Surviving a Hot Air Balloon-17（熱気球からの生還）

This work is a fiction designated R-18G and contains brutal language, but does not promote criminal acts.

The names of all characters and places in this work are fictitious and have no relation to any real person or place.

All characters are adults.

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This is a room in a television station.

A person was checking the footage being sent from the scene.

He was a producer working at this television station, and also the person who planned this magic show.

He had always found it troublesome to go to the location, so he handled all meetings and instructions from this room, with a cigar in hand, via phone and email.

Even so, he never received any reprimands from upper management because the programs he was in charge of always achieved high ratings.

But from the perspective of his subordinates, he was the worst boss imaginable.

This was because he was famous for using any forceful and inhumane methods to get ratings, and for exploiting his staff.

The man nodded as he looked at Mai's face, which was displayed in close-up on the monitor screen.

"This female magician has quite a body. And she's got guts too. She might be able to get us even higher ratings."

Then, leaning back deeply in his chair, he thought about something, picked up the receiver on his desk, and called his subordinate as usual.

"Hey! About that magic show, tell the host to contact me and come to my room immediately after filming is finished.

Huh? What? What's the host's name?

You idiot, there's no way I'd know the name of some host like that.

Find out yourself!"

After rattling off his instructions in a one-sided manner, the man put the receiver back down and smiled gleefully as he looked at Mai's face, which was displayed on the screen again.

Now, a new misfortune was about to befall Mai.

Mai, who had no idea that such an exchange was taking place behind the scenes, was smiling amiably and waving in the image displayed on the monitor.

ここはテレビ局の一室である。

一人の人物が現場から送られてくる映像をチェックしていた。

彼はこのテレビ局に勤務しているプロデューサーの一人で、今回のマジックショーを企画した人物でも有る。

昔から現場へ行くのが面倒なので打合せや指示は全て、この部屋から葉巻片手に電話やメールで済ませる。

それでも上層部からは何のお咎めもないのは彼が担当する番組はどれも高視聴率が取れるからに他ならない。

だが部下から見れば彼は最低。最悪な上司であった。

何故なら視聴率を取るためにはどんな強引かつ非道な方法であれ手段を選ばないし人使いが荒いので有名だからだ。

男はモニター画面一杯にアップで映った舞の姿を見て頷いていた。

「この女マジシャンなかなか良い躰してんじゃねえか。それに度胸も有る。こいつはもっと視聴率を稼げるかもしれんぞ。」

そして椅子に深く腰掛けて何かを考えていたがデスクの受話器を取るといつものように部下に電話を掛けた

「おい！。例のマジックショーだが撮影が終了したら司会者の男に連絡を取って直ぐに俺の部屋に来るように伝えるんだ。

あ？何だ？何て名前の司会者かだって？

馬鹿野郎、俺がそんな司会者ごときの名前なんぞ知る訳ねだろ。

自分で調べろ！」

一方的に捲し立てた後で受話器を戻すと男はもう一度画面一杯に映し出された舞の姿を見てニンマリと笑った。

今、まさに舞の身に新たな災難が降りかかろうとしていた。

自分の知らない所でそんな遣り取りされている事など夢にも思っていない舞はモニターに映し出された画面の中で愛想良く笑顔を振りまいていたのだった。