Following my conversation on the forum, I visited A the next day and told her about what I had gathered from VirtuoLies, mainly the fact that Virtuo's influence was a farce and that they relied on a simple server to run their bot attacks.
She seemed to be relatively glad by the info but voiced her concerns about the difficulty of banning all those bots in chat.
However I had a much different proposal.
"Why not just hack the server?"
"Huh?"
"Koyori Hakui provided me with a tool that can hack electronic devices. If it can get close enough to the server room-"
"Hold on! Koyori gave you a tool that can hack stuff?"
"Yeah, it has been in a drawer in my home for some time now, maybe now I can put it to good use."
A sat behind her desk in a state of utter disbelief. It seemed that she was not aware of Koyori's device, meaning, this was one of Sora's secret schemes.
What a blunder I made.
"Calm down A, I asked her to make it for me."
"Why would you-?"
"Because I needed one."
"For what?"
"For when I eventually gain access to a worker device. It was always a plan of mine."
It wasn't. When Koyori gave me that hacker-phone I didn't know what to do with it, only now I realised how convenient it was.
"Can it be traced back to her?"
"No."
Her face softened, guess most of her worries went away.
"Alright, I'll let you keep it then."
What a relief, though if I didn't have it and planned to hack the servers I would've most likely still asked for the device to be made. If anything, being given it made things more complicated to explain.
Following that we had a quick discussion regarding whether to take the opportunity to re-debut the group, which I opposed heavily while the server for those bots was up. Furthermore, even if Hololive wasn't in much hot water it didn't mean we were in the clear. After all, there was no telling if Takamura was still keeping a close eye on us, we couldn't make careless mistakes.
"So what? We don't re-debut anyone?"
"Not necessarily, but you need to carefully consider who can return to the stage without drama."
"That's not that easy though, someone out there hates Hololive regardless of whether a talent has a clean record."
"Which is why you pick the one who most likely would not get in trouble, that way when they do get attacked people can see that it is nonsensical."
A seemed to understand that logic and agreed to delay the re-debut until we've all decided.
With that, my short meeting with A ended and my attention shifted to the upcoming concert.
Once I was back at my home, I gave Sora a call to see if she was ready for our trip and she gave me a confident yes before explaining the concert to me, since while I was busy talking VirtuoLies, she was gathering info on the concert.
According to her, rumours had begun to spread about how the concert was being shown online as well which was no surprise, but there was a catch, if people were only going to watch online they were going to miss the special show that was only happening live. Now I didn't need 5 seconds to know what it was, and considering everything we learnt so far, it was the natural course of action. Just not for Sora who was quite heated by the prospect.
"I can't believe this! They're turning an idol concert to a brothel!"
"More like a strip show, but sure."
"You know what I mean. This isn't how idols are supposed to be."
"Funny coming from a Hololove member."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Your group has ladies who talk about dirty topics all the time, what difference is there?"
"Having a dirty mind doesn't mean you're willing to spread in a concert."
"Yet both are far from the pure idols everyone worships."
Silence would follow, I knew Sora was aware of how far detached some of Hololive was from the traditional idol philosophies, yet, despite that she still stayed with them. Whether it was out of responsibility as its first member or because she had grown to enjoy that relaxed world, I wouldn't know.
But she would tell me exactly how she felt about her world and the place she had in it without hesitation.
"Purity is just an illusion, a lie we make to ensure the best outcome for the audience. You should know that. I mean look at me, people think I'm some sort of goddess or something, but here I am, doing things behind people's backs, do you think they'll still think of me as that pure idol you talk about?"
"No."
"Precisely, which is why I was so secretive about what I was doing."
"You fear that as Hololive's first member if people find out, it will tank everyone's reputation."
"Yep."
Having that much awareness must've been a bitter pill for Sora. She viewed the idol world with such starry eyes before, then when sis died I'm sure it marred her view of it, and now, it became even more dirtier.
The once beautiful dream she had was most likely just a vain goal now. Sis always did say that the best idols are the ones who are the greediest.
"Well, so long as our interest aligns, I will provide my assistance."
"That's a relief."
Days went by and it was now time for us to head to the concert to watch Virtuo live. Sora managed to get me my ticket and requested I meet her at the train station in normal day-to-day attire. However, only one of us actually wore regular clothes.
I understood that as a rival idol, she needed to be secretive about her arrival, but was wearing a mask, sunglasses, a cap and an oversized hoodie really the best disguise she could come up with? I was aware celebrities often wore such clothing to keep themselves hidden from the public, but there was being conspicuous and then there was creepy. Sora was the latter.
"You look like a stalker."
"Don't worry, this will work, some fans dress like this."
"What sort of self-respecting fan would look like a mugger?"
"Those with social anxiety."
