In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

Is he a brilliant and charming academic genius, a warm, sunny, and cheerful older brother next door, or a domineering CEO with a roguish charm but a kind heart...?

Ms. Kudo's preference, though somewhat embarrassing, is indeed for men who can give her a sense of security, the kind who are physically strong and have a large build.

The person in front of him, Gen Chiya, clearly did not meet this standard. He had a great physique, but his daily clothing style was very loose. Although his upper body under his clothes showed obvious abs, which Saeko once admired with a heart, he did look very well-proportioned and did not give the impression of a strong person at first glance.

Even so, his failure to hit Ms. Kudo's strike zone left the office lady stunned for several seconds.

This is unbelievable! Was this boy always this handsome when I first saw him?

It gives people the feeling of the sun, very gentle, yet unattainable.

These days, teenagers change every single day...

Gen Chiya also noticed that Ms. Kudo was staring straight at him, but he didn't care; he had seen similar situations far too often.

He took the initiative to raise his hand and greet her familiarly: "Long time no see, Ms. Kudo. Thank you for your help."

Miyoko Kudo snapped out of her daze, inwardly reflecting on her embarrassing reaction. How could she have such feelings for a boy so much younger than herself?

When I was his age, he was just born.

It wasn't even born yet; it was probably just a tadpole.

Having been trained in the workplace, she smiled slightly and immediately got into work mode: "Long time no see, Yuan-kun. The president has told me the details. I look forward to your guidance in the future."

"Not at all, it's I who should learn more from you, Miss Kudo. Have you had lunch yet?"

"Not yet. The president gave me the order urgently, so I dropped what I was doing and came straight over."

"I'm having dinner with a friend right now, Ms. Kudo, why don't you join us?"

"Won't this bother you? I can just find a small restaurant outside to eat at."

"No, no..."

"By the way, congratulations on winning the Ranpo Award..."

"Thanks……"

Gen Chiya warmly invited them, and they chatted as they entered the restaurant.

Upon entering the restaurant, Kudo Miyoko was startled once again.

The whole table was full of girls!

And they are all stunningly beautiful young women!

As she greeted them, Ms. Kudo, with a beaming smile, suddenly understood why the company president had been in such a hurry to send her out.

The situation is indeed dire, but I can understand it. If I were ten years younger, I certainly wouldn't let go of such an outstanding guy.

In contrast, the president's daughter, Kazusa, is not good at speaking and lacks initiative. She definitely needs some help from the sidelines, otherwise she has no chance of winning at all.

While Kudo Miyoko was observing the other girls besides Rikka, the others were also silently sizing her up.

Eriri breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing her. Seeing that Chiyo's assistant was such a mature and older woman, she felt a little relieved.

After the assistant took her seat and chatted with them for a while, Kasumigaoka, observing her words and actions, concluded that she was not particularly attentive or affectionate towards Chiya and felt somewhat relieved.

As for Saeko, it's fair to say that having obtained something makes her fearless; in short, she never worried about this matter from beginning to end.

She now regrets that she couldn't sit next to Qianye at this meal, otherwise she could have had some physical interactions with him under the table where no one else could see.

She didn't know why, but she really enjoyed teasing Qianye in front of others, while Qianye had to pretend to be nonchalant. It made her feel especially excited.

She thought to herself that she was a woman with a terrible personality.

Although she felt a little shy about it, she no longer felt as averse to it as she used to.

Because Qianye has completely accepted her as she is.

As everyone chatted and ate, time flew by.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, everyone walked out of the restaurant.

Lunch cost over 30,000 yuan, but considering there were so many people and the quality of the beef was indeed good, it wasn't too expensive.

When it came time to pay the bill, Miss Kudo, being the only adult among them, wanted to pay herself, but Chiyo didn't give her that opportunity.

"Then, Qianye, I'll head back now."

On the roadside, the sensible Saeko led the way in saying goodbye to Minamoto Chiya.

After she said that, everyone else followed suit.

They had already talked about this during dinner, and they all knew that Minamoto Chiyo had to leave for Kodansha immediately.

That's a serious matter, not a group of middle school students going on a spring outing. He couldn't possibly bring his whole family along; that would be too inappropriate.

After saying goodbye to the others, Gen Chiya followed Kudo Miyoko into her car.

A Beetle from a certain brand has a sky-blue car wrap on it. I can't tell what year it is, but it still looks quite cute.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Gen Chiya casually complimented, "Miss Kudo, the perfume in your car smells quite high-end, it's very pleasant."

Miyoko Kudo paused as she fastened her seatbelt.

What a heartbreaker this kid is!

She never keeps any perfume in her car.

If I had to put it into words... has she been driving this car for so long that it's become ingrained with her own body odor?

No, no, Miyoko, you need to calm down. You're a professional career woman, and you'll have plenty of time to spend with this young man in the future. You need to get used to it. This is just the beginning!

