Hate Campaign Part 1

Ryōma Shinomiya's fury was not appeased by the release of the first rumor. As he paced back and forth in his office, stepping on the remains of the vase he had thrown, he felt that it was not enough. Calling Mio a lover was scandalous, yes, but in the entertainment world, sometimes romance scandals only increase fame. He needed something more to destroy her. Something that would make her look dirty and unworthy. Something that would make the Shibuya elite, who had just applauded her, feel disgust.

Ryōma stopped in front of his desk. He opened the locked drawer again and took out the old private investigator's folder. There it was. The original photo. Not a blurry, edited photo of Ren in the alley that had been leaked anonymously, but the clear photo of Mio. In the picture, Mio wasn't wearing haute couture dresses or perfect makeup. She was wearing the cheap Happy Burger uniform, with a stained apron, messy hair, and a cap with a smiling hamburger logo. She looked tired and sweaty—the perfect photo for what Ryōma was looking for.

An ugly, evil smile appeared on Ryoma's face. “ Here is your Queen, Shibuya. ” he murmured.

He picked up the phone again. His press officer answered on the first ring, trembling. “ Mr. Shinomiya, the rumor is already circulating, but the girl's fans are defending her. They say it's just gossip without proof. “, ” Then give them proof they can't refute. “ Ryōma cut in. ” I just sent an image to your private number. I want that photo on every front page, every news program, and every gossip forum in ten minutes. "

Ryōma looked at the photo of Mio in his hand with contempt. “ And I want you to control the story. Don't just say she's poor. Make them feel like she's an intruder. ” Ryōma began to dictate with contempt: " Mio Minamoto is a fraud. She's not a model, she's a waitress who was serving greasy hamburgers two months ago. Does a girl who smells like cheap grease deserve to wear the crown of fashion? Did an uneducated commoner fool high society? "

The press officer swallowed hard on the other end of the phone. “ Sir... that's brutal. It's pure classism. It could backfire on us. ”

“ Do it! ” Ryōma shouted. “ I want her to be ashamed to go out in public! I want her to remember that her place is in the kitchen, not on the catwalk! Destroy her completely! ”

Ryoma hung up.

Minutes later, the bomb Ryoma had planted finally exploded.

Phones throughout Tokyo vibrated. The giant screens in Shibuya, which hours earlier had shown Mio's victory, now displayed the leaked photo of Happy Burger alongside her gala photo, under cruel and sensationalist headlines paid for by Shinomiya Corp.

THE CINDERELLA SCAM! Queen Mio turns out to be a fast-food worker. From cleaning tables to stealing husbands. Experts weigh in: Will Japanese fashion lose prestige by allowing “lower class” people to represent us?

On social media, bots purchased by Ryōma began flooding Mio's profiles with emojis of hamburgers, trash, and rats. The comments were hurtful: “ Go back to your hole”, “ You smell like poverty”, “You don't deserve Ren-sama.”

Somewhere in the city, Tomoki watched the attack unfold in real time. He saw the photo of Happy Burger. He saw Ryōma's disgusting classism. He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. “ Ryōma... what the hell do you think you're doing? ” Tomoki growled. “ Attacking her for her honest work... you're scum. ”

Tomoki stood up, adjusting his jacket. He knew Mio couldn't handle this alone. Kaguya could defend her legally, but she couldn't stop social hatred.

Tomoki decided to leave the room, ready to sacrifice himself and tell the lie that would save the girl he loved.