Chapter 117: Hoshino Arata

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Hoshino Arata

The envelope sat on Haruki’s desk for two days.

Unopened.

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Not because he feared the answer.

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Because he feared the reality.

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The Osaka offer became real the moment someone read it.

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Until then, possibility remained comfortable.

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Reality rarely was.

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At 8:12 AM on Monday, Haruki finally opened it.

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Professional salary.

Housing support.

Career advancement.

Long-term promotion track.

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Everything looked reasonable.

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That made it worse.

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Much worse.

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If the offer had been terrible, the decision would’ve been easy.

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Life rarely offered such conveniences.

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The letter remained on his desk while he worked.

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A constant presence.

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A reminder.

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By noon, he had completed six new manuscript pages.

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Not enough.

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But progress.

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The story finally felt alive again.

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Ren still carried consequences from his mistakes.

Miyu still refused easy forgiveness.

Shiori still held grudges.

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Good.

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Human beings remembered things.

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The manga needed to remember things too.

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At one o’clock, Suzune called.

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No greeting.

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Expected.

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"You have a meeting."

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Haruki sighed.

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"I always have meetings."

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"This one is important."

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Again.

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Everything became important lately.

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The assistant editor sounded amused.

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A dangerous sign.

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"Meet me at Studio Hall B."

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Then she hung up.

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Naturally.

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No.

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Still banned.

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Studio Hall B occupied a converted warehouse near the publishing district.

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Creators rented rooms there for workshops, networking events, and collaborative projects.

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The building felt creative.

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A dangerous atmosphere.

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Creative people caused problems.

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Haruki knew this because he was one.

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Inside, dozens of creators moved between exhibition spaces.

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Artists.

Writers.

Editors.

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The industry in miniature.

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Suzune waited near one of the larger rooms.

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Coffee.

Tablet.

Deadline energy.

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The usual.

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"You look suspiciously happy."

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The assistant editor frowned.

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"That’s insulting."

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Fair.

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Very fair.

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Before Haruki could continue, a voice interrupted.

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"Haruki Sato?"

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The creator turned.

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Then immediately understood.

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Because the man matched the magazine photo perfectly.

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Hoshino Arata.

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The newest problem.

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The charismatic creator.

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The social genius.

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The blueprint requirement made flesh.

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Arata smiled.

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Not arrogantly.

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Not strategically.

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Naturally.

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Damn it.

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The word slipped again.

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Because it fit.

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The man looked comfortable everywhere.

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One of those people.

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Dangerous.

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Very dangerous.

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"Nice to finally meet you."

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Haruki shook his hand.

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Firm grip.

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Confident.

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Relaxed.

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Everything about Arata felt effortless.

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Which immediately annoyed him.

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Arata noticed.

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Of course he noticed.

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People like him always noticed.

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The creator laughed.

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Actually laughed.

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"You already dislike me."

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Haruki considered lying.

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Then didn’t.

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"A little."

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Arata grinned.

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"Good."

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The disease continued spreading.

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Soon Tokyo would be infected entirely.

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Suzune looked like she regretted introducing them already.

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A promising start.

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The workshop began shortly afterward.

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Several creators presented ongoing projects.

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Editors provided feedback.

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Publishers observed quietly.

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A surprisingly useful event.

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Then Arata volunteered.

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Mistake.

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A huge mistake.

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Because the man was talented.

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Genuinely talented.

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Not hype.

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Not reputation.

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Talent.

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His presentation focused on audience engagement.

Community building.

Creator communication.

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The room paid attention immediately.

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Haruki understood why.

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Arata made difficult topics seem simple.

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Complicated strategies became stories.

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Statistics became conversations.

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People leaned forward.

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People listened.

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People liked him.

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The dangerous part?

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He deserved it.

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Haruki hated that realization.

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A lot.

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After the presentation, a senior editor asked a question.

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"What’s your greatest strength?"

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The room expected confidence.

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Expected self-promotion.

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Instead Arata answered immediately.

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"People."

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No hesitation.

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No false humility.

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Just certainty.

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The response lingered.

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Because it felt true.

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The creator continued.

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"I understand audiences."

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A pause.

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"I understand collaborators."

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Another.

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"I understand what motivates people."

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Simple.

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Direct.

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Terrifying.

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Haruki suddenly understood Sora’s warning.

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Aoi Fujimura challenged discipline.

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Sora challenged social instinct.

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Arata challenged something worse.

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Connection.

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The ability to bring people together.

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The ability to inspire loyalty.

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The ability to make everyone feel included.

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A creator’s dream skill.

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And one Haruki didn’t naturally possess.

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After the workshop ended, the two creators found themselves walking toward the station.

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An unfortunate coincidence.

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Arata carried no visible stress.

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Haruki distrusted this immediately.

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"You look disappointed."

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The statement arrived casually.

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Haruki glanced over.

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"What?"

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Arata smiled.

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"You expected me to be worse."

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Fair.

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Extremely fair.

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The older creator laughed.

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Then surprised him.

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"I expected you to be worse too."

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Silence.

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Then both laughed.

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Unexpected.

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Very unexpected.

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Near the station entrance, Arata stopped.

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Then looked toward Haruki.

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The relaxed expression disappeared slightly.

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Not completely.

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Enough.

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"You know what your problem is?"

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Another dangerous sentence.

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Haruki braced himself.

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Arata pointed toward him.

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"You think every challenge has to be carried alone."

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The statement landed harder than expected.

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Because he’d heard versions of it before.

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Yui.

Suzune.

Takeda.

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Now Arata.

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Different people.

Same criticism.

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The creator shrugged.

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"Anyway."

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Then smiled again.

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The mask returned instantly.

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Effortlessly.

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"I’ll see you around."

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Arata disappeared into the crowd.

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People greeted him as he left.

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Several creators waved.

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An editor called his name.

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The man navigated human relationships the way Haruki navigated story structure.

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Instinctively.

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The comparison bothered him all evening.

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Back at his apartment, the Osaka offer still waited on the desk.

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The rankings still mattered.

The contract still mattered.

The consequences still existed.

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Now a new rival existed too.

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Not someone stronger.

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Not someone smarter.

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Someone different.

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And for the first time since meeting Aoi Fujimura, Haruki felt genuinely challenged in an area he couldn’t solve through harder work alone.

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The uncomfortable realization?

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That might be exactly what he needed.