Chapter 64 - Kasumigaoka Utaha’s Money-Making Plan

Mrs. Izumi looked at Kaito with a mix of nervousness and hope.

After the recent ghost incident, she had come to realize that living without a man in the house wasn't safe.

Whether it was dealing with criminals or even unhelpful police officers, not having a man around made it hard to feel confident.

Plus, Kaito was young, handsome, and their relationship had already reached a certain level of intimacy.

Izumi-san couldn't help but want to take things further and build a long-term connection with him.

It also helped that her daughter seemed to like him.

With Kaito around, Sagiri might even feel comfortable enough to leave the house and attend school, where she could receive proper care and support.

"Don't worry," Kaito said with a reassuring smile.

"I don't mind at all. Let me know when you're ready to move."

Izumi-san's face lit up with visible joy.

"Then I'll start looking for a place today!"

Hearing this, Kaito, who had originally planned to visit school to check on Miyuki and Kaori's progress, changed his mind.

He gently patted Izumi-san's head.

"How about I go with you?"

"Really?!" Izumi-san's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"That depends on how well you behave," Kaito teased.

"I'll behave very well, I promise!" Izumi-san said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in his chest.

After making sure Sagiri had her breakfast, Izumi-san and Kaito finally left the house around noon.

They visited a nearby real estate agency to look for a new place.

However, after browsing for a while, they couldn't find anything suitable near the Tohsaka residence.

Just as they were about to leave and check out the area around the Tohsaka house, Kaito noticed two women entering the agency.

One of them was a familiar figure—mainly because of her signature black stockings.

It was Kasumigaoka Utaha.

She was accompanied by a woman in her late twenties or early thirties.

"Izumi-sensei!"

Before Kaito could greet them, the woman with Utaha spotted Izumi-san and immediately called out to her.

"Oh, it's Machida-san," Izumi-san said, recognizing the woman.

"Izumi-sensei, are you here to look at houses?"

"Yes, but nothing caught my eye. What about you, Machida-san?"

"This is one of my authors, Kasumigaoka Utaha. She's looking for a new place since her current lease is up. We're also discussing some book-related matters."

Machida-san then introduced Utaha to Izumi-san.

"This is Izumi-sensei, one of the top manga artists in the industry. Her artwork and character designs are legendary."

"Oh, Machida-san, you're exaggerating," Izumi-san said modestly.

Utaha, intrigued, looked at Izumi-san with interest.

For writers, building connections with talented manga artists was crucial.

A skilled illustrator could turn even a mediocre story into a hit, as the quality of the artwork often mattered more than the writing itself.

Under Machida-san's enthusiastic suggestion, the four of them went to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

Kaito didn't greet Utaha directly, as it seemed she didn't recognize him from their brief encounter a few days ago.

"Izumi-sensei," Machida-san said after they had eaten for a while, "I have a bit of a favor to ask."

Neither Izumi-san nor Kaito was surprised.

Given Machida-san's enthusiasm, it was clear she had something in mind.

"What is it?" Izumi-san asked politely.

"It's not too much trouble, I hope," Machida-san said.

"It's about Utaha. She's a new author, and her first book, Love Metronome, was recently published. Unfortunately, due to poor promotion, the sales have been disappointing. But as an experienced editor, I can vouch for the quality of her work."

Machida-san pulled out a copy of Love Metronome from her bag and handed it to Izumi-san.

"I was wondering if you could take a look and, if you like it, maybe help promote it?"

Utaha watched Izumi-san nervously.

She wasn't a fan of asking for favors, but her book's poor sales had left her with no choice.

If things didn't improve, her debut novel would likely be shelved, and her writing career would face a major setback.

"Hmm," Izumi-san said, flipping through the book.

After a moment, she gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Machida-san, but my work and this genre don't really overlap. I'm not very familiar with romance novels, so..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her refusal was clear.

Izumi-san and Machida-san weren't particularly close, and they didn't even work for the same company.

Helping Utaha now could set a precedent, leading to more requests from other authors and editors in the future.

Izumi-san preferred to focus on her own work without getting involved in promotions.

"I see," Machida-san said, her disappointment evident.

Utaha also looked crestfallen, but she quickly masked her emotions.

Just as Machida-san was about to take the book back, a man's hand reached out and picked it up.

"Mind if I take a look?" Kaito asked.

Machida blinked in surprise.

Machida-san and Utaha finally turned their attention to the young man who had been quietly sitting beside Izumi-san.

Utaha studied him curiously.

Who is this guy? He looks about my age...

"Of course, go ahead," Machida-san said, handing the book to Kaito.

Kaito took Love Metronome and began flipping through the pages.

For a while, the only sound in the room was the soft rustling of paper as he read.

Machida-san and Utaha, though unsure of Kaito's exact relationship with Izumi-san, held their breath, hoping he might influence her decision.

After a few minutes, Kaito closed the book.

"It's not bad," he said.

This was a lie.

Kaito hadn't really been paying attention to the story.

The teenage love triangle filled with "I love you, you love me, but you don't love me anymore" drama didn't interest him in the slightest.

He couldn't judge the quality of the writing, but thanks to his foresight, he knew Utaha's book had the potential to become a hit with the right promotion.

And as luck would have it...

"I've been thinking about starting a company," Kaito said casually.

"It'll focus on publishing novels, manga, and related media."

"Would your publishing house, Machida-san, and you, Kasumigaoka-san, be interested in selling me the rights to this book?"

Machida-san and Utaha were stunned.

Their first reaction wasn't excitement but skepticism.

Kaito looked too young, and his proposal sounded like something he'd come up with on a whim.

Moreover, the publishing industry relied heavily on connections and resources, neither of which Kaito seemed to have.

"Izumi-san will be joining my company as an illustrator," Kaito added.

"If Kasumigaoka-san is willing, I can have Izumi-san create the illustrations for your book."

At this, both Machida-san and Utaha turned to Izumi-san for confirmation.

Without hesitation, Izumi-san smiled and said, "I'll follow Kaito-kun's lead."

Hearing this, Machida-san felt reassured.

With the legendary Eromanga Sensei on board, this venture suddenly seemed much more promising.

Machida-san's interest was piqued, and she decided to probe further.

"How much capital are you planning to invest initially?" she asked.

"About one or two billion yen," Kaito said nonchalantly.

"Is that enough? If not, I can probably scrape together a few more billion without much trouble."

The room fell silent.

Even Izumi-san, who had only met Kaito the day before, was shocked.

This young man has that kind of money?!

Utaha stared at Kaito in disbelief.

He's my age, and he's talking about billions of yen like it's nothing?

Machida-san's heart raced as she looked at Kaito with newfound respect.

"In that case," she said, her voice trembling slightly, "would you be interested in acquiring our Fantastic Library?"