Tokyo: Oreimo

The two then exchanged some information about the website, but quickly ran out of things to talk about and ended up simply browsing the exhibition.

As they walked, Ryosuke seemed to remember something and suddenly turned to look at Gokou Mao.

"Speaking of which, you're still in school, right? Do you have any plans to pursue further studies at university after graduation?"

Gokou Mao paused for a moment, then shook her head.

Isn't this problem obvious?

"I have no money."

The family consists of four people, including a younger brother and sister to support. If they go to university, the financial burden will be too great.

If she had the financial means and with her academic achievements, she was confident that she could get into a prestigious university, delve into internet technology, make friends with more geniuses in the same field, and progress together.

But in Tokyo, the fees are not low, no matter which university you attend.

At dawn, the family had no surplus grain.

"Really? Well, it would be better to go and take the class. The money will be paid by Aniplex, so consider it an investment."

Ryosuke turned his head and glanced at her, then chuckled softly.

"Huh?"

"Of course, you will need to work part-time as an Aniplex network consultant. I will pay you a salary according to industry standards, and you can officially join the company after you finish your studies."

"In that case, is there no problem?"

Ryosuke winked at her.

Chapter 157 Group Photo

Gokou Mao paused for a moment, and her steps slowed down.

She lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes, and remained silent for several seconds.

"Ryosuke... are you doing me a favor?"

The sound was very soft, almost drowned out by the surrounding noise.

Ryosuke glanced at her in surprise, then shook his head.

"No, it's an investment."

"invest?"

“Yes.” Ryosuke turned around, his back to a small stall selling figurines, to avoid being jostled by the crowd. “For the website you made, I would probably have to pay two to three times the price to find someone with the same level of skill, and they might not even be reliable.”

He paused for a moment, looking at Gokou Mao.

"And you're only seventeen years old. If you can do this much, you'll be able to do even more after you've systematically learned your professional knowledge. Aniplex needs people like you."

In the early 21st century, every internet-related talent was extremely valuable.

The fact that she could independently build such a large forum shows that Gokou Maou is definitely talented.

How could Ryosuke let her go?

Most importantly, she wrote all the website's code. If any bugs appear in the future, the person who takes over will be completely clueless.

“…”

Gokou Mao raised her head, her dark eyes looking at Ryosuke with a slightly complicated expression.

This is different from previous orders; the other party is now promising a long-term job with a market-rate salary, meaning her income will be close to that of her deceased father.

If I agree, this job will be enough to support the family, and my mother won't have to work so hard.

The mortgage payment won't overwhelm the family, but it will leave them in a huge debt of gratitude to Ryosuke.

There are clearly more mature online programs on the market than hers, and if she were in school, she wouldn't be able to concentrate on her work.

Under these circumstances, they sponsored her to attend university and even paid her a salary.

"If it's not pity for me, then what is it?"

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

The crowd around her was still surging, and some people squeezed past her. She turned to the side, getting a little closer to Ryosuke.

"Ryosuke, consider it a loan for your tuition..."

“Okay.” Ryosuke interrupted her. “The company will cover the tuition. If you work at Aniplex for three years after graduation, you won’t have to pay it back. If you work for less than three years, we’ll just deduct a portion from the payment.”

“…”

"How about it? Pretty good deal, right?"

Ryosuke laughed, as if he were genuinely discussing a business deal.

Gokou Mao stared at him for a long time before finally turning her face away.

"......as you like."

The sound was very soft, but Ryosuke heard it clearly.

"Then it's settled." He clapped his hands. "The specific contract will be drafted for you when you come to my company later."

"Ah."

Gokou Mao responded and reached out to tuck her long hair, which had fallen to the side of her face, behind her ear. The movement was natural, but her ears were clearly red.

"I wish he were my brother..."

The girl muttered something under her breath.

"what?"

Ryosuke didn't hear clearly.

"Nothing, just curious, what did you do to 'Hermes's Repairman' just now?"

Without changing his expression, Gokou Mao changed the subject.

"You're very perceptive."

"She was unsure about her relationship, so she came to me for advice."

"Really? That guy's interested in that blond kid, isn't he?"

"..." Ryosuke paused in his actions and turned to look at her.

In terms of observing people, the girl in front of me is far superior to Ling Nai.

Was it because we communicated in online chat rooms for a long time that they noticed?

"It's too conspicuous. Normal interactions between girls shouldn't be like that. Your sister doesn't seem to realize this."

"You seem to know Ling Nai quite well."

Ryosuke chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

"That guy is too easy to guess."

Mao didn't say anything more, but after confirming the matter, she felt inexplicably relieved.

'In that case, having one less competitor is a good thing.'

.......

The two of them wandered around Section C for about forty minutes. Ryosuke bought three fan-made game setting books, all of which were romance-themed, while Mao Gokou didn't buy anything and just quietly followed beside him.

Occasionally, someone would recognize her Homura Akemi cosplay and come over to ask if they could take a photo with her.

She always frowned and refused, but after Ryosuke said, "It's okay to take one picture, right?" she actually cooperated and stood still, allowing passersby to take two pictures.

"Didn't you say you hate being photographed?" Ryosuke asked with a smile.

"Occasionally."

Gokyou Makoto turned her face away and quickened her pace.

As Ryosuke followed, his phone vibrated.

It was a text message from Ling Nai.

"Liuli and I have finished shopping and are waiting for you outside the East Gate. Hurry up! (`皿')"

Ryosuke glanced at it and then locked the screen.

"Ling Nai and the others are waiting at the East Gate. Let's go."

"Ah."

The two walked towards the exit, where there were far fewer people than in the morning.

Gokou Mao walked half a step ahead of Ryosuke, her small figure almost disappearing in the crowd.

Ryosuke instinctively followed closer.

.....

Outside the East Gate, the crowds were much thinner than in the morning.

Ruri Aragaki leaned against the railing, holding a paper bag in her hand, her blush still lingering since she left the exhibition hall.

Her mind was filled with what she had just seen in Zone B.

I originally thought the light novel section would be a place full of fantasy adventures and friendships, but when I opened the first book to preview, it was a scene where the male protagonist pinned the female protagonist against a library bookshelf.

“Ling Nai… that…”

"Hmm? What's wrong, Liuli?"

Ling Nai was squatting on the ground sorting through her spoils when she heard this. She looked up with an innocent expression.

"N-nothing."

Ruri Aragaki swallowed the words that were about to come out and silently stuffed the novel into the bottom of the paper bag.

Then came the second book, the third book...

The beginning of each book is normal, but when you turn to the middle, you will inevitably see "that kind" of illustration.

She even saw a fan fiction novel featuring Homura Akemi and Madoka Kaname as the main characters. The cover was exquisitely drawn, and the back cover had a blush-inducing synopsis.