Two updates + three additional chapters...
Thanks Deathmorphe for the support...
Originally,
I was supposed to come to Tokyo not with the real Fujiwara-san, but with a
devil doll, but somehow, the day before, I got a message saying, "Sorry, I
have something to do!".
I
asked Lili about it, and she said there was no problem, and to be honest, I
didn't want to go with the devil doll either, so I was rather relieved.
After
we arrived in Tokyo in the afternoon, there was no rehearsal. So, I decided to
go to the studio after a short detour, since they said they didn't mind if I
came in at the last minute.
Although
Fujiwara-san insisted that she wanted to go to “Marukyu”, it was too much of a challenge, since I was alone
on the outside.
I
persuaded her with my knowledge that "Marukyu is no longer a sacred place for gal" and
forcibly changed the destination to Nakano. Having been longing for this place
personally, I decided to enjoy strolling along Nakano Broadway.
Although
the tour was a bit otaku, Fujiwara-san, who was “boo boo” at first, ended up
enjoying it with a lot of cackling, so I guess it's okay.
At
Nakano Broadway, I bought as many manga and figures as I could with the money I
had saved up for the occasion.
Then,
while Fujiwara-san was in the bathroom, I summoned "the door", threw
the purchased items into "the room", and explained to her that I had
sent them home by courier.
I was
satisfied. Confinement King is very satisfied.
The
only problem was that when I went to the bathroom, Fujiwara-san tried to follow
me into the men's room, taking advantage of the fact that other people couldn't
see her.
「How
dare you hide something from me!」
「No,
let me hide that part!」
Fujiwara-san
seemed to like this exchange, and to be honest, it was annoying to have to
repeat it every time I wanted to go to the bathroom.
Finally,
we arrived at the Roppongi studio, holding a map in my hands, at 6 p.m., an
hour before the start of the broadcast.
At the
reception desk, I told them the name of the program I was going to appear on,
and a young man who looked like an assistant director came running out to show
the way to the dressing room.
On
the door of the dressing room, there was a piece of paper with “Kijima-sama”
written on it with a magnet. Apparently, one room could be used by me alone.
Inside
the dressing room is a Japanese-style room, with bento and tea on the table.
There was a rather old-fashioned TV near the wall.
「Well,
I'll send someone to call you when we're about to start, so please relax until
then」
With
that, the Assistant Director left in a hurry.
（As I
thought, Assistant Directors seem to be absurdly busy...）
After
taking off my shoes, I sat down on the cushion,
「Nya~n!」
Fujiwara-san
lays down on my lap as if to say sweetly.
「I've
walked a lot, my feet hurt...」
Anyway,
the California gal in the Japanese-style room looks strange. Her lemon yellow
bikini doesn't match the scenery at all.
I
chuckled, and Fujiwara-san suddenly let out a worried voice.
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↓ Continue to Read ↓
「Hey,
Fu~min, are you sure you're okay?」
「What?」
「Because,
I don't know if it's just a random thing or not, but they can say all they want
that Fu~min is lying, right? That detective JK. For example, "Fu~min was
the culprit!", would be better for the ratings...」
I
involuntarily rolled my eyes.
（Oh, my, it's unexpected.
She has a good understanding of the situation）
This
was quite a surprise to me, as I've always assumed that Fujiwara-san is an
idiot.
She
knows exactly what the risks are in this performance.
（...I
guess that's right. If Claudia-san insists that this guy is lying, anyone can
be framed as a criminal）
Of
course, Claudia-san's ability has already been figured out by Shiratori-san.
Lili
told me that she will make sure that Claudia-san can't mislead the truth of her
readings, but I'm not without my worries.
I was
skeptical about appearing on this show in the first place.
I
didn't think it was necessary to take such a risk.
However,
Lili said with a rather serious face, "For the future of Fumi Fumi, this
is the critical moment, Devi". And if Lili is that serious, I have no
choice.
We're
already on the same side. We're destined to be together.
「Don't
worry. Actually, Detective JK, whose real name is Claudia-san, is a friend of
mine」
「Eh!
Really!?」
「Yeah,
that's why this has been a farce from the beginning」
「Heh~?
I see, I'm sorry for worrying」
She
said, and smiled as if she was relieved.
We
spent the next few hours flirting, and just before 7:00 p.m., I turned on the
TV and the live special of the program "World Surprise Phenomenon" in
which I was to appear started.
It's
not that I don't know about this program.
The
contents of the program are very fishy, but it is quite popular.
Every
week, the show has been attracting attention for its aggressive plans, such as
a contest between psychics to get rid of spirits, a contest to drain the water
of Loch Ness, and a contest between psychics to incite each other to take
psychic pictures.
In
particular, the first words of the psychic when he conjured up the spirit of
Oda Nobunaga was, "Ossu, Oda Nobunaga!" is still often seen on social
networking sites.
That's
why the public's perception of the show was that it was mostly a joke.
As I
stroked Fujiwara-san's hair and watched the screen in a daze, the host began to
introduce the commentators.
