Chapter 81: The Proactive Lady Blacklay

Editors at Yuedu Publishing are ranked by level, from lowest to highest: intern, regular, senior, and platinum. As a newly minted intern editor, Yohji Yamamoto naturally longed to discover a promising new book, so ever since joining Yuedu, he had spent nearly every waking moment glued to the submissions dashboard.

Established authors were, of course, out of his reach—intern editors like him never got a chance to work with them. So Yohji Yamamoto fixed his attention on the pool of unsolicited manuscripts from new writers.

As the largest light novel publisher in Japan, Yuedu received nearly a thousand submissions daily—almost two-thirds of which came from newcomers. It was precisely because no one else paid much attention to these amateur entries that Yohji Yamamoto stumbled upon a novel titled “Sword Art Online.”

The unprecedented concept of a game-world, the powerful and enigmatic identity of the protagonist, the exhilarating adventures of sword and blade. As a seasoned reader himself, Yohji Yamamoto was certain that, if the book could maintain the style and narrative strength of its opening volumes, it could carve out a path through the current flood of trite, otherworldly hero stories.

This was also why Yohji Yamamoto treated Anwa with such respect, despite the author being much younger than he was.

This was a star destined to burn bright!

And now, Yohji Yamamoto's task was simple: he had to secure this rising star for himself before another editor could spot the talent.

Anwa, unaware of all this scheming, glanced through the contract presented to him. Finding no issues, he signed his name without hesitation. Now all that remained was to wait for Yuedu to finalize the publication date.

With business concluded, Anwa was about to take his leave when Yohji Yamamoto suddenly called out to him.

“Sensei Anzui, please wait a moment.”

“Yes?” Anwa raised an eyebrow and sat back down.

“Sensei Anzui, please have some coffee first. I have a proposal I hope you’ll consider.” As he spoke, Yohji Yamamoto pushed the freshly served coffee toward Anwa. Once Anwa accepted the cup, Yohji continued, “Here’s the thing, Sensei Anzui. Yuedu is holding its December Young Writers’ King Competition, and I was wondering if you might be interested in taking part?”

“Is there any advantage to joining?” Anwa asked, his interest piqued.

At this, Yohji Yamamoto produced a poster from his briefcase and handed it over. Anwa took it in both hands and read the details.

“Yuedu’s December Young Writers’ King—first place wins a chance for an anime adaptation...”

That was enough to make Anwa’s eyes shine.

In his previous life, Sword Art Online's light novel had indeed been a hit, but compared to the anime, it paled in influence. Anwa knew this well, yet never expected the opportunity for an adaptation to come so soon.

Taking a deep breath, Anwa looked at Yohji Yamamoto, a smile now brightening his face. “Thank you, Mr. Yamamoto, for telling me about this. I’ll enter the Young Writers’ King competition.”

...

At that moment, elsewhere in the café.

“Then, I’ll leave it in your hands, Ms. Shizuka!” Nadeshiko Kurorai stood up and extended her hand to the professional woman in an office suit across from her.

The woman quickly stood as well, shaking hands with a delighted smile. “Kuroko-sensei, it’s an honor. Collaborating with you is surely the best decision of my career.”

“You flatter me, Ms. Shizuka,” Kurorai replied with a shy smile.

Thanks to the script for “Attack on Titan” provided by Anwa, and after two weeks of relentless work with Reina Serizawa, they had now successfully illustrated six chapters—right up to the female titan’s first appearance.

With Anwa’s consent, Kurorai had submitted the first three chapters to Paradise Publishing, Japan’s most popular manga company, just yesterday.

Early this morning, an editor from Paradise contacted Kurorai, which led to today’s meeting.

With the arrangement for the publication date settled, Kurorai turned to leave, but her eyes happened to sweep over a corner of the café—she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Yusei… What’s he doing here?” Kurorai arched an eyebrow and strode over.

Because Yohji Yamamoto had left early to handle registration paperwork, Anwa, with nothing urgent to do, decided to relax with a coffee.

He had barely taken a sip when a pair of beautiful legs, clad in sheer black stockings, appeared before his eyes, their subtle fragrance filling the air and overshadowing the aroma of his coffee.

Reflexively, Anwa looked up—and was momentarily stunned.

Her pink hair was pulled into a loose side ponytail, cascading over one shoulder and revealing a collarbone as delicate as jade. She had a flawless oval face, fair and luminous under the sunlight, with large, limpid eyes that seemed ready to spill tears, a beauty mark at the corner of her left eye, a petite and charming nose, rosy lips, and a mouth as enticing as cherry blossoms—all of which made her irresistibly attractive.

“Miss Kurorai?” Anwa blurted out in surprise. She smiled gently in reply.

“Yusei, what a coincidence to see you here.”

“I didn’t expect it either,” Anwa replied, smiling as he motioned Kurorai to take the seat across from him.

“Would you like something to drink?” He handed her the menu, but Kurorai merely set it aside and asked offhandedly, “Are you here on a date, Anwa?”

“Of course not!” Anwa denied immediately.

At his response, Kurorai propped her chin on one hand, gazing at him with a hint of grievance in her tone. “Then why haven’t you come to see me in two weeks?”

Anwa felt a pang of guilt under her gaze. He had indeed neglected Kurorai recently, preoccupied with work and other matters.

As he was about to explain, Kurorai suddenly made a shushing gesture.

Anwa was confused, but in the next instant, his pupils contracted sharply as he glanced down.

At some point, a foot encased in a black stocking had slipped between his legs, edging further in.

“Hiss—” Anwa sucked in a breath, lifting his gaze to Kurorai’s face. She acted as if nothing was happening under the table, her expression composed.

