The meeting room was heavy with tension. Kudo, the studio's manager, stood at the head of the table, his gaze piercing. Ryu, sat upright, his heart pounding.

"Ryu!" Kudo's voice cut through the silence. Ryu jumped, startled from his thoughts.

"Yes, sir," he replied, his voice barely a whisper.

"Did you contact the author?" Kudo asked, his tone demanding.

"Yes, sir. I emailed them this morning as you said, but they haven't responded yet," Ryu explained, his voice trembling slightly.

Kudo's face darkened. "Not good, not good. I want you to do everything you can to persuade them. At any cost. Our studio's last project was a disaster; we incurred huge losses."

The room fell silent as Kudo's words hung in the air.

The other employees averted their gaze, their faces etched with worry.

Ryu felt a surge of panic. How could he possibly persuade the author to sign a contract? And more importantly, how could he ask the manager for a job for Natsu amidst this chaos?

"Mr. Ryu, are you listening?" Kudo's voice snapped Ryu out of his thoughts.

"Yes, yes, sir," Ryu stammered, his mind racing.

"I want the author's response by tomorrow, or you will be fired!" Kudo declared, his voice firm and angry.

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A wave of dread washed over Ryu. He nodded vigorously, his voice filled with forced enthusiasm. "I will do everything I can, sir."

The meeting ended abruptly, and the employees began to filter out of the room. Ryu lingered, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

"He's so angry," he muttered to himself, leaning against the door.

Yuma and Uma, who had been observing the tense meeting, approached Ryu.

"Seems like something didn't go right," Yuma commented.

Uma, with a mischievous glint in her eye, added, "Did that grumpy old man get angry again? He's such a drama queen!"

Yuma giggled. "What else could it be?"

"Hey, don't get upset about what he says. It's his nature. He shouts at everyone, so chill out," Uma reassured Ryu.

"Yeah, and your hot friend is still waiting for you at the reception," Yuma teased.

Ryu's eyes widened in surprise. "He's still there?" he exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief.

Without another word, Ryu rushed towards the reception, leaving Yuma and Uma exchanging amused glances.

Ryu reached the reception, finding Natsu still occupying the same spot, his arms crossed and eyes closed in a pose of serene indifference.

Aya approached Ryu, explaining, "I suggested he come back later since your meeting would take time, but he insisted on waiting."

Ryu walked over to Natsu and snapped his fingers, jolting him awake. "What are you doing here? You know the meeting would take a while. I told you to go home and I'd contact you later," Ryu exclaimed, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

Natsu mumbled a quick apology "sorry I.."

Ryu sighed, patting Natsu's shoulder in an attempt to soothe his friend. "Don't worry, I'll try to find you a job soon enough," he promised.

Natsu's gaze dropped to the floor. Ryu noticed his friend's stomach rumble unexpectedly. "You haven't eaten anything, right? Want to go out to a café?" he suggested.

Natsu shook his head, declining the offer. But as he stood up to leave, his stomach grumbled again, betraying his hunger.

Ryu chuckled, "Hey, don't worry, I'll pay," he insisted.

Natsu declined his face still expressionless.

Natsu walked out of the studio.

Ryu watches Natsu leave and feels a sense of responsibility towards his friend.