Chapter 70 - Interview with the Bad Lady: Part One
This chapter has been split into two parts due to its length.
This is a story that serves to summarize the current situation.
"Thank you very much for coming. I’m Margaret Guerin from Ladies' El Journal. Uh—"
"You can call me Yukari."
"Got it, Yukari-san. I’ve prepared a lot of questions for this exclusive interview. Please stay as long as you can."
We're in a room at the magazine office. Ladies' El Journal is a general magazine with a focus on gossip, and I’ve visited here specially for this interview.
The cozy and modest reception room is cluttered with an interviewer, a photographer, and a recorder, all surrounding me.
"Can I start with some photos?"
I nod slightly to agree, and they snap several pictures without asking me to pose.
Today, I’m wearing a black coat, a luxurious feminine blouse, and a tight skirt. My long, deep purple hair is tied up with a magical hairpin.
My usual style, but today I’ve added a pair of light-colored teardrop sunglasses. A small touch to look a bit more serious. Sunglasses are a quick and effective way to achieve that.
Frederica had given me these as a joke, and I decided to wear them.
After they finished taking enough photos, I sat down, and the interview began. However, I couldn’t help but notice that the interviewer seemed more excited than nervous.
Perhaps, as a journalist, she’s seen her fair share of intense situations and isn’t fazed by my appearance. But there’s something odd about her demeanor.
Her tone is polite, but her excitement is evident from her expressions and gestures. I hope she doesn’t have any strange hobbies.
"First, I’d like to ask why you’ve agreed to this interview today. We’ve made several offers before, but why now?"
"Well, there’s a reason, of course."
Why did I end up here? It’s a bit complicated... or maybe not. Anyway, there is a reason.
It’s still early in the day, and I’m in my room at the Kikyo Society Headquarters. I took a break from my magic potion experiments to sip some tea and flip through today’s magazines, which the Secretariat Unit had bought and placed here.
I picked a few at random, and they’re perfect for a bit of distraction. They give me a sense of what’s on people’s minds.
While browsing, I found an article about the Kikyo Society.
"Hmm, what’s this one about?"
I’ve become quite famous, and I’ve been involved in many events that have made the news. I’ve been the subject of many sensationalized articles before.
Most of these articles mix fact with fiction, and they’re often silly enough to not take seriously. Gossip magazines, it seems, are popular in any world.
Most of the time, these articles are so far from the truth that they’re laughable.
I thought this one would be the same, but...
"What the...?"
This article isn’t funny at all. It’s a malicious piece.
"Emerging Star Kikyo Society Exposed: Exclusive Urgent Scoop!"
The catchy headline isn’t the problem. That’s pretty standard.
The real issue comes next.
"Women-Devouring Evil Group! Do They Export Their Female Members as Slaves to Foreign Lands?! Exclusive Interview with a Survivor Who Escaped at the Cost of Her Life!"
The so-called survivor's account is full of lies. It’s a terrible article, and there’s nothing amusing about it.
This is unacceptable. It’s a level of insult I’ve never encountered before.
I’m speechless, but I can’t just let this go. This needs to be addressed immediately.
It might be someone or some organization trying to smear the Kikyo Society.
Even if it’s not, the Kikyo Society is an easy target for negative attention.
I’ve ignored most gossip articles in the past because they didn’t cause any real harm. Most people don’t take them seriously, and if they do, it’s easy to deal with them.
I don’t mind if people enjoy these articles as long as they don’t take them too seriously.
Until now, I’ve been able to tolerate them. But this one crosses the line.
Insulting the Kikyo Society is an insult to me. This article is not only unfunny, but it’s way beyond what I can tolerate.
I need to show them who they’re dealing with.
So, I paid a visit to the magazine office and gave them a taste of their own medicine. I let some energetic young members do the dirty work, and they did a good job of intimidating them without going too far. It was a good demonstration of the Kikyo Society’s training.
They agreed to publish a prominent apology and correction in their next issue, but it was a hassle.
The problem is, once a story spreads, even if it’s a lie, it’s not easy to erase its impact.
I could choose to ignore it, but if more articles like this keep coming, it will have real consequences.
Going to confront them every time is tiresome, and it might even fuel more rumors.
So, what should I do?
The best way to counter a pen is with a pen. The impact of a story with the real person involved is far greater than a baseless article. I decided to give an interview to a reputable source to set the record straight.
The Kikyo Society attracts a lot of attention, and we’ve received numerous interview offers, mostly from tabloids. I’ve always declined them.
I have no intention of being a media spectacle, and I don’t have anything I want to say to the public. If anything, it would be to promote our business, but that’s not necessary now that it’s thriving.
That’s why I have the luxury of choosing who to interview.
I don’t want to deal with any organization that might have ulterior motives. Ideally, I’d like someone who’s friendly to the Kikyo Society.
I need to be careful in my selection. The Intelligence Unit’s expertise will be crucial.
The Intelligence Unit works in a separate, secure room to maintain confidentiality. I used my authority as president to enter and speak with the head, Josephine.
"An interview? What brought this on?"
"Have you seen today’s magazine?"
"No, not yet. What’s in it?"
After explaining the situation and my thoughts, she understood the gravity and agreed to investigate.
"Please give us a few days. We’ll focus on the current offers."
Josephine immediately called in one of her younger subordinates and started discussing the plan. I’ll wait for the results.
The investigation revealed that most of the larger publications were out. They had connections that would prevent us from getting the kind of article we needed. Foreign-based publications were also ruled out due to potential complications.
This left us with a few mid-sized and smaller publications based in Exembra. After further narrowing down, we had one mid-sized and four smaller options. Out of dozens of offers, only these remained.
I, as the president, would be the one giving the interview. I chose one of these options.
All the remaining options met the minimum criteria, so I wanted to pick the best one.
I looked at the conditions they offered. They all had a per-hour rate, but that wasn’t a deciding factor. The money wasn’t significant enough to sway me.
One offer, however, caught my attention. They offered something that truly intrigued me.
A signed bromide of Akki.
The princess of the northern superpower, Berliza. Her outrageous antics have been a subject of gossip magazines, and I couldn’t resist the bait.
I left the scheduling and pre-interview coordination to the Secretariat Unit and prepared for the interview.