"What's wrong? Why does he look so annoyed?"
"I was about to ask the same thing."
Machida and the director exchanged nervous glances.
Before either of them could intervene, Tsuna spoke,"Listen here, I speak English because it's the only language you know."
"Pardon...?"
Jackson blinked, taken aback.
"And you," Tsuna continued while ignoring Jackson's surprise, "You speak English because that's the only language you know."
The message was clear, We are not the same.
Jackson's smile faltered for a split second. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly before straightening up and clearing his throat, "Ahem, my apologies..."
"Why does the vibe feel so off?"
"I don't know director."
The director and Machida could only watch on helplessly since Tsuna and Jackson speak so fast they barely understand a thing.
Meanwhile, the girl standing behind the sofa remained silent, her wide eyes fixed on Tsuna. There was an intensity in her gaze as if she were silently cheering him on—or maybe just fascinated by the way he held his ground.
"As for your offer, I'd like to decline it."
Tsuna then added, "We're not selling anything but the licensing agreement. Let's stick to what you've initially proposed."
"Mr. Matsumoto..."
Jackson had dealt with countless authors throughout his career. He prided himself on knowing how to handle people—whether they needed a soft touch or a firm hand.
But this kid?
'This is not good. He's the strong type...'
Still, what mattered most was securing the contract.
Adjusting his approach, Jackson flashed a practiced smile and explained, "Yes Press is very interested in your work, Mr. Matsumoto. So much so that we're prepared to offer $2 million to buy the entire contract from Fujikawa Shoten—would you reconsider?"
"No."
"Mr. Matsumoto, are you not aware of how much $2 million is?"
Jackson frowned at this as he shook his head, "That's like 210 million yen! Do you not understand what it means? It means, you don't have to work for the rest of your life."
However...
"Mr. Jackson," Tsuna said, leaning back slightly on the sofa and continued, "Let me tell you something. Money isn't the issue here. You're trying to take what's mine, and frankly, I don't like it."
"..."
Jackson stared at him, speechless.
'Who is this kid, anyway?'
"This isn't just a book, Mr. Jackson. This is my world."
Tsuna picked up a copy of his novel from the table.
He then furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at Jackson and asked, "And you want to buy it out? Make that make sense to me."
"...?"
Machida and the director exchanged uncertain glances, clearly unsure of how to intervene. Meanwhile, the dark-haired girl behind the sofa couldn't take her eyes off Tsuna.
'Urgh, this kid is tricky...'
Jackson, on the other hand, almost groaned loudly at this. He was at a loss for words for the first time in years.
Tsuna leaned forward slightly as he waited for Jackson's reply, 'Now, what are you gonna do?'
As much as he hated being in the spotlight as the Rizz God, this was different. He definitely would never publicly appear, especially not under his pen name.
But when it came to money, the rules changed.
'Money is important to anyone...'
If they had enough money, his dad wouldn't have spent the majority of his life chasing a career he wasn't passionate about.
If they had enough money, his dad wouldn't have been forced to sell off their inheritance after his grandparents passed away, just to stay afloat.
If they had enough money, his dad's company wouldn't have gone bankrupt, even after being scammed. It could have bounced back.
That's why despite not knowing much of how it worked, Tsuna understood its importance.
Money was money.
As much as Tsuna felt like he had enough already, there was always room for more. And if Jackson was this desperate, it meant one thing...
'They see the potential here. Something we might be missing...'
He didn't let his thoughts show. If they wanted to play hardball, so would he.
That's why he kept his stance firm, forcing Jackson into a drawn-out discussion. The older man tried every tactic he could muster: increasing the offer, shifting the tone, even subtle flattery.
But Tsuna didn't budge, not an inch.
"I'd rather not talk about this no more, Mr. Jackson."
"Sigh..."
Eventually, Jackson sighed, clearly realizing it was futile to press further today.
Rising from the sofa, he adjusted his suit jacket and said, "Very well, Mr. Matsumoto. It seems we'll need to revisit this conversation at a later date. Until then, I hope you'll reconsider."
"Sure," Tsuna gave a small nod, watching Jackson gather his belongings and walk out with the Editorial Director.
As the door clicked shut behind the Editorial Director and Jackson, the room grew quiet.
Machida crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at Tsuna, "You know, most people would've jumped at that. Two million dollars isn't exactly pocket change. Even with Fujikawa Shoten taking a cut, the rest would've been more than enough to tempt anyone."
"Most people aren't me."
"Clearly."
She rolled her eyes at him before rubbing her chin as she thought of something before asking,"Still... if they're offering that much now, it probably means this has the potential to go even higher, right?"
