The Bounty Hunter
Chapter 43: Animal Ears

December 17th, 2088

I am getting ready for the 6th round of Japan’s Rising Idol back stage while in an extraordinarily good mood.  The exhaustion I was suffering recently has vanished as one good thing after another has occurred.  I managed to find and sign the lease for a large 2-bedroom 2-bathroom apartment that was less than a 5-minute walk from my house.  The landlady is a kind old oba-san and the rent is reasonable.  I already paid in full for 3 years and have fully furnished the place.  I had to use some magic here and there in order to accomplish all this, but it was necessary for the plan.  

I have also been training with Rin, and her abilities are far beyond anything I could have ever hoped.  I knew using a fallen hero as a base ingredient for her creation was a good idea.  I put the equipment I gained from Clara to good use as well.  Both Kira and Veronica were absolutely delighted with their presents, with Kira getting the butterfly swords and the throwing daggers, and Veronica getting the estoc and mechanized repeating crossbow. 

Kira in general was happier than she had ever been since Grandma Kuma became ill, thanks to her maturation finally starting.  Her happiness has in turn made me happier.  And of course the main reason for my good mood is that I no longer sleep alone at night.  I now spend my nights with Veronica in my embrace before leaving for my world and school. 

Having someone else’s warmth and presence nearby soothes me, allowing me to sleep peacefully like never before.  Up until now, even if the nightmares didn’t come I would toss and turn restlessly.  But it’s been nearly two weeks now and I haven’t had even a hint of my nightmares.  The guilt is still there, but it no longer appears in my dreams.  Naturally, we also do a lot more than just sleep when we’re together at night.  Veronica’s surprisingly shy and submissive behavior in bed makes me unable and unwilling to restrain myself.

So here I am at Japan’s Rising Idol, starting to cause a stir amongst everyone here as I was visibly happy.  Instead of the usually dead serious expression, I had a small smile on my face that wouldn’t fade.  Considering no one has seen me smile since the 1st episode, it has become momentous news.  Then Fujioka-san came over.  Sᴇaʀᴄh the ɴ0velFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

He looked at my expression and said “You seem so happy all of a sudden.  Could it be that spring has finally come for you Rin-chan?”  How the hell did he know?  My surprise at his instant understanding was apparent and he couldn’t help but smile as he explained “You remind me a lot of my younger sister.  She was the taciturn type as well and you two make the same expressions.  When she first started dating the boy she really liked, she too had a silly smile plastered on her face.”  He turned to leave as he added “Anyway, it’s time to find out what the audience theme is for this episode.  So brace yourself.  Ah, before I forget, I’ve done a favor for a friend of mine in the business and am showing around his son and his friend.  Help me out and introduce yourself to them after the audience theme selection.” 

He was referring to a poll that the show sends out to its viewers where they get to pick a fun theme for the contestant wardrobe for two different episodes.  One time the audience voted for a Wild West theme and all the contestants had to wear cowboy hats and the like while performing.  It is superficial, but it helps generate a lot of audience interest so the show continues to do it.  So all the contestants including myself were peeking up at the board waiting for the announcement. 

A variety of pictures representing various themes flashed one after another and then it stopped on a pair of animal ears… son of a bitch.  My happiness has gone and my smile has vanished.  I even saw Fujioka-san make an odd expression as he looked over at me, he’s probably planning out how to tease me about this.  I stood stock still there for a while, as the other contestants happily headed over to the dressing room to pick out their ears and tail. 

Can this get any worse?  I gloomily thought to myself as Fujioka-san motioned for me to come over and say hi to his guests.  I don’t want to cosplay in front of millions of people!  I looked over at the people at his side and froze.  Son of a bitch.  It has gotten worse.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you Yamamoto-san!  I am a huge fan!”  “Me too!  It’s wonderful to meet you Yamamoto-san!”  There stand Reiji and Hikari in front of me with big grins on their stupid faces.  Reiji’s father is a TV producer, so he must have pulled the strings for them to get on the show.  “Likewise.” I responded with a bow before heading to the dressing room. 

I heard whispers of “She’s so pretty in person, isn’t she?  I wonder what animal she’ll choose?”  “I really hope its nekomimi!” behind me as I shut the door.  I was the last one so all of the options were already taken by the other 13 contestants.  Why is it a bloody kemonomimi theme?  Fujioka-san has come from behind and tapped me on the shoulder.  “While you were busy being a statue, I did you a favor and grabbed a pair that I think would suit you.”  I took a look and sighed internally.  There were worse options I suppose.  I took them with a quiet “Thank you.” and shut the door.

It was my turn to sing at last and I walked out onto the stage.  I was in the usual jeans and jacket outfit, with my hair unbound this time.  My black bunny ears were twitching cutely on top of my hair along with the white tail on my tailbone.  These electronic kemonomimi are surprisingly realistic. 

Before performing, every contestant was asked why they chose their kemonomimi.  “So Yamamoto-san, why did you choose bunny ears?”  “Pass.”  “Pardon?”  “Pass.”  “Yamamoto-san, this isn’t a game show where you can skip a question like that.”  “…Pass.”  *Sigh* “Okay, please proceed.”  After that exchange and my creation of a new internet meme, I sang my heart out as usual while I danced.  Footwork for combat translates surprisingly easily to footwork for dancing, so I was able to somehow manage. 

The crowd roared for me like usual and I walked off the stage to where Fujioka-san was watching.  He had an unfamiliar expression on his face, are his eyes slightly watery?  “Fujioka-san?”  I couldn’t help but tilt my head slightly in confusion.  Fujioka-san blinked his eyes and shook his head “Sorry, sorry I was thinking about something.  You did a great job Toyela, I mean Rin-chan.”  He mixed my name up for a moment but then he gave me a big smile and started patting me on the head as usual. 

My singing score was a 10 and my dancing score was also a 10.  Throw in the now expected audience support of over 15 million and I once again left everyone in the dust as I took 1st place.  Good, I could use the bonus money after all.  But the competition is too weak, at this rate I’ll end up as the winner and have to actually become an idol. 

“Yamamoto-san! You were incredible! Could we get a photo with you!?!”  Reiji ran up with sparkling eyes with Hikari close behind.  I took another long sigh internally and nodded “Sure.”  10 photos, 4 autographs and a lot of personal anguish later I was finally released from Reiji and Hikari’s grasp.  I headed home a tired and defeated person.  The worst part about all this is that’ll I have to relive the event tomorrow on the way to school as those two gush about it.

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