The night before our meeting with Takamura, Sora and I were on a call to rehearse what she was going to say to keep all the attention directed at her while Koyori hacked the computer.
"Are you sure this'll keep his attention on me?"
"Koyori said that 5 minutes would be enough for her to gain access. Surely that much is no problem for you."
"I'm glad you have a lot of faith in me, but what if Takamura decides to shut me down?"
"From what we know Takamura has a slight obsession with you, I doubt he will do anything to drive you away."
"If you say so."
"Relax, I will be with you. You will be safe."
"Swear on that, god knows what will happen if we get caught."
After another round of rehearsal, the call ended and I went to work on the stacks of paper beside me.
The plan to hack the server was all well and good, but I needed to look further ahead. Once the hack was over, we would have a small window of time to strike and counter. So planning ahead was essential.
"Just a few more and we can finally clear the air of these antis."
Turning on my computer, I got to worm until my eyes began to droop. Only when the last piece of paper had landed on the top of the stack did I finally call it a day and went to bed.
Finally, loose ends were being taken care of, slowly, but surely.
When the morning came, I quickly learned that I had underestimated my fatigue greatly. I managed to wake myself up with a shower, but I still felt groggy during breakfast and since I had little time left, I had no choice but to bear it for the time being.
I slipped into one of the suits that Sora demanded I buy and headed to where she and Raya Glass were waiting to explain the inner workings of Takamura's workplace while making sure we were all set to pull the hack off.
A bit unneeded honestly, but I appreciated it solely for the fact I could gulp down a cup of coffee to fully wake me up for the next few hours.
"So you guys have to do those sexual acts?"
"Yes, it's what we signed up for. Not all of us love doing it, but if we wished to stay, we had no other choice."
"That's horrible. That's… that's not how idols are supposed to act."
"I agree, however, Takamura never desired for us to be actual idols, only mere imitations to cash in on the sudden surge of vtubers."
"But you can be a vtuber without being an idol. Why go this route?"
"Simple, it was the only way he could grab hold of Hololive."
More like Sora, Hololive was merely competition. If they weren't an idol group, Sora would never show interest, only way to pluck her was to play the same game as her.
"He wants Hololive too?"
"I can't say, it seems to be the case though. Takamura is the type to enjoy destroying his competitors and then snatching their employees for himself. He says it's more fun to slowly pluck away at people until they realise they have nothing left."
"So him wanting me to be a part of his group is not even the end of it."
"Yes, that may very well be the case."
"Scum. We can't let him get away with this."
It seems we were all on the same page. Failing would result in not just Sora being taken by Takamura, but the whole of Hololive would be stomped out of existence, I didn't even want to think about what would happen to the talents, lest I made my coffee taste disgusting. This hack needed to succeed no matter what.
Once it neared the time of the meeting, Raya led us to Takamura's office. According to her, she set up the meeting by telling her boss that she bumped into Sora on the street and managed to convince her to check out Virtuo if Hololive was to go under. Takamura believed this and blocked out some time for us to meet face-to-face.
"Never thought he would be so simple."
I said, making Sora pump out her chest in pride while also letting a smug smirk form on her lips.
"Well we needed some alibi, so I gave her my number and talked to Takamura over the phone to arrange the meeting."
"How come I never got wind of this part of the plan?"
"I didn't think it was necessary, you never cared for the details since all that matters is that we got one."
"Well… I suppose that is true."
While I was a bit annoyed that I hadn't known of such a crucial step of the plan, it was not the time to reprimand her. So I let it slide considering how successful they had been.
"Well, so long as it worked."
"Yeah."
We soon arrived at Takamura's office. Raya Glass knocked on the door and waited for a few seconds before a sickeningly familiar voice rang from the other side.
"Come in."
Raya then looked back at us and nodded, so I turned on the hacking phone before letting Raya open the double doors.
In the years that had passed for me, this was the first time I saw him again.
His dirty, blonde, messy hair. His emerald eyes that reeked with greed and lust. His figure that demanded worship from us. It was all still there, sitting behind a large wooden desk.
"Ah, Ms Tokino, welcome."
His voice, that venomous, deep voice, it irritated me. But lashing out would ruin everything, so I controlled myself and bowed along with Sora.
"It is nice to see you again, Mr Takamura."
"Likewise, I am looking forward to our meeting today. I hope we get to learn much about each other."
He then glanced at me.
"And this is?"
"My bodyguard, is it alright if he stays with me during the meeting?"
I had doubted that such a request would be okay with Takamura, normally bodyguards would wait outside, so I had become anxious about the response.
"I see no problem with that. Please sit."
What a relief, I was expecting to get kicked out. Takamura really wanted Sora to like him it seemed.
With pleasantries out of the way, the two sat across each other while I stood behind Sora.
