They probably thought about what would happen if the press conference was canceled if they were going to have a riot.
Most reporters realized that instead of trying to set up other companies, it would be better to secure their share at the same time.
The journalists gathered in the main office of FLT, exchanging informal phrases with each other, eventually dispersing, without causing any disturbance.
The office of the Development manager at FLT headquarters. This room was the personal office of Tatsuya and Miyuki’s Father, Shiba Tatsurou. Nominally, Tatsurou was the largest shareholder and had a luxury office, which was even bigger than the director of the company.
In this room Tatsurou now received a representative of the true owners of FLT, sent from the main house of the Yotsuba.
"Good work in counteracting the media."
A young man who was about 25 years old, though thanking Tatsurou with a polite tone, seemed to be looking down on him.
"No, I just gave a couple of instructions to public relations."
Tatsurou could not fail to feel disgusted by the fact that he must obey some guy, who is 20 years younger than him. But he didn't show this in any way.
Regardless of who the representative is, Tatsurou did not have the courage to show disobedience to the main family here.
"How humble. But it was a pretty fine solution to the issue. Please continue in the same vein and make the necessary preparations so that there are no extra problems on Friday."
"You can rely on me."
"Excellent. Good day, then."
Nodding, Hanabishi Hyougo wanted to leave the office.
"...I'd like to ask you something."
When he had already turned around to go to the exit, Tatsurou hesitated to call him.
"What is it?" Hyougo asked, turning with a slight smile on his face.
Tatsurou averted his eyes from Hyougo’s face. He did not ask Tatsurou to hurry up and waited silently. When the second hand of the clock managed to make half a turn, Tatsurou finally overcame his hesitation and spoke.
"What is the main family planning to do with this child?"
"'This child?' Maybe you're talking about Tatsuya."
Tatsurou’s lips trembled, and he could not answer the question of Hyougo. It was as if his throat and tongue were unable to work adequately now.
"So it is about him? Sorry, but since I'm a young and an inexperienced beginner, I can't figure out what thoughts our head has on him."
In this polite tone, there was a contempt that said "you're even lower than this rookie." Tatsurou figured it out and started to get out of it.
"In addition, Tatsuya-sama is the groom of the next Head-sama.
Tatsurou-dono, with your role, it's not something that you should care about."
"B-but I am his father!"
Tatsurou raised his voice maybe because he neglected the feelings of the parent to the child, or because he could not endure humiliation.
"I know that. What's the matter?"
But whatever he answered, Hyougo did not give meaning to the words of Tatsurou.
"When it was decided that Miyuki-sama will be the next head, and Tatsuya-sama will become her fiancé, the role of Tatsurou-dono was fulfilled. Isn't that good?"
"W-what..."
"I thought Tatsurou-dono didn't like Tatsuya-sama? But now you don't have to behave like a parent or a child anymore?"
Tatsurou could not object to Hyougo.
"Then, I will give one piece of advice. Miyuki is your daughter, but Tatsuya is not your son. The real mother of Tatsuya-sama is our head-sama. And the real father of Tatsuya--is not you, Tatsurou-dono."
This was the story that Maya invented to marry Tatsuya and Miyuki. But now everything went to the fact that this lie will become the truth.
"If Tatsurou-dono showed his love as the parent of Tatsuya-san, the main family would respect that bonds. But you rejected Tatsuya. The current relationship should be what Tatsurou-dono wanted."
Tatsurou had no arguments. He could not object to what Hyougo said.
The number of people surrounding First High school was significantly reduced by the end of the afternoon half of the lessons. But about half of them still remained at that time.
This does not mean that they have abandoned their collection of information. This was due to the fact that the employee of FLT voiced the threat "Those who cause problems for First High School will not be permitted to attend the press conference."
In other words, almost half of journalists and reporters did not succumb to these threats. Perhaps most of them just didn't get the instructions associated with it.
Despite the fact that their number was halved, it was still enough to scare the students.
This time there were no magicians among the crowd of journalists around of First High. For students of First High, capable of using magic, it was strange to fear "ordinary people", unable to use magic. Or at least the most "ordinary people" thought so.
Indeed, if the Students of First High use all their power, if they "commit an act of violence", they could easily throw away all these journalists.
But as a result, they will be declared criminals and expelled from society. But even if it is so successful that they are not blamed now, it is easy to imagine a future in which they are afraid, hated and suspended from society.
The school students understood that they had no other choice but to live in human society. It was a fear of 'pen violence' that could take away their future, where they live peacefully as members of society.
