For someone that powerful, her mother's problems were nothing more than a phone call. Mai watched Seiji's profile and sighed inwardly.
...
Seiji's people moved faster than she'd expected.
Ten minutes.
That was all it took before Mai's phone rang.
The caller ID showed her mother.
She glanced at Seiji.
"Answer it." He shrugged.
Mai pressed accept and held the phone to her ear. "...Hello, Mama."
"Mai! Mai! Listen to me!" Her mother's voice came through frantic, breathless, a completely different person from the cold, pressuring woman of a few hours ago.
"Just now... just now the bank and all those debt collectors called to apologize! They said... said all the debts are cleared! The agency's been restored! What... what happened?! Did you... did you get involved with someone important?!"
Shock in her mother's voice.
But beneath it, unmistakable greed. The hungry excitement of someone who'd just caught the scent of real money.
"How much... how much did he give? If he's this capable, couldn't you... ask for more? We suffered so much, we deserve this..."
The shock gave way to naked calculation. Not a single word of concern. Not a single question about what price her daughter had paid.
Those words drove through Mai's chest like an ice pick.
She held the phone, lips trembling, unable to speak.
Seiji reached over and took the phone from her hand.
"Hello?"
"Ah! Who is... who is this?" Her mother's voice instantly turned fawning, careful.
Seiji's tone was flat. "Goods delivered, payment received. Don't bother her again."
He hung up and tossed the phone back onto Mai's lap.
Thud.
A small sound. But inside Mai, it hit like thunder.
Goods delivered, payment received.
Mai picked up the phone in silence.
Yes. From now on, apart from the devil beside her, she had nowhere left to go.
...
The car pulled into a luxury residence in Roppongi Hills.
At the penthouse, Seiji didn't touch her again. He simply ordered a waiting maid to take her to a guest room.
"Get her cleaned up. Have her change into what's been prepared."
Under the maid's polite escort, Mai entered a bathroom bigger than her entire old apartment.
In the massive mirror, she saw herself. Lips swollen. Body covered in bruises and marks.
She soaked in the tub until the water went cold.
Her first night passed in anxiety, confusion, and humiliation.
...
The next morning.
Mai stepped out of her room.
On the enormous smart TV that dominated the living room wall, news about her was everywhere.
Yahoo Japan's headline: [National Child Star Mai Sakurajima Makes Shocking Comeback! Signs with Genesis Group's New Label!]
Fuji TV's morning segment was breathlessly recapping her childhood career and speculating about her future.
Her own phone buzzed nonstop with push notifications and social media mentions.
This wasn't magic. It was a carefully orchestrated information blitz, powered overnight by massive capital.
A young maid walked in carrying breakfast. The moment she saw Mai's face, she nearly dropped the tray.
"Sakurajima... Mai Sakurajima-san! I'm such a huge fan! I've been following you since your child acting days! You're finally back! This is amazing!"
Stars in her eyes. Voice shaking with excitement.
But she'd seen Mai just last night. Hadn't recognized her then.
So the world could "see" her again.
"...Thank you for your support." Mai wore her professional smile while thinking it through.
Seiji sat on a nearby sofa, sipping coffee and flipping through the morning paper. The front page featured a large photo of her, stunning and polished.
After Mai calmed down the excited fan-maid, she looked at the version of herself on TV, radiant, confident, career on the rise, then back at the man on the sofa.
She exhaled. Her expression was complicated. Relief and loss in equal measure.
"Looks like you understand your new position." Seiji spoke up. "Good. Since you accepted the deal, it's time to start delivering value as the product."
He paused, then pointed at the floor in front of him.
"I like to start my mornings clear-headed. Come here."
Mai's body stiffened for a fraction of a second.
As a former child star who'd grown up in the entertainment industry, she understood exactly what that meant.
But she hesitated for only a moment before walking over.
She undid the ties of her nightgown as she went. The silk slid down her skin and pooled at her feet.
"Good initiative." Seiji approved.
"...Excuse me."
Mai bent her knees and knelt on the cold marble floor.
Seiji looked down.
Her dark hair slipped from her shoulders, hiding her expression, leaving only the graceful curve of her neck visible.
"Eyes up." He ordered.
A faint tremor ran through her, but she obeyed. Those beautiful eyes, still as frozen water, met his.
This was what Seiji wanted. Not frantic resistance. Compliance with full awareness.
"Good." He chuckled softly, tilting her chin up with one finger. "Keep serving me this well from now on, Mai. Understood?"
"Mm."
A nasal hum. She was careful not to let her teeth touch.
...
...
Days later, the news of former national idol Mai Sakurajima's explosive comeback had completely taken over Japan's entertainment industry.
Minami Mori saw the Genesis Group-backed coverage from her car and understood immediately.
She laughed softly, eyes glinting with admiration. "Another one?"
"And a beautiful child star at that. Mai Sakurajima."
"Fujiwara-sensei's taste and methods are sharp as ever."
She didn't care how many women he had. If anything, it only confirmed that clinging to him was the right choice.
Minami swiped the news away without a second thought.
...
Meanwhile.
In the practice room at Asami Entertainment, Mutsumi also saw the flood of coverage about Mai Sakurajima.
She already understood Seiji's habits, so this wasn't a surprise.
Still, her eyes dimmed for just a moment when she saw the headlines.
