A few days had passed since I warded off Suminoe-san’s indirect buyout attempt.
"Tomonari-san, thank you for the ad placement the other day."
"Ah, no problem. Thank you for signing with us."
It was break time. I was in the classroom, chatting with a female classmate about the Management Game.
The drama surrounding Suminoe-san’s buyout attempt and the subsequent capital and business alliance between Tomonari Gift Co., Ltd. and Wedding Needs Co., Ltd. had been a recurring headline in the Management Game's news feed. As a result, my reputation within Kikou Academy had soared to a degree that surprised even me.
In this context, reputation was directly linked to trust.
I had used the momentum from the buyout attempt as an opportunity to rapidly expand my network of business partners. While I still reached out to people myself, more and more students were starting to approach me instead. The classmate I’d just spoken with was a perfect example—she had been the one to suggest placing an advertisement on the Tomonari Gift website.
The wind was currently in my sails. It was "bonus time," essentially. The future of Tomonari Gift would be determined by how much I could scale the company during this crucial window.
"Tomonari-kun, do you have a moment for some advice?"
"Advice? Sure, what is it?"
"Well, I’m actually having some trouble with one of my partner companies..."
This time, it was a male student seeking a consultation.
(...Man, these requests have really been piling up lately.)
I gave him my thoughts while offering a mental wry smile.
People seemed to think I was an expert on M&A and business alliances just because I’d fended off Suminoe-san’s takeover. To be honest, though, there was a world of difference between me and someone like Hinako or Tennoji-san. It gave me mixed feelings every time someone consulted me. After all, I was still very much a student of the game myself.
Once I finished sharing my perspective, the male student gave a polite thanks and headed back to his seat.
The chime rang, signaling the start of the next period.
...Come to think of it, today was the day for our usual Tea Party.