"We can't just break through with force, right?"
"Kasumi-chan, don't say such dangerous phrases."
"That's why I asked if we can't."
Answering Izumi, Kasumi again looked at the open space in front of the school gates. They stood at the beginning of a straight road leading from the school yard to the school gate. They hid from the journalists behind a tree and looked at the situation outside.
"Is... Ah, Miyuki-sempai."
Noticing Miyuki coming out of the school building, Izumi interrupted the conversation with Kasumi. Kasumi continued to watch the media, and Shiina, hidden behind these two, timidly looked at the situation outside, but after the words of Izumi they looked towards the school building.
"Miyuki-Sempai, how are you doing?" Izumi asked when Miyuki, who was accompanied by Minami, approached a distance close enough for dialogue.
"Unfortunately, the director wants to avoid police intervention."
In the voice of Miyuki, responding to Izumi, there was no pity, but a confession that everything turned out as everyone thought. The point was that the school did not plan to deal with the media.
"Then do we have to be obedient to the hands of the reporters...?"
Shiina, who had such a face as if she was now crying, was anxiously asking Miyuki.
"I think that people from the media will not do anything wrong..."
The voice of Miyuki lacked confidence. Honest reporters will not use force. But among these reporters could well be present fanatical supporters of the anti-magic movement.
"Miyuki."
Honoka, who was going to them through the school yard, called Miyuki.
Followed by Shizuku and Mikihiko.
"Honoka, how's the back gate?"
"Bad. The crowd is such that you cannot slip through."
"There are even people among them who feel clearly evil. In my opinion, it would be better to not use the rear gate." Mikihiko added after Honoka’s answer. Shizuku nodded in support of the words of Mikihiko.
"President."
The Chairman of the club management group Igarashi, as well as Tomitsuka, Takuma and Saburou, who was not supposed to have a connection with the club management group, approached from the opposite side of Honoka.
"Chairman Igarashi."
Miyuki turned around, hearing the voice of Igarashi. Despite the fact that they are already been familiar enough, Igarashi froze.
Tomitsuka, who was more resistant to the beauty of Miyuki than Igarashi, spoke instead of him. But the one worried most of all here was not Tomitsuka and Takuma, but Saburo. He did not even look towards Miyuki, but immediately rushed to Shiina, asking, "Are you alright?".
"We have notified all clubs about the termination of activity.
Everyone should now be ready to go home at any time."
"Thank you for your work." Miyuki responded with gratitude to Tomitsuka’s report.
"But what do we do, President? Even if we go home with the whole crowd, students will still be caught... Maybe we should mobilize the guys from the sports clubs to build walls."
"You can't make living shields out of fellow students. That is gender discrimination, Shippou-kun." Miyuki politely rejected the kind guys idea of Takuma.
Shizuku considered Takuma’s offer "A good idea", so showed a dissatisfied look at the words of Miyuki. But among those who did not support the idea of Takuma, there were no other ideas, and all sent their views to Miyuki in the hope of receiving further guidance.
Miyuki deeply sighed, seeing that she was being given the views of her classmates standing in the school yard, hiding behind the alley trees so that they could not be seen from the school gates.
But instead of complaining about them, she resigned herself to the idea of "nothing can be done."
"... I'll talk to them."
"You, Miyuki-Sempai!" Izumi shouted with surprise.
"Yes. I'll ask the media people to go home."
"Thats dangerous!"
"I'm against this idea, too."
After Izumi, Shizuku also tried to stop Miyuki. Since Shizuku was not as overexcited as Izumi, she was more convincing for Miyuki.
"I don't want to do it myself, but can I just stand here and do nothing? I'm the President of the school board."
"But Miyuki and Tatsuya-san have a special relationship."
"Right. That's why I should."
"It’s the opposite."
"The opposite?"
"They have certainly studied the available data and know that Miyuki is the former sister and now bride of Tatsuya-san. It would not be difficult for the media to find out."
Shizuku gave an unusually long speech for her in talkativeness. She probably felt the impending danger that Miyuki would come out to the reporters.
"Do you realize that's not normal? If it aggravates the situation, it will not only be your problem, Miyuki."
"... Are you saying this could lead to a worsening of the reputation of all magicians in general?"
"I do not want to admit it, but the probability of this is not equal to zero."
Miyuki’s mood worsened. In a sense, she was guilty of her engagement to Tatsuya.
Although Shizuku noticed this, she was not going to retreat. But Honoka and Mikihiko, standing nearby, were very nervous.
