128 – Marui Home House
The day after the Japanese preliminary round repechage match.
I received a call from Tomoe through producer Hikari Ishinami.
… I thought it would take her some time to return to Marui’s home, but she was much faster than expected.
A man named Marui Group’s chief secretary kindly drove her car to pick her up.
Tomoe was sitting in the passenger seat.
After briefly saying hello to the two, Jeong Song and her secretary boarded the back row.
Unexpectedly, Marui’s main house was located on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Well, it stands out if you’re in the middle of the city.
“Wow….”
I got out of the car and saw the Marui main house.
Jeong Song-i’s secretary seemed to be purely impressed.
I was just surprised.
This was not a 21st century house.
It was a mansion that looked like something out of a cartoon.
What kind of noble is this?
The chief secretary opened the front door, which was about the height of two adults, as if he was used to it.
Tomoe also followed him in.
“Come closer. “You might get lost the first time you come.”
“… Yes.”
In a house this big, I could really become lost inside the house.
I wondered if the internal staff were also wearing butler or maid uniforms, but that was not the case.
“For your information, there were maids in my grandfather’s generation.”
“… ….”
All employees passing by stopped their work and bowed to Tomoe.
Looking at this, I was able to confirm that she was really a lady from a wealthy family.
I took a quick look at Secretary Jeong Song’s expression.
As expected, her face was stiff as if she was nervous.
For some reason, it felt like it had been a while since I had seen her like this, so I felt a little playful.
Jeong Song touched her secretary’s back with the palm of her hand as if she was going down a slide.
Then she flinched her body once.
“F, producer… !”
Secretary Jeong Song-i’s face turned bright red and she protested to me in a low voice.
“Don’t be too nervous.”
When I answered with a smile, secretary Jeong Song-i also burst into laughter as if she were dumbfounded.
Tomoe, hearing her laughter, turned her head back.
But she tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.
I followed Tomoe all the way and came to her living room.
Because it was a mansion of this size, the living room was as big as the living room of an ordinary house.
I sat down on the sofa following the instructions of the secretary, and the female waitress offered me a cup of black tea.
“The chairman will arrive in 5 minutes. Please wait a moment.”
“Yes.”
When the chief secretary left the living room for a moment, Tomoe sat down on the sofa.
Not across from me or next to me, but at a 45 degree diagonal.
If you look at the middle table, Secretary Jeong Songi and I were at the 6 o’clock position, and Tomoe was at the 3 o’clock position.
The intention seemed to be to make her own father sit opposite me.
Just 5 minutes have passed,
Squeak—.
The reception room door opened.
A middle-aged man strode in through the door opened by the secretary.
“It will be my first time seeing you.”
“Oh yes, hello.”
We briefly introduced ourselves to each other.
I didn’t expect to be asked to shake hands first.
Hey, the day is coming when I meet the current head of a conglomerate.
I really achieved success.
By the way, like Tomoe, this person also knows how to speak Korean.
Is this a family fluent in foreign languages?
Is it because it is good to be good at foreign languages to deal with overseas buyers?
… I also thought that I should study Japanese soon.
Tomoe’s father placed his butt on the seat across from me.
I followed him and sat down in my original seat.
The Chief Secretary was standing behind the Chairman in a relaxed posture.
“Is it better for me to stand too?”
Secretary Jeong Song-i asked me if I had noticed.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
I didn’t want such a tight hierarchical relationship.
He was a lover to begin with.
Tomoe’s father did not show any sign of discomfort.
Hmm, the chairman cleared his throat and began speaking.
“I would like to say that we, Tomoe, are sorry for causing inconvenience there this time.”
Surprisingly, he apologized right away.
I thought they would just hand over some money and force an agreement.
Perhaps because of my social influence, I wanted to make the best impression possible.
… Well, a wealthy family like this could kill me without even knowing.
It’s probably a big deal that this person isn’t that outgoing.
Her daughter Tomoe directly mentioned that her father was quite moderate among the heads of conglomerates.
“You don’t need to tell me you’re sorry.”
“What does that mean?”
“Because your daughter didn’t cause me any inconvenience.”
The chairman blinked quickly.
As Tomoe said, he seemed to completely believe the lies his son told.
If I had to choose between a hikikomori daughter and a son who works hard to continue her family business, I would generally choose the latter.
“Tomoe verbally abused that person…” .”
“I’ve never done that at all.”
Well, there was some arguing, but there was no need to talk about it.
All I have to do is deny the claim made by her brother that Tomoe threatened me using her family name.
The chairman had a very serious expression and rested his chin on his palm.
He seemed to have a hard time believing the reality that his son had lied.
That was also a lie to harass her younger sister.
“What do you mean about us putting pressure on them?”
It seemed like he stopped thinking and turned to something else.
This story is a lie that I wanted to tell the media.
So we can’t admit it’s a lie, and have no choice but to cover it up with another lie.
“Isn’t your daughter very talented?”
“That’s true, but….”
Her father recognizes Tomoe’s abilities.
She opened her eyes wide. Although she was disappointed, she didn’t seem to really hate her.
If you think about it, the fact that I left the house was closer to him leaving on his own rather than kicking me out.
“Chairman, I hope you will think about it.”
