Vice President WATAME's Rebellion: The Tsunomaki Hololive Takeover Plan! - The end of trust, the beginning of betrayal

Two weeks had passed since that night they snuck into the president's office. Even after Nerissa became her accomplice, Watame lived every day in fear. Every morning when she opened the company door, she felt like someone was watching her. Through the gap in the accounting department's door, pale eyes were staring at her—or so it felt, and her stomach would clench painfully. But she was wrong. Nerissa was truly cooperating. "Here are the deposit and withdrawal records for the president's personal account." Three days ago, in the back room of the accounting department, Nerissa handed over a thick file. The cover of the old ledger had "Vice President's Failure Memo" handwritten on it, but the contents were evidence of the president's wrongdoing. "A-amazing..." Watame said in a trembling voice. Inside the file, three years' worth of embezzlement records were packed tightly together. Fake invoices, fictitious outsourcing costs, payments to dummy companies registered on vacant land—totaling twelve million yen in all. "You did it, didn't you!" Marine slapped Watame on the back over and over. The anchor tattoo on the back of her right hand stood out clearly under the fluorescent lights. "O-ow, that hurts, Marine..." Watame stumbled. But—her heart felt warm. (*Amazing... Watame, you're actually being useful.*) The evidence the three of them—Marine, Nerissa, and herself—had gathered. The secret ledger found in the president's hidden safe, and the bank transaction records Nerissa had spent half a year collecting. When those two matched up perfectly, Marine shouted, "This settles it!" and hugged Watame. Watame's face turned bright red from embarrassment—but she was just a little bit happy. (*Maybe I can change.*) (*Watame, maybe you can change.*) Evening, in the back booth of the café "Hitsuji no Yume." Watame and Marine sat facing each other. On the table were the signature menu items: "Fluffy Lamb Chiffon" and "Rich Sheep Milk Latte." "Cheers! Phase one of the company takeover plan, cleared!" Marine raised her latte cup high. "Ch-cheers..." Watame timidly lifted her cup too. A small *clink* sounded. "What's wrong? You look down." "...I'm scared." Watame stared at the surface of her latte. The fluffy milk foam was slowly dissolving. "Tomorrow's the board meeting, right? We're going to expose the president's wrongdoing. And then—Watame might get fired." "It'll be fine. Nerissa is on our side too. We have three votes. You, the vice president, me, and Nerissa. That's a majority on the board." "But... can we really trust Nerissa-san?" Watame said in a small voice. Nerissa always had cold eyes. With those narrow, pale-glowing eyes, she never showed any emotion. Whenever she opened her mouth, it was always things like "That is pointless" or "That cannot be expensed." "Watame thinks... Nerissa-san hates me..." "She's like that with everyone. But she gets the job done. And besides—" Marine narrowed her golden eyes. "She loves this company too. In a twisted way, though." Watame looked up. Marine took a sip of her latte and gazed out the window. From the café window in the back alley, the buildings of Minami-Aoyama, dyed in the sunset, were visible. "Watame, you can change. I guarantee it." "...Okay." Watame took a bite of the lamb chiffon. The fluffy sponge melted in her mouth. Tears almost started to fall. (*I want to change.*) (*I want to change.*) —But that wish was cruelly shattered the very next day. The following day. It was the day before the board meeting. Watame was organizing documents at her desk. A six-square-meter space partitioned off next to the president's office. Documents were always piled high, and her only personal item was a sheep mug. Marine was out on sales calls. At that moment— *Click, click, click.* Footsteps approached from the hallway. When she looked up, Nerissa was standing there. Straight black hair reaching down to her waist. Her bangs were so long they nearly covered her eyes, hiding half her face. In her hands, the usual old ledger. "Vice President, would you entrust the evidence documents to be disclosed at tomorrow's board meeting to me?" Nerissa spoke in a monotone voice. "W-why...?" Watame couldn't help but ask back. "It would be safer to store them in the accounting department's safe. I will return them tomorrow morning, before the board meeting." Nerissa's pale eyes stared intently at Watame. Watame felt a churning deep in her chest. (*Why so suddenly...*) (*I have a bad feeling about this.*) But—Watame couldn't refuse. Weak to pressure. That was Watame's nature. "...O-okay." Watame took an envelope out of her desk drawer. Inside was the evidence of the president's wrongdoing—copies, but still crucial documents. With trembling hands, she held it out to Nerissa. Nerissa accepted the envelope with her slender, white fingers—and stared straight into Watame's eyes. "Vice President, at tomorrow's board meeting, everything will be decided." Saying only that, Nerissa turned her back. *Click, click, click.* The footsteps faded away. Watame stood frozen in place—feeling the churning in her chest grow larger and larger. The next day. An emergency board meeting was convened. Fifth floor of Kadomaki Company, the conference room "Mokomoko Room." A room that could fit twelve people, but now only five were present. Two whiteboards on the walls. Through the windows, the buildings of Minato Ward were visible. When Watame and Marine entered the conference room—three people were already seated. Nerissa, the president, and—President Fuwawa. Fuwawa swayed her usual fluffy, peach-colored long hair, her large purple eyes blinking. The dog ears on her head twitched curiously. "Watame, what's this board meeting about? Fuwawa hasn't heard anything about it." "W-Watame was called suddenly too..." Watame looked at Nerissa. Nerissa was expressionless. "Now then, let us begin the emergency board meeting. Today's matter is of critical importance concerning the company's survival." Nerissa stood up. A single file in her hands. Watame swallowed hard. (*This is it.