Ryunosuke arrived at Fushikawa Publishing, but he hadn't anticipated such a high-voltage reception. The fact that the CEO himself had come out to greet him was already overkill.
Ryunosuke let out a resigned sigh. "What on earth did Hiyori tell them? Why is everyone looking at me like a mouse staring at a cat?"
The staff members, meanwhile, were thinking: (How could we not panic? Who would dare be disrespectful to the Big Boss's future son-in-law?)
To make matters even more intense, word was spreading that the Chairman's wife—Hiyori's mother—was currently en route to the office.
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Hiyori's mother was named Shiina Yuna. At this very moment, she was enthusiastically flooring it in her luxury Porsche 718 Boxster Convertible, racing toward the office with the top down.
She was absolutely ecstatic! How could she not be? Her precious daughter finally had a boyfriend!
As a side note, she was keeping this a complete secret from her husband. She knew he was a chronic "daughter-con" who was fiercely possessive; if he found out, he'd likely skip the introductions and go straight to a rampage. For now, only Yuna and the inner circle at the company were in the loop.
"I have to keep this under wraps. That overprotective husband of mine cannot find out yet..." Yuna muttered to herself.
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Back at the office, Ryunosuke was experiencing five-star service he hadn't asked for. The CEO was personally pouring his tea, while the Vice Director was busy manually fanning him, hovering anxiously to ask if the room temperature was to his liking.
Ryunosuke felt awkward enough to point out, "You guys have central air conditioning! There's really no need for human-powered fans."
His heart was far from calm. He was only just beginning to realize the sheer scale of the wealth behind Hiyori's family.
As Ryunosuke took a sip of his tea, the door swung open. One of the highest authorities at Fushikawa, Yuna herself, stepped into the room.
The staff scattered instantly with practiced precision. Even the most stunning secretary made a hasty exit to avoid any suspicion of eavesdropping.
Yuna sauntered over to Ryunosuke, clasping her hands together and beaming at him with a wide, radiant smile.
"So, you're Hiyori-chan's boyfriend? My name is Shiina Yuna, her mother. Come on, try calling me 'Mother-in-law'~"
Ryunosuke stood up immediately and gave a respectful bow to the mature woman before him. "Mother-in-law," he addressed her, following her lead.
Yuna tilted her head back with a look of immense pride and satisfaction. She then pulled out a novel manuscript she had written herself and asked Ryunosuke to critique it. She was an aspiring author too, but to be blunt... her writing was atrocious. If it weren't for her husband pouring money into marketing her works, her writing career would have flatlined years ago.
Yuna suspected as much, but writing was her dream! She wasn't about to give up. Luckily, the young man in front of her was a bona fide genius who had climbed to the top of the charts as a newcomer. She wanted his professional eye to find her flaws.
Ryunosuke began to read his mother-in-law's draft.
Uh... how to put it? The word "bad" felt like an understatement. If he had to compare it to anything, the narrative structure was as disastrous as King's Game.
However, this was his mother-in-law. He couldn't exactly be a hatchet man. Ryunosuke tried to soften the blow. "Um, Auntie Yuna..."
"Just 'Mother-in-law'!" Yuna interjected, her eyes sparkling.
Yuna's face was as beautiful as someone in her 20s, likely due to a flawless skincare routine. Calling her "Auntie" did feel a bit mismatched with her youthful appearance, so Ryunosuke switched back. "Mother-in-law."
Yuna looked satisfied. She sat down on the sofa next to him and prodded again. "So? What do you think of my novel?"
Ryunosuke was in a bind. If he told her it was garbage, would his relationship with Hiyori be sabotaged?
Yuna seemed to sense his hesitation. She assured him it was fine and told him to speak the honest truth. Since he had been given the green light, Ryunosuke finally relented.
"To be honest, Mother-in-law... this novel is quite cliché and, well, a bit boring..."
The sentence hit Yuna like a bolt of lightning. She froze in place, looking as if her soul had left her body. A literal wisp of white smoke seemed to escape her mouth; she was utterly devastated.
Ryunosuke thought: (You were the one who told me to be honest! Don't blame me!)
After a moment, Yuna recovered and forced a smile. "Then... is it still salvageable?"
Facing the plea of his mother-in-law, Ryunosuke hesitated before saying, "Mother-in-law, why push yourself? You're already incredibly wealthy. Why fight for a crust of bread in the harsh world of literature?"
Yuna slammed her hand on the table. "What are you saying?! This is my dream! How can I just give up?"
Fine, Ryunosuke surrendered. He began marking every problematic section in the manuscript. Whether it would actually help, he wasn't sure, but he gave it his best effort.
Yuna clutched her corrected manuscript and gave him a sweet, thankful smile. The sight made Ryunosuke freeze for a second. The way she smiled was carbon-copied from the first time he met Hiyori in the school library.
Yuna tilted her head cutely and waved a hand in front of his face. Ryunosuke snapped out of it, feeling a flush of embarrassment.
"Sorry, Mother-in-law. For a moment there, you looked exactly like Hiyori did when we first met. I got a bit distracted."
Yuna covered her mouth and giggled. "It's fine. We are mother and daughter, after all. It's only natural we share similarities."
Ryunosuke watched her laugh and felt a wave of awe. It was uncanny. Every gesture was identical to Hiyori's. Yuna's face was an 80-90% match for her daughter—the same large violet eyes and the same silvery-white hair.
The only difference was that Yuna wore her hair in a short, wavy bob, perhaps a deliberate choice to avoid being mistaken for her daughter. If people saw them together on the street, they would easily be mistaken for sisters.
Yuna stopped her teasing, tucked her manuscript away, and prepared to leave. She told him to wait a moment longer, as she had already sent someone to fetch his royalty payment. Ryunosuke nodded, promising to wait patiently.