>>5599101The door opens to reveal an office stacked with bookshelves – and not the cheap kind.
Outfitted with solid, wooden furniture, among which floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a polished mahogany desk.
This is clearly an office meant to impress and it does its job well.
The outer walls of this corner office have been broken away and replaced with large windows enjoying a view of the city.
There’s a lounge chair in front of those windows, you recognize it as a famous designer chair worth thousands of dollars.
This is the kind of office where one CEO would invite another.
It appears some negotiations begin far before even a word has been spoken.
And now you are here – as is Matsuno Takechi himself.
There’s a simple chair on the other side of the desk, probably meant for you
Matsuno himself is seated in a large, leather-backed office chair and he been watching you since you’ve come in.
Probably to see how you respond to this display of extravagance.
The lounge chair looks so comfortable – you wanna relax in it.
There’s hundreds of books on these shelves – you feel like glancing at the spines.
There’s some kind of modern art on the far wall – you wonder what it represents.
There’s a dozen things in here crying for your attention.
But you know deep down that it is not that these things are interesting, but more so that the performance review is daunting.
But there’s no running away from it.
Steeling your resolve, you speak, <span class="mu-g">“Good morning, Matsuno-san,”</span> you say, <span class="mu-g">“I’m here for my performance review.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Good,”</span> he says, waving a hand, <span class="mu-g">“Sit.”</span>
Hyper-aware of your every movement, you make your way towards the desk and sit.
Matsuno sits upright with his hands clasped in front of him, <span class="mu-g">“I’ve reviewed your file,”</span> he says, <span class="mu-g">“Kaiba Aoi.”</span>
You nod, <span class="mu-g">“Yes, sir,”</span> you say, <span class="mu-g">“I’ve been lucky to manage her.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“So it seems,”</span> he replies, <span class="mu-g">“Voice-acting jobs, modelling, and a fair amount of in-house training. It seems like you are committed to her?”</span>
How do you even respond to a question like that without sabotaging yourself.
'Yes' might result in him thinking you have no higher aspirations. That you’re satisfied managing just the one idol.
'No' might result in him thinking you insensitive and unappreciative of your idol’s efforts.
<span class="mu-g">“I try to put in my all for any idol that may find themselves under my supervision,”</span> you say.
<span class="mu-g">“Safe answer,”</span> replies Matsuno, leaning back.He stands, suddenly looking down on you, <span class="mu-g">“Let me be frank with you.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“Kaiba Aoi is an excellent practice idol,”</span> he says, his tone shifting.
