Tokyo: Oreimo

Ling Nai often went to Shinjuku, and when she came home late, she would occasionally hear those flamboyant and glamorous women making similar remarks.

They spout nonsense like, "She has no flaws except for her small breasts, which men would love," and "She's definitely a virgin and very clean."

Every time she passed by, Ling Nai would cast a disdainful glance at her. "You're already out here as a prostitute, who would believe you saying those kinds of things?"

But she never expected that the girl in front of her, who was close to her age and even had the same hair color, would say something similar.

He's a cartoonist, after all; he should respect his profession.

Why learn to be a prostitute?

"Your statement is no different from those people who solicit customers at the east exit of Shinjuku Station, is it?"

"Of course there are differences."

If you have food, answer immediately.

"what?"

"They're in it for the money, I'm in it for the art, to prove myself."

There was a three-second silence in the conference room.

Ling opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

“Moreover,” Arina added, “I really have no flaws except for small breasts. I’m healthy and have no infectious diseases. My mom last took me for a check-up three months ago, and the report can be shown to CLAMP-sensei.”

"Who wants to see this!"

Ling Nai finally couldn't hold back and slammed her hand on the table.

"This is none of your business, Rumiko Takashiro. Stop interrupting my conversation with CLAMP-sensei."

Chun Changyoucai frowned.

"Both of you, calm down..."

Kenta Kimura spoke, his voice clearly filled with panic. What on earth was going on?

"Ms. Haruba, you really can't say things like that. A girl's reputation is very important. What if word gets out..."

"I do not care."

Yuzawa interrupted him, staring directly at Ryosuke.

"There's only one thing I care about, and that's whether my comics can get better."

"Editor Kimura said that my manga lacks storytelling, and that Rumiko Takashiro's works have that kind of thing. I want to draw a manga like that and surpass her."

That's why I asked to start a relationship.

When she said that, her tone was full of resentment.

Ling Nai couldn't help but interject, "Cooperation is cooperation, and interaction is interaction. What's the point of mixing them up?"

“Of course Takashiro Rumiko would say that,” Haruba Arina glanced at her. “After all, you already have the advantage, so of course you don’t want anyone to take it away from you.”

"Who, who has the advantage!" Ling Nai's face flushed red. "And, it's as if I became famous entirely because of this guy."

"Is that so? Then let CLAMP-sensei and I collaborate, and we'll have a fair and square showdown!"

Oops!

As soon as Haruba Arina said that, Ryosuke had a bad feeling and turned to look at Ayano sitting next to him.

The girl lowered her head, her shoulders trembling; she was clearly unable to contain her anger.

Before Ryosuke could stop her, Takagi Ryouno suddenly stood up from her seat and slammed her hand on the table.

"Alright, let's settle this with a duel!"

I'm really impressed. With Ling Nai's personality, she's so easily provoked. She accepted the challenge because she was challenged.

Noticing Ling Nai's gaze, Ryosuke simply shrugged.

"Don't look at me. There's only one week left until the Tezuka Prize submission deadline. I don't have that much energy. Even if I can finish NAME, she won't have time to draw the original manuscript."

Ryosuke has absolutely no intention of making another work.

What a joke! He has a ton of things to do at the company, and if nothing unexpected happens, Phoenix Institute's new galgame proposal will also take up a lot of his time.

Starting another project besides "Death Note" would be exhausting.

"There's also the Akatsuka Prize, which will be held a month after the Tezuka Prize. The overall selection difficulty is quite high, so let's use whether we can get selected as the criterion for victory?"

It was Kenta Kimura who spoke, and his eyes lit up when he heard Ryoko Takagi's declaration of acceptance.

I originally thought it was completely impossible for Arina Haruba to invite Ryosuke to collaborate on a project, but now it seems like there's a slight chance.

Just as the girl with twin tails said, her drawing skills and ability to handle panel layouts are not a problem.

If we can collaborate with talented manga scriptwriters to fill the missing gaps, we might just create another 'Rumiko Takashiro'.

As her editor, although I feel it's a bit rude of me to do this now, I should at least offer my support.

"Isn't the Akatsuka Prize a competition for comedy films?"

