Before long, Sonoko Machida returned with the coffee. Several editors came in with her, carrying bags that held freshly printed samples of the new light novel volume.
After setting down the coffee, Sonoko pulled out five copies and placed them in front of Utaha.
"Here you go, Utaha—your sample copies. Take a look."
"Thanks, Sonoko-san."
Utaha smiled and picked one up, carefully checking through it.
Even though she was no longer a rookie, that moment of seeing her work in print still filled her with joy and excitement.
Ichin had already read the manuscript when she finished writing it, so now he was only curious about the print quality. Yukino, on the other hand, lit up immediately, eagerly taking one of the samples to flip through.
Seeing her reaction reminded Ichin—Yukino was also one of Utaha's fans.
So he turned to Sonoko and asked, "Miss Sonoko, would it be alright if we took an extra copy home?"
Sonoko waved her hand with a smile. "Of course. Even if you took all of these, it'd be fine. They're just samples."
"No need for that much—two copies are enough."
After thanking her, Ichin said to Yukino, "Let's read them later at home. Since Utaha's business is settled, we should be heading to the office now."
At his words, Yukino closed the sample and nodded, thanking Sonoko politely.
"Thank you, Sonoko-san."
Utaha soon finished checking as well and said with satisfaction, "Mm, the quality's just as good as before. The illustrations printed very clearly—I'm pleased."
"That's what matters most."
Sonoko nodded happily, then picked up the remaining three copies. "Alright, that's everything here. I'll take these to the editor-in-chief for review. Utaha, good work today—you can head home."
"Mm, then I'll be going. See you later, Sonoko-san."
After their goodbyes, the three of them left the publishing house and drove to the Yukinoshita family's Tokyo office. Ichin gave Haruno a call.
Inside, Haruno had already finished her work. Hearing his voice, she cheerfully said, "Okay! I'll be right down, give me two minutes."
After hanging up, she informed her assistant, grabbed her bag, and left the office.
The moment she stepped out of the building, she spotted Ichin's car parked by the curb. Smiling brightly, she hurried over, opened the back door, and slipped in beside Yukino.
"Sorry to keep you waiting~~"
Stretching with satisfaction, she grinned. "So, next stop is Ichin's company?"
As he started the engine, Ichin replied, "Yeah, we'll stop by the office first so I can check on development progress. Won't take long. After that, we'll head to the supermarket for groceries and go home to cook dinner."
It was already late in the day—by the time they left the office, it would be just about dinner prep time.
"Sounds good. I'll go with the flow—I'm just here for a free meal anyway."
Haruno had no objections. Relaxing in her seat, she glanced at Yukino reading her novel and teased, "So, Yukino, did any boys confess to you at school today?"
"No."
Yukino replied calmly, then added, "I think, rather than worrying about me, you should be worrying about yourself, Onee-san. Don't make Mother worry too much."
Though her demeanor had softened over time, Yukino never passed up a chance to tease her sister.
Her words made Haruno puff out her cheeks, glaring at her little sister. "Yukino, can we not talk about this? Mother was nagging me on the phone just last night—it took me forever to placate her! If you really want to stop her worrying, why don't you help me find someone at Todai? I don't mind a little sister-brother romance."
Yukino raised a brow at that. Her sister sounded serious, but Yukino knew better. It was just bravado. Haruno herself was well aware Yukino would never actually do such a thing.
Shaking her head slightly, Yukino figured her sister wasn't escaping singlehood any time soon. Who knew when their mother would arrange the next round of blind dates—or what kind of person she'd set her up with. Hopefully, better than last time.
Just then, Ichin spoke up from the driver's seat. "If you're really serious about finding a boyfriend, Haruno-san, I think you should ask my mom. She'd love to help, as long as you don't mind a long-distance relationship."
"Oh? Godmother, huh?"
Haruno tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I've never considered that… but if she can find someone as outstanding as you, little Ichin, I wouldn't mind being introduced."
"Then you'd better give up. A guy like me only comes along once in a million."
At that, all three girls—including Utaha—pursed their lips simultaneously.
They all wanted to complain about his arrogance, but none could actually refute it.
At his age, with his achievements, and without leaning on family connections—aside from borrowing money once to buy the apartments that became his first studios—Ichin had built everything himself. Even without that, he could've just rented an office.
And so, his accomplishments truly had no rival among his peers in recent years. Handsome, capable, and with a strong personality—he was practically the perfect image of an ideal partner.
Clicking her tongue, Haruno looked at Utaha. "Utaha, you'd better take good care of your relationship with Ichin. Otherwise, I might just steal him away."
Utaha didn't get angry. She smiled and turned to her. "Don't worry, Haruno-san—I won't give you the chance."
The conversation flowed easily until they arrived at the office.
Ichin spent half an hour checking on development progress before the four of them headed to the supermarket to buy groceries.
After returning home with bags full of food, Ichin pulled out his phone before they started cooking. He called his mother on video chat—and before Haruno realized what was happening, he casually brought up the topic of finding her a boyfriend, then handed her the phone.
Leaving Haruno to deal with his mother's excited barrage, Ichin walked off with a satisfied grin.
***
Guys, please give it a try to the new fic: "DxD: The Transfer Student of the Demonic High School"
Don't forget to add it to your library!!
***
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