That Time My Anime Life Got Cursed by Outer Gods-Chapter 83 - 82: Signing A Contract

"Forget it, Kato-chan. Since she doesn't believe it, there's no need to force her. Let's go."

Shiro Sakamaki put down his coffee cup, gently took Megumi Kato's hand, and left the café after paying the bill.

As they walked down the crowded street, Megumi's face flushed slightly, but she didn't pull her hand away. Her quiet acceptance was answer enough.

An ice cream truck passed by them just as they turned a corner.

"Kato-chan, want some ice cream?" Shiro asked, pointing at the truck.

"Mm."

After getting their ice cream, they found a bench nearby and sat down. Only then did Megumi speak.

"Shiro-kun, did Kasumigaoka-senpai really experience something supernatural?"

Shiro casually took a bite of his cone. "Yeah. But it's nothing too powerful."

"But if we just ignore it... something could happen to her, right?"

Shiro rolled his eyes. "What could possibly happen? It's just a newly awakened supernatural entity. I could destroy it with a breath."

"At least for the next few days, she'll only suffer from nightmares and fatigue. It won't be anything fatal—yet."

Megumi nodded thoughtfully, focusing on her rapidly melting ice cream. The heat wasn't kind to sweet treats today.

"Kato-chan, do you know the name Kasumi Utaha?"

"Kasumi Utaha?"

"That's Kasumigaoka-senpai's pen name."

"Oh... she's really famous at our school. Everyone knows who she is."

Shiro thought about it and smiled. Kasumigaoka Utaha—along with Eriri—was one of the two most admired girls at Shuchiin Academy.

With her alluring figure, long black hair, sharp crimson eyes, and top-tier grades, she had a literary aura that drew everyone's attention. Her charm was unmistakable.

Her black stockings were iconic—just like Eriri's twin-tails and golden hair.

"It's a pity, really," Shiro mused. "She'll probably be showing up to school with panda eyes for a while. If you're curious, Kato-chan, you could check in on her."

Megumi shot him a side glance. "I'm not into watching other people suffer."

"Alright, alright," Shiro grinned, popping the rest of his ice cream into his mouth. "I'm heading to the Fushikawa Fantastic Bunko next. Wanna come?"

Megumi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

As the afternoon drew closer to rush hour, the roads became congested. Shiro looked at the traffic and sighed.

"Taxi's a no-go. Let's take the tram—it'll be faster."

They bought tickets and waited at the tram stop. Before long, a tram screeched to a halt in front of them.

The crowd surged forward. Shiro used his tall frame to shield Megumi, carving out a little space for her in the packed tram.

Even so, it was cramped. Megumi ended up pressed lightly against Shiro's chest. She could hear his steady breathing and feel the warmth radiating from him, making her usually calm heart beat faster than usual.

When they finally disembarked, Megumi let out a relieved sigh and patted her chest. "Phew... why was it so crowded today? It's not usually like this."

"It's the business district," Shiro replied as he wiped the sweat from her forehead. "The crowd here's a whole different beast."

They arrived at the Immortal River Library. Shiro, already familiar with the place, led the way upstairs to the editorial department.

Learning that Machida Sonoko was in a meeting, they took a seat to wait.

After a while, Shiro grew curious and peeked into the meeting room through the glass.

To his surprise, the person across from Machida wasn't another editor—it was Mitaka Jin from Sakurasou!

Shiro blinked. Didn't he write scripts? What's he doing at a light novel publisher?

Roughly thirty minutes later, the meeting ended. Mitaka walked out looking deflated, a thick manuscript in his hand.

Shiro figured his work must've been rejected.

Their eyes met briefly. Mitaka scowled, clearly recalling the night Misaki hadn't come home—something he apparently blamed Shiro for.

But before either could say anything, Machida Sonoko lit up as she noticed Shiro.

"Teacher Sakamaki! You're here—come in!"

Shiro and Megumi passed Mitaka at the door without a word.

Machida didn't even notice Megumi was with him—her quiet presence as undetectable as ever.

The moment they sat down, Machida pulled out a contract, though her smile was tinged with faint irritation—likely the result of Yukinoshita Haruno's pressure. Shiro mentally gave Haruno a thumbs-up.

He skimmed the contract quickly. He'd retain the rights to any future anime adaptations, and revenue would be distributed via sales dividends.

Editors could make suggestions, but creative control remained his. And then...

He paused. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

The profit split was 60-40—with him getting the 60%.

How in the world...? Shiro didn't know what Haruno had pulled behind the scenes, but he wasn't about to complain.

He signed the contract with a contented grin.

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