Chapter 193: Fleeing in Panic (Patreon)

Shido Makoto looked at Tomoya the way one looks at a clown.

"Let me ask you something. Do you know how to code?"

"I…"

"Can you draw original art?"

"…"

"Can you compose music? Write scenarios? Do the art direction?" Shido Makoto went down the list one by one.

"From start to finish, is there a single part of this game that you can actually make yourself?"

Tomoya couldn't answer a single question.

He sat there flustered for a long while, then forced out, "I-I can coordinate! I'm the producer! I'm the one who brings everybody together!"

Shido Makoto nodded. "Your idea of coordinating is standing here shouting about dreams. You pressure the writer to write for free, the artist to draw for free, the composer to compose for free."

"Then once it's finished, the copyright is yours, and you decide how the money gets split. You call that coordinating?"

Listening from the side, Utaha felt the frustration that had been choking her chest for two months scatter all at once. She watched Shido Makoto's profile. It had been a long time since she'd felt the relief of hearing someone say exactly what was on her mind.

She hadn't read that proposal before, simply because she didn't want to give Aki Tomoya the wrong signal. But hearing its contents from Shido Makoto's mouth sent a chill down her spine.

If she had read that proposal out of politeness, and then agreed in a burst of emotion…

The consequences would have been unthinkable.

Aki Tomoya sat frozen in his chair. He couldn't find a single opening to argue back, but he refused to give in.

In his whole life, no one had ever torn him down to his face like this. At school he was the "passionate planner," the guy everyone found a little annoying but ultimately harmless. No one had ever told him, "You're freeloading."

He clenched his teeth and pushed up his glasses.

"You… how can you talk like that?"

"You don't know me. You don't know the relationship between Senpai and me. What right does an outsider like you have to—"

"I have no right at all." Shido Makoto's expression stayed flat.

"But you have no right to guilt-trip people either."

Aki Tomoya's face went red. He couldn't find the words to refute it, because every word Shido Makoto had said was true.

He really had said those things. He really had used those methods. It was only that, until now, he had never thought there was anything wrong with them.

In his mind, friends helping friends was only natural. If you had a dream, you gave it everything. If others wouldn't cooperate, they weren't sincere enough. He had lived more than a decade without anyone ever questioning that logic.

Aki Tomoya suddenly shot to his feet.

"Fine!"

"Even if there's something wrong with my methods, this is between Senpai and me! What does it have to do with you! What gives you the right to interfere!"

Shido Makoto looked at Aki Tomoya's flushed face, then said something that seemed completely unrelated.

"'The copyright to all works by creators participating in this project belongs to blessing software, that is, to the producer Aki Tomoya personally. Participants hold the right to credit, but not the right to adaptation, resale, or derivative works.'"

Aki Tomoya froze.

"That isn't… that's only…" His lips trembled. "That's to protect the integrity of the project!"

"Protecting the integrity of the project, so you take other people's work for yourself?" Shido Makoto's voice turned cold.

Aki Tomoya's mind could no longer keep up. He knew he was in the wrong. He had copied that passage from some business contract template and thought it made the proposal look professional. It had never occurred to him what it would look like when someone pulled it apart.

"That's not what I meant…"

"What you meant doesn't matter. It's right there in black and white." Shido Makoto stood up from his chair.

He was half a head taller than Aki Tomoya. Under that looming gaze, Aki Tomoya took half a step back without realizing it.

"You wanted others to write for you for free, and once they finished, the copyright would be yours. The authors wouldn't even have the right to use their own work."

"Under Article 47 of the Copyright Law, obtaining another person's copyright through fraud is an act of infringement, and in serious cases, criminal liability can be pursued."

Aki Tomoya's legs went weak.

"Believe me or not, I can call the police on her behalf right now."

Aki Tomoya's mouth opened and shut, shut and opened. He wanted to say that wasn't what he meant. He wanted to say he'd just grabbed some template online. He wanted to say it was all a misunderstanding.

The eyes of the customers at the surrounding tables were all fixed on him. Someone had taken out a phone, and it was impossible to tell whether they were taking a photo or about to make a call.

"P-police…" Aki Tomoya's voice was feeble. "It's just a doujin circle project…"

"A doujin circle project gets to ignore the law?" Shido Makoto gave him no room to catch his breath.

Aki Tomoya's eyes were reddening. It had never crossed his mind that making a doujin game could have anything to do with crime. But the man across from him made it perfectly clear: if someone had actually signed that proposal, he really could have faced legal trouble.

His lips trembled several times before he finally squeezed out, "Y-you don't have to worry. I wouldn't let Senpai sign that."

"Then why did you bring it out?"

Aki Tomoya had no answer.

Utaha stood up. She stood there, looking down at Aki Tomoya's face.

He instinctively looked up at her, a trace of hope still lingering in his eyes.

"The proposal is canceled."

