In fact, although the company hadn't treated her particularly well, it ultimately hadn't mistreated her either.
If possible, she didn't want to betray the company.
But there was no helping it — he was offering far too much!
"Eh? Mr. Kamijou means… could it be that you're trying to poach me?"
Unlike the manager who had been directly bought off by Kamijou Mutsuki, Uika was instead somewhat confused about how things had developed.
No, she had just come out to work some overtime — how had it turned into changing companies altogether?
Looking at the slightly bewildered Misumi Uika, Kamijou Mutsuki did not reply. Instead, he smiled and handed over a business card.
"I am currently serving as president of Hobun Entertainment. Our company happens to be in need of an outstanding singer like Miss Uika."
"Hobun Entertainment?"
Although Uika usually focused only on singing, she wasn't completely ignorant.
She was generally aware of the situation within the industry, yet she had never heard of anything called Hobun Entertainment.
No — the name did seem a little familiar, but she was certain she had never heard of this company before.
"Although our company is currently just starting up, and for the moment doesn't have a single singer signed under it."
After all, this company had been created specifically for the band girls, so naturally it wouldn't recruit people casually.
Come to think of it, Tomori and the others seemed to have only signed voice-acting contracts; they hadn't signed band contracts yet. He should find time to get them to sign those.
"But those are minor issues. No need to worry too much."
"How could that possibly not matter?"
Even the great Miss Uika could not escape the fate of becoming the straight man at this moment.
A company without a single singer under its name — wasn't that just a shell company?
No matter how you looked at it, it was super suspicious, okay?
"Uika!"
However, faced with Uika's doubts, before Kamijou Mutsuki could say anything, the manager grasped her hand with tearful eyes.
"Just do it for my sake, okay? Join Hobun Entertainment!"
Did she know how much the thing she hit was worth?
Converted into yen, it was roughly 300 million!
Just that one bump — even if she sold her butt all the way to Mars, she wouldn't be able to pay it back.
And she didn't want to sell her butt either. She was still young and didn't even have a boyfriend!
"But…"
Although it had been a rear-end collision with a black luxury car, as a passenger she actually bore very little responsibility.
If possible, she didn't want her manager to end up working in some yuri-style hostess business, but switching companies wasn't something that could be decided lightly.
Moreover, this Hobun Entertainment looked suspicious at first glance, which made her hesitate even more.
After all, although she counted as Sakiko's childhood friend, her family wasn't nearly as wealthy as that great Lady Togawa.
Being able to gain a foothold in a big city like Tokyo had relied entirely on her own efforts.
If Hobun Entertainment turned out to be unreliable, she would have no choice but to return to her hometown.
"If that happens, then I won't be able to get close to the Sakiko I've been longing for!"
"Uika-chan should take a look at this first before deciding."
Kamijou Mutsuki noticed the hesitation in the girl before him. He directly took out his phone, flipped to a photo, and handed it to her.
"This is…?"
Uika had originally frowned slightly at someone's overly familiar way of addressing her, but the moment she saw the image on the phone screen, her pupils contracted, and she forgot about all of that.
Because the person in the photo was the Saki-chan she had always been thinking about!
This had originally been prepared by Kamijou Mutsuki for Lady Soyo, but unexpectedly it ended up being used on Uika.
"Sakiko…"
Uika had already lost her composure.
"Why do you have a photo of her?"
"That's not important. What's important is…"
Kamijou Mutsuki activated his innate skill specifically effective against band girls.
"You wouldn't want Lady Sakiko to be bullied, would you?"
One trick, used everywhere.
But it had to be said — it really worked.
Although Uika's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, she did not directly refuse Kamijou Mutsuki.
The manager at the side swallowed nervously at this scene.
Had she just pushed Uika into a pit of fire?
Maybe she should just go work at a yuri hostess club instead, and then have Uika take care of her business.
"Cough, cough. Just kidding."
Seeing the hostility value on the girl's forehead seemingly rising nonstop, and to prevent himself from suddenly getting his head smashed in with a guitar, Kamijou Mutsuki chose to withdraw the provocation he had just made.
"Miss Sakiko is currently working at our company…"
"Didn't you say there were no artists signed under you?"
"A different company."
"In short, if Miss Uika joins Hobun Entertainment, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet Saki-chan in the future~"
Uika did not reply for the moment, but her expression clearly showed she was tempted.
"And besides, while I won't bully Sakiko, other employees might not be so restrained."
Seeing this, Kamijou Mutsuki pressed on.
"Who?"
Miss Uika's gaze instantly turned sharp.
However, with Sakiko's gentle yet strong personality, would she really be bullied by coworkers?
"It's hard to say. But when I arrived, even her shoes and stockings had been stripped off."
Everything Kamijou Mutsuki said was true.
"What?"
Something like that actually happened?
That's way too envi— no, that's way too much!
"She even spread rumors that Sakiko was having improper yuri relations with a colleague."
"No need to say more. I agree!"
Uika suddenly slammed the table, her eyes turning resolute.
To protect the best Sakiko in the world — Uika would not shrink from her duty!
It could only be said that Lady Sakiko truly was a woman burdened with deep sins.
Seeing that he had finally persuaded Uika, Kamijou Mutsuki directly called Myaamori and had her coordinate the two's job transfer.
However, after sending Uika and her manager off, Kamijou Mutsuki felt as though he had forgotten something.
But what exactly was it?
After the two completed their transfer with Myaamori's cooperation, in a certain room of Uika's former company, the lively Donut Lady now looked like a wilted eggplant, completely lacking energy.
"I've been waiting so long—why hasn't Uika come yet?"
"And the manager too…"
Just as she was about to take out her phone to contact the two of them, a woman who looked to be in her forties, with a very stern expression, walked in.
"Ms. Suzuki, why are you here?"
Donut Lady couldn't help but ask.
"Have Uika and the manager arrived?"
"They won't be coming anymore."
The woman called Suzuki shook her head.
"Eh? What happened?"
A very bad premonition rose in the girl's heart.
"They transferred to another company."
That premonition became reality.
Donut: "Eh?!!"
My Uika that big just suddenly vanished?
Time returned once more to after the group had parted ways. Kamijou Mutsuki clearly had not the slightest awareness that he had just stolen someone's partner.
Although an accident had occurred midway, his original goal had not changed.
Only the car had been towed away for repairs, and Kamijou Mutsuki had no intention of calling another one.
He remembered that there seemed to be a rather good instrument shop nearby. The distance wasn't too far—he would just treat it as exercise.
.........................