Episode 7: Leave the Movie and Special Episode to Me!
Having received Momoko’s welcome words, Kazuma decided to continue his conversation with Seiichi.
“So, about that tokusatsu show from this morning, what’s the specific plan?”
“Hold on a sec.”
Saying that, Seiichi took out a tablet, opened a file containing a proposal, and handed the tablet to Kazuma.
“So that’s the proposal.”
“Isn’t this confidential company information?”
“Ahahaha. That’s true, but Kazuma-kun, you’re not an outsider, are you?”
Pointed out by Seiichi, Kazuma was momentarily dumbfounded, but just as he said, Kazuma was no longer an outsider but an involved party, so he decided to put the matter of company confidentiality out of his mind.
“That’s right!”
Returning to his usual carefree way of thinking, Kazuma, along with Momoko and Sakura Hakanai, looked over the proposal.
To summarize it concisely, the concept was for a team show centered on the Crimson Knight, where they would use magic and swords to fight villains.
“I wonder how many times this has been rehashed…”
“Hahaha… It can’t be helped. We’ve done a lot of things, you know. We’re pretty much out of ideas.”
“There have been magic warriors in past works, right?”
“Swordsmen too. This time, it’s a magic swordsman mixing those, isn’t it?”
“Even so, as an idea, it’s pretty worn out.”
Seiichi responded to the three’s comments with a wry smile.
He too was well aware that a team show based on the Crimson Knight was a well-worn idea.
Nevertheless, he was confident in this particular project.
After all, the key figure, the Crimson Knight himself, was an associate and would be cooperating.
That alone provided enough buzz for a good chance of success.
“Hmm, hmm… By the way, is the cast decided?”
“It’s already decided.”
“The cast is decided at the proposal stage? You knew he’d definitely say okay, didn’t you?”
“Ugh…! Well, um, I just thought Kazuma-kun would.”
At Momoko’s sharp指摘, Seiichi’s gaze wandered, but then he raised both hands as if in surrender.
“Well, it’s fine, isn’t it? It’s their business too, after all.”
Sakura Hakanai’s easygoing remark earned her a displeased look from Momoko.
“Let me make this clear, my workload increases, you know? When things like this happen frequently.”
Her words had a sting to them, but Momoko was Kazuma’s secretary and manager.
Therefore, it was proper procedure for Kazuma’s work to go through her.
Momoko handled scheduling, follow-up processing, and the like, so when people like Seiichi acted unilaterally, it was extremely troublesome for her.
She shifted her gaze from Sakura Hakanai to Seiichi. He seemed to understand what she wanted to say and apologized profusely.
“I’m sorry…”
“From now on, please go through me first.”
“Momoko-chan~. We owe Seiichi-san, so you don’t have to be so strict, right?”
“I know we owe him. However, as a working adult, I need him to follow the rules, or it becomes a problem.”
“Kazuma-kun. The young lady is right, so don’t worry about it. This time, it’s completely my fault. I took advantage of your goodwill and acted selfishly, so it’s natural for me to be scolded.”
“Hmm… Well, if Seiichi-san says so, I won’t say anything more.”
Understanding Momoko’s point, Kazuma closed his mouth as if in agreement.
He had paused his reading of the proposal when the conversation started, so Kazuma once again looked it over.
“I mostly get it. My role is something like an advisor, right?”
“Mainly, yes. We’re still discussing it, but we’re thinking of casting you as a special guest in the movie version or a special episode.”
“Eh? Does that mean I’ll be appearing in it too?”
“Yes! When they are defeated by a powerful enemy and are dejected, the Crimson Knight appears before them! How about that? Isn’t it an exciting development?”
“Oooh~! That’s great~!”
“I thought you’d say that, Kazuma-kun!”
“Could you please not proceed with the conversation on your own?”
“This is an order from your superior!”
“I’ll sue you for abuse of authority!”
“I don’t fear the Labor Standards Bureau or anything! The law cannot bind me—!”
Standing up from the sofa, Kazuma raised both hands and threatened Momoko like a red panda trying to intimidate.
“Kuh…!”
Unable to resist, Momoko bit her lip in frustration.
It was a workplace she couldn’t quit even if she wanted to, so there was absolutely no escape.
However, she didn’t like Kazuma having his way, so Momoko tried to persuade him based on information she had recently obtained.
“I-If you listen to what I say, you can do slightly lewd things, you know?”
Whispering in Kazuma’s ear, Momoko’s face turned bright red.
Seiichi hadn’t heard, but Sakura Hakanai, who was on the other side, heard it perfectly and was grinning amusedly.