Hideo Nomura reminded him from the side.

"It's okay, this guy has a talent for comedy too!"

"Besides, the real battle will be fought during the serialization period. We'll see whose work is more popular then!"

Ryoko Takashiro crossed her arms and answered for Ryosuke. She still remembered the 'toilet seat' and said that Ryosuke's creative ability made it easy for him to handle.

Ryosuke was speechless. He was going to have to put in a lot of effort just for a whim.

He couldn't help but glare at Ling Nai.

The girl, who had been so assertive, suddenly felt a little guilty. She had been blinded by anger and seemed to have made the decision for Ryosuke without his consent.

But now that the words have already been spoken, it would be very embarrassing to go back on them.

Ling Nai sat back down and leaned closer to ask in a low voice, "Is it okay?"

Ryosuke ignored her.

All eyes in the conference room were on Takashiro Ryouno.

The girl gritted her teeth and couldn't help but grab Ryosuke's arm.

"Didn't we agree that the older brother should take care of the younger sister? I'm going to beat her fair and square!"

So adorably silly.

The name Rumiko Takashiro doesn't really need to prove itself. If anyone were to challenge her to a duel, even breaking her in half wouldn't be enough.

Moreover, Cardcaptor Sakura wasn't created by him alone. His ever-changing art style, super-fast and stable output, and especially his ability to understand Ryosuke's drafts, are what make him so remarkable.

They have absolutely no awareness of this.

Ryosuke glanced at Kenta Kimura, somewhat displeased that the editor had been stirring things up from the sidelines.

Originally, collaborating with multiple comic artists was perfectly acceptable, as long as they were trustworthy. After all, it would increase production speed and allow for the creation of more works.

It's okay to be a little tired.

But whether it was editor Kimura or Arina Haruba herself, Ryosuke felt they were too opportunistic. Their behavior of provoking Ayano to achieve their goals made him very uncomfortable, which was why he was unwilling to cooperate.

"If that's the reason, I won't cooperate with you, Mr. Haruba."

Ryosuke responded with a serious expression.

Arina Haruba tilted her head slightly, seemingly confused by Ryosuke's rejection.

A look of incomprehension appeared in her almond-shaped eyes.

"So, CLAMP-sensei really felt the conditions weren't right?"

"Of course not!"

How many times do I have to say it? I'm not the type who gets distracted by pretty girls!

Chapter 150 Anger

“It’s not a matter of conditions.” Ryosuke sighed. “Mr. Haruba, please answer one question for me first.”

"what?"

Why do you think that you can get cooperation by interacting with others?

This question silenced everyone present.

Ling Nai stopped tapping the table, turned her head to look at Ryosuke, and then looked at the twin-tailed girl opposite her.

Haruba Yuina remained silent for a few seconds.

"Because that's what my mom did."

She said this with an expression that said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“My mother works in Shinjuku, she’s been there since I was very young.” The girl’s voice was flat. “She always told me that I couldn’t rely on a man, that I had to be independent, but…”

She paused.

“Whenever she couldn’t pay the rent, she would call an uncle. Whenever I wanted to take art classes, she would call an uncle. That’s how I got my New Year’s money, my tuition fees, and new appliances for the house.”

In the spring field, some vegetables raised their heads.

“My mother’s words and actions are different, but I don’t think she did anything wrong, because only in this way can we have money to live.”

Sure enough, it was influenced by family members.

From her initial behavior, Ryosuke sensed something was off. Who would deliberately mention being a virgin in public?

Normal girls would feel quite ashamed, but Arina Haruba didn't show any of that at the time.

She seemed to be using herself as a bargaining chip, teaching by example. Parents' education is not just about words; children will naturally learn from their parents' actions.

"So you think it's perfectly reasonable to exchange yourself for what you want?"

“Isn’t that right?” Arina Haruba retorted. “I want to draw better manga, and I want to prove that I’m no worse than Rumiko Takashiro.”

“CLAMP-sensei, you have the scriptwriting ability I need, so it’s fair that I’m exchanging my youth and body for it.”

"However, this is my first time exchanging, and I never expected to be rejected. It seems that having small breasts is indeed a big disadvantage."