I hated how I found myself actually agreeing with her logic.
Still, it was too late for her to return home to change so we decided to continue on despite her appearance.
When we arrived at the place for the concert, we had to nearly participate in the most tedious part of a concert… waiting in line. I remember whenever sis' concerts were happening it was almost impossible to control the line just because there were too many people. Luckily for us though, Sora managed to get some priority tickets for both of us so we could skip the wait.
Once inside, I was fairly surprised by how crowded it was. Regardless of their popularity, Virtuo was still a new group, only a few months old and yet they were filling the building to the brim with fans.
"Say Rio how many do you think are Virtuo's lapdogs?"
"I honestly cannot tell you. But I am certain the majority would be if they came in person."
"I guess so."
The concert had three breaks throughout the entire day, we assumed at the end of the concert was when Virtuo's special services would be played, once the cameras had stopped rolling.
Before that however, Sora and I decided to look around the venue first just to see what Hololive was up against.
The group was set to perform in a small theatre, the entrance outside was where tickets were being checked while inside was basically just an average cinema lobby. A snack bar to buy some food and a waiting area, complete with seats and a table, was across the bar for people to use. Though for a place that was rented out for a rising idol group, barely any decorations were put in place, just a couple of streamers colour-coded to each talent and some posters were hung up, nothing else.
"Well I suppose this is a sign you do not need fancy decor to attract fans."
"Don't you think we know that? Besides they probably didn't put a lot of effort since they know this is just for formalities. They know they can go to a better stage, but it would look weird if they just shoot up like that."
"That is true, so what now? Refreshments?"
"Nah, I'm good. You can get some if you'd like."
I barely had breakfast that day since the commute to the concert was very early, so I could only quickly down one cup of coffee before leaving for the train.
After ordering myself a sandwich and a bottle of water, Sora and I headed further in where the awaiting audience gathered.
It was early in the morning but they were already quite energetic about the entire thing.
Soon the doors to the stage opened and a man in a suit came out and told everyone that we were now free to enter and take our seats.
We followed the crowd into the room and started making our way to our designated seats. Sora got us a pretty good view, despite it being second-hand. We were in the complete middle of the entire place and we could clearly see the stage and the rest of the room from where we were.
"What a vantage point."
"I know right? I almost feel bad for the seller. But they needed to take care of their mom, so their loss is our gain."
Although we were there to observe the competition, attending a concert was somewhat nostalgic. In fact, how long has it been since I last went to a concert? I think sis' was the last one I ever attended. Yet, the moment I stepped into the venue alongside a heavily disguised Sora, the memories rushed back like a raging flood.
The chattering of the crowd, countless posters and memorabilia, the smell… all of it was just the way I remembered it.
But reminiscing wasn't what I came to do. Instead, I was there merely for two things, to accompany Sora and meet with VirtuoLies. I already told Sora of the meeting, and she agreed to accompany me since it still served as info for her.
Enough about that though, the concert was our priority. It was a packed place, like a can of sardines. Any more and I would have felt the sweat that dripped down the man next to me.
Sora was probably used to this type of closeness, she didn't seem fazed by the sheer amount of degeneracy that emanated in the room.
"How surprising, you are calm about this."
"I've been to a lot of concerts, you get a lot of different types of fans gathering in one place. Sis' concerts were probably one of the most well-behaved ones, even when she was a small group."
"We did pay a lot in security."
The lights in the venue then dimmed, spotlights then flashed on and the speakers let out a shrill feedback noise before a man in a suit walked onto the stage. He welcomed the crowd and thanked everyone for attending the concert, mentioning how the girls are grateful for all their fans and that to show such gratitude they will perform at their utmost best. All of it was pretty standard thank-you speeches, then he said the one thing I was curious about, the special show. Like the rumours said, for those attending live the talents also prepared a special show just for them.
When the crowd heard this, the cheers turned into roars I gazed over at Sora who was pinching her nose while shaking her head back and forth.
Once the cheers subsided, the concert began and the first song that was performed was a new song that had yet to be uploaded anywhere, but the lyrics were quite clear about what their message was.
They were not subtle at all, their lyrics were composed of phrases such as taking the crown for themselves and being where they rightfully belong. Of course it wasn't as blunt as that, but read between the lines and think for about 5 seconds, then it'll all become crystal clear.
They weren't hiding their pride over what they did and nobody who was in the room with us was against them, so even if the lyrics were clear to them, it was something to celebrate not to scorn.
"This is tasteless."
"Their first song and it is to celebrate their sabotage. They are bold, I can give them that."
"We'll see about that."
We kept on watching but rather than join the crowd in their cheering, we were firmly planted on our chairs and just observed the performance. Sora was particularly interested in the entire thing, mumbling to herself about their dance moves and voices as they performed. Being out of the job didn't seem to affect her eye for performance and observed Virtuo with the eyes of an idol.
