Chapter 287: Incompetent Allies
"Huh? Vomiting blood?"
When Takumi left the show, he heard Sasaki's warning with a face full of disbelief.
Ryuji had suddenly vomited blood and fainted while waiting to go on stage, and was then taken away by ambulance. He had a congenital heart condition and had recently suffered many blows, so he finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Is he okay?"
Takumi asked, surprised. He really hadn't expected this outcome, or... 'who the hell knew the president of Manga Paradise had a heart condition?'
"Probably. The ambulance doctor told me that President Ryuji's life is not in danger,"
Sasaki said, wiping sweat from his face. He was also shocked. If Ryuji died suddenly at Tokyo TV, it would be a disaster for them.
"Although his life is not in danger, he has fallen into a coma and might have to spend a long time in the hospital..."
Sasaki added, a subtle change in his gaze as he looked at Takumi. He could now more or less guess the reason for Ryuji's sudden heart attack.
'Mirai-sensei is so twisted...',
Sasaki was still in shock. What Takumi said on stage was truly unexpected. Ryuji's fainting proved that Manga Paradise, indeed, planned to shirk responsibility. It was no wonder the president came to the television station in person.
But thinking about this, Sasaki felt that Takumi's mind was working at lightning speed. This young man could see through Manga Paradise's escape route and easily cut it off, which was astonishing.
'Perhaps when Mirai-sensei learned Mr. Ryuji's identity, he guessed the purpose of his visit to the television station...',
Sasaki thought. Takumi caused subsequent Tokyo TV programs to be without guests, and they had to be interrupted and rescheduled. But the station director didn't hold many complaints. He witnessed the entire process and knew that Takumi was not to blame.
Before Takumi went on stage, he wanted to reconcile with Ryuji, but the stubborn president refused; if Sasaki were in his shoes, he would be angry too.
Besides, Sasaki didn't know beforehand that Ryuji had a heart condition. He found out later from Ryuji's driver. There were too many accidental factors in this matter, and Takumi couldn't be blamed.
"Mirai-sensei, don't worry. We will handle the follow-up on this matter."
Sasaki politely escorted Takumi out of the station. After saying goodbye, he saw him get into a car and leave. It wasn't until the car was far away that the station director sighed.
"President Ryuji has fainted. I hope Manga Paradise doesn't cause any more trouble during this time. Mirai-sensei is not easy to deal with..."
He shook his head, turned around, and entered the station. The affairs of Manga Paradise were none of his business, so after a sigh from Sasaki, he forgot about it in the blink of an eye.
He didn't tell Manga Paradise the details of what had happened.
So, when the two secretaries of the president of Manga Paradise received the news that Ryuji had vomited blood and fainted, although their faces showed surprise, they weren't shocked: Ryuji was not in good health.
"First, go to the hospital to visit the president. And notify the ladies."
The secretary told Ryuji's secretary, "I still have to give the press conference. The president has asked us to make a quick decision. I'll go to the hospital to visit him after the press conference!"
Manga Paradise's plan went on as usual. Faced with strong public pressure, the sooner they blamed the mangakas, the better. Besides, if time dragged on, these mangakas might change their minds again.
The secretary planned to visit Ryuji with the news of the press conference's success.
A few minutes later, reporters from various media outlets arrived at the press conference. Amid the noise, the secretary went to the front and said:
"Good evening. I'm glad you came to the press conference tonight. I'm Taro Miyazawa, secretary to the president of Manga Paradise. I invited you all today to answer questions about the investigation into the Mobile Suit and Gundam incidents, and also to apologize for my evasion a while ago..."
"The reason our company did not accept the interview is that we really wanted to investigate the causes and consequences of Gundam and Mobile Suit, not deliberately avoid them..."
Taro Miyazawa spoke freely. He used the excuse of "investigation" to cover the loophole that Manga Paradise had not accepted interviews with the media a while ago. Then he got to the point: the dispute over the orthodoxy of Gundam and Mobile Suit.
He admitted that Gundam was, indeed, the personal work of Mirai-sensei and that Manga Paradise was deceived by five colluding mangakas, so the fault was not with Manga Paradise, but with these mangakas.
"Professor Hiroki and the others are veteran mangakas from Japan. Before the founding of Manga Paradise, they published manga in some magazines. The company has always trusted them greatly. We are very saddened by this kind of thing..."
After telling a series of lies, Taro Miyazawa looked at the whispering reporters at the press conference and felt it was time to hand the stage over to several mangakas to apologize.
"Well, there are several professors here today, and they will explain the rest..."
Taro Miyazawa stepped down from the stage, and five mangakas entered from outside with different feelings. As they passed, Taro Miyazawa reminded them in a low, cold voice.
