Takumi woke up, tired and weak.
He moved his hands slightly and found Shiori sleeping in bed, her long black hair spread over the quilt.
"What's wrong?"
Takumi frowned. He remembered he was with Alice and fell asleep... How is it that when he woke up, the person next to him had become Shiori? And when he returned home, he felt nothing.
"My body hurts a lot...".
He felt that his body also had a painful sensation, as if he had taken medicine, but Takumi took it for granted that trying on clothes the night before was too exhausting.
Many people say that accompanying a woman shopping is very tiring, and it's true. Of course, this pain could not bother Takumi. He closed his eyes and began to breathe throughout his body.
It was a wonderful sensation, as if active oil had circulated through his body several times. Takumi's body was slightly warm and returned to normal after a few minutes. The pain almost disappeared.
"Hey, wake up, Shiori!"
Takumi woke her up by shaking her. Shiori lifted her head confused and saw him get out of bed. She was stunned for a moment, then ran with red eyes and hugged him tightly.
"...Great, Takumi... You're okay..." Her voice was a little choked, which surprised Takumi: "What's wrong with you? What happened?"
"No... Nothing happened." Shiori let go of Takumi, wiped her eyes, forced a smile, and said: "I missed you."
Takumi thought she was a little strange and was about to ask clearly, but the door opened.
"Hey... Takumi. Are you up? Why did you sleep so soundly last night?" Aika was at the door. Seeing Takumi get up, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she smiled and said: "Get up and brush your teeth quickly, Tomato and the others should be coming to work soon."
Takumi looked at the time; it was seven-thirty. He told Shiori, got up, and went to the bathroom:
"Shiori, hurry up too and eat early." Aika turned and told Shiori: "Do you have classes today?"
"No, Aika-san. I don't want to go anywhere today."
Shiori shook her head. She just wanted to be with Takumi. Even if he had to work, she wanted to observe from the side. After Aika left, Shiori discovered that her phone had received a text message. It was a message from Alice.
"Shiori, I'm sorry, last night I was too impulsive. My husband has health problems and can't get me pregnant. My family has always believed it was my problem. I want a child, but I don't want to look for anyone else. That's why
I was so impulsive with Takumi..." "Perhaps I wasn't born to be a mother. Please don't tell Takumi. He is very naive. He will be hurt if he knows. I won't be impulsive again..."
Shiori didn't read it anymore. She deleted the message.
After deleting it, she was still worried, so she sent a message: "I don't believe anything you say. I'll help you hide it this time. You can help Takumi at work. I don't want him to have a hard time."
"But I'll keep an eye on you. If you do anything again, I promise I can do anything..."
In Shiori's eyes, Alice is a dangerous enemy. She is full of mystery. In the past, Alice said she wasn't interested in Takumi, and Shiori really believed her at the time.
Last night's incident taught her a lesson. She won't make the same mistake again. Whatever Alice said, Shiori didn't want to believe her, much less sympathize.
"If I pity her, who will pity me?"
Shiori asked, furious.
The woman's farce came to an end. In the following days, the dispute between Takumi and Kanto Manga Company entered a countdown.
Ryoma stayed in Osaka for two weeks. This handsome boy initially said he wouldn't leave until Alice appeared. But he finally left because Weekly Boutique sales dropped drastically in the second week.
Unlike the popularity of the first week, Ryoma does not belong to the manga industry. His influence comes and goes quickly. Although Weekly Boutique's total sales have increased, it's difficult to recover them.
After a few weeks of effervescence, under Takumi's supervision and management, Haibara Ai's popularity increased, and the magazine's sales also gradually increased, almost at the same growth rate as Weekly Boutique.
Kanto Manga Company's plan to rely on Ryoma to gain a sudden advantage failed. Ryoma saw his influence decrease and that there was no hope of expelling Alice, so he had no choice but to leave.
"I still have some concerts in Tokyo and other Japanese cities, so I'll be back for a while."
However, as he left, Ryoma couldn't help but announce: "Don't worry, I'll be back in Osaka soon and give a concert here!"
Ryoma left like a vagabond. When he appeared, he caused a sensation, but staying in Osaka didn't help Kanto overwhelm Mirai-sensei, but rather shattered the myth of "influence."
However, Ryoma is, undoubtedly, a dazzling person. Even when he left Osaka, thousands of fans saw him off. He smiled at the camera, like a victorious general returning from the battlefield.
"It's really exasperating!" Tomato was annoyed by Ryoma's smile before he left: "Why is he so callous?"
Takumi laughed at his complaint.
"How can you be an idol if you don't have thick skin?"
What idol or actor in this world doesn't have thick skin? Ryoma's departure was a wise decision. It had nothing to do with manga, and it would be difficult for him to have a big impact on this industry.
He became popular once when he arrived in Osaka, and leaving before it calmed down had more advantages than disadvantages.
"Concert..."
What worries Takumi the most is this. Ryoma has a cooperative relationship with Kanto Manga Company, related to Alice. Ryoma probably knows very well about Hinotori Publishing. Leaving this time doesn't mean giving up.
Hinotori Publishing will celebrate Mirai-sensei's anniversary in July. Although it hasn't been publicly announced, it cannot be hidden from Kanto. If Ryoma wants to attack Hinotori Publishing, his concert could be held at roughly the same time. If
he cannot defeat the manga industry, he will start with the entertainment industry. The stage with bright lights is where Ryoma can best demonstrate his strength.
Of course, this may be a fantasy, but Takumi doesn't know the specific relationship between Ryoma and Alice, and now he has made the worst assumption.
This assumption has nothing to do with the current situation; Ryoma has only been here for a short time, but Kanto Manga Company has surpassed Mirai-sensei's sales.
In June, when Tomato finished drawing the last panel of the manga's background, he said: "Done...".
A month later, the second issue of the "Mirai Manga" manga was completed. Being a monthly magazine, its launch is scheduled for Monday, June 8th.
Will weekday sales be able to replicate the previous popularity?
- - - - - - - -
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