"Don't bring me anything like this again."

"Senpai!"

"I have no obligation to pay for your dream." Utaha tilted her head slightly. "Especially not for garbage that can't even pass a legal check."

Aki Tomoya's expression collapsed.

"I…"

His voice was so small it was almost inaudible. He looked around. Everyone was staring at him. Some looked at him with contempt, some whispered to each other, and some were laughing.

Aki Tomoya ran down the stairs. He bumped into a customer coming up, didn't apologize, and kept running until he vanished around the stairwell corner.

The people in the restaurant stared after him. A few started clapping, and a few of the boys whistled.

The restaurant manager, standing at the front desk, let out a breath of relief. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He'd been terrified Aki Tomoya would refuse to leave, and he hadn't wanted to call the police, because that would have hurt the restaurant's business.

Shido Makoto walked back to his seat.

Sora sat in her chair, watching him come. She raised her right hand and gave him a thumbs-up, her eyes sparkling. She thought Shido Makoto had looked really cool just now.

Shido Makoto pulled out his chair, sat down, and took a sip from his water glass.

Kasumigaoka Utaha stayed where she was and drew a deep breath. Her chest felt clear, and the pressure that had weighed on her for two months was gone.

Aki Tomoya had been pestering her the whole time. She hadn't known how to refuse him, afraid of hurting his pride, and afraid people would call her heartless.

She looked at Shido Makoto. He was handing Sora a napkin, and Sora took it and wiped her mouth.

Images flooded Utaha's mind. The plot of her light novel, which had been stuck, suddenly had a direction. She hadn't known how to write the second volume. She'd felt the male lead of the first volume was too weak, and she'd wanted to write a different kind of lead.

A man who spoke bluntly, who showed no mercy, who could see right through other people. Every word Shido Makoto had just spoken fit her requirements perfectly.

After thinking it over, Utaha started walking toward Shido Makoto's table. She stopped at the edge and looked down at him.

"Hello there. Thank you for stepping in just now." Her tone had a teasing edge.

Utaha held out her right hand. "I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha. Might I have the pleasure of getting to know you better?"

Her gaze rested on Shido Makoto's face. His features were sharply defined, but his expression looked cold.

"It was no trouble. No need," Shido Makoto said, looking away.

He picked up his spoon, cut off a piece of strawberry cake, and put it in his mouth.

Utaha froze, her hand still hanging in midair. She stared at him, unable to believe what she'd just heard.

It was the first time in her life she'd been turned down, and so cleanly. At school, boys swarmed around her and tried everything to get her to talk to them. This one wouldn't even spare her a glance.

This person is interesting, Utaha thought.

"Don't be so cold, classmate."

Shido Makoto ignored her and nudged his plate forward.

Sora stopped eating and turned to stare at Utaha, her eyes far from friendly. She stood up, walked to Shido Makoto's side, and hugged his right arm.

"Auntie, my brother said no need."

The corner of Utaha's eye twitched.

"A-Auntie?"

"Yeah." Sora lifted her chin. "Don't you understand Japanese? Or are you so old your ears don't work anymore?"

Utaha laughed. This little girl was really aggressive.

"Little sister, your brother helped me. Wanting to thank him is perfectly natural."

"He doesn't need your thanks." Sora hugged his arm tighter. "You're interrupting our meal. You can go now."

Utaha wasn't angry. She found this pair of siblings fascinating: a cold older brother and a little sister fiercely guarding her food.

She turned to Shido Makoto. "Is that so? Your sister keeps a tight leash. It must be hard on you."

Shido Makoto put down his spoon, reached out with his left hand, and pinched Sora's cheek. Her mouth scrunched into a pout, and she let go of his arm to cover her face.

"Makoto!" Sora protested, glaring at him.

Shido Makoto let go, stood up, and picked up the bill from the table.

He said to Sora, "Let's go. The dessert's going to melt."

Shido Makoto headed for the cashier, and Sora followed behind him, looking back to glare at Utaha and pull a face.

Utaha stayed where she was, watching the two of them walk away. Shido Makoto's back was straight and tall, and Sora looked tiny beside him.

She took a black notebook out of her bag, opened it to a page, and wrote a line with a pen:

"Decided. The male lead of the next volume is you."

Utaha pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Editor Machida, I've found my inspiration for the next volume," Utaha said.

Machida Sonoko's voice came through the phone, delighted. "Really? That's wonderful! What are you planning to write? A romantic comedy? Or school-life slice of life?"

"A very interesting male lead," Utaha said.

"What kind of male lead?" Machida Sonoko asked.

Utaha smiled and described Shido Makoto's personality.

Machida Sonoko sounded doubtful. "That doesn't sound much like a romance novel lead. Would anyone actually fall for a guy like that?"

"It'll be fun," Utaha said. "Readers today are tired of gentle male leads. They want a little excitement."

"All right. It's your decision."

…