After breakfast, They went to school—
The Yukinoshita family's construction company had already begun work on the new cafeteria project.
The construction would take about a month to complete.
Since it was located far from the main school building, there was no need to worry about the noise disturbing classes.
The school had also officially issued a notice about it.
The cafeteria wasn't built for profit—it was created for the students' health.
At the same time, news about the investment from Future Comics Publishing House had also spread around.
However, very few knew that Akira Fujimiya was the real owner behind Future Comics Publishing House.
In the meantime, the online Manga platform and the Manga app under Future Comics had gained a certain level of popularity.
Advertisements for them were visible on the vending machines in the corridors and on the walls near the convenience store.
Although such advertising might not drastically increase user numbers, they were still effective in promoting brand awareness.
The students who saw them would talk about it with others, and soon, news about it would spread to other schools.
This kind of indirect exposure made future investments in manga much easier. Other schools might even take the initiative to contact them for collaboration.
As long as the publishing house could promote manga effectively, it would be able to influence an entire generation of young people.
With that foundation, recruiting animators, voice actors, and artists/mangaka in the future would become far easier.
...
Lunch Break—
Just as Akira had expected, almost every student was talking about the manga publishing project.
Many of them downloaded the manga app out of curiosity and discovered that registering an account granted them free manga points, which could be used to read any title on the platform.
{T/N: I have change Comic Points to Manga Points but not changing Future Comic Publishing House name}
As a result, the number of registrations skyrocketed.
In just one morning, Future Comics Publishing House received inquiries from nine different schools.
Not all of them wanted cafeterias; some had other proposals for cooperation.
Hanada Yui accepted all of them without hesitation.
She knew that direct financial returns from such projects would be minimal, but the long-term benefits were enormous—both in terms of talent acquisition and public reputation.
.....
By afternoon, the news that — Future Comics had invested in the school had already made headlines.
Hanada Yui was even interviewed by several reporters.
She clearly stated that Future Comics Publishing House would continue to invest in schools and education in the future, helping students develop their creative potential.
One reporter asked, "Whose idea was this initiative?"
Hanada Yui smiled slightly and answered, "This was our boss's idea."
The reporter nodded and added, "But Future Comics is still in its early development stage. Investing in schools like this doesn't seem to bring much financial benefit to your company, does it?"
Hanada Yui's reply was calm and firm.
"To do good things, you have to be ready for losses. Before we began these investments, Future Comics was already prepared to lose hundreds of millions of yen every year."
.....
In front of the open field managed by the Horticulture Club, several girls with planting experience were giving a demonstration on vegetable cultivation.
Growing vegetables wasn't particularly difficult—it simply required patience and time.
The club president, who came from a family that ran a large vegetable garden, explained the techniques in detail.
After the explanation, everyone began practicing together.
Seeds and tools had already been provided by the school.
Hiratsuka Shizuka, who served as the advisor for both the Student council and Service club was now overseeing the gardening and cooking clubs worked, watched with interest.
Despite her usual strict demeanor, she was surprisingly enthusiastic about growing vegetables.
.....
Meanwhile, on the other side of the school, the Cooking Club had opened the Cooking Classroom.
Its current head was none other than Yukinoshita Yukino.
{T/N: ... Take some rest 😐}
Yukino wasn't just skilled at Japanese cuisine—she could also cook French and Chinese dishes effortlessly.
Desserts were no exception; she handled them with quiet confidence.
Today, the first lesson she taught was how to bake cookies.
It was something most girls could learn quickly… except for one.
"Eh? I followed your instructions exactly, Yukino, so how did mine end up like this?" Yuigahama Yui looked down at the tray in disbelief. The thing in front of her barely resembled a cookie.
Yukino sighed. "Yuigahama-san… I think you should start with something simpler. Maybe basic cooking first."
While everyone else's cookies turned out at least edible, Yui's looked more like pieces of charcoal.
"Is this… edible?" she muttered, staring at her creation.
"It should be fine. Leave it for him," Yukino said suddenly, her lips curving into a faint smile.
Yui blinked in confusion. "Yukino, that smile is kind of scary…"
"That guy's been getting too comfortable lately," Yukino replied softly, gazing out the window. "He deserves a little payback."
.....
