Shinjoka said with a happy face: "I specially chose a house that is similar to the president's house. Will this make you feel very familiar?"
Kato Yusuke simply looked around and felt that the house was just like that, but the room was very clean and there was basically no dust.
"...Compared to this, what are you going to do with your furniture?"
"Furniture, um~ I have selected it at IKEA in advance and confirmed the time with the delivery staff. They said it will be delivered around ten o'clock and they will contact me by phone then."
"Is that so... Then I'll wait for the furniture to be delivered and help you install it before leaving."
"Hey, is this really okay~~!?"
"Yeah, okay."
"Then..." Shinjoka thought for a moment and said, "How about I invite you to drink coffee or have something to eat at a nearby shop? President."
Kato Yusuke shook his head and replied no.
"You can pack your luggage first and don't worry about me."
"That's it...ok~ Then I'll go out and buy some drinks first. President, what do you want to drink?"
"Just oolong tea. Also, help me buy something when you come back."
"Yeah~ ok, what does the president want~?"
"You need comic paper, a dip pen, and comic ink. I'll send you the specific brand and model using my mobile phone."
"Okay~~~I'm going out then?"
"Wait a moment."
Kato Yusuke stopped her and took out 20,000 yen from his wallet, "This is money to buy things, here you go."
Shinjoka blinked twice in succession, looking alternately at the money in his hand and his face, and finally shook his head slightly to express his rejection.
"No need, let me invite the president once in a while~?"
The girl said, giving him a wink, and then walked outside without looking back, leaving only a bouncing and lively back.
Kato Yusuke didn't worry about anything. After simply putting away his wallet, he sent Shinjou the model and ink color of the dip pen he wanted to use.
He just sat cross-legged on the ground casually, and then dialed the number for Kano-chan.
After a short waiting tone——
"Hello? Kato-kun~?"
Like a gentle breeze caressing my cheeks, a gentle and soft voice sounded in my ears.
"Morning, are you still sleeping?"
"I'm not that lazy. It's already nine o'clock now? What's the matter with you?" Hasumi Kanoko asked angrily.
"It's nothing. I just wanted to ask how the procedures at your school are going."
"Well... I should say everything is normal, right? The handover of things that need to be handed over is almost finished. The principal said that I don't need to come next Wednesday, but I want to wait until Friday to leave. Do you think that's okay?"
There was a bit of caution in her words, as if she was worried that he would be unhappy.
Kato Yusuke couldn't help laughing, and replied: "Of course, what's wrong with that? There's no problem with me."
"Very good……"
A slight sigh of relief came from the other end of the phone, "By the way, there's one more thing I have to tell you."
"What is it?"
"As for the person you told me about before, it is Mr. Yoshida. He consulted me about the company."
"Oh?" Kato Yusuke became more energetic, "What did he say?"
"Well... I actually didn't say anything. As you said before, I invited him to the studio for an interview. The time will be next Saturday."
"Didn't he ask about salary and benefits?"
"Haha, we don't have this one~"
Hasumi Kanoko said with a smile: "He gave me a very hesitant feeling on the phone. It seemed that he just came over to see you as a courtesy because he couldn't discredit you."
"is that so?"
"Hate, don't you believe me?"
"You know I didn't mean it that way."
Kato Yusuke thought for a while and said: "It doesn't matter even if he refuses. Then we can raise the conditions a little higher."
"Open it higher...how much should it be opened specifically?"
"It's between 400 and 600k, and year-end dividends are calculated separately."
"I always feel... you seem to want to keep Mr. Yoshida? Why?"
"I think he's a good guy."
"……What?"
"Does this reason sound really strange?"
"So you know it yourself?"
Hasumi Kanoko joked: "But I'm a little curious, what kind of good person is he?"
"If I have to say... he's the kind of serious and stubborn good guy?"
"...You remind me of my great-grandfather back home."
Kato Yusuke laughed: "Mr. Yoshida is not old, he is only 26 years old."
"Ah, you are actually two years older than me... You are really strange. How did you fit in with these people?"
"At least we get along well. He helped me and Sha before..."
