Tokyo: Oreimo

"Teacher Shi Yuze, you are amazing! Even Editor Iori couldn't argue with you."

Hayakawa Rumi caught up with him and whispered something to him.

The two had already left the comic book editorial department and were still in the elevator lobby.

"By the way, are you really planning to suggest that your sister take a break? If you do that, the anime won't be able to air on time, and the fan base will probably have objections."

Although Hayakawa Rumi did not intend to speak up for Iori Setsuna, taking a break from publication was actually a last resort for Takashiro Ryouno's sake.

“I’ve said I won’t make decisions for Ling Nai; it’s all up to her.”

Ryosuke Takagi smiled and stepped into the elevator lobby.

Hayakawa Rumi quickly followed, "Then what were you saying to Editor Iori just now...?"

"Just want to vent my anger and scare her."

Although he hadn't been in the blended family for long and didn't have deep feelings for Ling Nai, they shared the same surname, Gao Cheng.

Seeing my younger sister being bullied, it wouldn't be right not to do something.

"Pfft." Hayakawa Rumi couldn't help but laugh when she thought of Iori Setsuna's reaction when she left.

The seemingly young writer before me appears to possess a maturity far beyond his years.

"After being startled by you, Mr. Shiyuze, I'm afraid Editor Yizhi will be sitting on pins and needles all day."

"No matter what, he is an adult and should take responsibility for the mistakes he has made."

As Ryosuke Takagi spoke casually, the elevator arrived at the first floor.

He stepped out of the elevator and said goodbye to Hayakawa Rumi.

"That's enough for now, Editor Hayakawa. I'll come back tomorrow to sign the contract. Please continue to support me in the future."

"I am the one who is so lucky to have received guidance from Teacher Shi Yuze."

Hayakawa Rumi bowed at a 90-degree angle.

These words were spoken sincerely; the other person was far more knowledgeable than him in both writing skills and life experience.

Rather than saying she was in charge of guiding the other person, it would be more accurate to say that the other person was taking care of her.

Ryosuke Takagi smiled and waved at her. The elevator doors closed, and he temporarily said goodbye to this naturally naive beauty.

...

Ryosuke Takagi had figured out the source of Ayano's income, and with that, he had an explanation to give, so he had no interest in keeping track of his sister's whereabouts.

He stuffed the tracker into his bag.

He needs to stay in Tokyo for another day, and before that, he has plenty of time, enough to meet up with his online friend.

Ryosuke had been communicating with the other party via the internet, and yesterday he did not make arrangements in advance because the time was uncertain.

But he got the other party's phone number.

"Then let's go to a department store in Shinjuku to buy a mobile phone."

In this day and age, mobile phones are high-tech products and very expensive; even the cheapest one costs nearly 100,000 yen.

Given Mieko Takashiro's financial situation, she naturally didn't provide Ryosuke with any.

Now that I've received a 500,000 yuan bonus, buying one of these tools that allow me to stay connected anytime wouldn't be a big deal.

Ryosuke inquired at the front desk of Kadokawa Cinema and obtained a hand-drawn map, then proceeded in the direction indicated.

.....

"What the hell! She called me a child again, acting like she couldn't do anything with me. It's infuriating!"

Takashiro Ryouko angrily kicked at the air.

A girl who was half a head taller than her quickly took her arm.

"Oh dear, don't do that, you might accidentally expose yourself."

The girl's body pressed tightly against Takashiro Ryouno, controlling her large movements. Her slender figure was wrapped in a green cotton coat, and her plaid skirt swayed slightly in the cold wind. Her legs, encased in black stockings, couldn't help but squeeze together a little.

"I really admire you for going out with bare legs in this weather, Ling Nai. I'm wearing cotton socks and I still feel cold."

"That's because you're too thin, Liuli, and you don't eat enough."

"Hehe, there's nothing we can do about it. Models need to maintain their figure, otherwise they'll look fat on camera."

Ruri Aragaki chuckled softly. Seeing that Ayano Takagi's lips were still slightly pouting, she gently took the other's hand and intertwined their fingers.

