All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 118: MEM: Ah, the rich sponsor!

"Hey! You two! It's too dangerous here! What are you doing?"

A stern voice came from one side.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, on stormy days, there are police officers patrolling the streets.

So, both of them were taken to the police station.

After a brief interrogation, Yukima Azuma sat on a bench in the hallway of the Tokyo Police Department, waiting.

Meanwhile, Kurokawa Akane's situation was a bit more complicated.

She was still in the mediation room.

The police had notified Kurokawa Akane's parents.

Inside the mediation room, there was also a female police officer trying to persuade her.

There would definitely be an educational talk about Kurokawa Akane's suicidal tendencies.

However... Yukima Azuma felt that this wouldn't have any effect.

Because Yukima Azuma could smell the scent of death on Kurokawa Akane.

This girl was in her teens, yet her eyes no longer held any desire for this world.

When one has truly been on the brink of death and is saved yet unchanged afterward, it...

Shows that the issue was truly serious.

Yukima Azuma was thinking about Kurokawa Akane's situation.

In his memory, Kurokawa Akane had never been in a breakdown like this before.

Was it the influence of Adolescence Syndrome?

Could this influence be healed?

Could it be reversed through conventional means?

Kurokawa Akane, leaning toward death, now seemed like a test placed in front of Yukima Azuma.

If he solved it successfully, he could gather useful material.

If not, he would need to summarize the failure to prepare for the next encounter with a similar problem.

The sound of hurried footsteps came from one side.

Yukima Azuma looked up.

A large crowd was rushing toward them.

A few people ran ahead, looking to be around high school age, and all of them had very striking appearances.

They were participants in the program "We're About to Fall in Love for Real," abbreviated as "LoveforReal."

(Note: Sorry, I haven't watched Oshi no Ko, so I wrote the program name incorrectly in the previous chapter. Teehee.)

That said, Kurokawa Akane's self-destructive behavior was also related to the "LoveforReal" program.

And at this moment...

Kurokawa Akane finally walked out of the mediation room.

A cute girl with long dark blue hair rushed up and hugged Kurokawa Akane.

Yukima Azuma remembered that this girl was probably named Sumi Yuki.

She was an artist, a model, and very famous in the "LoveforReal" program.

"Baka! Making us worry like this! Why did you do that? You should have talked to us!"

Crying voices came from the other side.

Kurokawa Akane, who was being hugged, also began to shed tears.

However, Yukima Azuma didn't see any signs of remorse in her eyes.

On the contrary, perhaps due to others' worries, the burden in her heart only grew heavier.

A cute girl with a devil's horn bow ran behind Sumi Yuki.

Seeing the two of them hugging and crying in a heap, she stood by, occasionally handing over tissues.

"MEM-san, come here for a moment."

Yukima Azuma called the girl with the devil's horn bow.

The girl, looking worried, heard her name and pointed at herself, seeming a bit confused.

However, perhaps because of Yukima Azuma's strong tone, there was an undeniable hint of threat.

So, even though she didn't know this teen, she obediently walked over to Yukima Azuma's side.

"Um... May I ask who you are?"

MEM looked up at the unfamiliar teenager and quietly asked.

The teen in front of her had an outstanding appearance.

So, her first thought was that he was probably from the entertainment industry.

But she couldn't recall any information about him.

"My name is Yukima Azuma."

When the other party introduced himself, MEM immediately confirmed her thoughts.

She had indeed never heard of this name before.

It sounded somewhat like the pen name of a recently famous light novel author.

While MEM was daydreaming, Yukima Azuma added more about his background.

"I am the president of Laplace Corporation. We collaborated just last month. MEM-san, you must remember, right?"

MEM snapped out of her daze.

"Ah, Yukima-san, hello!"

So it was the rich sponsor!

Laplace Corporation was very generous when it came to promotions.

And their promotional content was incredibly impressive.

MEM was highly impressed by this company.

The promotional video she made for the galgame White Album not only brought in a large advertising budget but also attracted great viewership.

It helped her increase her follower count on her YouTube channel.

She had even considered making a series of White Album playthrough videos.

But... why was this wealthy sponsor here?

And... why was he so handsome?

Was he really not an artist?

"Um, may I ask, Yukima-san, what brings you here?"

In response to MEM's question, Yukima Azuma tilted his head and glanced toward Kurokawa Akane on the other side.

"I picked her up on the overpass. She was climbing over the guardrail and letting go to jump."

Yukima Azuma's casual description made MEM's face turn pale, and she took a deep breath.

Although she had suspected that Kurokawa Akane's situation was serious, she never imagined it was this severe.

"Ah... Akane-chan, she's... gone through a lot, haizz! Yukima-san, have you watched LoveforReal?"

MEM sighed.

"My friend came over to my house and watched two episodes on TV."

