Chapter 143: A Glimmer Through the Window
"Sagiri will definitely want to focus on drawing rather than contracts or any other communication," Yukima Azuma said calmly, his voice warm and confident.
"Besides," he added, eyes softening as he looked at her, "even if we do sign a collaboration contract, I'll make sure Sagiri keeps her freedom. She'll only draw what she truly wants to draw."
Those words weren't just comforting—they were temptations wrapped in gentle sincerity.
Sagiri's heart swayed. She hadn't expected the conversation to go this way. Yukima Azuma wasn't pushing. He wasn't coercing. He was... inviting. And she saw him not as a corporate figure, but as a friend. As someone who had cooked a warm, delicious meal just for her.
She mulled over it for a long while, eyes lowered.
Finally, her voice floated out like a whisper:
"...If you really mean it... and the contract is like you say... then... okay."
Yukima Azuma smiled. It wasn't triumphant—it was soft. Understanding.
He had won her over, and he didn't need to gloat.
When Sagiri finished her food, a satisfied little hum escaping her lips, it was time for him to leave. He rose, picked up the empty dishes with practiced grace, and turned to go.
But then—