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Chapter 121. Deception and Indulgence
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Of course, she had such thoughts, but actually voicing them would be futile. No one would agree, and no one would believe her. After all, who would establish a company or produce a work with the intention of making a loss?
Even now, although it seemed pointless, Jolyne Cujoh couldn't just casually reveal that these were tasks assigned by the system, nor could she even hint at it. However, having dealt with the system's restrictions for some time, Jolyne had become adept at handling such skepticism, almost effortlessly.
Jolyne concocted a plausible reason and explained to Ryoko Kakyoin, "Ryoko, do you think Pucci and Shinbo are formidable together?"
"Of course they are!" Ryoko replied without hesitation.
Having been influenced by her initial incorrect assumption, Ryoko indeed believed that the combination of Pucci and Akiyuki Shinbo was powerful. Otherwise, they wouldn't have produced a hit like "Phantom Blood".
This was exactly the response Jolyne wanted to hear.
"Yes, they're very formidable. But have you ever considered that if we separate Pucci and Shinbo, and they still prove to be just as formidable, then we would effectively have two powerful combinations of 'Pucci' and 'Shinbo'!" Jolyne continued.
"Don't say that it's impossible," Jolyne interrupted, sensing Ryoko's impending objections. "When they first teamed up, could you have imagined that a newbie director and a director so down on his luck he had to work in adult films would create something so remarkable?"
"..."
Ryoko thought long and hard, realizing that neither her current self nor her past self could have predicted that Jolyne would recruit Pucci and Shinbo, and that they would work together so well. It was clear that she had initially thought, "Jolyne, are you out of your mind?"
"No, I couldn't have imagined that," Ryoko replied weakly.
"Exactly, who could have?" Jolyne said with satisfaction.
At the same time, she was inwardly frustrated. "Damn it! If I had known that combining these two 'failures' would result in something so powerful, I would never have recruited them together or placed them in the same production team!"
But fortunately, she had discovered this issue before it was too late.
"So, Ryoko, you need to think long-term. If we know about Pucci and Shinbo's weaknesses, wouldn't they also be aware of them?"
"...?"
Ryoko was puzzled.
"Even if they're unaware now, after having just split up and seeing the mess they've made of their respective projects, they'll certainly start to realize their shortcomings," Jolyne hinted.
"...?!"
Ryoko felt as though she was on the verge of understanding something.
Jolyne continued, "Once they realize their weaknesses and start correcting them based on their past collaboration, won't we at Green Dolphin Studio essentially end up with two powerful combinations of 'Pucci' and 'Shinbo'?"
"...!!?"
That actually made sense! But...
Although Ryoko understood the reasoning, she still hesitantly asked, "Jolyne, is this really worth the expense?"
The funds they had invested in "Battle Tendency" were already substantial, and Pucci's "Stardust Crusaders" was a financial black hole. While training their directors was a noble goal, wasn't this method a bit too costly?
Ryoko wasn't opposed to the idea of training directors; she just thought there might be more cost-effective ways to do it. Moreover, even though they were trying to nurture Pucci and Shinbo, there was no telling how long it would take for them to come to their senses and how long the training process would take. It was possible that the investments in "Battle Tendency" and "Stardust Crusaders" might go down the drain before they were even halfway there.
In fact, the best possible outcome would be just that, in Jolyne's mind. She was overjoyed at the prospect.
'Yes, this is definitely worth it!' Jolyne thought, struggling to suppress her laughter.
"And I'm confident that Pucci and Shinbo will develop at a pace that will blow your mind, Ryoko!" Jolyne said, trying to maintain a straight face.
"After all, they're not learning from scratch; they're just regaining their previous form. So, Ryoko, sit back and enjoy the next episode of "Battle Tendency". Shinbo is sure to surprise us!"
Surprise? More like shock!
Even as she uttered these words, Jolyne herself didn't believe them. In her heart, she was already celebrating.
"Battle Tendency" had progressed to this point. Was Shinbo really capable of pulling off a reversal? If he somehow did, Jolyne would—no, she didn't even need to say anything like "deceive and indulge," because it was simply impossible!
Thus, the next episode of "Battle Tendency"—
"The Birth of the Ultimate Life Form!" arrived.