Chapter 182 Eiji vs. Manager

Eiji vs. Manager

Although the manager looks a little scared, she lets me into the club room.

I touch my pocket a little and take a deep breath as I enter the room. I feel nostalgic. It hasn’t been that long, so I can’t make any impressions.

We sit down, facing each other.

"So, what’s the story?”

She urges me to speak quickly. It’s no surprise since we already have a broken relationship.

“Did you hear the message from Matsuda-san?”

“A message?”

Apparently, she hasn’t gotten the message yet. Then that’s convenient.

“Yes, I told her. If you guys try to hurt the people I care about again, I won’t forgive you.”

I expressed my anger clearly, and she replied calmly with a sigh.

“What are you accusing us of? Don’t be careless with your accusations.”

It seems that she wants to keep her mouth shut. So far, it’s within expectations.

“This is a warning. And it’s not the only thing.”

I don’t care about the manager’s excuses anymore. Please don’t try to escape anymore.

“…”

“Manager, I’m going to be frank with you. Please return my manuscript.”

The moment I said these words, she had a strange expression on her face.

She didn’t seem to notice my trump card.

“What are you talking about? I had told the teacher about it during the school investigation. Before we knew it, Eiji-kun’s manuscript was stolen from the club room. It was the work of the soccer club, the main culprits who bullied you, and we had nothing to do with it. So you have no reason to ask us to return it.”

“Really? There aren’t any left.”

“Yes. There is not a single one left. Are you convinced?”

She continues to maintain her strong stance. But there is a contradiction in her statement.

“No, I’m not convinced at all. Manager Tachibana. There are contradictions in the story you made up. Then I’m not convinced.”

I chose my words in a way that would shake her pride the most. If I say that, she has no choice but to follow my plot.

“What are you talking about? I’m just telling you the truth. Why are you so insistent today, Eiji-kun?”

As a former admirer, I’m saddened to see the manager so agitated. How can she be so cornered that she misses such a simple contradiction? This is indirect evidence that she’s lying.

“Well, let me ask you. How was my manuscript stored? I remember it was bound in a big file with the other members’ manuscripts, wasn’t it? In a bookcase with a lock?”

The manuscripts of the club journal for each year are bound in the bookcase. And they were still arranged in the same way and in the same order on the locked bookshelf.

“W-what’s that…?”

“Isn’t it strange? If there were such a sneaky criminal, he would find the key and steal only my manuscript with pinpoint accuracy out of the countless manuscripts bound in the file. There is no way an outsider could do that in such a short time. Unless you have someone to help you, it’s impossible.”

In fact, when Ichijo-san retrieved some of my manuscripts from the club room, she was able to do so because Hayashi-san told her where the key was hidden and how the manuscripts were stored. In other words, if someone outside the club stole my manuscript, it would be difficult to make it work without some help from inside.

“Also, the manager said that none of my manuscripts were left behind. So did the sneaky criminal just pick my manuscript out of the countless manuscripts stored in the club room and take them all? Could an outsider go so far? Normally, at least one manuscript should be left behind, right?”

The manager’s face turned white when she looked at me. If she had told me that she could return some of the manuscripts, I wouldn’t have been able to use this plot. It looks like she has dug her own grave.

“No, I don’t know. Maybe someone other than me cooperated. Then I was set up, too.”

She is giving her own defense as if she is talking fast and rambling.

“I see. But I don’t trust you. I’ll say it again and again. Manager, please give me back my manuscript.”

This statement clearly identifies her as the culprit, and I say it on purpose to corner her.

“Come on. There is nothing that isn’t there. I know, Eiji-kun, you’re making your professional debut, right? Isn’t that enough? Now that your debut is set, are you going to overdo it? Stop messing around!!!”

I saw a paperback book break and fall to her feet.

Is that her limit?

“Manager, you already know, right? I’m sure you already know. If you get rid of my manuscript… you are disqualified as a writer. Your actions are nothing but a denial of what you have worked so hard for.”

“I told you to shut up!!! I don’t want to hear anymore. Just get out!!! Get out of here and get out of my sight!!!”

The negotiations have been completely broken. So I’m going to tell her what’s most important.

“I understand. But I want to say one more thing. I will never let you hurt the people I care about again.”