Staring at Megumi Kato in front of her, Eriri couldn't shake off the feeling of defeat, even though she knew it was already too late to change anything.
Her sky-blue eyes darted about as she struggled internally, then she blurted out with a glare:
"There's a wicked old witch in this place, you know! Innocent girls like you will get captured and trained!"
"As long as Hojou's here to protect me, I'll be fine." Megumi replied calmly, casting a glance toward Kosaka Akane.
Honestly, if anyone looked like they were about to be 'trained,' it wasn't her.
"There are violent thugs working here who stay up all night fighting! The kind who won't stop until you cough up three kilos of blood!"
"As long as Hojou keeps them in check, it's all good."
Megumi recalled the scene she walked into earlier and figured their version of "fighting" probably meant randomly grabbing unlucky strangers off the street and force-feeding them three liters of cola.
"There'll be a bunch of foreigners here soon who don't speak Japanese. If you can't understand them, you'll cause huge trouble!"
"As long as Hojou translates for me, I'll be fine."
Megumi looked at Eriri sweetly.
Honestly, she wasn't the one who should be worried about language barriers here.
"Are you sure about this? Staying here means working with that scary woman Kasumigaoka Utaha…"
"Ouuuch!!"
Eriri's string of dramatic warnings was cut short as she clutched her head and let out a pained cry.
Unexpectedly, she didn't retaliate—because the one who smacked her was the very person she'd just been using in her horror stories to scare Megumi.
"Get a grip already." Utaha said coldly.
There were guests present, after all.
People already accused her of being immature this wasn't exactly helping her case.
"See, Megumi?! That terrifying witch! She attacks innocent girls both physically and mentally without hesitation!" Eriri shouted dramatically.
"But… I think Utaha-senpai only acts that way toward you, Eriri, I've never seen her do that to anyone else,"
Megumi replied with a gentle smile, almost like she was genuinely envious of their close relationship.
"Ha?!" Eriri stared wide-eyed.
'Wait… is that… is that Utaha's unique way of showing love?!'
"If that's the logic we're going with, then you and Megumi must be close too, Eriri. No one else gets to see this side of you," Utaha added with a sly smile.
Megumi blinked, and only then realized:
The girl who had just been acting like a child trying to spook her a moment ago was the flawless rich girl from school.
"Oh~ you're right. That kind of makes me happy," She said honestly, voicing her true feelings.
"So, is this the replacement for the interviewees you rejected earlier?"
Akane asked, now convinced that this new girl was just another of Hojou Kyousuke's "special female friends," and not someone actually critical to the operation.
"No, Megumi's not a replacement—she's a surprise."
Kyousuke replied casually, watching with amusement as Eriri "welcomed" Megumi in her own unique way.
Still… judging by how quickly time had passed, the real interviews were about to begin. Turning to Eriri, he said:
"Eriri, the interviews are starting soon. Let Megumi sit next to you and help out as the note-taker."
Then, turning to Megumi:
"Sorry, Megumi. I'll give you a proper tour of the company after the interviews are done."
Megumi shook her head and looked at him seriously.
"I didn't come here just to hang out. I came because I genuinely want to help you, Hojou."
With that, she walked over naturally, straightened the desk Eriri had kicked over earlier, and picked up the water bottle Eriri had thrown on the floor…
Seeing all this, Eriri's face flushed red.
'Why is everything messed up because of me?!'
"Kisaki, grab two new chairs," Kyousuke called toward the door.
"Yes, sir!" Kisaki responded, stepping inside and picking up the chair Kyousuke had previously split in half before carrying it out.
"Interviews?" Akane frowned.
"The real ones are just about to begin. What we did earlier was a… special session. Just for you, President Kosaka."
Kyousuke said with a teasing smile, now turning his gaze toward her as if he were genuinely confused.
"What, did you really think I came here today just to chat with you?"
"Chat…"
Akane echoed the word. So her aggressive maneuver… was nothing more than idle talk in Hojou's eyes?
"You already found new employees through another channel?" she asked.
