Chapter 59: You Are Not a Real Journalist
With the disappearance of the Aze siblings on the display screen, the World's Number One Shame Tournament came to a perfect conclusion.
On the large screen in the command room, the scores of each player were clear to see. Hoshimi Rie ranked the top ten players based on the length of their battles -- those who were smiling were at the top, while those who lost looked dejected.
"Alright, everyone has worked hard. Please go back now. My assistant will contact you about the next steps, I promise not to disappoint anyone!"
After sending everyone away, Uesugi Kiyoshi turned to Hoshimi Rie and asked, "How are the ratings?"
Aze Xima's apology could have a powerful impact through video and audio recordings, so it was impossible to broadcast live, but it could be recorded for later.
By capturing the battle videos with drones, then editing them with mosaic effects and new voiceovers, they could sell them to various TV stations.
"The ratings for the first day have already exceeded fifty percent!" Hoshimi Rie replied without hesitation. "They are continuing to rise. The final battle of Yamazaki Genshu today is expected to reach nearly seventy percent – if this were a TV show, we could already be preparing for the second season."
"Unfortunately..." Uesugi Kiyoshi sighed.
Politicians are not fools. If this kind of event happens once without any harm, they can show their strength. But if it happens multiple times, everyone will doubt their intentions.
The current outcome is already very good. Not only does it warn the public about the dangers of apologies through real-life examples, enhancing their resistance to apologies, but it also brings in a substantial income.
Thinking about this, Uesugi Kiyoshi felt pleased and asked, "Is the reception room ready?"
"Please rest assured, everything is prepared."
"Then let's go. Oh, don't forget to call Kazuko."
Uesugi Kiyoshi and Hoshimi Rie walked towards the conference room at the research institute. As usual, there should be a press conference after the event.
......
As a young journalist from the Akimoto Daily, Hamana has been stationed inside the Special Event Research Institute, reporting live on the progress of the World's Number One Shame Tournament.
His writing is lively and interesting, full of energy. He will surely get a promotion and a raise after this trip back.
Just as Hamana was feeling confident and ready to work harder, he received a notice from the receptionist that the farewell party was over and a press conference was about to be held.
This made him feel worried and anxious.
"Has it ended already? It's only been seven days. What should the people of Japan do to respond to the Aze siblings' apology?"
"Hamana, you worry too much. They have already fought for us a lot of time, which is enough!"
The receptionist's response made Hamana feel a shiver of fear. He was about to ask more questions, but the other person had already left the room.
Since that was the case, he could only go to the press conference venue to find out what was going on.
Hamana, carrying his notebook and camera, arrived at the reception room. After waiting for nearly ten minutes, he finally noticed something was wrong.
Even though there were over a hundred journalists before, he was the only person there now.
Did you not receive a notification?
No, the research institute would not make such a mistake.
But why...
Just at that moment, Uesugi Kiyoshi walked into the living room, accompanied by two lovely girls and another handsome young man.
When she saw the other person, Hamana's pupils instantly contracted.
"Ah, Hamana, it's really just you!" Uesugi Kiyoshi warmly greeted.
"Apologies, Your Excellency Uesugi, did I come to the wrong place? I will leave right away!"
Hamana stood up to leave, but was pushed back down by the burly security guards on either side.
"It may be wrong for you, but it's right for me!"
Uesugi Kiyoshi gestured to the staff next to him to switch the screen, and a different scene appeared on the big screen, crowded with journalists from various media outlets.
"Just an hour ago, Princess Crane revealed a scandalous extramarital affair, with an African-descendant homosexual female teacher. All the journalists rushed to the palace gate!"
"Is it true?"
"Of course it's not true. It's a fake news released by the research institute here. But as a journalist, how can one remain indifferent upon receiving such news?!"
Hamana was speechless for a moment before replying, "I'm not an entertainment journalist. I care more about national affairs and people's livelihoods than celebrity gossip."
"What about the secret of yesterday's nuclear leakage? It involves the lives of the entire county. We whispered to you for three or four minutes, why did you not react at all?"
"Even more crucially, the deliberately leaked battle footage - also fake, everyone else returned it, but you secretly kept it. Don't you know the harm it could cause if such things appear on television?"
Seeing Hamana lost for words, Uesugi Kiyoshi made a judgment.
"So you are a fake journalist, your true identity is actually a demon!"
In the original story, the troublemaking demon journalist left a deep impression on Uesugi Kiyoshi, but to his embarrassment, he couldn't remember the journalist's name.
So he agreed to let the journalist stay.
"It's so ridiculous, how could I possibly be..."
"You don't need to deny it!" Uesugi Kiyoshi interrupted Hamana's defense, "Hiding the demon inside so well that even Ode couldn't recognize you, but I can kill you first and then identify your soul."
He pointed to the sword in Nakasone Kazuko's hand.
"If you are truly innocent, I can always bring you back, and even give you an extra five years' worth of soul energy. How does that sound?"
After a short silence, Hamana put his hand to his forehead and burst into laughter.
"Truly a man deserving of being called a demon by demons, I admit, I am the creator of strange dissolution, the great..."
"No need for introductions, right?"
Uesugi Kiyoshi interrupted him again and asked the young man next to him.
"Ode, how should you handle a situation like this?"
"At least a hundred years of imprisonment!"
Seeing Uesugi Kiyoshi's displeased expression, Ode shrugged helplessly and said. It's the way it is. It's just a game. Humans cheat in games, and if they get caught, they just get kicked out.
Hmm, it's just a game after all...
Since that's the case, Uesugi Kiyoshi could only settle for second best.
"Alright, but as the accuser, shouldn't I be treated with some favor? It's one of the terms specified in the contract."
"Really? Which one?" Ode immediately became nervous.
"In the second part, the thirteenth item, section two hundred and ninety-one, note forty-three."
After flipping through the book for a while, Ode felt relieved.
"Oh, there is indeed, but the condition is not to change the strange rules. Based on this, I can offer a little help, just a little bit!"
"Of course, all I need is just a tiny hint." Uesugi Kiyoshi said with a smile.
