Shachou to Sake to Hoshi - Ch. 18 - Boss and The Pride

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Try and rephrase it all you want, but this was totally the "it was all a test" trope and I now have reason to not like this other president. Here's hoping next chapter is more drunk and cute.
Yeah she rubbed me the wrong way for sure. It doesn't feel like she likes Reina all that much because that whole "loose lips, fine wine" thing was kind of a bitchy thing to say, and she didn't exactly make it seem like it was a mistake to say it. She might be jealous of Reina cause Reina's dad loved his daughter so much and she feels she deserved that attention more than Reina.

She may have a nice body, but she comes off as evil.
 
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Is it just me? Feels like I haven't seen character like Houjou for a while. The kind of ambiguous ally/villain that can be a convincing menace had MC made a wrong move without any real malice. I mean, we normally see flags from miles away this character is an ally acting like villain just to test MC.
...Either Zurikishi is good at writing Houjou or I'm dumb :pacman:, but I have been led along since the introduction with her villain look > Oh, she actually was a redeemed woman, a Reina's dad's admirer, an ally, and a mentor > Nope, she wants acquisition > Not so fast! it was but a test; and a hint at a rratt(s) > But hold on, one wrong move and she can still come back at her throat in the future
Complete bamboozled :oooo:

So I assume she was hinting that there is a rat within the company who gave her the idea to buy it?
Yup; some of those directors and whatnot. Maybe that one guy Izumi butting head with before, I supposed? There's no need to introduce another character for that role.
 
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Is it just me? Feels like I haven't seen character like Houjou for a while. The kind of ambiguous ally/villain that can be a convincing menace had MC made a wrong move without any real malice. I mean, we normally see flags from miles away this character is an ally acting like villain just to test MC.
...Either Zurikishi is good at writing Houjou or I'm dumb :pacman:, but I have been led along since the introduction with her villain look > Oh, she actually was a redeemed woman, a Reina's dad's admirer, an ally, and a mentor > Nope, she wants acquisition > Not so fast! it was but a test; and a hint at a rratt(s) > But hold on, one wrong move and she can still come back at her throat in the future
Complete bamboozled :oooo:
Yeah, from what I've seen, it seems like she comes across as a bit ambiguous, judging by all the comments people have been leaving. She's either an ally playing the villain or a villain playing the ally. But to be honest, I think she's more of a villain in disguise. I think it makes more sense, plot-wise as well. There's a good chance she'll use her contact and try to make another attempt at the buyout.
 
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So I assume she was hinting that there is a rat within the company who gave her the idea to buy it?
Or she wanted to instill doubt in the president so she'd be more willing to sell, thinking the employees are against her.
 
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Zurikishi: Whoops only 2 pages left! Can't have Reina looking too elegant and sober, better toss a glass of chardonnay at her real quick to wrap things up... :kek:

Well I take it more like the test isn't over, she'll bring up the subject again if Reina breaks.
This, and if the company goes downhill in the future she can pressure her that the offer is now less than it would have been earlier during the fancy business dinner.
 
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Is it just me? Feels like I haven't seen character like Houjou for a while. The kind of ambiguous ally/villain that can be a convincing menace had MC made a wrong move without any real malice. I mean, we normally see flags from miles away this character is an ally acting like villain just to test MC.
...Either Zurikishi is good at writing Houjou or I'm dumb :pacman:, but I have been led along since the introduction with her villain look > Oh, she actually was a redeemed woman, a Reina's dad's admirer, an ally, and a mentor > Nope, she wants acquisition > Not so fast! it was but a test; and a hint at a rratt(s) > But hold on, one wrong move and she can still come back at her throat in the future
Complete bamboozled :oooo:


Yup; some of those directors and whatnot. Maybe that one guy Izumi butting head with before, I supposed? There's no need to introduce another character for that role.

This whole manga is a testament to Zurikishi's surprising skill as a writer. She felt menacing but also saying something that made sense. "It's all a test" feels like a cliche, but here it was a satisfying beat. We knew it was coming, but we wanted to know what everyone would do. Ishizumi stood up for Reina, and Reina expressed confidence not in herself, but her team. Those were the two character beats we wanted to see: Ishizumi displaying his trust and confidence in Reina, Reina realizing that the people around her care about her and will support her.

That people are going "wait why did she do that though" is a good sign. If she lost her menace, she would no longer be useful as a potential antagonist. If she was revealed to be entirely malicious, there'd be no reason to engage with her again. This way, the beats are given without destroying or even fundamentally changing the vehicle. Houjou can show up again, and the reader won't know what she's going to do.
 
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Oh boy, the wine is kicking in already...!!!

Still, there was something interesting here, according to President Houjou the proposal for the buyout was brought by someone else right after the previous president death, which means there's a traitor in Izutsu Printing that is actively working against Reina. There's no shortage of candidates for that but I'm very curious of where this ends up going.
 
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Yeah, from what I've seen, it seems like she comes across as a bit ambiguous, judging by all the comments people have been leaving. She's either an ally playing the villain or a villain playing the ally. But to be honest, I think she's more of a villain in disguise. I think it makes more sense, plot-wise as well. There's a good chance she'll use her contact and try to make another attempt at the buyout.
I see her as neutral (?) faction with their own agenda that doesn't have to align with Reina. She admires the dad and waht his company to go on; whether or not Reina's there -- that's what I read from her. If Reina's good, she'll be willing to let her have it; but if Reina appears not to deserve it, she'll probably ready to do anything just to boot Reina out and take the company -- which is a good thing. Or she might lean more toward evil , but anyway, she's not as flat as she seems to be. :smugnako:
Typically these kind of character will take protag's side completely after the reveal, and that's flat and boring.
 

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