After leaving Keiyu's home, we immediately made our way to the Hikari Suisei Publishing building, arriving on the third floor where the meeting room was located.

Tanaka, whom Keiyu already contacted prior to our departure from his home, was already seated at the table, waiting for us.

We exchanged brief greetings before Keiyu handed the envelope containing the final manuscript of Rose of Vermillion to Tanaka.

"Made in time, Kurotsuki-sensei," Tanaka chuckled as he received the envelope from Keiyu.

"Hope you consider this, Kaname-san," Keiyu smiled in response.

As Tanaka began to review the contents of the envelope, Keiyu and I sat down, waiting patiently for his feedback. We watched him carefully as he read and scanned the pages.

After a few minutes, Tanaka set the papers down and turned his attention to Keiyu. With a smile, he finally spoke up, "Kurotsuki-sensei, you've done some great polishing. Now the writing quality is on par with, or even better than your previous works like Run With the Wind. Excellent job."

"That's a relief then, thank you," Keiyu sighed and thanked Tanaka for the positive review, and then Tanaka shifted his gaze to me. "And Pinkie-san, your artwork is stunning, especially the colored cover page. It's a shame that we can only print the greyscale version, but I understand your sentiment behind the colored version."

I smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Kaname-san. It's alright! I just wanted the colored version to be a good remembrance of my first project together with Kurotsuki-sensei."

"I must say I'm quite impressed with how you got in sync with Kurotsuki-sensei's writing, his previous illustrator had trouble matching his scenes when they first worked on Run With the Wind," Tanaka commented.

"R-Really?"

Tanaka nodded and smiled before looking at Keiyu, "Kurotsuki-sensei was a little strict with his previous illustrator, I can't blame them. Now I'm glad that you didn't have trouble working with him,"

"Yes, Kurotsuki-sensei really helped me out, I didn't even know that he's a strict person," I replied, looking at Keiyu with a smile.

Tanaka chuckled before leaning back in his chair, "Now, let me explain what you two can expect once your one-shot is published next month, this is mostly for your knowledge, Pinkie-san."

Tanaka continued and began to elaborate. "Hikari Monthly magazine does not only contain serialized chapters of various light novels that we publish but also a section dedicated to one-shot stories. Among 6 one-shots including yours, there will be a reader's poll to determine the top two submissions that show the most potential to be expanded into a full series."

"So... 4 won't be picked?" I glanced at Keiyu, who nodded to confirm my question.

"Correct, but not all authors wish for their one-shot to be turned into a series, some participate only to gather a following," Tanaka continued, "But I know that Kurotsuki-sensei has been eager to start a new series, so I hope that you two will succeed in the popularity poll."

I swallowed, feeling the weight of Tanaka's words. "Since Kurotsuki-sensei is already a successful author, wouldn't that give us better chances?" I then asked, unable to control the question from slipping from my lips before I could stop myself.

Tanaka paused, considering my question, before shaking his head, "Kurotsuki-sensei is indeed an established author within Hikari Suisei, and his reputation will certainly not go unnoticed," he began, "However, you must remember that there are countless authors out there who have been in the industry far longer and are just as skilled."

I nodded slowly, acknowledging that his words were not discouraging, but rather realistic. He continued, "Kurotsuki-sensei is undeniably a genius in his own right, but he also has his flaws. He's venturing from the romance genre of 'Run With the Wind', to a completely new territory of fantasy with 'Rose of Vermillion'. Even though it has romance, it's still a brave move, and it also comes with its own set of risks."

A frown tugged at my lips as the reality of the industry was settled in. But before I could dwell on it further, Keiyu's reassuring voice cut through my thoughts.

"There's nothing to worry about," he said with a cool smile, "We've done our best, and that's all that matters. Now, it's up to the readers."

I sighed and smiled back at him, "Y-You're right,"

Tanaka nodded back, "That's the spirit, Pinkie-san," he said with a light tone of voice. "And remember, today is just the 26th of May. The next issue of Hikari Monthly doesn't come out until June 2nd. Use this time to focus on other things in your life, like your school work, and your art live streams."

"You're right, Kaname-san," I agreed. "I'll do just that."

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I then turned to Keiyu, "Kurotsuki-sensei, do we have any other work to do?"

Keiyu shook his head, "No. You've done enough. You can take a break until the next issue comes out."

Suddenly, a realization hit me, and I could feel the color drain from my face. "My midterm exams!" I exclaimed, "They're coming up next Monday, and I barely studied at all!"

Keiyu chuckled, apparently finding my panic amusing, "If you'd like, I could help you study," he offered which ended up surprising me, but I figured it won't be such a bad idea after all since I already know that Keiyu's smart.

Tanaka burst into laughter, "Hoh? Kurotsuki-sensei, you finding excuses to have Pinkie-san over at your place?" he teased, causing Keiyu to blush and quickly deny Tanaka's accusations.

"N-Not at all, Kaname-san," Keiyu protested, clearly embarrassed, "That's not my intention. I just thought she could use some help."

Despite the awkwardness, I found myself laughing along with them, "I-It's okay, Kurotsuki-sensei, I'll take you up on that offer."

Tanaka, who was still chuckling, finally managed to regain his composure, "Well then, I guess that concludes our meeting. We'll send you the early prints of Hikari Monthly if possible. You two did a great job, and we're all looking forward to the release."

