By the time the two of them came out of the bathroom after showering, it was already close to four in the afternoon.
They had eaten a little something on the plane, so they weren't particularly hungry now.
Ichin was unpacking their luggage in the bedroom, while Utaha had already slipped out of her pajamas, wrapped herself up in the blanket, and was lying on the bed watching him with only her head poking out.
"Ichin, aren't you tired at all?"
"Hm?"
Ichin looked over at her with a smile as he folded clothes. "Not really. You were the one doing all the work just now."
Utaha's cheeks flushed bright red as she shot him a glare.
"You're the one who got all the benefits, and you still have the nerve to smile."
"No, no, isn't this kind of thing mutual?"
Ichin replied calmly as he neatly organized Utaha's clothes and placed them back into the wardrobe.
After finishing up, he pushed the suitcase aside, crawled into bed, and slipped under the blanket to wrap his arms around her.
"Your parents said they'd order delivery for dinner, and it's still early. Let's rest a bit. Now that I've lain down, I'm actually starting to feel a little tired."
"Napping is fine… but Ichin, could you take off your pajamas first?"
"Sure."
With a rustling sound under the covers, Ichin's pajamas were soon tossed out, and the two of them lazily drifted off for a nap.
—
In the evening, after having dinner with Utaha's parents, the two of them went downstairs to the dormitory to pick up their orange tabby cat. Back upstairs in the living room, they each sat with a laptop in their lap, getting back to their respective tasks.
Ichin had taken care of the Chinese voice-over coordination work while in Shanghai, and for the remaining days of the trip, he hadn't touched any work at all.
Utaha was the same—since her parents were there, she'd taken a few days to unwind and spend time traveling with her family.
Now that they were back, it was naturally time to return to work mode.
After about ten minutes of quiet productivity, Utaha's phone buzzed.
She picked it up and saw a message from her editor, Sonoka Machida.
After reading the message and replying, she turned to Ichin and said,
"Ichin, Sonoka's asking me again if I want to do a book signing event."
"Oh? Again?"
Ichin paused what he was doing—currently drafting lore for Dark Souls—and smiled. "Haven't you turned that down multiple times already?"
"Yeah, I've told her several times now."
Utaha said, clearly a bit exasperated, "Sonoka knows how I feel, but she can't help it—the higher-ups at the publishing house really want me to show up in person. It's all about boosting publicity."
Ichin could understand where the publisher was coming from. With Utaha's looks and her exceptional writing skills, if she were willing to step into the spotlight and attend just a few signing events, her popularity would skyrocket.
This kind of promotional strategy wasn't much different from his own—like hosting livestreams and inviting voice actors to promote games.
Ichin used the popularity of voice actors to attract their fans, while the publisher was clearly hoping to capitalize on Utaha's looks to draw in male readers.
"If you don't want to do it, just say no," he said.
"I already replied to her, but being asked over and over again is getting annoying."
"That kind of thing is unavoidable no matter where you go," Ichin said with a smile. "Take me, for example—I showed my face on stream last year, didn't I? But if you're not comfortable with it, then there's absolutely no need to say yes. It's not like you signed your soul away to Fushikawa Publishing. If you don't want to keep publishing with them, you've already built up enough of a name for yourself that other light novel publishers would welcome you with open arms."
Utaha nodded in agreement.
"Exactly what I was thinking. Even if I don't do a signing event, it's not going to affect their business that much. They've already made plenty of money off me. If they keep pushing, I might just quit altogether."
Utaha was straightforward when it came to things like this. If they could talk things through and find common ground, then sure, the collaboration could continue—mutual benefit and all.
But if they couldn't have a proper conversation and insisted on forcing things, then she had no reason to stick around.
There were other publishers out there offering better terms. If she wanted to switch, she could do it anytime.
In fact, if she really wanted to stir things up, she could even take Sonoka Machida—the brilliant editor who'd been handling her work—along with her. That would definitely leave the current publisher in a tough spot.
In today's struggling industry, not just authors, but experienced editors were an increasingly rare asset. A good editor could help fine-tune an author's work, tailor it to readers' tastes, and ultimately boost sales.
Now that Utaha had turned them down again, it was up to the publishing house to decide what to do. But if they still clung to their current strategy, Utaha might seriously start considering a new home for her novels.
As for Utaha's situation, Ichin wasn't too worried. He knew Sonoka Machida would absolutely take her side. The two had a fantastic relationship, and there was no way Sonoka would go behind Utaha's back to do anything that would upset her. After all, Utaha was Sonoka's discovery—someone she had personally nurtured into a top-selling author.
"Alright, let's not dwell on that stuff anymore."
Ichin lightly patted Utaha's head and said, "Thirsty? I'll go make us some milk tea. We brought back a bunch of good stuff from our trip—some for the company folks and some for us. What do you want to snack on?"
"Sounds good. Besides the milk tea, how about some pastries and candied fruits?"
They hadn't eaten much for dinner, so a light snack sounded perfect.
Just as they were talking about food, the orange tabby Peppa, who was playing with a toy on the floor nearby, suddenly looked up.
Utaha glanced over, met Peppa's eyes, and waved with a smile.
"Peppa, come here—I've got snacks for you."
With her other hand, she pulled a small, sealed pack of dried fish treats from her pocket.
Peppa's eyes lit up instantly. With a leap, she jumped onto the sofa and sat obediently, waiting to be fed.
Though usually independent and content to play alone, the moment food was involved, she'd turn into the sweetest, most affectionate little kitty—shamelessly eager for treats.
Thanks to this food-loving nature, during Ichin and Utaha's absence, Peppa had been thoroughly spoiled by all the girls at the company, getting loads of tasty treats.
After feeding her the dried fish, Utaha scooped Peppa up into her arms.
"Huh?"
Feeling her weight, Utaha gave the cat an appraising look.
"Did you get fatter? Looks like you've been eating really well these past few days."
She rubbed Peppa's belly—yep, definitely more pudge.
"Ichin~~~"
Still holding Peppa, Utaha walked over to the kitchen and looked at Ichin, who was making milk tea.
"Starting tomorrow, let's not take Peppa to the company anymore. She's getting fed way too much."
"Really? I didn't even notice."
Turning his head to glance at Peppa, Ichin nodded in agreement with Utaha's suggestion.
...
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