The next morning.
As I sat in the car heading toward Kikou Academy, I stared blankly at the passing scenery.
"Itsuki-san, are you alright?"
"……Yes."
Ms. Shizune spoke with concern, but I couldn't even muster the strength to put on a brave face.
Hinako and Ms. Shizune already knew that Suminoe-san had bought up my company’s shares. The news had been broadcast across the game's feed, so Narika, Taisho, Asahi-san, and the others were also in the loop. They had all reached out via calls or messages to check on me.
"……Itsuki?"
Hinako, sitting beside me, watched me with worried eyes.
I remembered the time I’d worried everyone by getting too obsessed with the game. I slapped both my cheeks, trying to snap myself out of it.
"I'm fine. I've calmed down after a night's sleep."
"……Mm."
Wallowing in depression wouldn't change the situation.
Having managed to regain a somewhat positive mindset, I stepped out of the car before Hinako, just as I always did.
"Well then, Hinako. See you at the academy."
"Mm. Wait for me."
As I walked toward the academy buildings, I tried to map out my next move.
However, just as I passed through the gates and approached the main building—
"Oh, Tomonari-san. Good morning."
I came face-to-face with the one person I least wanted to see.
"……Suminoe-san."
"You look like you have something to say."
Well, of course I did.
Glancing around, I noticed our classmates were subtly watching us. Given the in-game news, many of them likely understood the situation between us.
Knowing that speaking on pure instinct would only lead to something unsightly, I forced myself to remain calm.
"……That was a rather radical move you made."
"I believe I told you. I wouldn't want you to live to regret your decision."
Suminoe-san spoke without a shred of guilt.
Generally, a corporate buyout involves acquiring a company's shares to gain management rights. There are several ways to go about it—sometimes you negotiate directly with shareholders, other times you launch a tender offer, or TOB, to collect shares from the general public.
However, the method Suminoe-san had employed this time could hardly be called conventional.
Tech Capital Co., Ltd., the company Suminoe-san had acquired, was a venture capital firm—an investment fund specializing in startups. They provided capital to struggling venture companies in exchange for shares, profiting off those shares once the businesses grew.
Since Tomonari Gift had received an investment from Tech Capital, the firm held a significant portion of my shares.
By acquiring Tech Capital, Suminoe-san had essentially brought those shares under her thumb. In doing so, her company had gained effective control over Tomonari Gift.
It was an indirect acquisition.
The logic was simple: if a subordinate won't listen, go over their head and win over the superior to control them from above.
It wasn't illegal. But having someone use the sheer weight of their capital to force such a maneuver didn't sit well with me.
"I believe I told you I wouldn't agree to a buyout……"
"The business world isn't so naive that one simply backs down just because they were told 'no'."
I had no rebuttal for that.
The shares held by Tech Capital amounted to just under forty percent of the total. While I was technically holding on by a thread since she didn't have a majority stake yet, the situation was dire. Even without becoming a subsidiary, her significant voting rights meant the management freedom of Tomonari Gift had been gutted.
"I hope you don't misunderstand; I didn't target your company specifically."
Suminoe-san wore a composed smile.
"I intended to bring several of Tech Capital's portfolio companies under my control regardless. It’s a necessary step to make my company the leader of the IT industry."
Tech Capital held far more assets than Tomonari Gift. I’d suspected she had other motives, as buying an entire fund just to crush me would have been wildly inefficient.
I just hadn't expected the scale of her ambition.
"Ufufu…… was it unexpected? To find that I have such grand plans."
"I suppose so.……Is this also for Tennoji-san’s sake?"
"Of course."
Suminoe-san began to describe her vision.
"In the future, I intend to be Tennoji-sama’s right hand. I wish to serve that personage—who will eventually make her name known throughout the world—and support her both professionally and personally. In this Management Game, I am simply performing a dress rehearsal."
Suminoe-san’s devotion to Tennoji-san was clearly bordering on fanaticism, but her words sounded like those of a dedicated, hardworking professional.
The experience of growing a company would certainly be an asset to Tennoji-san later on. That was likely why she was pushing to expand SIS.
"Well, I did also have a perfectly normal desire to entrap you."
—So there it is.
I felt like a fool for listening seriously.
"The elimination of obstacles is also part of the rehearsal. I will never forgive you for beguiling Tennoji-sama."
"……Beguiling her?"
I knew she disliked me, but I’d never heard the word "beguile" used before. What kind of person had I become in her mind?
"Until now, Tennoji-sama was a far more stoic individual. Behind her elegant facade was an undeniable effort, and she was always pushing herself to the limit to defeat her arch-rival, Konohana-san."
Suminoe-san spoke of the Tennoji-san she knew.
"But Tennoji-sama has changed. ——Because of you."
