C35

Chapter 35: The Agency's Decision

The two of them canceled the shoot, got into the car, and headed straight for the agency.

Outside the window, a fine rain fell quietly, and the raindrops dropping from the gray sky softly blurred the contours of the city.

There was no conversation inside the car; Kokona sat with her head bowed, her hands resting one over the other on her knees. Misaki kept her hands on the steering wheel, eyes fixed straight ahead, driving the car in silence.

Every time the wiper slid across the windshield, the blurred cityscape grew vivid for a single instant. But that, too, was immediately swallowed back up by the rain...

Before long, the car entered the agency's parking lot, enveloped in the quiet rain.

The two got out of the car and headed toward the entrance, their shoulders dampened by the drizzle. With her head bowed, Kokona followed silently behind Misaki.

As they entered the agency, a man walked out from the inner depths of the entrance.

"Good work today, Director Sudou."

"Ah, good work. ...Suzumura-san, good work to you too."

"......Good work to you."

Kokona gave a small bow.

Sudou looked at Kokona's state just once, then returned his gaze to Misaki.

"How was the shoot?"

"Kokona wasn't feeling well today, so I let the staff know we're wrapping it up here."

"Is that so. I'll contact the production staff later to apologize on my end as well."

"Thank you very much."

Misaki gave a slight bow.

"Regarding the video, then..."

"Yeah. We've set it up so we can review it over here."

Sudou's expression tightened slightly.

"I've checked it once already. I want the two of you to look at it as well."

"Understood."

When Misaki nodded, Sudou turned his back to the two of them.

"Let's head to the conference room. We'll talk after that."

"Yes."

Misaki replied, and Kokona followed right behind.

The three of them headed straight for the conference room located at the back of the agency.

Entering the conference room, Sudou placed a laptop on top of the table.

"This is the video sent to the agency."

Confirming that Misaki and Kokona directed their gazes toward the screen, Sudou pressed the play button.

Inside the screen, the classroom scene was projected. The figures of numerous students could be confirmed. Amidst them, another male student was casting words toward a single male student.

At first, it was unclear what was happening.

Yet, from the words reaching their ears, it became clear that this was something transmitting to those around them that Kokona's relationship had been a lie.

It wasn't merely stating facts.

The edges of those words were laced with a ring that drove the other person into a corner.

And right there, not only the students' expressions, but also the surrounding bustling murmurs, laughter, and words exchanged by someone could be clearly heard.

The footage vividly preserved the reactions of the human beings present in that place.

A single male student stood at the center of it all.

Right next to him, Kokona was reflected.

Kokona repeatedly tried to stop the male student hurling words at him.

Yet, without Kokona's voice trying to stop him reaching him, the male student's words continued.

Before long...

The male student targeted with the words asked Kokona a question.

A brief silence.

With her face painfully contorted, Kokona nodded as if conceding to it, and uttered words of apology.

The moment she did, the male student's expression changed.

He shook his entire body, as if desperately suppressing overflowing emotions from bursting out.

That figure was agonizing enough to tighten the chests of those watching.

Even so, the male student talked back with nothing.

After a while, the male student muttered softly.

"......Sorry."

Leaving behind only that, he grabbed his bag and hurried out of the classroom.

The closing door was reflected on the screen—and with that, the video ended.

Kokona remained bowed and unable to move, shaking her body as if having lost her voice.

Misaki stared at that state for a while before quietly opening her mouth.

"......Was this from the fake confession you mentioned earlier?"

"......"

There was no reply.

"Kokona?"

At that voice, Kokona's shoulders gave a start.

"......Yes."

She finally raised her face.

Yet, her eyes still lacked focus somewhere.

"Do you know who filmed this video?"

Kokona's expression tightened, her clenched fingers trembled, and her breathing grew shallow.

"......"

Even trying to say something, no voice came out, and Kokona tried repeatedly to regulate her breathing. Still, the tremors didn't subside.

...After a while.

"......I know... who."

A voice on the verge of fading finally returned in reply.

At that answer, Misaki didn't continue right away.

She looked at Kokona's face.

Remaining bowed, her shoulders trembled lightly.

Sensing something from that, Misaki knitted her brows slightly.

"......Is it a friend?"

In a trembling voice, Kokona slowly spoke the name.

"...Mei...ko..."

She replied in a strained, faint voice.

After uttering that name, Kokona remained bowed and unmoving.

After staring at Kokona's state for a while, Sudou turned his gaze toward Misaki.

"Uehara-san, it seems you're aware of the circumstances."

"......Yes."

"Can we talk somewhere else for a bit?"

"Understood."

Misaki cast her gaze toward Kokona.

Kokona remained bowed, saying nothing.

Misaki stared at that state for a while.

"Kokona, wait here for just a moment."

There was no reply.

Even so, Misaki said nothing further, returning her gaze to Sudou.

The two exited the room together.

◇

Moving to a meeting space in the back of the agency, Sudou halted his steps.

Making sure there were no people around, he turned back to face Misaki.

"So, how much do you grasp regarding that video?"

"Kokona... apparently made a fake confession to the victim student."

Misaki stopped her words right there once.

"And then..."

She lowered her gaze slightly.

"She said she hurt that boy terribly in front of their classmates... so that video seems to be from that time..."

"......I see."

Murmuring shortly, he dropped his gaze as if recalling the video's contents.

"Judging by the video, multiple students were reflected."

"......Yes."

"Have you heard anything regarding the students involved in this incident?"

"I only heard about it in the dressing room before coming back here, so I don't know the detailed specifics yet... I only heard that she did it together with her friends."

When Misaki answered thus, Sudou fell silent for a while.

