"Fujiwara-kun is truly decisive, ending the match so quickly."
Backstage at the arena, Governor Morita of Chiba Prefecture quickly stepped forward to congratulate Toru.
"Governor, you're still here?"
Toru was a little surprised. Governor Morita's skill at flattering others was comparable to Sakai Takaaki of the Special Investigation Department, whom he had killed before.
Toru was not worried that Governor Morita was a smiling tiger like Sakai Takaaki.
Sakai Takaaki's power came from Spencer, while Governor Morita's power came from the support of the Fujiwara family. It was absolutely impossible for him to betray the Fujiwara family.
"I didn't have much work today. This preliminary round is of utmost importance to Chiba Prefecture, and I couldn't leave it to others to watch over, so I had to come supervise it myself."
"Governor, you've worked hard."
"Not at all, not at all. This is what I should do. Fujiwara-kun is preparing for the exclusive interview with Nichibei TV?"
"It seems Nichibei TV's publicity is quite good."
"Haha, Fujiwara-kun is not a public figure, so it's not easy for a TV station to interview you. Since Nichibei TV has this opportunity, of course they will promote it heavily. However, I also have a small request, and I hope Fujiwara-kun can help."
"Governor, please go ahead."
Governor Morita said without hesitation, "Fujiwara-kun's competition in Chiba Prefecture this time is a good opportunity. During the interview with Nichibei TV, I hope Fujiwara-kun can introduce Chiba Prefecture and attract more people to travel here."
"That's easy enough, it's just a few words."
"Although it's just a few words, that also depends on who says them. When those words come from Fujiwara-kun's mouth, they are no simple matter."
Listen to that, these politicians really know how to talk. Their little mouths are as sweet as honey, and hearing them really does make people happy.
After chatting for a few more sentences, Toru walked toward the pre-arranged interview room.
Rena, wearing a TV station work shirt, with a sharp chin and a pair of fox-like eyes, had already been waiting for a long time.
"Mr. Fujiwara!"
The TV station staff all bowed and greeted him. As the heir of an ancient kazoku in Japan, even if Toru had no ability at all, he would still be respected by everyone in Japanese society.
Not to mention that Toru had also displayed extraordinary strength. It could almost be said with certainty that the future of Japanese politics would inevitably become Toru's domain.
Toru nodded one by one, accepting the greetings from the staff. He looked at Rena, who was standing there waiting for him with a smile, and said, "Ms. Mizunashi, can we begin?"
"Of course, Fujiwara-kun, please have a seat. The questions to be asked have already been sent to you in advance. How about we follow that process?"
"No problem." Toru nodded.
As Rena turned around to sit down, Toru noticed that her shoulders were uneven, with one side slightly higher than the other.
He frowned slightly.
In Toru's memory, Rena did not have this problem.
Moreover, as the ace reporter of a TV station, if Rena had a postural imbalance, she would not even have been able to get the job.
In other words, Rena's shoulder was injured?
Toru temporarily put aside his thoughts and focused on the interview first.
The two of them sat down, and after the director for the exclusive interview confirmed that everything was fine, the interview officially began.
"If I remember correctly, this is the second time our Nichibei TV has conducted an exclusive interview with you, Mr. Fujiwara."
"The last time was also an exclusive interview conducted by you, Ms. Mizunashi. If you have forgotten, then I will have to question your memory, Ms. Mizunashi."
"Haha, Mr. Fujiwara is really humorous."
Rena covered her lips with her hand, her fox-like eyes narrowing as she laughed, her shoulders trembling.
These words were not part of the interview content arranged in advance.
As the ace reporter of Nichibei TV and a famous inter personality, Rena had real talent and could handle this kind of unexpected situation with ease.
The interview that followed then began to proceed according to the planned routine.
However, during the interview, Toru would occasionally speak eloquently and say some witty things that made him seem very humorous.
These words were not part of any pre-written script. Some jokes and humorous remarks required the other person's spontaneous reaction in order to make them funnier.
If the script were known in advance, then the spontaneous reaction would be lost, and it would become a cold joke instead.
Rena also handled Toru's occasional deviations from the script with ease. She could pick up on every topic and knew how to create more from them. The two could be said to be evenly matched, each meeting their equal.
The director at the side watched the interview footage and clicked his tongue. "As expected of someone from a prominent family like Fujiwara-kun. Look at his demeanor, temperament, and confident eloquence. Ordinary people really don't have that."
"Moreover, many of the things he says go straight to the heart of the matter. If someone's mind is a little slower, they might not even be able to keep up with his thoughts."
"Mizunashi also did well. She was able to respond to everything Fujiwara-kun said and even build further from it. Her ability is also beyond doubt."
