The wild revelry of the previous night had ended, and Gao Sijin, exhausted to the point of near collapse, finally welcomed the morning of the next day.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains onto Gao Sijin’s sleeping face, waking him. The small log cabin, which had been somewhat dim, also began to brighten as the sun rose.
Compared to Tsukiyuki Rio’s castle, the log cabin at the Karuizawa West Prince Hotel was pitifully small—even the pet pony she kept lived in a split-level villa.
However, the wooden house had its advantages. The timber gave off a rustic fragrance, and the confined space allowed him to be close to Tsukiyuki Rio, which gave a greater sense of security. Gao Sijin himself actually preferred small houses over large ones.
He turned his head to glance at Rio. The girl was still deep in slumber, like a perpetually sleepy little kitten, resting her small head against Gao Sijin’s chest. Beneath her silky, jet-black hair was a delicately beautiful face.
She had the cutest sleeping face in the world.
“If last night counted as punishment, I really wish you’d punish me every day,” Gao Sijin muttered quietly.
He even had the impulse to poke Tsukiyuki Rio’s lustrous and springy cheek with a finger, but after a second thought, he refrained. Rio was sleeping so sweetly beside him that Gao Sijin simply couldn’t bear to wake her, wishing that the time he spent with her could slow down.
Leisurely inhaling the refreshing scent of his lover’s body, Gao Sijin began to ponder the next plotline. In the past, he had always believed that inspiration was a fertile land where he could grow anything he planted. Later, he realized that inspiration was like a plastic flower in a vase—once plucked, it was very difficult for it to grow back.
Fortunately, he had met Rio. She was the most beautiful flower in the world, a rose-like girl. His gaze fell upon Tsukiyuki Rio’s bare, delicate body, and the sunlight was melting Gao Sijin’s heart. He was extremely careful, afraid of waking the girl who clung to him in his arms.
Ring, ring, ring!
The urgent ringing of the phone suddenly sounded, startling Gao Sijin into a shiver. He silently cursed the person who was calling at such an inopportune moment. Under the clamor of the phone, Tsukiyuki Rio was awakened. She struggled groggily under the covers for a moment, blinked her hazy, dark-red eyes, and then wrapped her slender arms around Gao Sijin’s waist once more.
“Good morning, Gao-kun. Whose call is it? It’s not a girl, is it?”
Gao Sijin glanced at the caller ID. It was Editor Mishima. That damned bunny girl had actually woken up Rio—unforgivable!
Gao Sijin answered the phone and said irritably, “Hello? What is it?”
“Hello, Master. This is your Maid Wake-Up Service,” Editor Mishima said in a voice that was extremely pandering to otaku sensibilities.
“What kind of maid are you supposed to be?”
“The maid from 《In the Name of the Maid》, of course. Master, aren’t you most fond of the jealous, yandere-type maid? Why do I hear a girl’s voice near you? Master, are you cheating?”
Editor Mishima was simply an airhead. Even though she performed decently at work, it couldn’t make up for the defects in her brain.
“Anyway, what exactly is the matter?”
“Cough cough, back to business. Master, after the release of 《In the Name of the Maid》 Volume 1, sales have been consistently good. It’s already May, four months apart, so it’s time to prepare Volume 2 for publication. The illustrator, Katakura-kun, has almost finished the drawings, so when will you have time to come to the editorial department?”
“I’m currently in Karuizawa with my lover. We’ll talk after the holiday is over. After that, I’ll also meet up with Hayabusa.”
“We’re aiming for a mid-May release of your second volume masterpiece. If the sales for Volume 2 remain high, we can start preparations for an anime adaptation. Given the current story, producing forty-eight episodes would be no problem at all.”
“Wait, what did you say? My book can get an anime adaptation?” Gao Sijin raised his voice, the surprise in his tone unmistakable.
“Is there any need to be this surprised, Teacher Gao Sijin? Didn’t I mention the various matters regarding an anime adaptation when the first edition was published? Your book is completely viable. If it’s produced, it’ll definitely be a masterpiece among masterpieces. But don’t celebrate too early; we still need to see how Volume 2’s sales go. However, I’d say there won’t be much of a problem.”
“Thanks a lot, Editor Mishima.”
“Just a moment ago, you were speaking to me in such an impatient tone, and now you’re thanking me. You men are so fickle. Fine, go keep your girlfriend company.”
“I’ll accompany my lover without you having to tell me.”
Gao Sijin hung up the phone, his delicate face beaming with a bright, cheerful smile, his mood as pleasant as a clear blue sky with white clouds.
Tsukiyuki Rio leisurely leaned over and asked, “Was that a call from Gao-kun’s editor?”
“Yeah, Rio. My book might get an anime adaptation.”
“Congratulations, Gao-kun!” Tsukiyuki Rio’s beautiful eyes widened. With an expression of delight, she tightly hugged Gao Sijin’s neck and continuously kissed his face with her lips.
The surprise was a pretense. Having Gao Sijin’s work receive an anime adaptation had always been part of the original plan. The timing was almost ripe now, so she had simply instructed Editor Mishima to inform him at the appropriate moment.
In the industry, a single anime episode costs roughly between 13 and 30 million yen. Tsukiyuki Rio, however, set a budget of 100 million yen per episode for Gao Sijin’s light novel anime adaptation. In fact, she had started preparations for this as early as when Yu Qingxue first went to Bincheng to make contact with Gao Sijin.
By now, nearly twelve episodes of Gao Sijin’s anime were already fully completed. Unbeknownst to him, Tsukiyuki Rio had been the very first viewer of the adaptation. During the process, there was a small incident of embezzlement within the production committee. The usually kind and elegant Tsukiyuki Rio did not throw the embezzler into Tokyo Bay to feed the fish; she merely chopped off a little finger.
“I never thought I’d be able to see Gao-kun’s anime. It’s truly wonderful.”
Tsukiyuki Rio greedily pushed Gao Sijin down beneath her and kissed him passionately without pause. Gao Sijin did not resist; he had promised Rio last night to “pay in installments.” Although his body was a bit sore and weary, a man couldn’t say he couldn’t.
As for the final remaining time, Tsukiyuki Rio planned to do it on the Ferris wheel.
“Rio, do you really like this sort of thing that much? Doing this to me before we’ve even had breakfast… sooner or later, you’re going to drain me dry…”
“There’s no helping it. I love Gao-kun so much mentally that it would be too rude to you if I didn’t want to sleep with you. I’m strange, aren’t I? When I see Gao-kun happy, it’s unbearable; when I see Gao-kun down, it’s also unbearable. When you think about it, it’s all Gao-kun’s fault. Who told you to be so adorable, exuding an aura of ‘please eat me’ from head to toe? I just can’t hold back…”
“You really are a vixen.”
“Also, that just now didn’t count as last night’s punishment. It was celebratory. You still owe me two times. If you don’t want to be punished by me in the future, do your best in your writing.”
“If I die young, you’ll have to take full responsibility.”
