Luna's Showbiz Comeback

"Patty, about that talk you brought up before, regarding Luna and the entertainment industry… I think I'd like to move forward with it."

"Got it. I'll get in touch～."

And so, with Luna in tow, I'd decided to visit Garumon Entertainment to hear what the showbiz folks had to say.

Patty came along as the introducer.

The usual Kanan.

Lyuka, who was knowledgeable and well-versed in negotiations.

Irana, who as a merchant herself was very familiar with business matters.

And Setsuna, who through music had some grounding in the entertainment world too. That was the lineup heading over.

"Griera, I'm leaving Haru's arena challenge in your hands as her chaperone."

"Yeah, leave it to me. I won't let any weirdos near her."

"Mn! I'll do my best too… so that I can become a fine knight who can protect Naoto-kun."

"I'm coming along as well. We're off."

And with that, Griera and the others headed to the arena with Haru's group.

"Honestly, I wanted to train too～…"

Patty, having reached LV49, seemed a bit anxious about it.

"Sorry. But without you here…"

"No, no, it's fine～. For Luna's sake, of course～."

"Thanks, Patty."

Luna thanked Patty with an angelic smile. Being the same level, the two of them had been paired up so often that they'd become close friends.

Our destination was Quaize. The same town where Patty's employer, Garumon Communications, was based. I supposed entertainment and publishing must've been tied up together.

"There are four major publishers in this world～. Plenty of smaller ones too, but…

"Garumon Literary.

"The most upright. They publish a lot of specialized books, biographies, memoirs, history books, academic works by retired Masters～.

"Maps, textbooks, that sort of thing. I think they'd be the company everyone would miss most if it disappeared～.

"Garumon Communications.

"Garumon Battle Weekly Report is their main business. They handle breaking news and time-sensitive information～.

"From what Naoto-san told me about Japan, I think they're closest to a newspaper publisher～.

"Garumon Entertainment.

"They handle idol photo collections themed around Garumon beauty, and over time came to handle Garumon entertainers, Garumon models, all of showbiz in general.

"Originally a subsidiary of Garumon Communications, but these days the subsidiary's grown bigger than the parent～.

"Garumon Adult Entertainment.

"A magazine that handles Garumon sexual entertainment～.

"Information on Garumon prostitutes you can have sex with, that kind of thing～.

"Public-sex info, swapping experience reports… and so on. They handle erotic information of every kind～.

"A further subsidiary of Garumon Entertainment, but actually the largest in scale～.

"All four companies have their headquarters here in Quaize."

"Heh… I see."

Four publishing companies sounded like few, but for a civilization that had only just emerged from the medieval era, four publishers already competing for supremacy was actually plenty developed.

"Still, the fact that they've developed in order of increasing vulgarity is…"

Same as any world.

"In this world, there's basically no culture treating sex as vulgar or shameful, after all.

"For Garumon, fighting and having sex are just normal."

"Hmm, that's true I guess. So why did the publishers split up?"

"In the end, it came down to conflict between people～.

"Watching the same battle, some people would write about how thrilling and white-hot it was, others would write about how erotic it was watching the Garumon's breasts bouncing around, and others would go on at length about how beautiful the fighting Garumon were. The trigger was three such people getting into a fight and starting their own separate magazines.

"After splitting up like that, each one developed more distinct characteristics, and they ended up drifting further apart～."

"I see…"

"The worst blood between them is between Garumon Entertainment and Garumon Adult Entertainment～. Garumon Literary and Garumon Communications are licensed by the System for publishing, so no matter how low-quality their books are, they won't go bankrupt～.

"Of course Mama and I are both working hard so that's not what happens, but…

"But Entertainment and Adult Entertainment aren't System-licensed publishers～.

"Because of that, they make cheaper books that aren't priced by the System… but in turn, the moment a title loses popularity, it's discontinued.

"Since they're locked in a fight over the same pie, the atmosphere is cutthroat～."

"Now that you mention it, the manga I like is published by Garumon Entertainment, isn't it."

"Yes, that's right～. Earning a living through Garumon's full range of abilities, not just sex and combat, but their beauty, their talents like singing skill… that's Garumon Entertainment's stance～."

"That's wonderful. That's the kind of stance I'd love to support."

After being briefed with all that, we headed for Garumon Entertainment.

"… Welcome, A-Class Master Naoto Akai."

The one who greeted me with a deep, formal bow was an NPC Master who looked, at first glance, conscientious and good-natured.

