CLICK.
Kaito closed the door to his private office and walked back to his desk. He gestured to the leather chair across from him.
"Have a seat, Edgeshot," Kaito said, leaning back in his own chair.
Edgeshot pulled the chair out and sat down. He kept his posture perfectly straight. He didn't look angry or offended. He just looked focused.
"It has been exactly nine months since I first walked into your office," Edgeshot said. His voice was calm, muffled slightly by his red scarf. "Back then, you turned me down. You picked Rabbit Hero, Mirko. Next it was Hawks, then you chose other rising pro heroes."
"I did," Kaito nodded. "Are you mad about it?"
"No," Edgeshot replied honestly. "I actually respect it. It proved you weren't just chasing the biggest paycheck. You wanted to build up the rookies. You saw the big picture for the country. But right now, I need you to look at my picture."
Kaito picked up a pen and spun it in his fingers.
"Tell me about your picture."
"I hit a wall," Edgeshot said bluntly. "I am currently Rank 5 on the Hero Billboard. O'Clock is sitting right above me at Rank 4, and he is doing great work ever he rejoin the hero industry years ago. But the gap between us and the top three is a massive chasm."
"Endeavor and Best Jeanist pull a ridiculous amount of weight," Kaito agreed.
"Exactly," Edgeshot leaned forward slightly. "I am a ninja. My agency specializes in stealth, speed, and precision takedowns. We are very good at what we do. But catching villains in dark alleys doesn't get on the evening news. It doesn't inspire the entire country the way Endeavor does, and it doesn't build a massive brand like Best Jeanist."
Kaito listened closely. Edgeshot wasn't whining. He was just stating facts.
"You want to bridge the gap," Kaito said.
"I want to break the ceiling," Edgeshot corrected him. "I work harder than anyone, but hard work alone isn't going to push me to the very top. I need a totally different angle. With the recent contract you have done with Endeavor and Best Jeanist. The gap between us will only keep getting bigger."
Kaito tapped the pen on his desk. He looked at the ninja hero. Edgeshot had the discipline and the drive.
"I appreciate you being straight with me," Kaito said. "But I literally just finished my contracts with Kamui and Fat Gum today. My desk is currently buried in offers from all over the country."
Edgeshot nodded slowly. He understood how the business worked.
"I will pull your agency's metrics tonight and review them," Kaito told him. "I'll give you a final answer by the end of the day."
"Fair enough," Edgeshot said.
He stood up, placed a sleek black business card on the desk, and gave a brief, respectful nod.
"Have a good day, Arisaka."
Edgeshot turned and walked out just as quietly as he arrived.
Kaito watched him leave. He sighed and reached over to his desk phone. He pressed the button to turn the local lines back on.
RING. RING.
He picked it up right away. "Arisaka consulting."
"Arisaka-san! Good evening!" a loud, energetic voice came through the speaker. "This is the manager for Gang Orca! Rank 10! We know you just wrapped up your work in Osaka. The boss wants to invite you down to the aquarium base tomorrow morning. We are prepared to make a highly competitive offer."
Kaito smiled a little.
"I appreciate the offer," Kaito said smoothly. "Gang Orca is doing great at Rank 10. But I'm currently reviewing a few different options right now. I can't commit to anything tonight."
"Understood! We'll send our formal pitch to your email. We hope to hear from you soon!"
CLICK.
Before he could even put the receiver all the way down, it lit up again.
RING. RING.
"Arisaka consulting."
"Hello, Arisaka-san! This is the agency for the Lion Hero, Shishido! Rank 11!" the new voice was fast and eager. "We heard you are available. Shishido wants to break into the Top 10 this year and completely crush Gang Orca in the rankings. He believes your strategies are exactly what he needs to surpass him."
Kaito let out a short laugh. The rivalry between those two was well known.
"Shishido is a powerhouse," Kaito replied politely. "But I have a strict review process for taking on new clients. I'll look over his files and get back to your office if I see a good fit."