After that short observation, I zoned out for the rest of the concert, it was hard to appreciate the music when the fans were chanting as if possessed. I would have left, however, when arms were swinging wildly all over the place, and I preferred to leave the venue unharmed.
So after hours of listening to the chanting of fans in heat, while also sweltering in the collective warmth of the room, the show finally ended. Or at least, the main show did.
5 minutes was all it took before the mood in the room had changed. The collective lust of the fans skyrocketed and I could hear them whisper some things that you would never really hear in public.
I turned to Sora to gauge her reaction, but all I see were her cold, empty eyes. She sat still on her chair while cross-armed, and her gaze was fixated on the stage.
I decided not to disturb her and turned my attention to the stage as well.
Shortly after the lights changed from white to pink and the crowd cheered loudly as the girls' silhouettes returned to the screen. Another song then played, but there was one huge difference: One, there were more people on stage now and two, the girls weren't wearing idol outfits.
To say that the entire performance was just a live adult video, would probably be an understatement and I dare not describe the experience. Still, I got a perfect picture of how Virtuo had such loyal fans, and judging from Sora's deathly silence after the performance was over, she did as well.
Once we departed from the building, Sora requested that we go somewhere to get some air first. I didn't mind and just followed her to the beach where she just gazed out into the sea with an absent look. The concert must've been a lot to take in. Unsurprising, considering what we saw.
"What a joke that was."
"Hmm?"
"Did you see the fans? They looked like hungry wolves."
"Yeah."
"Is that how idols are suppose to be like now? Have I been stuck in tradition?"
I wouldn't say that, but I suppose things have changed in the idol world. Now an underlying tone of sexiness or insanity had become the more enjoyable aspect rather than the purity and innocence of one.
However, there was still a way to use the traditions to her advantage.
"Perhaps this is a sign that it's time to change slightly."
"So you think I should just be like them too?"
"No, I think you need to make use of your audience's emotions a lot better."
"What?"
"People are easily affected by someone's personality. You've done it a couple of times but you haven't taken advantage of it."
"Since when did I ever do that?"
"Maybe not on purpose, but I believe the term is "gap moe" a difference between personality and looks. I think if you utilise that, then you might just have a shot."
Sora looked at me in complete bewilderment. I thought she would've gotten it immediately. I would've continued explaining things to her, but my phone alarm then rang, reminding us that we still had a meeting to get to.
"Let's continue this discussion later, let's go to your friend Rio."
"They are not my friend. But I agree, let us hurry on over."
We made our way to the meeting point, a family restaurant outside the city. A good choice for a meeting place, it was private, quiet and it wouldn't look odd for people to be doing business there.
"They said they were inside and to look for someone wearing a grey cap and a black mask sitting in the far corner."
"You sure this isn't just a mugger?"
"What mugger would look for targets in a forum?"
"They probably thought you had a lot of money."
"I doubt it."
We headed into the restaurant and began to look around for someone matching VirtuoLies' description. It didn't take even 5 minutes before I caught a glimpse of someone sitting near the washrooms by themselves, sipping a glass of juice through a straw.
"Found them."
"Huh? Hey, wait up."
I walked over and noticed that as I got closer, I started to recognise her appearance. Despite her disguise, she couldn't hide her long, silky black hair, her pearly white skin, and her slender figure.
Taking this into account plus knowing she was a member of Virtuo, I had already known who it was we were meeting.
But in Sora's eyes, all this deducing appeared to be something else.
"Hey you're not checking her out are you?"
"Of course not."
"Hmm?"
"What?"
"Nothing, you are a boy after all."
We both approached the girl and decided just to be blunt to her. She matched the description and if it was wrong, then we could just go to another table or wait.
"Are you VirtuoLies?"
"Hmm? Who's asking?"
It was her, she was on guard after I asked.
"The person you have been talking to for the last week."
"RK?"
"Yeah."
Her eyes then rolled over to Sora who was watching from a couple of steps behind me.
"And she's the friend?"
"Yes."
She then told both of us to sit down before she began to take her mask off which rested on her chin.
And while to me it was not much of a surprise, to Sora it was definitely a shock.
"Raya Glass?"
Like Sora blurted out, VirtuoLies was Raya Glass, a member of the Virtuo idol group.
"That's right, it's nice to meet you, Sora Tokino…"
She turned to me.
"As well as you, my friend, Rio Kanzaki."
I must've reacted when she called out my name because her expression turned into one of pure amusement.
"How do you know my name? I didn't share that with you."
"Let's not rush, we have a lot to talk about."
I have no message this week, so thank you for reading, feel free to leave your thoughts and see you all next week, Bye Bye!