She glared at me.
"Ever since she met you, Tennoji-sama has softened. Specifically, around the time of the proficiency exam in June! The signs of change were undeniable from that point on……!"
Suminoe-san spoke with her fists trembling in rage.
Her observations were terrifyingly specific. That was exactly when the matter with Tennoji-san’s marriage proposal had been resolved. She had indeed changed then, but I hadn't realized it was so glaringly obvious to others.
"Furthermore, since that period, the physical distance between you and Tennoji-sama has shrunk! Even at the after-school tea parties, the frequency with which your eyes meet has increased by 2.7 times, and when you walk together, the distance between you has decreased by exactly four centimeters! You cannot deceive my eyes!!"
Scary, scary, scary, scary————.
Any sense of a serious atmosphere vanished instantly. She was clearly being serious, but……
"So you were actually watching us at the tea parties……"
"I was!! While weeping tears of blood!!"
"……You know, you’re welcome to join us normally."
"I most certainly am not! Discussing academics or the game is one thing, but talking about private matters? I’d be so nervous I’d die!!"
I thought she wanted to support her both professionally and personally.
"The Tennoji-sama of the past would never have dreamed of forming an alliance with Konohana-san.……Getting caught up in that kind of cozy fraternization would have been unthinkable."
That…… might have been true.
Hinako had mentioned feeling that Suminoe-san disliked her. This was probably why. Because Suminoe-san adored Tennoji-san, she viewed Tennoji-san’s rival as an enemy.
"That is why I will ruin you—to open Tennoji-sama’s eyes. Once it’s clear that you are a man of no consequence, she will surely come back to her senses. This, too, is my duty as her right hand."
Learning Suminoe-san’s goal made me remember something Tennoji-san had said.
——However…… as she respected the way I was before, she might feel conflicted about the way I am now.
Both Tennoji-san and I thought her change was for the better.
But it seemed there was at least one person who loathed it.
"You are not fit to stand beside Tennoji-sama. ——I will see to it that you exit this game posthaste."
With that, Suminoe-san turned on her heel and walked away.
◆
In the end, I reached the end of the school day without thinking of a single countermeasure.
Even after returning to the manor, I stayed in my room, lost in thought.
I couldn't let things stand. I had to do something, and fast. Driven by that mounting anxiety, I researched ways to escape Suminoe-san’s indirect control, listing every feasible option I could find.
Knock, knock. A knock sounded at the door.
When I called out for them to enter, Hinako walked in.
"Good work today.……I brought some tea."
"Thank you."
I took the cup and took a slow sip.
The clean, refreshing sweetness seemed to unravel the tension coiled deep in my mind.
"……This is even better than before."
"R-Really……!?"
When I gave my honest feedback, Hinako looked genuinely shocked.
"All that practice paid off……"
Seeing her smile so happily made me feel a bit better too.
She really is talented when she wants to be.
Hinako could handle almost anything with ease if she set her mind to it. The challenge was getting her to that point, but lately, she seemed quite energetic even after getting home.
Hinako was growing. I couldn't afford to let her leave me behind.
"The tea was great. I think I can give it one more push."
I straightened my posture and forced out some motivation.
As I turned back to the computer, Hinako leaned in and stared at the monitor with me.
"The thing with Suminoe-san…… are you still in trouble?"
"Yeah. Honestly, it’s enough to make me want to give up."
In fact, I’d been holding my head in my hands until she arrived.
"Mm…… then, leave it to me."
Hinako’s words caught me off guard.
I looked away from the monitor and toward her.
"I have a good solution for the Suminoe-san problem."
"A solution?"
"Mm. I’ll protect you, Itsuki."
Hinako spoke with a gentle, reassuring smile.
"Issue new shares to my company through a third-party allocation.……If you do that, I can make your company a subsidiary and shield you from Suminoe-san."
Because Takuma-san had insisted I study stocks, I understood exactly what Hinako was proposing.
A third-party allocation of new shares was a form of fundraising where a company issued new shares specifically to a designated third party in exchange for capital.
The advantage was being able to place shares with a trusted partner. However, since it involved issuing a large volume of new shares, it diluted the ownership ratio of existing shareholders. This meant existing shareholders could lose their influence over the company, so their rights generally had to be carefully considered.
But in this case, that was exactly the point. It was a way to escape the control of current shareholders.
Right now, the largest shareholder of Tomonari Gift was SIS Co., Ltd.—Suminoe-san.
If I issued a massive amount of new shares to Hinako, the position of majority shareholder would shift from Suminoe-san to Hinako, and Tomonari Gift would fall under the protection of the Konohana Group. That would effectively break Suminoe-san’s hold over me. I would be part of the Konohana Group instead, but since Hinako understood my vision, I knew I wouldn't be restricted.