[CH.60] The True Identity of a Suspicious Man
**TL Notes: So as not to confuse you all, I made a list of the characters that get mentioned in this chapter that you may have forgotten before. Sumire Matsuda: MC Yoko Ando (Yoko-san): Sumire's manager. Azusa Oshima: Sumire's mentor. Touka Kimura: Sumire's close friend and classmate in Tokyo. Fumika: Sumire's close friend |
The filming of the baseball drama went smoothly until the end. Initially, there was a barrier between me and the kids playing the roles of teammates, but the staff at the station arranged a practice game with a local youth baseball team, and I felt that our distance narrowed during that time. Working together on something really is a shortcut to becoming friends.
Of course, we, being almost amateurs, had no chance of beating kids who were seriously into baseball. The opposing team, mainly composed of third and fourth graders, seemed to go easy on us, and the game remained competitive without a significant point difference until the end. Unfortunately, we lost by just one point, but considering I was a makeshift and clumsy pitcher, I think I did my best.
I believe we were able to effectively portray the deepened bonds in the drama. The director seemed satisfied, expressing in the final remarks that we had made a good drama.
Yoko-san, who had been concerned about the information she got from Fumika, visited my hometown several times during the filming. She always informed me in advance when leaving the set, and she made sure to assign multiple staff members to take care of me, so I didn't face any difficulties. In this era, compared to the late Heisei period, there are still relatively few female staff members in the television industry, but Yoko-san always insists on having a female staff member close to me before leaving her seat. Despite me assuring her that even male staff would be fine, she never budges, saying, "You never know what might happen." This insistence really conveyed how much she cared about me.
With everything wrapped up, I said cheerful goodbyes and expressions of gratitude to the director, staff, and everyone involved in the filming. Yoko-san, who had taken the most care of me, the manager of Tomo-kun who was often asked to look after me, and Aida-san and Higashi-san who taught me baseball were among those I thanked. Tomo-kun had other commitments, so unfortunately, his departure date was different from mine. As for Yukkun, who had been spreading rumors that I was his girlfriend, I decided to leave his reprimand to Tomo-kun, as there hadn't been any tangible harm done yet, and I trusted someone from the same agency to handle it.
On the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, empty seats were noticeable, and there were only a handful of passengers besides Yoko-san and me. Whether it was due to the time of day or if Yoko-san had unusually reserved the Private Room this time instead of regular reserved seats, I couldn't say.
"As expected, this makes it easy to have private conversations," Yoko-san said as she put her bag on the luggage shelf, revealing that she had intentionally created this situation. With no other passengers nearby, we could probably speak quietly without anyone eavesdropping on our conversation.
Sitting in seats a bit wider than usual, we waited for the train to start moving. The departure bell echoed on the platform, and as the Shinkansen slowly began to move, Yoko-san began to speak.
"To cut to the chase, the one snooping around Sumire was a reporter from a weekly magazine."
Having heard my story, Yoko-san went to my hometown the next day, met Fumika's aunt, and gathered information. It seemed that Fumika's aunt, being well-connected locally, had already gathered information, and she had obtained a business card from the man who had been asking around. The card had only the words "Freelance Writer," the man's name, and a phone number.
In the late Heisei period before my reincarnation, many people would consider privacy protection and create such simple business cards. However, in this era where awareness of personal information was lax, it's unlikely that a decent professional would opt for such a straightforward business card.
If this person intentionally distributed such cards, I could only imagine that they might be someone with malicious intentions, perhaps not disclosing their address to avoid being traced.
The self-proclaimed reporter had been inquiring about the conflict between my sister and me. Though calling it a conflict is a stretch since my sister simply dislikes me unilaterally. I've already moved to a different place, and I have no intention of actively involving myself unless she initiates contact.
While I'm not hiding anything, I also don't intend to broadcast our issues in a weekly magazine to the general public. Especially if my sister's past actions become widely known, it would be akin to labeling her as a person who engages in such behavior, which is essentially an act of demeaning. I do find my sister to be a troublesome person, but I don't dislike her to the extent that I would want to expose and degrade her to the eyes of strangers.
When I told Yoko-san, "I'd like to make sure such articles don't see the light of day," she let out a small sigh.
"If there's an article portraying Sumire as the victim, it could be manipulated for its utility, and neither I nor the agency are particularly eager to intervene. However, this time, circumstances forced us to take action."
Unable to comprehend the meaning of her words, I tilted my head slightly. While I had no intention of taking action for the sake of my sister, I understood Yoko-san's assertion that if it concerned me, they had no choice but to act. Yoko-san had apparently noticed a change in the narrative as she talked to various people. What my sister had done was being attributed to me, and the roles of victim and perpetrator had been completely swapped. Something I had vaguely worried about seemed to suddenly materialize with concrete details before me.
Believing that the conversation had been intentionally distorted, Yoko-san asked Fumika's aunt if she had any idea who might do such a thing. She then proceeded to inquire about the identified individuals, putting pressure on them. Yoko-san reportedly warned them with a message along the lines of, "It seems you've been telling the weekly magazine reporter stories that differ from the truth about our agency's talents. We're considering legal action." Upon receiving this warning, they promptly offered an apology.
