Chapter 3
Minato smiled.
"Dao."
Takatsuki Sen tilted her head.
"An adult's... selfishness?"
"You could think of it that way."
Minato extended his hand.
"Then please take care of me from now on, Gao Baixian A."
Takatsuki Sen stretched out her hand like a small, adorable animal.
Big hand holding little hand.
That was the beginning of fate.
---
"Hey, Mr. Minato."
Takatsuki Sen rested her chin on one hand while taking a break from writing and watched Minato clean.
"You're surprisingly good at housework."
"By the way, you're in your twenties, right?"
"Aren't you planning to find a girlfriend?"
Minato had been her first editor.
But over the years, she had never seen him interact with another woman.
His entire life seemed to revolve around her.
For some reason—
That pleased Takatsuki Sen.
Minato sighed.
"If Takatsuki Sen could submit manuscripts on time and cooperate during events, I'd probably already be married."
"No way."
Takatsuki Sen slowly sat up.
Because she was wearing lounge clothes, her figure was especially noticeable.
She looked at him softly.
"I think..."
"Mr. Minato will always revolve around me."
Minato rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah."
"I'll always stay loyal to Takatsuki Sen."
If this had happened years ago—
He definitely would have reacted differently.
"Your heart's beating fast."
Takatsuki Sen suddenly leaned closer.
After hearing exactly what she wanted—
A sly smile appeared.
"Mr. Minato really does have special feelings for me."
"Tsk."
Minato clicked his tongue.
Even after all these years—
He still could not handle this little devil.
"Really?"
Takatsuki Sen reached out and gently touched his face.
Her beautiful eyes shimmered softly.
"If I agreed to become Mr. Minato's girlfriend..."
"Could I...?"
Minato admitted it.
His heartbeat genuinely sped up.
"Could you let me skip one manuscript submission?"
The moment those words left her mouth—
Minato instantly became like a seasoned monk.
Completely unmoved.
He sneered.
Then suddenly—
Wrapped his arms around her.
"!"
Takatsuki Sen froze.
She had not expected her editor to actually act.
Unfortunately—
She had misunderstood.
"Pigeon."
"Die!"
Minato executed a swift throw.
A clean, decisive takedown.
"Cough—!"
Takatsuki Sen crashed onto the floor.
It hurt.
A lot.
For several seconds—
She genuinely could not get back up.
Minato looked down at her coldly.
"Pigeon."
"Get up and finish your manuscript."
Clutching her stomach, Takatsuki Sen slowly stood.
Then stared at him like he was absolute trash.
"You actually did that to a young girl in the prime of her life."
Minato struck an overly dramatic tough-guy pose.
Which looked ridiculous while wearing a pink apron.
"Get back to work."
"Okay, okay..."
Sweating slightly, Takatsuki Sen reluctantly returned to her desk.
---
Minato spent the entire afternoon at Takatsuki Sen's house supervising her work.
Cleaning.
Restocking snacks.
Making dinner.
Taking care of miscellaneous chores.
Almost everything fell to him.
As for why things had developed this far—
Probably because he had simply gotten used to looking after her.
Takatsuki Sen had no family.
Ever since meeting her—
Minato had naturally taken responsibility for many things.
Partly because he wanted the great author to keep producing amazing stories.
But partly—
There was something else.
Calling it love felt wrong.
Calling it simple affection also felt inaccurate.
Calling it family?
That felt strange too.
Maybe—
He simply could not stop worrying about her.
He wanted her to live well.
Nothing more.
After all—
Without Takatsuki Sen's writing—
Things would have been much harder for him back then.
Over the years he had worked with many authors.
But somehow—
Takatsuki Sen was the only one who truly clicked with him.
"You already finished all the apples?"
Minato opened the refrigerator.
Empty.
Completely empty.
"Do you really like apples that much?"
"Mhm."
Takatsuki Sen swung her pale legs casually.
For certain people—
That sight alone might have been dangerous.
Minato organized the refrigerator.
Japan's garbage-sorting rules were practically torture.
"Why do you like apples so much?"
Takatsuki Sen looked up.
"Guess."
"Fine."
"Don't tell me."
Minato continued cleaning.
"You really have no sense of romance, Editor-Sir."
Takatsuki Sen sighed dramatically.
She had genuinely hoped he would figure it out.
Why apples?
Because long ago—
The brightest memory she had—
Was sharing an apple.
That man had given her his last food.
"Will having romance help you submit manuscripts on time?"
"Hmm..."
"No."
"Then that's settled."
Takatsuki Sen sighed heavily.
"Editor-Sir."
"You should really study how to make girls happy."
"No need."
Minato shook his head.
He had no interest in troublesome things.
Not in his previous life.
Not now.
---
Silence filled the room.
Minato prepared plans for Takatsuki Sen's upcoming book release.
Takatsuki Sen focused on writing.
Otherwise—
Her editor would remind her exactly how cruel reality could be.
Finally—
Around ten at night—
She finished everything.
"Phew..."
"Finally done."
Takatsuki Sen pushed her laptop aside.
Exhaustion covered her face.
"If you didn't save everything until the last day, you wouldn't be this tired."
Minato picked up her computer.
Then emailed the manuscript to himself.
"Writing under pressure has no soul."
Takatsuki Sen lay across the desk.
Watching him read.
This guy really is handsome.
She thought quietly.
"Excuses."
Minato rolled his eyes.
She had simply procrastinated too much.
"Hehe."
The room became quiet again.
Only keyboard taps.
Clock ticks.
And breathing.
Thirty minutes later—
Minato finished reviewing the manuscript.
"Not bad."
He nodded.
Even rushed—
This draft barely needed revisions.
Good.
Maybe tonight—
He could sleep before three in the morning.
But then—
He noticed silence.
Too much silence.
Looking over—
He saw Takatsuki Sen asleep.
Sleeping quietly—
She looked almost angelic.
Her peaceful expression was soft.
Gentle.
Like a princess asleep.
"Sigh..."
"Still just a kid."
Minato quietly walked over.
Carefully removed her glasses.
Then gently picked her up.
He had done this countless times before.
He laid her on the bed.
Pulled the blanket over her.
Then quietly whispered—
"Goodnight, Quan."
The reason he still sometimes used that name—
Was a secret shared only between them.
Not something outsiders needed to know.
After making sure she was comfortable—
Minato cleaned up.
Then quietly left.
A faint smile lingered on Takatsuki Sen's sleeping face.
Beautiful.
Peaceful.
---
Chapter 4
Minato walked toward the bus stop beneath his umbrella.
His apartment was quite far from Takatsuki Sen's home.