Chapter 101 Councilor Kondo, Morning of Despair

Councilor Kondo, Morning of Despair

Councilor Kondo’s PoV

The morning came. I couldn’t sleep a wink and waited for the sun to rise. There was nothing I could do. Only this despair remained.

The media might come in the morning. I knew I had to get out of here as soon as possible, but I was too hopeless to even move.

I received a text message from my lawyer.

[Listen, Kondo-san. Please don’t say anything unnecessary. Even if they ask you something, please get away with saying that you cannot answer because the investigation is ongoing. …]

When I saw that text, my fear grew even more. It made me realize that I have become an enemy of the world. I hate it. I have no choice but to run away from here. If I make a mistake, I’ll be arrested and sent to prison.

I will lose everything. My fame, my job, my money, my family, everything. …

Thanks to my maximum fear, I managed to get out of bed. I knew I had to move, so I went outside to open the garage. First I had to run to a hotel or something and hide in the clouds.

Finally, I was ready. With that in mind, I walked out the front door to find several members of the media already there.

I felt my blood run cold.

“Councilor Kondo. Please tell us your story. Is that audio yours?”

“How do you feel about responsibility?”

“Is it true that your son is in police custody?”

I tried to run away, but I was immediately surrounded.

“Don’t run. You are responsible to your voters!”

“If you run, that means you admit it, right?”

I’m so scared that I can’t get the words out. But, I managed to squeeze out a few words.

“I’m currently under investigation for my son’s case and my lawyer has asked me not to say anything. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you.”

But these words are not enough to make them forgive me. The persecution continues.

“How do you feel about your own alleged threats?”

“It’s unheard of for a Council member to threaten a citizen.”

I’m starting to panic, and finally, some strange words come out.

“As for that statement, I was speaking metaphorically, and I deeply apologize for misleading the other party. However, I became a council member with the people’s trust. I want to live up to that responsibility in my duties. …”

I think I slipped up when I said that. I knew immediately that I was adding fuel to the fire.

“So you deny it?”

“Isn’t it too much of a stretch to call it metaphorical?”

“Do you really think that’s going to convince the public?”

There is nothing more I can do. I’m going to run away and leave this place.

“Don’t run away!”

Frustration explodes and I involuntarily scream.

“Shut up!!!”

The media people stop in their tracks, perhaps confused by my words.

I pull my car out of the garage and run from the scene without a second thought.

What’s going to happen to me?

My phone rings. It’s from the branch of the party I belong to. 

[Show your face here immediately.]

The message was polite, but it conveyed anger.

I drove away, afraid that I would be ruined. How can I cover this up? Is there any way to avoid the path of destruction? I felt sorry for myself as I ran away crying.

“Hey, you got a good picture. No matter how you look at it, he’s a cowardly and evil clown.”

“This will be all over the morning news.”

“Although I didn’t get definitive confirmation of the audio, I got the reaction I wanted.”

“Okay, now all we have to do is make this big and drag him to the apology press conference!”

For the first time in a long time, the people involved were united beyond the interests of the station. Nobody could stop the heat.