Tokyo: Oreimo

Hattori Takuya rejected Hayakawa's proposal.

It wasn't just because he disliked socializing; the main reason was that Hayakawa Rumi's image was too outstanding, and eating alone would have a negative impact on the company.

"Teacher Shi Yuze has been quite busy lately. I invited him, but he hasn't had time to come."

Hayakawa Rumi made many phone calls to Ryosuke, not only to report on the novel's progress but also to express her gratitude.

As for the invitations, Ryosuke declined them all, citing lack of time.

"Isn't that obvious? Going to school is the main job for students. Besides, I heard that his manga with Rumiko Takashiro won first place in the monthly manga award. It might start serialization soon, and he'll be even busier then."

"Huh!?"

Hayakawa Rumi was quite surprised by the result. She was confident in Takashiro Ryosuke, but winning first place still seemed unbelievable to her.

"Shigaze-sensei is amazing! Or is it because editor Saito was there to guide him?"

"It has nothing to do with Saito. It's simply because the quality of his work is excellent. I underestimated him. Shigaze is not the kind of genius who only has a flash in the pan."

Hattori Takuya felt a pang of emotion.

A genius is someone who is beyond the reach of ordinary people, someone who can achieve this level of success while simultaneously writing manga scripts and serializing light novels.

That kid is still in high school, but he's already ahead of a significant number of adults.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Hayakawa Rumi a few more times.

"Although I still believe that it is wrong to rely on feelings to make judgments, I misspoke this time."

"Huh?"

Hayakawa Rumi couldn't understand the meaning of what her senior was saying and felt somewhat confused.

"In short, Shi Yuze will be even busier in a while. Regardless, you have benefited from it, so you should express your gratitude. It's basic etiquette."

“He lives in Chiba Prefecture, so it’s not appropriate for you to invite him to a banquet in Tokyo. If you have time, you can go there in person to express your gratitude.”

Hattori Takuya stopped there and turned to go into the conference room.

That's enough of a suggestion.

Does he really expect her to personally teach him how to build relationships with authors? He's nurturing and promoting new talent to inject vitality into the editorial department, not to raise a giant baby.

Hayakawa Rumi's eyes lit up, realizing that her senior's words made a lot of sense.

.....

As it was time to leave work, Hayakawa Rumi kept thinking about how to compose a text message to send to the author she was assigned to.

How can I make it not seem so deliberate and stiff?

She still hadn't made up her mind when she got back to her apartment.

Click—

She unlocked the door with her key and pushed it open to enter.

The room was brightly lit and warm, which surprised Hayakawa Rumi for a moment.

Looking past the entryway into the main room, on the living room sofa, there was a girl wearing only underwear, lying face down on the sofa looking at her.

"You're back? Sister."

Hayakawa Rumi hurriedly closed the door.

"Shizuka Hayakawa! Put your clothes on!"

"No, I'm wearing something too tight during training. I want to relax a bit since I'm at home."

"You can't just wear underwear!"

Chapter 40 Car Crash (Thanks to Spotted Cat How Could It Not Be Cute and Salty Fish Gudako for the monthly vote)

Hayakawa Rumi came out of the bathroom, changed into her loungewear, and sat on the sofa.

Her younger sister, Shizuka Hayakawa, was also forced to wear a loose T-shirt.

"You should have told me in advance that you were coming back."

"There's nothing worth mentioning in advance, it's not a big deal."

Shizuka Hayakawa curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees, engrossed in reading a manga.

"So what are your plans for coming back this time?"

"The company asked me to come back and rest for a while."

"Huh?"

Hayakawa Rumi looked quite surprised, clearly not expecting her younger sister to return for this reason.

Shizuka is an entertainer, but she hasn't officially debuted yet. She was discovered by a talent scout and is in the training stage, occasionally taking on commercial shoots and exhibitions.

She's usually managed quite strictly; she shouldn't get her vacation for another two months.

"Coming back at a time like this, you didn't do something outrageous, did you?"

Noticing her sister's mood, Shizuka shrank back and covered her face with a comic book.

"He swore at the audience..."

"what?"

"Because during the exhibition, I saw someone taking pictures up my skirt... I couldn't resist..."

Hayakawa Shizuka lowered the comic book, her eyes looking at her older sister with a hint of grievance.

"The company was worried about the negative impact, so they made me temporarily close down."

“…”

When Hayakawa Rumi learned the truth, she sighed.

To be honest, she wasn't really angry. As a woman herself, she could understand her sister's feelings.

"Actually, it's been shelved. I probably won't have the chance to exhibit again before my contract expires."

“My seniors at the company criticized me, saying that this kind of thing is to be expected and that you have to endure it if you want to become an idol.”

Hayakawa Shizuka was only sixteen years old, an age when she should have been in school. After being scouted, she excitedly wanted to get her consent.

My parents passed away early, and my younger sister also loves music.

At the time, he agreed to study in the US without much thought, even though he had excellent grades. He gave up his studies and joined a talent agency instead.

What are your plans next?

"I'll probably be staying home for now... Oh, right, a friend introduced me to a business opportunity: music production!"

"is it?"

Hayakawa Rumi didn't take it seriously.

“If you have nothing to do, then go to school. I remember you were admitted to Keio Girls’ High School before. It’s okay to take a break from school and go back to study.”

"don't want...."

"Why? There's nothing to do at home anyway, isn't there?"

"They'll laugh at me, saying I went to be an idol but then sheepishly came back to school."

"Then transfer schools?"

Hayakawa Rumi thought for a moment and then asked.

Regardless, now that things have come to this point, we should finish our studies no matter what.

At least it will prevent her from having to do waitress work after she enters the workforce.

“The inheritance left by your parents is barely enough to support your studies. I’m about to be promoted to a full-time position now, so even if you want to go to university, I will still support you.”

Hayakawa Rumi said with a serious expression.

"elder sister...."

Shizuka thought she would be reprimanded, just like when she was criticized by her seniors at the company, since at that time she was focused on becoming an idol.

But Hayakawa Rumi didn't put any pressure on her.

The previously tough exterior shattered into dust, and the girl hugged her sister, sobbing uncontrollably.

Hayakawa Rumi didn't say much, she just gently patted her sister's back.

After they calmed down, the two sisters sat down at the table together for a meal.

"Sister, can I think about transferring schools a little more? Before that, I'd like to go to Chiba first, since I've already promised my friend."

Chiba Prefecture?

"Well, I heard that someone over there wants to make some music and is willing to pay for it. I received professional training when I was at the company, so maybe I can make a living from it."

Shizuka Hayakawa is quite confident about this, as she originally embarked on this path because of her love for music and her aspiration to become an idol.

Therefore, I put in a lot of effort during the company training and mastered quite a few musical instruments. Although I can't say I'm an expert, I have a lot of them.

She thought that she knew quite a few professionals who worked in recording studios.

Hayakawa Rumi initially wanted to reject her sister's suggestion outright.

After all, given her understanding of her sister, this kind of creative work would probably be quite difficult.

Besides, she wasn't comfortable with the other person going alone.

But since the destination is Chiba Prefecture, it's not a bad idea, especially since she had plans to visit Keiichi Sigsawa there anyway.

Accompanying my sister to Chiba Prefecture and visiting her while I'm there—that reason seems quite natural.

“I told my friend that we plan to meet in person on Wednesday.”

"Sure, I'll go with you then, I have some things to take care of."

With that in mind, Hayakawa Rumi edited a text message and sent it out.

Recipient: Teacher Shi Yuze.

...