Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

"Your conditions make you less than 100% confident in convincing me, yet you still came. This clearly seems like an impulsive act, a gamble on your luck, but I don't sense any impulsiveness or enthusiasm from you."

"When you don't hear a reply, you feel more fear than tension."

"Someone who claims to want to seize the opportunity to make a comeback has taken a gamble, but you act like an employee who is following orders and afraid of messing things up, not like someone who is willing to take a gamble."

Sensing aura is a delicate skill; it is possible to judge various aspects of an opponent's situation by observing the flow and fluctuations of their aura.

This is far more effective than simply reading people's expressions.

"Is it hard to tell that someone is forcing you to do something you don't want to do?"

Mark was speechless for a moment.

This project, which I never expected to succeed, proved to be more difficult than anticipated.

But he also gained a deeper understanding of the reality of his current situation from Tomat's words.

I am not a boss.

I am still an "employee" who can be bossed around.

This position of being controlled by others, no matter how well concealed, is difficult to deceive those who see through these things.

"Is this also... a 'work habit' left over from before?"

Frostnova asked Tomat, much to the surprise of the others.

Having learned more about Tomat's past than others, she knew that Tomat often did things she was "unwilling to do but had to do".

Perhaps it was this experience that allowed him to easily see through the fact that the other person was doing the same thing.

Thomas simply nodded silently.

"Ah! Right... I felt that even though you were doing something similar to what you did back then, you looked completely different."

Zofia also noticed something off about Mark.

"Back then you were... 'full of energy,' knowing full well that you had no advantage over other companies, yet you still came to me very actively, and you talked about 'a better partnership' rather than 'using capital to control the knight.'"

"Back then, you were full of enthusiasm for the economy of Kazimierz and the equestrian arena. Like most young entrepreneurs, you dreamed of becoming a member of a business league one day."

"The desire for a better life and the desire to earn more money—whatever the reason, it fuels your passion and drive."

"But now you say you're doing the same thing as before, yet you seem unwilling..."

Zofia didn't show much "regret" on her face; she seemed more confused.

Letting go of the impulsive passion of youth signifies maturity.

But repeating the same mistake with a completely different attitude is absolutely incomprehensible.

"Let me guess, someone is trying to manipulate you to win me over because you only met me once, and because you're convinced that I'm not interested in money but would fall for social niceties?"

Thomas certainly didn't have mind-reading abilities or anything like that.

Reluctant "entrepreneurs".

"Attitude" is very different from behavior.

This is just the most reasonable conclusion he deduced based on the current situation.

"This...this..."

Thomas's nonchalant remark left him speechless.

"Don't forget, think things through before you lie."

Thomas cracked his knuckles, reminding Mark, who was about to say something.

"Kid, you've taken the wrong path."

At this moment, Bardock, who was sitting in the corner of the bar, also spoke up:

"When it comes to dealing with deception and exploitation, or other things that require thinking, I don't think anyone among the Saiyans can compare to him."

Tomat snorted, using this as an argument to further pressure Mark, a talent that Saiyans were not to be proud of.

“When I went to work in different places, too many people wanted to take advantage of me, and the methods were varied. After a while, I felt that the methods were all similar.”

Perhaps in everyday life, Tomat chooses to be more carefree and doesn't dwell on details, doing whatever he wants.

However, when it comes to "conspiracies" that are so petty and insignificant compared to one's strength, he doesn't mind using his brain.

After thinking it through, it's time to move your hands and feet a few times.

"Are you only doing it because you want to?"

"me..."

Faced with Tomat's persistent questioning, a flustered Mark could only stammer in response.

He wanted to say that he "didn't want to" do it, but that sounded like he was making excuses for himself.

Mark cannot deny that he had some agreement with Ciarne's arguments when he did this.

Or, to put it another way, when you're unwilling, you can hypnotically accept his words to reduce some of the resistance when doing things.

Believe that you did the right thing, and believe that it is reasonable.

But is this really reasonable?

Charné was simply using the means he had no other choice but to force himself to "accept" that it was all right.

Anything deemed unreasonable or wrong disappeared.

"I...I...I'm not convinced! Why...!!"

Marc had nothing to say in front of Charnet, and he could not resist the tough arrangements.

Now, under this arrangement, he was forced to carry out an extremely difficult task—which he also failed to complete.

Thomas exposed him mercilessly, making him realize that the lies and justifications he had fabricated for this behavior were utterly worthless.

These are just cover-ups to make "unreasonable" things seem "reasonable".

As long as it isn't exposed, it can maintain its so-called "correct" identity indefinitely.

As long as one is unable to resist, one can continue to be forced to accept it as a "voluntary" choice.

But Thomas exposed the truth, revealing the pitiful reality that "those who call themselves bosses are nothing more than servants of others."

As for resistance, that's up to Mark's own thoughts—

"I...I don't want to do this! I don't want to hear those things! I don't want to make that choice!"

Tomat raised his fist.

Mark's terrified words continued.

Resistance is acknowledging the irrationality of one's situation and the arrogance of business alliances, rather than accepting their narratives and believing oneself to be doing the right thing.

Mark felt this might be his last act of "rebellion".

"Refusing means death, accepting means failure and death. They don't care who dies, they only care about getting someone else to achieve their goals... How can this be reasonable!?"

Thomas's fist swung towards Mark's head.

"Yes, of course it's unreasonable, so why accept it?"

"boom!!!"

Tomat's fist grazed his head.

The force of the punch shattered a window and struck the figure peering out from outside.

[Main Text] Terra's World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament: Debate Chapter 58 Change Yourself

"I will reimburse you for the cost of the window."

"Ah... okay."

Thomas swung his fist, which was steaming from friction with the air, and looked out the window. Kuranta, who looked no different from an ordinary person, was leaning against the outer wall, unconscious, with stars in his eyes.

Everyone heard the scream of pain from the man when he was hit, and they all turned to look in that direction.

"Wh...what?"

Even Mark, who was stunned, came to his senses and realized that Tomat's fist, which could send a person flying nearly a hundred meters before crashing into steel, had not caused his head to explode.

Someone is following you.

Thomas walked to the window and looked at the man's cuff; inside was a structure resembling a small crossbow.

This is not something a normal person would carry around.

"You sneaked up to the window just now, and it looked like you were being targeted. It seems you said too much that was bad for your superiors—although I didn't hear anything of value in it."

Mark's earlier complaints, made with a sense of realization during his breakdown, did not name names, and it is difficult to understand the cause and effect based on these contents alone.

If what Thomas said is true, then this person wanted to take action against Mark not because he actually did anything that would leak secrets.

It's simply because killing him wouldn't matter, and it's safer.

His life was worth less than the risks associated with those few words.

—And who would so easily decide the life and death of others, and assess their value?

Mark certainly knew.

The only person who would urge others to pay attention to their every move is someone like Charnet, who portrays himself as a "good person" and "capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities."

He was promoted from a junior employee to a big boss with minimal effort.

The order to silence him, depending on the circumstances, was given without any warning.

All he wanted was to pay off his debts and live a normal life as a citizen of Kazimierz.

Why did Charné end up in an even more dangerous and humble situation after he had Mark running around for "the reasonable thing" and "Kasimir"?

Am I not a good person?

Am I not a Kazimierz?

Does what happened to me make sense?

A self-proclaimed righteous business alliance can be ruined by a few words.