Yuna's Contract

“I… I can’t show you that.” Yuna whispered.

We were sitting at my tiny kitchen table.

“Yuna, if I don’t know what’s in the contract, I can’t help you.”

“But… I agreed to everything on those papers… I agreed to all of it. I don’t know how looking at them would help us.”

“Yes, those papers are the reason you are trapped… But maybe they’re also the way out.”

She stared at the table for a long moment. Then she nodded slowly.

“...Okay, I’ll get them.”

She stood up carefully, moving slower because of the pregnancy.

“I’ll come with you.” I said.

“N– No, I can-” she stopped herself, then sighed. “...All right.”

—----------------------------

In her apartment, she walked to a shelf near her TV, where a chaotic pile of envelopes and folders was stacked on top of each other.

“It should be… here…” she murmured, flipping through them.

A minute passed, then another…

“...It’s not here.”

I crossed my arms. “You lost the document that’s controlling your whole life?”

“D-Don’t say it like that! I put it in a safe place… I just don’t know which safe place…”

So we searched… drawers, boxes, her whole apartment. I pulled out a snack wrapper, then another, then an entire small army of them.

“OH, so that’s where they have been hiding.” she said.

I facepalmed.

“You really do live like a streamer…” I muttered.

“Y-You don’t get to judge me. You’re a streamer too.” she protested weakly.

“Yeah, but my mom would perform an exorcism if my apartment looked like this.”

Her expression faltered for a second. “I haven’t had anyone to nag me in years.” she said quietly.

The way she said it hurt more than the words themselves.

Then…

“Found it!”

She pulled out a thin white folder from behind a stack of manga volumes.The front was stamped with an agency logo I recognized instantly. Probably the 2nd biggest VTuber agency in Japan, led by a young CEO who’d built it from the ground up… and gotten away with far too much.

“Can I…?” I held out my hand.

She hesitated, then handed it over without a word.

I opened the folder.

Japanese legal jargon, dense lines, but even without understanding every kanji, the intent was obvious.

Revenue split: 20% to talent, 80% to agency.

Then the deductions started.

“Management costs”, “Promotion expenses”, “Platform handling fees”... and a dozen of other vague terms that could mean anything.

“20%...” I murmured.

“T– That’s normal, right?” Yuna asked, almost pleading. “They said it was standard for beginners. And he promised it would become 35% once I proved myself… but I’m their number one now and it never changed…”

I clenched my jaw. “With those deductions, you’re lucky if you see anything.”

Further down:

-Talent is prohibited from streaming or posting content on any personal or third-party channels for the duration of the contract and for 2 years after termination, except with explicit written permission from the agency. The restrictions in this clause apply exclusively to content produced under the Talent Persona and associated branding, including the avatar, stage name, voice modulation, and visual identity owned by the Agency.

-Talent is required to comply with all management decisions regarding schedule, collaborations, sponsorships, and public statements.

-Talent is prohibited from disclosing personal circumstances, including but not limited to romantic relationships, pregnancy, and family issues, without prior approval from management.

-In case of breach, talent agrees to pay a penalty of 50.000.000 Yen.

I stopped reading and let air out of my lungs.

“This is… This is a cage.”

Yuna’s voice came out tiny. “It owns my avatar too, the channel, the model… everything belongs to them. I was just… happy someone let me debut.”

Of course she was.

If you’ve been told your whole life you’re a burden, you don’t negotiate when someone hands you a stage. You say thank you and hope they don’t change their mind…

I shut the folder, maybe a bit too hard.

“We need help. Someone who actually understands contracts.” I said.

“Like… a lawyer?”

“More like the closest thing we can get right now. I don’t know if a real one would be available so fast.” I pulled out my phone. “I’ll call Sakura.”

“Sakura?”

“She’s a law student, you forgot that already?”

“No, I didn’t… It’s just. She’d find out who I really am.”

“If you have a problem with it, I won’t… but she’s your friend, isn’t she? It’s up to you if you trust her or not.”

“...Yes. You're right. She’s my friend. Let's ask her!”

—-----------------

“Sakura.” I said the moment she picked up. “I don’t know if you’re visiting your parents right now or not, but whatever the case, I need you to come over.”

“Ren… I’m in my own apartment studying right now…”

“It’s important.”

“...You sound serious.”

“I am. It’s about… an entertainment-industry contract. A really bad one.”

“...Okay. I’m coming. Give me an hour.”

She hung up.

We took the contract and went back to my apartment.

—-----------------------

An hour later, the doorbell rang.

Sakura stood there in casual clothes, hair tied up, bag on her shoulder. Her eyes flicked from my face to the kitchen table.

And landed on Yuna.

“...Okay, this looks serious.”

Yuna gave a small, nervous smile. “Hi… Sakura.”

“Hey… you don’t look great…” she replied.

Sakura stepped inside, kicked off her shoes, and dropped her bag by the door. Then she clapped her hands once. “Alright, you called me like you were about to commit a felony. Where’s the problem?”

I slid the folder across the table.

“Just read.” I said.

