The president's office at Amagasaki Office.
"What does this mean?!"
Amana stared at the online news article, eyes wide, and screamed.
"Mutsuki drinking underage?! I gave her permission to do whatever she wanted, but I never imagined it would blow up like this! She wasn't the sharpest tool, but I didn't think she'd go this far..."
Even as a mother, Amana understood almost nothing about Mutsuki. She had no ability to predict how her words and actions would spiral into disaster.
"Snow, how much damage are we looking at?"
Amana, the president of the agency, asked her secretary Yuki about the financial impact of Mutsuki's scandal.
"Yes. Image damage from underage drinking, penalties for stepping down from commercials, cancellation of a planned live performance, and now she's on indefinite hiatus with no expected income until the situation calms. Roughly speaking, the total loss is over 100 million yen."
"100 million yen?! With that kind of money, how many cruises could I take? How much luxury furniture and brand-name goods could I buy...?!"
Amana's eyes bulged at the figure. She gritted her teeth, veins throbbing in her forehead.
(This woman is only thinking about her own wallet, not the future of her agency's talent?! And it's her own daughter!)
Yuki felt deep disappointment in Amana, who had completely forgotten her roles as both agency president and mother.
"But... there are still the other girls. They'll just have to work even harder to make up the money."
To Amana, her daughters were nothing more than tools to generate income.
○ ●
"That foolish little sister finally did something stupid, but there's no need for you to worry. It's all her own fault."
"No, scandals involving talents are also the manager's responsibility. Still... hearing you say that makes me feel better. Thank you, Io-nee."
Rima, the manager, had accompanied actress Io Sakura to a meeting for her next project. The conversation took place afterward.
"By the way, how is that child doing now?"
"Yes. Mutsuki-san couldn't handle the slander on social media and the public criticism. She became completely withdrawn. I tried contacting her, but she wouldn't respond. When I got worried and went to her room, she was in no state to go out in public..."
"That's quite the fall for a sister whose only redeeming qualities were her energy and cheekiness... But I can't keep worrying about her forever. Anyway, do you have any information about my next production?"
Io only spared Mutsuki a brief moment of concern before quickly shifting focus back to herself.
The shallow nature of the sisters' relationship was clear in her behavior.
"Ah... yes, here it is."
Rima handed over the documents entrusted to her by the director.
"What? That's all?"
After receiving the thin packet, Io looked puzzled and questioned Rima.
"Yes, this is everything the director gave me."
"What do you mean? Normally I'd receive a much thicker file. It should include detailed character emotions, experiences I need to prepare beforehand, how to deliver lines, gestures, facial expressions, everything. But this only has basic character settings."
"Well... it's usually like this. After that, you read the script yourself, think about the role, and work it out with the director on set..."
"There's no way I'd go through such a tedious process. Being an actor is simple: you just follow instructions and perform as directed, right? I see. The materials aren't ready yet. Please ask the director for them before we go to the set."
"I-I understand..."
(Do those kinds of materials even exist? When I was supporting other actors, I never saw anything like that... but if Io-nee says so, they must be real. I'll inquire later.)
Rima felt confused. This was the first time she had heard such a claim from Io.
Still, because it came from Io Sakura—the actress with an image of being serious and meticulous—Rima believed it without question.
Io had no idea that the thick, detailed documents she remembered were the ones Atsumu always prepared.
A little while later, Io—still convinced the materials were coming—headed to the set without any special preparation.