Aki was an excellent producer and manager. He had successfully trained many young ladies and gentlemen into influential figures, though he was only 5 years in this harsh industry. Some even considered him a walking cash cow for the company.
As Aki nervously made his way to the CEO's office, he couldn't help but wonder why he was being summoned. Was he scared? Absolutely. Was he nervous? You bet, his hands were sweating bullets. Aki only knew the CEO's name and face, never having a direct meeting with him before. This was the first time Aki called to the CEO's office. He had completed previous projects flawlessly, so he prayed he wouldn't be facing a pay cut. A raise would be much more appreciated.
Standing in front of the doors he never thought he'd enter, Aki hesitantly knocked, his trembling hand making a weak sound.
"Welcome, Aki," a man boomed, clearly the CEO, accompanied by a young lady and...a mouse?
"Nice to meet you, Producer Aki. I've heard nothing but praise about you," Mr. CEO said, extending his hand for a handshake. Oh gosh, his sweating nervous hand. Aki hoped him not feel disgusted by his hand.
"Those are just flatterings." Aki brushed off the compliments, but before he could say more, the CEO turned to the mouse-like creature. "This is Aki, the one you might want and need. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend."
And just like that, the CEO was gone, leaving Aki feeling a bit let down.
"Hello there, I'm Nezu. Am I a mouse, a dog, or a bear?" he asked, raising his arms. "I'm the Principal of UA." Mr. Nezu seemed like a ball of sunshine, if Aki was being honest. This was definitely unexpected.
"And this is Shax Lied, a male UA student who will debut as Lindy," Mr. Nezu introduced, his smile unwavering.
Hah, wait, what... Aki's eyes widened.
"Hello, my name is Shax Lied, but please call me Lindy when I'm in this form." Aki could clearly see that the boy, Lied - Lindy was in bad mood.
"Are you...?" but before he could finish his question.
"No, I'm happy with myself, though it's a little embarrassing, it's just my (forced) choice of clothes." Lindy seriously said.
"I know this sound weird but please help training Lindy into a fine idol."
Aki came to a conclusion.
He needed a rise.
...
At first, Aki was shocked that such a cutie was a boy. But after a few moment, he gathered his thought. He had been in the entertainment and social industry long enough to know that beauty standards for men were gradually shifting towards more gentle features. Aki acknowledged the rise of individuals with unisex beauty and the trend of crossdressing on social media. However, he recognized the rarity of a crossdresser (in Lied-Lindy situation they called it 'trap' or 'femboy'? Aki made a mental note to research about this later) successfully debuting as a singer or idol. (Like he could count the number of such people on his fingers)
This new challenge made him feel ... excited. Like he knew he would be screw if there were any small mistake. But the thought of succeeding this rare path made his heart go bum bum. Ok, Aki decided. He shall turn this unpolished gem into a shiny blinding one.
"Do you plan on debuting as a girl or a trap?" Aki inquired.
"Of course as a girl, who would want to watch a boy with a dress trying to act cute. Devi, that might even sound disgusting." Lindy scoffed.
Aki was a little disappointed, so now his mission was only to mold this boy into a cutie hah?
"Ehh, isn't that boring? I was voting for a trap." Aki mused.
"But if you want to debut as a normal average idol, and then when you become a famous one, reveal the truth you're actually a boy." Aki was definitely not a demon, but Lied somehow could see a sinister smirk devil, "Like can you image it? Because what's more exciting than deceiving your fans and causing chaos in the idol world?"
Lied, with a shockingly shocked face, couldn't help but see the potential for chaos in Aki's plan. "Now that you tell me, it sounds terribly fun."
"The fact that a little lovely idol was actually a boy could turn the fan, the social, and the internet upside down. Doesn't that sound more fun?" Aki asked, with a devilish glint in his eyes.
Nezu, the silent observer, sipped his tea silently. Or maybe he was just enjoying the show. Who knows? Because why not add a little chaos to the mix?
'Maybe a little fun won't hurt anyone.'
...
A few days later, Aki found himself mustering the courage to ask Mr. Nezu why he had chosen him, out of the countless others, to be his adopted son's manager. Aki was confident in his skills, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Mr. Nezu could have easily found someone else better than him.
"Actually, my adopted son is a demon who serves as my watchdog. Your managerial abilities are exceptional, and I believe you can handle the responsibility of managing both his duties," Mr. Nezu responded casually.