She'd known about Mai Sakurajima. A fairly famous child star, composed and striking. Mutsumi had quietly followed her career.
She just hadn't expected Seiji to claim her too.
Sigh...
A small exhale.
From then on, Mutsumi made a point of avoiding Mai at the company. No eye contact. Whenever she spotted her in a hallway or practice room, she'd quietly turn and walk the other way.
Mai noticed. She wasn't offended. If anything, she was relieved.
She felt the same awkwardness. She had no idea how to face this girl who shared the same secret, the same man.
This mutual avoidance, this unspoken understanding, was probably the best either of them could manage right now.
...
...
Tokyo.
TBS Television's flagship interview show, Face of the Era, was broadcasting live.
The studio blazed with light. The atmosphere was electric.
The host, veteran broadcaster Masakazu Tamura, known for his razor tongue and sharp instincts, wore an unusually warm expression tonight.
Because tonight's guests were too big to needle.
Following Asami Entertainment's aggressive push, former national child star Mai Sakurajima had returned from years of silence with an unstoppable momentum. And the company had made a decision that stunned the industry, pairing her with their mysterious in-house prodigy Mutsumi Wakaba as a "Twin Stars" duo for a joint marketing campaign.
Tonight was their first public appearance together.
When the two sat side by side on the sofa, the entire studio seemed to hold its breath.
Mai wore a tailored black strapless cocktail dress, legs elegantly crossed. Those legs that countless magazines had called "national treasures" were wrapped in sheer black stockings, every line taut and flawless under the stage lights.
Her face held the polished, battle-tested professional smile. Not a hair out of place.
Like a black diamond, every facet radiating intelligence, professionalism, and pride.
Beside her, Mutsumi was the opposite extreme.
A simple white dress with no embellishments, which only made her pale skin look more translucent. She sat quietly, pale green hair draped over her shoulders with a hint of artful dishevelment, long bangs hiding her brows, making those gold eyes look even deeper.
The show proceeded smoothly.
"Sakurajima-san, Wakaba-san, congratulations on forming this exciting partnership," Tamura said, glancing at his cue cards with his trademark affable grin. "I think every viewer at home is as curious as I am, when the company decided to pair you two, what was your first impression of each other?"
"Especially you, Mai-san, as the returning senpai, do you feel any pressure facing such a talented newcomer?"
The camera locked onto Mai.
Her smile didn't waver. It brightened.
"Pressure? Of course!" She gave a playful wink to the camera, then turned to the host with a voice full of energy. "Mutsumi-chan is basically our company's secret weapon!"
A touch of exaggeration in her delivery that drew a warm laugh from the audience. "Honestly, the first time I heard Mutsumi-chan's music, I was genuinely shocked. I thought, wow, so geniuses really do exist!"
While speaking, she leaned naturally toward Mutsumi and gave her hand a friendly pat on the knee.
"But once you get to know Mutsumi-chan, you realize that even though she's not great with words, she's actually a really gentle and pure person."
"Being able to work with someone like her, I feel honored. And I'm really looking forward to what we can create together!"
Flawless. Praised her partner, showed humility, demonstrated team spirit. A textbook idol answer.
"Wonderful!" Tamura nodded approvingly. No wonder she debuted as a child. Smooth as silk.
He turned to the other focal point. "Now then, it's your turn, Mutsumi-chan. What was your first impression of Mai-san, this dazzling senpai?"
Every camera, every light, every pair of eyes in the building focused on the girl in white.
The studio fell into expectant silence.
"...Bright." Mutsumi said softly.
"Huh?" The host blinked.
Mai immediately picked up the thread, "translating" for the audience with a laugh. "What Mutsumi-chan means is that I'm like a little sun, bright and full of energy! She's just not great at being direct, right, Mutsumi-chan?"
She nudged Mutsumi gently with her elbow.
Mutsumi looked at her. A beat of silence. Then a small nod.
"Ohhhh!"
The audience erupted. Squeals of "So cute!" and "I can't!" filled the studio.
Tamura laughed heartily. "A-ha! I see! One like the sun, one like the moon! The name 'Twin Stars' really is perfect for you two! This contrast is going to steal hearts across Japan!"
The show's graphics team instantly splashed [A Bond Like No Other!] and [The Sun and Moon Resonate!] across the screen in sparkling text.
One radiant and vibrant. One quiet and ethereal.
One blazing. One still.
This pairing of light and shadow detonated the internet within ten minutes of broadcast.
Yahoo forums, Twitter trending, 2ch threads, every platform was flooded.
"Oh my god! This is Asami Entertainment's trump card?! Mai-chan is as perfect as ever!"
"Who's the girl in white? Mutsumi Wakaba? She's gorgeous! That otherworldly aura, she can't be human!"
"Black and white, motion and stillness, this duo is INSANE! Mom's asking why I'm watching TV on my knees!"
"Are they angels descended from heaven?! I'm officially Twin Stars fan #1 starting TODAY!"
Endless praise and awe pushed the two girls to the top of every trending list.
Media outlets crowned them "The Most Anticipated Twin Stars of the Reiwa Era"... a once-in-a-century treasure of the entertainment world.
But no one knew.
These "untouchable angels" in the public eye had their strings held firmly in the hands of the same man.
[Read 50+ chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/NiaXD]