Download App
27.11% HOTD: A New Dawn / Chapter 16: New Dawn Chapter: 016

Chapter 16: New Dawn Chapter: 016

Without a melody to go along with it, one could have mistaken it as some sort of well-hidden confession. A poem. It was very lyrical, after all. Beautiful, no doubt. Something that she didn't think Tysone could have come up with, but try as she might, she couldn't find the lyrics online. 

It was not stolen—which gave him credibility. Or at least, the benefit of the doubt. 

Still, even as Mai curled up in bed. She stared at his lyrics with mixed feelings. Words cut deep, no matter their intent—especially the lyrics he showed. Mai didn't cry. No, that would be uncool, but her chest ached, like she had an angered scorpion lodged deep within.

"I came across a fallen tree, I felt the branches of it looking at me."

She whispered.

"Somewhere Only We Know…"

"..."

It brought feelings that could not be defined in simple prose. A longing. For a distant memory lost in time. The regret of not giving it enough time.

The scorpion inside of her stabbed and tore apart her chest some more. Its sharp claws scraping against her tender, fragile heart. It hurt a bit to think. But there was an inherent beauty in all the pain. In knowing that the pain came from somewhere genuine; a distant emotion locked deep within one's memories.

She began to sing the lyrics in a low whisper. No one was there to witness her red face, her teary eyes and quivering, hoarse lips as Mai tried to sing, in her own accented way, the lyrics given to her by a stupid foreign guy she only knew for a scant few days.

Tysone, in the following days, wrote more lyrics. They all varied in genres, love ballads, sad love songs, a rap battle song he enjoyed listening to long ago, and an eclectic list of artists that didn't exist in this world. Bad for his ears. Good for his pockets. It was a pipe dream expecting his lyrics to be used for the same tune, but he hoped they'd get close enough that it sounded recognizable.

Regardless, Mai didn't contact him. Tysone wasn't overly concerned. If it didn't work, he'd try other lyrics. If even those didn't, he'd try to write books or scripts; not that he was much of a writer, in the first place, but hey, he tried. He couldn't sing, after all.

In the meanwhile, Tysone continued working at the construction site and regularly meeting Saya for his Japanese lessons. If Saya wasn't such a cute girl, he doubted he'd be listening so actively. 

He was glad his lessons were paying off, though. For starters, his Japanese improved to the point where Saya wasn't instantly criticizing his vocabulary after saying or understanding everything she said in just the first or second session. That felt like it was years ago.

And he was also steadfastly enhancing his physique. With his first paycheck, he could start working on his muscles free of worry. 'Gotta hit those proteins.' He wasn't jacked by any means, but some of his older jeans began to fall down without the aid of a belt. 

He stared at himself in the mirror, watching his flat, dark-skinned belly. "Man, what got you smiling like that?" He had never been vain. Being poor wasn't synonymous with vanity. But damn, it was nice looking at himself and being proud of what he was—and was becoming. 

It was not easy, but good, beautiful things never were. 

One day, he'd cash it all in. 

As such, life, for Tysone, continued. It had only been a little over a week—certain things had yet to settle, so it was a wait and see kind of affair.

At last, when the sun had just started to set on another beautiful, zombie-free day of Tokonosu City, Mai finally contacted him. 

—Meet me at HanaHana Café, 9 AM.

Did she know it was his rest day?

He got dressed in new clothes and walked out. 

HanaHana Café was quite nearby, thankfully. He didn't want to spend money on bus fares. Someone might think he was exaggerating, but every penny saved was a penny that could buy a future. Besides, with Tysone walking everywhere and cooking at home, he was also making long-term gains by getting rid of excess calories. It was no joke.

Eventually, Tysone made it to HanaHana, got in, and easily found a beautiful girl sitting by the mirror. How cinematographic. So lost in thought was she that she didn't seem to notice him. And boy, was he noticeable. 

"You look distraught. Is something the matter?" Tysone said, startling Mai out of her stupor. 

She eeked out a 'huh' before coming back to her senses. "You…"

Tysone nodded, sitting down. "Yes, me."

Mai held her forehead, a sigh rolling out. "Tell me the truth, did you really write that?" Her eyes were deep and serious. Did she want some emotional reveal? 

Even if he told her that it wasn't originally his, the origins could never be traced back to the original writer. He might as well claim it to be him. "Why, you think I can't possibly be a decent songwriter?"

She wanted to refute him, but found herself unable to. It's not like she really knew Tysone. Who knew what he had been up to in the US. Anything could be possible. 

