The next day. Buzz buzz buzz… The phone's vibration alarm woke Ito Rin.
Last night, the girls whose blood had mingled were sprawled out in the living room, still asleep. Although their bodies' endurance had increased thanks to the system, it was their first time, and with that shoulder-pressing play… Ito Rin estimated they wouldn't want to get out of bed today. Although the fairy didn't truly participate last night, she also tried the shoulder-pressing and belly-rubbing at Sagiri and the others' urging. All five of them went to bed late, and Ito Rin estimated they wouldn't wake up until the afternoon.
They were still sleeping, but Ito Rin still had work to do. Yesterday at the Comiket, Akane Kousaka, a renowned producer in the industry, had arranged to meet Ito Rin. She wanted to know Mashiro's identity and have Mashiro join her project.
After a quick tidy-up, Ito Rin sent a message to their group chat on his phone before leaving the fairy's Western-style mansion. He arrived at a business-oriented izakaya as per his agreement with Akane Kousaka. As for the so-called business atmosphere… it wasn't about being the best, but about being the most expensive.
Led by a beautiful waitress, Ito Rin arrived at the private room door. He gently knocked, and after receiving a response, the waitress slid open the wooden sliding door and gestured for Ito Rin to enter. Inside the tatami-matted Japanese-style room, beside a rustic wooden low table, a mature woman with wine-red long hair was holding a bottle of sake, drinking casually by herself. Her cheeks were flushed with a captivating blush, and her black hosiery, hugging her hips, subtly revealed her skin. On the tatami beside her, an empty bottle lay on its side, indicating she had been drinking alone for some time.
Glancing at Ito Rin, Akane Kousaka didn't waste words. She took a bulging file bag from under the table and slapped it onto the table. "You're also a creator. After reading this, you should be able to make a decision."
"Oh?" Ito Rin sat down at the table and opened the file bag. "Chronicles of the Universe…" Ito Rin raised an eyebrow. This was a long-standing IP that existed before Ito Rin came to this world, like the Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! games from his previous life. The project handed to Akane Kousaka this time was to adapt an IP into an RPG game. Akane Kousaka's projects were always famous for her taking the lead and not accepting interference from investors. Although this resulted in fewer investments, every work produced was a masterpiece, and the writers and artists who participated in her projects would also advance further because of her projects. However... those she favored were undoubtedly excellent creators.
For Ito Rin, it was an irresistible invitation for Eriri, but for Mashiro... it was not worth mentioning. "I'm sorry, she's part of our club..." Ito Rin put down the proposal, preparing a formalized rejection, but Ito Rin's words were cut off by Akane Kousaka before he could finish.
"You cannot control her talent." Akane Kousaka poured Ito Rin a glass of wine. "You are also a creator; you should understand her talent. This talent is beyond your control. Under your hand, she will only live a mediocre life and never reach a higher stage."
Ito Rin took the sake, took a small sip, and smiled. "Miss Kousaka is right, but... it's not that I'm selfish and won't let her go. I've seen Miss Kousaka's works before; I'm also your fan." Ito Rin paused, then smiled, "It's just that... after that disastrous anime adaptation, I rarely saw Miss Kousaka's name again."
"..." At the mention of that disastrous anime adaptation, Akane Kousaka's cheek twitched, and her knuckles gripping the wine glass turned white from the force. "From then until recent years, Miss Kousaka's name only reappeared."
"That's right... ever since those bastards ruined the anime, I haven't handed over the copyright again." Akane Kousaka tilted her head back and downed the sake in her glass. "I've experienced what it's like for talent to be wasted, so I won't waste other people's talent either."
Ito Rin also drained the wine in his glass, then picked up the bottle and refilled his and Akane Kousaka's glasses. "I also feel that her staying with me is a waste of talent..." "Then hand her over to me!" Akane Kousaka slapped the table, looking excitedly at Ito Rin. "I will never waste it; I will definitely make her stand on the stage! Let everyone know her!"
Facing the fervent Akane Kousaka, Ito Rin remained calm. "I think her staying with me is a waste of talent, and you also think her staying with me is a waste of talent, but... she doesn't think so." "..." Her wine-red lips mumbled, Akane Kousaka was momentarily speechless.
"Miss Kousaka, how long has it been since you truly read a novel or a manga?" "I do every day..." It wasn't Ito Rin who interrupted her, but Akane Kousaka herself stopped. Unlike producers who only look at data and don't hear the true voices of readers, Akane Kousaka takes time every day to read novels and manga, and she even contacts suitable creators when she finds them. But... truly reading a manga? How long has it been since she, a former doujin author, truly read a manga? Akane Kousaka herself was stunned by this question.
"Not from the technique of drawing, not from the technique of writing, but... truly from the perspective of an ordinary reader, to read a manga?" Ito Rin drank the wine in his glass, then poured another, drinking it while subtly observing Akane Kousaka. If she employed some tracking methods, it would be easy to find Mashiro's identity. Perhaps Mashiro herself wouldn't care, but to avoid affecting Mashiro, he had to make her give up her speculation here.
Seeing Akane Kousaka remain silent, Ito Rin continued. "Miss Kousaka, what was your initial reason for creating manga?" Akane Kousaka knew the answer to Ito Rin's question very well; she herself had experienced those years... it wasn't others who had changed, but herself. "Because... of passion."
"That's right, Miss Kousaka has written and drawn both novels and manga. I don't need to say how cruel this industry is. Even a flop manga, as long as it can support oneself, has already surpassed 99% of its peers, but countless people still flock to it every year because of this passion. This proposal is indeed brilliant and tempting. If it were an invitation for her to draw a manga for the Chronicle of the Universe, she might agree, but if it's an RPG game... I'm sorry, I can't do anything. Even the best proposal cannot persuade her."
He didn't know if it was for manga before, or if it was for manga or for lewdness now. "Moreover..." Draining the wine in his glass, Ito Rin stood up. "She doesn't need to stand on a higher stage; she is already the lead on a certain stage."