"Disqualified?!" Horikita Manabu's voice rose an octave. Ever since he entered the yukata workshop, his strategy had been to focus on the yukata competition and make it a key feature of the various autumn ceremonies, thereby increasing revenue.
But now, facing the threat of being disqualified from the competition? Who wouldn't panic at that? It would mean that all the recent hard work and efforts would go to waste.
Faced with such a crisis, Horikita Manabu quickly took two deep breaths to calm his mind. "Don't panic, Mr. Takahashi. A frantic state of mind won't help in addressing the problem, nor will it lead to a solution."
"Yes, yes, you're right, Horikita-kun. I'm just anxious… So, um…" Takahashi's hesitant tone on the other end of the line showed that he was clearly hoping the calm Horikita might offer some kind of solution.
With such an urgent issue, how could Horikita Manabu instantly resolve it? He may be highly capable, but he's not omnipotent. "Mr. Takahashi, please wait. Since the situation has changed so drastically, there must be more critical information in the competition's comments. Let me take a look first."
"Alright, I won't hang up then. I'll wait for your analysis, Horikita-kun." It seemed that Takahashi, in his panic, was clinging to Horikita Manabu like a lifeline. He was clearly desperate, and after talking to his secretary and employees, who were also panicking, finding someone like Horikita Manabu, who remained composed, had a calming effect. Takahashi decided to wait and see if Horikita Manabu could find a solution.
Many students from 3rd Year Class A had gathered for the meeting and had overheard the conversation. Realizing the urgency, a boy named Fujimaki immediately opened his laptop and navigated to the yukata competition's webpage.
Horikita and the others quickly gathered around. There were already over a hundred replies below the original negative comment, with 3rd Year Class A students responsible for damage control engaged in heated arguments.
At first, it was the competitors who had posted negative comments, claiming that Takahashi Yukata Workshop had no shame for participating in the competition despite being such an unethical business.
The comments under the post were filled with responses from the students Horikita Manabu had assigned for damage control, claiming that the competition was just jealous of the orders Takahashi's workshop received and that it was simply fair market competition, accusing the rivals of underhanded tricks.
In response, the other side seemed even angrier, arguing relentlessly: "Jealous of your orders? Ha! Don't you even know what's really going on with Takahashi's orders?"
"They've been utterly unethical with their disgusting sales tactics, and now you have the audacity to accuse us of being jealous that you're taking over the market? Absolute nonsense!"
"This is outright illegal marketing! If it weren't for the fact that some of those involved are minors, your workshop would've been shut down long ago!"
Seeing these comments gave Horikita Manabu a headache. At first, the opposition didn't criticize the orders or sales tactics directly, making it hard for him to pinpoint the real issue. Now, he was starting to understand—it all seemed to relate back to Yukio.
"Takahashi-san," Horikita Manabu said, holding his phone in one hand and removing his glasses with the other, pressing the bridge of his nose to ease his tension, "I want to clarify something. Are we sure this is interference from competitors?"
"Like the previous negative reviews we saw under the competition's post—are they all from competitors jealous of your market share?"
"Huh? Isn't that the case?" Takahashi seemed even more confused. "Wasn't that the analysis you gave earlier, Horikita-kun? You even asked me to stop Yukio's class from doing their sales promotion."
Horikita Manabu, though suspecting that Yukio might have had a hand in this, didn't want to accuse him without knowing the full picture. "We still need to ask Yukio about this. The other side clearly lost their temper and revealed a lot of relevant information."
"Unethical operations, illegal marketing, and involving minors—it seems all of this could only be connected to Yukio's group."
In fact, Horikita Manabu was quite baffled himself. He couldn't figure out what Yukio was trying to achieve. They were all working on the same project, where increasing revenue was the core criterion.
But Yukio's actions seemed contrary to this goal. Looking at the situation, it wasn't just about failing to increase revenue; if things continued this way, it would be a miracle if Takahashi Yukata Workshop didn't get shut down.
What was Yukio up to, exactly? This situation was leaving Horikita mentally exhausted, feeling like competing against someone as unpredictable and unorthodox as Yukio was incredibly draining.
"Oh, oh, I see. I'll go ask him. Please wait a moment, Horikita-kun!" Takahashi said, hanging up the phone and immediately calling Yukio.
At that moment, Yukio was enjoying dinner with his classmates at the hotel, happily discussing the recent clash between Class D and Sakayanagi, analyzing all the key points and having a lively conversation.
As his phone rang, Yukio glanced at the number and knew the moment had arrived. He casually answered, "Hello?"
"Ah, Yukio-kun, it's my fault for being so negligent before," Takahashi didn't immediately start questioning Yukio—that would have been foolish. Instead, his tone was quite gentle. "I was only concerned about the workshop's limited production capacity."
"So, I asked you to stop taking more orders. In hindsight, that was my mistake. I should have given you some other tasks to allow your class to experience more of the business side of this project."
"Of course, the doubled base salary for your sales efforts is still guaranteed. But I'm thinking of giving you an extra job to help you earn more points. What do you think, Yukio-kun?"
Yukio leisurely listened to Takahashi finish before cutting straight to the chase, "Takahashi-san, why make things so complicated? Why not just say what you really want?"
"For example, you want to ask about our specific sales process?"
"Uh…" Takahashi was clearly taken aback. He hadn't expected the young Yukio to be so sharp. He hadn't even finished buttering him up, and Yukio had already called him out?
Seeing Yukio's perceptiveness and decisiveness, Takahashi realized that continuing to play dumb would only make him look like a fool. After a moment's thought, he decided to be straightforward: "If it's convenient for you, Yukio-kun, I'd really like to know some details."
And so, Yukio didn't hold back. He explained the entire process, leaving Takahashi on the other end of the line drenched in cold sweat!
This wasn't helping Takahashi's yukata workshop—it was ruining it! No wonder they were being torn apart online like garbage! With things like this, his reputation in the entire industry was now tarnished. Who would want to work with him after this?!
Even worse, he had previously been dreaming that those small orders would eventually turn into big ones, bringing him more profit.
Good grief, those small orders? They won't ever come again. Those shops will never place orders with him again. This is a disaster—it's digging the grave for Takahashi's yukata workshop!
He was so furious that he almost wanted to immediately lash out and curse at Yukio.
But then, Yukio's next words stopped Takahashi in his tracks: "This situation, of course, was something our class deliberately created."
"Do you want to reverse the bad reputation and gain even more fame?"
"As long as you're willing to pay a substantial price, we can take your business to the next level."
...
Enjoyed the chapters? Read 40 chapters ahead on Patreon
PATREON.COM/METARLN