Instead, Mai asked, hopefully, something more optimistic:

Mai tapped her fingers on the table, sounding like raindrops pelting window glass. Finally, her lips parted and she said: "...And the others? Those other lyrics you had..." She licked her lips—no doubt, preparing herself for the answer, yet clearly afraid of what it might be.

Tysone rubbed the back of his neck nonchalantly. It wasn't an unusual motion, yet he seemed like some great sage divining her. His lips curled. "What about them?"

"Do you have any other lyrics like this?"

She waved her phone, where the text he had sent her the other night was on display.

"Maybe?" Tysone shrugged. "Why, you like it?"

Mai narrowed her eyes. "It's irrelevant whether I like it or not."

"I mean…" He drawned the word out. "It does sound a little relevant to me."

She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Well… I did receive some offers." Tysone's eyes lit up in interest. Finally! Straight to the point. "You might have been, no, you were right in thinking that my name would raise the bids." 

Tysone gave her a little, infuriating smirk. "Good things will come if you listen to me."

Mai's cheeks puffed up. "It was a happenstance!" She affirmed. "A hap-pen-stance!"

"Come on now, how much have they offered us?" If Tysone had any less self-control, his eyes would have morphed into cartoonish dollar signs. He'd rub his hands like a mosquito as well, but nah, he kept his cool. 

Mai cleared her throat. She cracked one eye open. "Well, the lowest was around 500 USD."

"I don't give a fuck about the lowest." He rolled his eyes. "What's the highest?"

Her lips twitched. "Around… 7000 USD. Roughly one million yen."

7000 dollars might not have been a huge sum for some people, but for Tysone, it was an astronomical sum. If he sold other lyrics, wouldn't he be able to rake up enough money for Japan's first ever Rage Room? Saya, that little rich lady, would also chip in. 

"You reckon we could go higher than that?" Tysone released a breath, calming his boiling blood. Hell, not even a hot, naked woman had ever gotten him so excited before. Yeah, Tysone wasn't straight—he was money-sexual. 

"It depends..." Mai's fingers tapped on the table nervously. "My producer suggested for us to hold the rights, and instead settle for an agreed rate, which is a fifth of the song's profit. 10%, I assume, like in the US." Mai was uncertain on that front. "But that's assuming we find producers, we go through the channels and that the song succeeds. It seems like you have enough songs..." Mai spoke more like she was having a conversation with herself. "If the option is to make money quickly, we should accept the offer. But... if you're confident in the quality and potential of your lyrics, then perhaps we could try?"

And so Tysone was caught in a dilemma. Sell it for 7000 USD, or wait it out until some reliable label sees what a hidden gem the lyrics was and turns it into an anthem. Money, or Future more money? That was the real dilemma. Didn't those really popular songs in his world cash in millions of dollars? 

Tysone slowly mulled over the information he was given. If his lyrics reached the right ear of the right producer, Tysone couldn't see them failing to take off. It was only a matter of when.

Then again, if it were another world, another anime, he might have considered waiting it out. But with two years until the apocalypse, he really didn't care. More like, he couldn't afford to. 7000 USD was a decent starting capital for his businesses. Tysone clicked his tongue.

He had more lyrics—he wasn't scared. 

However, Tysone could see that Mai wasn't done talking yet. 

Author Note: More chapters on P@treon.com/LordCampione.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
LordCampione LordCampione

Creation is hard, cheer me up! VOTE for me!

Please don't forget to leave a review and comment it would really boost my mood for this novel.

Don't forget to gimme some stones if you enjoy the story and please leave your theories about it to since this is a complete AU story things won't be like in the Comics

Chapter 17: New Dawn Chapter: 017

Mai clearly hesitated. Tysone merely raised one eyebrow, curious. He'd have made a joke about a cat eating her tongue, but she was more of a bunny, so he'd save it for now. 

"It's the lyrics…" She said, finally, pulling the words out with difficulty. "I thought you'd write some unsavory, expletive-filled song that'd have made me lose face, but I didn't expect to find this so… beautiful. In fact…" Mai took a deep breath. "In fact, I'd like to purchase this from you, if you don't mind."

"Purchase?"

He had to repeat it to make sure he wasn't tripping. It must have been the shock, for Mai waited patiently for the words to finally register within his thick head.

She nodded firmly. "Yes, purchase. I love this song. Even without a proper melody... and with only the most rudimentary instrumentals... I could just feel myself drawn to its melancholy tone and the pain laced within. Maybe one day I'll get to sing it in front of an audience and be able to live it out myself..." Mai had an odd sense of passion Tysone didn't think her character should possess. Wasn't she a stuck up cold maiden at this point? Had he missed something somewhere? Was she an impostor?

