Not long after, Ryunosuke received his royalties in the form of a check. He tucked it safely into his pocket and prepared to say his goodbyes. However, Sonoko arrived, trailing Utaha behind her, to intercept him.
"Hello there, young man~ Do you have a moment for a quick introduction?"
Sonoko nudged Utaha forward, gesturing for her to speak up and get straight to the point. Sonoko herself played the part of the lookout, glancing nervously left and right to ensure no one was watching them.
Despite a flicker of reluctance, Utaha stepped forward, extended her hand, and addressed Ryunosuke.
"Hello. My name is Kasumigaoka Utaha. I'm a fan of yours."
Ryunosuke shook her hand politely, though his voice carried a hint of confusion. "A fan? You know who I am?"
Utaha smiled, reflexively crossing her arms—an action that only served to accentuate her bust—and replied with a touch of her signature sarcasm: "Of course I do. You're quite famous, Money is Evil-sensei."
Ryunosuke's brow twitched. Had he not known that this was simply her natural temperament, he would have assumed her cynical tone was a deliberate attempt to pick a fight.
Sonoko slapped her own forehead.
"Utaha-chan! Is that any way to start a conversation?!" she muttered, mortified by her author's behavior.
Utaha invited Ryunosuke to join them for a meal, claiming she wanted to properly thank him for his help in saving her novel from total failure.
Ryunosuke certainly remembered the incident. In truth, he had only done it to make Hiyori happy, as she was a huge fan of Love Metronome. He hadn't intended to actually meet Utaha. After all, his roster of girlfriends was already overflowing; he had no desire to add another to the list...
Utaha, however, had other ideas. She had come with the intent of repaying her debt, and she had even considered the possibility of offering herself up or starting a whirlwind romance. She traced the rim of her glass with a finger and said with a smile:
"Money is Evil-sensei, I don't actually know your real name. Would you mind telling me?"
In the publishing world, authors rarely revealed their real identities for security reasons. Utaha's request was technically overstepping, but Ryunosuke didn't plan on staying in the novel industry for long anyway. With so many powerful wives and high-quality "soft rice" to eat, why would he bother working hard?
Ryunosuke stated his name without hesitation. "My name is Akasaka Ryunosuke. Just call me Akasaka. Or Ryunosuke."
Utaha seemed immensely satisfied with the answer. She took a sip of her drink.
"In that case, from now on, I'll call you Ryunosuke-kun~" she said teasingly, resting her chin on her hand.
Ryunosuke's brow twitched again. He hadn't expected her to get so familiar as to jump straight to his given name. In Japan, using a first name was usually reserved for married couples, childhood friends, or the closest of companions.
Ryunosuke raised his glass and took a drink. "You should stick to Akasaka. 'Ryunosuke' isn't a name you're permitted to use. That privilege has already been claimed."
Utaha frowned, catching the implication in his tone—that the "claimant" was almost certainly a woman. She knew she was beautiful, yet the man in front of her seemed completely immune to her charms.
Reluctantly, she switched to calling him Akasaka. She had no choice; it was their first meeting, and if she stayed too aggressive, she feared she might truly repel him. However, her "mischievous" leg began to move under the table, brushing against Ryunosuke's own.
Ryunosuke scowled. He reached under the table, caught Utaha's ankle, and said with a tone of clear displeasure: "Kasumigaoka-san, please mind your manners."
Sonoko barely dared to breathe.
(Utaha-chan! This was not the plan! You said you just wanted to say thank you—why are you playing footsie?!)
(He's the future son-in-law of my boss's boss! If you keep this up, I'm going to lose my job!)
Sonoko bowed her head low, trying to vanish into the scenery while chanting a quiet mantra, "Don't look at me, don't look at me, don't look at me..."
Ryunosuke and Utaha locked eyes in a tense standoff.
Eventually, Utaha withdrew her leg and said with a note of disappointment, "It seems Akasaka-kun already has someone in his heart? And here I was, intending to repay your kindness with a romance. What a shame."
Ryunosuke replied flatly: "There's no need. A good girl like you shouldn't waste her time on me."
Utaha brushed him off. "Isn't it tradition to repay a life-saver by offering oneself in marriage?"
Ryunosuke interjected: "As I recall, I didn't save your life... I only saved your book."
Utaha countered: "Don't be like that. To an author, a novel is their child—it's the same as their own life. You saved my novel, which means you saved my child, which is the same as saving my life. Therefore, you have to marry me!"
"How did the topic jump the tracks this badly?!" Ryunosuke was starting to feel overwhelmed.
(What is wrong with this woman? Her logic is getting more nonsensical by the second.)
Utaha continued her offensive. For a man she had set her sights on, there was no such thing as giving up. Feelings could be built later; the important thing was establishing the connection. Exhausted, Ryunosuke finally gave her his contact information just so she would let him go.
Utaha waved her phone at him. "Call me often, Darling~"
Ryunosuke ignored her. He grabbed his suitcase and made a swift exit. As soon as he was out of sight, he immediately blocked Utaha's contact on his phone and set his device to reject calls from unknown numbers to prevent her from simply switching phones.
This was the first time in his life he had encountered a woman so utterly troublesome.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Back at the table, Utaha didn't give chase. This was enough for now; if she pushed too hard, she risked being truly hated. Sonoko let out a long, weary sigh.
"Why do you have to be like this, Utaha-chan? A girl as beautiful as you—why are you chasing someone else's boyfriend? There are plenty of better men out there."
Utaha stretched. "You wouldn't understand, old lady. This is what they call love."
A vein popped on Sonoko's forehead. "He-he... Old lady... How many times do I have to tell you! DON'T CALL ME AN OLD LADY!!!"
Sonoko screamed at Utaha with such force that a bit of spit landed on Utaha's face.
Utaha wiped her face with a tissue, a look of pure disgust on her features.
"Old lady, did you forget to brush your teeth?"
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