He continued.
"Kyoto needs growth. We cannot allow sentimentality to prevent progress."
An older property owner near the front spoke.
"Nobody said we should stop progress."
Masaru frowned.
The man continued.
"We're asking you to explain your proposal properly."
Kenji lowered his eyes.
Amara remained standing.
Then she spoke.
"Mr. Kuroda, perhaps the problem is not that we're asking too many questions."
He stared.
She continued.
"Perhaps it's that you've become accustomed to people being afraid to ask them."
The billionaire's expression hardened.
For one brief moment, the room seemed exactly like the private dining room where he had tried to humiliate her.
But this time, there was no serving tray.
No sake cup.
No audience of two.
There were property owners.
Financial professionals.
Business representatives.
And people whose decisions could affect the future of an entire neighborhood.
Masaru looked around.
For the first time, he seemed to understand that his reputation alone was not going to decide the outcome.
The moderator thanked Amara for her comments.
Then requested that the development consortium provide an updated presentation identifying unresolved property and contractual matters.
The session continued.
And when it ended, the proposed project had not been approved or rejected.
But something important had changed.
The participants understood which rights were secured.
Which were merely hoped for.
And which decisions still belonged to people Masaru had expected to pressure into agreement.
That was enough to change the entire negotiation.
Masaru's board requested a revised commercial assessment two days after the forum.
The decision was not based on one embarrassing dinner.
Nor was it simply a response to Amara's speech.
The independent review had established that important assumptions within the proposed development were unsupported, and the company needed to determine whether the project remained financially viable without the rights it had expected to obtain.
That question mattered.
The hotel plan required substantial investment.
Its anticipated returns depended on location, access, construction costs, and the cooperation of multiple property owners.
Without Kiyomizu Hana's participation, portions of the design would need to change.
Some alternative arrangements were possible.
Others would be expensive.
The board appointed a separate committee to review the project's economics and the conduct of the acquisition team.
Masaru objected.
He accused the directors of overreacting to what he called a minor commercial disagreement.
But his influence was no longer enough to silence every question.
Kenji's report had forced matters into the open.
Several independent directors had become concerned about the accuracy of representations made to potential financial partners.
And the misleading communications sent to suppliers had damaged the company's credibility.
The review ultimately recommended suspending the acquisition strategy involving Kiyomizu Hana and redesigning the proposed development around rights that could actually be secured.