After wrapping things up with Kessoku Band, Yuki headed home. When he got there, he found an extra person in the house. That person was none other than Miku's manager.
The moment Miku saw Yuki walk in, she threw herself at him. "Darling! Welcome back! Kiss me!"
Without a care for the surprised look on her manager's face, Miku leaned in and asked for a kiss. Yuki, equally unbothered, gave her a quick peck on the lips before turning his attention to the manager.
"What's the matter?"
The fact that the manager had come all the way here meant it was something important. Miku was still on break, and she had made it clear that no one was to disturb her unless it was urgent.
"Hello, Chairman Yuki."
The manager, a seasoned professional knew exactly what to ask and what not to pry into. Now that Miku was living with Yuki, it wasn't hard to guess what was going on between them. But after years in the industry, she had enough sense to keep her thoughts to herself.
"The thing is, next weekend, the leaders of several major countries will be visiting Japan. The government wants to put on a good show for them, so they've requested that Miku perform," the manager explained the situation.
Miku was currently Japan's number one national idol, the most popular singer in the country, and ranked in the top ten worldwide. Whenever Japan hosted foreign dignitaries, the government would go all out with performances and ceremonies. Miku, being the massively popular idol she was, was naturally on that list.
Yuki frowned slightly at the news and turned to Miku. "Miku, what do you think?"
Before making a decision, he wanted to hear her thoughts. Miku just smiled, pulled him over to the sofa, and sat him down beside her.
"Darling, whatever you decide is what I want." She gave him a radiant smile, handing the choice over to him.
Whatever Yuki wanted her to do, she'd do. It was entirely up to him. Seeing that, Yuki gave her a gentle smile and ruffled her hair. Miku leaned into him like a little kitten, nestling in his arms and letting him pet her.
The manager, watching from the side, awkwardly averted her gaze, not daring to look any longer. In her mind, though, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Miku's fans. The untouchable goddess they worshipped was now curled up in a man's lap like a contented cat. If they ever found out, their hearts would surely shatter.
Still, she understood why Miku was so devoted to Yuki. It wasn't just about his looks though they certainly helped. The real reason was that Yuki had stepped in at a critical moment and saved Miku from a dangerous situation. Miku had told her the story herself, so the manager understood exactly why Miku was so deeply attached to him.
"Then refuse it." Yuki gave his answer directly.
Setting aside the fact that Miku was still on her break, even if she weren't, Yuki would still cut back on how often she performed in public. She was his woman now. Not that he planned to stop her from pursuing her own interests. If she wanted to sing on stage, he would still let her. But only under the arrangement and oversight of his own company.
Otherwise, who knew what kind of random nonsense some organizations might try to make her do? As for this particular request, organized by the government, Yuki simply couldn't be bothered.
"Understood. Then I'll give them a clear refusal." Hearing Yuki turn down the request so casually, the manager couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration.
As expected of our company's boss. He doesn't even put government officials in his eyes, rejects them outright without any hesitation. Other companies would jump at the chance to send their talent up on stage for even a moment of exposure. But Yuki? He couldn't care less about that kind of exposure. The main reason was simple: the guy had more money than he knew what to do with, and Miku's fame didn't need the boost anyway.
"Then I'll take my leave. Sorry for the intrusion, Chairman Yuki, Miku." The manager quickly excused herself.
"Alright. Take care." Yuki nodded and bid her farewell.
"Take care, Mita-san! Make sure you rest during your break too!" Miku smiled and waved goodbye.
The manager smiled wryly and nodded. Even though Miku was on break, it didn't mean the manager was. In fact, she had even more work to handle, business matters, all related to arrangements while Miku was off.
Once the manager left, Yuki called out into the empty room. "Ellen."
The moment his voice faded, Ellen appeared. The others came out along with her. When the manager had arrived, they had all stepped out of sight, so they had heard the entire conversation.
"What's the current situation with Japan's top officials?" Yuki asked Ellen about what was going on with the higher-ups.
After all, they knew full well that behind Miku stood Yuki, the man known as the Dragon. For them to roll out such high-level hospitality and invite a national idol like Miku to perform, it was clearly an attempt to curry favor with the visiting nations. And that kind of favor-chasing meant they were after something, some kind of benefit.
Yuki sensed something unusual. Even though he could simply use his omniscience to get the full picture, he chose to ask Ellen instead.
As the chairwoman of Infinity Corporation, Ellen was naturally well-informed about the political landscape among Japan's top officials. So, she explained. In short, a new faction had emerged among the political elite. This group was pushing for a series of reforms, some of which involved Infinity Corporation's partnerships. They wanted to end their cooperation with Infinity and pivot to overseas companies instead.
These overseas firms had also risen in recent years, copycats, essentially, modeled after Infinity Corporation. What made it interesting was that these companies had actually managed to produce advanced weaponry. This had shifted the market from Infinity dominating it entirely to a landscape where one giant still reigned supreme, but several smaller names had started gaining traction.
Sure, their products weren't as good as Infinity's, but they were cheaper. As a result, many smaller nations had started buying from them.
"I've studied their products before. A lot of the technology used in them comes from outside Earth." Tearju, now the head of Infinity Corporation's R&D division, pushed up her glasses and shared what she knew.
And with that, no one needed to spell it out. They all understood what kind of forces were backing those companies behind the scenes.
"So they've teamed up with other aliens. Sounds like some countries have been secretly contacting extraterrestrials and forming alliances," Yuki stroked his chin. He didn't even need his omniscience to piece that together.
"I'm guessing this meeting between Japan's leadership and the heads of those other nations is them trying to get in on the action." Connecting the dots, Yuki saw right through the whole scheme.