Runa Shinomiya Won't Yield: The Final Boss's Conviction - The Price of a Mask: The Management's Intentions and the Smile That Won't Return

A little past two in the afternoon, Shinomiya Runa stood in the entrance hall of Victoria Tower. A massive glass tower, forty-two stories tall, rising amid the high-rises of Toyosu. On the first floor, the sign for "Vuispo Cafe" was visible, and despite it being a weekday afternoon, a long line had formed, mostly of young women. Runa glanced at the queue sidelong and headed for the employee security gate. Today was the day of the regular operations meeting. Two days ago, deep in the night, she had received the "Vuispo! All-Member Exchange Event Announcement" in the soundproof room of her home. Since that night, Runa's mind had not rested once. The activation of Project Endgame, the analysis of the trust relationship graph, and the selection of the first target. Everything was proceeding smoothly. But not yet. (The plan has only just begun. Today, I need to see the faces of the operations team directly.) Runa held her employee ID over the security gate. A soft electronic beep. The glass doors slid open silently. She gave a small bow and walked toward the elevator hall. A petite frame, one hundred forty-seven centimeters tall. Her purple, inward-curling bob swayed softly with each step. Her bangs were cut in a straight, even fringe, and through the gaps, her yellow eyes gazed quietly ahead. Today she wore a white blouse, a pale lavender cardigan, and a navy flared skirt that fell below the knee. From any angle, she appeared to be the quiet, adorable healing-type member of Vuispo! She stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the forty-first floor. Just before the doors closed, a young male employee came running in. When his eyes met Runa's, he caught his breath for an instant, then hurriedly bowed. "Ah, Shinomiya-san. Good afternoon. You have a meeting today, right?" "Yes, thank you for your hard work." Runa smiled softly. The left corner of her mouth rose just a fraction earlier than the right. Her perfect healing-type smile. A meticulously calculated expression, designed to ease the other person's tension and draw out their goodwill. The young staff member let his shoulders drop with visible relief. "You're really so agreeable, Shinomiya-san. The other members, they're quite strong-willed, or rather... no, I don't mean that as an insult." "Fufu, everyone's so unique, after all." (Agreeable, huh.) Runa turned the word over in her mind. Agreeable. In other words, easy to manage. A convenient presence for the operations team. This man, without even realizing it, was ranking the members in order of how easy they were to handle. That sense of values — that was the essence of this company. The elevator arrived at the forty-first floor. "Well then, see you later." Runa smiled once more and stepped off the elevator. The forty-first floor was the operations headquarters of Victoria Production. A floor where eighty staff members worked. Glass-walled meeting rooms lined the corridor, and beyond them was the medium conference room where today's meeting would be held. As Runa walked down the hallway, she glanced at the event poster on the wall. "Vuispo! All-Member Exchange Event — Let's Create the Best Bonds Together" A poster in flashy colors. The avatars of twenty-eight members stood in a circle, smiling. Runa's avatar was among them. A white and purple gothic-style dress with a small bat hairpin. Large yellow eyes. Purple hair that curled softly inward at the ends. (Bonds, huh.) Runa looked away from the poster and opened the door to the conference room. Inside, about five operations staff members had already gathered. All in suits, their eyes on tablets or documents in their hands. When Runa entered, all of them looked up at once. "Thank you for your hard work. I'm Shinomiya Runa. I appreciate your time today." Runa bowed politely. A soft, slightly lisping voice that made the most of her healing-type vocals. Not a hair's difference from the voice she used in her streams. "Ah, Shinomiya-san. Thank you for coming. Have a seat there." A male staff member in his mid-forties cheerfully gestured to a chair. Runa said a quiet "Excuse me" and sat down in the indicated seat. Over the next few minutes, several other official members arrived. Runa gave each a soft bow, occasionally exchanging a few words of idle chatter with the member beside her. (Everyone suspects nothing of my smile.) Beneath the table, Runa quietly laced her fingers together. The meeting began. There were two agenda items. Confirmation of the details for the Vuispo! All-Member Exchange Event, and adjustments to next month's streaming schedule. One of the operations staff began explaining while projecting materials onto the screen. "Regarding this exchange event, the venue will be Verde Hall in Odaiba. Capacity is two thousand. Many fans will be attending on the day, so we'd like all of you members to show your very best performance." Runa kept her eyes on the documents while observing the expressions of the operations staff. (These people only see us as 'content.') The screen displayed the event timetable. Runa burned every detail into her mind with precision. The dressing room assignments, the break times, the order in which members would appear. All of it was information that needed to be added to her database. "Shinomiya-san, do you have any questions?" "No, I'm fine. I understand." Runa answered with a perfect smile. "You're really so agreeable, Shinomiya-san. It's a big help." (That word again.) Runa sneered coldly in her heart. Agreeable. It sounded like a compliment, but it was the same as saying, "You're livestock that's easy to manage." These people ranked the members, evaluated them by how easy they were to handle, and discarded them by the numbers. (These people think we're livestock.) Runa's yellow eyes narrowed sharply for just an instant. But no one noticed the change. The meeting proceeded without a hitch, moving on to the streaming schedule adjustments. Runa communicated her preferred slots, listened to the operations team's requests, and calmly negotiated a compromise. Everything went smoothly. Like a well-made machine. And then, as the meeting neared its end. The conference room door opened quietly. "Oh my, sorry I'm late. Let me join in too, won't you?