On the evening of June 8th, a celebration banquet for Clannad season two was held at a high-end hotel.
As the president of Starfall, and as the director, scriptwriter, character designer, music composer, and producer of both Clannad seasons, Yuta naturally had to make an appearance.
Fortunately, only production and distribution staff were invited to this banquet. No outsiders would be present. Besides, Clannad season two's episode twenty-two had already aired. Nagisa and Ushio had both been revived. The manhunt for Yuta was officially over, so security was not a major concern.
At the last celebration, Yuta had given the opening speech. By all rights, he should have done it again this time, but...
He found Rika in the crowd and said, "You're giving the opening speech."
"???"
Rika was thrown for a loop. "President, I'm just a lowly production assistant. Is it really okay for me to give the opening speech on behalf of Starfall?"
"It's fine. You're a production assistant now, sure, but you'll be a production manager or episode director eventually. Everyone at the company has high hopes for you," Yuta said with a straight face.
"Really?"
Rika lit up. She quickly set down what she was holding and said, "Let me get ready then."
"Go ahead."
Yuta nodded, while thinking to himself: so easy to win over.
The truth was, he just did not want to give the speech himself.
After the whole nationwide manhunt ordeal, being in the spotlight made him uncomfortable, even if everyone here was friendly.
Originally he had planned to have Todo do it. As the production manager, Todo held the highest position after Yuta, who was serving as both director and producer.
But Todo had declined too, saying in his own words. "I don't know how to work a crowd. I am not the right person for an opening speech."
After that polite refusal, Todo had recommended Rika, which was how Yuta ended up approaching her. He had been fully prepared to pull rank and invoke Todo's name. But one little compliment and Rika had said yes instantly, saving him all that trouble.
Tonight's Rika had not put on a formal gown, but she had clearly put effort into her appearance: new clothes and skirt, a pair of heels that made her look a touch taller, light makeup, and hair that had been carefully styled.
Under everyone's gaze, she walked up to the stage step by step, took the microphone, and swept her eyes across the room. Then, perhaps from nerves, she started stammering. "G-good evening everyone. I'm Rika Zenba, a production assistant at Starfall. I..."
She seemed to freeze up. A confused look crossed her face, and after a long pause she said, "What was I going to say again?"
Nobody could tell if she was doing a bit or if she had genuinely blanked. Figuring it was part of the show, the whole room burst out laughing.
Yuta called out from below, "Don't be nervous! Just say whatever comes to mind!"
Rika took a deep breath. Once the laughter died down, she spoke.
"Clannad is finished. The ratings and sales were both incredible, and audiences consider it a masterpiece. A lot happened along the way, and we received over a hundred boxes of razor blades, but all in all, our anime was recognized and loved by the audience. That is an enormous victory for us."
"The biggest credit for this victory goes to our president, without question. So I would like to propose that we give our president a round of applause."
Everyone was happy to oblige. The room thundered with clapping.
It was a good while before the applause settled, and Rika continued.
"Our president always bosses me around, always bullies me, and always treats me like a tool. He is basically a villain. But he is incredibly talented. He can do almost anything, and he does almost everything well. That is something I genuinely admire."
"My dream is to become someone like him. Someone who can make amazing anime that people love. I am sure there will be plenty of challenges ahead, but I believe that dream will come true someday. And I believe Starfall, under our president's leadership, will produce many more masterpieces that rival Clannad."
"Um, I think I have been talking too long."
"Anyway, please continue to look after all of us. And now, let us raise our glasses together. Cheers!"
She lifted her glass high.
"Cheers!" The room followed suit.
Yuta was no exception. He raised his glass and drank it down.
Once Rika came off stage, he waved her over.
Rika walked up to him looking slightly nervous. "President, I didn't embarrass the company just now, did I?"
"No." Yuta shook his head.
"Oh good." Rika breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she got a karate chop to the head.
"Ow!"
She yelped and clutched her head. "President, why did you hit me?"
"Because you talked trash about me in front of everyone. Do I not have a reputation to maintain?" Yuta said simply.
"I was not talking trash! You do bully me all the time! That is a fact!" Rika said defiantly.
Yuta said nothing. He just slowly raised his hand.
Rika's courage evaporated instantly. She bowed to him in a hurry. "I'm sorry, President! I was wrong! Please don't hit me again!"
"Rika, have some backbone." Yuta patted her on the shoulder.
Rika looked up at him, confused. "President, what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing complicated. I bully you a lot. That is a fact. Feel free to say it." Yuta answered.
Rika straightened up and started again. "It really is..."
Before she could finish, she noticed his hand was still raised. She quickly changed course. "President, could you please put your hand down first?"
Yuta: "No."
Rika swallowed hard, then finally decided to follow her heart. "As long as I don't feel bullied, then it's not really bullying."
"But I boss you around all the time. That is also a fact." Yuta sighed and slowly lowered his hand a little.
Seeing the hand drop, Rika continued with renewed conviction. "You boss me around because you see potential in me. I can feel the good intentions behind it."
"I also treat you like a tool all the time."
"Production assistants are tools by definition."
"And I'm a villain."
"No, no, no, the president is a good person... ow! That hurt! President, what did I say wrong? Why did you hit me again?"
"Because you just friend-zoned me."
"This is so hard! I can't win!"
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