A staff member beside him asked, "Director, have you ever encountered an interview that was especially difficult?"
"You just lack experience. There are some things you haven't seen before. You know Makoto, right? The champion of the last two National Karate Tournaments. Our TV station also did a special interview with him, and you should have seen that interview too."
The director said, "...You hadn't joined yet, so you weren't there at the time. Makoto is full of killing intent on the field, but in reality, he's especially slow-witted and his mind just can't keep up at all."
"We gave him the script in advance, but he still stammered through it. That interview took an entire afternoon, and everyone was exhausted."
"Fujiwara-kun is completely different. Some people are just born to give speeches. To be honest, Fujiwara-kun is a natural politician!"
Toru and Rena worked together with perfect tacit understanding, and the interview went very smoothly.
The interview had originally been expected to last an hour, but it was finished in half an hour, without a single NG.
And at the end of the interview, Toru also helped Governor Morita by highly praising the local customs and beautiful scenery of Chiba Prefecture.
He even said that the reason he had come to Chiba Prefecture to participate in the preliminary round was because he liked Chiba, he liked it here.
But few people knew that Toru actually did not have a ranking certificate, and theoretically he had not even been qualified to participate in the competition.
He had chosen Chiba partly because he had pulled some strings here.
But no matter what, once this special interview was broadcast, Toru would surely gain enormous favor from the people of Chiba.
Who doesn't love their hometown? Who doesn't want their hometown to thrive?
Even a major celebrity like Toru praised Chiba and even recommended it during the interview, so how could the people of Chiba not adore him?
But to be honest, Chiba really was not that interesting. There were not really any famous scenic spots.
If one had to say what Chiba was most famous for, perhaps it was being the homeland of sister complexes? Or perhaps the Yukinoshita sisters could also be considered a tourist attraction.
When the interview ended, the staff members all applauded enthusiastically.
Pleasant, comfortable.
If only every interview could be this easy.
As people working at a TV station, they often interviewed celebrities, and because of that they understood those celebrities better.
Many celebrities appeared amiable in front of the public and looked like they had good personalities, but in private they were especially arrogant and would start cursing the moment something displeased them.
But what could small TV station staff like them do? Of course, they would bow and apologize.
Someone like Toru, who was the same in private as he was in public, with such a gentle personality and polite attitude toward others, was rare, which naturally made these staff members like him.
"You've worked hard, Fujiwara-sama!"
"You've worked hard, Mr. Fujiwara!"
"..."
"You've worked hard too."
Toru responded to each bowing staff member one by one.
After the interview, Rena, now in private, no longer spoke as formally as she had on the program, but in the more relaxed tone unique to a girl. "The program will be edited quickly later, and we'll try to get it online tonight."
"That fast?"
"News needs timeliness. Today, Fujiwara-kun, you're already trending on X. If we don't strike while the iron is hot and release the special interview quickly, the effect will be much worse after a few days."
Rena smiled intelligently. "Actually, it would be even better to release the special interview when Fujiwara-kun wins the championship, but the TV station is a bit impatient."
"You're so sure I can win the championship? Makoto is an opponent who cannot be underestimated."
"Makoto is very strong, everyone has to admit that, but I still believe Fujiwara-kun can win the championship."
Toru smiled, leaned closer, and whispered in Rena's ear, "Come to the address I sent you tonight."
Rena's expression did not change, she merely nodded slightly.
After the interview, Toru went to his exclusive dressing room to remove his makeup and so on.
Rena was just about to go find her colleagues from the TV station when her phone suddenly vibrated.
She picked up her phone, and after seeing the caller ID, her expression turned serious.
She quickly used going to the restroom as an excuse and went into the bathroom.
"Rum-sama, do you have any instructions?"
This call was actually from Rum, the second-in-command of the Organization.
A voice distorted by a machine came through the phone. "Kir, Gin injured you. I have already reprimanded him."
As the second-in-command of the Organization and someone in a leadership position, Rum was not like Gin, who only knew how to fight and kill.
He clearly understood that threats and hardline methods alone could not make subordinates loyal. He had to use both appeasement and sufficient rewards for his subordinates.
Rena said respectfully, "This has nothing to do with Gin. It's my own problem that he injured me, because I did not do my job well. I don't blame him."
"Kir, I'm not going to hold you accountable for your work mistake. This time you were injured, and the Organization has decided to give you a month off to recover. However, the Organization still has an important task to entrust to you, and this will not require you to take action personally."
"Please instruct me."
Rena was concise.
Rum's distorted voice entered Rena's ears. "This task is related to Central Intelligence Agency Wick, Adam Spencer."
(To be continued.)
Reviews
All reviews (0)