"Thank you so much! We'll be waiting!"
CLICK.
The phone immediately rang for a third time.
RING. RING.
"Arisaka consulting."
"Good evening, Arisaka-san," a polite, formal voice spoke. "I represent Yoroi Musha. Rank 8. We would be incredibly honored to schedule a meeting with you this week. The Golden Manager's reputation is unmatched, and Yoroi Musha is highly interested in securing your services. We are more than happy to accommodate any fee you require."
Kaito rubbed the back of his neck.
"Thank you for reaching out," Kaito replied, keeping his tone professional. "I'm currently sorting through several offers tonight. I will review Yoroi Musha's metrics and reach out to your office if our goals align."
"We completely understand. Have a wonderful evening, sir."
CLICK.
Kaito hung up. He leaned back in his leather chair and looked out the window.
The sun was starting to set over Naruhata.
He thought about his options. Gang Orca and Shishido were solid heroes, but their brands were basically just looking intimidating and picking fights with each other. There wasn't much room to grow for now.
Yoroi Musha was a legend, but he was getting old and set in his traditional samurai ways.
Then Kaito looked down at the black business card on his desk.
Edo-Lines Agency.
Edgeshot had discipline. He didn't complain, and he knew his own limits.
More importantly, his ninja agency was a blank canvas. Kaito knew he could easily turn a bunch of stealth specialists into a massive intelligence and VIP protection empire.
It was the perfect move.
Kaito sat forward and grabbed his mouse. He woke up his computer screen and opened his email client.
He quickly typed out short, professional rejection emails to Gang Orca's manager, Shishido's reps, Yoroi Musha's office, and a few other local agencies that had called earlier.
Send.
Send.
Send.
Then, he opened a blank email and typed in the address from Edgeshot's business card.
He didn't write a long, formal letter. He just typed a single line.
[Let's break that ceiling. I'll be at your agency in Kanagawa on Monday morning.]
CLICK.
He hit send.
Kaito closed his laptop. He grabbed his car keys off the desk and stood up. He walked out of the office and hit the light switch on the wall.
CLACK.
The room went completely dark. Kaito pulled the heavy glass door shut behind him.
THUD.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Shie Hassaikai Compound
Date: Wednesday | 10:00 AM
CLAP. CLAP.
"Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack..." Aika sang softly, tapping her hands against Eri's tiny palms.
Yamato was sitting right next to them, cheering Eri on. "You got it! Faster this time!"
Eri giggled loudly, trying to keep up with the hand movements. She wore a simple yellow dress.
On her wrists, the heavy metal dampening bracelets sat securely. She wasn't sparking.
She was just a normal, happy kid playing a game.
The Boss sat near the paper screen doors, watching them. He held a thick, bound document in his lap.
Kaito Arisaka really delivered.
The bracelets arrived from Detnerat-Shield Company quickly a week after the incident, and this Quirk Manual he commissioned arrived just last week was worth every single yen.
The house finally felt like a home again.
The Boss cleared his throat.
"Alright," the Boss said, his raspy voice gentle. "It's time. Page four. The Safe Zone practice."
Yamato stopped clapping. He took a deep breath and nodded. Aika squeezed her husband's hand.
"We are ready," Yamato said.
Yamato reached over and gently pressed the small release button on the side of Eri's right bracelet, then did the same for the left.
CLACK.
CLACK.
He slid the heavy dampeners off her wrists and set them on the floor.
Almost immediately, the air in the room felt a little heavier.
BZZT.
A tiny, faint yellow spark danced across the top of Eri's horn.
Eri tensed up instantly. Her eyes went wide, and she looked down at her hands, terrified of what was going to happen.
"It's okay, sweetie," Yamato said softly.
He didn't panic. He didn't pull away. He just started humming.
HMM-HMM-HMM.
It was a simple, repetitive lullaby he used to sing to her when she was a baby.
Aika joined in immediately, humming the exact same tune with a soft smile.