"Don't be angry. Remember this lesson for the future. You must carefully review all the contract terms, understand?"

"Oh, I wish I had told you about this sooner, Ruri."

Takashiro Ryouno's face showed a look of unwillingness. She gritted her teeth as she recalled how the editor Iori had revealed her true colors.

"It's okay, I'll go shopping with you first. Once you're less angry, I'll go with you to talk to that editor. No matter what, we have to get them to pay us more."

Ruri Aragaki took her hand and, while talking, led her into the mall.

The warmth wafted in, and Takashiro Ryouno, who was already feeling hot from anger, couldn't help but pull her hand away from Aragaki Ruri's.

"It's so hot! The mall's heating is way too strong."

Ling Nai unzipped her cotton-padded coat and fiddled with the hem to cool it down.

The girl beside him followed behind, a hint of regret on her face, her fingers rubbing together as if she were savoring something.

"Speaking of which, I bumped into that guy when I came out of the conference room."

As the two strolled through the mall, Takashiro Ryou suddenly spoke, her expression somewhat strange.

"That guy?"

Ruri Aragaki looked over with some curiosity.

"That's the person. Oh dear, didn't my father remarry?"

"Are you referring to the older brother who suddenly appeared?"

"Yes, that's him!"

Ruri Aragaki's expression remained calm, but there was a hint of apprehension in her eyes.

"Why would he be at the Kadokawa Building?"

"Yeah, I never expected to run into him. I checked when I left this morning and he was still sleeping! But he saw me. It's so embarrassing."

Thinking of this, Takashiro Ryou couldn't help but click her tongue.

"More important than that," Ruri Aragaki paused, "is whether he knows you're a manga artist?"

"Huh?"

Takashiro Ryouko stopped and looked back.

"They probably already know..."

She recalled that when she bumped into her brother, he was standing outside the conference room. Although she didn't know how he got into the comic book editorial department, she figured that since he had spotted her, he would probably be questioning the editors inside.

"Oh no, if he finds out about this, my stepmother will definitely find out too, and we're going to be exposed!"

Ling Nai was a little nervous.

After all, she draws comics entirely in private, and even rents a studio outside, where she spends all her free time on weekends.

The intense painting didn't have much impact on her studies, since she didn't have much talent in academics anyway.

I simply can't get into that kind of boring stuff.

But knowing her father as she does, Ling Nai knows that once he finds out, he will definitely attribute her academic problems to comics.

That means that, whether she likes it or not, she will have to stop updating her blog, and for a long time to come, she will not be able to touch a pen until she gets into her ideal university as her father wishes.

The Gao family is a traditional family; the father is a public servant and has a very poor ability to accept new things.

"What should we do, Liuli?"

Ling Nai looked to her friend for help.

At this moment, she was completely at a loss as to how to go back and face her parents.

Ruri Aragaki pondered for a moment, then said with a serious expression:

"Should we just kill him?"

Chapter 8 Begging for Mercy

"Huh?" Takashiro Ryouno was taken aback.

What kind of outrageous words are these? It's just a secret, it shouldn't have escalated to the point of murder, right?

Although I dislike Ryosuke, it's far from that level; I don't even have the slightest thought of it.

"Just kidding."

Ruri Aragaki smiled sweetly and made a mischievous expression.

"What? Don't say such scary things. I thought you were serious. You scared me to death."

Ling Nai patted her chest as if she had breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why don't you try talking to your older brother? Maybe he'll understand you."

"Impossible, impossible. That guy has excellent grades; he's a perfect bookworm. He definitely wouldn't understand my hobbies."

Ling Nai hurriedly waved her hand.

It's no wonder that older brother would never understand something that the older generation would consider 'not doing proper work'.

That kid... is a good child in the eyes of his parents.

.....

As the girls strolled through the mall, discussing how to keep their secrets, Ling Nai's phone vibrated.

"what?"

She took her phone out of her bag; the caller ID showed "Kadokawa Editorial Department."