Dropping his gaze, he placed a hand to his mouth as if pondering something.

Murmuring softly, Sudou returned his gaze to Misaki.

"Uehara-san, what did you think after seeing this video?"

"......"

Misaki couldn't answer immediately.

All she had heard from Kokona was the story about hurting that boy terribly in front of their classmates.

Yet, upon actually seeing the video, Misaki had gasped involuntarily.

The words directed at a single student, and the voices of students laughing as they watched.

The figure of Kokona standing at the center of it all.

It was a far more vicious spectacle than Misaki had imagined.

"......Honestly, more than I expected..."

Her words stopped there.

Misaki let out a small breath.

"......It was vicious."

Sudou nodded in silence.

"I think so too."

Exhaling shortly, Sudou dropped his gaze.

"......Still."

Furrowing his brows as if thinking, Sudou remained silent for a while.

"If it happened inside a school, it's fundamentally an issue between the school and the students."

Sudou continued quietly.

"Yet, it has reached all the way to us like this."

"......Indeed."

"We have to consider how to handle this video as an agency."

Misaki nodded in silence.

"First, let's confirm with the school."

"With the school?"

"Yeah... I'll ask if the school side is aware of this video's existence."

Sudou paused once.

"We don't know the intent of the person who sent the video."

"......Yes."

"That's precisely why leaving a gap of time is dangerous."

Sudou continued in a calm voice.

"If the school isn't aware of it yet, let's have them set up a place for discussion today."

"Right."

"We'll also hand over the video to the school side on the spot. Including the matter of the victimized student, let's talk about how to respond moving forward."

Misaki nodded quietly.

Seeing Misaki like that, Sudou paused for a brief moment.

"Uehara-san, could you go tell Suzumura-san about this?"

Misaki stared at Sudou's face for a split second.

"......Understood."

Answering thus, Misaki left Sudou's side and headed for the room where Kokona was.

◇

Returning to the room, Misaki stopped in front of Kokona.

"Kokona."

"...Yes."

Kokona replied in a small voice, head bowed.

Misaki didn't speak up right away.

"......First, there's something I want to tell you."

Kokona slowly raised her face.

"That video from just now... as an agency, we've decided to submit it to the school."

"...To the school?"

"Yeah."

Kokona's gaze wavered.

"We need the school side to verify what happened this time around, too."

"...Yes."

"And, rather than the school verifying everything from scratch, I think it's better to convey what we already know from the start."

Misaki paused for a brief moment.

"So... could you tell me the names of the kids involved in this incident?"

"......"

Kokona's expression tightened, her fingertips twitching slightly in her lap. Misaki silently waited without rushing Kokona as she repeatedly started to open her mouth only to close it again.

Before long, Kokona let out a trembling breath.

"...I understand."

Kokona slowly raised her face and spoke the names of the students involved in the fake confession.

Misaki wrote down the names one by one on her notepad, and upon finishing writing them all down, she laid down her pen and returned her gaze to Kokona.

"......Thank you."

Misaki let out a small breath.

"And you know, Kokona."

"Yes."

"We still don't know how the school side will judge this matter. So at this stage, we don't know what kind of disciplinary action Kokona will face either."

"...Yes."

"However, I think you'll receive some form of disciplinary action from the school."

Misaki cut her words off there once.

"That's not all."

Kokona looked at Misaki in silence.

"There's also a possibility you won't be able to continue your modeling work while you're a student."

"......"

"As an agency, we'll also be considering our future course of action based on this incident."

Kokona said nothing for a while, keeping her head bowed; after slowly letting out a breath, she quietly raised her face.

"......Even so, I don't mind."

Misaki stared at Kokona.

"Really?"

"...Yes."

Kokona gave a small nod.

"Because it's something I did..."

Her voice was trembling.

Yet, this time she didn't avert her eyes.

Misaki stared at Kokona for a while, then eventually gave a small nod.

"......Understood."

◇

Sudou remained alone in the meeting space.

"Haa..."

Exhaling lightly, he leaned his body against the back of the chair.

Recalling the contents of the video he'd seen moments earlier, Sudou thought about how to respond moving forward.

If the video spread across SNS and was exposed all the way to the agency along with Kokona Suzumura's name, it wouldn't end as a matter concerning just the individual herself.

Work-related parties and corporate clients would demand explanations, and for jobs already decided, they would be pressed for future responses.

Furthermore, if the agency's management system itself came into question, the impact would extend even to affiliated models other than Suzumura.

That was precisely why whether the video had already spread across SNS at the present point in time was crucial.

To the extent searched previously under Kokona Suzumura's name, no traces of the video spreading could be confirmed.

However, given that the video had been sent to the agency, at the very least it was known that the video had left the hands of those involved.

That was why confirming the factual relations had to come first.

Moving after organizing necessary information, including the presence or absence of a leak.

Sudou let out a slow breath.

As for Suzumura-san, this wasn't something to judge based on personal emotions.

How this incident would be treated contractually.

To what extent the agency would bear responsibility.

They could just judge that in accordance with regulations after confirming the factual relations.

Sudou slowly straightened his posture as if switching his thoughts.

And then, he started thinking about the person who had sent the video.

He didn't know what reasons they had, but if the person who filmed it themselves had sent it in—

Without changing his expression, Sudou slightly adjusted the position of his glasses with his index finger.

...Far too reckless.

Treating an organization like a modeling agency as an extension of their own games.

However, society wasn't that forgiving.

Turning to the agency's PC, he searched for the school name.

Confirming the main phone number displayed on the official website, Sudou noted it down at hand.

Taking out his smartphone, he entered the noted number.

Checking the number displayed on the screen once, Sudou pressed the call button.