The words paused here for a second, and then continued: "... Mr. Yoshida has helped me before, and I hope to repay him. Good people should be rewarded."
As if he noticed something, Hasumi Kanoko's voice became softer than before.
"Um...can you tell me what the specific job is?"
"..."
In the brief silence, there was only the slight sound of breathing in one after another.
"Well..."
Kato Yusuke joked easily: "Mr. Yoshida, he helped me raise goldfish."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and stared quietly at the hideous scar on his left palm, and the light in his eyes dimmed.
Fortunately, no one was present at this time, so naturally no one could notice anything unusual about him.
For example, even though Hasumi Kanoko heard that he was deliberately making jokes, she didn't know anything else about it, so she just spoke angrily.
"...Really~ Are you just trying to make fun of me? You never said you had raised goldfish."
"Yeah, never..."
The feeling of loneliness swept over him like a tide, almost engulfing him...
"Kato-kun...?"
"Well, let's do this anyway, right?"
In order to cover up his inner embarrassment, he hurriedly changed the topic.
"Sorry, the editor from the publishing house is contacting me. Let's talk later."
"Ah, okay, then go and get busy."
Hasumi Kanoko said very considerately: "Remember to eat on time and don't work too hard. Goodbye."
"I know, you too, bye."
The call ends here.
Kato Yusuke stood up holding on to the floor and walked to the balcony alone.
While leaning on the railing to enjoy the breeze, I quietly overlooked the quiet street scene.
There are rows of old and new houses and apartments, straight wires extending between small telephone poles, and tall buildings in the distance.
The streetcar dragged its heavy body "clang, clang, clang, clang" as it passed by.
Among the hurried crowd, you can occasionally see the faces of students pushing bicycles leisurely across the bridge.
When my mood almost calmed down, the mobile phone I had been holding in my hand vibrated unwillingly.
"Machidaenko"
The call came from a somewhat unexpected person.
Kato Yusuke pressed the answer button on his phone.
"Ms. Machida...?"
"Good morning, Kato-chan, I have something to ask you. Are you free recently?"
"……What's matter?"
"Well, because this matter is also related to Xiaoshi, I will tell it straight to the point."
Without any polite words to him, Machida Enko said directly: "Anyway, can you help draw the illustrations for the final volume of Xiaoshi's novel?"
Kato Yusuke was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted, "...is the illustration schedule behind?"
"Ah, yes, that's good if you understand."
A slightly helpless voice responded to him.
"Although I have tried my best to push for the draft, the fact is that Xiao Shi did not submit the final draft until yesterday morning. Coupled with the review time, there is currently a serious lack of time left for the artist, so can you help?
"
"Approximately how much work is there?"
"Well... taking into account the compatibility issue of painting styles, I hope you can draw 12 illustrations, and leave the rest to the original artist. How about that?"
"What did Mr. Matsubara Hozumi say about this matter?"
"Teacher Matsubara also said there is no problem. I have already asked for permission before contacting you. Now it's up to you."
"In this case, there will be no problem on my side."
Kato Yusuke agreed without hesitation: "Ms. Machida, please send your specific requirements to my email, and I will get it done as soon as possible."
"Very good……!"
The voice of Machida Enko breathing a long sigh of relief came from the receiver.
"Then I will send you the corresponding information. Also, although the illustrations in the volume do not need to be as detailed as the color pages, it doesn't matter, but can you try to imitate Matsubara-sensei's style?"
"Yes, but I need a reference. Can you also send me Mr. Matsubara's previous works?"
"Well, no problem! I will send it to your mailbox together, so it's up to you, Kato-chan."
"No, I understand."
"That's it."
"good."
…
Machidaenko is indeed very fast.
Less than five seconds after the two ended the call, the other party sent the corresponding information to his mailbox.
Kato Yusuke turned around and returned to the room, and Shinjoka also came back from shopping at this time, and also brought back the things he wanted, just enough for him to start working at any time.
So they just did their own thing.
One party started to check the information in the mailbox, and the other party started to pack his luggage.
In this situation where no one was disturbing anyone, the time quickly came to half past ten.