Eri looked at her parents.
Grandpa's manual from the Golden Manager was very specific about this part.
If the parents panicked, the kid panicked. If the kid panicked, the power turned into a weapon.
"Sing with us, Eri," Aika said warmly.
Eri swallowed hard. She closed her eyes and started humming the little tune with them.
Her tiny shoulders dropped. She took a slow breath. The yellow spark on her horn stopped jumping around wildly and just glowed with a steady, calm light.
"Good job," Yamato whispered.
Aika reached behind her back and pulled out a small potted plant. The flower inside was completely brown, dead, and withered. She set it on the floor right in front of Eri.
"Eri, look at the flower," Aika said softly. "It's super sleepy right now, see? The leaves are all yucky and brown."
"Is it sick?" Eri asked, her voice shaking a little bit.
"A little bit," Yamato nodded. "But remember what we read in Grandpa's special book? The one from the nice man who caught you at the restaurant?"
Eri gave a tiny nod.
"You don't have to be a big doctor and fix it," Yamato explained, using his hands to make it simple. "That's too hard. You just have to tell the yucky brown stuff to go away."
"Go away?" Eri asked.
"Yeah," Aika smiled, tapping Eri's nose gently. "Just say, 'No thank you, Mr. Brown Leaf. We want the green back.' Can you do that?"
Eri looked at the dead brown leaves. She kept humming her little tune. She felt calm. She didn't feel like a scary monster.
She reached her tiny hands out and gently held the dead leaves.
"No thank you," Eri whispered to the plant.
FWHIIIOSH.
A soft, warm yellow light flowed down her arms and into the plant.
It didn't violently explode.
There were no wild sparks or loud noises. The dead brown leaves slowly turned a vibrant, healthy green.
The drooped stem stood straight up. A beautiful pink flower bloomed right in the center.
Eri let go and pulled her hands back quickly, gasping.
The potted plant was completely alive.
"I... I told it to go away," Eri whispered, looking at her hands with giant, amazed eyes.
Aika covered her mouth. Tears poured down her face.
She didn't hesitate for a single second. She threw her arms around Eri and hugged her as tight as she could.
"You did it! You did it, my brave girl!" Aika cried happily.
Yamato wrapped his arms around both of them, burying his face into his wife's shoulder.
He was crying too. The absolute terror that had haunted their family was completely gone.
Sitting by the wall, the Boss closed the manual. He looked at his happy, crying family.
He took a slow, deep breath, feeling a massive weight lift off his old chest.
The Golden Manager's reputation is well deserved.
_-_-_-_-_
Location: Shie Hassaikai Compound – Lower Levels
Time: 10:30 AM
STEP. STEP.
Kai Chisaki walked down the dimly lit concrete hallway. He adjusted the white medical gloves on his hands.
Walking right behind him were Hari Kurono and Joi Irinaka.
"I just don't get it, Chisaki," Irinaka grumbled. His deep, scratchy voice echoed in the hall. "The streets are getting crowded. Vigilantes are pushing into our territory. And what does the Boss do? He drops millions of yen on some famous Hero Manager to babysit his granddaughter."
"Watch your mouth, Irinaka," Chisaki said coldly, not looking back. "The Boss took us in when we were nothing. We owe him our lives."
"I know that!" Irinaka argued, waving his hands. "I'm loyal to the Boss. But he's getting soft. We are bleeding territory, and he is buying American support gear for a kid. It's a waste."
"It is not our place to question his spending," Chisaki replied flatly.
He meant it.
Chisaki didn't hate the Boss. He deeply respected him.
But it was true that the Shie Hassaikai was dying.
Chisaki wanted to restore the Yakuza to its former glory. He wanted them to rule the underworld again.
He just hated seeing the Boss act so passive while the hero society completely crushed them.
"I'm not questioning his spending," Kurono spoke up. The pale man with arrow-shaped hair walked with his hands in his pockets. "I'm questioning the cover-up."
