Rebuilding Sakamichi in a chaotic worldline

Chapter 74 Don't Let Loyalty Ruin You

Kobayashi stayed at the couple's new home for a while, but couldn't stand the president and his wife's lovey-dovey atmosphere, so she said goodbye. Yumiko smiled shyly, knowing that showing affection in front of an idol who couldn't be in a relationship was a bit mean, but that's just her personality, and she really couldn't control herself, so she could only vent her anger on her husband.

"It's all your fault, you scared Yui away."

The president lay in Rito's arms, pulled up her slipped bra strap, and patted his chest gently with seductive eyes.

"It's good that you're leaving. It's getting late, let's go back to our room."

Smiling, he took her hand and sniffed it. Rito stretched and said lazily, "The president isn't just unemployed now that she's in Tokyo. The Guan family opened a self-operated store in the city center for her to manage. On the other hand, she also needs to keep an eye on the Italian lingerie brand that Rito cleverly acquired last time. She's actually busier than before the wedding. It's been several days since the two of them made love, and Rito can't help but feel a little hungry."

"Yada~" The president giggled and slapped away his aggressive claws. She shook her head, indicating that she had to get up early tomorrow. Rin was too much of a hassle. After going through the whole process and taking a shower, she wouldn't be able to sleep until after midnight. That wouldn't do.

"Then I'll hurry this time." Rito still didn't want to give up, so he stubbornly clung to her and acted coquettishly. The president chuckled and didn't say anything, no matter how much he messed around, she just wouldn't give in.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to take a shower now."

Seeing the chairman's firm attitude, Rito was somewhat disappointed but did not want to force the issue. Just as he was about to get up, his phone screen suddenly flashed, so he reached out to grab it.

The notification bar showed a message from Misa. Although Rito had given her his phone number a long time ago, knowing that he was currently on his honeymoon, Senbei had been very considerate and hadn't bothered him. This obedience touched Rito deeply, and he was planning to find an opportunity to visit her in a couple of days. When he saw that it was a message from her, he thought that she had finally couldn't resist and smiled. He casually clicked on it, but the words inside made him frown.

"Rito, is it your idea that I didn't make the selection this time? I understand, I'll work hard in Under."

Although the message seemed calm on the surface, Li Ren wasn't stupid and could easily see the subtle resentment hidden in the girl's words. However, he really felt wronged. He had clearly placed her in the second row for the new single selection. Given their relationship, even if he was stingy, he couldn't possibly not give her a single selection spot, right?

He frowned, didn't reply, and instead dialed Airi's number. He had asked his assistant to pass the selection form to operations, and he figured operations wouldn't dare to change people without informing him, so something must have gone wrong in the process.

The phone rang for only a few seconds before being answered. Airi called out "Rito" softly, and there seemed to be a faint sound of water in the background noise, probably someone running a bath.

"Airi, the selection list was announced during construction tonight, but it's not quite the same as the one I gave you. Do you know why?"

Rito didn't exchange many pleasantries with her and went straight to the point. Airi, on the other hand, seemed to have been prepared as well, and without even a moment's hesitation, readily replied, "Sorry, I copied it wrong."

"Ah—I knew it," Rito chuckled dryly, but the doubts in his heart were not resolved; instead, they deepened. Airi was always meticulous in her work, how could she make a mistake on such an important matter? And after realizing her mistake, her emotions were so stable, without the slightest fluctuation. This was not like her personality, unless...

Just as he was racking his brains, unsure how to broach the subject, the president, who was nestled in his arms, suddenly snatched his phone and interrupted:

"It's alright, Li. You've been busy with company matters and wedding preparations lately, so it's normal to make a few mistakes. I forgive you on Li's behalf. Get some rest, you have to accompany me to inspect the new store tomorrow morning."

"Hi, I understand."

The two chatted casually for a few minutes before hanging up. Listening to their back-and-forth banter, as if they had rehearsed a performance, Rito smirked, put his hands on his hips, and gave his wife a half-smile. He finally understood where his assistant got the audacity to go against him. No wonder he felt she had been avoiding him these past few days; it turned out she had been turned against him by his wife.

"What are you still doing here? Weren't you going to take a shower?"

The president tossed the phone back into his arms, smiled subtly, and urged him on.

Rito took the phone but didn't expose her. The way husband and wife get along is very different from that of lovers. If the two weren't married, Yumiko's move could only be considered jealousy and malicious competition, and he could say a few words about it. But since they were family, this matter had to be addressed differently. The mistress disciplining her lover who used tricks to get ahead was, at best, a way of managing her husband. If he blamed her for this, not only would the Guan family know, but even his father would give him a good scolding—did she really think a marriage certificate was just a piece of paper? Don't think that free love doesn't mean it's not a family alliance.

