In the lecture hall, the professor was diligently explaining the course material from the podium.
Unlike his lethargic days back in high school, Haruto was surprisingly focused, taking meticulous notes and absorbing the lesson content.
Minazuki University was in a league of its own; drifting through classes here was a sure way to fail out before graduation, and besides, he found that these literary theories actually enhanced his own novel writing.
Once the day's lectures concluded, Haruto and Reina walked side by side down the main campus boulevard. The road was lined with students, many of whom couldn't help but turn their heads to catch a glimpse of Reina. Dressed in a simple white dress with her hair dancing in the breeze, she possessed a presence that was impossible to ignore.
"Congratulations. I heard your new work was approved for serialization. It should be out in early November, right?" Reina said as they walked.
"Yeah. What about you? You have been unusually quiet lately," Haruto asked with curiosity.
"There is no use in rushing. I am not like you."
"I do not have that magical ability to produce high-quality work at such a frantic pace, let alone create those emotionally devastating stories," Reina replied in a calm voice, her eyes momentarily drifting to Haruto's profile. "When I write a novel, I have to research a mountain of data and read dozens of similar works just to find a spark of inspiration. It is a slow, exhausting process, so I haven't finished a single manuscript for a new project yet."
Haruto nodded in understanding.
"By the way, have you been in contact with Yukino recently?" Reina asked suddenly.
"I tried to call her, but her phone was off."
"Yukino..." Haruto fell silent for a moment. "No, I haven't. Last month, I have been busy finalizing the contracts for my new serialization and adapting to college stuff. I haven't had a chance to check in on her."
"I only found out because I was scrolling through the news," Reina said, her thumb sliding across her smartphone screen.
"Look at this."
"A company called Chucklefish Games is under official investigation for large-scale fraud and illegal gambling operations. The CEO and several top executives have reportedly fled the country."
"What does that have to do with us?" Haruto asked, looking puzzled.
"Is your memory really that bad? Three months ago, when you first arrived in Tokyo, you spent a few days at Yukino's place, didn't you? We had a video chat then, and you mentioned you were officially enrolling in the Department of Literature at Minazuki. Yukino was eating sweets in the background and casually mentioned that her studio was producing a custom promotional anime for a gaming firm."
"You remember the details of a video call from three months ago that clearly?" Haruto felt his eyelid twitch.
He made a mental note that if anyone ever dated her and made a mistake, she would likely remember the memory and use it to torment them twenty years later.
"That is not the point," Reina said, giving him a flat look. "The point is that the company Yukino was collaborating with is Chucklefish Games."
Haruto's expression turned grim instantly. "Are you serious? Could it just be a coincidence or a similar name?"
"I checked. It is definitely them."
"And the CEO has really vanished?" Haruto asked, seeking confirmation once more.
"Yes."
"Then what happens to the anime project her studio is currently working on? She told me she sold her house and used all her personal savings to scrape together nearly two hundred million yen to start that company!"
As Haruto's question hung in the air, both of them fell into a heavy silence. After a moment, Haruto pulled out his phone and dialed Yukino's number.
"The number you have dialed is currently switched off..."
"Unbelievable," Haruto muttered, his face a mask of concern. "I am going to her apartment right now." He stepped toward the curb and waved down a taxi.
"I am coming with you," Reina insisted. Haruto didn't argue. They climbed into the back of the taxi, and within thirty minutes, they arrived at the apartment complex where Yukino lived. Haruto led the way, quickly finding her door. He pressed the doorbell.
"Who is it?" Yukino's weary voice crackled through the intercom.
"It is me. And Reina," Haruto replied.
"Wait, both of you?" Yukino's voice carried a hint of panic before the intercom went silent.
Haruto could easily imagine what was happening inside. She was likely frantically clearing away takeout boxes and scattered clothes from her sofa. Three minutes later, the door opened.
Yukino stood there in pale pink pajamas, her face touched with a layer of light makeup. She offered them a brilliant, forced smile and gestured for them to enter.
"Well, look at you two. I am glad you remembered to visit me. It seems my habit of treating you to late-night snacks every week back in Minamijo wasn't a waste after all."
Reina remained silent, her eyes fixed on Yukino.
"Alright, stop it. You do not have to pretend to be happy for our sake," Haruto said. He pulled up the news report about the Chucklefish Games CEO on his phone and showed it to her. "You should have told us about this."
