Yuigahama Yui blinked her eyes and finally understood why Akira Fujimiya had reduced his breakfast that morning. It turned out he had already anticipated this sort of thing.
Yes—even though they were talking in a low voice—It was already noticed by Yui and Hina.
Ebina Hina smiled softly, while also understanding his trick.
Akira had first disappointed Miura Yumiko and then turned it around to make her happy.
This approach, she thought, was incredibly clever.
If it had only been simple praise, Yumiko would have been pleased for a few minutes at best.
But this subtle method would keep her in good spirits the entire day.
.....
Morning — Physical Education Class,
Akira and Hayama Hayato faced off evenly on the court before taking a short break together on the benches.
Meanwhile, Totsuka Saika and Hikigaya Hachiman were having their own sparring match nearby.
Akira leaned back slightly, watching their match with calm eyes.
While, Hayama sat beside him, thoughtful.
Remembering what his father had told him earlier, he glanced at Akira with a look of quiet admiration.
"Fujimiya-kun, I heard you recently acquired a famous publishing company…" Hayama began.
"Did your father tell you that?" Akira asked calmly, without looking away from the court.
"Yes... He is handling some of the documents. He said you're incredibly capable, and that I should learn from you," Hayama said seriously.
Akira chuckled faintly. "You don't need to learn from me. Just be yourself. The path I'm walking right now is like walking on a tightrope… I could fall at any time."
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Hayama asked curiously.
"Help me?" Akira glanced sideways at him. "Then tell me—what do you think of them?" He nodded toward Totsuka and Hikigaya.
Hayama blinked, slightly confused.
He knew Totsuka Saika fairly well, but not Hikigaya.
"To be honest," Akira continued, "I think more highly of Hikigaya Hachiman than most people do. He's smart—sharp, actually. He's got brains, resourcefulness, and most importantly, he'll take the blame for others when it really matters. He is better than you, in that case."
Hayama tilted his head, a little surprised. "He's that capable?"
"Your circle is too small," Akira said calmly. "That's one reason Yukinoshita-san doesn't like you. You don't really know what kind of friends to make."
"I… my father said something similar," Hayama admitted with a bitter smile.
"But that's exactly why I think you're a good person," Akira added, standing up and patting his shoulder. "Someone worth trusting."
"I always feel like Fujimiya-kun doesn't act like a high school student," Hayama said, watching him with a faint smile.
Akira didn't respond immediately, falling silent for a long moment before looking at him again.
"I'll give you a task. If you complete it, I'll let you visit the Future Comics Publishing House."
"What kind of task?" Hayama's eyes brightened immediately.
He knew that if Akira let him go there, it meant he was recognized.
"Become friends with him," Akira said simply, nodding at Hikigaya. "During summer vacation, I'll arrange for you to visit the publishing house together. Then you'll see his abilities for yourself."
"But didn't Hikigaya say he doesn't want to work?" Hayama asked.
"He really doesn't," Akira said, smiling faintly. "But he needs the money."
"Needs money…?"
.....
Lunch Break,
Akira arrived at the tennis court carrying two bento boxes.
Coincidentally, Totsuka and Hikigaya were there as well, having lunch with convenience store bread and canned drinks.
Akira sat down beside them, opened the lunch bboxesone prepared by Saki Kawasaki and other by Yumiko Miura—and began eating.
"Fujimiya-kun, you can actually finish two bentos?" Totsuka asked, eyes wide in surprise.
"These are tokens of affection from two girls. It would be rude to waste them, so I have to eat them all," Akira replied casually.
"…," Hikigaya glanced sideways at him.
Was this guy seriously two-timing? And showing off infront of us.....
"... A girl's kindness shouldn't be wasted," Totsuka said with a small smile.
"The same goes for boys," Akira added. "If you gave Hikigaya a homemade bento, he'd be happy to eat it too."
"Cough! Cough!! " Hikigaya choked on his drink, as his face turning red.
"...I'm not that good at cooking," Totsuka said, blushing lightly. "But I've made miso soup a few times."
"Hikigaya-san," Akira said, straight-faced, "don't you have a wish—to drink Totsuka's miso soup every morning?"
"You—! Don't talk nonsense, I don't!" Hikigaya blurted, eyes twitching.
Because—
He had imagined that once or twice, but—
how did Akira know that? Could this guy read minds?
No way… first his memory... And now he can read memories too...
"Yes," Akira said calmly, reading his expression. "I can read minds, Hikigaya."
"…" Hikigaya froze in place, speechless.
...
