Chapter Forty-Three: Setting the Target

To be honest, having a car really is convenient.

In just over ten minutes, Anhe had delivered Fuko Kurorai to the hotel where she was staying. Along the way, he explained to her the current situation with Sakiri, and upon hearing it, Fuko's anxious heart finally settled.

After finding a parking spot and stopping the car, the two headed upstairs together. Entering the elevator, watching the numbers on the floor display change, the silent Fuko Kurorai finally couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

“Yusei, why did you attend Professor Kuroko’s book signing today?”

Hearing her, Anhe glanced at her shy expression and teased with a smile, “Of course, I wanted to see the real Professor Kuroko—after all, the stories you wrote seemed so familiar to me.”

Her cheeks flushed at his words, recalling where the inspiration for her work had come from. Seeing her reaction, Anhe knew his guess was correct and leaned in closer, whispering at her ear, “So, Miss Fuko, did you start having feelings for me, your neighbor, back then?”

Feeling the warm breath at her ear, Fuko Kurorai’s earlobes quickly turned red. She shrank her neck and denied it, flustered.

“No, not at all! It was just a coincidence.”

“Really?”

Anhe continued to press her.

Fortunately, the elevator reached their floor just then, and the doors slid open. Fuko, like a startled rabbit, hurried out, and Anhe chuckled, following after her.

Soon, they arrived at Fuko’s room. As she unlocked the door, Anhe didn’t wait for her to enter; instead, he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

With a startled cry, Fuko was swept into the room together with him.

Anhe closed the door with a nudge of his foot and carried her straight to the large bed at the center of the room.

Sensing his intention, her cheeks grew even redder. She struggled in his arms, protesting urgently.

“Yusei, not now.”

“Relax, I know.”

Anhe replied, then tossed her onto the bed. Before she could get up, he pressed himself over her.

Her words were muffled, and all Fuko could do was let out soft whimpers, her alluring eyes gazing at Anhe, gradually shimmering with a layer of mist.

After a while, the two separated.

Fuko’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes hazy, and she breathed deeply, drawing in fresh air.

Seeing her like this, Anhe knew it was enough and dared not go any further.

He feared that if he continued, there was no telling who would be taking advantage of whom by the end of the night.

Rising from her, Anhe’s gaze landed on a thick stack of drawing paper on the bedside table. Remembering Fuko’s identity as Professor Kuroko, he walked over, curious.

Seeing this, Fuko snapped back to herself and hurried to stop him, but before she could lift her hand, Anhe had already picked up the papers.

“Wow!”

Looking at the bold pencil sketches and storyboards, Anhe couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

In his previous life, as a fellow artist to Professor Kuroko, he was naturally familiar with manga, and could tell at a glance that Fuko’s skills were solid.

Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he turned to the kneeling, blushing Fuko with curiosity. “Fuko, did you draw these to pay off your debts?”

At his question, Fuko was stunned for a moment. The blush faded from her face, and she nodded gently, her head lowered.

Seeing this, Anhe put down the drawings, walked over to her, and cupped her face, making her look at him. He asked softly, “How much do you still owe?”

“About...twenty million yen.”

Fuko dared not meet his gaze, her eyes drifting away.

“I owed fifty million in total, and with interest, it was over sixty million. If nothing unexpected happens, I could pay it all off in two years. But recently, the police announced that person’s death, and when those people heard, they started to get restless…”

The more she spoke, the softer her voice became. She feared that the man before her would turn away upon hearing she still owed so much.

But what she feared did not happen.

“You’ve worked so hard.”

Hearing the gentle voice, Fuko was stunned, looking at him in disbelief.

Meeting those sincere, gentle eyes, her nose suddenly tingled, and all the grievances she’d accumulated over the years surged forth.

“There, there,”

Seeing she was about to cry, Anhe quickly embraced her, comforting her.

“I have a way to help you pay off the rest.”

At his words, Fuko simply smiled and shook her head, lightly blocking him with her hand. “You don’t need to comfort me.”

She assumed Anhe was just saying it to make her feel better—after all, twenty million yen was no small sum.

For years, she’d worked part-time by day and drawn at night, and after seven years, she’d only managed to earn forty million. Anhe was just an ordinary student; where could he get so much money?

Seeing her expression, Anhe knew she didn’t believe him, but he didn’t explain further and instead asked, “Fuko, are you free tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

Fuko nodded.

She had planned to stay at the hotel to plot her new work, but since Anhe asked, she wouldn’t refuse.

“Good. Tomorrow, I’ll take you somewhere,”

Anhe said, as another figure surfaced in his mind.

Rena Serizawa.

Another one who loved to draw.

He remembered she had once said she wanted to create her own manga.

Ever since he learned Fuko Kurorai was Professor Kuroko, Anhe had a plan.

Let Fuko and Rena Serizawa draw a manga together!

Both had strong artistic skills, and Fuko had experience in manga. With a good script, the finished work would surely be excellent!

And this way, he could also finish Rena Serizawa’s second ending.

As for a good script...

Anhe glanced at the light screen before him, visible only to himself.

[Intermediate skill: Memory Fragments]

[Skill description: Every scene you’ve ever seen will appear as fragments in your mind.]

[Spend thirty skill points to upgrade to Master level?]

“Upgrade.”

Anhe silently recited, and the screen’s font changed.

[Memory Fragments upgraded to Advanced: Memory Screens]

[Memory Screens upgraded to Proficient: Memory Segments]

[Memory Segments upgraded to Master: Memory Playback]

[Skill description: If you wish, you can even replay the scene you saw the moment you first opened your eyes.]