The Bounty Hunter
Chapter 36: Episode 2

November 13th, 2088 Sᴇaʀᴄh the ɴ0velFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Once again I find myself at Top Talent studios, waiting for when it’s my turn to get on the stage for Japan’s Rising Idol.  I am wearing the exact same outfit as last time, with only my hair style changed to a normal ponytail.  My mindset has also changed. As agonizing as it is to listen to my classmates fantasize about me, I have to stay on the show.   Due to my new plan for Veronica and Kira I need money.  And the only source of income I have that is not through my parents is this show.

I absolutely do not want to win it all, but I want to last as long as I can to collect as much money from this as possible.  The new goal is the final four contestants.  By that point, the other three should be amazing enough that it won’t be too hard to lose and quietly fade into obscurity.  I may seem popular now, but fads come and go after all. 

So with a new mindset that was still completely different than all of the contestants here, I walked onto the stage.  The audience immediately started cheering and applauding my entrance.  It was far louder and more enthusiastic than it had been for any of the other contestants so far.  It seems like I have already become the fan favorite of the show.  *Sigh* I really hope this enthusiasm fades by the end.  I don’t want to become an idol.

This round there was a brief question and answer session before the singing portion.  Geh, I can see way too many “I don’t care about your opinions” t-shirts.  Have I become a meme?  Is that it?  Thankfully a judge finally distracted me with a question.  “So Yamamoto-san, I see that you’re wearing the same outfit as last time.  Is there a particular reason why?”  “Wrong.”  “Pardon me?”  I pointed to my new hair style as I said “Not the same.” 

The judge appeared stumped at my taciturn responses, but before he could follow up another one cut in.  “Yamamoto-san, when did you start singing?”  “Long ago.”  The judges started getting a handle on my personality and so decided to do short rapid fire questions to maximize the information I gave.  As expected of professionals, they adapt quickly.  “Yamamoto-san, which of the current idols out there is a role model for you?”  “None of them.”  “Yamamoto-san, what’s your goal in life?”  “To sing.” “Yamamoto-san, what would you like to say to all the fans out there who voted for you?”  “Thanks.”  “How does it feel to be in the spotlight after an impressive first round?”  “Uncomfortable.” 

Finally, the last question appeared: “Yamamoto-san, last time you were saved from elimination thanks to the phenomenal audience support in spite of your historically low personality score.  Have you reflected on your behavior?”  “No.”  “And why not? You were incredibly rude, you know.” 

The judge badgering me about it was a retired idol who had been extremely popular two decades ago.  I guess she took my behavior from last time personally.  “I am who I am, deal with it.” …The audience hall was silent for a brief moment and then “YEAAAHHHHHHH!!” The audience went wild at my response and I made a mental facepalm as I realized that this was going to be another quote that I would have to see on t-shirts everywhere. 

The music for my song played, which was coincidentally one of that judge’s old hits.  I sang my heart out again and the audience went wild once more.  I could hear some older fans saying “She did it even better than the original!”  As I went backstage Fujioka-san once again approached me.  I couldn’t help but brace myself for another forehead flick, but it never came.

 “Rin-chan, you’re showing improvement!  You only deeply offended one of those five judges this time.  And the audience couldn’t get enough of you.” Fujioka-san said with a smile as he immediately started patting my head.  “However, you shouldn’t rely on the audience support to bail you out every time!” Before I could react, the forehead flick arrived. 

Damn, he got me off guard by reversing the order this time.  I once again had watery eyes as I rubbed my forehead.  How in the world can a simple forehead flick be so damn potent?  I can take a punch from an angry orc and not even flinch, yet I can’t handle one forehead flick. 

Fujioka-san chuckled lightly as he continued “By the way, the show’s merchandise of you has already sold out 3 times over. Viewership from the first to second episode showed a record improvement and you’re at the center of everything.  The amount of extra money we are making off you is so much that even the higher ups felt it was unfair not to give you some kind of bonus.  We’ll be sending it along with the usual payment, so don’t panic if you see an extra 0.” 

That was exactly the kind of news I wanted to hear.  I nodded in thanks to Fujioka-san and went to hear my scores.  Singing score was a 10, while my personality score improved to a 2.  At the audience support phase I received 15 million votes this time, breaking my record from last show by a massive margin and placing me in first at the end of the second round.  I would have qualified for the third round with just my audience support bonus points. 

I think that I have underestimated my popularity.  The average idol only appeals to a small range of demographics.  They are really popular amongst girls under 20 or guys from 30 to 40 and so on.  But I saw the breakdown of the audience support I received and it was concerning.  Men, women and children of all ages voted in large numbers for me.  Only superstars can get such large support from a wide range of demographics.  This has only been my second public appearance… what the hell is going on?

I left for home while trying to figure out why I was becoming so popular and how to stem this upswing.  Although I couldn’t solve that mystery, I did receive the payment the next day and was absolutely delighted.  If I can make this much money on a weekly basis for the next few months, forget trying to sabotage myself.  I’ll do my best and deal with the consequences later. 

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