At the front gate of Sobu High—
Akira spotted a woman waiting by the gate—she was the one Hanada Yui had mentioned earlier.
Her name was Tsurumi Saori.
{T/N: Fun fact — Saori Hayami is the name of the acclaimed voice actress who voices, Yukino Yukinoshita. }
Dressed in a gray business suit, she stood nervously, her hands clasped together.
"Ms. Tsurumi, you probably don't have much work experience, right?" Akira asked calmly.
"I've worked in convenience stores and supermarkets, but… this is my first time working as a maid," Saori admitted, lowering her head shyly.
"Why did you take this job?" Akira asked after a moment of silence.
"I need the money. My daughter will enter junior high in two years, and I need to save up," she said quietly.
Akira nodded thoughtfully.
"Your work mainly involves helping me purchase items, picking up someone from school, and cooking occasionally. Is your daughter studying nearby?"
"Yes," Saori replied, "She goes to a nearby elementary school. I actually graduated from Sobu High myself."
"I see. Are you renting a place?"
"Yes, a small apartment."
Akira thought for a moment.
"If you want, I can offer you a cheaper place. My apartment, is very close to here."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Really? How much would it cost?"
"If you handle the cleaning at Sakurasou, it'll only be 600,000 yen per year."
"That cheap?" she asked doubtfully.
"Don't worry. My teacher also lives there," Akira replied with a faint smile, noticing her hesitation.
"I'm sorry… may I take a look first?" she asked politely.
"Of course."
Akira gestured toward the car — Nanako Tamura, who was driving today, opened the door.
She had long since taken on the role of his personal driver whenever necessary.
.....
At Sakurasou.
Akira gave a quick tour of the dorm and explained its layout.
Saori was clearly tempted — Her current apartment rent was 800,000 yen a year, and the lease was about to expire.
"To live here, you won't have to pay me directly. The rent can be deducted from your salary. You'll just need to clean the room on the second floor and buy a few pieces of furniture," Akira explained.
Saori nodded immediately.
"Fujimiya-sama, I would like to move in."
It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
"I'll have Hanada Yui prepare the contract. Your duties are technically the same as the maid, but I'll give you the position of assistant—that makes you an employee of Future Comics Publishing House," Akira said.
"Thank you very much, Fujimiya-sama." Saori bowed deeply.
Having that status would indeed make many things easier for her.
Akira then called Hanada Yui to confirm the details of the employment and rental contract.
After the call, Tamura Nanako drove Saori back to prepare for the move.
...
Later that afternoon,
Akira returned to school and found a message waiting for him—from Yukinoshita Yukino.
She asked him to come to the cooking clubroom.
When he arrived, he was greeted by both Yukino and Yui standing near the counter, trays of cookies laid out before them.
"Akira-kun," Yui said nervously, holding out a plate. "These are the cookies I made… Please try them and tell me what you think."
Akira blinked. "You two, seriously…"
He sighed lightly and picked up a cookie.
Both girls stared at him as he took a bite.
"It's… surprisingly okay. A little burnt, but edible," he said after swallowing.
Yukino raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't expect you to actually eat that."
"I'm sorry, Akira-kun! I'll do better next time," Yui said, flustered. She reached for the tray. "Let's just throw these away—"
Akira stopped her hand.
"No need. Pack them up. We shouldn't waste food."
{T/N: Yes }
"But…" she hesitated.
Akira looked at both of them and smirked faintly.
"You two… need to give me a kiss before class."
Yukino blinked in confusion.
"What?"
"Just come." Akira quietly locked the classroom door.
"A-Akira, what are you doing?" Yukino asked, blushing slightly.
Yui looked at Yukino, unsure, but didn't seem particularly worried.
"Yui, you're the obedient one, right?" Akira teased gently, as he get closed to Yui.
Yui's cheeks turned crimson, but she nodded shyly and leaned forward, placing a quick kiss on his cheek.
Akira smiled and patted her head.
"Good Job. My little airhead did well."
He then turned toward Yukino.
Yukino's face was bright red now, and she looked away, pretending to focus on the window.
Akira didn't say anything.
He knew Yukino would never do something like that in front of Yui.
And so.....
...
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Bonus Chapter:-
4 Bonus chapter at 100 powerstone
6 Bonus Chapter at 150 powerstone
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Word Count — 1,620