He had no particularly outstanding features. He came across as a slightly plump middle-aged man.

"I'm Lorent, president of Garumon Entertainment."

He held out his business card. Thanks to System translation, the text read as Japanese.

Garumon Entertainment, President, A-Class NPC Lorent. Address and System message destination written below.

"For the president himself to greet me…"

"No, no, it's only natural for the president to personally greet an A-Class Master～.

"Naoto-san, please understand your own position～."

… Ah, well, A-Class Masters were important, so I supposed it was natural.

"But an A-Class NPC means a person of authority equivalent to A-Class, doesn't it?"

"Even so, paying respect to active Masters is proper etiquette.

"In actual income, too, active Masters and retired ones are orders of magnitude apart."

A company president made less than an active Master, huh.

"Even so… he's bound to have stockpiled quite a lot from the books that don't go through the System, so if he tries to lowball you, you don't have to forgive him, okay."

Irana glared at Lorent in a way meant to go unnoticed. In any case, first came negotiation.

"I love Garumon. Their beauty. The brilliance of their talent. To limit them to combat and sex would be such a waste. Putting that beauty and talent in the spotlight, making their brilliance shine even brighter… I consider that to be my mission."

"That's a wonderful philosophy. I share it."

"… Oh! How rare it is to receive such an answer. Truly, this is what I'd expect from an otherworld Master."

"Indeed. In the other world, that's a normal way of thinking. You're the more unusual one, Lorent-san, surely."

"Hahaha. Indeed, just so. When I speak about it directly, people call me eccentric.

"… But the books, records, and magic stones we produce sell quite well, and the Garumon affiliated with our idol agency enjoy great popularity.

"Even if my words sound strange, the world's Masters actually understand."

"I see, that's wonderful."

… Since coming to this world, this was the first time I'd taken a liking to a man.

"Mama trusts him too～."

With Patty's words to back it up, it seemed there was no need to worry.

"Now then, please allow us to discuss the contract for Angel Luna-sama, who's here with you."

"Ah, yes. I'm Angel Luna. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"… Oh, how beautiful…!

"… Now then, allow me to explain our company's entertainment division.

"Our entertainment division is divided into 36 productions, each headed by a producer with their own distinctive flair.

"The productions are rivals, competing against each other.

"Each producer has anywhere from a few to several hundred managers under them, and each of those manages anywhere from one to several idols (or in the case of groups, sometimes several dozen). So our company has a great many idols affiliated with it."

Even though they were all under one company, with so many productions splitting it up internally, it didn't sound that different from the entertainment productions back on Earth.

"Of course, not every idol is popular… but for Luna-sama, there's no need for any worry.

"When I introduced Luna-sama, all 36 producers expressed interest, and they're eagerly hoping she'll join their production.

"What would you prefer? You could meet with all of them, or you could screen them by document…"

"Both might be best. Let's look over the documents first, then decide after meeting them."

"Yes, here's the introduction for each production."

"Are these numbered by scale?"

The higher-ranked ones were thicker; the lower-ranked ones thin, as if there wasn't much to write about them.

"Yes, we publish a ranking by sales every year.

"Even if a production comes in last, we don't dismiss them so long as they don't keep running deficits.

"As long as they do their work properly, deficits don't come around easily, so the lower-ranked productions handle small jobs in small ways.

"We consider those lower-ranked productions valuable comrades of our company too…

"But for someone of Luna-sama's caliber, I'd say it's best to join one of the top productions and be marketed in a big way."

Hmm, in an anime or game, you might join the bottom-ranked production and rise from there…

But common sense said the major one was better.

"Luna, you were with a major production back in our world too, weren't you."

"Mm… but my parents handled the negotiations with the production, so I don't actually know much about it.

"I had a manager too, but my parents were always between us…

"In that sense, this might be my first real entertainment career."

Luna seemed somewhat anxious, but also looking forward to it.

If there'd been a cute futanari producer, I might've picked that, but if not, then ordinarily Starlight at number one was the better choice.

"How about it, Luna? We can change if you don't like it."

"Mn, I'm fine."

"I'm Karino, producer at Starlight."

A serious-looking man appeared and held out his business card. He was rugged and earnest, not at all the kind of person you'd imagine when told he was the head of an entertainment production.

It was a little surprising that someone like him was at the top of the industry. Well, if he was working diligently and honestly, that was good enough.

And next to Karino-san was… a striking, eye-catching beautiful girl.