Having figured this out, Rito gently kissed the president's forehead, said nothing more, and went into the bathroom with her phone. On the sofa, only after hearing the click from the depths of the corridor did the president, who had been trying to maintain her composure, finally let out a long sigh, revealing a hint of the naivety that a girl her age should have.

"Phew, this kind of thing really isn't for me."

She sighed into her phone, her heart pounding in her ears. She was sure her husband had heard it too, but since he hadn't called her out on it, it meant he actually supported what she was doing, even if he didn't really like it.

Misaki Eto, don't blame me for targeting you, but once this door is opened, Rito might not be able to control himself. It's your fault for not being charming enough to make Rito willingly climb into your bed.

The president gazed wistfully at the wisps of smoke billowing from the aroma diffuser, her heart filled with mixed emotions. To be honest, she didn't dislike Misa; in fact, she admired Misa's ability to handle things. But fate had made them enemies. She didn't really care whether she could drive Misa away in the end. She just wanted to use this method to remind those who wanted to replicate Misa's rise to power that climbing into her husband's bed was only the first hurdle. She, Yumiko Kubo, wasn't as kind as she seemed.

"Rito, you'll understand me, won't you?"

Under the cool night sky, a sigh echoed softly.

-----------------

The next day, in Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Flamme Entertainment Agency welcomed a special guest. Unlike the usual polite visitors, the receptionist felt a sharp pain as soon as this young man entered the room. Just looking into his eyes made her heart beat faster, as if foreshadowing some kind of disaster.

Oh no, boss! Someone's come knocking on our door!

The receptionist's mind raced. She led the man, who had immediately said he wanted to see the president, aside and quickly picked up the internal phone to ask the president for instructions.

Kubo Rito was unaware that in the receptionist's eyes, he was almost on par with the Sixth Demon King—enough to stop a child from crying the moment he appeared. He did seem to be in a bad mood, but not entirely because Flamme had taken the role he wanted; it was more because of the little incident last night. However, the receptionist had no idea. Seeing his sour face and his clearly unusual attire, she immediately conjured up a bunch of strange scenarios in her mind, inevitably mixing her own imagination into her report to the president.

"Okay, I understand."

Flamme's president, Yoshihisa Inoue, hung up the phone with a strange expression that made a girl sitting opposite him cover her mouth and chuckle. However, she quickly realized that this was somewhat impolite and suppressed her laughter.

"Arimura." Inoue Yoshihisa still had some patience for this young woman, and wasn't angry with her. He just glanced at her and slowly called her name.

"Hi, President, I'm here." Kasumi Arimura quickly nodded obediently, but at her age, her acting skills were clearly not yet mature, and the smile in her eyes did not fade away for a while, which made her look like she had a different kind of beauty.

Inoue Yoshihisa sighed and said unhappily to the round-faced girl who had only gotten in after participating in two auditions:

"Now look what's happened! You insisted on taking the role of young Amano Haruko, and now look what's happened. The president of the agency next door came over this morning demanding an explanation. What are we supposed to do now?"

Arimura exclaimed in surprise, clearly not expecting this to happen, and quickly explained:

"How could I have stolen that role? Everyone else had already performed, and I felt I hadn't done well, so I asked for another audition, and the editor, Mr. Miyato, agreed."

Seeing that she was still trying to argue, Inoue Yoshihisa glared at her and raised his voice, saying again:

"What did I tell you before we went? Nogizaka's side had already spoken to NHK about this role. As long as they didn't perform too outrageously, they would get it. But you, thinking your acting was better than theirs, insisted on applying for an extra audition. As a result, you brought out Kankuro's stubbornness too, and he still dares to say it wasn't your fault!"

Seeing the president's angry, muscular face twitching, Arimura stuck out his tongue, not daring to argue anymore. He could only snort in dissatisfaction and mutter under his breath that he would just give the roles back to them.

"Now you're scared? Too late!"

Inoue Yoshihisa scolded her again, and hearing footsteps approaching outside, told her to quickly move aside and stand to the side.

Knock knock knock

"Please come in."

Rito pushed open the door and saw that the president he was looking for, Yoshihisa Inoue, and the actress, Kasumi Arimura, were both there. He raised an eyebrow, walked in casually, sat down in the still-warm seat, and nodded casually, as if this were his office.

Inoue Yoshihisa's eyes flashed with resentment, but he quickly suppressed it. This was not only because the other party had a powerful father in Dentsu, which was a complete game-changer for the entertainment industry, but also because he had indeed acted unfairly. Konno had specifically sent someone to inquire beforehand and confirmed that Flamme would not compete with Nogizaka46, but was just going through the motions. In the end, they were outmaneuvered halfway through. From any perspective, it was really unreasonable.

