Bab 3: The Regret- 3

Sitting on the chair inside the office, Ryuuma couldn't help but curse the woman who had disappeared after reading his novel.

"Where the hell is she gone?" He muttered under his breath. She hadn't said a word to him, instead taking out her mobile and walking out of the room.

Initially, he thought she was going to let him meet the boss, but after fifteen minutes without any sign of her returning, he grew increasingly frustrated.

"I guess I should leave now…" He was about to get up when the door suddenly opened.

"I apologize for leaving all of a sudden, Ryuuma-san," Aika said, looking at him with an apologetic expression. "But I have something good to tell you."

"Oh, what's that?" Ryuuma asked, feeling curious upon seeing her smile.

"Someone important wants to talk to you about your light novel," Aika said with a smile. "Please follow me, I will take you to them."

Ryuuma thought for a moment and then nodded, intrigued by the prospect of meeting this so-called important person. He got up and followed Aika to one of the elevators. She tapped the button for the fifth floor, the second-highest floor in the building.

"Ryuuma-san, you are going to meet the only heir of this publishing house, so I would suggest you be respectful," Aika reminded him with a calm expression. "And if you can play your cards right, you might receive a deal way better than what this publishing house could give you."

"I'll keep your words in mind," Ryuuma replied.

Soon, the elevator door opened, and both of them walked out with Aika taking the lead. They headed straight to the last room of the corridor, where she knocked twice.

"I have brought him with me," Aika loudly spoke.

"Let him come in. You can head back to your place," a sweet female voice responded from the room.

"All the best," Aika said, giving him a thumbs-up before heading back to the elevator.

Ryuuma opened the door and walked inside, only to see a blond-haired woman in her early twenties. She wore round spectacles that suited her face.

"You must be Ryuuma-san, the author of the Death Note light novel," the blonde-haired woman said, raising her head and looking at him with a calm expression. "Please take a seat. I would like to talk to you about your light novel."

She was beautiful, he had to give her that, but compared to his lovely wife, she was still ten steps behind. Taking his seat, he calmly stared at her, waiting for her to inform him about the purpose of this meeting.

"My name is Akari Tanaka, the only heir of this publishing house," she introduced herself with a smile. "My father wants me to inherit this, but I don't want to do it yet. I want to create another publishing house that can rival my father's before merging both of them."

"So what do you want from me?" Ryuuma asked with a bored expression. He came here to publish his light novel, so why was she telling him all this?

"I want you to publish your light novel in my newly formed publishing company. We might not have the same fame as my father's company but I can guarantee you that your light novel will be in every shop," Akari replied in a serious tone.

"Tell me the benefits you are planning to give me," Ryuuma calmly stated. "For me, it doesn't matter where I publish my light novel. All I care about are the benefits."

"I have already prepared the contract; you can read it here." Saying that she handed him a contract paper from her drawer.

Ryuuma began to read the contract slowly, and gradually a frown appeared on his face.

"What kind of shitty contract is this?" Ryuuma looked at her with an irritated expression. "You didn't call me here just to play a prank, right?" He got up from his chair. "To give you all the rights and even the original creator's name, you must be joking."

"Do you think your name can make people take an interest in your work? No matter how good your novel is, if no one reads it, then it's trash," Akari calmly stated.

"And I am happy with the trash," Ryuuma gave her one last look and walked toward the door. There were so many problems in this contract that he realized it would be foolish to discuss things with her.

"Wait," Akari suddenly called out. "At least tell me what kind of contract you want."

Massaging his temples, he turned around and activated the oppressive aura granted by one of his abilities.

"Do you want to waste my time? Unlike you, I don't have all day," he said, his voice laced with irritation.

"P-Please take a seat first…" Akari's heartbeat began to accelerate as she felt the oppressive aura from him. It was so intense that it made her father's aura look fragile in comparison.

"One last chance," he said, turning off the aura and taking his seat again. "Give me a pen."

When he received the pen from her, he turned the contract paper over and began to write his terms.

*Clauses:*

I will retain all rights. I am only giving you the right to publish, distribute, and sell in all formats. You can adapt to different media, but I will receive profits from it every month.

I want five million in advance payment and will receive 40% of royalties, paid monthly.

No one would for force me for the deadline. I will prepare the light novel in the given time but in return the editor needs to edit in maximum two days. He can suggest changes but it would depend on me if I want them to add or not.

The Publisher will be responsible for marketing and promotional activities, including advertising and book tours. I want my book published within one week or less if possible.

I will be credited as the original owner of my work.

I have the right to terminate the contract in middle if I feel that I am getting forced here but you can't terminate the contract unless my light novels are doing very poorly in the market.

After writing everything, he handed the paper to her, telling her to take a look.