Chisaki stopped walking. He looked over his shoulder. "What cover-up?"
"The incident at the restaurant last month," Kurono said quietly. "You know a few of the low-level guys were trailing the Boss and his family as bodyguards, right?"
"Yeah. What about it?" Irinaka asked.
"The HPSC and the police hushed it up," Kurono explained. "But our guys saw the whole thing from the street. They said the Golden Manager jumped across the table to pull the little girl away. They said her Quirk went completely out of control."
"So?" Chisaki scoffed behind his plague doctor mask. "Kids have Quirk awakenings all the time. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is what she touched," Kurono leaned in closer. "The rumor going around is that she touched the table and broke it. But that's a lie. The bodyguards said she touched the centerpiece. A massive, living bonsai tree."
Chisaki narrowed his eyes. "And?"
"And it didn't break," Kurono said. "It rewound. Right in front of everyone, the tree shrank down into a tiny sprout, and then back into a single seed. It vanished."
"..."
The hallway went completely dead silent.
Irinaka stopped breathing. "Wait. Are you serious? She turned a tree back into a seed?"
Chisaki didn't say a word. He just stared at the concrete floor.
His mind started racing.
He viewed Quirks as a literal disease plaguing humanity. He had been looking for a way to "cure" it for years.
A Quirk that can rewind the biological clock of a living thing.
A power that can revert something back to its previous state.
If she could rewind a tree into a seed... could she rewind a human? Could she rewind a person so far back that their Quirk factor just vanished entirely?
Chisaki's hands slowly clenched into fists.
He didn't want to betray the Boss.
But if this rumor was true, the Boss was hiding the ultimate weapon in a secure room upstairs.
A weapon that could put the Shie Hassaikai back on top of the entire world.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Edo-Lines Agency, Kanagawa
Date: Four Days Later.
The Edo-Lines Agency didn't look like a standard hero building.
From the outside, it looked like a beautiful, traditional Japanese tea house. Inside, it was packed with heavy computer servers and high-end tech.
SLIDE.
Kaito pushed the heavy wooden doors open and walked right into the main boardroom.
The room had a large, polished wooden table in the center. Edgeshot stood at the head of it.
Standing perfectly straight along the sides were his five sidekicks. They looked incredibly tense. They were all staring at Kaito like he was a ghost.
"Arisaka," Edgeshot greeted, his voice calm. "Meet the team."
Edgeshot gestured to a tall guy with a dark mask covering his mouth and nose.
"Kyohei. Hero name Smoke-Screen," Edgeshot said. "Shiketsu graduate. He creates thick fog."
Kyohei gave a stiff, quick bow.
"Ayane. Hero name Tessen," Edgeshot pointed to a sharp-looking woman. She had two large, folded war fans clipped to her belt. "U.A. graduate. Wind manipulation."
Ayane nodded politely, her shoulders tight.
"Ryu. Hero name Wiretap," Edgeshot introduced a guy sitting behind a desk covered in three different laptop screens. "Ketsubutsu graduate. He handles our comms and hacking."
Ryu gave a small wave, looking completely stressed.
"Kenzo. Hero name Vault," Edgeshot pointed to a massive, quiet man who looked like a heavyweight wrestler. "Seiai graduate. He has a pocket dimension quirk. Good for extracting people."
"And Shizuka. Hero name Echo," Edgeshot finished, pointing to a young woman wearing large headphones around her neck. "Another UA graduate. Sonar detection."
Kaito looked at the five of them. They were holding their breath.
THUMP.
Kaito dropped a large white cardboard box right in the middle of the expensive table.
"Relax, guys," Kaito smiled, flipping the lid open. "I'm not here to audit you. I brought pastries from that famous bakery near the station."
The heavy tension in the room instantly cracked.
Kenzo, the giant guy, stared at the box. "Wait, are those the cream-filled ones? The line for those takes like an hour."