I continued speaking while taking a break.
“Who will benefit the most from Tomoe leaving the house with the lie that he misbehaved with me?”
“… ….”
The chairman let out a long sigh.
Well, you probably already know.
I just don’t want to admit it.
The chairman turned his head towards the secretary behind him and muttered something.
… He didn’t understand because it was Japanese.
“Chairman, how about withdrawing the lawsuit against Tomoe on the condition that I produce him?”
“You’re producing Tomoe?”
“Yes, I highly value your daughter’s talent. Or do you not want your daughter to become an idol?”
“That’s not true…” .”
The chairman turned his head towards Tomoe.
And he asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Tomoe smiled slightly.
It was a smile that seemed to express various emotions.
“Yes, I want to do it. “I want to challenge myself as an idol.”
The president’s eyes widened at her daughter’s answer.
This is probably the strongest expression of will in her life.
… I was at a loss for words about the will that came only after being in the extreme situation of being homeless.
Squeak—.
The reception room door opened.
I wondered if someone had come in, and it was a face I saw in an article on the Internet.
Tomoe’s older brother—Kotaro.
“Did you call me, father?”
“Yes, I called. Just ask right away. Kotaro, why did you lie?”
“… Yes? What do you mean by lie? .”
“It’s a lie that Tomoe verbally abused Producer Lim.”
The chairman looked at his son with harsh eyes.
Kotaro looked at the faces of me, the chief secretary, and Tomoe in confusion.
Especially focusing on me.
What excuse will he make?
According to Tomoe, Kotaro seemed to be the one who was behaving quite uncontrollably.
Well, he even tried to kick his younger sister out of the house through an absurd method called an idol audition, so what can he do?
“Well, I saw it clearly. “I never lied!”
“Producer Lim has never done anything like that, what are you talking about?”
“Father, think carefully. Tomoe and Producer Lim came to my house together like this. Their relationship was so bad that they filed a lawsuit, but they suddenly come together? “Isn’t it more natural to think that there was some sort of transaction?”
As if he thought Kotaro’s words made sense, the chairman rested his chin on his palm again.
If nothing else, he was excellent at improvising.
Tomoe turned her head towards her brother.
“What deal did you say I had with CEO Lim?”
“I don’t know the details, but it’s probably money. Instead of investing, they ask me to produce….”
“I’m penniless right now, so what kind of money should I invest?”
“So you came to visit me? “You want to be the family.”
In the end, Kotaro seemed to be afraid of her sister, fearing that she would take his place.
From what I heard from Tomoe, he devoted his entire life to studying group management in order to become the successor.
“No.”
“No?”
“I have no intention of taking over the family.”
From noble mtl dot com
Tomoe put her thumb and index finger together and held them out in front of her.
Kotaro frowned.
He probably thought it was just words.
Tomoe, seeing her older brother like that, grinned and took out a piece of paper from his arms.
Then he stretched his arm forward and showed it to the chairman and Kotaro.
“It’s a memorandum of renunciation of inheritance.”
“”… !””
Strictly speaking, a memorandum of renunciation of inheritance was different from saying that one would not continue the family.
It just means that the chairman will not inherit the assets after his death.
Since succession work is usually done before death to avoid inheritance tax as much as possible, giving up inheritance does not mean that succession cannot be carried out at all.
However, it has long been said that if the chairman dies suddenly before the succession process, he will not inherit anything.
In such a situation, if you want to inherit the group, you have to inherit it even if you have to pay high taxes.
Since Tomoe really has no intention of taking over the family business, I hope Kotaro will just accept it and not bother her again….
To this extent, punishment for him has been achieved to some extent.
I did not wish for the downfall of some conglomerate.
Realistically speaking, it’s really impossible.
“Tomoe, are you really not planning on joining the group?”
But the chairman asked an unexpected question.
According to Tomoe, her father also spoke on the premise that she would not take over her group.
“Ah, father… ?”
Kotaro opened his mouth slightly and looked at his father.
But the chairman did not pay attention to his son.
“Tomoe, think seriously. This is not an easy task, but it is something that has been passed down from generation to generation. Isn’t it okay to be the first female head of state in our family’s history? “In line with today’s times.”
“Father! “The successor is me!!”
An excited Kotaro screamed and kicked his foot on the floor in front of his father.
I thought he was a bit hot-tempered.
Tomo also had a bit of that temperament, so it seemed like it was hereditary.
“Kotaro, our family originally had a different way of selecting a successor.”
“What kind of method… ?”
“… It’s a competition between children. “I hated that, so I nominated you as my successor early on, but I was wrong.”
Tomoe grinned at his father’s words and spoke to Kotaro.
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of competing with you. I’m going to be an idol. “It’s the goal your brother gave you, right?”
“This, this…” !!”
Kotaro clenched his hands and trembled.
As a third party, I think that if Tomoe had just been left alone, the group would have taken over on its own.
I made myself angry.
“Father, then I have to train, so I’ll just leave.”
“To, Tomoe!”
Tomoe stood up.
She then glanced at me, signaling me to follow her.
[Name: Marui Tomoe]
[Fatigue: 19]
[Current thought: Ah, I feel refreshed.]
Fatigue, which had always been around 50, plummeted.