Aki's confusion was palpable. "Is this some kind of joke? Because it's not a very good one," he remarked.
The fake smile on Mr. Nezu's face vanished, replaced by a stern expression.
"Aki, you don't have a family name, correct? I know your background...you're an orphan striving to be accepted," Mr. Nezu paused, allowing his words to sink in. But Aki felt a lump forming in his throat; he didn't want to delve into this painful topic.
"You're a diligent worker, fully committed to your tasks. You're a kind-hearted individual, leaving a positive impression on many, but you lack close relationships. To me, you're the ideal choice. No family, no friends—no one truly close to you," An easy-eliminated pawn, Mr. Nezu didn't explicitly say it, but Aki understood.
There was no turning back now.
...
It had been a month since Aki's first encounter with Lied-Lindy.
He received news about Lied meeting his human counterparts and the fusion that ensued. Despite the bizarre and unbelievable nature of it all, Aki's relationship with Lied remained unchanged. Like he couldn't unravel their fusion or intervene in any way.
To Aki, Lied still had the same face, horns, wings and tail, still the same attitude and behaviours. A little different but still the same, still the same kid had so much to learn, so Aki was neutral to this. Ah wait, Lied now had a quirk, and it's a electrical one. Now, Aki's a little envy.
The producer just wondered himself what if there were a day he met his demon counterpart. He could even have his counterpart's life, power, ... parents and friends.
Somehow it left bad tastes in his mouth, so he tried to not think about that again.
"Hey, Aki-san" He heard the voice that familiar yet not so familiar.
"Ahhh, little demon, I thought today is your day-off - no-training that you only want to play game, what are you doing here?"
"I just thought that..." The kid turned to serious face "We should rethink about your 'chaos plan'." His face was too serious for something so ... dumb.
"Hah!?" Aki just confusedly raised his eyebrow. Honestly, even he initially thought that plan was stupid, and it might tarnish his reputation. But his intrusive thought won, he too wanted to see the future where his polished-gem affect the world. He wanted to see how much his product could shake the world. He wanted to know how much his little existence could influence this damn world, this damn world that abandoned him.
"My human part, Denki me was an ex-assassin. Denki me used to take some missions where the other party had twisted feelings toward the target. So I know that ... I fear that if that plan happened, I could get harm, and even you and people around me could risk getting hurt. This is something I want to never happen."
This was something he never thought of. Yes he knew how anti-fan could use this opportunity to detriment he, Lied and the company more, he aslo knew how fans could be crazy about their idol. He knew how this consequence could made him pay servely. It's just, he didn't thought about people around him like Lied did.
"I see. I was naive to think we could proceed without consequences. I'm sorry for my recklessness," Aki admitted.
"No need to apologize. My demon self was too blind to realize it sooner," Lied reassured him.
Aki couldn't help but smile. Whether a demon or an ex-assassin, Lied remained a good kid at heart.
"Hey, now that you're here, why don't we spend the day gaming? I have a feeling we both need a break," Aki suggested.
Aki thought, maybe he could open his heart a little bit.
...
Little demon now had some fame as his debut was quite a hit. People was too used seeing hot singers or sexy models, so when a little flower like Lindy bloomed, people got interested and fell in love fast.
Those months with mountain of works drained Aki fast. He lost about 8kg? His clothes were hanging off him like a scarecrow.
Between scheduling, training the little demon, preparing for shows, writing reports, teaching social manners, and writing more reports, Aki had lost track of time. Despite the decent pay, he sometimes questioned his life choices.
To make matters worse, he now had to juggle even more work when Denki started at UA. Aki had to ensure that Denki's classes, work, and missions didn't overlap.
Today, as Denki headed to the training field for a rescue exercise, Aki couldn't help but ponder. The little demon would eventually return to the Netherworld, but what if Denki stayed and became a big hero? He truly believed that yellow-head could be a great one in future.
As he turned the TV on to watch his favourite show, "Breaking news, UA was broken into and attacked by villains."
Aki had a heartache instantly.
...
Bonus:
Lied: I know why you want me become a influence figure, but why as a girl?
Nezu: You know, I truly see you as my son.
Lied: *questioning raised eyebrow* Yes, and..
Nezu: When you wear dress, I feel like I have a daughter too. It's like having both son and daughter, like buy 1 get 1.
Lied: ...