"I know," Kaito laughed, tossing a napkin to Kenzo. "Grab one before I eat them all."
The sidekicks looked at Edgeshot. The ninja hero just nodded.
RUSTLE.
Immediately, the team broke formation and grabbed the food.
Kaito picked up a chocolate pastry and took a bite. He looked over at Ayane.
"Those fans are really nice," Kaito said, pointing to her belt. "Custom titanium?"
"Uh, yeah!" Ayane blinked, surprised he noticed. "They are pretty heavy, but they hold up against blades really well."
"Smart," Kaito nodded.
He waited for everyone to grab their food and pull out the chairs around the big table. Once everyone was settled, Kaito reached into his bag and pulled out a thick folder.
"I appreciate you all making the time," Kaito said, looking at the team. "Edgeshot brought me in to map out a path to the Top 3. I've spent the week reviewing your agency's entire operation, and I want to pitch a new direction for you guys."
"We're listening," Edgeshot said, leaning on the table.
"I read your mission logs from the last six months," Kaito started. "Your arrest records are completely perfect. Nobody ever sees you coming. You take down the targets, and you get out without a scratch."
"Thank you, Arisaka-san," Kyohei said through his mask.
"But," Ayane spoke up, leaning forward a little. "If our records are perfect, why are we stuck? Why is Edgeshot sitting at Rank 5?"
"Because you guys are operating like a boutique hit squad," Kaito said honestly.
The sidekicks looked confused.
"Look at Endeavor," Kaito explained, keeping his tone casual. "He fights giant villains in the middle of busy streets. He stops huge disasters in broad daylight. Everyone sees him. You guys operate in total darkness. My proposal is to scale this agency up. We take Edo-Lines national."
"How do we do that?" Ryu asked.
"By completely changing your daily routine," Kaito said. "Right now, you guys patrol the streets looking for crime. I want to propose a pivot. What if Edo-Lines becomes an Information Brokerage?"
Kaito looked directly at Ryu.
"Ryu, if Edgeshot signs off on this, I want to allocate a massive budget increase for your department," Kaito pitched. "I want to buy thousands of micro-drones and cover every single dark alley in your sector. Shizuka links her sonar straight into your video feeds."
Ryu stopped chewing his pastry. His eyes went wide.
"Wait," Ryu stammered. "Are you serious? Thousands? The hardware alone is going to cost a fortune."
"I'll secure the funding," Kaito assured him. "I want Edo-Lines to know about a bank robbery twenty minutes before the robbers even buy their ski masks. You stop the crimes before they happen."
Ryu grinned, a massive, excited smile spreading across his face. "Man, if the boss approves that, I can definitely build that network."
"What about our image?" Kyohei asked nervously. "We wear ninja gear. The media thinks we look a little outdated compared to the flashy guys."
"I have a pitch for that too," Kaito said smoothly. "Shinobi-Tech."
"What is Shinobi-Tech?" Kenzo asked, wiping crumbs off his hands.
"It would be your new clothing brand," Kaito answered. "Ninja fashion is actually super popular right now. I want to launch a massive line of high-end streetwear and tactical jackets featuring Edgeshot's logo. You guys could sell clothes."
Kenzo's jaw dropped. "Heroes sell clothes?"
"Best Jeanist makes millions selling denim jeans," Kaito laughed. "You guys would print money. You wouldn't have to rely on government paychecks ever again."
"That covers the funding," Kaito continued. "Now for the actual hero work. I want to launch the Invisible Guard."
Kaito looked around the table.
"Some heroes crush cars," Kaito said. "Just recently, a hero accidentally broke streetlights. Rich politicians and corporate CEOs hate property damage. I propose you guys offer an ultra-premium VIP protection service."
"Zero-disturbance," Edgeshot realized, crossing his arms.
"Exactly," Kaito nodded. "Billionaires would pay you massive fees. If an assassin attacks a client, Kyohei drops the fog. Kenzo drops the client into his pocket dimension to keep them safe. Edgeshot takes down the assassin. No broken windows. No gunshots. Total silence."