Sakura opened it. Her eyes skimmed fast… Her smile disappeared even faster.

Yuna fidgeted with her sleeves, watching Sakura like someone waiting for a diagnosis.

“Wow.”

That single word had weight behind it.

“This is impressively predatory.” she continues, tapping the pages. “The deductions are vague on purpose. The control clauses over schedule and public statements are… questionable. And the personal-life restrictions are… disgusting. Definitely attackable…”

“So it’s illegal?” I asked, too hopeful.

Sakura gave me a flat look. “Calm down. Reality isn’t that easy.”

Yuna swallowed. “So… they really can control me?”

“So that’s what you’ve been carrying around all this time…” Sakura said quietly. “I knew something was wrong…I’d just…I’d have never guessed you are a famous VTuber.”

Yuna looked away.

Sakura continued: “They’ve written the contract in a way that scares you into thinking they have absolute power… Legally, they probably don’t. Atleast not to that extent… but…” she paused.

“Of course there’s a but…” I groaned.

“The but is: you signed it. On paper, you agreed to all of it. And that makes things a little bit more complicated. Judges don’t live in anime-worlds. They don’t magically side with the underdog just because the agency is a bunch of assholes. This isn’t something you win with one dramatic speech. You need an entertainment lawyer and a strategy.”

Yuna’s gaze dropped. “So, we better give up?”

“I didn’t say that.” Sakura closed the folder in her hands. "I’m saying: It’s complicated. You need a good lawyer. They’d probably argue things like unfair bargaining power, maybe coercion if you were pressured into signing.”

“Well, I already knew the CEO at the time I signed. He kept saying things like ‘Every other agency will chew you up and spit you out’ or ‘If you hesitate, I’ll give this contract to someone else… I can’t guarantee you’ll ever get another chance like this’ and ‘I’m betting my reputation on you. Don’t make me regret it’. It was stuff like that. I don’t know if that’s what you’d call coercion, but looking back, it feels that way.”

“Yeah…” Sakura said quietly. “That kind of manipulation matters. It’s not nothing… but it’s not easy to prove either.”

Yuna hugged her stomach like she was shielding it. “So what do I do?” she whispered. “Keep streaming until I collapse again?”

“No.” I said immediately.

Both of them looked at me.

“I’m not gonna let that happen, even if I have to pay for Japan's best lawyer.”

Yuna’s eyes shimmered. “Ren… I forgot to ask yesterday… but why… why are you doing all of this for me anyway?”

Why, huh.

“I thought you’d know that already.” I said embarrassed, looking away.

“What?” Yuna flinched.

“Anyways… I have money, I have an audience… If I don’t do something with the advantages I have, then what’s the point of all that success?”

“Ren…” Yuna’s voice trembled. “Thank you… again.” She wiped a tear from under her eye with her sleeve.

I smiled at her.

Sakura leaned back, expression sharpening again. “Okay, here’s what we do.”

We both turned to her.

“First: no reckless moves. No exposing him online. No emotional streams… he’s probably prepared for that. Also, we need to look out for Yuna, make sure she doesn’t stress herself too much because of the pregnancy.”

Yuna nodded slowly.

“Second: we collect leverage. Screenshots, messages, threats… any proof he pressured you to stream while sick. Save everything. I’ll talk to one of my professors discreetly. Maybe he knows someone who handles this kind of thing.”

“And third?” I asked.

Sakura looked straight at me.

“...I wasn’t planning a third, but… One day… when we have enough evidence, we use your channel, Ren. Where he can’t just cut off the stream. You explain what’s really been happening.”

“But… wouldn’t that be a bad idea? Wouldn’t it be better to keep all of this quiet and let the courts handle it?”

Sakura shook her head lightly.

“Not instead of court. Alongside it.”

“But… wouldn’t that just make things messier?”

“It would make things harder, yes. But for him.”

She tapped the folder once. “In court, he can delay, stall, and drown things in paperwork. And while that’s happening, he can keep pressuring Yuna behind the scenes.”

She continued: “A public stream changes that. Not because it replaces the legal process, but because it makes it visible. And if it’s on your channel, Ren, without using LunaZero’s avatar, we don’t violate anything in that contract.”

I looked at Yuna, her expression conflicted.

“After that…” Sakura continued. “... he can’t quietly bury this. He can’t pretend nothing’s happening. Every move he makes will be watched.”

Then, softer.

“It’s not revenge, it’s a pressure point.”

It was silent for a second.

“So…” Sakura said, standing up and stretching. “...to summarize again… Phase one: stabilize Yuna. Phase two: collect dirt. Phase three: break the bastard.”

“Very professional wording.” I said.

She smirked. “I’m still a student. They haven’t beaten all the personality out of me just yet.”

“...I’m not sure about this stream part. But… I trust you, Sakura. Thank you!” Yuna said.

“...I’m not promising an easy win… but with Ren’s money… that changes a lot.” Sakura smirked at me.

“...Okay. Then please… help me.” Yuna said.

She didn’t say sorry. She just asked for help. It genuinely brought a tear to my eye.