"So Ms Tokino, I heard that you are now considering in joining us?"
"That's right, with what's been happening in Hololive, it's been difficult to make a living and from what I've heard… we may not recover."
"It must have been difficult for you. You have my sympathies."
"Thank you. I love Hololive, but I don't wish to give up my dreams as an idol and I don't believe I can do that on my own."
"Well, I assure you I will do everything in my power to help you achieve your aspirations."
The two would continue to discuss the position, and truthfully, I was impressed with Sora, she knew what to ask like how much donations she would keep or what percentage of goods sales would she get. Whether it was experience or she learned it from Raya Glass, I didn't know, but I was glad she was prepared, made her seem more experienced and reliable and made my job easier.
"By the way Ms Tokino, how is the Hololive group doing at the moment?"
"Huh? Oh… well, we're hanging in there, but like I said, it's increasingly becoming more difficult to continue."
"No no, I didn't mean the company. I meant the talents."
"The girls? Well, they're doing ok, they were never the outdoorsy type of people so they can easily live without doing much."
"I see and do you believe they reflect your ideal?"
"Excuse me?"
"Do you believe they are a reflection of your ideal idol? As you know, idols are meant to be shining beacons that lead people to paradise. Goddesses that are untouched and uncorrupted by the world. People who are revered and loved by all."
"Right, and what does that have to do with my friends?"
"With all honesty Ms Tokino, I don't believe that anyone in Hololive other than yourself is an idol."
Sora's lips tightened for a few moments but she managed to reply in a calm manner.
"I can see why you would say that, but we don't emphasise that sort of image. In Hololive, an idol is someone who can make people smile, laugh and have fun. We don't want to be seen as goddesses."
Takamura chuckled before telling Sora that such a vision was nothing more than a childish ideal: Foolish and naive.
This obviously didn't sit well with Sora, the look in her eyes darkened, her brows furrowed and her smile disappeared.
"Ms Tokino, this might be hard to hear, but I must emphasise that if an idol decides to be a normal person then it takes away their beauty. I believe you are destined for so much more, so long as you leave Hololive and join us."
Before any more words could be exchanged, Raya Glass interjected, reminding Takamura that this was hardly the time to discuss such values since Sora had yet to agree to the proposal and that he should mind his tone.
Whether it was a realisation or an act, Takamura did back off and apologised to Sora for belittling her group, though I didn't buy into it. He definitely meant what he said in an effort to rile her up.
Knowing she was heated, Raya Glass proposed they take a short break to get some fresh air and just in time as well since I felt the phone vibrate in my pocket, so I used the break as an excuse to go out, saying I would go bring them refreshments. I would've been more reluctant to leave if Sora was on her own, but Raya Glass stayed behind so I left Sora's safety and mentality with her.
Hiding behind a flight of stairs I checked the phone and saw an icon of Ms Hakui giving a thumbs up.
"That took longer than expected, nevertheless, it's finished. Better wrap up here then."
I left the steps and made my way back to the others, but not before grabbing someone to bring the three some light snacks and drinks.
Once I got there I told Sora it was time to go, so she quickly bolted to her feet.
"I see, well I guess we better go."
"Hmm? Is there somewhere you need to be?"
"Yes, I have dance lessons today."
"Oh, you're still practising."
"Of course, streaming aside, I have to keep in shape. The others too, they're ensuring they're not falling behind so that anytime we're needed on the stage, we're in top shape."
This girl couldn't help but dig that into him, a testament to how much Takamura's slander angered her.
"I see, well, best of luck to all of you and I do wish to see you again."
Sora flashed him a small forced smile and bowed before exiting the room. I too bowed to him before quickly following Sora. Raya Glass would then also come with us to the exit and into an alley a couple of blocks away where Sora then let out her frustration on a wall by kicking it.
"That jerk! He just kept on talking like he knew everything! Idols are goddesses. Like hell we are! We're just regular people with regular lives damn it!"
"Sora…"
"Ahhh I wanted to punch him so bad, but I knew I couldn't or else we'd get kicked out."
Raya Glass then wrapped her arms around Sora before complimenting her self-control and comforting her by telling her it was over.
"Don't listen to that bastard, he knows nothing about idols, he only looks at them as money makers after all."
"I don't know how you can work with that guy Raya."
"It's difficult, but for my own mission, I have to."
"I'll make sure he pays. And now that we hacked into the servers, we can start our counterattack."
"Speaking of the hack."
I could feel them turn to me, curious to know the results of the hack.
"It was a success, I will go talk to Ms Hakui about it, then relay the info to you two in a call tonight."
Sora glared at me, questioning why I couldn't share it then and there, so I explained that I would rather ensure the hacking went perfectly fine rather than give false hopes based on a thumbs-up icon.
They understood and we all decided to split up for the rest of the day, something I'm sure that Sora needed after what she had to listen to.
