kscans

Chapter 161 - A Man's Tears

Dinner finished after nearly an hour. Now, the three of us are out on the veranda enjoying an after dinner smoke.

"...You're one stubborn guy."

"Look who's talking."

"Excuse me. If you're going to talk business, could you please go home?"

""We're sorry.""

We were just having a little chat. Geez, such workaholics. Well, that aside, the question is what to do with these old guys. I wonder if there is some good way to lower their psychological resistance. I mean, I could gradually wear it down by having them listen to music or watch videos. I could, but that would take far too long. If I am going to do this, I want to chip away at it aggressively.

(...Ah.)

I suddenly remembered our exchange from earlier today.

'My smartphone is the same. I keep my work phone locked, but my personal one, you know.'

'Mhm. I have a lock on it, but I gave my wife the password to show her I have nothing to hide.'

That is what the two of them had said. I imagine that is why they can leave their phones out in the open where their wives can see them. It is not that they are incapable of being secretive. They could hide things if they really wanted to. These two are big shots at their company, after all. You cannot climb the corporate ladder with sincerity alone. There will inevitably be times when you need to lie, to deceive yourself and others. If these two got serious, they could easily keep a mistress or two without anyone finding out.

(The reason they don't is because they strive to be sincere in their private lives.)

They are not being entirely straightforward with their wives. That is why they cannot dive headfirst into the idol fandom they are so captivated by that they would ask a subordinate for help. In that case, what if I could get them to experience the act of hiding things from their wives, bit by bit... Wouldn't that make things go more smoothly? Once we finished our cigarettes, I prompted the two of them back inside and opened up a major online shopping site.

"For now, how about we buy a portable music player?"

"What's this all of a sudden?"

"What do you mean? It's to listen to Love Pan's music."

A smartphone is more than enough for music, but these two cannot hide that. They can display their phones so openly because a smartphone can be used for guilty pleasures. A music player, however, is different. If it is a simple device just for listening to music, it should be fine. Though if it were a high-performance, multi-functional one that could play videos or connect to the internet, it might cross their line.

"Well, but still..."

"Higashi-san, Saijou-san, it's not like you're looking at Love Pan with lewd eyes, right?"

""Of course not!""

A fine response.

"Then it's fine, isn't it? I get it, okay? It's embarrassing to tell the wife you've shown your stoic side to for so many years that you're now into idols. But that's an embarrassment born from a man's petty pride, not from guilt, right?"

I am imprinting on them the idea that what they feel is embarrassment, not guilt.

"Of course, it'd be a different story if you were pouring in enough money to ruin yourselves."

That is not the case, is it? When I asked, they both immediately replied that they would stay within their allowance.

"Then there's even less of a problem, right?"

"Well, that may be so, but..."

"I'll pick out a cheap player that can only play music, and if you download the songs digitally, you can get the whole discography for a low price."

This is a redirection. The price is not actually that important, but when you are talking about being a fan, money is not an entirely unrelated topic. This allows me to plant the "excuse" of not spending much money in their minds. My plan is to use this excuse to lessen their resistance to other issues.

"Then again, it might be worth spending a bit more on the player. There are models that can play videos or surf the net. What do you think?"

I deliberately presented an option that would likely conflict with their personal rules. This is to make them aware that such things exist. By doing so, I make them focus on the non-guilty player I mentioned earlier, the one that only plays music, and lower the hurdle to purchasing it.

""Ah, no, the bare minimum is fine.""

See, the hurdle is lower now.

"The price would probably change by tens of thousands of yen, too."

"Yes. Just being able to listen to music is enough."

"Do you have any color preferences?"

""Black.""

...It is a simple choice. I sort of expected that.

"Okay, then this one looks good. Oh, it's on sale, so it's quite a bit cheaper."

I said it as if I just noticed, but that is not true. I did it on purpose.

"Hmm, in that case, maybe it's worth buying the CDs instead of downloading."

I encouraged them to buy the CDs, telling them that if they buy them here, they will get a discount, making it an even better deal. This is to implant the fact that they have bought physical Love Pan merchandise. A tangible object will likely leave a stronger impression on their consciousness than digital data.

"If you're embarrassed to take them home, I can hold on to the CDs for a while."

"Y, yes, that's true... Mm. I'll have you load the songs, and I suppose I'll have you hold on to the CDs for a short while."

"Sorry to trouble you."

"Not at all."

I clicked to buy two copies of every album currently out and every single not included on an album.

"I think they'll arrive tomorrow night, so I'll put the music on the players and bring them to the office the day after tomorrow."

""Sorry, you're a lifesaver.""

"Don't mention it."

I guess this is enough for today. If I push too hard, they will likely get cold feet, so I will stop my offensive for now.

"Well, we've finished eating, so how about we watch some videos? It seems they have an official channel."

"Ah, yes."

"...Please."

Ignoring the bashful old man, I went to Love Pan's official channel. I clicked "play all" and let the videos run.

"...They look like they're having fun."

"...Yeah."

"...They're shining so brightly."

"...Yeah."

The old guys just nodded along, saying little. It is a bit creepy. They are savoring this, really taking it all in. Can't you two enjoy this a little more casually?

(Still, they're taking this idol thing seriously.)

They are holding back. It would be bad if they went all out. They are suppressing their charm just enough to avoid attracting unwanted attention. However, even if they are holding back, they are not being flippant. They are being serious, sincere idols. I know what goes on behind the scenes, so I have never really gotten too close... but what do you know.

(Aren't they pretty good?)

I think I might seriously become a fan of these girls. Getting involved with them in real life would be a hassle, but a relationship as an idol on a screen and a fan does not sound so bad.

(I wonder if Higashi-san and Saijou-san have a favorite member?)

Curious, I turned to ask them... and was left speechless.

""...Hh.""

Are they crying...?

(Was there... a scene that would make you cry?)