Stupid anime world with its stupid anime characters.

But it worked perfectly.

"You want to be a singer?"

So Tysone touched upon that hidden desire with utmost gentleness. If it was there, he'd bring it out. It'd be a win-win situation, wouldn't it?

"Maybe it's just a passing fancy." Mai twiddled her fingers, red dusting her pale skin, which looked soft. "I don't think I've ever longed for it so much until I read your lyrics. Haah... I can't believe you did this to me. You stupid blockhead. You... oh wait!" Mai gripped herself. "Right, right! About the purchase, if you're interested, it's quite a reasonable offer. At a maximum, three times as much as the producers offered you."

"Is it right? To call the one you want to buy from a stupid yankee?" Tysone wore a little teasing smile.

And it was just enough to push her over the edge.

"Ugh!"

Red colored her cheeks.

"I won't call you stupid or blockhead." She amended, and Tysone was surprised she gave in so easily. She looked left and right, fidgeting, and looking absolutely adorable. He wished he could record a photo right there and then.

He kind of hated that he found girls adorable instead of hot or sexy, but give it a few years, and she'll mature into the embodiment of those adjectives.

Still, Tysone sighed theatrically. "It's too late, Mai. This heart of mine is a prideful creature. Maybe it'll show mercy if you call me unbearably hot piece of melted chocolate or the best god you've ever seen—"

A harsh stare interrupted him.

"...Fine." Tysone acted like her glare hurt him deeply. "We can work out the finer details later. I can sell it to you if you want it that much. I can even help you come up with a perfect tune for it, after all, as the creator, I know best, right?"

She composed herself, sitting in a prim and proper way. "That's absolutely fine. 20k USD, or roughly 3 million Japanese yen for the full copyright of this lyrics. Do we have a deal?" 

Damn. That just made some of his plans financially possible to carry out. 

Tysone had to fight the smile that threatened to split his face. 

"That's an acceptable offer, Bunny Girl."

She narrowed her eyes.

The transaction didn't happen right away. It turns out that Mai, still being contracted to a talent agency, couldn't act too independently. Still, just a few days later, Mai unexpectedly showed up at his place with a work-for-hire agreement in her hand.

On the page, it was spelled out that Tysone sold his full ownership of the lyrics, while he, in return, would be paid 20k USD. Of course, the money would take time to wire into his account, since, well, he didn't have one in the first place.

Tyson had nearly flipped the damn table. But no, he had some self-control. So it all worked out.

Thankfully, he was friends with Saya, who played a little hard to get, but with a bit of coaxing on his part, she finally relented and agreed to use her 'connections' to speed up the whole thing.

It was only on the third day that Mai's money was successfully transferred into his bank account. Tysone had never seen so much money in his life. And it belonged to him!

'Calm down. Calm down. This is nothing.'

His ambitions went far beyond a mere 20k. He wanted to make that much a day, at least. A Rage Room would be a good start—the first of many. He was confident it'd work; this anime version of Japan wasn't any different from the real one. Stress was an affectionate lady that hung from every salaryman's elbow, urging them to indulge in alcohol until they passed out.

A Rage Room is like an anger-management class, where for a fee, you can have your own private room filled with various items. Straw mannequins, a couch, chairs, plastic models, or whatever they had on hand, then you go in and punch the shit out of it.

Someone might make fun of the idea, not knowing how much the fragile psyche of an exhausted person would appreciate the concept. 

Now, he was illustrating his glorious plan to a very surprised Saya. He had been doing his own research in the meantime. Best place to rent a place. Soundproofing. Smashable furnitures. Business Name Registration. Licenses and permits. Tax registration and compliance—and a whole other bunch of terms he had never heard of before. 

He might as well invite people over to smash furniture in his own place. 

"So, you're telling me that you already got your part of the starting capital ready?" Naturally, Saya was skeptical. Heh, Tysone low-key enjoyed the look of sheer befuddlement on that cute little face. "I don't believe it."

"Damn." He intoned, a bit melodramatically. "You think I'm not capable of securing my part? You doubting my skills or are you trying to play me like a damn fiddle? Is that it? Wow, after all I've done to get you comfortable and invested in my little project."

Saya kicked his shin under the table, successfully cutting off his tirade. "That's not what I meant, you stupid gorilla. It's been one month, barely at that. And you're telling me that your distraught and lost thick head actually came up with a way to make as much as 3 million yen? Who would believe it?"

Tysone blinked. "A genius like yourself?"