I later met up with Koyori at the office where we discussed the results of the hack. She came with largely good news, showing me how we can now basically shut down the entire set of servers with a single click of a button.
"Did you leave any trace?"
"Nope, it's all clean."
"Surprising considering their security must have been top-notch."
"Yeah, that's why it took longer than expected, but hey, it's done now right?"
"Yes, it is."
"Good, now you only have one chance, I doubt we'll be able to pull this off again."
She wasn't wrong, there was no way Takamura would allow another hack to occur once we were done. Luckily, we didn't need to worry about a retry.
"Not to worry, I already have a plan to ensure Hololive is cleansed. That said, did you prepare that other thing?"
"Hmm? Oh right, yeah I'll get it done soon."
"Perfect, meanwhile I can prepare the next step."
"Which is?"
"A re-debut."
Koyori hummed unsurprised. She most likely guessed my plan based on the requests I had been dumping on her regarding the technology I planned to use for Hololive.
"Well, I doubt it will go wrong with you at the helm."
"... You sure are confident with me."
"You haven't failed us yet, of course I will be confident."
How touching, and useful too. Having such confidence in me meant she was more willing than not to aid me in situations where I would need a technology expert.
"I better not fail then."
"Yep, you shouldn't."
Later that night, I called both Sora and Raya Glass to discuss what I had in mind.
"Re-debut only Sora?"
"Correct, by only having her debut it lessens the risk of a surge of antis and concentrates them only to her."
"And how exactly is that a good idea?"
"Because we can get rid of both antis and the bots with ease."
Raya Glass didn't seem convinced with my plan, she expressed the risks behind only letting one person re-debut and was concerned for Sora's mental safety. However, I assured her Sora would not see the comments and only need to perform.
Realising she couldn't poke holes in the plan further, Raya Glass turned to Sora to ask for her opinion on the matter and became speechless when Sora answered rather nonchalantly.
"I'm sure he knows what he's doing."
"Huh?"
Such a simple answer yet it painted quite the picture. I could easily imagine her mouth hanging open on the other side of the call. She probably expected some form of protest from Sora, but considering what Sora already knew about me, the likelihood of that happening was definitely going to be low.
"I know that there are some risks but Rio knows what he's doing, I've known him long enough not to be so worried."
Not much of a compliment, but I suppose it got the point across.
"Well if you say so, I'll trust you two."
"Thanks Raya."
We would end the call shortly after and I would once again drown myself in paperwork, leaving yet another night be nothing but preparations.
It took far too long for this opportunity to arise, so much back and forth, waiting months for a slither of progress.
Now that was about to change, this one act was going to blow open an entire hole in Takamura's plan and give Hololive the stepping stone needed to take their place back on the map.
But that was only going to be possible if I could finish the papers. And that was possible with a last spurt and several cups of coffee.
A couple of days later, Hololive officially announced the re-debut which quickly garnered waves of attention from everyone on the internet. Not a single soul wouldn't have heard about this revival. However, while we got the needed attention, we needed to make sure our targets also had their eyes on us, so we continued to wait for a few more weeks to allow the information to spread.
During that time of waiting, we prepped the equipment and Sora's script. Furthermore, to make sure we did things by the book and test the limits of what we could do, I gathered A and Sora to discuss the details of the re-debut.
"I believe that a 3D debut would work the best. Is that alright A?"
A nodded in response, saying since the studios are unused with all that has been happening getting it ready wouldn't be a problem.
"So what am I doing for the re-debut?"
"The same thing you did when you first debuted, you will be re-introducing yourself and performing a short concert for them."
"That's it? That's a bit… simple, don't you think?"
"For an idol's revival, it is more than enough. Besides, this is also to test the waters and see how safe it is to return to the spotlight. While there is a chance you will have your supporters, there is also a chance you will have your opposers who are not bots. It is better to err at the side of caution in this instance."
"I guess so."
A then interjected and asked me how I planned to rally the bots and antis, which I explained there really was no need to exert any effort, they were going to come on their own. After all, a revival stage was a big enough stage to attack, I was sure they would attack.
"All well and good, but do you honestly think we could flag every single user who's an anti if they're gonna come in hundreds?"
"Of course not, I requested from Ms Hakui a device which can aid in that endeavour."
"Koyori is a part of this plan."
"Yes, she was more than happy to lend her expertise and create a software which would filter out the negative comments. So you have no need to strain your eyes reading through comments."
"How nice."
A slight slither of sarcasm laced her words, but I let slide considering the weight of the performance. It was stressful for everyone, especially for who had no choice but wait the entire time.
"Well, still with me?"
"Of course, we've come this far. Why stop now?"
I was glad to hear that, so I decided to toss them a bone and alleviate some of their stress.