I wondered if he'd brought along a senior idol… but then,

"I'm Farida, the manager."

She introduced herself in a clear, lively voice. Gentle, slightly drooping eyes. Blond hair tied up into a side tail.

She wore a proper suit, which did look manager-like… but her appearance was completely that of an idol.

"Farida."

"Patty."

She and Patty exchanged a brief greeting too. The two of them apparently knew each other.

That alone made me feel favorably toward her.

"Now then, Angel Luna-san. Thank you for choosing our production.

"Our production has a track record as the largest in the industry…"

… Karino-san was extremely thorough. He explained the advantages calmly and methodically.

Indeed, joining a major production clearly had obvious merits.

"By the way, something I'm curious about. What about the pay?"

"… Yes. The base monthly salary will be 2000G."

"…2000. That's…"

By the economic sense I had now, where ten million flew around lightly, my reaction was, huh, that's cheap!, but…

Considered as the equivalent of twenty million yen, even for a Japanese entertainer that was high.

It wasn't an amount you'd pay a rookie idol.

"… Um, in this world's entertainment industry, is this about right?"

I asked Irana, who among us was most familiar with this world's industries.

"… No problems here.

"Even factoring in the bonus added when an A-Class Garumon takes work, it's actually on the high side as a payment to a promising rookie Master."

Irana judged it so.

"In addition to this, there are achievement bonuses.

"Idol work is mainly:

"* Event participation

"* Performances of singing, acting, technical arts and so on

"For event participation, the minimum guarantee is 100G. There's no upper limit, but it usually lands around 300G.

"I hear Angel-san is good at singing. Composition fees per song are around 1000G to 5000G. With each record sale you get 1G in royalties; for each magic stone sold, around 500G.

"For photo collections, the production fee is around 5000G. With each sale, royalties of around 10G come in.

"If a record sells 10,000 copies, that's 10,000G. Currently, 10,000 copies sold counts as a hit of the highest tier…"

"… This is no problem either. Slightly on the high side. Feels like the maximum evaluation befitting a Golden Rookie."

If Irana had judged it so, then there was no doubt about it.

No financial trickery either… when it came to the entertainment industry I'd been bracing for some grizzled, shifty type to come and try to squeeze us, but everything was so problem-free it felt almost anticlimactic.

"Luna, are you all right with this too? If anything feels off, even vaguely unpleasant, I'll respect that to the maximum…"

"No, not at all. I'm fine."

Luna seemed especially reassured by the female manager, Farida. Well, I had a good impression too.

I mean, she was super cute. She was probably a UR-Class Garumon worth 5000.

Well, if Luna said it was no problem…

"Understood. Then we'll be in your care at this production."

"Thank you very much."

Karino-san bowed deeply.

"With that, I leave the rest to Farida here.

"If anything is unsatisfactory or lacking, please feel free to bring it up with me or Lorent at any time."

Karino-san bowed politely and took his leave.

"Then I'll take over the explanation. I'm Farida, affiliated with Garumon Entertainment."

"… Um, Farida-san, what brought you to become a manager?"

I was curious why someone this cute hadn't become an idol herself.

"I'm Lorent's daughter. Patty, Pamela-san's daughter, and I have been acquainted since childhood through that connection."

"That's right～. We're childhood friends～. Farida's one year younger than me, and we got along well. But I didn't know Farida had become a manager～."

"Sorry. I figured Patty must have been busy, so I couldn't reach out.

"I sympathized with my father's philosophy and wanted to take up work that would let Garumon shine, too.

"I was scheduled to debut as a manager from next year, and I was still in the studying phase, but…

"Luna-san will be my first managerial assignment. I'll do my very best, so please take care of me."

So saying, Farida-san bowed her head.

"Ah, that's not a problem at all. We just need to work hard at it together with Luna, side by side."

I figured some people might get angry without an experienced manager, so I smiled to put her at ease.

If she was Patty's acquaintance, that was more than enough. It seemed picking Starlight had worked out well.

… Well, it was the number-one choice, so picking it was pretty normal.

"Now then, Angel-san. Allow me to explain everything afresh."

"Farida-san, don't be so formal. From now on, we're going to be working together as comrades, aren't we?

"Why don't we drop the polite speech with each other? You don't speak formally with Patty either, even though there's a year between you, right?"

"That's… understood… G-got it. Nice to meet you, Luna-san."

"Mn, Farida."

The two of them laughed together. Their compatibility seemed solid.

