Chapter 36: Make Star Platinum Great Again
"One more thing—can I get an advance on part of my royalties? I want to buy a new house."
After yesterday's experience, Shunsuke felt that his current living situation was too limiting.
He definitely couldn't work at Mrs. Izumi's place anymore, but at his own house, who knew when his "father" might come home? It made him feel constrained and unable to relax.
"Fujii-sensei, if you have any other requests, just say them all now."
Suzuna covered her face. Is he trying to milk me dry? Does he really think I'm a department head or company executive?
Shunsuke scratched his cheek. "No, this is really the last thing."
Suzuna sighed. "We can give you your manuscript fee right away, but what you want is an advance on royalties, right? While the company has done this before, it's usually for authors in urgent need, like those who are on the verge of financial collapse. Given your circumstances and needs, Fujii-sensei, this request can't be approved."
"Besides, haven't you already made more money in the past than this royalty amount? If you're not looking to buy a place in Ginza or somewhere equally expensive, it shouldn't be a problem."
"I used part of that money to improve my lifestyle, and I invested most of the rest. I'm just short a bit right now," Shunsuke spread his hands.
"Sigh, fine. How much are you short? I'll cover it for you, and you can pay me back when your royalties come in."
"Aren't you worried I won't pay you back?" Shunsuke asked.
Suzuna smiled. "If that happens, I'll just take the loss quietly. But Fujii-sensei, you'll face social ruin in the industry."
"That's what you call a quiet loss?" Shunsuke muttered a quick retort, then decisively declined her generous offer.
"You're just a puppy, and you think you can take care of your master? You're a hundred years too early for that!"
"You're already daring to lend money to your master—who knows what you'll do next? I can't even imagine it. You're no ordinary female dog; I'll have to take drastic measures!"
Suzuna looked utterly baffled.
Not that she was wrong to be confused—if Shunsuke really wanted to borrow money, there were plenty of options.
Mrs. Izumi, Mrs. Sayuri, even Mrs. Yasuraoka could lend him a million yen without a second thought.
He wouldn't even need to write a novel.
In terms of relationships, weren't they all closer to him than Suzuna, who was still just a running buddy?
Borrowing their money to buy a house and secretly keeping a mistress inside would even have a deliciously scandalous feel to it, wouldn't it?
But Shunsuke refused. No matter how good the relationship was, once large sums of money were involved, things inevitably got complicated. Even if the risk was small, he didn't want to take the chance.
For someone with a Stand ability, reaching the pinnacle was an easy task. At that point, the rarest thing wouldn't be money, but genuine relationships.
Moreover, Shunsuke was determined to walk the path of a lion-like man, not the "Auntie, I don't want to work anymore" route.
Tapping his index finger on the table, Shunsuke pondered his advantages and asked, "Suzuna, do you know of any reputable casinos that cater to the upper-middle class and above?"
Star Platinum was such an unbeatable Stand, yet the most it had done for him was help him avoid a car accident in the beginning. After that, it had been relegated to cooking and copying literature. That was way too stifling—it was time for it to truly shine!
When Suzuna heard the word "casino," her expression immediately changed. "Fujii-sensei, are you thinking of gambling? No way, absolutely not!"
Shunsuke could tell exactly what Suzuna was thinking and quickly tried to explain, "I know casinos aren't great places, but I won't lose. I'm actually pretty good at this."
—This is bad! Fujii-sensei is a classic easy target for the casinos. He's the type to lose his entire fortune in one night. I can't let him go to a place like that!
Suzuna steeled herself.
Seeing the look on her face, Shunsuke realized he'd only made things worse. He immediately tried to salvage the situation. "How about this, Suzuna? You come with me. That way, if I start to go overboard, you can stop me right away. If I don't listen, just tell the casino staff I'm underage. They won't let minors in, especially at high-end casinos, so they'll definitely kick me out."
Suzuna's expression wavered, but she still refused.
"It'd be better if I just lent you the money. If it bothers you, I can even charge you interest."
"Suzuna, I know you're looking out for me, but in situations like this, blocking isn't as effective as guiding. You can't watch over me all the time. What if I end up going to some shady casino run by gangs? That would be even worse, right?"
Suzuna was even more uncertain. "But..."
"Alright, it's settled. Don't worry. We've known each other for years now. Do you really think I'm the type of guy who can't handle himself? I know what I'm doing."
Shunsuke ended the discussion with the confident tone of someone asserting their authority.
...
After taking care of everything, Shunsuke brought the prepared breakfast to the Izumi household, which was still quiet as usual.
Entering Mashiro's room, he saw her, as always, indulging in her "fan service." However, Shunsuke was no longer the same as he was yesterday; such trivial displays no longer brought him any joy.
It was simply because his "post-euphoria clarity" hadn't passed yet.
Just like the day before, he helped Mashiro dress, tidied her hair, and after they finished breakfast, they met up with Hanabi to head to school. The daily life of a Stand user was this plain and dull, even monotonous.
The first class was with their homeroom teacher, Shizuka.
"Today, we're going to elect a class president. Does anyone want to volunteer?" Shizuka knocked on the desk.
The classroom fell silent.
They weren't elementary students anymore, so the idea of becoming class president wasn't exciting—it was just a laborious job.
Shizuka called out a few more times, but with little success.
With this group of slackers, who would willingly step up to be class president?
"If this keeps up, I'll have to start picking names," Shizuka said, scratching her head, before pointing at a particular girl. "Takahashi, how about you?"
"Just as I thought… doing it this way again? I've already been class president so many times."
Takahashi Jun, a girl with green hair and glasses who looked every bit the "class president" type, sighed in resignation.
"Well, Takahashi just looks like a class president."
"Yeah, Takahashi's always been the class president. It would feel strange if she weren't."
Misa Nakamura and Yuu Osawa, two of her classmates, chimed in from the same group.
This little all-girls group had a similar dynamic to Miura's group: a popular "queen bee" in Misa Nakamura, a slightly lower-status glasses-wearing girl, Jun Takahashi, and Yuu Osawa, the group's mood-maker and social lubricant.
The difference was that Yui Yuigahama played the role of social glue through her charm and ability to handle various situations, while Yuu Osawa relied on her energetic and outgoing personality.
However, because their group filled the same roles as Miura's, and Miura's group had the added appeal of people like Hayama, it completely overshadowed them, becoming the dominant group among the girls.
This is the classic case of "matching outfits aren't scary—it's awkward when someone does it better."
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