Reaching to the chair beside me, I pulled out a stack of papers and placed it in front of the two. It wasn't a large stack, at least a small booklet's worth.
A read through the contents and her eyes widened when she realised what was on there.
"These are… usernames?"
"I doubt that all of the antis are here, but these are the majority I pulled out from the forums."
"This is still quite the chunk."
"Tell me about it, the amount of coffee I consumed is most definitely unhealthy."
A was stunned, she most likely never expected me to gather such a number before the concert.
"You're insane."
"Perhaps, but I figured if we could delete the ones in the forum it would at least make your job easier and place some uncertainty among the fans."
"How long did this take you?"
"Several nights, I am not sure of the number though."
A sighed, but it quickly transitioned into a chuckle accompanied by a small head shake.
"You sure have all your bases covered."
"Naturally."
"Ok, I'll get everything ready for the day, you two just come here on time."
"Roger."
I could tell old four-eyes was just as fired up as Sora was, despite not voicing it out. She probably made sure she kept a cool head just so she could ensure everything was going to go smoothly. She always has been the type to only party once something was finished, whether it was exams or some project she was working on, she would keep her cool persona up without fail.
"We should set up a celebration party after this."
As for the other one, she was the exact opposite.
"Let's make sure this succeeds first Sora."
"Huh? Why wouldn't it go well? Rio's here."
"Well… I suppose you're right."
I was flattered that they had such faith in me, but I still reminded them to not believe in me wholeheartedly, since there were always ways for things not to go our way. I didn't wish to give them false hope, if I did and I failed, it would shatter their belief and make it hard to get them to follow my plans. Having a sense of humility could lighten that blow and ensure our working relationship wouldn't crumble, so it was best I acted with some level of uncertainty.
Regardless though, it was going to be difficult for this plan to fail since our tracks were covered and nobody knew what was happening while Hololive was shut down. We had the advantage, so victory was set.
After we had ironed out the details, Sora and I left the office to head home. On the way to the station though, Sora stopped walking all of a sudden and was staring into a building.
Curiosity took over and I went over to check out what had enamoured her so much.
"What is it?"
"This place."
"Hmm?"
When I looked over I was surprised to see a familiar-looking stuffed toy sitting inside a claw machine.
"Ankimo."
"Mmm. Were you surprised when I debuted him?"
"Somewhat, but looking back on it, you did love that toy a lot. You had him always on your bed last I remembered."
"Yeah, I think out of everything you've gifted me, Ankimo is my favourite."
"He would be my favourite too after I poured my entire allowance into getting him.
"You remember that huh?"
"Hard to forget something so entertaining."
"Heh, well that's good I guess. Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Go on."
"Do you still think about that day? The day you basically disappeared for years."
I could hear the sadness mixed in with the curiosity. I had thought she would have forgotten all about it or at the very least, had moved on. It seems I had underestimated her, or maybe, I had just told myself that in order to distance myself from her. Either way, Sora still held onto the past, same as I did.
"Not very frequently."
"Heh, I guess you were too busy chasing Takamura that you had no time to look back."
"Yes, that is correct."
"And where did that get you?"
I was somewhat taken aback by the sudden hostile tone, but I kept my composure and answered honestly.
"Nowhere it seemed, that was until I was brought to you and your problem."
"... Hmm how ironic, you left everyone in order to go at something on your own, only to come back needing our help."
"Need I remind you, that A sought me out. But yes, the irony is not lost on me."
"Then… do you regret leaving?"
"Not at all."
Sora went silent, when I looked over at her, she had her head hung down and was biting her lip. She must've wanted to say a lot, but either didn't wish to in order to spare my feelings, or because it was too private to be told in front of an arcade.
Whatever it was, the feeling alone was eating at her and if I knew one thing about Sora, it was that she was terrible at bottling up her feelings. Sooner or later it was going to burst.
After a few seconds of silence, Sora turned away from the arcade and started walking back to the station.
"Let's just go."
I didn't answer back, only following behind her in silence.
Throughout our walk, we didn't share any words and while to normal people this would've been an opportunity to clear the air or make amends, I decided that it would be better for me to wait.
I hadn't seen Sora in a long time, tackling a heavy topic in which both of us had been scarred required more than just a simple chat. Furthermore, saving her then wouldn't have had an effect, she was closed off and angry. No amount of talking was ever going to work, it was better to wait until she's calmed down or at the point of breaking, only then would words have an effect.
As we were, only conflict was going to be the end result and we didn't need that before the re-debut.
So we left each other that afternoon without a single word. I could only hope she got over it by the day of the re-debut.
I didn't forget, I just got busy so I adjusted when I published and prepped the chapters. Also this took longer to edit due to the size.
You know, after re-reading this during editing I came to realise... it's extremely padded huh?
Definitely not my best chapter, but regardless I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you all next weekend. Bye Bye!