*) (*We're going to expose the president's wrongdoing.*) (*And then—Watame can change.*) But—the contents of the file Nerissa opened were completely different from what Watame knew. "Vice President Tsunomaki Watame. You sold our company's confidential information to a rival firm, did you not?" —Huh? For a moment, Watame couldn't understand what she had just been told. "W-what are..." "Here is the evidence." Nerissa pulled out printed email exchanges from the file. "These are emails you exchanged with a contact at the rival company. The sale price for the confidential data was five million yen. The transfer record is also here." Nerissa read it aloud in a cold voice. Watame— Her mind went completely blank. "L-liar! I didn't do that! Watame never sent emails like that!" Watame stood up. Her voice trembled. The sheep ears on her head flattened against her head in fear. "Logs remain showing that confidential data was removed from your company PC. Traces of it being copied to a USB memory stick—see, right here." Nerissa spread out more documents. Watame looked at her own hands. Her fingers were trembling minutely. (*Why*) (*Why is this happening*) "Hold on a damn minute, that's fabricated!" Marine kicked her chair back and stood up. Her golden eyes burned with rage. "You cooked up those documents to frame Watame, didn't you! Nerissa!" "Fabricated? The evidence is all here. And besides—" Nerissa turned her pale eyes toward Marine. "The vice president must have leaked the confidential information because she couldn't refuse. With that overly kind personality of hers. If someone asks her for something, she can't say no—isn't that right?" —*Stab.* The blade of those words pierced Watame's chest. (*Ah...*) (*That's right... Watame can't refuse...*) (*That's why... I handed the evidence over to Nerissa...*) Trembling violently, Watame looked at Fuwawa. "I-it's not true! Watame didn't sell any secrets! Please believe me...!" Her voice cracked. Tears blurred her vision. "...Watame." Fuwawa shook her head sadly. Her large purple eyes were wet with tears. "Fuwawa wants to believe Watame. But... these documents look real..." "President! Even you!" "Then, we shall proceed with the board resolution. Regarding the dismissal of Vice President Tsunomaki Watame, those in favor, please raise your hand." Nerissa raised her hand. The president raised his hand. The outside director raised his hand. Three votes. A majority. "...I'm sorry, Watame." Fuwawa—slowly raised her hand. The fourth vote. The strength drained from Watame's legs, and she collapsed to the floor on the spot. "The resolution has passed by majority vote. Tsunomaki Watame—as of today, you are dismissed from your position as vice president. You are to resign from Kadomaki Company." Nerissa's voice echoed coldly. Watame— Couldn't say anything. Tears fell, dripping onto the floor. (*It's over.*) (*Everything is over.*) "Don't screw with meeeee!!!" Marine kicked the desk aside and tried to lunge at Nerissa. But—two security guards burst into the conference room and pinned Marine's arms behind her back. "Let go! I'm—!" Marine's shouts sounded distant. Watame stared at the floor. (*—I wanted to change so badly.*) (*—I believed in it so much.*) Watame stood up. Her legs wobbled. She turned toward Marine. "...I'm sorry, Marine. It's Watame's fault." "N-no! Watame—!" Watame left the conference room. She walked down the hallway. The stares of the employees hurt. (*Ah... Watame can't be here anymore.*) She arrived at her desk. Piles of documents. The sheep mug. Watame picked up only the mug. Because that alone—was proof that Watame had been here. She got on the elevator. Got off on the first floor, and left the building. Outside, it was sunny. The streets of Minami-Aoyama were, as always, overflowing with happy-looking people. But—Watame's world was gray. That night. Even after Watame had left the company, Marine remained inside. Outside, it was already pitch dark. All the office lights were off, and only the emergency lights glowed pale blue in the hallway. Marine—stopped in front of the accounting department. (*I'll never forgive this.*) She clenched her fist. Opening the door, she walked to Nerissa's desk in the back. Four lockable cabinets were lined up. Marine, with a crowbar she had taken from her own drawer in hand— *CRASH!!* She pried open the top cabinet. Inside, it was packed with files. "Is this it...!" She flipped through them one by one. But— Nowhere was there any evidence of the president's wrongdoing. Not the envelope taken from Watame. Not the originals of the fake emails Nerissa had supposedly shown. Everything—had been cleanly erased. "Damn it... damn it all!!" Marine punched the wall with all her might. A dull *thud* echoed. The skin on her knuckles tore, and blood seeped out. But—it didn't hurt. More than that— (*Watame's face...*) (*She was crying so much.*) (*I couldn't help her.*) Marine walked to the break room. She stood in front of the electric kettle. Here, she had talked with Watame so many times. Saying "Any reply yet~?" and troubling her—but Watame always nodded in the end. (*"I'm sorry, Marine. It's Watame's fault."*) —No. —It's not Watame's fault. —It's my fault. Marine squeezed her eyes shut. At that moment— In her pocket, her smartphone vibrated. Taking it out, a notification was displayed on the messaging app. It was a message from Fuwawa. *"Come to the president's office tomorrow."* Marine stared intently at the screen. (*Fuwawa...?*) Her golden eyes narrowed. (*Does that president—know something?*) Marine clenched her blood-seeping fist once more. —It's not over yet. The possibility of Watame's comeback surely still remained somewher

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Episode 4

Name: Vice President WATAME's Rebellion: The Tsunomaki Hololive Takeover Plan!
Author: Novelia

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