"Your sense of responsibility Miyuki can be understood. But this time it is better to stop."
Kitayama Ushio, father of Shizuku, is the owner of a large group of companies. When it came to Ushio, even the media hampered, and calls for open attacks became rare. But he was always cautious in counteracting the media.
Perhaps it was because of her father's image that she could not consider it. It seems that Shizuku assessed the power of the media so high that she was the most afraid out of anyone present here.
"Even if you say so..."
Now it is a situation where nothing can be done. Of course, Miyuki was going to continue with her initial idea. But she suddenly sent her gaze behind the backs of the reporters, and froze in that position.
"...Miyuki-Sempai?"
Ignoring the voice of Izumi, Miyuki continued to look in that direction, with round eyes. The voice of Izumi simply did not reach her consciousness.
Feeling amiss, everyone looked where Miyuki looked. Carefully coming closer, the rest also realized that a car is approaching.
"Is that really...?" Honoka muttered. She's not the only one who knew who was approaching in this car.
Suddenly Miyuki tried to run to the school gate. But Minami stopped her, grabbing her arm from behind.
Miyuki was surprised. She regained her self-control, and she realized that she had forgotten her sensibilities. Miyuki smiled at Minami, and she let go of her hand and bowed.
Miyuki went calmly and Minami followed her.
Honoka and Shizuku, Kasumi and Izumi, Shiina and Saburou, each pair exchanged views, and they all went after Miyuki and Minami.
The last ones left were Mikihiko, Tomitsuka and Takuma, who remained in the school yard without going out to the gate.
The journalists, reporters and operators gathered at the school gates noticed the approach of the electric vehicle and freed the road.
Recently, the police liked to arrest people for obstructing road traffic. Although this is a minor violation, it clearly is an illegal act, so it will be difficult for the media to file a complaint.
If they are lucky, they can get inside when the electric car enters.
They had such assumptions.
The electric car stopped in front of the school gates.
With a little delay after that, from the other side of the gate came Miyuki and the rest. Few of the reporters and journalists noticed them. The man who came out of the electric vehicle caused a lot of noise among the mass media representatives.
"...Why...?"
Swallowing the phrase "Onii-sama", Miyuki said only that. The one who came out of the electric vehicle’s driver’s seat was Tatsuya.
"You are Shiba Tatsuya-san, aren't you?"
For media representatives, the appearance of Tatsuya now was quite unexpected. Tatsuya was dressed in the uniform of First High and did not use any means of disguise or concealment of his face. If it was a reporter who had already studied data on Tatsuya, he would have unerringly recognized him by his appearance. But by the tone of the reporter, who first spoke to Tatsuya, it was evident that he doubted himself.
"Yes, it is."
Tatsuya answered in a calm voice. He had a natural tone of voice, and he had no impression that he was pretending not to understand what was going on.
"...Is it true that you are Taurus silver?"
The reporter for a moment was discouraged by this imperturbability, which showed that most likely, an interview will not work, but he quickly pulled himself together and demonstrated his excellent ability to be arrogant.
"I thought we had already talked to the press?"
Tatsuya’s response was neither "Yes" nor "no".
"On Friday in the main office of FLT, a press conference will be held by Taurus Silver. If in doubt, go ask yourself."
The voice of Tatsuya was loud enough to be heard not only by reporters, surrounded with microphones, but also by everyone else. Including from the farthest ranges. Including even those who stood on the other side of the closed school gates.
"A press conference? They decided to do it..."
The mumbling that came from Mikihiko was half admiring and half shocked.
Miyuki stood motionless with wide open eyes, and covered her mouth with her hand.
Tatsuya looked at Miyuki. Even if he hadn't heard the voice of Mikihiko, he already knew that Miyuki and the rest were behind the gate.
"Please clear the way."
Tatsuya appealed to a group of journalists huddled around the gates of the school. He did not shout and did not even speak with an elevated voice. This voice has absolutely no pressure.
But despite this, the surrounding journalists and reporters retreated back, standing unsolidly on their feet.
But some of them still remained standing before Tatsuya, blushing with shame for their weakness.
"So you're Taurus Silver!"
"Excuse me, who are you?"
Tatsuya responded with an indifferent voice to this allegation.
"What?"
It seems that his question for the Bonin journalist was something unexpected. However, he looked foolish only for a few seconds, then he came to himself, and he proudly announced the name of one of the major newspaper on which he works.
"Clear. But if you're not a single journalist, you should have heard from your company."
"What was there to hear!?"
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