The sidekicks just stared at him. The Golden Manager had just mapped out a billion-yen business plan while eating a chocolate pastry.
"The logistics and the business plan are incredible, Arisaka," Edgeshot said, his voice serious. "But what about my combat? You told me on the phone that my fighting style is a problem."
"It is," Kaito said, putting his pen down.
"My Foldabody quirk makes me razor-thin," Edgeshot explained to the room. "I move fast, and I pierce my targets. I shoot right inside their bodies and cut off the blood flow to their brains to knock them out instantly. It works every time."
"It works perfectly on a single target," Kaito agreed. "But what happens if a burning skyscraper falls on fifty people?"
Edgeshot went quiet. "I can't catch a building."
"No," Kaito said. "But you can stitch it."
"Stitch it?" Ayane asked, totally lost.
"You guys are thinking of his thin body like a needle," Kaito explained, looking at Edgeshot. "I want you to try thinking of it like medical thread. Think like a surgeon."
Kaito pointed to the ceiling.
"If a building is cracking apart and the concrete pillars are falling, you could flatten your body into a surgical thread," Kaito proposed. "You move at supersonic speeds back and forth. You literally stitch the concrete pieces back together so the building doesn't fall."
"....."
Edgeshot's eyes widened behind his scarf.
"Or," Kaito kept going. "If a bridge breaks and people are falling toward the river, you weave your flattened body back and forth between the steel cables. You create a massive, unbreakable Kevlar safety net to catch fifty people at once."
"....."
"..."
Nobody said a word. The entire room went completely dead silent.
The sidekicks stared at Edgeshot, then back to Kaito.
Nobody had ever thought of using his assassination quirk for mass structural engineering. It turned his biggest weakness into a massive strength.
Edgeshot looked down at his own hands. He pictured himself weaving a massive net across a falling highway.
"A Kevlar net," Edgeshot muttered.
"That is insane," Ayane breathed out, looking at Kaito with wide eyes. "Wait... Manager, your reputation says you train everyone's Quirks. When do we start our Quirk training? How do I upgrade my wind fans?"
Kyohei and Kenzo leaned forward, suddenly looking incredibly eager. They wanted Golden Manager upgrades too.
"Hold on," Edgeshot raised a hand, instantly stopping his sidekicks. "We are not doing that yet."
The team looked at their boss.
"Arisaka just gave us a blueprint to completely rebuild this entire agency from the ground up," Edgeshot said strictly. "We are not going to waste his time playing with our Quirks until the new foundation is set. The drone network, the VIP guard, and the new patrol routes take absolute priority."
"Edgeshot is right," Kaito smiled, appreciating the ninja hero's sharp discipline. "One step at a time, guys. We lock down the business and the city first. Once the machine is running smoothly and the money is flowing, then we can talk about hitting the gym."
Ayane nodded quickly, looking a little embarrassed but still hyped. "Understood."
He looked up at Kaito, pure respect burning in his eyes. He didn't need to think about it anymore.
"You have my full approval on this entire plan, Arisaka," Edgeshot said firmly. "Let's do it."
CLACK.
Ryu instantly slammed his massive laptop open.
His fingers flew across the keyboard, frantically opening tabs to start pricing out drone parts.
Kaito smiled and picked up his pastry, taking another bite.
"So," Kaito said casually, chewing his food. "When do you guys want to start mapping out the new patrol zones?"
_-_-_-_-_-
Location: Tokyo Television Studio
Time: 08:00 PM
The massive television studio was loud and packed with crew members. Bright stage lights swept back and forth across the dark audience seating.
Chitose Kizuki sat in the dark production booth high above the main stage.
She wore a sharp, dark business suit. She held a cup of coffee in one hand and pressed a finger against her headset with the other.
"Camera two, pan left," Chitose ordered. "Get a close-up of his face. He is sweating through his shirt. Perfect. Hold it right there."
