The fat man with the gold necklace stepped forward, showing everyone the address of "Machako Manga Club" along with various receipts in his hand.
Immediately, everyone's attention was drawn to it.
The fat man even walked into the crowd...
"I strongly suspect that the manga in her hands was stolen from someone else, or it might even be fake..."
He sneered, "This woman even tried to follow me for money..."
His eyes were full of provocation, and his expression was hypocritical.
Machako frowned slightly.
At this critical moment, if sales were interrupted, the losses would be huge.
And the audience—who didn't know the truth—could easily be misled.
Her own situation didn't matter—
But if this manga failed to sell...
Machako felt she would be letting Ren down.
And—
It might mean she could never regain her manga club.
"If you don't believe me, you can open the manga yourself! It's completely real..." Machako said into the microphone.
"Let me see!"
Those who had already bought copies opened them immediately.
The content was revealed—
Clear art style, solid structure—
Even compared to all current manga—
This one was completely original.
"It's real!"
The crowd was shocked.
Even those who had never heard of Super Seminary became interested.
Some had already begun calling friends.
Seeing his plan failing—
The fat man immediately changed tactics:
"She must have stolen it! Without money, how could she publish something like this..."
Everyone turned toward Machako.
Usually, she could handle any situation.
But this—
She could not reveal that Ren had funded everything.
"I..."
She hesitated—
Then said firmly:
"You can trust me. This manga is provided by Mr. X. His identity cannot be disclosed..."
"Oh, I see!"
Some people seemed convinced.
Others remained doubtful.
Seeing this—
The fat man spoke again:
"Anyway, I don't believe you. Our company will soon release Mr. X's 'Forest Hero' manga as well. Everyone is welcome to support it."
"Good!!"
The crowd reacted immediately.
The success of Super Seminary had already captured their attention.
A new release from "Mr. X" sounded even more appealing.
"You!"
Machako was furious:
"It's impossible for Mr. X to cooperate with you! People like you are not worthy of his work!"
"Oh?"
The fat man smirked:
"Why didn't Mr. X say anything about you? Maybe you hired someone to fake this manga. A woman who chases money would do anything..."
The crowd was stirred again.
"I'm not..." Machako tried to explain.
But voices rose—
"Why should we believe you?"
"Exactly!"
"Even if the manga is good, how do we know it's really from Mr. X?"
...
The situation worsened.
Like fuel on fire—
The crowd turned against her.
No matter how capable Machako was—
She could not fight such a coordinated attack.
Ren watched everything.
In the crowd—
Ochaco Uraraka spoke up:
"I believe Miss Machako! This is Mr. X's work—the style is the same as five years ago!"
Momo Yaoyorozu raised her hand:
"I believe it too!"
Tsuyu Asui added:
"Me too!"
But their voices had little effect.
The fat man sneered:
"I could say I'm a fan too. You can't prove anything. You might even be hired actors. That little girl—you were the first to buy it, right?"
"I'm not!" Ochaco immediately defended, her face turning red.
...
The crowd fell into silence.
Some began leaning toward the fat man's side.
The microphone cable was cut—
Machako could no longer control the situation.
Sales were completely halted.
"No—this must be handled by the police!" the fat man declared.
Machako immediately objected:
"No!"
If the police intervened—
This opportunity would be lost forever.
"What you say doesn't matter," the fat man said coldly.
Just as his plan was about to succeed—
Ren stepped out from the crowd.
He walked onto the stage.
Picked up a manga.
Opened it.
"My master doesn't even know people like you."
"And yet you disrupt his release event."
"I think it's you who should be reported to the police."
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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