"Then about events.

"Events mean mainly being the host for Garumon Battles. The commentator will be someone knowledgeable about the opponent. The job is to liven up the battle and get the audience excited.

"There are also people who sing or dance beforehand.

"Once you get popular, requests for you specifically will increase, and your pay will rise accordingly. So let's work hard."

"Th-that sounds difficult…"

"Yes. But it's so much fun. Let's give it our best together."

Farida clenched both fists tight.

"… Mn. I'll work hard."

Luna struck the same pose. The two of them were cute together.

"And then there's singing. First we record… and then sell it on records and magic stones.

"Records are sold cheap to the lower classes; magic stones sold expensive to the upper classes.

"If you have time, I'd like to do recording right away… is your schedule okay?"

"Ah, I'm fine."

"Then let's move to the studio."

"Is it all right to record my old songs? Copyright-wise… won't J○SR○C get angry?"

"Of course, since we're using J○SR○C-registered songs commercially, we have to pay properly.

"Just keep usage records for whenever they come around to collect, and put a clause in along the lines of, 'we'd like to apply for J○SR○C registration at distribution time.' That should do it. We weren't planning to skip out, so if we can pay, we'll pay."

But if they didn't come around to collect, well, nothing we could do.

"… Got it. But for new songs we make in this world from now on, that doesn't apply, right?"

"Of course not. They have no authority over songs that aren't registered."

The infamous J○SR○C, but in a world like this where music could be illegally used, having them around might actually be useful.

… No, in a world where you could go beat up anyone you caught ripping off your work, they really were unnecessary.

Then, on to the recording studio.

"… What about accompaniment?"

"Setsuna, you can do it, right?"

"Sure, but… I'll go with a classical arrangement, then. Luna-san, the tone will be that kind of arrangement."

"It's fine, Setsuna-chan. I'm actually better at it than the original arrangement."

"… Ah."

The two of them had performed together a few times at home. Ah, that was what we were going to release nationwide.

… Honestly, I was kind of really looking forward to it.

The recording studio had an analog feel from a few decades back, with no computers.

Only the magic-stone installation device was incongruously beyond its era.

The equipment staff began preparing for the recording.

"Angel Luna… so this is the rookie idol, eh. Hmph, first let's hear what she's got."

There was some rugged, hard-to-please-looking older man.

"This is Raon-san, Starlight Production's general music producer.

"Basically, he's the one who checks for noise or mistakes.

"Otherworlders compose with knowledge from their original world that produces music several tiers above this world's level.

"The last person to come from Japan's entertainment scene was twenty years ago, so I'm looking forward to the latest idol songs."

"Seika Shikina, was it. I don't really get her music. But it sells, so I suppose it's fine."

"Seika Shikina…? I feel like I've heard the name, but maybe not."

The kind of name you'd hear on a "where are they now" segment.

"Eh, um, Seika Shikina-san…!? The idol who went missing…? I know her."

Sure enough, Luna was familiar with the older entertainment scene too.

"It was even further back than twenty years. The peak idol era was around forty years ago.

"I aimed to be an idol because of my grandma. It was her favorite idol's era.

"Right after debuting, her popularity skyrocketed. Shikina, Hyuga, and Misaki were called the three great new stars.

"Seika Shikina-san was the most beautiful and the best singer, and Grandma always wondered where on earth she'd disappeared to… So, this is where she'd come…"

Junko Hyuga and Satsuki Misaki were big stars still active today as titans of the industry.

So an idol on par with them had existed.

"Grandma told me, 'she was as cute as you, Luna,' as a compliment, but…"

"No, I think that was a compliment aimed at Seika Shikina-san."

If a beautiful girl on par with Luna existed, that'd be a goddess, an angel, or a spirit.

"But if such an amazing idol disappeared, there must've been a tremendous uproar, huh."

"There must've been… but back then, idols were emerging one after another…

"Seika-san had debuted from being an orphan, with the heartwarming story of searching for her parents along the way. She was a star who looked like she might create an era.

"But it overlapped with the time the TV station rigged a fake reunion with phony parents, and trouble erupted from that, and she nearly got shelved.

"The TV station treated her like a sore subject… and naturally she ended up forgotten."

That was awful. The TV stations were already rotten back then. Such is the fleeting nature of all things.

While we chatted about that, the equipment seemed ready.

"All right then, Luna, Setsuna. Do your best."

"Mn."

"… Setsuna-chan, please play the duet of the main and counter melody."

