika train her acting. Don't be shy—use him to your heart's content, Ichika~]
"Uh... okay."
The words were innocent enough, but the phrasing felt... lewd. Rin held back a laugh and checked his watch.
"We've been in this hotel for a while. Let's not keep your sisters waiting outside too long."
"Ah!!!" Ichika gasped. She had forgotten that Nino and the others had followed them. If they left now, she needed to give them a "show" to cement the lie.
Kaede: [In movies, you can do a retake if you mess up, but you can't blow your cover in front of your sisters~]