Chapter 97: The First Leak

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: The First Leak

The disaster began with a screenshot.

Not a scandal.

Not a controversy.

Not a betrayal.

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A screenshot.

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Which somehow made it worse.

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Haruki discovered it at 6:42 AM.

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His phone buzzed continuously.

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Messages.

Notifications.

Mentions.

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Too many.

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Far too many.

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The moment he unlocked the screen, Takeda’s message appeared first.

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Please tell me that’s fake.

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A terrible opening.

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An absolutely terrible opening.

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Haruki sat upright immediately.

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"What?"

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Several links followed.

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Forum threads.

Creator communities.

Industry discussion boards.

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The same image appeared everywhere.

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A screenshot.

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Supposedly from an internal publisher discussion.

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The title:

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THREADLESS GATE CREATOR EXPECTED TO SIGN WITH HOSHIKAWA

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Below it:

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Projected acquisition value.

Marketing estimates.

Future growth assumptions.

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And one particular line.

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A very dangerous line.

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Creator shows strong responsiveness to audience demands.

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Haruki felt sick immediately.

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Because of Chapter Twenty-Four.

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Because of the review.

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Because of everything.

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The timing couldn’t be worse.

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The screenshot spread rapidly.

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Nobody knew if it was real.

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Nobody cared.

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The discussion already started.

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Readers argued.

Creators speculated.

Industry observers analyzed.

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The internet performed exactly as expected.

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Poorly.

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At 7:15 AM, Mizuno called.

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No greeting.

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Naturally.

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"Do not respond."

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Haruki blinked.

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"What?"

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"Do."

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A pause.

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"Not."

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Another.

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"Respond."

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The editor sounded unusually serious.

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That mattered.

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A lot.

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"Is it real?"

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Silence.

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Then:

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"That’s not the important question."

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Wonderful.

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Apparently everyone learned from Aoi.

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The call ended after several additional instructions.

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No statements.

No posts.

No reactions.

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Wait.

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Haruki hated waiting.

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The next few hours became unbearable.

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Everywhere he looked, discussion existed.

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Some readers defended him.

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Some criticized him.

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Some treated the screenshot like confirmed fact.

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The worst comments weren’t angry.

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They were disappointed.

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Guess he really changed the story for popularity.

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The review was right.

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That’s unfortunate.

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Those comments hurt far more.

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Because they connected to something true.

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Not the leak.

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The mistake.

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At noon, another message arrived.

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Unknown Number.

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Actually known.

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Aoi Fujimura.

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The message contained four words.

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This is your chance.

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Haruki stared.

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Then immediately replied.

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Chance for what?

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Several minutes passed.

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Then:

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To stay quiet.

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The answer irritated him instantly.

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Because it sounded correct.

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Again.

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Everybody around him seemed committed to being right at the worst possible moments.

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Meanwhile, inside Yamashita Publishing, Suzune Kurokawa watched the situation unfold.

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The young assistant editor sat inside a meeting room.

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Several senior editors argued.

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Not loudly.

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Professionally.

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The most dangerous form.

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The leaked screenshot circulated between phones.

Documents.

Laptops.

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Nobody looked happy.

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Because leaks created problems.

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Even when true.

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Especially when true.

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One executive finally spoke.

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"Hoshikawa will deny it."

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Another nodded.

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"They have to."

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Suzune listened quietly.

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Observing.

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Thinking.

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The discussion continued.

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Eventually someone mentioned Haruki.

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A senior editor sighed.

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"Poor timing."

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Another shook his head.

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"Good lesson."

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Suzune disliked that answer.

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Immediately.

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Because creators weren’t lessons.

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They were people.

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The meeting eventually ended.

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Work resumed.

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Industry politics continued.

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Life moved forward.

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But the leak remained.

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Growing.

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Spreading.

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By evening, Haruki finally escaped the internet.

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He walked.

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No destination.

No purpose.

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Just movement.

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The city lights blurred around him.

Traffic rolled past.

Rain threatened overhead.

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His thoughts remained noisy.

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Then his phone buzzed.

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Yui.

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Where are you?

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The message felt strangely grounding.

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Haruki stopped walking.

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Looked around.

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Then realized he had no idea.

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A worrying discovery.

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Several minutes later he sent a photo.

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Street corner.

Convenience store.

Random Tokyo scenery.

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Yui’s response arrived immediately.

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You’re stress-walking.

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Haruki laughed despite himself.

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Maybe.

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The answer returned:

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Come eat dinner.

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Simple.

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Direct.

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No analysis.

No strategy.

No industry politics.

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Dinner.

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For the first time all day, that sounded perfect.

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When he arrived, Yui didn’t ask about the leak immediately.

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Didn’t ask about publishers.

Didn’t ask about criticism.

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She handed him food.

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Then said:

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"You look terrible."

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Fair.

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Very fair.

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Halfway through dinner, Haruki finally explained.

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The screenshot.

The comments.

The speculation.

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Everything.

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Yui listened.

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Then asked one question.

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"Did you leak it?"

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"No."

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"Did you write the screenshot?"

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"No."

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"Did you make the mistake everyone is talking about?"

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Haruki paused.

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Then:

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"Part of it."

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Yui nodded.

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Then returned to eating.

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The simplicity confused him.

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"That’s it?"

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Yui looked up.

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"What else would I do?"

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A pause.

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"You already know which part is your fault."

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Another.

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"The rest isn’t."

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The conversation ended there.

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Not because it was resolved.

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Because it didn’t need further explanation.

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Outside, the leak continued spreading.

Inside, dinner continued.

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One problem belonged to Haruki.

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The other belonged to the internet.

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For the first time all day, separating those two things felt possible.

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Unfortunately, the leak wasn’t finished causing damage.

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Not even close.

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And somewhere inside the entertainment industry, the person who released that screenshot was watching everything unfold.

Waiting.

And smiling.