Charles put down his student handbook and turned to see Stella's worried expression.
"Charles, are you sure this is going to work?"
With a smile, Charles replied, "The Japan branch was the first to use public opinion to smear Ikki's name. But times have changed. Those old bastards still think public opinion is only controlled by power. It's about time they learned it's a double-edged sword."
That was the strategy Charles had chosen. In his previous life, he'd lived in an age of information, where even the head of a troll farm understood public opinion manipulation better than these so-called politicians.
Charles wasn't at that level, but he still knew exactly how to fight them.
…
Akaishi Mamoru stood outside the branch director's office, tidying himself carefully. Only after confirming there wasn't a single thing out of place did he knock on the door.
"Come in!"
The voice was as cold and emotionless as ever.
Akaishi pushed the door open and stepped in. Kurogane Gensai wasn't at his desk—he was standing by the window, gazing down at the Shibuya cityscape.
"Master Gensai, Akaishi Mamoru reporting!"
Gensai turned, his sharp gaze locking onto Akaishi. "Akaishi, how's that matter coming along?"
Despite the air conditioning, beads of sweat streamed down Akaishi's forehead.
"Please forgive me, Master. That useless brat is proving extremely stubborn. I may need a bit more time."
"Time?"
Gensai let out a cold snort. "Do you think you still have time?"
He tossed a document onto the table. "This just came from Alliance Headquarters. Read it."
Akaishi picked it up and scanned its contents. As he read, more sweat poured down his face.
"This… How could this happen?!"
Gensai continued, "I don't need to spell it out for you. If this isn't handled swiftly, not only will Headquarters hold us accountable, but even the Blazers here will start raising objections."
Akaishi wasn't an idiot. He understood just how dire the situation had become.
The reason Nango Inshirou commanded such reverence among Japan's Blazers wasn't merely because he was ninety-two years old—it was because he was the only Japanese winner of the Doushin Cup, the only one to ever earn the title of Doushin.
Akaishi could hardly imagine how the Blazers would react if they found out his scheme had cost them all the chance to compete. Even if he gained the power he'd longed for, those militant Blazers would never forgive him.
So, for the sake of his own future, he had to wrap this up immediately.
Wiping his forehead, Akaishi said, "Please rest assured, Master Gensai. That brat is nearly at his limit. I'll end this as quickly as possible."
Gensai's glacial expression bore down on him, his gaze like a vise.
"Then get to it. But Akaishi… if you let this opportunity slip, don't go blaming anyone else."
Akaishi understood. His ambition had been fully seen through. And if he couldn't resolve the Ikki Kurogane issue, his hopes of seizing power were over.
He bowed repeatedly, then exited Gensai's office. Once outside, his cowering demeanor shifted to a dark, sullen expression.
Trapped in this no-win situation, he didn't dare resent Gensai, nor Shenlong Temple overseas. All his anger and hatred had been focused on Ikki Kurogane.
Stepping into the elevator, he pressed the button for B10—the Ethics Committee floor, a place eternally shrouded in darkness.
"Director!" A man in a red suit spotted Akaishi and bowed deeply.
The red suit was the uniform of the Japan Ethics Committee. As a result, "the Red Coats" had long been despised among the nation's Blazers.
Akaishi nodded slightly. "Where is Kurogane?"
"The deputy director is interrogating him as you instructed. But as usual, it's not yielding much."
Akaishi smirked cruelly. "Take me to him. We're running out of time."
…
In the parking lot of the branch headquarters, an unremarkable van sat quietly.
Inside the vehicle, Stella watched Charles nervously, terrified that he might lose control and leap out to crush that despicable fat bastard.
But Charles's barely contained fury had a simple cause—the voice coming through the wiretap was practically taunting the very limits of anyone who considered Ikki Kurogane a friend.
He crushed the soda can in his hand, the remaining liquid leaking between his fingers.
Letting out a deep breath, Charles dropped the mangled can and said, "Don't worry. I promised the principal I wouldn't act rashly. But next… let's see if they enjoy the gift I prepared."
…
In this world, psychic powers and technology coexisted, but Blazers who wielded supernatural abilities had always looked down on science.
After all, scientific weapons couldn't compare to powerful abilities. Only certain medical technologies like regeneration pods were considered worth developing.
History had shown that war was the true catalyst of technological advancement. From Charles's perspective, it was a miracle this world had even reached modern tech levels.
But even so, technology here hadn't lagged behind—it had evolved into an information age just like his previous life.
And in any era of rapid development, there were always people who got left behind. That was especially true for an insular country like Japan.
So while the upper echelons led by Gensai and Akaishi were still oblivious, a news article—backed by audio evidence—had begun spreading across the internet like wildfire.
Since it wasn't released through official media channels, by the time they caught wind of it, it was far too late to suppress.
Gensai sat in his office, listening to his subordinate's report. Even he couldn't help but show a flash of fury after hearing how dire the situation had become.
He picked up the phone and dialed.
"Akaishi. Come to my office. Now."
On the other end, Akaishi nearly dropped his phone in fright.
He had seen this "malicious" news piece before Kurogane himself had—and the accompanying audio recording nailed him squarely as the mastermind.
Naturally, it was all Charles's doing. He had written and released the article himself.
The first half summarized previous events—how Ikki had been arrested and Shenlong Temple's domineering protest.
The second half was the "editor's speculation."
Charles didn't expose the whole truth. Instead, he crafted a plausible narrative framed as conjecture:
The Japan branch had wanted to extract Shenlong Temple's secret martial arts from the exchange student. So they falsely accused him of espionage to justify interrogation.
But they didn't dare do it openly. Instead, they arrested his Japanese friend, planning to use him to implicate the exchange student.
But the Japanese student was a true warrior. Even under cruel torture, he refused to betray his friend.
The recording was the proof—an audio clip from Ikki's interrogation. In it, listeners could hear the committee using not just insults and threats, but also coercion and even violence.
Conspiracy by the powerful? A tragic, unyielding hero? Far more compelling than the actual truth.
In an instant, public opinion flipped against the higher-ups. The Japanese people, long ruled from above, seized the moment to vent their frustration online.
Compared to the words of the elites, they preferred this "truth" they believed in.
Charles couldn't break Ikki out directly—that was the cost of living under these rules. But those same rules also bound Gensai and Akaishi.
And now Charles was eager to see how long they could keep Ikki locked up under this kind of pressure.
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