The Tough Idol World

(Third POV)

It's been a few months since Ai returned to work, and B-Komachi's popularity boost has yet to come.

In a dejected tone, Ai shared her disappointment, "My salary this month is barely 200,00 yen." Her usual energetic demeanor was nowhere to be found as she cast her gaze downwards with a glum expression.

With a deep sigh, she lifted her hands up in the air and leaned back onto the couch. "Ugh, our company's salary is so low..." she lamented, her sour mood was palpable. "I mean, c'mon! We placed third in Oricon with our last single! Aren't you guys taking too much?"

Miyako, who was typing away at her computer, responded without looking up. Her voice was nonchalant, "We're not like those big companies that can do everything from production to advertisement by themselves we're only a small one. You should know already that we don't get much out of it." She continued typing as she spoke, "Why does it bother you now?"

Ai's face twisted into a serious expression as she settled her gaze on Miyako. "I've realized that the world revolves around money," she said with conviction.

Miyako let out an exclamation, sensing the weight of Ai's words. "Ah. That's not a good thing to realize," she replied.

As Ai reflected on her life as an idol, she couldn't help but acknowledge that there was a certain allure to the glitz and glamour of the industry. "Being an idol is certainly fun," she thought to herself. "If it was just about me, I could've managed." But as she looked down at her precious children, the weight of responsibility and the reality of her situation set in. The burden of providing for them had made her acutely aware of the harsh realities of life.

She lifted her middle child, Aikara, high into the air, eliciting a small smile from the child, which also caused her to smile "But you see, I want more for my kids. I want them to attend the best schools, participate in extracurricular activities, and have as many opportunities as possible." The smile faded from her lips, replaced by a serious expression.

"To make that a reality, I need to sell more and earn a lot of money." The weight of her words hung heavy in the air. "If things continue as they are now, I won't be able to provide for them as I wish and make them truly happy." A sad expression crept onto her face, and she held her children tightly as if seeking comfort from them in turn.

Aikara seemed to have picked up on Ai's sadness as he gave her a smile. His bright and comforting smile had a powerful effect on Ai, as she felt some of her sadness begin to fade away.

In a grateful gesture, Ai reached out to pat Aka on the head, who responded with a heartwarming smile at the warmth of her touch.

"Thank you, Aka," Ai said, her own smile reflecting the warmth of the moment.

Suddenly, she felt a gentle tap on her leg. Looking down, she saw Ruby looking up at her, trying to offer some comfort. A small smile crossed Ai's lips as she noticed a hint of jealousy in Ruby's eyes.

Was Ruby jealous of Aikara receiving my attention? The thought made Ai chuckle inwardly; it was kind of adorable.

"Thank you, Ruby," Ai said, returning the gesture by patting Ruby's head. The gesture made Ruby's face light up with a bright smile, and Ai couldn't help but feel her sadness fading away.

As she gently patted the two children, Ai's attention returned to Miyako, her face now visibly brighter as she began to vent her frustrations. "We're not getting commercial gigs, there's also no movie job offers..." She trailed off.

"Plus, big companies tent to-" Before Ai was able to finish her sentence, Miyako cut her off with a deadpan tone, "You know, you should probably start by not eating expensive ice cream" she said, gesturing to the table. Everyone turned to see a small tub of ice cream slowly melting into a pool of creamy liquid.

"Ah!" Ai exclaimed, letting out a loud scream. "My ice cream!" She halted her patting of Aikara and Ruby, and rushed to grab the container from the table. As she watched the melted cream ooze out and drip onto the table, she couldn't help but cry out in frustration. "That was an imported ice cream, you know? It cost me 2100 yen!" She sank to her knees, feeling defeated.

Everyone looked at her in alarm and they all had a single thought.

'That's 2100 yen!?'

For context, the usual price for Ramen in Japan is usually priced 600-1200 yen per bowl. If you add extra toppings, a side dish, and a drink, like beer, you will still likely pay no more than 2000 yen.

And the tub of ice cream Ai had in her hands is very small, not worth the 2100 yen she paid for it at all.

Miyako heaved a sigh, "Perhaps it's time for you to stop indulging in expensive ice cream. Have you ever considered budgeting?"

However, Ai seemed to have tuned out Miyako's advice as she absentmindedly devoured the creamy treat in her hand.

Miyako shook her head at being ignored and let out a sigh.

After polishing off the ice cream, Ai handed the triplets over to Miyako and bid her goodbyes. "Well, off I go to my lesson," she announced. "Be good, kids." With a final wave, she departed from the apartment.

___________________

After Ai left, Miyako placed the triplets on the couch before returning to her laptop to resume work. Aqua was lost in his own thoughts until he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He immediately recognized the source of the touch - it was Aikara. Unlike Ruby, who often called out to him loudly, Aikara preferred to initiate contact before speaking.