"Kubo-san, I've long admired your name. It's a pleasure to finally meet you today. You are indeed a man of extraordinary bearing, a worthy father indeed—"

Since he was in the wrong, Inoue Yoshihisa, having been in the underworld for so many years, naturally had mastered the art of being flexible and adaptable. He immediately flattered the person in the right, since young people generally fall for that kind of thing.

"Hey—praise me if you want, but don't drag my dad into it. People who don't know better might think I'm bullying the younger generation. Don't worry, if I'm going to get revenge on Flamme, I absolutely won't use any of Dentsu's resources."

Normally, Rito might have let him off the hook after being flattered like that by Yoshihisa Inoue, but unfortunately, he happened to run into Rito Kubo, who was in a bad mood. So, sorry, Rito interrupted him directly, twitching the corner of his mouth with a forced smile, his attitude becoming increasingly rude.

Seeing the other party's arrogance, Inoue Yoshihisa's already deeply lined face looked even more bitter. Of course, he knew that Kubo Rihito was no ordinary second-generation rich kid. The Sakamichi series that the world was most concerned about was just a hobby for him. The real money-making places were in the high-end fields that ordinary people could not reach. It was said that he had what was probably the most terrifying private cash flow in Japan. Taking a little bit out of it would be more than enough to crush his little Flamme.

Seeing the president's increasingly humble expression, Kasumi Arimura finally realized she might have made a grave mistake. A pang of panic shot through her. Remembering how many times she'd been rejected, only to be accepted by her own agency, which had even provided valuable film opportunities for her development, a surge of girlish loyalty welled up within her. She steeled herself, gritted her teeth, and abruptly stood before Rito, rebuking him with a fierce determination:

"I'll take responsibility for my actions, Kubo-san. It was my own decision to steal your Nogizaka46 role. It has nothing to do with the president. Come at me if you have any problems!"

"Yo—" Rito looked at the righteous-looking Arimura Kasumi and suddenly became interested. Actually, he had only intended to scare Inoue Yoshihisa. After all, the Japanese entertainment industry is a very "orderly" place, and it's rare for a powerful force to suppress a local one, unless a disruptive multinational corporation like Netflix comes rolling in with the wheels of time. Rito may have the power, but he didn't intend to really overturn the table. He believed that Inoue Yoshihisa had also seen through this. His previous weakness was just an act to express his apology. He didn't expect that the old man and the young woman's acting skills were so superb that they had fooled the only actor in the room.

"President Inoue, is this the attitude of Flamme?"

Rito feigned anger, quickly exchanging a glance with Inoue Yoshihisa. Inoue Yoshihisa was immediately startled, realizing that Rito was genuinely interested in Arimura, and the wrinkles he was feigning now held a hint of real bitterness. However, he then reconsidered. He hadn't really thought much of this round-faced girl to begin with; pushing her was merely a last resort due to a lack of promising candidates. Since the wealthy young master Kubo was willing to take her on, he wouldn't be stingy with his offer. A newcomer for a large sum of cash—it didn't seem like a bad deal, did it?

After his thoughts were clear, Yoshihisa Inoue's gaze toward Arimura suddenly became more intense. Poor Arimura was just standing up for the agency she considered her family, but the president was already thinking about how to sell her for a good price. This once again fully illustrates that in the business world, loyalty is out of the question. It was also a very important lesson for this girl who had just turned 20 as she entered society.

"Ahem." Since Inoue Yoshihisa had already decided to betray Arimura, all that remained to consider was the price. Under Rito's slightly disdainful gaze, he coughed twice, put on a sour face, and said aggrievedly, "Kubo-san, Arimura didn't do it on purpose. It's just that the screenwriter, Kudo Kankuro, thought too highly of her and insisted on casting her in this role. What do you think?"

"Huh? You mean the Nogizaka46 members' acting skills are inferior to hers?"

Rito knew he was being hypocritical, wanting to have his cake and eat it too. Arimura Kasumi could be sold, but not by him actively soliciting her, not even on a whim. The other party had to offer money, and Rito, for Arimura's future, would reluctantly agree, giving him an explanation for his other artists and a reason to command higher prices. Although she found it absurd, Rito couldn't force the issue now that he was in Arimura's hands, and could only reluctantly play along with his clumsy act.

After several rounds of back-and-forth accusations like "That's not what I meant" and "You have to give me an explanation today," Rito finally got annoyed. He secretly glared at Inoue Yoshihisa, signaling that he wouldn't buy anything if he continued. The president, who was playing the part of the agitated president, gave an embarrassed smile and hurriedly got to the point:

"Kubo-san, the role has already been taken by Arimura. If we withdraw now, NHK will definitely object. Even worse, our entire Flamme organization might be blacklisted. I really can't afford that. Do you see any other solutions?"

Finally, Rito, who had been waiting for him to say those words, rolled his eyes, pointed dismissively at the stunned village beauty, and slammed his hand on the table:

"Then there's only one way. I want Arimura Kasumi. Name your price!"