"Miss Kurokawa, I believe you know why we felt the need to have this meeting on such short notice."
Akane is in a warm room, luxurious decorations and expensive-looking furniture are sprinkled throughout the office, placed with the utmost precision. Nothing looks out of place or unintended — except for her chair.
The chair is stiff and unyielding, the kind you just can't sink into — a reminder she is not here to be comfortable.
She sits at the back end of an expensive mahogany desk. In front of her, on the other end of the desk, are two men, looking to be in their mid-40s, age already stealing away their hair. Right behind them is a large glass front.
"Yes, and I'm sorry to cause an inconvenience, especially today."
Akane shifts around on the wooden chair, small droplets of sweat form on her hanging forehead.
"Well, it is whatever. Your personal manager told us you wanted to terminate your contract."
The other man spoke, the tone of his voice made Akane shiver. He sounded more stern, and there was something else in it.
"That's correct."
Akane is still looking down, her fingertips turning cold as she realizes that two of her superiors had to come into work just because of her.
"Well, may I begin by asking why you would want to get out of our contract?"
Akane looks up from her lap for the first time as the first man speaks again — she has already seen him a few times before, unlike the other man, who is a total stranger to her.
"Like I already said on the phone, I have a lot on my mind right now, and won't be able to work for the foreseeable future. Therefore, I wouldn't want to have the company still planning with me in mind when I could eventually decide to not return at all."
The room drops dead silent for a moment as the two men look at each other, their expressions unreadable. Then they whisper something to each other. It's too quiet for Akane to understand.
"We fully understand your circumstances, but to us you appear somewhat undecided. Therefore, we could offer you a temporary pause on all work-related activities, so you can return when you change your mind."
Akane thinks hard about the proposal made by the first man. It would probably be the most reasonable thing to do, yet it feels just as wrong as doing nothing at all.
Why should she be the one to get an option to back out when she changes her mind, when Kana is the one who has to live with the consequences of her actions, no matter what she does?
"No, I am sorry, and like I said, I would obviously pay for all caused damages, but this option feels wrong to me. I want to cut all ties with this industry for the time being."
Akane's words sound final. The first guy who spoke leans back in his chair, his expression turning to one of resignation. The second man, on the other hand, leans forward, his voice gentle, yet slightly off.
"We already had you scheduled for one leading and two supporting roles within the next year, apart from that you are one of our most promising talents and your contract still lasts for another 5 years."
Akane nervously looks around the room before facing forward again.
"I know that, and I am deeply sorry that I'm being difficult right now."
The gentle facade on his face starts to slowly fade away as he replies once more, the first guy remaining silent, letting him do his thing.
"Being sorry is not nearly enough, this is a financial disaster for us. Do you really want to do this to us and to your production members? All the money we spent on PR and training for you would just be gone."
Akane reaches into her pocket, pulling her credit card out with shaking hands.
"My decision is final; just tell me how much I owe you."
The man, who was so eager to stop her from leaving, suddenly erupts in laughter, his colleague shooting an angry look towards him, which he doesn't seem to notice.
"A credit card? How much do you think this is $250? I don't know the exact number, but I would say your total settlement would come out to be around 10 million yen." (68,000 USD)
You can see the color drain out of Akane's face. She expected it to be a hefty sum. Yet 10 million almost seems like too much for her.
"That's more than I expected."
Akane's voice is suddenly less certain, a hint of doubt hiding behind the built-up confidence. The second guy sees the hesitation in her eyes, his gentle smile shifting into something more cruel.
"Well you did ask for a complete settlement… But don't panic just yet. You can pay with something other than money… If you understand what I mean."
Akane, alongside the first man, stares in disbelief at the other guy, whose face displays a knowing smirk. Akane's cheeks start to turn pink at the mere thought of what he means.
"Excuse me? I will certainly not do that. I have enough money to pay, send me whatever you need to send me and let's get this over with."
Akane stutters out while hastily getting up from her chair, her throat turning dry and her legs wobbly from the disgusting offer.
"If you would excuse me now."
She says while already turning her back towards the two men, unwilling to spend even a single more second with them.
"Wait."
The first guy tries to say, but Akane has already stormed out of the doors and loudly shut them behind her.
31st of December, 4:00 pm, Akane's house
"God damn it."
Akane murmurs, her throat still feeling dry and the walls of her room much closer than she remembered.
"10 million yen… That's everything I worked for last year… would my mom even allow it?"
Akane rolls over on her bed as a lone tear escapes one of her eyes, gliding down the side of her face, before landing on her pillow.
"Why did that one guy have to be so disgusting… As if anyone would actually do that. He only did that to throw me off, so unfair."
Akane raises her right hand up to her face, gently feeling her smooth skin — Smooth skin which Kana also once had.