"Remember to bow lower when you apologize, don't mess it up, it's 100 million yen..."
The mangakas nodded, lowered their heads, and went on stage, and Taro Miyazawa went out the door and stood outside watching the press conference to see if there were any accidents.
"Secretary Miyazawa, Secretary Miyazawa..."
Just as the mangakas on stage began to apologize and take questions, an employee ran in a panic down the hall.
"Stop this press conference, Secretary Miyazawa!"
The employee's face was full of anxiety.
"What's wrong?"
Taro Miyazawa frowned slightly. He seemed to be an ordinary employee he didn't know.
"The guest on Osaka TV's celebrity column a moment ago was Mr. Mirai-sensei, and he said something." The employee panted and said, "He told us not to shirk responsibility, Secretary Miyazawa, stop the press conference!"
"Not shirk responsibility?"
Miyazawa Taro was stunned, and then scoffed, "What a joke! Do whatever he says? Don't make a scene, okay?"
"No, no... Secretary, come quickly, I recorded the video!"
The employee was a bit dull and couldn't explain it clearly for a moment, so he had to take his hand and run to the nearby room. Seeing his nervousness, Taro Miyazawa frowned slightly and followed him.
The place wasn't far, and the employee took him to a computer. Then he turned on the online video.
"Secretary Miyazawa, look quickly."
Taro Miyazawa watched it attentively. The video recording on the screen began at the end of the talk show, so he only watched it for a few minutes. He knew what Mirai-sensei said.
However, after watching it, Taro Miyazawa was confused. Takumi's words were very clever, and he was simply telling the public: "If Manga Paradise attributes all the responsibility to the mangaka, then they must be lying!"
"Oops!"
Taro Miyazawa exclaimed, pale. He knew the news, but didn't the reporters at the press conference know it? The media is the best informed. There must have been someone at the press conference who knew about Mirai-sensei's speech!
Even if only one reporter knew, he could mention it, and the psychology of the mangakas who explained it was not very good.
If they knew that "Manga Paradise's plan failed from the beginning," they might do something shocking.
"No! We have to stop them!"
Taro Miyazawa ran to the press conference in a panic. He had never felt so fast, but he was still one step late. Just as he reached the door, he heard a mangaka's cry:
"It's not my fault. The company had to give me one hundred million yen before I agreed to take the blame."
As soon as he heard this sentence, Taro Miyazawa's heart sank completely.
He felt dizzy and heavy. At one point, the press conference ended and the scene fell silent.
"Secretary Miyazawa... a reporter just said... Professor Mirai-sensei exposed the company's plan, and it's useless for us to lie." The mangaka who had just shouted said nervously, "In that case, we'd better be given a clear name."
Miyazawa Taro was furious: "Idiot! Do you think you can save yourself by doing this? How stupid do you have to be to tell others about the hundred million? If you do this, you'll ruin the company and yourself!"
He was desperate. How could this person be so stupid?
The mangaka's selfishness would put Manga Paradise in a deadly trap, and these words not only didn't save him. In fact, they destroyed him.
For money, he belittled his dignity and morality. Who would read his manga?
"So... do we still have a hundred million?"
The mangaka got nervous.
"To hell with your hundred million!" Miyazawa Taro kicked him with red eyes and shouted, "You ruined our entire company and you still want a hundred million? Go to hell! Security... come quick! Throw them out!"
He called the security guards to expel the mangakas from the building.
When no one was around, Taro Miyazawa stood there, clenched his fists, and punched the wall several times.
This time it was really over... Manga Paradise and the five mangakas, they were all finished!
"Why did it happen?"
Taro Miyazawa was confused. Mirai-sensei only said one sentence, and the whole company was ruined by him. It was just one sentence, just one sentence...
and that sentence was flawless.
"For this incident, as long as Manga Paradise is willing to apologize, I can forgive them. I believe they will admit their mistakes, at least they will not shirk responsibility or blame the mangakas..."
Look, how fair are these words, they have no flaws!
Taro Miyazawa can already see that tomorrow's newspapers will describe Mirai-sensei as a kind and good man. He is so selfless and open-minded that he is willing to forgive such a terrible enemy as Manga Paradise.
And the ruin of Manga Paradise will have nothing to do with Mirai-sensei, because it has nothing to do with him! People would just say that Manga Paradise deserved to die because they were all incompetent allies...
"Mirai-sensei told me not to shirk responsibility and that he would forgive them, but they still gave a press conference to commit suicide... If this isn't having incompetent allies, what are you?"
"Puff..."
Miyazawa Taro couldn't help but spit blood.
"Mirai-sensei, you did it on purpose!"
- - - - - - -
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