"What do you want, Aka?" Aqua asked, turning to face his little brother.

Aikara grinned, "You're right, Aqua nii. I'm always impressed by how you can tell it's me or Ruby. How do you do it?"

Aqua shrugged nonchalantly. "Just basic common sense, I guess."

Aikara nodded energetically, "I see, I see." He paused before his expression turned serious. "Anyway, I have a question for you."

Aqua raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Aikara was not one to ask many questions unless it involved learning Japanese. "Is it another Japanese question?"

Aikara shook his head, his expression becoming more solemn. "Nope. I just want to know why Mom's salary is only 200,000 yen per month. I thought their salary was at least one million yen per month."

"Of course not," Aqua replied, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Miyako was still preoccupied with her laptop. Just as he turned back, Ruby appeared out of nowhere and shouted, "It's not?!"

Aikara and Aqua both jumped at her sudden outburst, causing Miyako to glance up momentarily before returning her attention to her work.

"You surprised me there, Rubes," Aikara said with a chuckle, while Aqua nodded in agreement.

"Sorry for startling you guys, but is what you're saying true?" Ruby asked, prompting Aqua to nod in confirmation. "It's true," he said, pointing his finger in the air. "Royalties and TV performance fees are equally split among the members. If merch doesn't sell during concerts, they'll be at a deficit, and costumes are also deducted from their salaries. There are only a handful of idols who make a million yen a month."

Aikara's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! Being an idol sure is tough!" he exclaimed, while Ruby's anger began to rise. "What!? That's so unfair! The world must be rotten if money doesn't go to those working the hardest!" she exclaimed.

Ruby's face lit up with excitement as she exclaimed, "Oh, I have an idea!" Her sudden outburst caught Aikara and Aqua off guard, and they both turned to look at her, curious about what she had in mind.

Aqua was the first to speak, "You do?"

Aikara chimed in teasingly, "Yeah, Ruby, you have a brain to think of an idea?" he said it with a playful grin on his face causing Ruby to pout. "You always tease me, Aka nii-chan."

Aikara laughed heartily and rubbed the back of his head, "My bad, my bad. It's just that you're too adorable to resist teasing."

However, his attempt to lighten the mood didn't seem to work as Ruby's pout only intensified.

(Image here)

Ruby turned her head away from Aikara and took a deep breath before sharing her idea. "Let me tell you my idea," she said, her expression turning dark. "Why don't we get all of Ai's fans to offer their kidneys, and we can sell them for profit?"

Aikara burst into laughter, while Aqua responded with a deadpan stare. "Your thoughts are pretty darn rotten. Stop trying to start up a cult for profit as if this were a post-apocalyptic period."

Suddenly, Aqua began to wonder why Ai's salary was so low. After all, she can dance, sing, and she's super pretty. She takes voice training lessons day and night, and she works so hard. Moreover, B-Komachi isn't an unpopular group. So why wasn't Ai getting more job offers?

Turning to Miyako, Aqua yelled, "Hey manager! Why won't our Ai get more job offers?."

Ruby chimed in, agreeing with Aqua "Shitty Management! Hit up some more people would you?"

"Yeah, I agree with Aqua mii and Ruby! Ai is amazing, she deserves more job offers. Come on, Miyako-san, step up your game and hit up some more people. You're the manager, you can make it happen!" Aikara said.

Miyako paused and looked away from her laptop, beads of sweat forming on her forehead "Even if you say that. Idol groups are basically a bunch of people fighting to win a single job offer. We sell as a group, we've always had. But competing against lone individuals as a group is quite difficult you know?"

She let out a heavy sigh "There are idols who wanted to go solo but couldn't get a job on their own and had to take on part-time jobs at expensive restaurants in Roppongi, or even girls who end up as hostesses in Minato."

All three of them wore surprised expressions upon hearing the revelation.

"I had no idea," Ruby confessed.

"Don't worry, Rubes. You're not the only one," Aikara reassured her.

"Tokyo is definitely a scary place" Aqua added.

Miyako resumed speaking "I know Ai's amazing. But, that's only within the "Idol" category. In the entertainment world, you need "something" that will make you stand out alone. She needs to be able to get job offers not because she's "someone from B-komachi" but because they want "Ai" herself to take the job. She can't just be a good idol."

________

Author's note

Look, I know just how slow the pace is right now. It's because I use too many words to describe scenes and it makes it reach a word count of 1700.

So if you're frustrated at the slow plot right now, I have two options for you to vote on.

A. I'll continue my upload daily but it will be short like this.

B. I'll take two days to post but I will make the word count at least as long as my previous chapter Actor with 3100 words. (This is not for every chapter okay, only for the ones that need to be long)

And right now, I'm not sure if 15 will be enough for this arc, I think 20 if my chapters are slow.

I don't want to make it seem that I'm dragging the novel out so I would appreciate it if you have any suggestions.