She tried to kick him again, only to have her tiny, socked foot firmly grasped in his much larger hand. "You…"

"Does it really matter where I got the money? Do you even care?" He said, wiping the smile off his face. "Don't worry. It was nothing illegal—it turns out I have a genius side to myself as well, and I managed to sell it for the right price to someone who valued it."

He didn't tighten his grip or raise his voice, but Saya still found herself shrinking slightly, like a scolded child. Of course, she played it off like nothing. So typical of her.

"Maybe, if you apologize, I can tell you how exactly I managed to make so much money in a short time. And then, maybe, you'll be able to trust me more as a business partner?"

"..."

She mumbled something, looking away with an indignant blush.

"What did you say? I didn't hear you?" Tysone leaned in, perking his ears. He held back a teasing smile. 

"I said…" She trembled, as if about to erupt. And erupt, she did. "Release my foot, you damn yankee!"

He released it. However, he did it just as she jerked it, causing her kneecap to slam into the table, causing the entire damn thing to shake from the impact. 

"Oof!"

It was kind of fun the way her entire expression went from righteously irate to surprised to agonizing pain in a matter of seconds. Tysone tried to keep a straight face, but a chuckle slipped through his lips.

"You—! You're insufferable!" Saya clutched her knee, wincing, her glare sharp enough to cut through steel.

"Hey, I didn't ask you to smash the table like a rock star." Tysone said, grinning. "We're saving the smashing for the customers, remember?" Ah, good ol' double entendre. Thankfully, Saya didn't seem to register it. 

She rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath that he was sure wasn't very flattering. But even as she rubbed her sore knee, there was a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. It was the same look she had when she first heard his wild idea about the rage room. 

"So, are you going to help me with this or not?" Tysone asked, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed. "I could use someone who's good with numbers, and, well, someone who's good at keeping me from screwing up. There are a lot of things I'm not familiar with, and I'm not ashamed to admit you'd do one hell of a job with that brain of yours."

Saya looked at him, her expression softening just a little. "Well…" She shrugged, sighing. "I promised, didn't I? You're too stupid to do anything on your own. I'll help you with this crazy idea of yours, but you have to tell me how and where you got that money from."

Tysone smirked, leaning further back, a faraway look in his eyes. "You see… it all began when I was a little brat just like you—"

"..."

Saya promised herself she'd never ask again. Never. If this idiot was going to play his life story like a damn folk tale, she'd rather remain ignorant. He might just tell her that he found a magical guitar in a convenience store and sold his soul to a karaoke demon.

"Alright, alright, keep your secrets." She waved him off, pinching the bridge of her nose like she was fighting off a headache. "Just… stop with the dramatics. You're giving me a migraine."

Tysone chuckled, satisfied. "Deal, partner. But hey, you're gonna regret not hearing about my noble journey from broke bum to slightly-less-broke bum."

"Can't wait…" She deadpanned, but her lips twitched up, just barely.

"Hey, that's the spirit!" He threw his hands up in triumph, nearly knocking over a stack of papers on the table. Saya's eye twitched as she reached out to steady the mess.

"I swear, if you're this chaotic when we're running the business, I'm going to start charging you for every minute you waste my time."

Tysone gasped. "How could you, Saya-chan? I thought we were in this together! For better or worse, richer or poorer—"

"That's marriage, you idiot."

"Well, business is kinda like marriage." He reasoned, and she had to admit that he had a point there. He grinned, suddenly, like he was about to say something truly profound. "Except you don't get a honeymoon, just a pile of debt and the chance to destroy things when it all goes to hell."

Saya raised an eyebrow. "You're really selling this partnership, you know that?"

"You're just too young to appreciate my wisdom." He smiled, his head slightly tilted. 

Saya's traitorous heart skipped a beat.

Author Note: More chapters on P@treon.com/LordCampione.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
LordCampione LordCampione

Creation is hard, cheer me up! VOTE for me!

Please don't forget to leave a review and comment it would really boost my mood for this novel.

Don't forget to gimme some stones if you enjoy the story and please leave your theories about it to since this is a complete AU story things won't be like in the Comics

Load failed, please RETRY

Weekly Power Status

Batch unlock chapters

Table of Contents

Display Options

Background

Font

Size

Chapter comments

Write a review Reading Status: C16
Fail to post. Please try again
  • Writing Quality
  • Stability of Updates
  • Story Development
  • Character Design
  • World Background

The total score 0.0

Review posted successfully! Read more reviews
Vote with Power Stone
Rank 200+ Power Ranking
Stone 30 Power Stone
Report inappropriate content
error Tip

Report abuse

Paragraph comments

Login

tip Paragraph comment

Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.

Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.

GOT IT