"Mn. Soul Refrain."

She activated the skill. Doing so let her play two melodies simultaneously.

Even being able to play it didn't mean actually playing it was easy. It was an extremely difficult feat, but the way Setsuna pulled it off without a hitch reminded me she truly was a genius.

And then…

The two of them played their music.

Luna's voice was so beautiful, so divine. Truly an angel. Now she was an angel in name and reality.

And Setsuna's playing that adorned it was like a veil of light enveloping the angel…

Aah…

Beautiful.

Even though I'd heard them many times, once again… I was shaken to my core.

Wonderful… beautiful.

Whenever I encountered something deeply moving, I always ended up unable to say a word, troubled by it.

But that just meant… the emotion ran so deep no words could well up from it.

It was a magnificent masterpiece, the kind that soaked into the depths of one's soul.

Sharara…

The reverberation of the accompaniment was carried out to the very end.

"… Cut."

Raon-san's call to stop came strangely late, and the lingering reverberation went on strangely long.

"… I've been in this business a long time, but…"

Raon-san removed his rugged sunglasses and pressed his fingers to the corners of his eyes.

"… This is… incredible. I've seen the real thing…"

It was the highest possible praise.

Setsuna's playing… she'd said she couldn't take No.1 of her generation. But somehow, I could understand.

She wasn't the soloist type, the kind who pushed herself to the front.

She was the type who shone brightest as accompaniment.

Playing accompaniment for Luna, the songstress, made her shine far more brilliantly than when playing solo.

And as for Luna, a classical arrangement let her voice resonate far more than the pop arrangement from before. Without pairing with the violin, she might never have encountered this kind of arrangement.

… Wonderful. If we hadn't come to this world, these two might never have done a session like this.

For both Setsuna and Luna… it was a fortunate encounter.

"… Next! Let's make our greatest masterpiece!"

Raon-san burned with excitement.

"… Soul Refrain only has up to 5 uses, you know."

"Gwooooh! Only 5!? Come back tomorrow! And the day after! I'll keep the studio open every day!"

"Raon-san, the schedules of all the other singers are packed too…"

"Shut up! Make 'em wait! Angel Luna, Setsuna Akai… these two are my top priority! Got it!?"

It seemed Luna's entertainment-industry debut was off to a smooth, fair-winded start.

And then…

"A manager and an idol are one and the same. From now on, I'll be intruding on Naoto-san's home."

It was decided that Manager Farida-san would be coming to my house.

… Eh, a girl this cute, under one roof? Was I supposed to endure without doing anything erotic?

That was a bit of a dilemma…

… Well, Luna's entertainment life had launched smoothly with fair winds, but there was just one dark cloud.

"Nice to meet you, Angel Luna-san."

A lovely beautiful girl with a bob cut in the style of an older-era idol stood blocking our way.

"… You're, Seika Shikina-san?"

Luna noticed right away. So this was the one…

Did I recognize her… yes, kind of, no, not really. Hard to say.

But setting aside whether I recognized her, certainly… this was beautiful. If asked who was more beautiful between her and Luna, the answer would come down to personal taste.

Of course, for the current me, my dear Luna was the one… but she was truly beautiful and lovely too.

Slightly upturned eyes that seemed to hold strong will. Was her hair white because it had changed color when she came to this world?

Even so, very beautiful.

Just plain, very much my type of cute girl. Slightly upturned eyes and a strong-willed look, paired with outstanding beauty. Wonderfully gorgeous.

Her breasts were also wonderfully large. Hmm, on those nostalgic-image programs, I didn't recall seeing idols with breasts this big.

When I'd watched some idol-history TV show, I vaguely remembered hearing… oh, big breasts only became prized from the '90s onward, and in the '80s when she debuted there was no such trend.

"… You're, the latest idol who came from Japan, I hear.

"But in this world, the standard for idols is me! Seika Shikina!

"I created the idol current of this world.

"You'll have to fall in line with my current, or it'll be a problem."

But she suddenly came at Luna with intense aggression.

"Pardon me. I'm Austin of Lightning Production, the industry's No.1."

The one who spoke up smirking was a man with a flippant air.

"… Isn't Starlight the industry's No.1?"

"Hah. Starlight just dabbles in all sorts of genres (bands, dance units, whatever) and runs large in scale, that's all.

"When it comes to idols specifically, Lightning is the No.1.

"Rather, when it comes to idols, calling Starlight a minor player wouldn't even be an exaggeration.

