Chapter 99: The Offer He Should Refuse

Chapter 99: Chapter 99: The Offer He Should Refuse

Haruki met the heiress on a Friday.

He didn’t know she was an heiress.

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Which was exactly how she preferred it.

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The meeting happened because of Sora.

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Naturally.

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At this point Haruki suspected Sora personally knew half the entertainment industry.

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The other half probably knew him.

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The creator gathering occupied the upper floor of a bookstore café again.

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Editors.

Artists.

Writers.

Publishers.

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The usual chaos.

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Haruki arrived twenty minutes late.

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Sora immediately complained.

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"You’re becoming predictable."

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"That’s not how that word works."

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"It is if I say it confidently."

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A terrible argument.

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An effective one.

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Several nearby creators laughed.

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Haruki regretted attending already.

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Then he noticed someone unfamiliar.

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A young woman sitting alone near the window.

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Black coat.

Elegant posture.

Notebook open.

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Watching.

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Not participating.

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Observing.

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The distinction mattered.

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No.

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Absolutely not.

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The phrase was banned.

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The woman noticed him looking.

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Their eyes met briefly.

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Then she returned to her notebook.

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Conversation resumed.

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Creators argued about publishing.

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Editors argued about deadlines.

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Sora argued about everything.

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Normal.

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Half an hour later, Haruki stepped away to buy coffee.

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When he returned, the seat beside the mysterious woman was empty.

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The seat across from her wasn’t.

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Unfortunately.

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Because she was now sitting there.

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Directly opposite him.

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Wonderful.

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Absolutely wonderful.

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The woman closed her notebook.

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"Threadless Gate."

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Not a question.

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Haruki nodded.

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The woman extended a hand.

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"Rika Tachibana."

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The surname felt familiar.

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Very familiar.

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Then realization struck.

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"Sora?"

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The woman sighed.

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Immediately.

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Deeply.

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Professionally.

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"Unfortunately."

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Haruki laughed.

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The answer arrived too quickly to be fake.

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Good sign.

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Very good sign.

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The conversation began naturally.

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Manga.

Readers.

Industry events.

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Nothing unusual.

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Then Rika casually dismantled three publishing strategies in under two minutes.

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Haruki blinked.

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Because the analysis felt frighteningly precise.

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Not creator precise.

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Executive precise.

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The difference mattered.

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No.

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Still banned.

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Rika noticed his expression.

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Then smiled slightly.

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"You figured it out."

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Haruki frowned.

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"Figured out what?"

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The woman tapped her notebook.

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"My family owns Tachibana Media."

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Silence.

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Actual silence.

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Haruki stared.

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Because Tachibana Media wasn’t small.

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Not remotely.

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Publishing.

Streaming.

Animation investments.

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One of the largest entertainment groups in Japan.

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And Sora’s family owned it.

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Everything suddenly made much more sense.

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And much less.

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"Wait."

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A pause.

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"Sora is rich?"

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Rika looked genuinely confused.

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"Very."

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Wonderful.

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Absolutely wonderful.

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The information somehow made Haruki trust Sora less and more simultaneously.

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A difficult achievement.

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Rika laughed.

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Then surprised him.

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"He never tells people."

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"Why?"

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The answer arrived immediately.

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"He wants them to like him first."

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The statement lingered.

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Because it sounded exactly like something Sora would do.

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The conversation continued.

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Gradually.

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Comfortably.

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Until Rika asked a dangerous question.

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The most dangerous type.

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An honest one.

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"Which publisher are you choosing?"

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Haruki sighed.

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The problem returned.

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Contracts.

Offers.

Future.

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Everything.

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Rika listened carefully.

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Then asked another question.

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"What do you want five years from now?"

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Not:

Which offer pays more?

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Not:

Which company is strongest?

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Five years.

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The future.

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Haruki thought.

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Actually thought.

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The answer took time.

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Then:

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"I want to build stories that matter."

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Rika nodded.

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Satisfied.

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Then she said something that immediately became the most dangerous advice he’d received all month.

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"Then don’t choose the publisher that wants your current success."

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A pause.

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"Choose the one willing to survive your future failure."

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The café noise disappeared.

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Not literally.

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Mentally.

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Because the statement struck something important.

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Every publisher loved Chapter Twenty-Two.

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Every publisher loved the tournament.

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Every publisher loved growth.

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But failure?

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Mistakes?

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Career setbacks?

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A completely different question.

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Before Haruki could respond, another voice interrupted.

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"See?"

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Sora appeared.

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Like a curse.

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A friendly curse.

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The worst variety.

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His sister immediately looked annoyed.

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A familiar expression.

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Very familiar.

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Apparently sibling relationships functioned the same regardless of wealth.

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Good.

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Comforting.

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The argument started instantly.

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Not serious.

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Not polite.

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Human.

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Sora mocked corporate strategy.

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Rika mocked creator optimism.

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Neither side won.

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Both continued.

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Haruki watched in disbelief.

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Because for the first time, somebody genuinely interrupted the flow of a scene.

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No clean lesson.

No elegant conclusion.

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Just two siblings arguing.

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Messy.

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Real.

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Refreshing.

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Eventually Haruki left the gathering.

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Night covered the city.

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The streets glowed beneath neon lights.

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His phone buzzed.

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System Notification.

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Creator’s Crossroads

Progress:

68%

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New Evaluation:

Future-Oriented Thinking Detected

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Potential Reward Tier Increased

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Current Warning:

Major career decision approaching.

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The notification vanished.

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For once, Haruki agreed.

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Because the contracts weren’t just business anymore.

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They were direction.

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And direction mattered more than success.

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Back at his apartment, another surprise waited.

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An envelope.

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Physical.

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Actual paper.

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Addressed to him.

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No sender listed.

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No company logo.

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No explanation.

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Haruki frowned.

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Then opened it.

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Inside sat a single photograph.

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An old creator conference.

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Several faces circled in red ink.

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One of them:

Kuroda.

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Another:

Unknown.

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A third:

Crossed out completely.

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On the back, someone had written five words.

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Ask Kuroda about Project Ghost.

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Haruki stared.

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Then looked at the photograph again.

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The mystery had moved.

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Not much.

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Enough.

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And for the first time since the leak began, a new question emerged.

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Not who leaked the screenshot.

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Not which publisher to choose.

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Not how to fix Chapter Twenty-Four.

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But why someone wanted him involved in Ghost Project badly enough to reach out directly.

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The answer felt dangerous.

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Which probably meant he would investigate anyway.