Chapter 84: Pig Motor Uproar [side Mishima Satsuki]
"Ah! This girl is the girlfriend of the Pig Motor president's son!"
After school, as I left the gate, I was surrounded by the media!
Who? Someone spilled the beans about my relationship with Masaki!
Adults with microphones swarmed toward me!
"Didn't you ever think about where the money was coming from?"
"Pig Motor is crumbling due to internal whistleblowing, but what were the owner's family thinking?"
"You've been spotted repeatedly at high-end clubs and night pools, but have you ever considered the feelings of the customers or employees...!"
I,
"Don't film me!"
I spoke out strongly, but I was so scared, so scared, that I desperately ran away!
Masaki... why aren't you by my side at a time like this?
I returned home filled with anger and sadness...
That night, Masaki called me out, and I went to a private room at a karaoke box...
Why are you hanging out with friends and girls?
Masaki "At times like this, we need to stay calm!"
When we first met, this calmness felt mature and cool, but...
Could it be... a wave of anxiety crosses my mind.
Masaki "It's okay! My dad is a genius, you know? He's crushed employees he harassed with power or sexually harassed before, right? No matter the business, no matter the means, he's a guy who makes a profit!"
In a situation like this, he's relying on someone else...
Masaki "Satsuki, you worry too much. Pig Motor's money has already been moved through various channels, you know? There's plenty of money. Once things cool down... my dad said he'll start a new business!"
There's money?
And with that money, you'll start a new business?
Your dad, regardless of his character, is known for being a shrewd businessman, right?
"Amazing! Masaki's papa is incredible!"
"Seriously?! I want to be hired too☆"
"Even if you fall, you rise again... a true man DAZE!"
What is this, some kind of seminar? Masaki's yes-men followers are just...
Isn't this absolutely weird?
Even I almost got sold out to the media today, you know?
...You should be a bit more careful...
Yeah, I whisper that to Masaki.
"Hey, Masaki... right now, the media is desperately looking for the Pig Motor executive family... it's dangerous here. Can we really trust everyone?"
Masaki "...They're all followers who I always treat or who always tag along, you know? It'll be fine, right?"
...I explained how I almost got sold out to the media at school today.
Masaki "Just in case... should we check an escape route?"
I recommend that.
One of the follower boys whose speech ends in Roman letters has such a weird vibe, it's way too suspicious!
While the two of us are talking, it starts getting noisy at the entrance?
That weird kid from earlier,
"The Pig Motor president's son is here YO! He's always making me run errands!"
"Look over there!"
Masaki "Satsuki, good call! This way! Run!"
The two of us escaped.
If we blend into the city, we'll manage somehow.
"See, you can't trust others..."
Since my fall from the top clique the other day, I can't trust others.
Betraying a long-term, heartfelt relationship for profit or appearances...
And not even feeling ashamed of it, instead pushing their selfish demands on us, isn't that just unthinkable as a human being?
※Is this a self-introduction?
Masaki holds me close,
Masaki "In the end, the only one I can trust is Satsuki..."
Masaki...
I thought he might be on the decline, but it seems there's money at home?
If he's betting on a comeback with a new business, there's still a chance to be the president's wife, right?
But, I'm still a little anxious... should I ask just in case?
"By the way... by the way, what kind of business will it be?"
Masaki thought for a moment, then his face lit up,
Masaki "Satsuki, I can trust you, absolutely don't tell anyone, okay? It was an idea so like my dad, I couldn't even think of it. By then, I'll be an adult too, so I plan to work hard as the young president!"
Don't keep me in suspense! What are you going to do?
Heh? Masaki laughed as he explained.
Two types. They'll decide based on the trends of the times.
Masaki's papa is a harassing, power-abusing old man, but,
when it comes to making money, he's a shrewd operator who doesn't care about the means.
Masaki "One is to restart the current used car sales... after things cool down, pretending to change the name and management? Start over again..."
Well, they have the know-how, right? They've succeeded once before, right?
But they can't use the same tricks, so they'd need to overhaul the management style, employee training, and company culture entirely. Would it be profitable then? But it might be better to play it safe, right?
However,
Masaki "That's what normal people would think, right! That's where my dad's brilliance shines! Using the exact same methods! He'll make money again... it's a blind spot!"
"A blind spot? More like you can't see anything at all!"
I can't help but interject! Because it's unbelievable!
Risking getting caught by pushing through a gray zone (pitch black) to attack another gray zone (pitch black)?! Are you sane?
Masaki "That's the blind spot! No way! They'd never think we'd use the same methods again!"
Masaki respects his dad...
Honestly, with what happened this time... there's talk of getting arrested, you know?
Masaki, you might get arrested too!
But,
Masaki "Even the company name, you know? My dad's got a sense of esprit!"
Esprit means spirit or wit, I learned that the other day, but...
Masaki "The new company name! Surprise Motor!"
My head is starting to hurt...
What should I do? What Osada said about whether Yamamoto is okay is starting to seem more credible...
Masaki, are you really okay?
☆ ☆ ☆
Saito family, dinner time.
Kousuke is eating dinner with his mom while watching the evening news.
Kousuke is often told he resembles his mom.
Kousuke's feminine features come from his mom's traits. By the way, his older brother, who left home for college, resembles their dad.
That mom said,
Mother "Pig Motor is awful, isn't it?"
Well, yeah. Kousuke silently nods.
Mother "Huh? Isn't this Kousuke's school?"
Since she came for the entrance ceremony, Mom knows the gate and main entrance area.
The TV caption says they're interviewing someone related to Pig Motor...
A girl is being interviewed at Hokusho High School's gate... Satsuki?
?? "DON'T FILM ME!"
※For privacy protection, the audio has been altered. The face is mosaiced.
Kousuke "Pfft——!!"
Seeing his ex-girlfriend suddenly, Kousuke spits out his miso soup!
Mother "Oh my, it's like watching a yankee getting caught on Police 24 Hours, isn't it?"
Naturally, Kousuke couldn't tell his mother that this was his ex-girlfriend.
☆ ☆ ☆
Yukari today
Ahh! This is ridiculous! Pig Motor's tactics are so dirty! Seriously, the management family are such pigs! I want to see the face of whoever gets fooled! What kind of sucker is feeding them?
Ahh, looking at that pig logo is making me crave ramen...?
"Hello there! Delivery's here! Waiting on your char siu ramen and fried rice set!"
Yukari "Both are super delicious!"
※Ramen and fried rice carb combo unleashed. Weight gain incoming.
And so, Yukari amusingly recounts Pig Motor's shady practices to her family.
"Yukari... actually, the car Mom bought the other day... it was from Pig Motor... At this rate, the warranty... And Dad's used car from last year is the same, you know?"
Yukari "Whaaat?!"
※Sad news! The Tomonaga family are heavy users of Pig Motor!