NOVEL WEB Chapter 115: [115] Miss Mai Wants Him to Confess
Chapter 115: Miss Mai Wants Him to Confess
"I've only met Natsuno once, and that was with you, Utaha. Don't overthink it."
"Mai, I went to Hyakkaou Academy just to secure resources for you. Look, here's a role I worked really hard to get for you—a major supporting character in a big-budget TV drama. As your first project after making a comeback, I had to pull strings and wrestle it away from the hands of those second-generation elites born into wealth and privilege."
Utaha's question was both simple and complicated, but Shunsuke remained calm. He hadn't made a move on Natsuno, after all!
As for Mai, the guilty conscience in him led him to deflect the topic. Instead, he brought out the contract he'd reserved for her, ready for her review.
"Shunsuke-kun, you really are capable of being a good manager." Mai's expression was a bit complicated as she took the contract and quickly skimmed through it.
Beside her, Utaha clicked her tongue softly. "If Sakurajima-san thinks so highly of him, then why did you hire this trash-kun as your manager in the first place?"
Mai, still calmly flipping through the contract, responded indifferently, "It's fine. Even if Shunsuke-kun is useless, I can afford to support him."
Utaha felt like she was being thoroughly shown up.
"By the way, I recently acquired a mid-sized but struggling publishing house. I'm currently in urgent need of books to fill the catalog and establish its reputation. Utaha, why not submit your new book to my publishing house? I'll make sure you get maximum promotional resources. Also, can you persuade Editor Machida to join us? The pay is negotiable."
Utaha was taken aback. "Acquired a publishing house? Are bestselling light novel authors really that profitable? I remember your total sales just recently broke 8 million copies... Though selling 8 million copies in three years is monstrous enough, it shouldn't be enough to buy a publishing house, right?"
Sixteen volumes in three years, averaging 500,000 copies per volume—Shunsuke could rightly be called a monster in the industry.
"Well, I received some generous and selfless help, so I'm financially comfortable."
For example, Kirari Momobami. Kirari Momobami. And Kirari Momobami.
"I personally don't have an issue with it, but convincing Editor Machida to switch might be difficult. While she's always been kind to me, I'm just one of her authors at the end of the day—and one with a reputation for being troublesome and high-maintenance."
Utaha unconsciously bit the nail of her left thumb, her attention completely drawn to what Shunsuke had just said.
"But to say my new work is merely to fill your catalog, Trash-kun, you've really grown bold."
Realizing that she had too readily agreed to Shunsuke's request, Utaha, unwilling to come across as an "easy" woman, decided to push back.
"Isn't every light novel that doesn't sell over a million copies after five volumes just filler for the catalog?" Shunsuke replied, his quick tongue inadvertently letting out a cutting remark.
"Shunsuke-kun, it feels like you've just calmly uttered something that'll surely get you flamed online," Mai commented with a smirk, glancing at the stunned Utaha.
"...I'm going back to the classroom for lunch," Utaha murmured. Her already fragile self-confidence took another hit, and she wandered off like she was sleepwalking.
Shunsuke felt a pang of guilt toward Utaha.
What a scumbag he was—he'd unknowingly used manipulative tactics to strip away her pride.
Beneath her veneer of arrogance, Utaha was just a timid girl, even less courageous in matters of the heart than Eriri.
Eriri, despite her consistent losing streak from start to finish, at least had the guts to cut ties with someone like Aki Tomoya, who couldn't give her the pressure she needed to chase her dreams.
While it might sound a bit masochistic, that decisive nature was something Utaha, who always followed in Eriri's footsteps, couldn't compare to.
But to navigate the thorny path of his "harem route," Shunsuke knew he had to suppress the moral sensibilities ingrained from his past life. Morality? Who needs that for building a harem?
"Here, Shunsuke-kun, your bento's going to get cold if you let the wind blow on it too long. Say 'ahh~.'"
Unaware of Shunsuke's complicated inner thoughts, Mai suddenly felt in a great mood. Deciding to show her seniority as his upperclassman, she teased him playfully.
"Mmmph."
Shunsuke took a bite, even managing to hold Mai's chopsticks in his mouth, much to her amusement.
Mai was momentarily startled, her hand instinctively pulling back, though she didn't retrieve her chopsticks right away.
It wasn't until Shunsuke opened his mouth that she finally managed to take her chopsticks back.
Looking at the faint mark on the chopsticks, Mai fell silent.
"Hm? Mai-san, why aren't you eating? Your bento's going to get cold," Shunsuke teased in an annoyingly smug tone. "No way, no way. Could it be that the mature Mai-senpai is still hung up on something as childish as an indirect kiss? That's something only grade schoolers care about. Mai-san is so grown-up, there's no way she'd mind something so trivial as an indirect kiss with someone younger, right?"
Mai glared at him, but it wasn't intimidating at all—in fact, it was quite adorable.
"Well… well, you're right. But I'm not bothered by that! I'm just surprised by how desperate you seem, Shunsuke-kun."
Talk about stubborn denial.
"I've done far more provocative things in acting, so an indirect kiss like this doesn't even faze me."
"More provocative things?" Shunsuke's expression darkened. "Didn't you say you've never taken on a kissing scene before, Mai-san?"
Sorry, double standards here.
"Of course. That was the senior lead's role. While I said I've experienced it in acting, I don't think I ever said it was my personal experience. Watching others do it up close should count as experience too, right?"
Holding back a laugh, Mai deliberately used the chopsticks Shunsuke had bitten to pick up a piece of food from her bento.
She placed it into her mouth, and her face instantly turned red. Without saying a word, she sped up her eating.
"Mai-san, that's really mean of you."
Still blushing, Mai didn't respond. After finishing her meal, she finally spoke. "But Shunsuke-kun prefers me like this, doesn't he?"
Direct hit! Another direct hit! Two in one day. Truly, Mai lived up to her image as a mature adult, her relentless attacks leaving no room to breathe.
"Not at all. No matter what kind of personality Mai-san has, she's always adorable. I like all of them."
Shunsuke acted as if he didn't understand the weight of Mai's words, casually throwing out a daisuki (I like you). But Mai was certain that if she pushed him further, that "like" would take on a completely different meaning.
Mai wasn't pleased. Her competitive spirit flared up. She was determined to win against Shunsuke, no matter what.
When she finally had him so captivated that he confessed to her, she would make sure to have the upper hand and take control.
In short, Mai wanted him to confess.
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