"I need to do this… Out of solidarity with Kana."
A quiet and plain laugh escapes Akane's lips as she lowers her hand again.
"Ironic, back then I hurt Yuki in a similar way… I wonder if something like fate exists…"
Akane remains silent for a long moment before slowly getting up from her bed and putting her slippers on.
…
Downstairs, she finds her mom, who sits alone at the dining table. Her dad is probably out, working late once again.
"Mom, I need to talk to you."
Akane's mom, who was just reading, lowers the newspaper enough for her to look over it. What she sees makes her blood run cold. Akane's expression looks off.
"What is it my baby?"
She says while laying the newspaper to the side, turning a bit to the left so she can fully face Akane.
"You know how I am signed with Lala Lai… You know my production company."
Akane's mom nods in silence as she listens to her daughter explain the situation.
"But…"
Akane looks down as her chest starts tightening up.
"I want to leave… Don't get me wrong, the people there are great… But I can't act anymore… It feels wrong."
Akane's mom gently places a hand on top of Akane's before speaking.
"That's okay. You being comfortable is the most important thing… So how is this done, you just put in your two weeks like it's done for any normal job?"
Akane laughs a cold, emotionless laugh. Her head stays angled downwards, and her palms slowly starting to sweat.
"No… Not at all… I am signed with them, if I just decide to up and leave they will make my life even more miserable, so I need to pay them for the damages I caused."
Akane's mom squeezes her daughter's hand a bit.
"So how much is it?"
Her voice sounds dry all of a sudden, like she is already expecting it. Akane remains silent for a while before speaking.
"10 Million Yen…"
As soon as Akane finishes her sentence, she sees her mom's face lose all its color. The room stays silent for a while before Akane's mom can speak again.
"10 Million Yen…"
She stutters out like it is a foreign language, half asking and half exclaiming.
"That's the price of a decent house…"
Akane can feel a knot forming inside her stomach as the full extent of this all crashes down on her. Then she hastily speaks, trying to diffuse the situation.
"I-I'm sorry… Alternatively one of them offered I could sleep-"
Akane is interrupted by her mother, her voice sounding fiery.
"You could do what?! Hell will freeze before I let that happen. No daughter of mine sells her body."
Akane's cheeks flush in a deep shade of red.
"I-I know, I didn't mean it like that, I don't want that either but-"
Both look at each other in silence for a moment, then her mother's lips part, wanting to object to her idea, telling her she should just toughen up, but she stops herself as she looks at Akane's face.
It was the same kind of expression she'd seen two years prior — The days before she almost lost Akane forever. But this time is different, Akane actually invited her in instead of keeping quiet, something worth more than any amount of money.
"It's okay… 10 million is a hefty sum… Don't get me wrong… But I'd rather spend 10 million than seeing you destroy yourself."
She makes a short break before continuing.
"How much do you need from me anyways?"
Akane's head shoots up, her cheeks, which start to lose color again, become bright red once more.
"No, no, no."
Akane frantically waves with her hands.
"I don't need anything. You know me, I live a simple life, so everything I ever earned went into the savings… I have about 16 million Yen saved up from all my gigs. I just wanted your okay."
The facial expression on Akane's mom turns into one of shock. She always knew her daughter was earning some money, but she never grasped the true extent of it.
"16 million? We should've talked about finances a lot sooner."
Her voice is calmer now that she realizes she wouldn't have to burn through her own savings because of Akane's change of heart.
"10 million Yen is a lot of money-"
She reaches her hand out, gently touching Akane's burning cheek.
"But it pales in comparison to you… I believe you should do whatever makes you happy… Our family got enough money to live comfortably regardless."
Akane leans into her mother's hand, closing her eyes and fully embracing the warmth radiating from her mother's hand — Warmth she desperately needed.
The heart of Akane's mom melts away as she sees her daughter cherishing her touch, every remaining piece of doubt she had in her heart gone in an instant.
"Mom, thanks for always supporting me… It means the world to me."
Akane pulls away after a few more moments.
"I need to visit a friend… I wanna tell him about this."
Akane says while standing up from the chair.
"Stay safe out there."
Akane's mom replies, picking her newspaper back up, while Akane takes a few steps.
"Mom…"
Akane turns around once more, her gaze looking more vulnerable than ever before.
"I love you…"
Akane's mom lowers her newspaper again, her heart skipping a beat as she hears Akane's voice.
"... I know baby."
With that, Akane swiftly exits the room, leaving her mom all alone with the silence. Hidden behind the newspaper, unbeknownst to the world, was the terrified expression of Akane's mom. The memories of two years ago, which she tried to bury deep inside her mind, slowly claw their way back up, stronger than ever before.