"New employees? Hahahaha—" Kyousuke laughed heartily.
Unfortunately for Akane, she had folded too early.
The trump card he'd prepared for her would now have to be saved for the victory celebration—like popping champagne.
"Boss, Mr. Kazama and the others have arrived on the first floor," Kisaki said, returning to the room with two chairs in hand.
"Just follow the original plan." Kyousuke replied casually.
"There's… a bit of a situation."
Kisaki walked over quickly and whispered a few words into Kyousuke's ear.
"…I see. Take them to the reception room and let them rest there. We'll talk after the interviews are over."
Hearing Kisaki's report, Kyousuke's smile deepened.
Kisaki set down the chairs, then stepped aside and like at the beginning—stood silently behind him.
The moment Kosaka Akane heard the name "Kazama," her eyes widened in shock.
No way! Impossible. Absolutely not!
Kazama Rito was supposed to be the centerpiece of her plan to bring down Hojou Kyousuke.
She had pulled an extraordinary amount of strings to pin him down.
There was no way he could be here.
"You really thought your little schemes could stump Kyousuke?"
Eriri, having just finished tidying the table, scrunched her nose proudly, her whole face beaming with smug satisfaction.
"You sure have mastered the art of riding someone else's coattails, Sawamura-san," Utaha commented dryly.
"Can't I be happy that Kyousuke is amazing?!" Eriri shot back, hands on her hips, absolutely unapologetic.
"Very supportive of you," Megumi clapped lightly, smiling softly.
"Right?!"
With Megumi's encouragement, Eriri puffed up even more and turned sweetly toward Akane.
"Also, just so you know—Kyousuke figured out your petty trick and solved everything in thirty minutes flat!
He was just standing in the courtyard, chatting casually on the phone, and bam! Problem gone. You really underestimated how powerful he is!"
"That's ridiculous! What is this, a Saturday morning cartoon?!" Kosaka Akane scoffed in disbelief.
Just then, footsteps echoed down the hallway. Akane rushed to the door and looked toward the staircase at the far end—
Leading the group walking up was none other than Kazama Rito, the key member in Kyousuke's project team.
Right behind him were art director Shiozawa Nagayasu, animator Hirayama Naruki, and production manager Takeda Hotaru...
Akane recognized them all—every single face.
She had personally drafted the plan to block them, and even considered poaching them later for her own company.
This is real.
The scene in front of her left no room for doubt.
The "foolproof" plan she thought was airtight had already failed—from the very beginning.
In her mind, Hojou's confident smile surfaced again... that razor-sharp poise when he metaphorically drew his sword to strike...
All the effort, the time, the resources she poured into her plan—
To him, it hadn't even counted as a minor nuisance?
Watching Kazama and the others walking up with such light expressions, it was clear: Hojou hadn't used violence or coercion to bring them here.
He'd done it through sheer strength of another kind.
It was just a tiny company with only a handful of employees, yet its leader was a man with terrifying power.
No wonder people like Kashiwagi Eriri and Kasumi Utako were progressing so slowly under him.
His strength cast a long shadow.
To her surprise, Akane felt a sudden pang of envy.
She couldn't help but wonder—
'What if I had partnered with Hojou Kyousuke when I debuted?'
'Maybe The Cardinal of Gotanda wouldn't have flopped.'
'Maybe her fans wouldn't have abandoned her.'
'Maybe... she wouldn't be the person she had become now.'
As Kazama Rito and the others reached the top of the stairs, they spotted Akane standing there.
Their faces immediately darkened.
But Akane just stood still for a moment.
Then, without a word, she turned and silently walked back into the meeting room.
"Wait—Hirata-san! What is Kosaka Akane, no, President Mars, doing here?!"
Kazama Rito asked in alarm.
Even though Kyousuke had resolved all the issues she caused, the sight of the woman who nearly dragged him into betrayal made his stomach twist.
"Don't tell me she's still trying to mess with Hojou-san!"
Takeda Hotaru—who had been sobbing over the phone just a day ago—now looked more fired up than anyone.