“Is something wrong?” she asked innocently, blinking at him, though a sly smile lingered at the corner of her lips.

“Nothing at all...” Anwa chuckled awkwardly, wisely choosing not to say more.

Kurorai’s foot pressed softly, like a plush cushion. After a while, Anwa abruptly stood up.

Sensing the change, a blush crept onto Kurorai’s cheeks. She was about to withdraw her foot when Anwa suddenly caught hold of it.

She panicked, darting a glance around the coffee shop. Once she was sure no one was paying attention, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking back at Anwa, her haughty demeanor melted into a pleading expression. “Yusei, please let me go? Someone might see.”

“Let go of what?” Anwa feigned confusion, though his hands began to move.

“Mmm—” Kurorai stifled a strange sound with her hand as his touch lingered.

After a moment, she couldn’t take it any longer and begged softly, “Don’t… don’t do this. Why don’t we go somewhere else?”

“Somewhere else?” Anwa paused, and Kurorai took the chance to pull her foot away.

He didn’t mind, but looked at her curiously. “Where to?”

Relieved, Kurorai slipped her shoe back on. After a brief hesitation, she suggested tentatively, “How about my place?”

“Sakuri isn’t home?” Anwa asked in surprise.

Kurorai smiled wryly. “She wanted to visit Mrs. Ito and won’t be back until evening.”

“I see.” Anwa nodded, a mischievous smile on his lips as he raised an eyebrow. “So that means… we can play until dusk?”

This time, Kurorai didn’t protest, merely blushing as she averted her gaze.

Half an hour later, Anwa and Kurorai arrived at her house next door. Through the walls, Anwa could faintly hear Sayu and Saori Amamiya laughing and playing.

A strange sense of guilt crept over him. But before he could think further, Kurorai pulled him inside.

No sooner had he entered than she pounced, catching him off guard and pinning him to the hallway floor, the impact echoing dully off the wood.

“Thump!”

“Did you hear that noise, sis?” Saori Amamiya looked up, puzzled, in the direction of the sound.

Sayu, sprawled on the sofa and watching pixelated figures on the TV screen, replied absentmindedly, “That’s just Lady Kurorai next door—she’s probably cleaning.”

“Really?” Saori still felt something was off, but quickly let it go and focused on her game.

She was playing a platformer called “Adventure Island,” which Sayu had found in the TV cabinet. Since it was single-player, the sisters took turns, one life each. Sayu wasn’t much interested, but Saori was fully immersed.

The leisurely afternoon passed as they played, until suddenly Sayu froze mid-action.

The room fell silent, and both sisters strained to hear the faintly suggestive sounds drifting from next door.

“Big sister…” Saori blushed, glancing shyly at Sayu, who was equally red-faced—but more from anger than embarrassment.

Kurorai lived next door, and Sayu was well aware of the relationship between Kurorai and Anwa Yusei. It didn’t take much to guess the source of the noises.

“That bastard…” Sayu gritted her teeth. But as the sounds from next door grew louder, a strange sensation began to stir within her as well...

Meanwhile—

[No turning back now! Since you’ve been found out, why not go all in? With your current skills, dealing with those two little girls should be easy.]

The sudden voice-over startled Anwa, making him spill warm milk across Kurorai's front.

“Mmm—” she whimpered, her body going limp as she slowly slid to the floor.

Alarmed, Anwa hurried to shut the door and bent down with concern. “Are you alright?”

“Mmm… I’m fine,” Kurorai replied, her breath coming in soft pants, her eyes misty and full of longing. Seeing Anwa’s face so close, she suddenly leaned in again.

It was a long while before they parted.

Licking his lips, Anwa felt a lingering hunger, but, mindful of the situation next door, he said, “I should head back.”

“Mm,” Kurorai replied softly, lounging languidly in the entryway, her pink hair fanning out and her ample curves making for a tempting sight.

Gulping, Anwa tore his eyes away and turned to leave, worried that if he lingered, his legs might give out.

But just as he stepped outside, he turned back, and, to Kurorai’s astonishment, tugged off her stockings.

“I’m keeping these!” he declared, then left.

With a sharp click, the door closed behind him, snapping Kurorai out of her daze.

“That little rascal…” she murmured, sitting up and glancing at the inside of her thigh, where the skin was noticeably redder than elsewhere—a mark of Anwa’s handiwork.

Kurorai had hoped he’d stay, but Anwa insisted on things going his way.

Then, recalling the commotion she had just made, Kurorai couldn’t help but smile, her gaze toward the neighboring house tinged with satisfaction.

Yes, she’d done it on purpose.

After all, who would make such a racket just by fooling around?

Her motive was simple: revenge.

Last time, when Sayu Amamiya had tackled her, instead of mocking her, the girl had talked at length about her own escapades with Anwa. Just listening, Kurorai had been consumed by jealousy, which had led to her own actions afterward.

She’d thought she’d reclaimed the upper hand—until, a few days ago, Sayu showed her a series of photos with Anwa, each one more scandalous than the last.

Kurorai had almost resolved to bow out completely.

But then, by coincidence, she’d run into Anwa today, and when she tested him, he hadn’t refused.

And so, this scene unfolded.

“It’s just a little fooling around—anyone can do it,” Kurorai scoffed, slowly rising and heading for a shower. But as she passed her bedroom, she stopped.

“He got what he wanted, but I’m still left wanting.”

With that thought, Kurorai unconsciously pressed her legs together. After a moment’s hesitation, she entered the bedroom and opened a drawer she had sworn never to touch...

(End of chapter)