Chapter 311: Today, I Had to Be Serious!
Chapter 311: Today, I Had to Be Serious!
“Apologize? No way!”
What a joke!
How could things flip so ridiculously fast? One moment she was triumphantly showing off, the next she was supposed to grovel?
Momoko was not that kind of person!
The agent uncle wasn’t surprised by Momoko’s reaction; his little princess had exactly this fiery temper. Still, if he carefully explained the serious consequences to the little lady, surely she’d grasp the precarious situation.
“Ahem.”
With that thought, the uncle quickly cleared his throat twice. He subtly tugged at Momoko’s sleeve, leaning close to murmur a warning.
“Have you forgotten who the original author of this work is? This is someone we absolutely cannot afford to offend!”
“Wasn’t it that Luqiu person you mentioned earlier? I’m hearing the name for the first time. What’s there to be afraid of…”
Momoko rolled her eyes, completely dismissive. She thought to herself, what could that guy possibly do besides leaning on Fujisawa Press to act tough?
“Luqiu is just his pen name! It’s only known to his fans! I’m talking about his nickname!”
Time was tight, no room for beating around the bush. The agent uncle decisively dropped a super-heavy bomb.
“He’s known as—The Pervert Pile-driver! The Human-shaped Walking Artillery! The Underwear Exhibit Hall! The Devotee of Plump Thighs! The Addicted Sexual Harasser! The Unfathomably Crass Magician! He’s the industry’s King of Perverts who has zero inspiration unless he’s a pervert, and becomes an even bigger pervert the moment he gets inspired!”
“What?! You mean… that father figure of the industry who supposedly got the entire editorial department pregnant?!”
The moment she heard that, Momoko instantly understood who the uncle was talking about.
An industry legend!
Bad news travels fast, especially outrageous news like this…
And the people working in this industry? Every one of them had imaginations bigger than the sky! Their top skills were embellishment and creative rewriting. Through wild gossip exaggerated over time, Himekoji’s reputation had unknowingly become utterly terrifying.
For Momoko, the impact of this revelation was infinitely scarier than just hearing “Not Selected”!
The spoiled little princess who always banked on indulgence finally felt real, bone-deep fear in that moment.
Holy crap, no wonder that female editor judge went all out to help him!
The rumours said that the entire Fujisawa Editorial Department had already become that pervert’s degenerate playground…
“Well? Apologize or not?”
The agent uncle glanced at his hotheaded charge, looking like he wouldn’t force her either way.
“I… I don’t wanna be a mom yet…”
As she spoke, it seemed like there was a hint of a frightened sob in her voice.
……
What were that old guy and the kid whispering about over there in the corner?
Whatever, it had nothing more to do with him.
Himekoji had zero interest in sticking around and waiting for an apology.
He bent down smoothly, scooping up the feverish Nanami into his arms. He then tossed his head coolly and walked off without looking back. If that Momoko person tried stirring up more trouble later, he’d let Editor Machida handle it entirely. He couldn’t be bothered wasting time here; Nanami needed rest, and fast.
Before leaving, Himekoji stuffed the contract back into Machida Sonoko’s hands, gave a casual wave, and signaled that he was heading out first.
……
“S-sorr… eh? Per… Teacher Luqiu?”
Momoko had finally mustered up her courage. Steeling herself, she’d decided she’d hold her nose and apologize first to buy safety. Bravely turning around, she opened her mouth, ready to say her piece… but the words “I’m sorry” never fully formed. She suddenly realized something was wrong.
The person she wanted to apologize to had completely vanished! All that remained was a group of security guards “hee hee heeing” dumbly at her.
“U… Uncle? I didn’t even apologize! How come they’re just gone?”
“Seems he doesn’t intend to accept your apology. These next few days… sigh, you better just stay quietly at home.”
“Huh? Doesn’t accept an apology? Doesn’t that mean… Ah! No! Th-there’s nothing to fear! Rumours are just rumours; they can’t be real! All that talk about bizarre pervert incidents happening everywhere… it’s nonsense! I… I absolutely…”
Midway through her forced self-reassurance, Momoko abruptly felt something distinctly off down below.
She was already hyper-sensitive. Her heart did a panicked thud.
Trembling, her small hand fearfully, hesitantly, ventured down… slipping under her skirt—
Cold. Hard. Metallic triangles…
Holy heck!
What was going on?! Where were her fun cartoon cotton underpants?!
Gosh darn it! Her hand even stumbled across a lock on the metal underpants!
……
When Himekoji carried Nanami out of the lobby, Akiko already had a taxi waiting at the door.
Today, Akiko hadn’t clung to Himekoji as usual. Instead, she’d generously decided to lend her Onii-chan to Nanami for the whole day!
She proactively sat in the front passenger seat, leaving the back seats free for Himekoji and Nanami.
The car traveled along the straight road. Beside Himekoji, Nanami sat hunched slightly, her back curled inward.
Maybe she’d given up trying to hide her discomfort, or perhaps she simply couldn’t hide it anymore. In the quiet silence of the car, fierce coughs occasionally tore from her throat.
Akiko remained silent. Himekoji didn’t know what to say. Surprisingly, it was Nanami who broke the silence first.
The girl spoke in a voice so weak it was almost disappearing, using the Kansai dialect.
“Gomen nasai…” (I’m sorry…)
“Didn’t I tell you no more apologizing?”
Himekoji truly didn’t know how else to comfort her at this point.
“I caused you trouble… I caused Akiko trouble too… Gomen nasai…”
Ignoring Himekoji, Nanami continued muttering her apologies.
As she went on, it became harder to tell it was the Kansai dialect. Each time her hoarse voice escaped, it twisted your heart.