“…………Momoko-chan. You don’t have to force yourself, you know?”
Kazuma, meaning it from the bottom of his heart, gently patted Momoko’s shoulder.
“Go to hell—!!!”
“Guhah!?”
Momoko, furious that Kazuma didn’t even try to understand the feelings behind her words, drove her elbow into him.
Kazuma, who took Momoko’s elbow to his side, looked as if he were in agony, but he hadn’t taken any damage at all.
He was just pretending to be in pain.
“I’ll never do that again!”
“Eh~! Momoko-chan, you were cute when you were embarrassed, you know?”
“Forget it. Right now.”
“Nah~, I don’t think I can~”
“In that case, I’ll hit your head until you lose your memory. With a hammer.”
Momoko partially deployed the Powered Suit she was wearing.
She transformed its arm section into a hammer and swung it大きく towards Kazuma.
Kazuma sensed that Momoko’s eyes were serious and tried to calm her down.
“C-Calm down, Momoko-chan. If you hit my head with that, I’ll die, you know?”
“A normal person would die, yes. However, you are not a normal human. If it’s not instant death, reviving should be a simple matter for you, right?”
“Did I say something like that?”
“You often said it during training, didn’t you? That if it wasn’t instant death, you could recover immediately.”
“…That was a lie. If my head gets hit, I’ll die~”
With teary eyes, Kazuma began to beg for his life.
Momoko mercilessly swung the hammer down.
Kazuma, realizing that dodging would break the sofa, took the hammer to his face.
“Pigyuh!”
With a squish, Kazuma’s nose was crushed and his face caved in, but a faint light appeared, and his face returned to normal.
Momoko then repeatedly swung the hammer down on Kazuma like a game of Whac-A-Mole, but Sakura Hakanai stepped in, saying it was getting bad for the children’s education.
“That’s enough~. Any more than this isn’t good for the children’s well-being~”
“Mu… My apologies. I’ll be more careful next time.”
“You shouldn’t be apologizing to me. The children are still amused, but if this bloodshed continues any longer, it won’t be a gag anymore~”
Generally, repeatedly hitting someone’s face like Whac-A-Mole is by no means something that can be dismissed as a gag.
It only passes as a gag because the victim is Kazuma.
Good children should never imitate this.
“Kazuma-kun. Is it always like this?”
Seiichi asked with a concerned voice, looking at Kazuma, who had tissues stuffed in his nostrils and a dumb look on his face.
“Well, it’s pretty much like this. I’m fine. I’m used to it.”
“I don’t think it’s good to get used to such a violent daily life, though~”
“No, no, this is pretty tame. Compared to over there.”
Seiichi tilted his head curiously at Kazuma, who was gazing into the distance as if reminiscing about the old days.
He wanted to know what kind of life Kazuma had led, but for now, he decided to forget about it and prioritize the discussion about the new team show.
“Um, well then, to get back to the topic, is it okay to say you’re available to appear as a special guest?”
“Of course! If someone like me is okay, then by all means!”
“Thank you! I can deliver the good news to the planning team!”
Seiichi rejoiced, convinced that success was now certain.
All that was left was to iron out the details and decide on the filming schedule.
He was thrilled, anticipating that the new year would be incredibly busy but also fun.
“Um, I have a suggestion.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Could you lend me your ear for a moment?”
Not wanting Momoko to hear, Kazuma went as far as to put up a soundproof Protective Barrier, ensuring perfect anti-eavesdropping measures, and whispered his suggestion to Seiichi.
“How about we make an offer to Alicia, Shar, Momoko-chan, Sakura Hakanai, and also the Prime Minister?”
“…………”
Hearing such incredibly big names, Seiichi was rendered speechless.
Certainly, if the members Kazuma mentioned were to appear, it would cause a huge sensation.
However, to begin with, they didn’t have the connections, and he wasn’t confident they could pay their appearance fees.
“W-Well, Kazuma-kun, you might be able to make the offer, but I don’t think our company can handle them~”
“It’s alright. I’ll persuade them.”
“No, I’m not doubting you, Kazuma-kun. But the company can’t hire them, is what I mean.”
“No problem! I’ll try to negotiate for them to do it for free, like a friendship appearance!”
“That would be great, but there are compliance issues and various other problems.”
“Leave everything to me!”
Seeing Kazuma completely running wild, Seiichi gave up, realizing that nothing he said would get through, and stopped trying to think about it.
Instead, he began to ponder how he should convey Kazuma’s proposal to his superiors.