His clenched fists and flaring nostrils gave the impression that he was about to literally claw Akane's face off.
"This is just too much! Even if she's Kosaka Akane, even if she's the unbeatable Mars president—we're never betraying Hojou-san again!"
"That's right! Let her see what Tokyo's animation spirit really looks like!"
"My cousin works at Mars. I'm calling him after this to come join us at Tansan!"
With Takeda leading the charge, the rest—who'd been tormented by Akane's schemes—rose in passionate uproar.
"Hahaha! Don't worry, everyone! Boss has already dealt with everything!"
Hirata Toshitaka raised both hands and called out proudly.
He turned to glance at the meeting room, eyes sparkling with emotion.
The disaster that had kept him and the tactician up all night, unable to find a solution, had been dealt with by their boss as easily as snapping a dango stick.
Seeing their still-doubtful faces, he spoke with fervor:
"President Mars came here today… to apologize!"
"Apologize?!"
"Kosaka Akane... apologizing?"
"No way. That's got to be a joke."
"She's never even apologized to those creators who went mentally unstable and had to be hospitalized because of her!"
Everyone stood frozen, shocked. After all, this was Kosaka Akane—Queen of the Industry, head of Mars.
"Hahaha! Sure, she's Kosaka Akane... But our boss is Hojou Kyousuke!!"
Hirata laughed heartily, fully understanding their disbelief.
He too had once been crushed by Kosaka Akane's might. She was no pushover—that's for sure.
She dared to stand against their leader.
But still—
"Our reason for following the Boss was because we believed in his strength. Isn't it the same for all of you?
You joined this humble, unknown company because you trusted in the power behind the name Hojou Kyousuke.
Once you're one of us, there's only one thing you need to focus on—your craft. The Boss will take care of all the trouble."
The chief driver recited the lines he had memorized with care.
Every word had been passed down from the tactician, meticulously prepared for this moment.
"Hojou-san…"
Tears welled in Kazama's eyes.
The words may have sounded easy, but he knew firsthand how formidable Kosaka Akane was.
In his mind, he imagined the uphill battle Hojou must have fought for them—making frantic calls, reaching out to every possible connection, and throwing money and favors around to gather allies who could help him take her on.
And he wasn't the only one. The others were visibly moved too.
Takeda Hotaru, the notorious crybaby, was already wiping his face with his sleeve.
'Hojou-san… Don't worry.'
'I'll give everything I have to help you create something incredible—even if it costs me my life! That's my resolve!'
"Alright, everyone please have a seat here. The interviews are about to begin," said Hirata Toshitaka, beaming at their faces, feeling a wave of emotion himself.
He didn't fully understand the talents or pasts of these people—but as a former delinquent, there was one thing he knew better than anyone:
With a team like this, and this kind of resolve, there's nothing we can't do.
Spirit—that's what matters most!
While the candidates lined up along the wall in two rows, inside the meeting room Akane quietly stared at Kyousuke, her expression conflicted.
"How did you do it?" she asked.
"You forced them into a corner where they had no choice but to give up," he said casually. "I simply gave them the chance to choose again."
Kyousuke leaned back in his chair, voice calm and steady.
"My philosophy is different from yours. You believe people grow under pressure—that they can unlock their potential by crushing their dreams and pushing forward through sheer desperation. But me…"
His eyes shifted to Eriri, who was already seated at the interview table, twirling a pen between her fingers with giddy excitement.
Her expressions were all over the place—pursed lips and furrowed brows one moment, trying to look serious, and the next, beaming like a child at a festival.
"…I believe the power of dreams is limitless. Like Eriri said—once you have something you must express from deep inside, your drive becomes unstoppable.
Growth, potential—it all flows naturally in the pursuit of that dream."
At this point, Kyousuke chuckled softly, realizing how dramatic his words had started to sound.
He lightened his tone.
"Besides, whether it's creating stories or chasing dreams—aren't we doing it because it makes us happy?
As long as we're fulfilled, who cares if we move a little slower, or improve at our own pace?"