"I see. Then it'll be easier to explain. In short, something happened on the show."

MEM explained the situation.

She felt that since Yukima Azuma had saved Kurokawa Akane, he had the right to know the full context.

The LoveforReal program, as it reached its middle and late stages, had clarified its main content.

Of the three girls participating, the most famous was clearly Sumi Yuki.

Next was MEM, who had a lively, cheerful image, almost like the mascot of the group.

Finally, there was Kurokawa Akane, who was relatively forgettable.

As an actress, Kurokawa Akane didn't seem to know how to deal with the unscripted nature of the show.

She wasn't able to create any special interactions with the others.

Kurokawa Akane gradually became a supporting character in the program, and her footage was severely cut.

It seemed that her management company had placed great pressure on her, demanding that she appear more on the show.

Thus, Kurokawa Akane participated in the competition for screen time in a way that she understood.

However, at this point, the format of LoveforReal had stabilized into a love triangle between two boys and one girl.

Trying to wedge in now was truly an unwise move.

Choosing like MEM, the mascot of the group, was a smarter decision.

While Kurokawa Akane tried to grab attention, she had a small incident with Sumi Yuki.

Her nails had scratched Sumi Yuki's cheek.

The injury was very minor, easily covered with makeup.

In time, it would heal without leaving a scar.

This small conflict was quickly resolved behind the scenes between the two involved.

Sumi Yuki was a very kind person and easily forgave Kurokawa Akane.

Now, the two were hugging like this, quickly reconciling any misunderstandings.

However, this would not simply disappear on camera just because the two had reconciled.

The conflict between them had been broadcasted.

But what happened after the conflict was not.

After the episode aired, it was easy to imagine.

A wave of criticism came crashing down on Kurokawa Akane.

The netizens were extremely violent.

As soon as the program aired, the program's Twitter account received thousands of critical comments.

"Disgusting, if she acted like this in front of the camera, it must have been even worse off-screen."

"Who is she? Doesn't she understand anything?"

"Seriously, they should call the police and arrest her, Yuki-chan is so pitiful!"

"Can we just make Kurokawa Akane disappear?"

"Has she done things like this before? How did such a person even get on TV?"

These harsh, critical comments were like piercing sounds.

Yukima Azuma went on Twitter and scrolled through the comments.

Although it's often said that netizens in Japan have only a moderate level of aggression compared to K-pop idol fans, for typical teenage girls, these comments could feel like sharp knives.

"Akane-chan... she posted an apology and explanation on Twitter, but all that did was get her criticized even more."

"During the breaks between filming, everyone checked on Akane-chan, but she responded very weakly."

"Today, I messaged Akane-chan to ask if she'd eaten properly, but she just said she went to buy a little something."

"There's a huge storm outside, and it's pouring heavily, but she still didn't reply to our messages."

"We could only get in touch with Akane-chan's mother, then followed the trace from a convenience store near her house."

"Then... then we got a call from the police station, and we rushed here together."

After hearing MEM's description, Yukima Azuma nodded.

Netizens, huh.

The online attacks were creating real wounds for Kurokawa Akane.

Would changing the direction of public opinion on the internet be a way to treat Adolescence Syndrome?

If it worked but she faced another wave of online attacks, would Adolescence Syndrome relapse?

These questions remained unanswered.

But before addressing them...

There was still a huge shadow in front of them.

First and foremost, they had to make sure that Kurokawa Akane survived.

Human life was fragile.

Like a precious porcelain item.

Once the owner of such an item loses their desire for life, the sound of it shattering could happen at any moment.

If Kurokawa Akane died during the preparation phase, everything would become meaningless words.

"MEM-san, give me all the information about Kurokawa Akane, including contact details, home address, and everything you know."

Faced with Yukima Azuma's rude demand, MEM immediately froze.

This girl, who appeared like a "demon," was actually someone who always wanted to please others.

She had worked together with Kurokawa Akane on LoveforReal and had almost become real friends.

How could she disclose her friend's private information to a stranger of the opposite gender?

Even with ordinary people, MEM wouldn't do that, let alone Kurokawa Akane, who was a fellow artist.

"Actually... I don't know much, I can only give you her Line."

MEM tried to respond vaguely.

"You've already contacted Kurokawa Akane's mother and followed the trace to her house from the convenience store, so you must already know her address, right?"

Yukima Azuma spoke calmly.

MEM turned away, looking a little awkward.

'Kusho! This guy is too sharp!'

While MEM was trying to come up with another excuse, Yukima Azuma pointed toward Kurokawa Akane.

"Do you see? She's still standing on the edge of the guardrail, showing no signs of backing away."

Yukima Azuma's words silenced MEM.

She could feel it too.

Kurokawa Akane no longer had the vitality she once had.

It seemed like she had lost all hope.