"Why didn't you choose Lightning? With all due respect… it can only be called foolish.

"You were tricked by the magic of the No.1 number."

So smirked Austin.

"… No, if Starlight's representative had been you, I'd have quit in a second.

"I chose them because Karino-san seemed trustworthy."

"… Haah. Honestly, every last one of you doesn't get it. Karino's just a boring man, you know…

"It should be I who succeeds Mr. Lorent and leads this Garumon Entertainment.

"You'd benefit from being on close terms with me too.

"… Should you ever become an S-Class Master and want to sneak a taste of my production's adorable idols, you'd have to come crawling to me. Don't forget that."

So said Austin.

… The way he flat-out demanded I acknowledge him, after acknowledging that I had the talent to become an S-Class Master, I liked just a tiny bit.

Just a tiny bit. Basically, I disliked him. Pimping out his affiliated idols, no less.

"Whom I become close with, I'll decide for myself."

I kept him at a distance.

"Oh dear, did I offend you? Pardon me."

Austin bowed insolently.

"Hmph, stand down, Austin.

"… I'll repeat myself.

"In this world, an idol sings the songs I provide and dances to my choreography! That's how Lightning has reigned over the idol industry!

"That Angel Luna, too, if you want to do idol work in this world, fall in line with my way!

"If you don't like that, I'll have you blackballed from the industry! Don't underestimate the power of Lightning and me!"

So declared Seika Shikina.

… Honestly, an incomprehensible proposition.

"No, isn't the whole reason productions split up because their methods differ?"

"What I'm telling you is that if methods differ, the very form of the idol that's been cultivated in this world will collapse! If that happens, can you take responsibility?"

"… Why would we need to take responsibility for something like that?"

I sighed.

"… If she really isn't accepted by the industry, Luna will just be naturally weeded out and disappear. That's not your concern.

"Conversely, aren't you the one who thinks she'll be weeded out? In that case, you should learn Luna's methods."

"Wha, wha… th-that's not it at all! I'm just saying it's a pity for a precious Golden Rookie to disappear because of wrong methods, so I'll teach her the right way!"

"… Honestly, for someone about to turn sixty to be snapping at a sixteen-year-old girl…"

"Hngh! I'm still 36! … When I woke up in this world, twenty years had passed. It's been twenty years since I transferred to this world!"

So that sort of thing happened too.

Lyuka was listening with apparent interest.

"Even so, for a fine adult of 36 to be snapping like that at a sixteen-year-old girl…"

Treating this woman who could be called a legendary idol as just another negotiation partner, I kept calmly haggling.

I'd really gotten ballsy. Even I had to admit it. Truly, an A-Class Master.

Well, while she said 36, since Seika Shikina-san seemed to have the inside of a girl, negotiating with her wasn't all that taxing.

Even when what she said was unreasonable, the cuteness made it forgivable somehow.

Way better than conversing with Austin.

"!? What are you doing! Seika-san, Austin! Stop interfering with our production's idol unnecessarily!"

Just then, Farida, having noticed our quarrel, stepped forward to shield Luna and me.

"Naoto-sama, what on earth…? Forceful recruitment of Luna-san?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing major… In this world, when a quarrel breaks out, there's an optimal way to settle it, isn't there?

"Seika Shikina. You are A-Class rank 3 Dalido's Garumon.

"I'm also an A-Class rank 34 Master. We're set to decide victor and vanquished at March's A-Class Tournament."

"… Heh, you're challenging me? … Don't make light of me. As idol or as Garumon, I'm not the kind to lose to some little girl!"

"… Challenging Dalido? Dalido was the man who used to be my slave Master. As a producer he was the lowest of the low, but as a Master he's so skilled he even surpasses me, with a track record of having promoted to S-Class.

"For a rookie debuting this year to challenge that Dalido… hah."

Austin laughed through his nose.

… Yeah, well, there were unpleasant people too. At Garumon Entertainment the president and producers had all been good people, so I'd forgotten. The Masters in this world tended to be more unpleasant than not.

"Very well! If Dalido wins, Luna, you'll join Lightning! Under me, I'll have you thoroughly learn my methods!

"If you win, I'll join Starlight! I'll learn your methods!"

… That meant whether she won or lost, Seika-san had no downside.

"Well, whatever. Sure, that's fine."

Luna had restarted her entertainment life.

A bit of zest had been added to what had been looking like a dull A-Class Tournament.