Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 92

There Are Limits to Being an Agent

At 2 p.m., a special board meeting was urgently convened at the Illusion Star Agency.

Inside the meeting room, there were ten seats, with seven directors present. On the remaining three director seats, tablet computers were placed for those participating in the meeting remotely via video.

All the sensible individuals present were renowned figures, either senior members of the entertainment industry who had already become famous or well-known producers in the field.

As the board meeting commenced, an envelope was thrown in front of Hamada Miya.

“What’s this?”

Seeing the words “Resignation Letter” on the envelope, Hamada’s eyelids twitched. A sense of foreboding overwhelmed her as she raised her head to look at the various directors.

“It’s Itsuragi Runa’s resignation letter.”

An elderly man with white hair, full of wrinkles, and wearing frameless glasses spoke in a deep voice.

Despite his age, his voice was steady and powerful, exuding vitality. It wasn’t difficult to imagine his handsome appearance in his youth.

“What is she up to?”

Learning the purpose of the envelope, Hamada became somewhat angry and exclaimed loudly.

“At 9 a.m. this morning, Itsuragi came into my office and told me about her intention to resign. I tried to persuade her to stay, but she was determined to leave. I asked her for the reasons, but she didn’t say much, only mentioning that she had made up her mind to leave Illusion Star.”

The white-haired old man gently tapped the desktop with his fingers, explaining.

At this moment, a slender middle-aged woman with long black hair spoke up.

“Director Hamada, I really want to ask, what exactly are you up to? I heard that yesterday, after Itsuragi brought in a potential new talent with an overall A-grade qualification for an out-of-order review, he made some personal requests. You rejected him and even threatened that he won’t be signed if he doesn’t compromise. Is that true?”

Her tone was unfriendly, as she usually had a difficult relationship with Hamada.

“The cause of the incident and the reason why Itsuragi decided to resign have been reviewed by all the directors through last night’s surveillance footage.”

“This Kurosawa Hikaru’s potential is extremely high. Just based on his adaptation of ‘Flight of the Bumblebee,’ it holds considerable commercial value. Moreover, his level is comparable to some renowned pianists, making him a promising talent. Even if he doesn’t plan to show his face, signing him would still be highly advantageous.”

“And what did you do? Just because he didn’t intend to reveal his face and without considering gradual negotiation, you directly issued a harsh ultimatum, forcing him to leave.”

“Not only that, but you also trampled on the work results that Itsuragi had put in so much effort and hardship to bring back. As a result, our excellent employee became disheartened and decided to resign.”

It was not a case of blaming one person, but in the meeting room, all the directors felt that collective interests had been damaged, and they were all furious.

What did an overall A-grade mean?

Appearance, physique, temperament, talent, potential – at least four of these aspects needed to reach an A-grade to receive this honor.

Even the former top idol, Fujiwara Rika, who joined the company years ago, had an overall A-grade evaluation upon arrival, except her talent wasn’t as strong. 

Now she had become a national idol and was the biggest moneymaker for the Illusion Star agency.

Moreover, Itsuragi Runa was a well-known professional talent agent in the industry.

She could develop an artist’s potential, help them find opportunities, and with her strong management and networking skills, relying on extensive connections, coupled with keen market awareness and a savvy business mind, she packaged artists successfully.

Furthermore, she had a talent for having a keen eye for people. Every artist she selected and brought to the agency performed exceptionally well under her guidance.

“I didn’t force him to leave. I just wanted him to compromise. As long as he’s willing to show his face, his potential might even surpass that of Rika Fujiwara.”

Hamada’s face looked grim. Clenching her fists tightly, her body trembled with anger.

She never expected Itsuragi to act impulsively and choose to resign.

What a joke! As an agent, having such a high salary meant that she was at the top of the industry. How could she dare to quit?

“No matter how high his upper limit is, if he can’t sign with Illusion Star, everything is just talk.”

“Knock, knock.”

At this moment, the white-haired man sitting in the main seat, also the chairman, tapped the table with his palm turned upside down.

In compelling everyone to calm down, his sharp eyes behind the glasses stared at Hamada as he spoke.

“This time, your mistake at work has been too great, causing significant damage to our company… Now, you have two choices before you.”

“The first option is to let Itsuragi Runa continue handling the transition tasks while keeping her, and bring back Kurosawa Hikaru. His chosen path is that of a singer; even if he doesn’t reveal his face, with enough talent, coupled with team operations, being a mysterious singer can still make him popular, bringing substantial income to the company.”

“The second option is to acknowledge the fact of this work mistake and accept administrative penalties.”

“Yes.” 

Realizing the situation, Hamada Miya could only nod.

……

Illusion Star Agency, 28th-floor office.

Hamada entered the office, looking at Itsuragi behind the desk. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke.

“Itsuragi, I apologize for the orders I gave you in the review room yesterday. The board believes that Kurosawa Hikaru still has great potential and can be signed…”

Her posture and aura were not as imposing and direct as yesterday.

“Director Hamada, there’s no need for apologies. I have already decided to resign; I won’t stay any longer.”

Before she could finish her sentence, Itsuragi, working at the laptop in front of the desk, raised her head to interrupt her words.

“You should know that even if you resign, you still have a non-compete agreement. Joining another agency comes with various restrictions. Moreover, leaving Illusion Star means that Fujiwara Rika’s contract is also with the company, and she won’t be able to follow you. You will no longer be her agent. It’s difficult to find such favorable conditions elsewhere now. You really don’t need to get angry over momentary dissatisfaction.”

Realizing that Itsuragi had made up her mind, Hamada immediately became puzzled and began using practical reasons to persuade her.

With an annual salary of twenty million, it was already the pinnacle for a talent agent.

“Director Hamada, actually, I wasn’t very angry about yesterday’s incident. It’s just that through this, I’ve come to realize something.”

Itsuragi stopped all actions and stood up.

“What is it?”

“As an agent, there are limits. No matter how well you do, you’re still ultimately an employee. So, I don’t plan on being an agent anymore.”

Itsuragi’s gaze was firm, as if harboring some kind of hope.

“You won’t be an agent? Then what do you plan to do?”

“You’ll find out in the future.”

Itsuragi had no intention of revealing her plans and calculations, to avoid suppression and targeting.

“You’re not thinking of setting up your own studio and signing Kurosawa Hikaru, are you?”

Although she didn’t say it outright, Hamada keenly sensed it.

Under normal circumstances, Itsuragi wouldn’t resign just because of her reprimand, as this had happened more than once before, and she had tolerated it in the past.

However, this time, Itsuragi chose to resign without hesitation, indicating that she had some backing, giving her the courage to make such a decision.

“…”

Having her thoughts exposed, Itsuragi couldn’t respond for a moment.

“Are you out of your mind? Giving up Fujiwara Rika, whom you’ve packaged as a top star, to believe in an unknown figure who hasn’t even debuted, is not well-known, and doesn’t intend to reveal their face? There’s no way an unknown newcomer like that could become a top star!”

As she fell into silence, Hamada realized the truth and felt incredulous.

After investing countless days and nights in promoting and building up Fujiwara Rika, she was now abandoning her like this?

Itsuragi had no intention of arguing with her and calmly said, “Let time witness my decision, whether it’s right or wrong… Director Hamada, don’t waste any more words. Go back; I still have handover work to do.”