She glanced at the secondary monitor on her desk. It showed the projected ad-revenue numbers for Shoowaysha Publishing. The numbers were climbing higher every single hour.
Pitching this show to Best Jeanist as an educational masterclass for young support engineers was the smartest thing she ever did. She thanked Kaito for that.
He completely bought into the teacher role. Meanwhile, she was going to turn it into the most dramatic reality show on television.
Down on the main stage, the set looked exactly like a high-end fashion runway.
Standing nervously in the dead center was an amateur support-gear designer.
He was a young guy wearing a messy flannel shirt. Next to him stood a plastic mannequin wearing a truly terrible hero costume. It was made entirely out of blue plastic tarps, heavy metal chains, and silver duct tape.
Sitting at the end of the runway was a massive, elegant throne made entirely out of dark woven denim.
Best Jeanist sat on the throne. He wore his signature high-collar denim suit. He looked incredibly serious and intensely focused on the bad costume.
Sitting right next to him at the long judge's table was Uwabami. She was a guest judge invited by Chitose and approved by Best Jeanist.
She looked stunning in a shimmering gold dress. She rested her chin on her hands and stared at the designer.
"Tell me, young man," Best Jeanist said. His voice echoed clearly through the studio microphones. "What exactly am I looking at?"
"Uh," the nervous designer swallowed hard. He grabbed the microphone stand. "It's a tactical infiltration suit. The chains provide heavy defense against blunt attacks, and the tarp is waterproof for rainy night patrols."
Best Jeanist slowly shook his head.
"It is a tragedy," Best Jeanist said firmly.
The studio audience let out a collective, dramatic gasp.
"You speak of defense, but you ignore basic safety," Jeanist continued, pointing a gloved finger at the heavy metal chains. "You wrapped a hero in thick steel. Do you know what happens if they fight a villain with an electric Quirk? Your hero becomes a giant lightning rod. They will fry inside that suit."
The poor designer flinched. He looked like he wanted to sink into the floor.
"And the plastic," Jeanist sighed, gesturing to the messy blue tarp. "It does not breathe. If a hero wears that on a summer patrol, they will suffer severe heat exhaustion in under an hour. You are not protecting them. You are building them a trap."
"Ouch," Chitose laughed quietly up in the production booth. "Camera three, get the tears in his eyes. He's about to crack."
Down on the stage, Uwabami picked up her microphone.
"I have to agree with Jeanist," Uwabami chimed in. She gave the designer a perfectly practiced, sympathetic smile. "Let's talk about the business side. You can't sell an action figure wrapped in duct tape."
The crowd let out a mix of quiet laughs and shocked murmurs.
"Children want bold colors," Uwabami explained calmly. "They want clean lines. Corporate sponsors want a hero who looks good on a billboard. This suit looks like a garbage bag. I couldn't even put this in a cheap shampoo commercial as a joke."
Best Jeanist leaned forward, resting his hands on the table.
"A hero must inspire absolute trust and elegance," Best Jeanist delivered his final verdict. "Your design lacks safety. It lacks marketability. And above all, it lacks denim."
The audience completely erupted into cheers and loud applause.
"I am sorry," Best Jeanist said, pointing straight toward the dark backstage exit. "But you are not the right fit for this runway. You are eliminated."
The defeated designer hung his head.
He grabbed the base of his mannequin and slowly pushed it off the stage, walking toward the exit.
Up in the booth, Chitose kicked her feet up onto the desk.
"Cut!" Chitose yelled into her headset.
The stage lights dimmed slightly.
"Floor team, listen to me," Chitose ordered, dropping her coffee cup on the desk. "Run and grab that kid before he hits the parking lot. Shove him into the Confessional Room and ask him how much he misses his mom. I want close-up shots of him crying for the commercial teaser. Get a camera in his face right now."
_-_-_-_-_
Support the journey here:
patreon.com/Dr_Chad
(9 Advanced Chapters)