The Logmaster - Chapter 24
A spacious conference floor in one of the most prestigious hotels in Tokyo.
Although Omiichi felt a little out of place, he stepped into the corner.
Seminars on the latest IT trends and marketing strategies are held here, and the venue is filled with the enthusiasm of conscious business people and the faint smell of free coffee wafting through the air.
Omiichi put the nameplate he had been given at the reception around his neck and stood by the wall, waiting for the seminar to start. He had only one goal.
Soon, the lights in the venue were dimmed, and the host’s voice began to ring out.
After a few sessions, finally, his name was finally called.
“Next up will be Maki Ichinose, Public Relations Manager from Argus Corporation.”
The entire audience’s attention was focused on the stage.
Appearing in the spotlight, her body was clad in a slim-fitting suit made from high-quality fabric, and it maintained an incredible suppleness that belied her age.
Carefully curled hair, lips painted with glossy lipstick, and slender legs stretching out from an eye-catching tight skirt.
It was an outfit carefully designed to attract the attention of the men in the venue.
When the seminar ended and the business card exchange session began, a crowd quickly gathered around Ichinose.
Influential people in the industry and young businessmen are trying to curry favor with her.
Omiichi weaved his way through the crowd and, when the right moment was right, approached her in a very natural way.
“Chief Ichinose, thank you very much for your valuable talk today. I learned a lot.”
Along with the inoffensive compliment, Omiichi handed over his business card.
The moment it was handed to him, Ichinose’s gaze quickly fell on his business card.
“…Systems Department──Ayumaru Shinichi…”
She spoke Omiichi’s name and affiliation as if appraising him.
(…Hmph. Just a dirty old man from some small company.)
With a perfect sales smile plastered on her face, she exchanged business cards with Omiichi, gave him a polite nod, and then quickly turned her gaze to the other participant waiting next to her, as if Omiichi had never existed in the first place.
Never mind. Today’s goal accomplished.
That night.
Returning home to his usual cheap apartment, Ayumaru mindlessly stuffed a half-price Seiyuu bento lunch into his stomach, took a hot shower, got into bed, and opened the website.
I opened the “Human” list and sure enough, a new name had been added.
“Maki Ichinose”─[History]
Without any hesitation, Omiichi tapped the [History] button.
The story depicts the vanity and ambition-filled past of a woman named Ichinose Maki.
Her ambition was clear even when she was in her 20s and assigned to the public relations department.
Shortly after joining the company, she skillfully approached her then-boss, Takashi Noguchi, who was seen as a bright young man. On the pretext of wanting to discuss work, she invited him out for a drinking party just the two of them, and pretending to be a little drunk, she touched his shoulder, and then, pretending it was a coincidence, she got close enough that their knees were touching.
[History]: “Ichinose: “I think I’d like someone intelligent and reliable like the chief… If I say something like this, I’m going to embarrass you, right?”
Whisper in my ear, looking up.
Letting the alcohol take over, he makes an innocent and bold confession.
For Noguchi, who was somewhat unhappy with his family life, this was an irresistible sweet trap.
[History]: “Noguchi can’t contain his pounding heart. He feels his reason slip away as he is seduced by the young and beautiful subordinate in front of him. Almost unconsciously, he takes her in a taxi and invites her to a nearby city hotel. And that night, the two of them easily crossed the line.”
With emotionless eyes, Omiichi calmly scrolls through the “moments of their relationship” that are vividly recorded in [History].
There, Ichinose was pretending to be drunk, but in reality, he was calm and in control of his sexuality.
The film vividly depicts how she seductively caresses Noguchi’s back, lets out calculated sighs in his ear, and skillfully takes control of the man’s heart and weaknesses as she gives him pleasure.
After completely taming Noguchi, she next set her sights on Tsuyoshi Akiyama, who was her chief at the time.
Although Akiyama was a timid man, he realized that he had a stronger desire for success than anyone else.
[History]: “A drinking party for young people. Ichinose casually sits next to Akiyama, who is drunk and talkative, and at one point whispers with moist eyes, “Akiyama-san, you’re so dedicated to your work, I respect you. I’m weak for men like that.” Furthermore, pretending to fix his messy tie, she lightly touches his fingertips.”
However, when it came to Akiyama, Ichinose never crossed the line.
He decided that a flirtatious attitude that hinted at a “special relationship” was enough for him, not a physical relationship.
On the other hand, her calculations didn’t work at all on Yoshi.
[History]: One day, on the way home from a drinking party, Ichinose tried to lightly touch Yoshida-san’s body. “Yoshida-san, I’m quite weak for this kind of mature and calm atmosphere,” she said in a sweet voice, and tried to lean gently on his shoulder.
──However.
[History]: “Yoshida (Yoshi-san) showed no reaction. He simply quietly took a step back and gently distanced himself. “Ichinose-kun, have you had too much to drink? Be careful on your way home.” His voice was devoid of any emotion.
(…Huh…? I was rejected…?)
The shock and humiliation Ichinose felt at that time were vividly recorded in his [History].
My charm, which should have been perfect, was rejected so easily and without emotion by this dull middle-aged man.
It was the moment when her pride, her absolute self-confidence as a woman, was shattered silently, but deeply.
And so Yoshi-san was not forgiven.
She skillfully manipulated her pawns, Noguchi and Akiyama, and created a negative atmosphere within the company, with people saying things like “Yoshi is outdated,” “he is uncooperative and difficult to deal with,” and “he is trying to take over the company.”
They then staged the recording incident, completely isolating him at work, pushing him to the brink of mental breakdown, and forcing him into a situation where he had no choice but to leave the company.
It was all a quiet, relentless, and complete act of retaliation against those who had rejected him.
Omiichi looked away from the smartphone screen and let out a quiet sigh.
(…I see. That’s what it means.)
An unfulfilling family life. A false appearance. A twisted sense of self-worth that can only be achieved by seducing and dominating men with the help of alcohol.
And when faced with an enemy beyond her control, she lost all sense of reason and turned to madness in retaliation.
(This guy is the root of all this.)
Omiichi opened the site again and quietly extended his finger to Saeki Taku’s [History].