『First
up was the leading UFO researcher, Shunichi Yagamo-san! The most powerful
psychic, Aiko Ginowan-san! Professor Omura, who claims that all mysterious
phenomena can be explained by science! Our favorite idol who like psychic
poltergeists phenomenon - Kumi Tanaka-chan of the idol group MMR108! Mike
Hasegawa-san, a comedian who thought he was tied up late at night, but found
himself underneath his wife who weighed over 100 kilos! Aoi Umidori, an actress
who is so natural that she is rumored to be almost UMA herself! The above are
just a few of the unique members who will be joining us』
Immediately,
Fujiwara-san sat up and pointed at the screen.
**b
「Ah!
That's Etsuko-san! Look, there's that Aoi Umidori! She's Yui-chan's mother, and she was our maid for a while!」
「Oh,
so that's her?」
「Yeah,
I'm glad to hear she's doing well. My stepfather is probably watching her right now. Fu~min, I think
Etsuko-san will become more and more visible on TV」
「Why?」
「Because
stepfather, he's going to make a phone call to someone high up in the TV station」
「Oh...」
While
I was thinking that the powerful old man might do something like that, within a
few minutes, the camera started to focus on Aoi Umidori.
（That's
absurd, that old man...）
This
live special seems to be a special feature on psychics.
Every
time there's a commercial break, there's a message at the bottom of the screen
saying "Detective JK vs Confinement King――Detective JK investigates a case
of mysterious disappearance! Coming right after this!" is shown.
While
saying "right after this", the program is dragged to the end, which
is quite a cruel move.
Except
for the detective JK part at the end, the program proceeds almost the same as
the regular episode.
After
showing videos of psychics from all over the world, the commentators start to
discuss them.
In all
the videos, the flow is roughly the same: UFO researchers claim that aliens are
responsible, psychics say that spirits are playing tricks on them, and university
professors deny all such claims.
While
the professors and other commentators argue, a comedian tries to make a joke,
Aoi Umidori makes a natural joke, and finally an idol adorably says "I-don't-know", and when things get out of hand, the host says "Let's move
on" and the screen changes.
The
time passed while I was absentmindedly watching, and when it was almost 8:00
p.m., there was a sudden knock on the door.
『Stand
by, please!』
I
heard such a voice from outside the door, and I replied, "Okay"
「Then,
Fujiwara-san, I'm going to go, so please stay here and watch TV」
「Yeah,
good luck! Fu~min!」
「I
don't know what I'm going to do, though」
With
that, I kissed her and walked out of the dressing room into the hallway.
In the
hallway was a different Assistant Director from the one who had come to meet me
at the reception desk.
"Well,
please follow me", said the Asssistant Director, and I followed him to a
room that looked like a bleak warehouse.
「Then,
I'll show you to your costume here」
（Costume?）
As I
tilted my head at the Assistant Director's comment, three men carried a statue
of a pharaoh from the back of the warehouse.
「It's
the costume」
「Huh!?」
I
couldn't help but widen my eyes at the Assistant Director who said without
hesitation.
Because
that's Tutankhamun! No matter how you look at it, it's a golden statue.
Apparently,
he wants me to enter it.
「No,
it's not a costume. It's a set, right?」
But my
protests were completely ignored, and the Assistant Director continued his
explanation without hesitation.
「It
looks pretty hot, but we have a small fan running inside. Also, please put on
these headphones. You'll be given instructions through the headphones, so just
follow them and you'll be fine」
「No,
I'm afraid I can't move...」
「Then.
When it's time to shoot, the staff will push you to the studio. This costume
has wheels underneath」
（What's
a costume with wheels?）
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◇ ◇ ◇
It's
been a long time since Fu~min left the dressing room.
On
the TV screen, two women wearing dance masks, called "Detective JK",
are giving a demonstration.
（It's
amazing... seriously, they seem to know whether someone is lying or not）
I was
watching it with my eyes fixed on the TV.
Whenever
one of the commentators answered Detective JK's question, the lamp projected on
the edge of the screen would light up red or blue instantly.
It
turned out that the ufologist really believed in UFOs, and the moment the
psychic answered "of course" to the question "Do spirits
exist?", the red light came on, indicating that he was lying.
The
psychic said, "This is bullshit!" hysterically but someone shouted,
"Oh, it's real".
Ironically,
the psychic's attitude made it seem more true.
Finally,
Fu~min appeared!
But
then came the exaggerated music and lighting. In the midst of heavy smoke, a
golden statue of Tutankhamun was brought in.
（Why,
Egypt!?）
Etsuko-san's
comment, "My, it's gorgeus, maybe on his own" was still puzzling to
me.
「In
this statue, there is a person who is believed to be involved in the case of
the mysterious disappearance. Now, Detective JK-san! Please ask your questions」
The
host announced, and the lights dimmed, revealing Detective JK and the statue (apparently
containing Fu~min) in the spotlight.
And
then--
「Please
answer with a yes or no answer. A case of mysterious disappearance. You know
who did it, don't you?」
（Suddenly,
such a question!）
As I
gulped, I heard a muffled "No" from a man.
Immediately,
a red light came on at the edge of the screen.
- Well, the program has started!