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet it resonated through every corner of the conference room with an uncanny clarity. Runa looked up. What entered was a small, elderly woman with salt-and-pepper dark brown short hair, neatly combed. Gentle crescent-shaped eyes. Kind eyes that closed completely when she smiled. But behind them was a quiet sharpness that only those who had watched people for many years could possess. Tamura Mitsuko. Fifty-eight years old. A former voice actress who, after retiring due to vocal cord damage, joined Victoria Company as a voice coach for VTubers — a veteran staff member. Currently, she had served as the manager of the Vuispo house "Purple Nest" for over twenty years. "Mitsuko-san, thank you for your hard work." "Thank you. Your hair's gotten long again, hasn't it? Are you sure you don't need a trim?" "No, I've just been busy..." "That won't do. You need to keep up your appearance. If the person standing in front of our girls looks like that, it sets a poor example, doesn't it?" Mitsuko said this with a cheerful smile and lowered herself into the empty seat beside Runa. "Runa-chan, it's been a while. Have you been well?" "Yes, thanks to you. I'm glad to see you're doing well too, Mitsuko-san." Runa answered with the softest smile she had worn all day. (This person, of all people, I can't let my guard down around.) Mitsuko gazed steadily at Runa's face. Her gaze was deep and quiet, as if peering beneath the skin. "Have you been sleeping properly lately? You've got dark circles under your eyes." Runa's heart skipped a beat. (She noticed?) No, that wasn't it. It was just a casual expression of concern for her health. Runa told herself this and maintained her smile. "I'm fine, Mitsuko-san. I've been sleeping properly." "Is that so? Well, that's good then. You're small, so don't push yourself too hard." "Fufu, thank you." Runa smiled. That was when it happened. Mitsuko suddenly narrowed her eyes. "...You've gotten better at smiling, haven't you." Runa's smile nearly froze. "You used to be much worse at it." Mitsuko's voice was terribly gentle. As if reminiscing about old times. But the words seeped into the inside of Runa's mask like cold water. (This person knows my smile is manufactured.) Runa raised her alert level to maximum in her heart. "...I'm happy to hear you say that, Mitsuko-san." Runa's voice did not waver. Her expression did not crack. Her perfect healing-type smile. That smile where the left corner of her mouth rose just slightly earlier than the right. Mitsuko stared at Runa's face. And then, she gave a soft laugh. "Is that so. Then it's fine." Mitsuko said nothing more and returned to chatting with the operations staff. Beneath the table, Runa gripped the hem of her skirt tightly. (This person sees me more clearly than anyone.) Inside Runa's heart, alarms were ringing. The meeting ended a little past four in the afternoon. Runa finished greeting the operations staff and left the conference room. The air in the hallway felt much colder than inside the conference room. She let out a small breath and began walking toward the elevator hall. On the way, as she passed by the break room. "...What are we doing about the competition protocol this quarter?" A man's voice. Runa stopped. The break room door was slightly ajar. Runa pressed her back against the wall and held her breath. "The two trainees, their numbers haven't met the threshold. Fifty hours of streaming per month, and their superchat revenue is less than a third of the average." "Ah... those two. Well, it can't be helped. After next month's event, we'll just have to let them quietly fade out." "Right. Give them one last moment in the spotlight at the event, then let it die naturally. That's the least messy way." Runa pressed her back harder against the wall. (Competition protocol.) Victoria's unspoken internal evaluation system. Streaming numbers, superchat revenue, tournament results — all quantified, all used to rank the members. And those at the bottom were quietly, without anyone noticing, made to fade away. (So that's what it was, after all.) Deep in Runa's chest, a cold flame flickered. The operations team consumed the bonds between members as content, while behind the scenes, they coldly sorted and discarded. On the surface, "Let's Create the Best Bonds Together." But the reality was a system that quietly cut loose anyone who didn't meet the numbers. (My plan is not wrong.) Runa moved away from the break room. Silently, without making a sound. In her mind, the conversation she had just overheard was recorded precisely, word for word. When she reached the dressing room, Runa let out a small sigh. Today, all she had to do was go home. She thought so and was about to gather her belongings when— "Runa-chan!" A bright, loud voice. Even though they were offline, the same volume as in a stream. Runa turned around. Standing there was Tachibana Hinano. A bright brown high ponytail. Thick hair that bounced with every movement. A red ribbon hair tie on the left side. Clear blue eyes staring straight at Runa. Height: one hundred fifty-eight centimeters. Eleven centimeters taller than Runa. Twenty-one years old. Runa's same generation, and the winner of the first Apex Legends Cup. "It's been so long! How've you been?" Hinano broke into a radiant smile. A dimple appeared on her right cheek. A smile as bright as the sun, illuminating everything around her. "Hinano-chan, it's been a while. I've been well." Runa responded with a smile of her own. (Hinano-chan's smile is dazzling no ma

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Episode 2

Name: Runa Shinomiya Won't Yield: The Final Boss's Conviction
Author: Novelia

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