When she finished reading, she looked at him with a shocked and angered expression.

"What kind of contract is this? Not even a senior author gets a contract like this," Akari raised her voice in anger.

"But it's worth it, right? Compared to my light novel, the rest are trash," Ryuuma said with a smile. "If I go to your father, I am sure he will agree to this in a heartbeat, and do you know why?"

Seeing his playful smile, Akari felt her anger bubbling up but she forcefully calmed herself. "Why?" she asked, suppressing the resentment in her tone.

"Because he can see the potential in this work as well as in me," Ryuuma chuckled. "For him, the contract isn't that outrageous. What matters most to him is that I won't make contact with some other company."

"Are you saying that he is afraid that those companies will be able to come out on top with your work?" Akari asked with a narrowed gaze.

"Bingo," Ryuuma laughed. "You don't think this is my best work, do you? I have thousands of light novels in my mind, and half of them are either better than this or commercially superior."

Hearing his words, Akari went silent as multiple thoughts raced through her mind.

"What if you become bored of writing light novels one day and decide to quit? What will happen to my company then?" Akari asked with a serious expression.

"First of all, I will never get bored," Ryuuma said with a smile. "And secondly, even if I stop, it doesn't mean that I won't allow anyone else to write for me, though I would charge for that as well."

Akari went silent at his words. He sounded way too confident, but for some reason, she was willing to believe him. She didn't understand why, but if she had to guess, it was because of the aura he had released earlier.

A fool would never have an aura stronger than her father, who had created such a giant publishing house from nothing.

"When will you give me the second volume of Death Note?" Akari decided to ask another important question.

"When do you need it?" He didn't ask why she wanted it so early; he could write the second volume in just a few hours.

"The earlier, the better," Akari replied. "Depending on the quality of the second volume, I will decide whether I will accept this contract."

"I don't have a problem with that, but do you want to hear another exciting offer?" Ryuuma straightened his back and asked.

"What kind of offer?" Akari leaned in with a curious expression.

"Buy me," Ryuuma said with a smile. "Buy my loyalty to your company. If you give me a good amount of money, I promise that I won't ever think of publishing my work in any other company."

"How much?" Akari asked with a smile.

"10 million," Ryuuma smiled. "And give me 2 million for every volume that I release with your company."

"We can discuss the contract later, but for now, I am willing to buy your loyalty," Akari said with a smile and took out her phone.

She asked him for his bank account information and then transferred 12 million yen to his account.

"Don't go back on your words," Akari said with a serious expression. "I will make sure to write it into the new contract."

Seeing the money in his bank account, a smile appeared on his face.

"I won't disappoint you," Ryuuma said. "You can start the publishing of the first volume, and as for the last volume, I will deliver it to you."

As their conversation concluded, Akari handed Ryuuma a business card. "Before you go, I want you to meet our illustrator. We need a compelling cover art for your light novel."

Ryuuma shook his head slightly. "I don't think that's necessary," he said, extending his hand. "Can I borrow your drawing pad and a pen?"

Curious but obliging, Akari handed over her drawing pad and pen. Ryuuma began to sketch with swift, confident strokes.

Within minutes, he produced an intricate image featuring the main characters of his story. Light was at the centre, clutching his Death Note, exuding an aura of dark intelligence.

L stood to the right with his characteristic crouch and a pen in hand, ready to outsmart Light. Misa was on the left, holding her own Death Note, her expression a mix of innocence and malice. Behind them all was Ryuk, with his wide, eerie grin, munching on an apple.

Akari watched in astonishment as the scene came to life on the pad. "I... I can't believe you can draw this well," she said, her voice filled with awe. His talent in art solidified her belief in his earlier confident words about his writing.

Ryuuma finished the drawing and handed the pad back to her. "I hope this meets your standards," he said with a smirk.

"It's perfect," Akari admitted, her eyes still on the drawing. She quickly snapped a picture of it on her phone. "I'll have this digitized and ready for the cover. Thank you."

They exchanged phone numbers before he left.

"Keep me updated," Ryuuma said before exiting the room.

Akari nodded, already calling the number for the chief editor to begin the process of editing his manuscript.

As Ryuuma stepped out of the building, he felt a wave of satisfaction. He hailed a taxi and headed back to his home, excitement bubbling within him at the thought of surprising his wife with the news of the money.

The ride was filled with his thoughts on how he would reveal the 12 million yen now sitting in their bank account.

He imagined Emi's reaction, her shock, joy and excitement. With a confident smile, he leaned back in the taxi seat.

"I think it's the perfect time to buy a car as well as go on a date with her...." Ryuuma mumbled with a smile on his face. "I am sure she would love to go out with me too since it's been a long time….."