“Sigsawa-sensei, you were amazing.
Editor Iori couldn’t even argue against you.”
Hayakawa Rumi caught up and leaned in close, keeping her voice low.
The two of them had already left the manga editorial department and were still in the elevator hall.
“Though, are you really planning to suggest your sister go on hiatus?
If she does that, the anime won’t air on schedule, and the fanbase probably won’t be too happy about it either.”
Rumi had no intention of speaking up for Iori Setsuna, but out of consideration for Kousaka Kirino, a hiatus was still far from an ideal solution.
“I told you, I won’t make decisions for Kirino.
Everything depends on her.”
Kousaka Kyousuke smiled as he stepped into the elevator.
Rumi hurried after him.
“Then what you said to Editor Iori just now…”
“That was purely to vent some anger.
Scare her a little.”
Even though the new family hadn’t been together long and he didn’t hold especially deep feelings for Kirino, they did share the surname Kousaka.
Seeing his sister being bullied and doing nothing about it wouldn’t sit right.
“Pfft.” Rumi recalled Iori Setsuna’s reaction as they’d left and couldn’t suppress a laugh.
This young-looking author possessed a maturity far beyond his years.
“After the scare you gave her, Editor Iori’s probably going to be on pins and needles for the rest of the day.”
“Regardless of anything else, she’s an adult.
She ought to take responsibility for her own blunders.”
Kyousuke spoke casually as the elevator reached the ground floor.
He stepped out and said his goodbyes to Rumi.
“This is far enough, Editor Hayakawa.
I’ll come back tomorrow to sign the contract.
I look forward to working with you from here on.”
“No, I’m the one who should say that.
Being personally chosen by Sigsawa-sensei was incredibly fortunate.”
Rumi bowed a full ninety degrees.
She meant every word.
Whether in terms of writing ability or life experience, he far surpassed her.
Rather than saying she was in charge of guiding him, it was more accurate to say he was the one looking out for her.
Kyousuke smiled and waved at her as the elevator doors slid shut, bidding a temporary farewell to this natural airhead beauty.
…
He had now figured out the source of Kirino’s income, which meant he’d have something to report back.
He no longer had any interest in keeping tabs on his sister’s whereabouts, so he stuffed the tracker back into his bag.
He still needed to stay in Tokyo one more day, and until then there was plenty of time — enough to meet up with an online friend.
He’d been in contact with this person through the internet, and since he hadn’t been sure about his schedule yesterday, he hadn’t arranged anything in advance.
But he did have their phone number.
“So next up, a trip to a department store in Shinjuku to buy a mobile phone.”
A mobile phone in this day and age was a piece of high-tech equipment with a price tag to match.
Given Kousaka Mieko’s financial situation, she certainly hadn’t equipped Kyousuke with one.
But now that he had five hundred thousand in prize money on hand, picking up a device that let him reach people anytime didn’t seem like an indulgence.
He asked around at the Kadokawa Pictures front desk, got hold of a hand-drawn map, and set off in the direction indicated.
…..
“What was that?!
Calling me a child again, acting like she’s got me completely handled.
It makes me so mad!”
Kousaka Kirino kicked at the air in fury.
Beside her, a girl who stood half a head taller quickly looped an arm through hers.
“Goodness, don’t move like that.
You’ll end up flashing someone.”
The girl pressed her body close against Kirino, reining in her large motions.
A green padded jacket wrapped around her slender frame, the hem of her plaid skirt swaying gently in the cold wind, while her black-stocking-clad legs couldn’t help but squeeze together a little tighter.
“I’m impressed you can go out bare-legged in this weather, Kirino.
Even with thermal tights on, I’m still cold.”
“That’s because you’re too thin, Ayase.
You don’t eat nearly enough.”
“Hehe, I can’t help it.
A model has to maintain her figure, otherwise the camera makes you look chubby.”
Aragaki Ayase let out a light laugh.
Noticing Kirino’s lips still held a hint of a pout, she gently took her hand and laced their fingers together.
“Don’t be angry anymore.
Just remember this lesson for the future.
You have to go over every clause of a contract carefully, alright?”
“Ugh, if only I’d told you about this sooner.”
A look of bitter regret surfaced on Kirino’s face.
Every time she recalled the way Editor Iori had dropped all pretense earlier, it made her grind her teeth.
“It’s fine.
I’ll browse the shops with you for a while first.
Once you’re not so worked up, I’ll go with you to speak to that editor again.
No matter what, we have to at least get them to pay you more.”
Ayase held her hand as she spoke, guiding her into the department store.
A wave of heated air hit them immediately.
Kirino, who already felt flushed from anger, couldn’t help but pull her hand free from Ayase’s grasp.
“It’s so hot.
They’ve cranked the heating up way too much in here.”
She unzipped her padded jacket and flapped the front panels to cool off.
“Come to think of it, when I came out of the conference room, I ran right into that guy.”
The two of them wandered through the store, and Kirino suddenly spoke up, her expression a little odd.
“That guy?”
Ayase looked over with curiosity.
“You know the one.
Ugh, didn’t I tell you my dad remarried?”
“You mean that elder brother who suddenly appeared?”
“Yeah, him!”
Ayase’s face remained composed, but a faint trace of wariness lurked in her eyes.
“What was he doing at the Kadokawa building?”
“I know, right?
I never expected to run into him.
I even checked this morning before I left — he was still asleep!
And of all people, he had to be the one to see me like that.
So embarrassing.”
Just thinking about it made Kirino click her tongue.
“More importantly,” Ayase paused for a beat, “did he find out about you being a manga artist?”
“Eh?”
Kirino stopped walking and looked back.
“He probably knows by now…”
She recalled how, when she’d collided with her brother, he’d been standing right outside the conference room.
She didn’t know how he’d gotten into the manga editorial department, but since he’d seen her there, he’d surely ask one of the editors about it.
“Crap.
If he knows, then my stepmom is definitely going to find out.
I’m going to be exposed!”
Kirino began to panic.
After all, her manga work was something she’d done entirely in secret.
She’d even rented a studio outside, and every weekend she’d immerse herself in it completely.
The intensive drawing workload hadn’t affected her studies much, since she had no real talent for academics in the first place.
That kind of dry material simply couldn’t hold her attention.
But knowing her father, the moment he found out, he would absolutely pin her academic struggles on the manga.
Which would mean that, whether she liked it or not, she’d have to stop serialization.
And for a long time after, she wouldn’t be allowed to touch a pen — not until she got into the ideal university her father wanted her to attend.
The Kousaka household was a traditional family.
Her father was a public servant, and his tolerance for newfangled things was extremely low.
“What do I do, Ayase?”
Kirino shot her friend a pleading look.
At a time like this, she had no idea how to handle her parents when she got home.
Aragaki Ayase thought it over for a moment, then spoke with a perfectly serious expression:
“Should we just kill him?”