"Thank you, Kaname-san," Keiyu and I responded in unison before we bowed and left the room, our steps echoing in the quiet hallway as we made our way to the elevator and exited through the lobby of the building.

Once we were outside, the cool evening air hit my face, which instantly made me feel refreshed.. Keiyu checked his watch, "Oh, it's already past 6 PM. Want to eat dinner together, Imaizumi-san?"

"Eh? D-Dinner?"

Keiyu tilted his head in confusion, nodding slightly, "Yeah, is that okay?"

His sudden invitation took me by surprise. I quickly looked away to hide my blushing face. A dinner together? Like... a dinner date? Was he comfortable enough with me to suggest that?

Keiyu seemed to have noticed my hesitation, but he seemed to have misunderstood it for fear. "Ah, I see. You're worried about your bullies spotting us again, right?" He asked, causing me to look back at him in surprise. "How about this, I could cook dinner at my place. That way, we wouldn't have to worry about running into them."

His reassuring words made me smile, but the blush on my face still hadn't faded. A dinner at his place... would that be more like a house date? I shook my head, trying to rid my thoughts of these wild fantasies. "A-Alright, Kurumizawa-san" I agreed, "That sounds good to me."

As we walked together through the quiet streets, Keiyu suddenly broke the silence. "So, Imaizumi-san, which subjects do you plan to study for your exams?" he asked, glancing at me with a curious look.

I bit my lip, feeling a little embarrassed as I admitted, "I... I actually don't know yet. I've been so busy with the illustrations, I haven't had much time to think about it."

Keiyu just smiled at my confession, not seeming to judge me at all. "That's okay, you can come over anytime you need help with your studies?" he reassured me, causing me to blush even more.

"O-Okay, thank you," I muttered. I then began to think, why would he go out of his way to help me with my studies? It's only been a few days since we met, but he's been so kind to me already.

Suddenly, I remembered what he told me before - about his regret for not helping me when he saw me being bullied in the past. Maybe that's why he's so eager to help me now, to make up for his past inaction.

Right, that's it...

The thought warmed my heart, and I gave him a small smile.

Suddenly, my hand started to cramp up again, the exhaustion of the day's work clearly began catching up to me. I winced at the pain, involuntarily clenching my fist.

"Imaizumi-san?" Keiyu's concerned voice echoed in my ears. He was closer to me now, having stopped our walk. He gently took my hand into his, trying to ease the pain with a gentle massage, just like he did earlier in the day.

"You should rest your hand tonight," he suggested, "Maybe skip streaming your artwork for one evening."

"But, Kurumizawa-san, I promised my followers that I'll maintain a consistent schedule," I insisted, but he shook his head while keeping his gaze on my hand.

"You should take better care of yourself, Imaizumi-san," he said, his tone firm yet kind. "Your health is more important than a live stream."

His words and his concern took me aback. I looked at him and saw his eyes looking straight at me bearing all levels of his seriousness.

"Rest, once you get home,"

"Okay... yes, you're right, I'll rest," I finally conceded, agreeing with his words.

As Keiyu's gentle ministrations continued, I winced slightly, the pain in my hand persisting despite his efforts. He let out a small sigh and his hands paused, his amber gaze meeting mine.

"Somehow, I can't bear to see you in pain like this, even if it's just a little bit," he confessed. His words caught me by surprise, and before I knew it, I posed a question.

"Why do you care so much, Kurumizawa-san?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, "Nothing much... it's because I feel it's the right thing to do. My late father used to say, 'You should always strive to minimize others' pain whenever you can.' I guess you can say that his words stuck with me."

"I-I see, your father really is a good person," I smiled faintly.

Keiyu nodded and smiled back, "He is, he is. Anyway, we'll put a pain relief patch on your hand when we get home, let's get moving."

"Okay! Thank you again!" I responded.

As Keiyu was about to release my hand, a voice echoed from behind him, "Hey! What are you doing to her?"

Footsteps rushed toward us and before I knew it, a figure was throwing a punch at Keiyu. However, with surprisingly quick reflexes, Keiyu caught the incoming fist with his hand, halting the attack.

"Woah, what's wrong?" he asked the person.

"Get away from her, creep!" The voice then accused Keiyu.

Peeking around Keiyu, I instantly recognized the owner of the voice and the fist. "Sato-kun?" I called out, causing Keiyu to glance at me with a questioning look. Satoshi, however, was still trying to push his punch through, glaring at Keiyu.

"Stay back, Aya!" he then said to me.

"Sato-kun, you've got it all wrong!" I exclaimed, stepping between the two. "This is Kurotsuki-sensei! He's the one I'm working with," Turning to Keiyu, I added, "And Kurotsuki-sensei, this is Satoshi Sakai, my childhood friend."

Recognition flashed in Satoshi's eyes, but his fist remained in Keiyu's grip.

However, Keiyu's face softened into a smile, and to my surprise, he addressed Satoshi in a manner both of us did not expect, "You've arrived at a good time, Sakai-san. Wanna join us for dinner?"

After hearing his question, Satoshi's forceful arm relaxed, and the expression on his face turned into one of pure bewilderment, and all Satoshi could do was let out a single piece of his voice.

"Huh?"