"Well, it's not 100% false, but if an article really comes out and tarnishes Sumire's image, it would be a huge loss for us. At that time, I won't hesitate to thoroughly involve our trusted lawyer," Yoko-san explained.
"Because it would lower my value as a product?" I inquired.
"Yes, it's an unpleasant way to put it, but that's the case. I, Azusa-san, and, of course, the staff from other agencies, all care about Sumire. However, that's separate from the fact that as a member of an entertainment agency, we have to deal with Sumire not just as an individual but as the product 'Sumire Matsuda'."
While an ordinary elementary school student might feel hurt by such language, I just nodded, finding it only natural. For the agency, I was akin to a product on a supermarket shelf. No one would buy a damaged or spoiled product, and such items would inevitably be removed from the supermarket display. It's only natural for Ms. Azusa, who is like the manager of the supermarket, and Yoko-san, who is responsible for the operations, to thoroughly manage the quality of the product. After all, if they had to dispose of unsold items, it would be a loss affecting the supermarket's revenue.
"Do you know the name of the person who reversed the roles in the story, making it seem like my sister and I switched positions?" I inquired.
In response, Yoko-san mentioned several last names. One of them probably belonged to the family I had in mind, but I had no familiarity with the others. I did recognize a family with a daughter in the same grade as my sister, with whom she was relatively friendly. Whether my sister had portrayed things that way or if they had spontaneously swapped roles, I didn't know. Still, since they had spread false information about me, I insisted they take responsibility.
The unfamiliar people were likely newcomers to the area, and various rumors about them might have mixed up, ultimately leading to a reversal of my sister's and my positions. Even so, I didn't know if it was true, and since they irresponsibly passed on information they heard from others, I hoped someone would properly investigate their responsibility. It was just my speculation, and I didn't know the true situation, so I would leave it to the professionals like lawyers to handle the situation.
"Even if we warned the locals not to spread irresponsible stories, it won't mean anything if we don't do something about the reporter, right? That's why I called after getting Azusa-san's permission," Yoko-san explained.
Yoko-san spoke in a voice that seemed to be restraining the bubbling anger as she shared the details of the exchange. Knowing that it would be foolish to contact the person without any information or preparation, Yoko-san had used various connections to gather information about the reporter. According to her findings, the reporter's name was Takayuki Inoue, and he seemed to be a freelance journalist currently contracted with a major weekly magazine called "Weekly Reality."
He wasn't exactly a well-behaved man, consistently burdened with debts and leading a financially troubled life. That alone made him someone to avoid, but there was also a previous conviction for extortion, where he had threatened and extorted money from a subject during an interview. Worried that Yoko-san might have had an unpleasant encounter with such a person, an even more shocking revelation followed.
"He said something like, 'Even if I write an article about the suddenly famous up-and-coming child actress, my reputation won't improve. I'll let you off the hook for 5 million, and I won't publish the article,'" Yoko-san shared.
"…Is that considered extortion?" I asked.
"He didn't explicitly say 'pay up or else,' so whether it qualifies as extortion or not, I'd need to consult with a lawyer. But considering that he's essentially saying, 'Pay up, or I'll publish the article,' I see it as extortion. He has a previous record for the same thing, so he should just stop, but I guess he's trying to be clever to hide his criminal past," Yoko-san explained.
It's hard to understand the mindset of someone who repeats the same mistakes even after getting involved with the police once. However, it seems like dealing with this reporter decisively would be the best course of action. Yoko-san seemed to share this view, and she explained the plan to teach Inoue, the reporter, a lesson. The thoroughness of the plan sent a slight chill down my spine.
Yoko-san, posing as a somewhat unreliable female manager, informed Inoue that she couldn't make the decision alone and needed to consult with her boss. She bought time by making it seem like she was struggling to get approval. Knowing that today's filming in Kansai would finish as planned, she had already set up a meeting with the reporter for tomorrow evening.
Even in places where Yoko-san's connections wouldn't reach, it seemed that the vast network of Ms. Azusa, a leading actress, had effortlessly prepared everything. The defensive measures were already in place. But the thought of having to go to the meeting where such a person would be present weighed heavily on me. With a small sigh, Yoko-san seemed to have sensed my feelings and flashed a small smile.
"Oh dear, it's unfortunate, but Sumire, you mustn't participate," Yoko-san said.
"Huh!? But it's about me. Isn't it not good to leave everything to Yoko-san and Ms. Azusa?" I protested.
"The other party is the kind of person who resorts to extorting money. What if, after we corner them, they turn their attention to you? Kidnapping, facing danger, or even worse, being killed... You wouldn't want that, right?" Yoko-san scolded me like a child, but the content of her words was quite dire. However, it's true that when someone is cornered, they might resort to extreme measures without considering the consequences. I nodded obediently, deciding to follow her advice.
Seeing that I had agreed, Yoko-san instructed me to go straight back to the dormitory after school tomorrow without making any detours. I hoped that everything would go smoothly with Yoko-san and Ms. Azusa, and after the discussion was over, I would return to my room. Unable to do anything on my own and relying on adults for protection, all I could do was hope for the best.
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