"Haha, I just picked it randomly at the supermarket before, I don't really remember it." Ending the topic nonchalantly, and realizing what she needed to do next, Kudo Miyoko immediately asked, "Gen-kun, what exactly is the agreed meeting time with Kodansha?"

"The agreed time is two o'clock."

"Let me see..." Kudo Miyoko took out her phone and tapped on the navigation: "...We have enough time, but considering the traffic, let's set off first and talk about the rest on the way."

"Has Ms. Kudo ever dealt with publishing houses before?"

"No, but working with the president often involves collaborating with TV stations, magazines, and music publishers, so they all seem pretty much the same."

"She's really reliable. I'll leave everything to Miss Kudo."

"Now, Yuan-kun, tell me about everything you've been through. Signing a business contract is like doing business; the more detailed the information about both parties, the more advantageous your position will be in the negotiations."

"I understand……"

Yuan Qianye nodded.

Kudo Miyoko stepped on the gas, and the car drove away from where it was.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

As it turns out, Touma Yoko wasn't lying. Kudo Miyoko was indeed very capable, with excellent work skills and was trustworthy, perfectly suited to the role of assistant.

During their conversation, Chiya also learned that she was a graduate of Keio University, a prestigious university in Japan.

She met Touma Yoko by chance during her junior year of college, and from that point on, she officially began working for her, through thick and thin, until today.

After Kudo Miyoko drove Minamoto Chiya to Kodansha,

Most things no longer require Yuan Qianye to put in any extra effort.

The staff at Kodansha confirmed Chiya Minamoto's identity. Someone had given prior notice, so they politely invited the two of them to the meeting room.

Along the way, we passed the front desk lobby, elevators, and long corridors.

Chiya Minamoto saw the true strength of Kodansha, one of Japan's three major publishing giants.

Along the way, posters and life-size figurines of the company's IP works can be seen everywhere.

There are countless popular works in Japan, such as "The Retreating Dwarf", "Ashita no Joe", "Devilman", "Kamen Rider", and "Ghost in the Shell".

The five people who had been waiting in the meeting room for a long time—the marketing editor, the publishing manager, and the distribution staff—were all somewhat stunned when they saw Yuan Qianye.

The reason is simple: no one expected that the author who won the Edogawa Rampo Prize would be so young!

We're all seasoned veterans in the workplace; this was just a minor incident. After the initial shock, we couldn't help but think, "The younger generation is truly formidable." But the work still had to continue.

After serving hot tea and exchanging pleasantries and business cards, the marketing editor handed a document to Yuan Qianye and said with a smile, "Mr. Yuan, Ms. Kudo, this is the detailed contract."

Gen Chiya nodded, and Ms. Kudo gave a polite smile in return, bowed slightly, and took the contract: "Thank you for your help."

"No trouble at all. You can take a closer look. There's no rush. We can discuss any questions you may have."

The fact that Gen-sensei had brought an assistant with him was actually quite common among the people at Kodansha.

In the past, many writers or cartoonists, considering the importance of signing a contract, would choose to bring a professional lawyer to the appointment or take the contract home to review it carefully.

Ms. Kudo majored in business administration in college, which gives her a wealth of professional knowledge and skills in the field.

She reviewed the contract quickly; it was a standard contract with no problems.

She also quickly extracted the main terms of the contract and showed them to Yuan Qianye.

Printing tax, also known as royalties from the publication of a novel, is the income that the original author can actually receive.

The contract clearly states that Minamoto Chiyo's own work, "The Tokyo Zodiac Murder Mystery," which recently won the Edogawa Rampo Award, will be exclusively licensed to Kodansha for publication for a period of three years.

As a new author, Yuan Qianye can receive a basic royalty rate of eight percent.

In other words, if his book is printed and priced at 1,000 yen after tax.

For every book he sells, he can earn 80 yen before tax.

Although eight percent may seem like a small percentage, it does meet the common standard in the Japanese physical publishing industry.

Think about it, the remaining 90% or so of the profits still have to be distributed among all parties.

It's not just the publishing house; it also includes printing costs at the printing plant, wholesalers and retailers in the distribution channels, advertising and marketing expenses, venue rental and logistics costs...

Everyone involved needs a share of the profits; we can't let others work for nothing. All parties involved in other stages also need to make money.

Thinking about it this way, it's actually quite reasonable.

Even though Yuan Qianye had expectations in mind, the 8% return still felt a bit low.

Otherwise, why would it be that Ms. Kudo was the one introduced to Minamoto Chiya by Touma Yoko? She certainly has her own strengths.

The two locked eyes, and with just one glance, Ms. Kudo understood what Minamoto Chiya was thinking.

She nodded slightly to him, indicating that she would handle everything from now on.

She then gave another polite smile: "Sorry to keep you waiting. We have read the contract and there are basically no problems. However, we feel that there are some issues with the copyright revenue sharing with Teacher Yuan."