Half an hour later than the agreed time, the delivery personnel arranged by IKEA delivered the furniture purchased by Shin Tiao Xiang...
From table lamps, floor lamps, microwave ovens, small freezers;
From single beds, bedside tables, modular cabinets, shoe cabinets, and kotatsu;
Then to carpets, bag sofas, even some cooking utensils, etc...
As these things entered the house, the room that originally seemed very empty was filled in an instant.
The two of them worked together to place these things in their proper positions one by one.
It took about two hours to get everything set up properly.
Looking at the newly renovated room, Shinjoka's eyes became as bright as a clear night sky sprinkled with golden sugar.
She kept panting in small mouths, and the plump peaks on her chest were rising and falling.
The knitted jacket he was wearing had been thrown on the bed halfway through the work, and he was only wearing the baggy cherry-colored sweatshirt underneath.
Sweat wetted her hair, slid down her rosy face, curved around Yuanlan's chin, and then flowed down her smooth neck.
Ignoring the wiping, the sweat spread directly over the collarbone or slid into the chest, tracing the outline of the girl.
Presenting a charming and daydreaming appearance that is so tired that you are sweating profusely...
At a certain moment, it felt like I had finally had enough of appreciating my own little new world.
She turned around quickly, ignoring Kato Yusuke who was leaning against the wall to drink water. She immediately threw herself into his arms and hugged his waist tightly without saying anything.
Probably because he saw something, Kato Yusuke didn't push her away and continued drinking water by himself.
"...Thank you, President."
She murmured, and the only response was a quiet hum.
Although it is very dull, it is very warm.
Mixed emotions rushed into my heart.
Maybe it was the loneliness of leaving home for the first time, the joy of having a home for the first time, or the fear that he would come to help her move.
Her mood also became a little strange.
It's not that I want to laugh or cry, it's just that I feel a blank and transparent feeling.
After a brief silence.
"...President~~~"
She couldn't help but whisper again, with a bit of tenderness in her voice, but this time she didn't get a response.
Shinjoka didn't mind this either, she just looked up at him and said with a smile: "Hey, President, I'm willing to do anything for you now, right?"
"..."
Kato Yusuke lowered his eyes to look at her, and after a second, he said: "Then let me go."
"oh……"
With a bit of reluctance that was hard to distinguish between true and false, the girl slowly let go of her hand.
After regaining his freedom, Yusuke drank the remaining half of the bottle of oolong tea in one breath, and then said: "What else are you missing? Go buy it now."
"What else is missing...?"
Shinjoka looked around the room and asked: "Um, is it the bedding that the president is talking about? I can just buy those things myself later."
"There is a Don Quijote nearby. I will go with you and buy everything at once."
"Wow, so tough, but...so handsome——!"
…
In this way, the two of them went to Don Quijote to do some shopping together and replenished the remaining various daily necessities.
Once we go back and forth, another hour passes.
After finishing his lunch with a bento he bought from a convenience store, Kato Yusuke was not in a hurry to go home and simply started working on the spot.
As for Shinjoka, she went to the bathroom to take a shower, and then tidied the room absentmindedly.
Although she had some other thoughts in her mind, seeing someone looking serious about his work, she had no choice but to put away these plans for the time being and just sit quietly and watch him work.
I thought I'd wait until later.
As a result, we waited until night, a real night!
During this period, Shintiao Xiang even took the initiative to get up and help turn on the lights.
It wasn't until almost seven o'clock in the evening, when it was completely dark outside, that a certain robot finally stopped writing.
Holding the last bit of hope, Shinjoka asked tentatively: "President, do you want to stay here tonight?"
"——No."
As expected, the other party rejected her.
So she retreated and asked: "In that case, as a thank you for helping with the move today, how about I treat you to dinner, President...?"
This time Kato Yusuke did not refuse.
After discussion, the two finally decided to go to a barbecue restaurant with good reviews, and then immediately set out.
Just walking on the quiet night streets.
When they passed by a sparsely populated and remote intersection, they accidentally witnessed such a scene.
Under a telephone pole, a long-haired girl wearing a dark uniform was sitting there alone, hugging her knees.