Her usual voice was clear and strong, but now, all that was gone. Nanami seemed to have lost all her confidence, looking nothing like her usual self—frail and utterly lost.
The number of apologies Himekoji had heard from Nanami today already surpassed the total number from all the time he’d known her before this day. He’d thought she might be a little better after her big cry back in the lobby, but he was wrong. Only now did Himekoji realize how drastically he’d underestimated just how damaging this failure had been to her.
“I… I’m just the worst.”
“No, you’re not! How could you be? Not at all. Look, stop thinking about it for now. Just rest properly.”
“But… but it’s true… Even you said it, Himekoji. You said I pushed myself too hard… that I was being reckless… that I was too stubborn. Said I shouldn’t take everything upon myself… And here I am. I took on so many things, convinced I could handle them, and ended up messing them all up.”
“So that’s why I said you should try leaning on others sometimes.”
Himekoji turned his gaze away, unable to bear seeing Nanami’s tear-streaked face.
“…Is it really okay?”
“Of course.”
“But… if I lean on someone once… I might end up wanting to lean on them again…”
“Then lean on them again! A second time, a third, a fourth… you can lean on them as many times as you want. No problem at all.”
“That really doesn’t sound like something Himekoji would say…”
“Because the current Aoyama doesn’t seem like herself either.”
Nanami didn’t know why she felt so weak today. She had felt much better after leaving the lobby earlier, but the moment she got in the car, the self-pity and tears returned.
No, maybe she did know. Deep down, Nanami was clear—
She was doing this to fish for comfort from Himekoji. She wanted his kindness.
How despicable.
She knew she shouldn’t, but still… she couldn’t help it.
If not for this, she felt certain this failure would have completely crushed her.
Humans are like that—tensing up for too long only makes them more fragile.
…
Tears welled in her eyes as she desperately tried to hold them back. Nanami pressed her burning palm against the back of Himekoji’s hand.
Himekoji was startled at first, but his body moved strangely on its own. His hand flipped over instinctively, wrapping tightly around Nanami’s to hold it firmly.
Silently, Himekoji hoped to convey “You’ve worked so hard” through the warmth of his palm.
Nanami, speechless like a child, hesitated only a moment before entwining her fingers with his.
Her other free hand kept swiping at her tears.
Until they got home, Himekoji did nothing but listen quietly to the muffled sobs Nanami fought so hard to hold in.
Akiko watched all of this in the rearview mirror from the back seat.
She chose to turn a blind eye, not saying a word.
…
Back home.
Nanami drank the porridge Himekoji made and obediently took her medicine.
But after finishing, she made no move to lie down and rest. Instead, she half-sat propped against the headboard, tilting her flushed face up to look at Himekoji.
Himekoji grew nervous under her gaze. Uncomfortable, he finally asked: “Hmm? Don’t you want to sleep?”
“Probably wants Onii-chan to sleep with her.”
Akiko, biting back her thoughts all day, finally couldn’t resist blurting out a sour comment.
“N-no! Not that!”
Nanami’s face, already red from the fever, flushed even hotter. She hastily denied it.
“Pfft, alright, alright. I won’t disturb Nanami’s rest. Mashiro wants me to go to the bookstore with her, so I’m heading out.”
Akiko shook her head deciding magnanimously to give her brother an opening.
After all, she had the proper grace as his sister—no need to compete with someone who was sick.
Sticking around to watch him would be pointless and just create awkwardness anyway.
“Shiina asked you to go with her?”
Himekoji had actually planned to join Mashiro once Nanami fell asleep. He owed her that much after promising earlier.
“Yeah, Mashiro said Onii-chan should focus on taking care of Nanami.”
Akiko said breezily, waving as she headed out the door.
“I’ll be fine. I’m going to sleep soon anyway. Himekoji, maybe you and Akiko should both go with Mashiro to the bookstore?”
Nanami felt guilty Himekoji had already wasted his entire morning on her.
“I…”
Though Nanami said that, Himekoji found himself suddenly unsure.
Just then, his phone pinged with a message notification.
A text from Mashiro.
[—Compensation. Accompany me next release day, the one after, and the one after that.]
That was all it said.
[—Yeah. Got it.]
Himekoji replied briefly.
He breathed a silent sigh of relief internally—no more struggling over this choice.
Because, just like Mashiro said in her text: for her, the next release day, and the one after that… would arrive soon enough.
Mashiro’s manga was amazing!
…
“I’ll stay and look after Nanami.”
Himekoji put his phone away, looking up.
The decision felt simple and clear now.
No one could feel good leaving a sick person home alone.
“Speaking of which, Aoyama… you were watching me like that. Did you want to say something?”
“Mm…”
Nanami hesitated for a moment. “What Himekoji said earlier… you meant it, right?”
“What?”
“The thing about… me relying on you…”
Seeming embarrassed, Nanami suddenly twisted and turned slightly, her gaze darting away from Himekoji. But soon, she peeked shyly back at him.
“Of course I meant it. Doesn’t Aoyama help me a lot too? If there’s anything I can ever do for you, I’ll try my absolute best.”
Little did Himekoji know, his reckless boast instantly roused the System, which eagerly leaped out to cause chaos…
An option, triggered…
【Ding!】
【Choose—】
【A: Help Nanami with everything you’ve got! Take off all her sweaty clothes because of the fever! Sticky and sweaty, she must feel awful!】
【B: Help Nanami with everything you’ve got! Make her even stickier and sweatier! When sticky and sweaty reaches a certain point, it stops feeling awful and starts feeling awesome!】
Damn it! Didn’t options like this just pop up for Momoko?!
Why again?!
With the mood like this, ‘Pervert’ just didn’t fit at ALL!
He’d pretended to be decent in front of Nanami all day!
Please, don’t make him ruin the respectable image he’d worked so hard to build!
…
…