Chapter 5 - Real Problems
Erika was quite shocked when she heard the presenter call out her number. This was a privilege she had only dreamed of, and she never thought she would be lucky enough not only to be at this event but also to speak at it. Almost at once, the fear of standing out due to her somewhat inferior dressing was no longer a factor, as she got up promptly with her phone pointed at the CEO.
"My name is Erika Sakura from the Pink Blossom. "My question is, knowing the scandals Shockwave had concerning the terminal cases of gamers due to prolonged usage of their hardware, don't you think a partnership with them might not be such a good idea?" she asked.
The CEO took a liking to the young woman, even though she asked a question that was not easy to answer. Given the way she asked the question, it was quite apparent that she had little experience when it came to professional journalism, but she had a strong spirit, and he liked that.
"Let me guess, are you the blogger who got the lucky raffle draw for this event?" asked the CEO, guessing correctly.
"Yes, I am," replied Erika.
Then the CEO proceeded to answer her question.
"Alright then, I will answer your question." Everything you have said about Shockwave is right, especially about the time when those scandals took place. But like you said, that was 10 years ago. I have taken a gook look at their hardware, and it is currently being tested by our staff members for authenticity without danger. The test results gotten so far have been very successful, with no terminal cases among the consented test subjects reported as of this morning. So you can rest assured that no consumer will suffer due to prolonged use of the product.
Erika was about to ask another question, but the presenter signaled for her to sit down as her time had passed. Each lucky person was assigned to ask only one question at a time, and she had done that already. The next person was called on by the young presenter, and she stood up promptly.
"I'm Yeon Sonia from Takada Networks. I will be asking a follow-up question based on the answer you gave the reporter before me. "My question is: Will you be willing to take responsibility should anything happen to any player due to the prolonged use of the product?" she asked.
The CEO smiled, knowing this was another tricky question. He wondered if the first one and this one were close friends, as that would explain the close correlation of the questions they had for him.
"Well, damage from any consumer electronics cannot be the fault of the manufacturer." Many people wish to buy the hardware just to push it to its limits; some would buy the hardware just to find out how durable it is; and others would buy it to use for an unadvised period of time without allowing it to cool down.
So, of course, I would not be held accountable for the accidents that may occur from the abuse of the products. However, if, by chance, there turn out to be actual victims of the product who used it within the recommended parameters, then all the bills required for their treatment and recovery will be provided by the company, including a financial bonus as a means of goodwill.
"Does that answer your question?" asked the CEO.
"Yes, thank you," Yeon said as she sat back down, giving the distant Erika a wink. Erika smiled back at her with a slight thumbs-up. She might have just made a friend at this event without even realizing it, as she had never met the reporter before.
The rest of the event went by in a flash as the rest of the journalists, bloggers, and tech reviewers stopped asking interesting and controversial questions. It was clear that the rest of them seemed to have a genuine interest in the product, or at least that was what their audience was after.
When the event was over, the CEO got up from his seat.
"If you all don't mind, there is a light refreshment coming for everyone if you can wait for a few more minutes." But I want to assure you all one more time that the product will be completely safe to use and that all safety failures will be in line with the failures of most consumer electronics, typically 3% to 5% and nothing more. Our warranty will cover all failed hardware, and our quality assurance will provide resources for all victims who used the product within normal parameters. "That will be all. Take care," he said to them.
Then he turned to leave immediately without saying another word, with the young assistant/presenter following right behind him. Unlike what he had said about the agenda of the event, he never answered any questions after the selected raffles, and the other attendees present who weren't selected were just unlucky not to have their questions answered.
It was almost as if the presenter purposely stopped picking up the raffles at random after the second draw and only started picking select reporters and journalists who would not ask the big and challenging questions.
After the event was over, Erika wanted to meet the other reporter; thankfully, she was able to catch up with her, even though she was in a hurry to leave. Some of the attendees, however, stayed behind for the refreshment, wanting to fully enjoy the fruits of their expensive pass.
Yeon turned to look at her and said, "Hey? "You're the witty reporter from earlier, aren't you?" she said to Erika.
Erika brought forth her hand for a handshake. "Erika Sakura," she introduced herself.
"Yeon Sonia," she introduced herself, shaking her hand.
"Are you in a hurry to leave now?" asked Erika, wanting to spend more time talking with her. She had taken a liking to Yeon.
"Yes, I have something... or someone to look after at home," she said.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you," Erika replied, feeling bad.
"Oh, don't worry; you can come with me to the parking lot." "Where do you live?" asked Yeon.
"Down south of the long road, at Estate Sapphire," she replied, "but I'm not leaving now; I have friends I came with—sort of."
"Alright then," Yeon said as she graciously gave her a contact card containing different ways of contacting her, "just in case you want to hang out with someone new for a change."
"You want to steal me from my friends, don't you?" asked Erika.
"You are the one who reached out, not me," Yeon said, "See you soon, Erika."
"You too, Yeon," she replied before her new friend walked out of view, then she brought out her phone to contact the friends she was here with.
"Hey Kazuya, "Where are you guys?" she asked.
"Down, on the ground floor," replied Kazuya.
"Alright, I'll be right there," she replied.
As soon as Kazuya ended the call, he noticed Neji was funny-looking at him.
"What is it now?" Kazuya asked, knowing Neji's various ways of making mischief.
"Face it, Kazuya. "You are crazy for Erika, aren't you?" he asked.
"Not this again!" whined Kazuya, rolling his eyes as he knew this wasn't the first time Neji said something like this.
"Come on, Kazuya. Seeing the way you act around her makes me sick to my stomach. "You guys have something, but neither of you is willing to grab it," Neji said to him.
"I have told you before, Neji, and I will tell you again," Kazuya said to him, "I am not interested in Erika." "She is just a faithful friend who would do anything for me as I would for her."
"If what you just described isn't more than just friendship, then I don't know what it is," he said. "You are so into her, Kazuya." "You just don't realize it—or are you just in denial?"
"If you don't stop talking about this, I swear I'm going to start ignoring you," he said to Neji with the most serious tone he could muster.
"The same thing Erika did to me this morning! "You see, you both have a lot in common—you have just proven my point!" Neji replied with a mischievous laugh, one that frustrated Kazuya.
About a minute later, Erika arrived, holding a bag of snacks as she came.
"They gave refreshments at the event?" asked Kazuya.
"Yes, and I waited for mine," she replied.
"I thought you have always hated junk food," said Kazuya, taking note of what was in the bag.
"But you don't." "So I brought it for you," she said, handing it to him.
Neji whistled annoyingly, causing the two of them to look at him angrily.
"So now I have your attention, huh?" Neji said to Erika, but they both looked away, walking out of the building without talking to him.
"Oh, so now the both of you are ignoring me?" "What a couple!" he said, making them even more annoyed by his mere existence while he laughed out loud in their hearing.
"You both are hopeless," Neji said, wiping a laughing tear from his eye.