"Sigh..." The moment Yukino saw the screen, her facade crumbled. The light in her eyes faded, replaced by a look of deep exhaustion and her eyes began to redden.
"What exactly happened?" Reina asked softly.
"I was swindled, Reina. We had been friends for fifteen years. We were classmates back in primary school. When the boys used to bully her, I was the one who fought them off for her," Yukino said, the bitterness finally spilling out of her.
Through her explanation, the two of them began to understand her predicament.
Yukino had taken on the animation project because of a recommendation from her childhood best friend.
She was the girlfriend of a high-ranking executive at Chucklefish Games. When the company decided they needed a high-quality promotional anime for their upcoming title, She suggested Yukino's new studio, knowing her family had a deep background in film and animation.
Yukino had just left her job at Crimson Maple and wanted to prove she could succeed on her own. Instead of letting her father's company take the contract and the profit, she decided to invest her own savings and the money from the sale of her house into her own studio.
She put together two hundred million yen to get the operation off the ground. In the process, she fell for a trap set by her friend.
Her friend convinced her that being a mere contractor for a flat fee was a waste of talent.
She suggested that Yukino should instead become an investor in the project, which would allow her to share in the massive profits once the game and the anime launched. Following this advice, the standard procedure of the client paying the studio was completely reversed.
Yukino ended up paying one hundred million yen to Chucklefish Games to secure a stake in the project, all while using the rest of her capital to fund the production out of her own pocket.
Now, the CEO had vanished with the company funds, and her "best friend" had fled the country with Yukino's money. Since the game was shut down by the authorities, the promotional anime she was halfway through producing was worthless.
There was no client to pay the remaining costs, and no way to recoup the investment.
Haruto and Reina stared at her with their mouths open.
"Yukino... I know you are not a stupid person. How could you..." Reina couldn't finish the sentence. The idea of paying a client for the privilege of working for them was a level of business naivety that was hard to process.
"I trusted my friend," Yukino said, her voice cracking as tears began to well up again.
"And who could have predicted that the CEO of a major gaming firm was a professional scammer? The entire project was a trap from the start. My friend must have known the company was going under. She set me up to be her exit strategy, stealing from me before she ran away."
She looked at her hands, her voice trembling. "That was everything I had. My savings, my inheritance... all of it is gone."
Two hundred million yen was a staggering amount of liquid cash.
It was a life-altering loss. While the financial hit was devastating, the emotional blow of being betrayed by a lifelong friend was clearly what was breaking her.
"I suppose it proves the old saying," Haruto sighed. "Wealthy people only go bankrupt when they start trying to 'invest.' If you had just used that money to travel and enjoy your life, you could have lived like a queen for decades."
"What are your plans now?" Haruto asked, looking directly at her.
"What can I do? I filed a police report, but who knows if that money will ever be recovered," Yukino said, taking a shaky breath. "I have to dissolve the animation studio. The little money left in the account is just enough to pay off the staff and settle the final wages."
After admitting the truth, Yukino seemed to relax slightly. A faint, sad smile appeared on her lips. "Do not worry about me. I will learn from this. It is a painful lesson, but I will bounce back. I just need a few days to be miserable."
"Are you really just going to let the studio collapse?" Haruto asked with a look of disbelief.
"What choice do I have? I have no capital left. Besides, this story has already spread through the Tokyo animation circles."
"I am the laughingstock of the industry. Even my father was so angry he could barely form words when he heard about the situation. No legitimate company is going to trust a project to a studio run by someone this unprofessional," Yukino said with a shrug of resignation.
A month ago, she had been dreaming of building an empire, producing one masterpiece after another. Now, those dreams felt like a cruel joke.
Reina let out a soft sigh.
She began searching for some words of comfort to help ease Yukino's pain, but before she could speak, Haruto interjected.
"Tell me something. If someone were to provide your company with fresh capital and a clear project to work on... would the team you assembled be capable of producing a high-quality TV anime?"
"What are you talking about? If I was confident enough to take on a high-stakes promotional project for a major game, then a standard TV anime is well within our capabilities," Yukino said, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "But where am I going to find a benefactor like that?"
"Right here," Haruto said, his expression becoming intensely serious. "I have well over one hundred million yen in liquid assets, and I have a script for an anime that I have been dying to produce. Instead of letting your studio go to waste, let me invest in it."
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