Afternoon Classes,
Nothing particularly noteworthy happened for the rest of the afternoon—until the final bell.
Shizuka Hiratsuka entered the classroom and announced the monthly exams.
They would be held on the first Thursday and Friday of next month.
"If you fail this exam," she warned, "your parents will be called in for a meeting. And if you fail the finals, you'll attend make-up classes every day during summer vacation until you pass."
As she quickly dismissed them and asked them to work hard.
The monthly exams served both as a performance test and as preparation for finals.
Akira, however, was actually looking forward to it.
As he was packing up his bag after class, his phone buzzed.
As, He checked the screen—and smiled faintly.
It was Yukinoshita Yukino. She had proposed a bet:
If Akira's grades surpassed hers, she would agree to one of his conditions. If he lost, he'd have to agree to one of hers.
A challenge from Yukino was too good to pass up.
Without hesitation, Akira accepted.
He want to win but even if he loss it would be fun to see what Yukino's condition will be.
.....
After School,
The four girls—Yuigahama Yui, Miura Yumiko, Ebina Hina, and Kawasaki Saki—returned to Sakurasou together.
Yuigahama still carried Akira's bag for him, as usual.
While, Akira himself headed back to the tennis courts instead.
Since he didn't need tutoring anymore, it was time to focus on exercise.
He played for over an hour before finally taking a break.
Meanwhile, Hikigaya, was sparring with Totsuka, while Akira checked an email from Sato Yumika.
The message read:
"Five new manga artists have been selected and confirmed. They're all mid-level professionals with solid fanbases and quality work."
She also mentioned she'd recorded a Q&A video for them—just like the one Akira had done before—and that their answers were very interesting.
The next step was to coordinate their on-screen interactions.
Akira replied:
"Keep it simple. Ask about their favorite foods, anime, and voice actors. Choose a manga that's about to get an anime adaptation and have them vote on which voice actor they'd like for the anime adaptation."
"And if possible, invite their favorite voice actors as guest hosts next time and do a live broadcast."
Yumika responded quickly, saying his suggestions were excellent and already noted down.
Truthfully, she could've come up with those ideas herself—but she wanted Akira's input to see if he'd join the show.
His response made it clear: he had no interest in appearing alongside other artists.
Yumika understood this reason.
After all, Akira was now their boss — If he participated, it might make the other artists too nervous.
Just as he was about to put his phone away, another message came—this time from Yukinoshita Haruno.
She had just acquired a small studio that developed electronic manga software.
According to her, the technical side wasn't difficult; they could start within a week.
The only issue left was the software's logo.
Akira thought for a few seconds and replied:
"Manga book covers."
Haruno responded almost immediately, sending him a mockup logo—one based on the cover design of Future Weekly Comics.
Clearly, they'd been thinking along the same lines.
She then asked about the release platform and whether they should launch it immediately.
Akira considered it carefully and decided there was no need to rush.
Future Comics would hold the copyright rights. They didn't need to chase the foreign market.
Instead, they could let overseas companies approach them for licensing deals—letting them handle translation and review while Future Comics earned royalties.
He suggested a three-year licensing period.
If those companies made major profits during that time, they could re-negotiate for a higher fee later.
Haruno praised his judgment, saying it was on par with hers.
Indeed, with the Yukinoshita family's resources, they could've launched their own company abroad—but Haruno's mother, Madam Yukinoshita, had always preferred partnership over direct investment.
That wisdom had kept their ventures stable.
.....
Returning to Sakurasou,
When Akira returned to Sakurasou, he found the three girls—Yuigahama, Yukinoshita Yukino, and Miura Yumiko—reviewing their notes in the living room.
Across from them sat Shizuka Hiratsuka, was reading a manga.
When she saw Akira enter, she set the book aside.
"Fujimiya-kun, aren't you worried about your test scores?" she asked with a teasing smile.
"Sensei, the answer to that will be clear in two days," Akira said smoothly.
"If your grades aren't good, I'll have to give you extra lessons," Hiratsuka warned, half-joking, half-serious. She has build-up some stress and want to release some by beating the shit out of him.
"Though I'd love to accept your kindness, Sensei," Akira replied, "But Yukino and I have a little bet...So I'll just have to show you some of my strength."
"...What kind of bet?" Hiratsuka asked curiously.
"You can imagine it," Akira said with a grin before heading upstairs.
Hiratsuka watched him go, her mind wandering with all sorts of wild thoughts.
And—
The same could be said for the three girls who had heard their conversation—each one glancing at one another, equally curious about what kind of "bet" that might be.
...
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