Lunch Hour.
At a high-end restaurant near Yukinoshita Construction, Su Yu pulled up on his motorcycle.
Inside, Yukinoshita Haruno sat by the window, waving at him playfully.
Su Yu parked, removed his helmet, and walked over to join her.
"So, how does it feel?" Haruno asked, smirking.
"I feel like a medieval knight," Su Yu replied.
"Then, Sir Knight, would you be so kind as to give this damsel a ride?" Haruno teased.
"My current license doesn't allow me to carry passengers," Su Yu reminded her.
"Technically, no. But if you're confident, we could bend the rules," Haruno said, signaling to the waiter.
"If you're not afraid, I can take you to the coast. I'd like to see the ocean," Su Yu said, glancing at his motorcycle.
Haruno chuckled. Then, from her purse, she pulled out a document and slid it across the table.
Su Yu took it, glancing at the bolded text.
He immediately understood—
She had approved his idea.
"I had my assistant investigate. Digital manga platforms are still in their experimental phase in Japan," Haruno began. "But overseas, they've already proven successful. If we control manga copyrights, Future Manga's valuation will skyrocket. To be honest, Su Yu-kun—your idea could be worth tens of billions."
Her violet eyes sparkled with excitement.
Su Yu sipped his water and gave her a flat look.
"That's all you saw?"
Haruno raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"Do you really think this is just about a digital manga app?" Su Yu said, pulling out his own document and handing it to her.
Haruno took it, skimming the first few lines.
Then, her expression changed.
Inside, Su Yu had detailed a full ecosystem—
Revenue-sharing models for digital manga.Web-based platforms with recommendations and advertising slots.Four-panel comics & light novel publishing initiatives.Crowdfunding for anime adaptations, allowing fans to financially support their favorite series.Global manga licensing, animation rights, and merchandising markets.
Haruno read on, her surprise deepening.
If everything in this document became reality—
This platform would far exceed Future Manga Publishing in value.
"Su Yu-kun… this is…"
"The key issue is copyrights. If we secure those, the rest is just logistics. We already own an animation studio and have a stake in Future Manga. All we need next is a video streaming platform to complete the puzzle."
Haruno's fingers tightened around the document.
"A massive entertainment platform?" she whispered.
Su Yu nodded.
"If we build this, it'll become a focal point of the entire industry. Whether it succeeds or fails depends on you."
This kind of business model was already successful in his original world.
Even if he didn't do it, someone else eventually would.
Haruno leaned back, grinning.
"You've given me a hell of a surprise, Su Yu-kun."
Then, her smile faded slightly.
"But… I don't have enough funds for this."
Su Yu blinked.
"You were planning to fund it yourself?"
"I need to break free from Yukinoshita family control," Haruno said, her voice unusually serious.
"So… you're looking for investors?" Su Yu frowned.
Haruno smirked.
"I have a very special asset I could use as collateral," she said, her amethyst eyes locked onto him.
Su Yu's face darkened.
"That wasn't funny."
Haruno didn't blink.
She looked at him like a predator eyeing its prey.
For a moment, Su Yu had the urge to leave.
But since their food had arrived, he stayed.
Post-Lunch.
Haruno excused herself, heading to the restroom.
Su Yu sipped his coffee, staring out the window.
He had a feeling she was calling someone important.
Perhaps even…
The one person capable of shaking the foundations of the Yukinoshita family.
If that person was truly interested in investing in him…
Then—
What the hell was he getting himself into?
A few minutes later, Haruno returned.
She sat down, a pleased expression on her face.
"How did it go?" Su Yu asked.
"500 billion yen."
Su Yu almost spilled his coffee.
"…Excuse me?"
"They're willing to lend you 500 billion yen," Haruno repeated.
She leaned in slightly, studying his reaction.
"If you can't pay it back—then all of your future works, concepts, and ideas will belong to them. Additionally, you'll have to grant them three personal requests."
Su Yu: "…"
"I'm worth that much?"
"I was surprised too," Haruno admitted, smirking. "The contract will be delivered in two hours. You just need to sign it, and boom—500 billion yen is yours."
Su Yu was silent.
Then, after a pause—
"If I take the money, you expect me to hand everything over to you?"
"If your plan fails, I'll compensate you," Haruno said.
Su Yu raised an eyebrow.
"And what exactly is this compensation?"
Haruno smiled—then leaned over and whispered into his ear.
Su Yu's brain short-circuited.
Then, he stared at her.
"You call that compensation? That sounds more like revenge."
"It benefits both of us," Haruno shrugged. "If this works out, I won't have to marry anyone. At worst, my reputation takes a hit."
Haruno calmly stirred her coffee, as if discussing the weather.
Su Yu sighed.
"Let's pray that day never comes."
Haruno chuckled.
"If your plan succeeds, I'll leave the Yukinoshita family and help run your empire."
"How much are you expecting?" Su Yu asked.
"10% of the company," Haruno said.
"5%."
"I figured you'd say that."
Haruno set her cup down.
"But that extra 5% isn't for me…"
Su Yu's eyes narrowed.
"Wait. No matter what happens, you're going through with this?"
"More or less. If you fail, I'll have no other options. But if you succeed, I'll be thrilled—and you should reward me, don't you think?"
Su Yu scoffed.
"If Yukino heard this, she'd probably be even colder to you."
"As long as she never finds out, it'll remain our little secret," Haruno said, grinning.
Then—she gently placed her hand over his.
Su Yu glanced at her, but didn't pull away.
Haruno smiled, tightening her grip slightly.
Su Yu simply sipped his coffee, letting her hold his hand.
This was fine.
As long as things didn't go too far, he could tolerate it.
Haruno watched him closely.
She knew Su Yu wasn't ready to accept anything more.
But that was fine.
She had time.
If Su Yu never relented—she had backup plans.