"Exactly."
Tsuna finally looked at her, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
The Editorial Director's muffled voice could be heard outside, still talking with Jackson as they walked down the hall.
"Anyway," Machida began, pulling his attention back, "since you're here, let me introduce you to someone."
Tsuna turned as Machida gestured toward the awkward girl who had been caught up in the earlier chaos.
She hesitated, then stepped forward shyly.
"Kasumi-san," Machida said with a smile, "as you probably guessed, this is our favorite writer, Tsunayoshi Matsumoto—better known as the Rizz God."
"..."
Utaha's eyes widened as she looked at Tsuna, her expression a mix of awe and nervousness.
"And Tsuna-kun," Machida continued smoothly, "this is the author of Metronome in Love, Utaha Kasumigaoka. She writes under the pen name Kasumi Utako."
Tsuna nodded politely as Utaha bowed deeply, her long dark hair swinging forward. But just as she straightened up, she blurted out, "Ah, yes! My name's Utaha Kasumigaoka. Please step on me—"
"...!"
The air seemed to freeze instantly as Machida's jaw dropped, her mouth hanging open as she stared at Utaha.
"What?"
Tsuna's brow twitched, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and pure shock.
"Hmm...?"
Utaha blinked slowly as if the meaning of her words took a moment to hit her.
Her face turned crimson in an instant, her eyes wide with horror. Her expression stiffened as she stared at Tsuna in embarrassment and quietly asked, "Did I just... misspeak?"
"..."
Tsuna didn't answer. He simply stared at her speechlessly.
'This girl…'
Tsuna twitched his lips as he concluded that he just met a crazy girl.
'She's not... normal.'
His silence was enough answer as Utaha stood there, completely mortified as her hands clenched at her sides.
Her face crumpled in a pure embarrassement.
"Ahh..."
Without another thought, she dashed out of the room, her heart pounding so hard as she couldn't believe she had blurted out such intrusive thoughts in front of her favorite author.
There was no way she could just move on from this.
"..."
Tsuna stood still, speechless as his gaze still locked on the door that slammed shut.
"Ahem..."
Machida cleared her throat awkwardly, lifting a hand to her mouth. "Well, that's certainly... memorable."
"Anyway..."
Tsuna rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to ignore what just happened and asked, "Could you drive me back right now?"
"Huh? Like, right now?"
Miyagi Prefecture was quite far away, and Machida, frankly, didn't feel like making the five-hour drive.
She scratched her head, "Can't you just go back on your own? Any expenses will be covered anyway..."
"No, I need to leave quickly."
"Uhh, you're really in a rush?"
Machida tilted her head, her confusion deepening. "You're not staying in Tokyo? What about the negotiation process?"
"It's fine. Knowing they want it badly is enough for me."
Jackson's insistence on buying out the contract had sent a clear message to the Editorial Director. He'd come to understand the true potential of Tsuna's light novel.
And Fujikawa Shoten would benefit more from a better agreement, one that Tsuna wasn't in a hurry to rush into.
"Uh... what if they want to renegotiate the buyout?"
"That's exactly why I should be unavailable by then."
"Oh!"
Sometimes, being unavailable was the best tactic. If Yes Press wanted it badly enough, they'd still bite.
And Tsuna was confident they would.
"Tsuna-kun..."
"Yeah...?"
Machida couldn't help but ask, "Just who are you?"
Tsuna quickly understood things that most people wouldn't have.
It was as if he had been exposed to such high-level negotiations a lot, but considering his dad was a ramen shop owner, she found it hard to believe he'd ever been exposed to anything like this.
"Well, you already know, don't you?"
Tsuna chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as he didn't feel the need to explain his past. "So, can we head out now?"
He glanced at his watch, the negotiation was a bit longer than he thought but it was still enough time as he thought, 'I'll only be a bit late by then...'
Seeing that Machida was still hesitant, Tsuna pointed toward the door where the Editorial Director had just left and added, "The director will give you a ton of work based on how this negotiation goes, you know..."
"Let's go! Our beloved author!"
Machida's attitude shifted instantly, and before Tsuna knew it, she was practically dragging him out of the building.
Tsuna shook his head, thinking, 'Crazy woman...'
They climbed into the company's car that Machida had used to pick him up the day before.
As they settled in, Machida asked, "So, where are you rushing off to, anyway?"
"Where?"
Tsuna paused, glancing out the window. A twisted grin spread across his face.
"Aoba Johsai High School."
------------------------
Advanced chapters can be found here:
patreon(.)com/mythoast