Chapter 564 - Commoners Wouldn't Understand
Tuesday
"Mio-chan, I'm leaving Shota to you."
Yes.
"Miki, if Shota messes up, let me know."
"Mm-hmm."
...When my sister Mashiro said that, I felt a bit resentful, but saying anything now would be a hassle, so I ignored it.
My sister Mashiro was returning to the dorm a little early to take on the kimono model job that her roommate Season-san had asked her for. We were here to see her off.
I thought she'd be going all the way to Ishikawa again, but apparently, there's a branch here, and the filming would be done there.
"See ya!"
With that, my sister Mashiro passed through the ticket gate, and we watched until she disappeared from sight.
Next was Mion's real-life recording, but even accounting for travel, we had plenty of time, so we planned to have an early lunch and relax.
"Alright, let's go too."
Yes.
"Mm!"
We moved to the drop-off point where Tsubaki-san was waiting.
As usual, I tried to get into the back seat...
"""Eh?"""
"Shota-kun, Miki-chan, long time no see. First, get in."
Mion's mother, Shizuku-san, was waiting.
Also, Mion seemed surprised too, so it didn't seem like she was with her when she arrived.
Anyway, once we got in,
Departing.
Tsubaki-san's voice echoed over the speaker.
The car slowly started moving, and once it reached a steady speed,
"Today's recording location has changed."
We looked at each other's faces at her words.
"Um, wasn't it enough to just tell Tsubaki-san?"
"The location was the problem. It was scheduled for the headquarters studio, but it changed to the Rokujo Group Chairman's Residence studio."
"Huh?"
Why would that happen?
"Are there rogues trying to peek at the real face of the highly anticipated new virtual idol, Mion?"
"Yes, just as Miki-chan said."
It wasn't that the schedule had leaked, but apparently, there were media staking out the Rokujo Group headquarters building.
"Ehh..."
"Mio is a minor, so it would be a legal violation the moment they published an article about her, but it wouldn't feel good, would it?"
We all nodded at her words.
Laws protecting personal information are especially strict for minors, but hearing that there are still fools out there was disheartening.
"Rokujo also sensed this, and so the recording location had to be changed suddenly."
"I see."
And the new location was the Rokujo Group Chairman's Residence studio.
It was an incredible response, but it also showed how much consideration they were giving us.
"Hmm. Is this car alright?"
"After lunch, we'll switch to a car arranged by Rokujo, so it's fine."
Shizuku-san smiled.
Miki noticing the car was impressive, but it seemed countermeasures were already in place for that too.
"Tsubaki also heard, right?"
Yes. Understood.
Lunch afterward would be at an expensive hotel, and a car would pick them up from there. And everyone would ride in that car.
"Hm? Does that mean Shizuku-san too?"
"Yes. Since we're visiting the Rokujo Chairman's Residence, it would be rude for me not to be there."
She said the Chairman himself might be there.
Well, it's his own house, so it wouldn't be strange for him to be there.
If anything, the fact that there was a studio was more surprising, but commoners wouldn't understand what rich people think...
.........
......
...
"Everyone, please come this way."
GM Choco guided us.
I wondered if it was okay for the IRO operations team, but apparently, it was out of consideration that fewer people involved with me and Mion should be present.
By the way, Shizuku-san was guided by Misha P to greet the Chairman. Good luck to her.
"Mion-san, please come this way."
Ito-san was in charge of the recording, so Mion went into the studio's recording booth.
"Okay. Just like always, alright?"
"Mm"
I squeezed Mion's hand, hoping it would encourage her. She seemed nervous.
Even so... the warm gazes from around me stung.
"Ah, please, have a seat. The sound here won't reach the recording booth or the equipment booth, so feel free to chat."
Miki and I sat on a wide, large sofa, in a spot where we could see Mion clearly.
Drinks were available freely from the refrigerator in the corner of the room.
"I also have GM duties, so I'll be in a separate room. If you have any problems, please use this intercom."
And with that, she left. She must be busy after all.
"Would you like something to drink?"
Before I could answer Tsubaki-san's question, Miki went over there, and the two of them started checking the contents of the refrigerator.
I wondered about that, but well, perhaps it was fine in this location.
"Brother, will tea be alright?"
"Yeah. I'll leave it to you."
As a result, Miki and I made the safe choice of bottled green tea.
Beyond the thick soundproof glass, Mion was probably in a meeting with Ito-san?
As I thought about how professional it looked, with them discussing the musical score, an old woman appeared.
"Young guests, I brought some snacks."
The old woman placed a box of Western sweets she was carrying on the low table in front of us.
"Thank you very much."
""Thank you very much.""
Following Tsubaki-san, Miki and I both thanked her, and she smiled and sat next to Miki.
I felt like she was about the same age as my grandma, but if my guess was correct, this person was the Chairman...
"Let's all eat together, okay? Oh, there's some for her too, so don't worry."
"Ah, yes."
What came out of the box was mango pudding?
It was incredibly expensive-looking, in a ceramic dish.
The old woman seemed to be expecting us to say it was delicious... I thought I should probably eat it right away, when,
"Ah, there you are after all."
"Ah..."
Misha P showed a relieved expression, while the old woman looked chagrined.
"I apologize for our Chairman. Come on, Chieri-chan, UZUME's President is waiting for you."
"Eh~? Can't I eat this first?"
"That's for later! Excuse me. Could you please put that in the refrigerator?"
"Uh, yes."
With that, the old woman, the Chairman, finally seemed convinced, waving her hand and saying, "See you later," as Misha P apologized and led her out of the room.
As expected, commoners wouldn't understand what rich people think...