Tokyo: Oreimo

"I doubt I'd like it."

Ryosuke said things against his will, feeling that he needed to calm down for a while.

Phoenix Inu Saori pretended to think, tapping her chin with her slender fingers. "Is that so? Then perhaps we should try a different approach next time."

There will be no next time.

Ryosuke glared at her. Given his current financial situation, it was impossible for him to ask her to advance him money again.

"You can charge me interest if you want, I'm quite confident in myself, aren't you interested?"

What kind of insolent and lewd words are these?

Saying it out loud will inevitably lead people to have all sorts of wild thoughts, won't it?

But Ryosuke was confident that he would never fall for the trap again. The other party didn't owe him anything, so there was no interest involved.

"Just tell me what you want me to do."

Hearing Ryosuke say that, Hououin Saori playfully stuck out her tongue.

"Oh dear, you figured it out. Actually, there's something I'd like to ask you for help with."

She straightened up and finally let go of him. "But it's not confirmed yet. Can you promise me in advance?"

Ryosuke breathed a sigh of relief, but then vaguely felt that something was wrong.

"So what is it?"

Phoenix Inu Saori chuckled lightly, touched her red lips with her finger, and winked at him.

"It's a secret."

"I will tell you when I am able to, but I need your promise first."

Ryosuke raised an eyebrow; this was the first time Hououin Saori had ever asked him for a favor.

Although I don't know what it's about, the other party probably wouldn't make any unreasonable demands. From a friend's perspective, it's no big deal to offer help if needed.

"Okay, I promise you."

"That was a huge help."

“Oh, right,” Saori Hououin suddenly spoke up again, “I’ll finish the script as soon as possible. Also, do you need me to go with you to SP Company?”

"No, I can do it myself."

"Is that so?" She rested her chin on her hand, her gaze lingering on Ryosuke's face for a moment, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Then I wish you all the best, Shigaze."

Ryosuke nodded and turned to walk towards the door.

"Oh, right."

Just as my hand touched the doorknob, I heard a sound behind me.

He turned around.

Phoenix Inu Saori leaned back in her chair, the sunlight streaming through the window casting a pale golden outline on her.

She waved to him, unusually refraining from teasing, and simply smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Ryosuke paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Well, I'm leaving."

The moment the door closed, Phoenix Inu Saori let out a long sigh of relief, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

Has he actually grown taller?

They've all surpassed me without me even realizing it.

Phoenix Inu Saori leaned back in her chair, placing her hand on her chest, feeling her heart pounding.

We were already so close, all we needed was a little more courage.

"coward."

She muttered a curse under her breath, unsure whether she was cursing Ryosuke or herself.

Chapter 112 Patting someone's head will make them shorter!

As Ryosuke stepped out of Saori's office, he turned around and found a pair of eyes staring at him.

"What? You come to the company to see the Female Titan first? You guys aren't doing anything weird in the office, are you?"

Takashiro Ryouno glanced over with a displeased expression.

That woman kept saying she wanted to marry this guy, and although she didn't dislike him, she was still a little annoyed.

The two did not go out together today. Because Ryosuke went to bed late last night, Ryouno did not wait for him and arrived at the company first.

I only realized he had arrived when I heard the other members talking about Ryosuke.

Hearing her say that, Ryosuke suddenly felt like he'd been caught cheating.

Speaking of strange things...

Ryosuke subconsciously raised his hand and rubbed his ear, where a slight burning sensation still lingered.

Having such a partner, I really don't know whether it's a blessing or a curse.

It's best not to tell Ling Nai about this, lest rumors spread within the club.

"It's just a script handover."

Takashiro Ryou looked at him suspiciously, her eyes seeming to see right through him.

Facing those scrutinizing eyes, he found himself feeling somewhat guilty, a guilt that came without any reason, even though he hadn't done anything.

"Really?"

"real."

Takashiro Ryou stared at him for a few seconds, then finally snorted.

"The character design book is finished, right? Give it to me. The club members downstairs are getting impatient."

"They've been nagging me about your new project ever since they found out. It's driving me crazy."

Takashiro Ryouno muttered something.

Seeing her like this, Ryosuke couldn't help but laugh.

"It's already quite impressive, you're a veteran in the industry."

"What? Being surrounded by a group of people so much older than myself is still a bit of a nuisance."

In any case, Takashiro Ryouno received a strict education from a young age and was quite reserved in front of outsiders.

It takes time to get used to such a sudden and blatant welcome and adulation.

"Okay, let's go to the second floor."

Ryosuke nodded and followed Ryouno downstairs.

......

Aniplex's employees don't need much mobilization at the moment, since it's just configuring CGs for visual novels, and the workload isn't heavy.

When distributed among the numerous members, it's merely two to three drawings per person, with each member responsible for key and secondary CGs based on their drawing skills.

Before that, we have to wait for Takashiro Ryōno to complete the character design based on the setting book.

However, since the scene illustrations have real-world references, Ryosuke gave some instructions and arranged for some members to begin drawing them.

Before we knew it, it was already 5:30 pm.

Ryosuke led the way off work, dragging Ryouno along as they left the company.

If the club president doesn't leave, it will put pressure on the members, so they need to be more self-disciplined in such situations.

Takashiro Ryouno put on her coat, wrapped a red scarf around her neck, and when she looked up, Ryosuke was already waiting for her outside the door.

The two left the company together and headed towards the station where they would go home.

"By the way, you'll be sixteen in about two weeks, right?"

"What are you saying, you look like an elder who is very pleased to see his juniors grow up."

Ling Nai pursed her lips.

"Hmm? He's your older brother, after all. It's normal for you to feel a little sentimental."

Thinking back to this time last year, Ling Nai was still in junior high school. A whole year has passed, and the childishness on her face has faded considerably.

You could say she's blossomed into womanhood; she's getting prettier and prettier.

Her hair color hasn't changed; she really likes dyeing it blonde.

"Who acknowledges you as my elder brother?"

Ling Nai gave a soft snort.

"You look so old-fashioned, I have to say you don't seem like a high school student at all."

"Is there?"

"Of course, he doesn't participate in club activities at school, and he's invisible during the school festival. He only studies and works, unlike the boys in our class."

"To be honest, it is true, it feels a bit of a pity."

"what?"

Takashiro Ryouno looked over.

The word "regret" has absolutely nothing to do with Ryosuke, does it?

"I didn't get to have a relationship in high school, and I don't have the energy for it now."

Whether in his past memories or in his present reality, Ryosuke has never had a rich romantic history.

Looking back, it seems that his high school years were always focused on studying, and he never thought about anything else.

Now, with the added task of creating art, he has too many things to consider, making him almost invisible on campus.

At first, some girls did come back to chat him up, but at that time he was busy with "FSN" and Ryosuke responded coldly to avoid trouble.